Chapter 131

Chapter 131

Joint Combat Training 2 (17) (Edited)

Leaning against the wall of the corridor at Glast Hall, the girl who had been lying there curved her lips into a faint smile.

The student council building was bustling with joint combat training. The sounds of battle could be heard here and there.

While everyones attention was absorbed by the combat training, Adelle sat quietly, reflecting on her life.

It was a life so tumultuous, no one could match its ups and downs. Constantly struggling just to survive, she never had the time to contemplate the meaning of her existence.

But now, after all the blind rushing about, she had nothing to show for it. She had fought hard to survive, yet she had not managed to attribute any meaning to that life.

As that man, Ed Rothtaylor, had said If flailing about indignantly and grinding ones teeth in desperation were what it meant to survive Then the life one fought so hard for must have inherent value. However, if she was asked what value her own life held, Adelle found herself without a story to tell past the lump in her throat.

Her life had been about survival rather than living. That was the nature of it.

Indeed, she spoke as if it was something remarkable, but life was often like that for most people.

The world was full of human beings desperately striving to protect their own flesh and blood.

Everyone was struggling for survival for their own reasons, including Tadarek as he braced himself against Merildas strike.

It was an incredible feat just for a human to withstand a high-spirits blow. Tadarek successfully blocked Merildas front paw with his spear, then with a trembling hand, he even managed a test of strength.

However, with a couple of magic arrows lodged in his shoulder, the balance of his strength crumbled, and he fell back. Quickly getting up to prepare a counterattack, he was abruptly attacked by Leshia the lioness, who bit deeply into his shoulder. He tried to regain his stance after being torn at, but now before him stood both the high wind spirit Merilda and the high fire spirit Tarkan, exuding their powerful presences.

Likewise, Verdieu struggles against a corner, seeking an escape.

The moment he locked eyes with Lucy, he tried to grab the subdued saint and run in another direction, but a magic bullet swiftly hit his right foot, sending him tumbling down.

Clarice was released from his grip, and Lucy stood up. Verdieu tried to cast some elementary sacred arts for protection, but with a mere flick of her finger, Lucy shattered his defensive formation.

He tried to quickly get up and escape but fell down again, his back slashed by a basic wind magic of Wind Blade. Bleeding, he tried to push himself up once more. But his strength failed, and his face planted on the ground. Still, he gritted his teeth and tried to get up.

With much effort, he raised his head just to find Lucy looking down at him indifferently.

Yet, Verdieu did not give up the strength in his arm. He fought for survival.

The life of the Sword Saint Taely was also a sequence of ordeals.

Enduring endless trials, he had mastered the Sword Saints style and had been tirelessly working hard up until todays joint combat training.

The student council building felt noisy outside, but within the secluded training grounds, the commotion hardly mattered. His immediate focus was on his current challenger.

Among the many first-year challengers, he never let his sword falter. Neither the combat departments top, wade, nor the magic departments top, Joseph, could defeat him. Even when Claude, the top of the alchemy department, utilized every underhanded trick to overcome him, Taely did not concede defeat.

Even after seeing Claude ingest the forbidden elixir Blood of the Fallen God, Taely refused to shy away from the battle and met him head-on.

And Yenika Faelover is no exception to this blindness.

Beyond her blurry vision, she can only make out Eds silhouette, sparring with Tadarek. No matter how proficiently one could command high spirits, there was no guarantee of defeating an apostle of Telos in a one-on-one battle.

Her body, pushed to the limits, screamed for relief. But sensing Ed Rothtaylor undertaking a life-threatening fight, she clenched her teeth once more and summoned her magic. Finally, Yenika drew every last drop of power from the depths of her being, conjuring up the high fire spirit Tarkan for one last stand.

One highest-ranked spirit, one high spirit, eight mid spirits, one hundred and seventeen lesser spirits, and four hundred and seventeen unembodied spirits.

This was what was known as a one-man army.

Though she had called upon future powers and whittled down her own life force to manifest such forces, her ability to resonate with spirits was beyond imagination nonetheless.

Fires and winds cut through clearings in forested areas as Ed readied his dagger and bow between the two high spirits.

The clamor of the two men crashing into battle fills Yenikas ears.

Even Clarice, Adelles close friend, is no different.

Having escaped Verdieus grasp, Clarice gets up again. Already covered in scars and now bearing the brunt of Verdieus attack, she limps towards the cathedral.

Theresomeone with the power to put an end to this entire situationSaint Eldain. At this point, even he, known only for his piety, could not stay idle.

Reaching the cathedral doors, they opened on their own before Clarice could even attempt to unlock them.

Saint Eldain and his entourage emerge. Despite some damage from Verdieus ambush, there were no fatal injuries.

The cathedral knights respectfully greeted the saint as they passed by her side and headed towards Verdieu. Between them, saint Eldain stepped out, bowed politely to the saint. He was considered the most sacred power beneath Telos on Earth.

Even so, he bows respectfully to Clarice and then walks past her towards Verdieu.

Cathedral knights encircled the fallen Verdieu, and Eldain looked down at him through the gaps. Verdieu, gritting his teeth, tried to manifest a divine technique, but before the knights could even respond, Lucy crushed his arm under her foot.

He shouted in pain and grasped Lucys foot, but no influence could affect her body engraved with protective spells. Lucys face remained utterly expressionless as she watched Verdieus struggle.

Above all, Ed Rothtaylor must have lived the most fiercely.

Ed Rothtaylor pulls the bowstring with his body already covered in wounds.

In the midst of the wind magic from Merilda and the fire magic from Tarkan, Tadarek somehow held on. He deflected the magical attacks with his spear, dodged Eds arrows, and avoided both Tarkans tail and Merildas front paws, steering the battle.

Yet, facing the two high spirits and Ed Rothtaylor, shrouded in all manner of blessings, was a challenge.

Therefore, it was necessary first to whittle down the opponents strength. Though Ed Rothtaylor was reasonably resistant in close combat, Yenika Faelover, already in a battered state, was different.

If she were stopped, not only the flaming lizard before him but also the flying whale obstructing his allies support could be neutralized.

Tadareks attack instantly switches to the panting and feverish Yenika Faelover.

His decision was bold; any hesitation amidst the precarious battle would lead to his defeat. Tadarek knew this well.

His adjusted grip pointed his spear towards Ed Rothtaylor. Ed prepared to evade as the spear was thrown. But, the true direction of that throw was at Yenika Faelover.

Already exceeding human strength, Tadareks spear flew at an inconceivable speed towards Yenika.

However, Ed Rothtaylor did not even glance in her direction. This was peculiar considering how dearly he seemed to regard her.

Clang!

Finally, Tadarek realized his every move was being anticipated.

A lower spirit named Muk nestled under Yenikas shawl burst out, materializing an explosion to deflect the spear.

Anticipating an assault on Yenika, he had moved Muk, one of his core forces, to her side.

If one attacks, vulnerabilities arise. With his center of gravity pushed forward and without his spear, Tadarek was exposed.

Yet, why ultimately return to the sacrificial magic circle to face death?

Was it mere pity for Clarice, who would have to face a condemned fate in her stead?

Pity, compassion, guilt. Did these feelings compel Adelle to throw her life away without a choice?

While somewhat true, it wouldnt be the entire answer.

Passing through the commercial city of Oldec to the sacred city Carpea, wandering as a minstrel across the world, until finally reaching Sylvania Academy.

In the end of her life, what always lingered in Adelles heart was the memory of playing the lute at the window of the castle in the Holy City.

A life without purpose. At least until she left the Holy City.

The decision to view various sceneries while roaming the world was because she did not want the song she sang for Clarice to remain a lie.

Claire had always shone her eyes brightly, listening to Adelles lute at the window, motivating the girl to become a minstrel.

She wanted to become a real minstrel to fully embody the meaning behind the words she had said to her.

Thus, Clarice was the meaning of Adelles life.

She was the one who gave value to an otherwise meaningless existence.

A life without family or comrades often leads to a sad end.

Some threw away their lives while others found purpose in life by taking the lives of others. Adelle could only smile softly at her end.

In the end, Adelle had only one thing to leave behind for Clarice and Ed.

It wasnt a long story.

Bang!

Ed and Clarice burst through the doors of Glast hall.

Among the numerous corridors leading to the practice area, they rushed to the deepest and darkest one.

Round the corner, and there she was in full view.

Her expression was at ease. As always, she looked content.

The slowly expanding pool of blood cradled her like a crib.

The sight of the girl rubbing her eyes on the bench came effortlessly to mind.

Im scared.

I dont want to die.

But the face leaning on the wall seemed too peaceful. How could that be?

Many wonder what she had feared so much, and the answer wasnt too hard to find.

What Adelle truly dreaded was a meaningless death. Thinking of Clarice left alone under the cold walls of the Holy City, even her death seemed meaningless.

To be manipulated by the order or to become a fallen saintess, turning the world against her. A future for Clarice that was nothing but heartbreaking.

However, it was a needless worry.

Only after Clarice confirmed Ed was by her side could she finally let go of that fear.

Feeling like redemption itself, she smiled at last.

Though her life was fleeting like the wind, her life and death had purpose.

Embraced in Eds arms, Clarice wept loudly for quite some time.

Thankfully, Ed was there to hold her.

He hugged Clarice for a long time, giving her someone to lean on emotionally after losing a dear friend.

*

So, become strong.

To you, who became my lifes punctuation, this books final sentence is dedicated.

Lucy.

The girl on the rooftop of Glast hall closed the book with a clap. This building too was built through her grandfathers sponsorship.

The official last published work of Glast, Southbound Observations.

While the original was sold at a high price to a noble magical family, the real original was in Lucys hands. The sold book was just a high-quality copy but nobody knew that now.

Lucy didnt much care. If everyone believes it to be the real thing, then it becomes so.

The last sentence of this book held a particular resonance for Lucy.

Even up to his death, Archmage Glast wrestled with finding meaning in his life.

Was life, after all, a journey in search for that reason? Lucy was too young to see the grand schematic of such an odyssey but she felt an inexplicable sense of emptiness.

The tiresome joint combat training also came to an end. A first-year alchemist caused a commotion, but Sword Saint Taely suppressed it quickly, preventing major harm.

The disturbance of holy arts in the cathedral would be discussed appropriately by the academy and the Sacred. Adelles case is likely to be shouldered by Verdieu since the saintess knows all the truths.

The sudden appearance of the high-ranking spirit caused surprise, but without human casualties or property damage, it would end as a minor incident. Though someone might get a scolding.

I want some beef jerky.

Looking up at the sky, the sun was setting.

Lucy closed her eyes, surrendering to the warmth of the late spring breeze. Memories of the past suffuse warmth to her ears but she lets out a sigh, casting away the peculiar embarrassment.

Summer is soon upon them.

With the beginning of the vacation, camp work will get busy again. Then fall will arrive, and winter will follow.

Time will continue to pass. As it always has.