Chapter 297

Chapter 297

PR/N: 'Paladins' will be referred to from now on in lower case (i.e. 'paladins'). There was a misunderstanding in previous chapters that the paladins were a single, elite task force.

In front of the Gate of Divinity.

The Efnel students who had completed their dispatch missions in the neutral area were lined up to return to the Holy Federation.

Rete and Lilinette were also waiting for their turn.

"My group was pretty lucky in a lot of ways, huh?"

Happily said Lilinette.

Normally, their dispatch scores would be greatly reduced as they lost a head-to-head encounter with Kizen students.

However, since their conductor, Figaro, had caused a terrible disaster in the neutral area, Efnel ended up completely denying their relationship with him.

Of course, Lilinette and her group were given a gag order. Rete herself also informed them they should watch their mouths.

“Anyhow, I learned a lot by descending to the ground! Even if we are big fish, I guess we're in an even bigger pond? I’ll hone my belief to not lose to those necromancers next ti— Sister Rete! Are you listening?”

Lilinette turned to face her.

Rete's cheeks and forehead were bright red, and she was faintly panting while beads of cold sweat formed across her skin.

Lilinette put her hand on Rete's forehead.

"Wah! Your forehead feels like a fireball! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

Rete tried her best to reply before staggering forward in the line.

"No, you don't seem fine at all! Did you eat something bad? Or get infected by something from the neutral area? Should I cast some healing magic on you?"

“...It's nothing like that."

"Let me assist you!"

"I said I'm fine!"

While the two squabbled, the people ahead of them in line were all done, and it was already their turn.

Alongside other Efnel students, they walked through the Gate of Divinity and returned to the Holy Federation.

"?!"

And as soon as they passed through the gate, they were greeted by an incredible sight.

An armed group, all equipped with swords and shields and wearing full plate armor, were waiting on the other side.

'P-Paladins?'

The other Efnel students also looked around in confusion at the sudden appearance of these armed men.

"Rete Sardegna."

A man in an unusually ornate suit of armor stepped forward.

"You're under suspicion of interfering with the administration of the Holy Federation."or!

"Do you admit to preemptively attacking paladins who were carrying out the Federation's orders?"

However, Rete was too busy gasping for breath, her face only getting redder and redder with blood, to hear the man’s words.

The paladin frowned, assuming she was exercising her right to remain silent.

"Looks like it's a waste of time to keep asking questions here. Take her away."

Two of the paladins approached with golden chains to bind Rete, but she still didn't budge, only gasping for air.

"W-Wait a minute!"

Lilinette quickly stepped in front of Rete with outstretched arms.

"Rete's condition isn't good enough for interrogation right now! Please do this once she recovers her h—!"

"Do you really think such a lame excuse will work?"

"The orders were given to bring her right away. Even if she's an Efnel student, it can't be helped until her innocence is proven.”

The paladins moved closer in spite of Lilinette’s attempts to hold them back.

"Move out of the way!"

"Never! I'll never get out of the way!"

In the end, a paladin pushed Lilinette's shoulder and knocked her to the ground.

A fire lit up in Lilinette's eyes as she landed on her butt.

"Sisters, what are you doing?!"

She looked back while shouting at the top of her lungs,

"Are you just going to stand there and let those bastards take Sister Rete?!"

As soon as those words left Lilinette’s mouth...

Whooooooooosh!

Within seconds, the whole pace was glowing with divinity. The Efnel students standing around the Gate of Divinity began to show their fighting spirit.

The paladins approaching Rete flinched and stopped.

"Get out of here!"

"Who do you think you are to arrest a student of Efnel?"

"Interfering with administration? Rete Sardegna did?"

The paladins broke out in a sweat as the once-silent students suddenly raised their voices in unison.

"P-Please calm down!"

"She hasn't been found guilty yet. She's still under investigation...!"

The students didn't back down.

"Get lost!"

"You do realize doing this in front of the Gate of Divinity is so lame, right?"

All the paladins fell to their knees in response to that Arch Paladin’s action.

"Miraculum daea! Greetings to the goddess' closest daughter!!"

An uproar broke out.

Employees in charge of inspecting jobs at the gate of divinity, merchants, and administrators. And even the Efnel students, who were at a loss, started kneeling down one by one. So did the Efnel staff who came to handle the situation, and...

"S-Sister Rete..."

And even her friend Lilinette knelt before her. Everyone bowed low in worship.

"Greetings to the goddess' closest daughter!"

Woooooosh!

A wind blew.

Divinity drew itself into a ring above Rete, her white hair grew in length and turned even paler, and a cloak of white flames draped itself around her shoulders.

Divinity crackled and splashed as she moved.

She swept her bangs back and stared straight ahead.

Although faint, a star-like pattern formed in her pupils.

'Finally...'

Rete realized after watching the people prostrate themselves in worship.

'We're standing at the same level, Simon.'

It was the moment when the next owner of the 'Essence of Purification' had been decided.

* * *

* * *

The town of Libito; the neutral area.

A man with tattoos all over his body was running as he gasped for air.

“Damn it! Damn it! Damn iiit!!”

He shouted while sobbing.

"Please stop chasing me!"

Above the fleeing man, Simon was jumping rooftop to rooftop as he closed the distance.

Simon's eyes moved quickly, examining the nearby terrain. He saw that there was a long pole attached to the side of a shop’s roof with a sign hanging from it. Simon pulled his Cloud out like a string, connected it to the pole, and jumped down.

Swiiiiiiiish!

As Simon came down with the string, he kicked the fleeing man in the back with both feet.

"Urrrk!"

The man flew several meters before rolling on the ground. After making an effortless landing, Simon approached him and cuffed him.

'Seems like the clean up is coming to an end.'

"Simon~!"

From the alleyway of the town, Camibarez was walking toward Simon with a beaming smile.

"Ah, Cami! Did you catch a lo— Woah!"

Behind her were five gang members trapped in floating blood bubbles.

She smiled further and clapped her hands.

"Yep! I caught a bunch of them, Simon!"

As the mission to wipe out the Sentinels went on, Camibarez had become the Sentinels' nightmare.

The gang members trembled in fear at the sight of her and couldn't even dare to make eye contact.

"You shouldn't say mean things!"

Perhaps she had heard someone say something strange, since she reached out and caused the blood bubbles to rapidly oscillate, flinging themselves up and down.

The gang members inside were tossed around inside the tight blood bubbles, getting bashed and bruised with every oscillation.

After quieting them, Camibarez turned back to Simon with a smile.

"They're the ones who made Sasha suffer, so I'm going to put all my effort into catching them!"

“...Cami, you're pretty scary when you're angry, huh?"

The Sentinels were composed of multiple, small local gangs, so it was difficult to wipe them out completely. However, they had been weakened to the point of near destruction since the arrival of Group 7.

The executives had all been jailed, and all that remained were just remnants. It had served to greatly improve Kizen’s reputation in the neutral area.

Simon stood up, leaving his captured gang member to Camibarez.

"Newspapers here! Get your newspapers!"

Just then, a vendor with a tattered bag full of newspapers caught Simon's attention.

Agent Blake would buy them at least once a day.

Growing curious about what the neutral area’s newspaper was like, Simon walked up to the vendor and paid a silver coin for a copy.

"Ah...!"

Simon's eyes widened as soon as he opened the newspaper.

New Saintess Appears!

The news of a new Saintess had shaken the entire continent.

The picture in the newspaper showed a girl with a very familiar face. She was waving to some other people in the picture with a face full of exhaustion.

'So, you're the one who was chosen, Rete.'

Simon's eyes read the newspaper’s headline.

Rete Sardegna, Saintess of the Stars.

——