Chapter 59

My steps toward Lumiere Cathedral were light.

It was because of the satisfactory achievements of yesterday.

‘Now I won’t have to die from a stab in the back.’

The last gameplay before possession.

In that play, I was betrayed by Regina Erenbert and died.

At that time, I didn’t even know why.

Of course, even now I don’t know the exact reason, but I know one thing.

That Regina at the time had blackened, with a wall of ice firmly built in her heart.

Without breaking through that inner wall, a true relationship of trust could not be established.

But now it’s different.

Because it’s the Regina before she blackened.

Having realized that, I even threw a foresight dream as a strong move to gain trust.

And with that trust as a starting point, the confrontation I had with her.

I also won in that confrontation.

‘This is decisive.’

Regina is a warrior.

The weight of a duel with a sword could never be light for her.

So.

‘I shall accept your words.’

The weight of those words she uttered was more than enough to solidify the engagement.

That’s enough for now.

I was well aware that we couldn’t become close immediately anyway.

Not enemies, but on the same side.

Just being certain of that was enough.

‘And another thing.’

Finally mastering the basics of swordsmanship.

The completion of the Imperial Style Eight naturally followed.

The significance of this achievement was by no means small.

I had moved beyond being a powerless extra and acquired the minimum strength to live in the world within the game.

I was now properly at the starting line.

‘No, it’s more than that.’

The Tears of Frost I had luckily obtained.

Thanks to that, I was able to completely sweep away the messed-up physical foundation.

I had become a shape with a solid foundation built on a cleanly purified body.

Therefore, growth was possible at a higher and faster rate than expected.

In aiming for a higher rank, this would surely make a noticeable difference.

‘Over there.’

Stopping my thoughts, I stopped in front of a large and majestic building.

A large cross symbolizing the denomination pointed sharply upward.

This place was the holy land of the denomination, the Lumiere Cathedral with a thousand years of history.

It was my first time coming here in person.

I didn’t have time to idly worship a god I didn’t believe in.

But today I had a clear purpose.

I walked towards a building other than the chapel located in the center of the cathedral.

——————————————————-

My brother was a strict person.

To others and to himself.

Therefore, earning my brother’s approval was a difficult task.

Especially if it had to do with archery, which was as good as his life.

However.

My brother was a little different that day.

“I have found a being that can see the path of the wind.”

“The path of the wind? Do you mean reading the wind?”

“No, it’s not that level. Its Seeing the path of the wind perfectly.”

“Is that possible…? You also said that is impossible…”

“My shortcoming was being hasty.”

A being whose existence made my brother admit his mistake in matters of archery.

It was impossible not to be curious.

“How is that possible… Who exactly is this person?”

“A student of our academy.”

“A student?”

I was surprised.

Even though it was the best academy with many great students, I didn’t think it was something possible at a student level.

“Could the student’s name be…?”

“Max Celtrine”

“Max Celtrine…”

The name felt strangely familiar when I heard it.

Like something I had heard recently.

I remembered why it felt that way after a bit of thought.

Ah.

Max Celtrine,

One of the three students who had recently gotten entangled in the Forbidden Area of the Holy City.

Fortunately, all three students returned alive, which made it more memorable.

Of course, even though they returned alive, it was inevitable that they would come under the watch of the denomination,

Because the existence of the Forbidden Area must absolutely not be revealed to the outside.

The guardian of the Forbidden Area, ‘he,’ would have warned them thoroughly, so those of sound mind wouldn’t dare speak of it.

“What is it?”

“Oh, I thought I heard the name before but I guess not.”

“You might have. I also thought until recently that he was a person who couldn’t even handle the name of his family.”

If it’s the family, would it be the Celtrine family?

It seemed like a fairly well-off family, but I never paid attention, so I don’t know much.

“But soon that name will become very famous.”

My brother’s shortcoming.

That my brother acknowledged him to such an extent made me want to properly find out about Max Celtrine.

And that opportunity came sooner than I thought.

——————————————————–

The second prayer room.

A prayer room for religious people like priests or nuns, not for ordinary believers.

Therefore, its size was not so large and was modest.

Ordinarily, a regular believer shouldn’t use it, but I just went in.

Because this was the place where I could fulfill my purpose for coming here.

‘It’s quiet.’

As befitting a prayer room, the inside was very quiet.

There were hardly any people.

I deliberately walked to the front seat of the right row.

A conspicuous seat.

It was empty.

I knelt down and assumed a posture of prayer.

‘I really tried all sorts of things.’

One of the conditions to trigger a fate event.

Stay in one place and pray for at least 3 hours without moving.

I discovered the condition by chance when I was tired, turned on the game, and fell asleep.

The game allows that.

But now that it has become reality, I have to practice it with my body.

Even thinking about it made my body sore and was incredibly tedious.

But I couldn’t sleep either.

‘I should think about what to do next.’

If I empty my brain too much, I will feel sleepy, so it seemed better to use the time a bit more usefully.

I closed my eyes and immersed myself in my own thoughts in that pose.

‘This is tedious.’

My mental state was on the brink of its limit.

I was almost going crazy wanting to move.

However, the bell tower that chimes every hour had rung twice.

It meant I hadn’t yet met the minimum condition of 3 hours.

As I deeply sighed out of boredom, the third bell rang as if to save me.

Ding-dong-ding-dong!

The sound announcing 4 o’clock refreshed my ears.

It felt like my insides were cleared out.

As soon as the bell stopped ringing, I opened my eyes as if I had been waiting and got up.

My body was tingling from being in one position for too long.

But I tried to act as if nothing was wrong and was about to leave.

“Just a moment, brother.”

Someone called me in a whisper-soft voice.

The very sound I had been waiting for.

I could tell that it was the beginning of a new connection, as expected.

I managed my expression and turned my head toward the source of the voice.

A woman dressed in a black nun’s habit.

She was quite tall, though not as much as Regina.

And her face bore a resemblance to that of Professor Lawrence.

She was, in fact, Marianna Lambert, Professor Lawrence’s sister.

She looked like any other nun, but her true identity was that of a guardian knight.

Specifically, the tenth sword of the Order, ranked tenth in the hierarchy.

“Why do you ask, Sister?”

I also responded in a quiet voice.

Marianna smiled gently.

“I was impressed by your devotion in prayer over such a long time. It’s not an easy thing to do.”

“You flatter me. I always feel my faith is lacking.”

“Everyone feels that way. I too always feel the lack.”

Marianna continued, her hands clasped together.

“If you have the time, I’d like to share some words with you, brother. Would that be possible?”

“Um…”

I pretended to think for a moment before responding.

“It’s possible.”

“I appreciate you making the time. Shall we move to another spot?”

The place we moved to was the parlor.

It was a small rest area with a view of the garden, tidy and with an elegant atmosphere.

Marianna brought out some warm tea.

“Thank you.”

I accepted the tea.

Sip.

The taste, a blend of slight acidity and fragrance, was quite nice.

“My name is Marianna.”

She introduced herself first.

“I’m Max Celtrine.”

I introduced myself as well.

The beginning of light conversation.

But from here, only a true hardcore player would know how to roll the talk.

Like reality, intimacy isn’t given away for free.

It’s something that only those who strive and act can obtain.

‘I suppose you deliberately didn’t mention your surname..’

Depending on how the conversation unfolds, one might not even hear the surname in the worst-case scenario, and then the talk would end.

Then, effectively, the relationship doesn’t continue.

That’s how it was for me at first.

But now I know.

I just need to lead naturally from my end.

“By chance.”

“Yes?”

“Do you have any relation to Professor Lawrence from the Academy? You bear such a striking resemblance.”

Marianna looked taken aback.

“Do we really look that alike?”

“It feels that way to my eyes… I apologize if it was rude.”

“No. Not at all.”

Marianna waved her hand.

Then she said,

“He’s my brother.”

“Ah… I see. So I wasn’t mistaken.”

“People often say we look alike, but it’s the first time someone has recognized me right away.”

“I greatly respect the professor, so his image is deeply imprinted on me. That must be why.”

A neat way to give a shout-out to Professor Lawrence.

A hardcore player must know how to turn their tongue to this extent.

I laughed to myself.

“That’s interesting. Now that I think about it, my brother mentioned something about you.”

The topic was naturally steered in the direction I wanted.

“Yes? What did he say?”

I looked at Marianna with feigned curiosity.

“He said you were an excellent student.”

“Oh, is that so? I’m both embarrassed and very pleased to hear that.”

I looked down slightly at my teacup, a pleased expression on my face.

To anyone, I looked like a student who was embarrassed but couldn’t hide their happiness.

When dealing with someone from the Order, especially Marianna, this was the right approach.

An image of a diligent, polite, and devout believer.

Of course, there is one weakness I haven’t experienced.

Unlike the protagonist, Max’s past was a mess.

But I have an invincible weapon for that too.

Repentance.

The story of becoming a new person through repentance is even more convincing to the people of the Order.

‘The weakness must be revealed before it’s exposed to taste sweet.’

I changed my expression and opened my mouth.

“Actually,”

I deliberately trembled my voice.

“I used to be a problem child for a long time. That’s why Professor Lawrence’s praise means so much to me, it’s very moving.”

“Really?”

She looked completely unaware that I had been such a student.

It made sense for her, someone not so involved in the Academy’s affairs.

After all, to her, even a notoriously problematic student was just an extra.

“I was probably a much worse student than you imagine. The professors had almost given up on me. But Professor Lawrence was always strict and scolding me with harsh words. At first, it just felt hateful.”“……………………”

“But after various trials and tribulations, when I came to my senses, I was able to understand Professor Lawrence’s true intentions. He never gave up on a wayward student, trying to rehabilitate them to the end.”

“Such things…”

I could tell from Marianna’s expression that my story was having an impact.

But this was just the beginning.

I had to prove convincingly that I was a properly repentant problem child.

Smirking to myself, I continued.

“Sister.”