Martial Arts Tournament (1)

1.

Sister Bertina had been in a good mood recently.

Was it because the convent had received a large donation after a long time?

No.

Was it because the flowers in the flower bed she was tending had finally bloomed?

No.

Was it because her persistent belly fat had finally disappeared?

That wasn’t it either.

It was because of the change in the child she was in charge of.

Elia.

Lazy.

Loved to play.

A girl who would try to cheat in anything.

Sleeping during worship was an everyday occurrence, and she would often not concentrate in class or secretly skip it when she had the chance.

But Elia.

“Good morning, Sister.”

Morning worship.

Elia greeted Sister Bertina with a bright smile.

She, who always came last and sat in the back, had recently been coming first and sitting in the front.

The first time Sister Bertina saw this, she thought the sun had risen in the west.

‘Elia? What’s wrong? Are you sick?’

She had even touched Elia’s forehead with her hand, saying that.

They say that if a person changes overnight, they die.

But Elia had been diligent like a model student for over two weeks.

What kind of mental change had suddenly occurred?

She didn’t know, but it was definitely a good change.

Finally, she was seriously embarking on the path to becoming a nun.

Sister Bertina was genuinely happy.

“Yes. Good morning, Elia.”

Sister Bertina sat next to Elia.

“You’re here early again today?”

Sister Bertina spoke to Elia naturally.

“Yes, I woke up early and was praying first.”

Elia smiled bashfully, clasping her hands together.

What a commendable child!

Sister Bertina was deeply moved.

It seemed like her hard work in persuading and persuading Elia was finally paying off.

Now… can I ask?

Sister Bertina decided to ask what she had been curious about.

“You’ve been really great lately, Elia. But, what suddenly brought about this change?”

At that question, Elia scratched her cheek as if she was embarrassed.

“I had a dream.”

“A dream?”

“A dream of flying in the blue sky. I was swimming and playing in the clouds when I heard a voice from somewhere.”

Sister Bertina listened with great interest.

“I instinctively knew it was the voice of the Celestial God.”

“Oh, my…”

“The Celestial God said to me, ‘My daughter, I cherish you. Proclaim my voice. Become the Wind of Purification. Become the Beacon of Salvation.'”

“Goodness…”

Sister Bertina clasped her hands together as if she was praying.

“And I opened my eyes and offered a prayer on my bed. Then my heart warmed and filled with joy.”

Elia placed her hands on her chest.

And she closed her eyes tightly as if recalling the feeling at that time.

“Since then, I have decided to devote myself to God with all my heart.”

She smiled faintly, narrowing her eyes.

The morning sun fell on her profile.

The sight was so beautiful that she wanted to capture it in a painting.

2.

Elia didn’t know she was such a good actress.

She was acting like a good child to score points with the nuns in the convent, including Sister Bertina.

Sometimes it was cringeworthy, but she could endure it in order to participate in the martial arts competition.

She acted like the Saintess in her memories.

Her words and actions were also modest and polite.

She borrowed a story she had heard from the Saintess and impressed the nuns.

Thanks to that, she succeeded in changing her image in two weeks.

Now, she should slowly bring it up…

After Divinity Studies class, Elia wandered around the chapel looking for Sister Bertina.

Sister Bertina was polishing silverware.

Elia approached her.

“Sister, I’ll help you.”

“Oh, thank you.”

Elia took a silver plate and wiped it clean with a dry cloth.

After wiping about four plates, she casually brought it up.

“Sister.”

“Yes?”

“I have a favor to ask.”

At the word “favor,” Sister Bertina narrowed her eyes.

Those eyes seemed to say, “Aha, so you had an ulterior motive.”

“What is it?”

“I want to go volunteer.”

“Huh? Volunteer?”

Sister Bertina blinked her eyes as if she hadn’t expected that answer at all.

“Yes.”

Elia nodded.

“I heard that a martial arts competition will be held in Breeze Town next month. A martial arts competition is that thing, right? Where people compete to see who is stronger?”

“That’s right.”

Elia asked innocently, befitting her age.

“Then… people might get hurt… right?”

She even frowned as if she was already worried, even though it hadn’t happened yet.

Whether her acting worked or not.

Sister Bertina smiled gently and asked.

“Are you worried about them?”

“Yes….”

Just saying that she wanted to do it unconditionally was stubborn.

She had to say exactly what she could do.

The kind of people Elia liked on the battlefield were that kind of people.

Not knights who unconditionally argued whether it was possible or not, but knights who could explain what they could do and how they could help.

“I’m not officially a nun yet, so I can’t use Healing Magic, but… I can help the nuns from the side. I can carry things, or hold their hands. I can even blow on them so they don’t hurt!”

By adding a childlike appearance, she expressed that the reason she wanted to volunteer was not for any purpose, but from a truly pure heart.

Sister Bertina stared at Elia with eyes like she was looking at a cute baby kitten.

“I can’t give you an answer right now. I have to talk to the head nun and get permission.”

Elia knew.

So please put in a good word for her.

“I’ll talk to her for you.”

“Thank you.”

Sister Bertina stroked Elia’s head.

“I said it this morning too, but you’re really great, Elia. The way you’re seriously trying to become a nun is touching to me.”

Elia smiled bashfully.

It’s not like she needed to be touched.

It was all to participate in the martial arts competition.

The next day.

Elia heard from Sister Bertina that she had received permission from the head nun.

“Really? Thank you!”

She cheered inwardly.

The primary problem had been solved.

She had achieved her goal, so she could stop acting like a good child, but she decided to maintain it until the martial arts competition was completely over.

She couldn’t ignore the possibility of a change of heart.

“The head nun knows that you’re kind and diligent, so she gave you special permission this time. So you have to keep up that appearance in the future, okay?”

Elia felt a pang of guilt.

Her heart was pricked.

“Of course.”

She glossed over it with a smile.

3.

The carriage shook jerkily.

The ride was uncomfortable.

The road was bumpy and the cushion she was sitting on was hard.

Still, Elia, who was looking out the window, seemed to be in a good mood.

No, she actually was.

Her heart was pounding.

Because she would be arriving in Breeze Town soon.

“Is this your first time in Breeze Town?”

“Yes.”

Sister Bertina, who was sitting next to her, spoke.

There were four people in the carriage, including Elia.

Her guardian, Sister Bertina.

And two additional girls who had joined them.

Since they were in charge of medical care at the church in Breeze Town, not all the nuns in the convent could attend.

In the first place, they said that they had enough staff and didn’t need volunteers, but the head nun earnestly asked, so four of them were able to volunteer.

“Breeze Town is a really wonderful place.”

She stimulated the children’s expectations as they were leaving for a distant place for the first time.

Sister Bertina explained about Breeze Town.

Breeze Town, the city of wind.

A place where the colorful winds of all four seasons blow.

Twelve windmills stand like magic towers around the city.

The city, which has long been known as a haven for adventurers, has a highly developed tourism industry.

This martial arts competition was also a kind of tourism industry to welcome the summer.

The carriage ran across the green fields.

A vast plain with no end in sight.

After driving for a long time, windmills began to appear in the distance.

……It’s been a while.

Elia looked at the windmills and fell into reminiscence.

She had brought a hero here a long time ago.

It was because the appearance of a Demon had been reported.

But the hero’s eyes were drawn to the stalls lined up on the street.

‘Master! Look over there! The meat is huge!’

‘Wow… did you see that just now? He swallowed a sword!’

‘Master! Stop drinking so much!’

Elia chuckled.

He did everything he wanted to do.

She remembered how petty he was about her drinking a few glasses of alcohol.

It was only five glasses of beer.

They passed by the windmills.

People began to appear in earnest.

People enjoying picnics around the windmills.

Carriages like Elia’s group heading towards the city.

The crowds were already bustling.

They entered the city.

““Wow!””

The girls looked out the window and exclaimed in admiration.

Their eyes widened at the sight of the festival for the first time.

Elia also appropriately sized up the situation and joined in.

“Wow…!”

That guy looks pretty strong?

Is that guy going to participate in the martial arts competition too?

Hmm… a double-handed axe… he uses a pretty interesting weapon.

Of course, her interests were different.