Weekly Seong Saniso – 2

Miracle.

Something that cannot be done with the power of ordinary humans. This is how Solarium defines a miracle.

Healing the permanently disabled, striking a river with a staff to part it, even resurrecting the dead….

These were examples of miracles found in the Bible.

And there was one who transcended the human realm and entered the ranks of the Saints through inaction, and that was Saniso.

Holy Saniso Week.

A week to commemorate the achievements and faith of Saint Saniso.

Now, the Solarium Order has established itself as the main religion of the continent, but in the chaotic past, religions were diverse, leading to many religious conflicts.

It is said that Saniso, at the time, evacuated allied forces who were surrounded due to numerical inferiority and single-handedly beheaded three hundred people.

Here, his actions seem to be classified as a miracle.

Well, it would be impossible for one person to kill three hundred people.

While reading the passage about Saniso, I thought of my Master.

I wondered if Namgung Soyu could be revered as a Saint here.

Anyway, to commemorate him, the Order headquarters holds a tournament during Holy Saniso Week.

Although many modifiers are attached, to put it simply, it is a tournament to pick the strongest one.

Speaking of the strongest one, I can’t help but talk about the power balance of Solarium.

As Maria lamented, the difference between a Holy Knight and an Inquisitor is significant.

Whether it’s a problem with the talent pool in the selection process or a problem with the curriculum, I don’t know.

Except for a few Inquisitors, the skills of the Inquisitors were clearly inferior to those of the Holy Knights.

“Saint, have you arrived?”

Guided by the Priest, I went to the VIP seats where the arena was clearly visible.

There were people who had arrived earlier in the VIP seats: the Pope, the Holy Knight Commander, and the Inquisitor Leader.

They stood up from their seats and politely greeted me.

I responded to the greeting by bowing my head in the same way and sat in the very center of the VIP seats.

“I’m sorry, Saint.”

The burly shoulder of the Holy Knight Commander to my left pressed against my face as if to crush it.

It was an irresistible force, so I waved my hand.

Overall, the Holy Knight Commander, with his bold features, possessed a body that barely belonged to the human category.

When I thought about who would be appropriate to compare him to, the image of one person came to mind.

Ronnie Coleman.

Alright, light weight baby.

Everyone who attended the tournament was lined up in the arena, looking this way.

Most of the participants were well-trained Holy Knights, and a few Inquisitors were standing here and there.

“Ahem, then let’s begin. Perhaps the Saint would like to…”

The Pope asked me if I would like to make the opening declaration for the tournament, and I shook my head vigorously.

It’s best for the person who usually does it to do it.

The Pope made a groaning sound as he rose from his chair, and he hesitantly approached the railing and made the opening declaration for the tournament.

I was worried that his voice might not be heard well because there were so many spectators, but as soon as the Pope stood up, it became quiet in an instant, and I realized that I had been worrying for nothing.

Before the opening declaration, the Pope began a short sermon on the meaning of Holy Saniso Week, and I scanned the people standing in the arena.

“Where is Maria…”

“Sister Maria is over there. The fourth one in the leftmost row.”

When I muttered because I couldn’t see Maria, Lumen, who was sitting to the left of the Holy Knight Commander, informed me.

Following her fingertip, my eyes moved, and Maria, with her blonde hair, was standing with a greatsword in a reverent posture.

“Is she praying or something?”

“She is a Sister with great faith.”

As Lumen muttered, the Holy Knight Commander’s low voice echoed.

Perhaps she was meditating before the tournament, but I didn’t bother to correct their thoughts.

“Then, let’s begin the tournament.”

“Waaaaaaaah!!!!”

At the same time as the Pope’s words ended, a loud shout was heard from the audience.

I thought the atmosphere would be calm because most of the audience were Priests and Nuns, but there were also nobles.

I wondered how thirsty they were for this kind of event to react so enthusiastically.

“Saint, who do you think will win in your opinion?”

While the Pope slowly returned to his seat and settled down, the Holy Knight Commander asked me.

“Well… I think I’ll have to see them fight to know. Or, would you give me some simple information?”

At my words, the Holy Knight Commander pointed to the participants with his thick fingers and explained them.

He listed the characteristics of the people in a concise manner, like a soldier.

What I thought was amazing was that he knew not only about the Holy Knights under his command but also about the Inquisitors.

“Hmm… let’s go with that person.”

I pointed to one Holy Knight whose walking posture was the most balanced.

“He is a Knight with good results, but I can’t see him as a potential winner. May I ask why you chose him?”

The Holy Knight Commander stroked his chin with his hand and said.

“Hmm… he seems to have good balance.”

I shrugged my shoulders and replied.

“I thought the Saint would choose Sister Maria.”

The Pope, who had straightened his clothes, joined the conversation.

“Sister Maria?”

At the unexpected words, I tilted my head, and their gazes gathered on me.

It was a feeling of asking why not Maria.

“I heard that the Saint recently looked at Sister Maria’s sword.”

The Holy Knight Commander said politely.

“I just gave her a little help.”

“Still, the fact that the Saint directly guided her… didn’t you think she could win?”

The Pope asked, narrowing his eyes.

It was an implication that there might be some hidden move.

“No. Sister Maria will not win.”

To their eyes, which were subtly demanding an explanation, I answered them as if asking why they were asking something so obvious.

“It is impossible to become strong in a short period of time. If you suddenly become strong just by changing your training method, there is nothing more unfair than that. Wouldn’t that make the other people who have been training hard fools?”

“Match 1!!!”

It seems that the preparations for the match are over. Maria and a certain Holy Knight came up to the arena.

“I thought the Saint might want to see Sister Maria’s match, so I moved the order a little.”

The Pope said something I didn’t even ask.

Maria calmly looks at her opponent with calm eyes.

An opponent who is two heads taller than her. Unlike her opponent, who is armed with thick armor, she is in a light state with armor only on her vital areas.

“Ready!!”

The referee raises the flag.

Now, when that flag goes down, the fight will begin.

A tense atmosphere sweeps around.

“Then… what do you expect from Sister Maria, Saint?”

Lumen, who had been silent, asked me.

“I hope she shows a very small possibility.”

“What kind of possibility?”

Lumen asked again.

I didn’t answer and pointed to the arena with my finger.

At the same time as her gaze turned, the flag held by the referee went down.

“Start!!”

Maria rushed forward.

Her opponent also quickly reacted to her and swung his sword in the direction she was approaching.

-Whoosh

Maria ducked, avoiding the horizontally swung sword.

“Oh….”

The Holy Knight Commander’s low exclamation was heard.

Maria, who had lowered her body, swung her greatsword from bottom to top, and her opponent dodged it by leaning back.

-Ting

Her greatsword slightly collided with the protruding armor.

The opponent straightened up, raising his body that had been leaning back, to counterattack.

And that was a misstep.

Maria, who had risen slightly with the recoil of raising her greatsword, slammed her sword down as it was.

-Thud

A dull sound echoed loudly, and her opponent, who barely managed to block her sword, staggered.

Maria didn’t stop there.

She raised her sword diagonally to take a slashing stance, and her opponent took a defensive stance without even recovering from the shock.

Exactly in the trajectory of the diagonal downward slash.

But Maria pulled her sword further to the side and slapped the opponent’s side with the flat of the sword.

-Clang

Along with a clear metallic sound, the Holy Knight fell to the side and rolled around the arena.

And then, he was immediately incapacitated.

“Winner! Maria Roen!”

A shout erupted along with the referee’s words, and Lumen slowly turned her head towards me.

“You asked what kind of possibility, right? It’s the possibility that she will get better than she is now. Sister Lumen.”

I smiled at her.

But Maria’s performance was only up to the first match.

In the next match, she was brutally defeated and eliminated.