55 55.00.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Academy life was a continuous boredom.

Magic knowledge that has already been acquired or is low level, a low struggle that is nothing compared to Hilda, history that does not help in survival, or study about noble families.

I'm sick of one day, and you expect me to spend a month like this?

It was nonsense.

“Let's go play hooky. ”

I'd rather be stuck in a library.

I did not take part in the class.

I met Charlotte for lunch after spending time in the library at the Academy.

I looked at her and asked.

“What happened? ”

My whole body is covered in scars. I almost didn't recognize it at first because I was wearing bandages.

What is it? Why is this guy hurt?

Or was it because of the common man that he got sidetracked?

I frowned without knowing it.

It was still one of the few reliable people in the world.

I felt sorry for her every time I got help.

Charlotte stares at me dazed.

After a moment, I retreated as if I had regained my senses.

You place the plate on the nearby table and bow your head lightly.

“It's been a while since I've seen you since Lonia. Master Jeron.”

There can be no mistake.

I heard my fake name and acted accordingly.

Apparently, Ronia's lord, Jennard, guessed the castle of Rifan.

He's always been a clever boy.

I felt bitter.

I felt reluctant to greet him with a trembling distance.

I don't know if I should interfere.

“Charlotte Heraiz, again, thanks to young Jeron. ”

“Herrise?”

I tilted my head toward Charlotte.

Is there a castle?

What do you mean, Hersheliz?

I've heard that name somewhere.

I heard it when I was studying in the Imperial Palace.

One of the houses that worshiped the Holy See, which was extinct 50 years ago by the commander king.

It was one of the forces of the Great Depression that had disappeared.

The Celestial Army, the Holy Cross, the Green Cross, the Red Cross, and the Golden Cross.

Unlike them, there is a sixth being who is free to use force.

Is that...

“West, Saint? ”

I looked back in horror.

You hear the plate falling.

The big boy looks at me with his eyes wide open.

He gasps and opens his mouth, knelt in haste and shouted.

“The oldest son of a humble headless Earl. Hail to the Son! ”

A nobleman named the Earl kneels and bows.

At the sound of shouting, the eyes of the people around me came together.

I heard a loud noise.

It is truly impressive to see the eldest son of the Earl bowing before the son of the same Earl.

I found my forehead on that.

I tried to stay quiet, but I think that's already crossed the water.

* *

Lunchtime was free, so I left the Academy and had lunch at Hummite's Shop.

I sat on the bench and chewed on the food.

However, I felt uncomfortable because of those sitting on the left and right side.

Charlotte sits on the right and Heiss on the left.

Those who carried my food were strangely stiff.

Is this... why you're talking to me?

It's lunchtime.I don't think it's my fault you need to rest.

“But what are those wounds? ”

I chewed something similar to a hamburger and asked.

I kept worrying. Charlotte's wounds seem to have been struck by something dull.

Was there a lot of scarring at the Academy?

As there are the children of the highborn nobility, it is likely that they saw poor Charlotte as a prey.

Charlotte is flabbergasted and touches her face. Then, I bit my lower lip and bowed my head to see if I had learned later.

“These are bruises from a struggle. ”

“Sounds bad for a duel. Don't you have a bump in the wall? ”

“Well, that's not going to happen! ”

Heiss interrupted.

And then I met him in Lonia.

I shoved a shovel through his foot.

I thought you said you stole a common maid.

“You didn't do this, did you? ”

“That can't be right! ”

Heiss shakes his head in panic.

Well, Heiss won't be able to defeat Charlotte. She was also devastated by the destruction of her hands.

“What do you believe in? You stole the maid.”

Heiss was furious and said.

“Well, that's a lie. ”

“Lies?”

“It was a bluff. It happened, of course, but it wasn't me. Stop... stopping them from trying...”

The Duke, the Marquis, and their disciples try to rob the maid by using the Higgs as leverage.

At that time, the High tried to stop it, and he was sentenced to go to Lonia.

“Of course, I used all of them. ”

There was no way those more than the Marquis could be punished. Even the maid who saved him made a false confession about taking a bribe.

“What did Ronia brag about? ”

"... a tip from someone. It's scary. There are prisoners there and only corrupt priests go there. I was told to name the erl and pretend to be a madman, not to touch him. ”

It was the same structure as the weak prisoners in the prison who bluffed and made power.

“What about Charlotte's wounds? ”

“I don't know about that. They won't answer your questions. ”

I looked at Charlotte.

She just keeps her mouth shut.

“... The Grill is not a domestic abuser, is it? ”

Charlotte shakes her head, furious.

“No, Grill is a very sweet father. I live apart now, but I write to them every day. ”

Did the Grill go back to the North Village?

I looked at her.

I didn't think it would tell me to keep my mouth shut and head down.

It is not polite to dig with force.

Thinking deeply, Charlotte raises her head as if she had made up her mind.

“I want to be a paladin. ”

She said, facing me.

“And serve the Crown Prince. ”

You hear something fall from the side.

It's high.

He drops the burger in his hand as if in shock.

I looked back at Charlotte.

For her, the High ignores her as if she were air.

That's how serious you are.

“Please wait until then. I am your sword and shield...”

Charlotte gets up from her seat. Then he kneels down on one knee and lowers his waist.

“He will be with you. ”

Charlotte's sudden behavior made a loud noise in the streets.

Knight's oath in the middle of the street.

It was also the actions of a girl who would be 17 years old, so she had to stand out.

I looked at Charlotte, ignoring their gaze.

She speaks the truth.

Paladin.

It's not for everyone.

You must possess superhuman spirit, physical ability to hunt monsters, and the power to conquer ordinary people.

Vampires, Lycans, Undead and more.

The power to hunt them is vital, and the way to give up being human is also to give up being human.

Charlotte was a genius at that.

When she grows up, she'll be blessed by the Holy See.

I bite the burger and look down at her head.

I wish I could have trusted people with me.

Charlotte is arguably the longest person to spend time with.

I felt bitter because I was the only one I could trust in this world.

She will be able to live happily as a normal girl in the country.

Serving this bloody tyrant was not something that could have been sane.

It must be the fact that she also knew well that she had been watching. Nevertheless, her decision to kill the paladin must have been firmly made.

“What is the face of the paladin who serves me? ”

Charlotte looks down, startled.

“This is...”

She hesitates and opens her mouth.

"We need the mental strength to stand up to the pain. ”

Perhaps it's true that the wound was inflicted by the Dalian. That's how desperately you're trying.

“What are you talking about? ”

If you served me in the first place, you wouldn't have to get hurt.

“Pain has nothing to do with it. If you get hurt, I'll take care of you. ”

"...?"

“You said it was my paladin. ”

Charlotte's eyes widen.

I looked at her like that and pressed my finger against her forehead.

But I put in the sacred force.

“Then you won't get hurt. I'll heal you if you get hurt. ”

Injected holy energy.

The fatalities, scars, and old scars that remained on her face disappeared.

I reached out my hand. I loosened the bandages around her face.

“Small wounds, big wounds, I won't let you leave a scar. ”

The bandage is loose.

The red-eye shakes on a scarless face.

“If you die, I will bring you back from the dead. ”

I smiled at Charlotte's face.

“But what's the problem? ”

I take my hand back and bite the burger hard with both hands.

Charlotte was dumbfounded for a while.

I gave her the burger and said,

“What's the answer?”

There was a change in her face.

The expressionless face collapses and gives a clear smile.

“No, there's nothing wrong. ”

* *

The sun is setting and the night is upon us.

Late in the evening, Oskar frowned.

He tilts his head toward Charlotte in front of him.

‘Something has changed. ’

She was battling the Golden Cross.

My body was soft.

Just because the body has recovered, it is not a movement to come out.

The eyes that were not lively had a firm will.

Every time she swings her sword, the Golden Cross backs away.

‘... not only did I recover from fatigue, but also from my mind. Have you made a brace that you can rely on somewhere? ’

Oscar observed her as interesting.

Charlotte takes a breath.

She remembers what happened today.

- I want to be a paladin. And I want to be with him.

For the first time, I told the prince the truth.

She wanted to be his paladin.

To do that...

‘I'm not giving up. ’

I had to be strong.

Charlotte steps on the ground. You swing your sword up and down.

The golden cross shrugs its sword in horror.

The sword and sword collide.

Immediately, an explosion broke the sword of the Golden Cross.

Even the paladin who stopped him floated in the air, hurling himself into a tree and bouncing off.

The paladin looks at Charlotte's sword with a surprised look in his helmet, forgetting the pain.

The power of the Pokémon is contained within the sword.

The sheep that became one were glowing holy.

Oskar's mouth opens.

He looks like an idiot and says,

“... excellent. You really are a monster! Your Holiness, I, too, could not have accomplished this at that age!"

Oskar rises from his seat.

He stretches out his trembling hands, unable to overcome the excitement.

He approaches Charlotte.

“You will grow up. And for the Great Depression...”

“I don't want to.”

“What?"

Oskar's footsteps have stopped.

He looks at Charlotte and tilts his head.

Charlotte turns her head and looks at him.

“I will not pledge allegiance to the Holy Father. ”

Oskar's expression twitches.

“... you bitch, what are you talking about? You are a member of the Golden Cross. The Holy Father's mission is to bring death..."

“I will act of my own accord. And they're not puppets. ”

I'm going to say it clearly now.

You're not a puppet.

Obviously Oskar will reject it. And I won't leave her alone.

I'll train you to subdue her.

The sea I wanted.

Oskar said he absolutely obeyed His Holiness' orders.

They will absolutely obey the commandment given by the Holy Father, "Put it on the Golden Cross."

If the Holy Father had no other intentions, nothing would have happened to her.

“Yes, what are you talking about...”

Charlotte looks up at Oskar.

“If you want to turn me into a puppet, try to subdue me. ”

"..."

“I will never become a puppet that moves according to His Holiness and the commander. ”

Oskar was speechless. I just opened my eyes as if I was shocked.

Oskar scratches his head. And I stared at Charlotte.

“Whoever has no loyalty to the Holy See cannot be a golden cross. ”

“I will enter the Golden Cross. But there is only one person who will give me an order. ”

Charlotte's fierce eyes stare at him.

“Allen Olfalls. He's all I have. ”

“Nonsense. We exist for the Holy Father. We cannot obey unless we are the Holy Father...”

“Then I will make him holy. Let's make him the rightful successor, and let's make him something that everyone looks up to. ”

"..."

Oskar shuts up.

Even the golden cross around her looked at her in astonishment.

You want to make him your rightful successor?

It wasn't a normal job.

If I was wrong, this speech alone could be a problem.

But Charlotte knew that and did not hesitate.

If the seven popes want to be a Pope, she will make him a Pope.

As his sword and shield.

I will do my best to assist him.

“... Do you hear me? ”

Oskar turns his head and says to the golden cross:

“Did you hear that?”

The members of the Golden Cross shrug.

Oskar's jaw rises.

He looks at Charlotte and bursts into laughter.

“Haha! This is really something. Your Holiness has sent you a tasty toy! ”

He sits back down.

Oskar looks down and kicks his tongue.

“The reason we exist is to be loyal to those with a legitimate succession. ”

Oskar mutters to himself, regrettably.

“It wouldn't be a problem if the prince inherited the throne like you said. But not now. Those who oppose the Holy Spirit cannot be on the Golden Cross. Dammit, I thought I'd met my successor in a long time, and now I have to find him again. ”

Oskar sighed and said to the golden cross:

“Bring me the sword of Heraiz. ”

The golden cross faced each other. They shake their heads as if they had no choice.

They enter Oskar's hut and come out with a sword.

“I strip you of the Golden Cross. ”

Oskar grabs the sword from the Golden Cross and throws it to Charlotte.

“And the forgotten sixth power of the Great Depression led by the old Heroic Family. ”

A sword with a white sword falls to the ground.

“I appoint you to the Hundred Cross. ”

Charlotte looks at Oskar.

He tilts his head with an indifferent look.

“Charlotte Heraise. Congratulations on becoming the Lord of the Hundred Crusades.

Charlotte's eyes widen.

She picks up the sword from the ground.

I see a smooth blade.

It's just as valuable as a ‘Sword’.

Oscar reaches out to the side.

A member of the Golden Cross held a sword in his hand.

He holds a sword with a golden sword. He pulls it out.

“Charlotte Heraise. Follow your worshippers. ”

Charlotte knew what he was doing.

Charlotte kneels on one knee and bows.

Oscar's sword touches her shoulder.

“Protect him. ”

The sword touches both shoulders. And it was on her head.

“I think of you as the party of the Marquis of Heraiz, an equal. Let's also move on to the next phase of His Holiness's enlightenment. ”

Oskar looks down at Charlotte.

“I will make you the strongest of the Holy See. 50 years ago, you will survive unlike those who left His Holiness. ”

Oskar steps back.

The golden crosses opened their streets to him.

He raises his sword and points it at Charlotte.

Oskar Valdre.

He who is called the most powerful swordsman in the current Divine Constitution said.

“I will make you a true paladin. ”

At the same time, the sacred power emanates from Oskar's sword.