Chapter 125

Joint Combat Practice 2 (11)

The condition of the horse was not very good either.

Of the horses pulling the carriage the only one who was unharmed was brought along. The sound of his hooves hitting the floor continued cheerfully but soon the sound began to become irregular.

Little by little I can feel the horse’s body staggering. It seemed like life would soon come to an end. Still it was easier to run for the owner who carried him on his back. Maybe it was Jeong who had been pulling the saint’s carriage all his life.

―Kaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

The ear-piercing roar of the Seongchangryong rang out again. If you run across the plazas of the professor building you can see at a glance the entire view of the professor building which is also stained with blood.

“Listen carefully saint. First of all this episode was bad!”

Ed shouted to the saint who was clutching the horse’s reins tightly wrapping her hands around his waist and burying her face in her back.

“I will help you reveal the truth as much as possible so if you go back... This time you must prepare to close the case truly ‘perfectly’!”

The wind passes by my earlobes. Clarice who was burying her face in Ed’s wide back nodded her head to him.

Once again an earthquake rocks the Aken Island area. Lucy blocks Bellbroke’s huge paws as they fly toward the living quarters covering the sky with high-level elemental magic unleashed by Obel.

―Kwaang! Quang! Quang!

A defensive formation so gigantic that it could not be captured at a glance surrounded the area of ​​the living quarters but its shape became distorted little by little every time Bellbroke’s front paw was thrown away.

Clarisse trembled with fear and hugged Ed tightly but soon a feeling of discomfort entered her chest.

Ed’s arm which was holding the horse’s reins was shaking strangely. He raised his head and looked at Ed’s face where he was driving his horse with his teeth clenched and his eyes glaring ahead. The eyes look as if they have made the determination of a lifetime.

Only then did Clarisse think about it again.

In the dozens of accumulated repetitions of time Clarice has encountered the majesty of that gigantic dragon over and over again.

Even after this one ends there will probably be a next time.

However for Ed in that time every moment is a first.

He is a human being who has to face a disaster that appears out of nowhere while leading an ordinary daily life.

For Clarice it’s just one repetition but for Ed every moment is a gamble with his life.

Even if you knew that time could go back putting your life on the line brings with it an unimaginable amount of fear.

The sight of gritted teeth and tight hands holding the reins... It is so natural.

However he never shows such fear. He even resists the urge to run away. He knows that if he gets upset Clarisse will get upset too.

Clarisse tightened her grip around Ed’s back.

―Kagagagak!

At that moment the horse gave out a sigh and fell down. I had exhausted all my strength.

As their bodies lifted loudly a distant sense of floating enveloped their bodies. Ed quickly pulled Clarisse’s arm and held her tightly rolling her onto the floor.

Fortunately I didn’t suffer any major injuries from falling into the flower bed. However Ed was already quite injured so he had to take deep breaths to hold back the pain.

Clarisse looked up at Ed’s face in his arms and felt her heart break.

“Senior Ed... Bleeding from arm... .”

it’s okay. “There have been quite a few times where I have been injured more seriously than this.”

Ed waved the blood off his arm then stood up and dusted off his pants. Then after pulling Clarice up he looked up at the Bachelor’s Cathedral where they had finally arrived.

―Kwaang! Quang!

The magic of Seongchangryong which is rampaging as if to destroy the entire Aken Island still covers the sky.

Against the background of the night sky a large cross stood tall without any hesitation.

It is not a very large building but it cannot be said to be small either. The exterior walls neatly raised with an appropriate mix of brick and marble are beautifully decorated with stained glass windows and a simple cross symbolizing the blessing of Telos.

“I guess I’ve come to the right place.”

Ed spoke while looking at the cross on the steeple rising high into the sky.

There is a man standing against the background of the starry sky where magic comes and goes. It seemed like he was hiding himself as much as possible using stealth magic but as we got closer to the cathedral he seemed to reveal himself.

Although he is wearing a dark red robe with a gold border his age can be guessed from his vaguely visible silhouette.

A middle-aged man who shows signs of age. Looking at his angular jaw and the occasionally exposed muscles of his forearms it is clear that he has been training for a long time.

It has wings sprouting from its back. The wings that pierce the back of the robe are spread out making his silhouette resemble a cross on his back.

The weapon he is holding in his hand is an iron spear. Even at first glance it was a high-end product.

Clarice swallowed her saliva at the familiar silhouette.

The ‘Apostles of Telos’ a separate unit under the direct command of the Holy Emperor Eldain.

It is the most honorable position granted to only eight people among the holy magicians of the Holy Emperor Capital with its long history and large scale.

This was a group that Ed also knew well.

Each and every one of them was revered as the best magician in Holy Emperor Capital. If all 8 people were to gather in one place even Lucy Mayril who inherited the bloodline of the Great Mage would not be able to easily break through.

―Paang!

The man landed at the entrance of the cathedral kicking up dust. The wind blowing out made my collar flutter.

Their most fatal weakness is their faith.

No matter how powerful a magician is... You cannot resist a saint who has received the blessing of Telos.

I should have... .

“I’m sorry Saint Clarice.”

Hierarchy always changes depending on the situation.

If the person who gave him instructions is someone higher than Saint Clarice he will block his path even if the opponent is a saint.

“This is an order from Holy Emperor Eldain. After this... No one can pass by.”

Clarisse’s eyes trembled greatly.

The apostles I met in Seonghwangdo were always trustworthy allies.

Whenever I met a saint I always bowed my head and knelt to show my deep religious faith.

These are people who were honored with every word of their conversation with the saint and who lived their lives with great honor as they received the baptism of the Lord.

Clarisse swallowed dryly when she saw him guarding the entrance to the cathedral.

Ed whispered in the ear of the embarrassed saint.

“Break through without fail. All you can think about is opening that door entering the cathedral and confirming the truth. “Put aside all other distracting thoughts.”

“What about Ed... ?”

“We might be able to create a gap for a moment.”

Ed took out a dagger from his thigh dance. The blade of the dagger with the spirit ceremony engraved on it shined sharply under the moonlight.

Clarisse looked at that and shook her head. Ed was already seriously injured.

Additionally his opponent the Apostle of Telos is one of the best talents in the Holy Capital. If you’re dealing with a saint you probably won’t respect Ed at all... Even if he fought him the outcome would have been obvious.

Clarice gritted her teeth and ran forward shouting to the apostle.

“Get out of the way right now... ! I need to go inside and see what’s going on... !”

“Saint.”

The man lowered his head and spoke with strangely sad eyes.

“I’m sorry but you can’t pass by. All I can say is... “It’s all done for the saint.”

that... “I will judge.”

Despite Clarice’s words the man quietly shook his head.

“Saint. Even if you pass by there is nothing more you can do... .”

―Kaang!

Before he could finish his words Ed’s dagger flew towards his eye. Ed jumped out of his seat and tried to drive the dagger he was holding back into his body.

Of course the man reacts as if that is natural. When I lifted the spear handle and grabbed the wrist part my trembling hand was unable to move forward any further.

“You... what... ?”

Of course I also knew that an attack of this magnitude would be easily blocked.

When Ed released his grip on the dagger a large crystal ball popped out from inside. It was a handmade magical engineering product called ‘Impact Reinforced Wave Ball’.

The man’s eyes widened but he couldn’t help but be swept away by the shock that exploded in his face.

“Ugh!”

Ed’s goal in the first place was to remove the man from the entrance.

The man who was momentarily pushed away by the shock wave regained his balance by leaning on the outer wall of the cathedral.

-bang!

Clarice had already kicked down the door and entered the cathedral.

Clarisse always felt frustrated because she had not been able to meet her even though it had been a while since she entered school.

ah... Del... .”

Adele is now Clarice’s senior. Just follow the academic regulations.

However Clarisse was taken aback by that unexpected face so she called his name like an old friend.

Adele staggered out of the darkness... He was covered in a lot of blood. All that blood was Adele’s.

The body is full of all kinds of scratches. Some of the stab wounds were so deep that blood was continuously leaking out.

“Adele... Adele... !”

ah... hot... .”

Clarice ran out and caught Adele’s body as she tried to fall forward.

I looked at Adele who was sitting on the floor crying and completely devastated.

“Adele... What happened... What happened... ! like this... .”

“Saint... .”

Clarice sat down facing each other and hugged Adele’s shoulders tightly and tears welled up in the corners of Clarice’s eyes.

How on earth did this happen? What happened inside the cathedral? Why did you come out here? There were a lot of things I wanted to ask but the most urgent thing was to check Adele’s condition.

So the moment Clarice was about to ask Adele if she was okay...

“――You came earlier than I expected.”

Clarisse sighed at those words.

“... what?

still... “You don’t have to come back.”

Adele gritted her teeth and raised her upper body in Clarisse’s arms.

“For making it a difficult experience... sorry... .”

“Adele... what are you saying... I’m doing it... ?”

still... Not much time left... . It’ll be over soon... . a little bit... If I hold on any longer... .”

At that time a huge amount of light emitted from Adele’s body. The shining thing engraved on one arm is... It is clearly the ‘protection of the Holy Law’ granted only to the saints of the Telos Church.

The protection of this holy law that protects one’s body from all holy magic and protects it from attacks that harm one’s body... It is the highest level of blessing in the denomination that can only be imprinted by the gathering of one archbishop six bishops eight apostles and the holy law of the Holy Father. Literally unless you are a saint you cannot obtain it.

And what soon blooms is a huge legal formation based on ‘aspect magic’. The enormous time-reversing magic that manifests and spreads from Adele’s body... I’m trying to rewind the world’s clock again.

A sensitive talent that can transform divine power into Aspect magical power. Adele is a girl with a rare talent that has never been seen before in the history of the church.

No matter what kind of incident or accident struck Sylvania the leisurely feeling of being able to always play the lute and recite elegant music... After all she was a saint who was not recorded in her history.

If you have the protection of the Holy Law that protects your body your body can be protected from any attack with murderous intent.

This... This... .”

Clarisse watched the magic circle appear with her pupils trembling.

The whole world was being colored with light. In that gap... I could barely see Adele smiling.

“Adele... ! Adele... !”

Clarice shed tears and somehow managed to regain her fading spirit...

Sadly the world did not allow her another time.

* * *

“Saint. Let’s talk... What are you talking about... ?”

The afternoon of a joint combat training day. A wooden table under the wide blue sky and warm sunlight.

Ed closes the book and puts it on the table looking at Clarisse with a puzzled look.

“... .”

Suddenly Clarisse stood up hitting the table.

So for a while... He was staring into space with a blank face.

Ed and Yenika were the only ones looking at the saintly woman with dumbfounded expressions.

After about a minute Clarisse turns her gaze towards Ed.

He is like a benefactor who tried to provide the answer even by dying for him over and over again.

Thanks to his help I feel like I’m getting closer to the truth but the pieces of the puzzle still don’t fit together in my head.

just... Clarisse... Out of habit I sat down next to him and held his arm tightly. A strange sense of stability settles in her heart.

therefore... . What was the sight he saw... endlessly... I thought about it constantly.

“... ???”

“... Huh????”

Of course from Ed and Yenika’s perspective it was nothing more than a lightning strike in the dry sky.

* * *

― ‘It appears that the divine law’s protection has been successfully established in the body. Now once you complete the ‘Stigmata Baptism’ which announces that you have become a saint in front of the public you will officially reign at the top of this holy throne as a saint. Adele.’

– ‘Yes. I can definitely feel my strength rising more than usual.’

― ‘The protection of the Holy Law will allow you to utilize the divine power in your body to its limit. Adele can use her divine power to even touch the power of her Aspect so she will exalt her name as the most powerful saint in the history of the Holy Emperor.’

– ‘That’s too much to say. Archbishop. I feel like I am being extravagant that I have all the protection that requires so much magical power.’

― ‘It is a blessing befitting the nobility of the saint. The protection of the holy law will protect the saint’s body forever. Since you have the aptitude to bring out all the abilities of God’s protection you will always feel like you are wearing a strong shield.’

Open your eyes. It is a dark corner hallway leading to the combat training room of Glokt Hall.

He was sitting nearby playing the lute... It felt like it was a long time ago.

As I cough and sneeze a trickle of fresh blood comes down from the corner of my mouth.

The blood that flowed out became a puddle and wet the surface of the lute lying next to it.

“Aha.”

Seeing this scene again and again Adele felt that it was back again and burst into laughter.

The sight of Seong Chang-ryong destroying Aken Island and massacring the students flashes before my eyes... It all happened like nothing happened.

The blessings wrapped around Adele’s body overturn even the flow of time.

Adele rested quietly for a while. All of his wounds are still intact.

“If it all turns out to be nothing and no one remembers... .”

After about ten minutes I regained my strength and slowly got up.

And as he had done dozens of times he picked up his lute and led his staggering body... Slowly slowly move towards the cathedral.

rather... “It won’t be lonely.”

No matter how many times I repeat it I never get used to the moment of leaving this quiet hallway.

– ‘hey.’

– ‘yes? Senior Ed.’

– ‘You will die soon.’

– ‘i know.’

Now it feels like a story from long ago. This is the conversation I had with Ed in this very hallway.

I don’t know what the intention behind these words was but strangely enough they were accurately pointing out Adele’s fate.

It’s strange. The world will always go back to being the same. However Ed never appeared in front of Adele except for her first time.

It was probably because there was some cause but Adele didn’t think much about it. He had no time to disperse his thoughts.

I just thought about standing up against the wall and heading back towards the cathedral.

“Whoa... .”

I finally feel like my body is running out of energy. I don’t even remember how many times I repeated it but I can finally see the end.

It was a long journey. Who should I blame? This is the path I chose for myself.

Adele left the Glokt Hall with unsteady steps.

The night sky I looked up at the day before the stigmata baptism shimmered before my eyes.

That day Adele finally succeeded in getting a glimpse into her future.

And because she was afraid of that future she gave up on becoming a saint. She gave various reasons and Adele ran away from her job as torch manager.

Well it had to be that way.

The future seen through the distant starry sky...

It was a future in which she would be sacrificed as a saint to restore the resurrection of Seong Chang-ryong.