episode_0216

A tumultuous roar spread continuously.

Currently, I am undergoing training to evade magic bullets using only the Sky-Rending Chain Steps.

Along with the true step, I accelerate the movement of mana and enhance mobility by using the repulsive force generated from colliding earthly energy and mana.

The speed is approximately 1.3 times that of the Moon Shadow Steps.

This much is achieved with only 3 stacks, so the amplification amount will increase as my realm improves.

Furthermore, the Sky-Rending Chain Steps are not merely footwork but can also be used to assist attacks, making their utility endless.

The only drawback is that it’s too noisy, making stealthy actions impossible.

Of course, if I need to move secretly, I can just use the Moon Shadow Steps, so it’s not a big risk.

However, there’s a separate, larger problem.

Crash!

“Ugh!”

Having failed to control my mana, I ended up leaping powerfully from the ground.

Magic bullets surged towards me as I hung in the air.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Although flustered, I succeeded in deflecting all the magic bullets based on my past experience.

After landing on the ground, I immediately stopped the firing of magic bullets.

“Phew… I thought I was in big trouble.”

Although my endurance stats have grown significantly, the magic bullets still hurt. I almost felt that terrible pain again after a long time.

As I wiped the sweat from my forehead with a sense of relief, a cool voice came from beside me.

“What a shame. I thought you’d be sprawled embarrassingly on the ground.”

Turning my head, I saw Alisa sitting on a bench.

Although she spoke somewhat rudely, a hint of concern was visible in her eyes.

I slowly walked over and sat next to her.

“How much training have I done here to be sprawled on the ground from something like this? What about you? Is it going well?”

The reason Alisa is here.

It’s very simple.

Because I brought her here.

I still clearly remember Alisa’s surprised reaction when she first came here.

She stared blankly with her mouth open and round eyes, like a cat sniffing a foot.

Anyway, fortunately, Cain allowed her entry, so ever since then, she’s been training here with me.

She subtly distanced herself and replied.

“Not bad. It was hard to adapt since this is my first time doing this kind of training, but thanks to it, I was able to clearly understand my strengths and weaknesses.”

“Really? That’s good. But why are you so far away? Come closer.”

When she first sat down, she was clearly about 50cm away, but somehow she had moved to the very end of the bench.

At my words, Alisa panicked, then pinched her nose and frowned.

“You, it’s because you smell! Do you know how awful your sweat smells?”

“Ah, I see. You did that because you were afraid I’d smell your sweat?”

“No, I didn’t! Why do you always misunderstand?!”

I had already figured out that Alisa was a tsundere.

When I pinpointed her true feelings, she reacted even more fiercely for no reason.

I counterattacked with words that were 100 percent sincere.

“Don’t worry too much. I actually like your sweat smell.”

“Wh-what? You like sweat smell? You pervert!”

Alisa, while insulting me for my sudden revelation of taste, subtly closed the distance.

As I chuckled at her easily understandable reaction, Alisa, who had been glaring at me annoyingly, mumbled and carefully posed a question.

“By the way, you’re having a party with Deborah tomorrow, right?”

“Huh? Oh, right. Why, do you want to come too?”

“Am I crazy? The Grey Tower Master will be there too, you said? Why would I go to such a place? I was just curious.”

Alisa refused adamantly, but contrary to her words, her pouting lips suggested she felt left out.

However, going with her would be a bit awkward.

Roxana would likely already know about me and Alisa, but openly bringing her home is another matter.

Then there’s no choice but to use another method.

“If you don’t like that, how about a date the day after the party?”

“Wh-what? A date?”

“Yeah. Just the two of us. How about it?”

Anyway, we’re already rumored to be practically a couple to outsiders, so going on a date won’t be a problem.

At the suggestion, Alisa’s lips twitched as if pleased, but she still grumbled.

“Hmph! I don’t want to!”

“Really?”

“Well, if you really want to, I guess I can’t help it. It’d be good for pretending to be lovers, anyway. I need it to fool my father!”

“Right. That’s what I meant. A date like that, okay?”

“Do, do whatever you want! I don’t care at all.”

Despite saying that, the way she kept glancing sideways seemed to plead for a date.

A chuckle naturally escaped me.

‘She’s so cute, anyway.’

Just a week ago, I couldn’t have imagined this side of Alisa, but the more time we spend together, the more I discover new facets of her.

Having made a date, Alisa and I trained even harder with overflowing enthusiasm.

And then, the day of the year-end party arrived.

*

“Young Master Ruan! Deborah! Over here!”

On a morning when the world was painted entirely white, the Saintess, who had come to greet us in advance, welcomed us as we exited the academy’s main gate.

Dressed in an outfit resembling a Santa costume rather than her usual nun’s habit, she bounced around, her formidable chest jiggling.

My body moved on its own towards the Saintess to get a closer look at her chest.

Pinch!

Deborah pinched my side.

I lightly ignored the immense pressure and greeted the Saintess.

“Saintess-nim. Good morning.”

“You too, Young Master! Good morning, Deborah.”

“Yes. Have you been waiting long?”

“Not at all! It’s cold, so hop in quickly!”

The Saintess pointed to a carriage.

It was a very luxurious carriage, provided by the church for the Saintess.

We boarded the carriage as instructed.

A short while later, the church we arrived at was packed with an enormous crowd, leaving no room to stand.

The buildings decorated for the year-end party and the cute objects arranged made observers feel excited.

To avoid getting caught in the commotion, we entered through a specially prepared entrance.

However, the inside was no different from the outside.

“Oh! Saintess-nim. Good morning!”

“Let’s enjoy the party today!”

Priests gathered, each speaking a word, trying to converse with the Saintess.

During this, their attention spread to us.

“Saintess-nim. By the way, who are these people?”

“These are Young Master Ruan Friuli and Miss Deborah. They are students from the academy who came to help me today.”

“Ah, I see. Haha! I pray that God’s grace be with you.”

A middle-aged priest made the sign of the cross and walked past.

And the priests who had subtly sent jealous glances my way, after hearing the Saintess’s explanation, sent friendly smiles instead.

After exchanging simple greetings with the priests, we moved to the grand cathedral.

In the center of the vast cathedral was a statue of Repentia, the Goddess of Light, and as expected, a chest as voluminous as the Saintess’s was the first thing that caught my eye.

By the way, I wondered if the statue would also be wearing a Santa costume for the year-end celebration, but unfortunately, it wasn’t.

The Saintess seated us in the very front row.

“Morning worship will begin in just 10 minutes. The party will officially start after the worship, so please bear with it a little longer.”

“I know. Don’t worry too much.”

“Alright. Then I’ll go to the stage. See you in a bit.”

Waving goodbye, the Saintess headed for the stage, leaving us behind.

Just as she said, worship began shortly.

*

“You both waited a long time, didn’t you?!”

After worship ended, as we were just getting up from our chairs, the Saintess came running, her abundant chest jiggling wildly.

Even now, with worshippers actively moving after the service, the powerful presence of her abundant chest showed no signs of fading.

All eyes instantly gathered on her, and along her path, the crowd parted left and right as if Moses were parting the sea.

Whether the Saintess knew this or not, she simply smiled brightly and beckoned to us.

“Young Master! Deborah! If it’s alright, would you like to go see His Holiness the Pope?”

“Pardon? His Holiness the Pope?”

“Yes! He heard you came to help me and said he wanted to meet you. How about it?”

The Pope.

The representative in charge of this vast church, and God’s proxy, wielding influence across the entire continent.

He likely knows about the issue between the possessed and the goddess, which the Saintess doesn’t know about.

There was no need to hesitate.

“Of course, I’d be honored.”

“Really? What about you, Deborah?”

“I’m fine with it too.”

“That’s good! Then follow me!”

As the Saintess turned her back and started walking, the crowd parted again.

We headed towards the Pope.

The Pope was a benevolent-looking elderly man, who, unbefitting his position, was guarded by only a single holy knight.

Of course, I wasn’t worried, as I knew the true identity of that holy knight.

‘The First Sword among the Paladins. Johann.’

The strongest knight even among the Paladins, where only 7 are chosen out of countless holy knights.

He is skilled in both swordsmanship and divine magic, and his power is comparable to that of Dean Gion Cruise or Western Commander Bruno Curtis.

He was a person to be wary of.

Well, for now, I’ve come as a guest, so there’s no need to worry.

While I was thinking this, the Saintess was already running far ahead.

“Your Holiness!”

“Hahaha! Iris, be careful.”

Seeing the Saintess rush over like a child, the Pope burst into hearty laughter.

His face was full of a benevolent smile.

Just by listening to that series of conversations, I could tell their relationship was very good. It was like watching a granddaughter and her grandfather.

The Pope’s gaze soon shifted to us.

“Welcome. I am Saint Berchio, the Pope of the Church of Light.”

“Yes. It’s an honor to meet you, Your Holiness! I am Ruan Friuli.”

“I’m Deborah.”

This elderly man might be the one who could resolve my doubts. I acted very respectfully to make a good impression.

As Deborah also bowed deeply, following my lead, the Pope waved his hand.

“Hahaha! There’s no need to go that far. You are Young Master Ruan and Miss Deborah, correct? I’ve heard about Young Master Ruan occasionally. I heard you’ve given Iris a lot of help over time?”

“Not much help at all. Rather, I’ve been greatly indebted to Saintess-nim. If it weren’t for Saintess-nim, I might already be dead.”

“Your modesty is too excessive! If you say so, I understand.”

Not wanting to burden us, the Pope, having concluded the conversation appropriately, then turned his attention to Deborah.

“Miss Deborah is the disciple of the Grey Tower Master, correct? The Grey Tower Master’s touch is evident even in this church building. She is a very excellent mage. Judging by her accomplishments, she might even surpass her master [a proverb about a student surpassing their teacher].”

“That’s high praise. I still have a long way to go.”

“Haha! You are humble as well. It seems the saying that lovers resemble each other is true.”

At the Pope’s mistaken words, Deborah’s calm eyes suddenly widened.

“W-what!? L-lovers?”

“Are you not lovers? You seem to have quite a good relationship.”

“Th-that…”

Deborah glanced at me.

She seemed to want to say yes, but couldn’t bring herself to say it.

I quickly interjected between them.

“Your Holiness. It’s not like that.”

“Hmm? Not lovers?”

“Yes. We are good friends. Of course, what happens later is still unknown.”

When I denied being lovers, Deborah’s face, which had instantly fallen, brightened up when I left some room for possibility.

The Pope, seemingly grasping the situation roughly from my meaningful words and Deborah’s expression, nodded with a satisfied smile.

“Hahahaha! I misunderstood. My apologies.”

“It’s alright. It happens.”

“Still, it’s a sensitive topic, isn’t it? As an apology, I will answer one question for you. Ask away.”

“Are you serious?”

“Indeed. Miss Deborah, do you have any questions?”

Finally, the time to achieve my goal had come.

However, mentioning possessed people rashly might raise suspicion. Just as I was wondering if there was a way to elicit an answer, a telepathic message reached me.

“Ruan. I’ll ask.”

“Huh? What?”

“You’re going to ask about the possessed, right? Leave it to me.”

As expected, Deborah saw right through me in an instant.

When I subtly signaled, she posed the question.

“Your Holiness, then could you perhaps tell us a little about the possessed?”

“Hmm? The possessed, you say?”

“Yes. There’s so little information available about them. I’m worried there might be a possessed person near me.”

Deborah displayed excellent acting skills, showing a troubled expression.

The Pope’s face grew slightly serious.

“What is it you wish to know?”

“…I want to hear about the reason why the possessed came to this world. The church called them invaders from another realm. I don’t think it’s simply because they came from a different world. There must be a reason, right?”

At her logical words, the Pope looked troubled and gave an awkward laugh.

“Hahaha… This is quite awkward.”

“Is it difficult to tell us?”

“It can’t be helped. The story you are about to hear must be kept absolutely secret. If it were known to the outside world, there’s a high chance of chaos.”

“Of course. I won’t tell anyone.”

“Then I shall tell you. The truth is…”

The Pope paused his words there.

Closing and opening his eyes as if still pondering, he uttered a shocking truth.

“The possessed were originally destined to become the next Paladins.”