episode_0060

“Ready to go. This tent will be less noticeable to those around it in the future.”

“I have placed a spell so that if an enemy touches it, an alarm will sound inside. However, you must not go outside without permission.”

As soon as the saint entered the tent, Sister Esther and the Benedictine monks, who had received the information, put their hands together like flowing water and prayed for defense inside the tent. The sacred light began to softly illuminate the inside of the tent, and Alina, who had been sleeping, woke up with a start.

The saintess calmly told Alina that it would be okay to just sleep, but seeing the two believers moving busily and guarding, Alina completely lost her sleep.

“I’m good at hitting a frying pan! Leave the glass throwing to me!”

Alina, although there was no frying pan or wine glass in the tent, showed off her usefulness by saying anything. Of course, the saint just smiled gently and said, ‘Then please do your brother’s duty, the duty of guarding me. Please do not leave my side.’

And then he grabbed her hand and pulled her shoulder so that she wouldn’t leave him.

“Hot…Wow…Soft…”

Alina was embarrassed at first, but soon she seemed to relax and leaned against the saint. Sister Esther looked at Alina for a moment, but soon regained her concentration and focused on defending the tent. Who would protect her like this? It was a look that someone might find offensive.

“I thought something was strange, you cast a spell on it?”

And then, a voice was heard from outside the tent, and someone came in. It was another adventurer, the half-elf Briwena Crowsong. The people inside the tent were startled by the sudden appearance of the person, but soon realized who it was and felt relieved. However, the saintess felt a little embarrassed.

“Brien, sir? Are you back?”

“Yes. Since I finished the reconnaissance… Hey, what about Glenn?”

Only then did Briwen realize Glenn was gone and she looked around. She soon realized that there was only one old man and four women in the tent. Then she scratched her head and muttered.

“You jumped out alone…There were quite a few opponents, so why did you do something so reckless…”

“As expected, you haven’t met yet.”

“I sent the information and came back right away. But, did you just send it?”

It wasn’t a reproachful tone, but a question filled with doubt.

The saint nodded gently, but her face was filled with regret.

Regret? Briwen tilted her head. The worry in that stunning beauty was not the worry she thought it was.

“Yes. That’s why I’m anxious. Someone needs to be watching over me…Shouldn’t I go help them right now…”

“Absolutely not, Saint. Unless the surrounding area is safe, you must not go outside..”

“Oh, yes. I know. Benedict.”

Briwen’s eyes widened slightly at the saint’s careless remark. Someone needs to be watching? What does that mean?

Briwen decided not to leave her curiosity unasked.

“Your Majesty, may I ask you what you mean by feeling anxious? Are you worried about Glenn?”

“Yes. If you say you’re worried, then yes. However… I don’t think Glenn might get hurt.”

Oh, what?

Isn’t it usually the first thing to ask about the well-being of the person you like?

Briwen didn’t know what expression to make at that answer, which was adding to her confusion. Fortunately, the saintess did not forget to add an explanation.

“I gave him a blessing that would calm his mind and ease the burden on his physical abilities. And Glenn ran at a speed that I couldn’t even keep up with my eyes. In the last duel, Glenn charged the vassals of the mighty Bronkhorst family with his bare hands and didn’t get hurt at all. But this time, if you give it your all with my blessing…”

Oh, no way…

Briwen realized. The saintess knew. Glenn had not shown his true strength lately, neither in training nor in duels. Not once lately had he truly shown his strength.

Some might call it pride. But, as someone who had been adventuring for a long time and had watched the man named Glenn for a long time, Briwen could be sure. It was not pride. It was prudence.

“I’m worried. I wonder if he will commit unjust murder… There’s no need to cover him up with blood or make him shed it.”

And what surprised Briwen again was the attitude of the saint who could judge the situation calmly. It was not the kind of sentimentality that stays in a flower garden. It was true that she grew up under the strict protection of the church, but the numerous hardships that unfolded for her after that were not a journey at all.

What the heck? Am I the only one who’s worried about fighting alone?

Briwen found herself clenching her fists in frustration.

“Oh, but Saintess…that..”

“Yes, why are you like that? Alina?”

At that moment, Alina, who had been melting in the saint’s arms, suddenly asked a question with the end of her words trailing off as if a memory had occurred to her.

The saintess, whose expression had been worried, transformed into one filled with compassion and turned her attention to Alina in her arms.

Oh, it felt like a saint caring for a lamb… Briwen felt goosebumps for a moment. What is it?

“I, but…no matter how strong my brother is…aren’t you worried too much? He’s human too…”

“Oh, is that what you heard…”

“That’s not it… I, I’m not doubting the saintess’s feelings! It’s just that she seems to firmly believe that she won’t get hurt at all… It’s a little awkward…”

As the saintess became a little gloomy, Alina struggled in her arms and barely managed to finish her excuse. It was a scene that could have been a little funny, but no one laughed. Except for the saintess.

The saintess brought her lips to Alina’s ear, her smile somehow becoming slightly deeper.

Oh, Saint? Alina’s earlobes turned slightly red. Regardless, the Saint whispered cautiously, as if she was sharing a secret with a friend.

“Actually, Alina, I have a little funny secret.”

“Rain, is it a secret?”

And in a slightly quieter voice, the saintess began to whisper to Alina. It was a very quiet voice. The two members of the Airgrants sect, who were still busy defending the tent, could not hear it.

However, the half-elf Briwen’s excellent hearing allowed her to hear all of those voices.

“My blessings do not simply affect a person’s skills. Basically, as I learned to handle divine power, I trained myself to the point where I could discern the state of a person who was imbued with divine power that I had bestowed upon them. In other words, when I decide to give someone a blessing…”

“I can tell where that person is. Is that what you mean?”

“Not to that extent. Even your bishop can’t do that. However, I can estimate how far away the opponent is from me. It’s not exact, though. Above all, I can tell the condition of the person who received my blessing… that is, if they are injured and have lost the divine power granted for recovery. And now, I can tell. Your brother, my knight Glenn, is in perfect health. Without a single wound. ”

“Oh, I see. Oh, wait a minute… That means… If the saintess were to give my brother divine powers…”

“Yes. I can keep my escort knight safe and fully know what condition he is in at any time. Isn’t that amazing?”

It’s amazing. It’s amazing… but why am I scared? Why, why am I getting goosebumps?

Briwen felt an unknown darkness in the saint’s bright voice and gentle expression, and shivered without realizing it.

‘Glen, you… I think something’s wrong with you.’

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The sight of flames and ice burning and freezing together was not something that could be easily seen. No, some would say it was not reality but an illusion.

However, it was actually happening in a small open space covered with unkempt grass, near a post station a little way from the capital of the Kingdom of Alcrea. A legendary scene that anyone would dismiss as nonsense was unfolding before their eyes.

The problem is that there were only a few people who actually witnessed it, and most of those witnesses were low-quality thugs. Most of them were so terrified by the sight that they ran away, and only those who gave up running because they felt uncomfortable here and there in their bodies were able to watch the sight in awe.

And another one, Paulo de Richt, was reproaching himself for his past days. It seemed that fate had really twisted him up. Who would have thought that he would end up in this situation just because he caught the eye of a pretty-looking girl (in fact, she was incredibly pretty) at that shabby bar?

At first, there was only silence. The two men, the man with the frost wrapped around his sword and the man holding flames in his fists, stood facing each other at a certain distance and did not move.

The first to signal the start of the battle was the man with the sword, Opperspelle. Using the length of his sword, he closed the distance and aimed for a double-crossing strike.

However, the man swinging his fiery fist dodged in an instant, and in that spot, a freezing sound was heard and chunks of ice appeared on the ground. As if by magic, no, at the sight of the magic actually hitting, the man who was about to counterattack took a step back, perhaps a little flustered.

After that, the situation was similar. Opperspelle swung his sword, and Glenn dodged and waited for a chance to counterattack. However, neither of them was able to land a direct hit.

And the damage was entirely borne by the innocent earth. The wild grasses had to endure the conflicting pains of burning and freezing.

And Pollore could only tremble and not move from his spot, indirectly, as he was simultaneously exposed to the murderous heat and the biting cold.

A considerable amount of time had passed, and the surrounding area was on the verge of being scorched earth. If this continued, the trees surrounding the vacant lot would also suffer the damage. It would be fine if they were frozen, but if they caught fire, there was a high possibility that they would lead to a huge fire. Then, the nearby post station would also be indirectly damaged.

This was a bit of a disadvantage for Glenn, since he had someone at the post station he had to guard.

In that case, Glenn should have been more aggressive and pushed Opperspelle into a corner, but the current situation was more like the opposite. Glenn was only trying to dodge Opperspelle’s one-sided attacks, and was unable to even launch a small counterattack.

This was also due to the power of Opperspelle’s frost-infused sword. And Opperspelle’s flawless swordsmanship made Glenn focus only on avoiding. And the situation was gradually turning around.

‘Wow, he really is an amazing man!’

Poloré was trembling in fear at the fierce aura of Opperspelle, but was also impressed by his cool-headedness. Even now, Opperspelle was preparing to swing his sword without any particular signs of pride or change in expression. He was assuming a posture that allowed him to handle both offense and defense without difficulty, having acquired it through long training and experience.

In comparison, that strange commoner named Glenn had a listless demeanor. Even to an outsider like me, his attitude seemed extremely carefree and sloppy.

However, his expression was not normal. As if he had not expected this situation. It was quite funny how his already small body seemed to have shrunk even further. It was clear that he was anxious and embarrassed because he had not been able to successfully counterattack at all and was only evading.

“You must be surprised.”

‘huh?’

And then, a human voice finally rang out.

Poloré turned his head to find the source of the sound. Of course, he recognized it in an instant. The man who finally moved his lips was none other than Opperspelle. With his expression still as stone-like, he spoke to Glenn by moving only his lips.

“That makes sense. A long time ago, he was just trying to avoid it and even got knocked out by one blow. But now, he appears before you with a completely different attitude from the arrogant and weak appearance he had during that duel. That makes sense”

“…”

Glenn remained silent. He just stared at Operspelle with his face still stiff. Then,

Operspelle relaxed his stance. He held the sword with both hands in one hand and placed the other hand on his chest. Near his heart, to be exact.

“You must have heard of it if you are a high-level adventurer. It is said that a small number of martial artists can achieve a skill called ‘awakening’, or rather, a state of realm. ”