The Extra's Academy Survival Guide Chapter 130: Joint Combat Practice 2 (16)
The sound of the crying whale was enough to make the earth tremble.
Just by waving its tails and fins, it caused a strong wind to blow. The Apostles of Telos took formation as they cast a defensive magic circle to block the incoming wind. However, that wasn't even an attack from the whale in the first place.
The apostles quickly glanced at each other, exchanging opinions.
It wasn't that they didn't have a chance of winning. As long as they had enough magic power, the six of them could cast a joint magic circle simultaneously, which should have been enough to stop that monster-like whale from moving.
However, their goal wasn't to take down the ultimate spirit.
Their goal was to reclaim Velbrok's Tooth Necklace, a relic that was the center of their entire plan.
However, there were too many spirits flying in the air, blocking their way. Plus, the pterosaur that Ed and Yennekar were riding on was moving at a ridiculously fast speed, getting further away.
Since things were like that, the right person to chase after them had to be the third seat, Taldarek.
After coming to that conclusion, the apostles quickly decided on their plan.
Three of them would try to block the ultimate spirit from moving forward as much as they could. Two of them would try and secure a path for Taldarek to fly through. Finally, Taldarek would chase after Ed and Yennekar on his own as fast as he could to subdue them and take back the relic.
After all, if they were able to subdue Yennekar, the main body, then all of the spirits would become nothing.
It didn't take long for them to take action. Taldarek spread his wings.
"Yennekar. Get ahold of yourself?"
Her forehead was like a furnace. Her face looked red like usual, but for once it wasn't because she was blushing. It seemed that by gathering a ridiculous amount of magic power, her fever continued to rise.
Ed supported her staggering body as he took out Velbrok's Tooth. The magic that flowed on the surface of it was definitely weakening.
The farther away from Acken Island it was, the weaker its magic power would become.
"Ed..."
She didn't lose consciousness. Yennekar continued to command the spirits as much as she could, even while she was in a semi-conscious state.
Friede, the ultimate water spirit that commands the sky.
The magic circle the gigantic whale had appeared from filled the sky. All sorts of other elemental water magics cut through the sky as well.
But flying quickly through all of that was the third seat, Taldarek.
His speed was comparable to a bullet. Without even realizing it, they were almost pierced by his spear.
Fortunately, the spear only caught a few strands of Yennekar's pink hair and the back of the pterosaur they were riding.
But when the pterosaur's back was pierced by the spear, it screamed as it began to shake.
Then, Ed and Yennekar began to fall to the ground once more.
***
"Right now, the Holy Father Building's forces alone aren't enough to defeat the Holy Blue Dragon Velbrok. You cannot judge it recklessly like this just based on the vague descriptions of it in the history books."
There was no fluff in her words.
Clarice sat down as she only spoke of the key points.
The sheer size and strength of the ultimate water spirit dominating the sky was clearly visible through the broken stained glass. Not only members of the school, but also the Knight Templars looked up at the sky in a cold sweat. But to Saint Clarice, it wasn't all that amazing of a sight.
She had already seen the Holy Blue Dragon Velbrok, which was several times larger than the water spirit, destroy the entirety of Acken Island dozens of times.
So, she didn't lose her composure.
Looking at her, the Holy Father Eldane and Archbishop Verdio felt a heavy sense of incongruity.
Saint Clarice, who was always pure with eyes full of curiosity for the world, was no longer there.
The Saint that sat in front of them with her hands folded had already seen the bitterness of reality.
"Saint. Just how did you…?"
"Listen to me, Verdio."
There was a man. A blonde, fallen aristocrat that Clarice had watched die over and over again.
She remembered every single one of his deaths. They were all clearly engraved in her memory.
He had done too much to get Clarice to that spot.
Now, it was her turn to do her part.
No matter what, Clarice held great status as the Saint of the Religious Group.
She was one with the authority to speak directly to the Archbishop and the Holy Father.
In those aspects, no one else could take on Clarice's role.
That was why Clarice spoke to them confidently.
"I am sitting in front of you now after having repeated the same thing over and over again."
Silence filled the room.
"I still haven't figured out the exact reason why time is repeating itself. However… I have a rough guess."
Clash! Boom!
The massive whale and the Apostles of Telos fought over Acken Island. What seemed to be hundreds of spirits flew through the air, joining in on the fight.
Academic faculty also rushed over to try and take care of the incident. Although they cast all kinds of defensive magic circles, the massive whale didn't take any interest in the school.
Even such a magnificent sight was only background noise to Saint Clarice.
"Saint. Now is not the time to joke."
"You're too loud, Verdio. I'm talking to the Holy Father right now."
"What? Saint…?"
Clarice had already become cold-hearted.
She looked at Verdio in a clearly different light than back at the Holy Father Building. He was no longer the devout believer that she looked up to with great respect. Her youthful eyes had trembled and she held her hands together nervously, but she didn't let him interrupt her speech.
She had experienced a lot. Her values had changed, as well. More than anything, however, she also had someone she could emotionally depend on.
Humans grew quickly if there was someone to support them. Realizing that fact, Clarice continued speaking.
"Holy Father. How do you think I knew about your secret plans to subjugate Velbrok? You shouldn't have told anyone of it until you arrived here at Acken Island, correct?"
Eldane's face, full of wrinkles, turned towards Clarice and met her bright red eyes.
"How did that blonde-haired boy suddenly raid the cathedral and steal Velbrok's Tooth as if he already knew? How could a regular male student of the Magic Department here in Acken Island know about the plans created by high-ranking clergymen back at the Holy Father Building?"
Verdio's eyes widened bit by bit.
A blonde-haired boy had stormed the cathedral.
Breaking through the glass, stealing the necklace, and running away before the confused knights could even come to their senses… It really did seem like he knew all about the plans of the Religious Group.
"How did I know that you, the Holy Father and Verdio, would be here? The two of you and your escorts must have cast stealth magic to secretly make your way to this cathedral as best as you could."
Their eyes were focused on her.
"From the start, it was all because I experienced it already."
It seemed like she was talking nonsense, but they didn't have anything to refute her claims.
"Holy Father, Verdio is someone that will bring the Religious Group to ruin. If not now, then one day his madness will devour the group."
"Saint, that's nonsense. Your words are too extreme."
"You have to cut him off when you have the chance. Right now, you need to…"
"Saint!"
"I told you that you're too loud, Verdio!"
With a bang, Clarice slammed the table.
And silence.
Holy Father Eldane didn't say a word. Clarice and Verdio faced each other.
"How could you do this to me…?"
Verdio's reaction was completely unexpected.
He… was shedding tears.
"Ever since you became the Saint, I always tried my hardest for your sake."
"..."
"I was afraid you would have a hard time adapting, so I taught you everything that I knew. I protected the spire from the rebellious forces that tried to attack you, as well as from harm from the ones that doubted you. Just how many years did I spend doing those things?"
The old Archbishop cried tears of anguish… Holy Father Eldane's pupils also trembled slightly.
"I have dedicated so much for the sake of the Saint. A fact that all of the Knight Templars within the Holy Father Building know well. It isn't just the knights that know it—even the Holy Father Eldane does!"
"..."
"More than anyone else, I was the most ardent supporter of you, Saint. I am the one that prays more earnestly than anyone else for your health and happiness, Saint."
Verdio's eyes were full of despair and sorrow.
"Saint! You're the most sacred and greatest treasure of the Holy Father Building. You are the favored treasure of our lord, Telos. You are far more valuable than this lacking Archbishop. I… I've always thought as such. So… for me… to be slandered in such a way… this horrid reality… I can't help but cry."
After that, silence filled the room again. The weeping Verdio raised his head.
It felt as if his entire life, which he lived solely for the sake of the Saint, had been denied. It was the image of a person that wept miserably, with a wound in his chest.
Clarice watched as she slowly walked towards him.
She looked exactly as she did when she would calmly walk towards one that confessed their sins, or when she approached a respected faithful that was being baptized.
A benevolent smile, as if acting on behalf of the will of God. A beautiful figure that was engraved in the memory of all the knights.
Clarice approached him with a modest appearance. Putting both hands on his shoulders, she knelt down as she spoke in his ear.
"So, if things went wrong you were going to use me as a sacrifice?"
A streak of nervousness ran through Verdio's cold veins.
That was a fact that only Verdio knew of. It was never revealed to anyone else.
Her absurd claim that time was repeating itself wasn't quickly made up just to try and convince the people present.
Sadly, Saint Clarice already knew all too well just how low all of the people sitting there were.
Turning around and approaching Eldane, Clarice spoke to him.
"Holy Father, don't be deceived by him anymore."
The Holy Father Eldane was a bystander. Essentially, it was fair to say he is no different than Verdio. However, he still had the opportunity to walk a different path.
That was why Clarice spoke to the Holy Father Eldane. It was why she told him to expel Verdio.
"Right now… it's time for you to make a decision."
At that moment, an explosion erupted from under the table.
Boooom!!
It was Verdio's sacred magic.
***
In a forest that was reached after escaping from Acken Island and traveling north for a long while, Yennekar's mid-rank spirit, in the form of a pterosaur, barely managed a crash landing among the conifers.
Kyaaaaghk!
It crashed into the ground, giving a painful screech before the spirit's manifestation was canceled and it disappeared. It seemed like it had continued forward, ignoring the pain as much as possible to at least get us to the ground safely.
Yennekar and I rolled on the ground for a while, but neither of us had any serious injuries.
But from the start, Yennekar's condition wasn't great.
I clenched my teeth as I stood up. I ran over to Yennekar, who was far away from me, to check on her condition.
"Hey, Yennekar. Are you alright?"
She was breathing heavily, as if she were out of energy. I wiped my forehead to go and check if she had a fever. I couldn't measure if she had a fever from just my hands, so I tried to touch foreheads with her. But the moment I leaned forward, Yennekar pushed on my chest.
"D-Don't… do that…"
"What?"
"My fever… will only go up…"
Yennekar coughed as she stood up.
It seemed difficult for her to walk on her own, so I leant her my shoulder.
"This is probably… the Great Forest Krett."
"Yeah… Do we have to go further…?"
Listening to Yennekar's question, I took out Velbrok's Tooth Necklace. There was a magic power reaction, but it was really weak.
All we had to do was go a little bit further.
I helped Yennekar as we walked together. Once we reached a place where the necklace no longer reacted to Velbrok's Seal, we just had to bury it in the ground or throw it into a nearby lake so that no one could find it. Then, everything would be over.
However, things weren't going to come to an end so smoothly.
Booom!
Was it better to call it a landing or a crash?
Seeing as his body was completely unharmed, it would probably be more appropriate to call it the former.
However, the amount of dust that rose didn't seem like calling it a landing was right either.
Whoosh!
With a single flap of his wings, the dust quickly dispersed. The man standing at the center was… The third seat of the Apostles of Telos, the Swift Taldarek.
I'd already faced him once.
A memory of defeating him previously… Even though my body was pierced by his spear, I used it as an opportunity to limit his movements, ending things with a final blow from Merilda.
A case of overcoming the overwhelming gap in power between us with a short, decisive battle. However, the situation was very different from before.
Now, I couldn't risk my life, and Yennekar had already used Glast's ring. So, until Yennekar's magic power returned to her, I couldn't use the ring.
Still… Having someone as powerful as her on my side was great, but…
"Ed… In front… I can't see anything…"
"Just keep your eyes closed until the dust is gone."
"No… That's not it…"
I was already busy looking at Taldarek, who had just arrived in front of us.
When I turned my head after hearing what Yennekar said, her eyes looked empty for some reason.
"Hey… You…"
"This must be a temporary effect…"
"…This isn't good timing."
It was clearly a side effect of using the ring. It seems that she drew out much more mana than I had thought. It was going to take some time for her to recover.
It'd probably be difficult for her to live alone for the next few days after the incident was over. Even though I thought she had gathered too much magic power from it, if she hadn't drawn out that much… Yennekar alone wouldn't have been able to deal with all of the Apostles chasing after us.
I clenched my teeth as I sat Yennekar down against a nearby tree.
Behind us, a man that had succeeded in using the lives of the other apostles as collateral to chase after us was looking straight towards us.
Wings that extended behind his luxurious robe. A sharp gaze that showed under the shade from his robe hood. His arms were muscled, holding a spear.
"Give me the necklace now."
He pointed to Velbrok's Tooth Necklace, which I was holding in my hand.
"Otherwise… I'll kill you."
I put my finger in front of Yennekar's eyes, moving it around.
However, her pupils didn't follow my finger. She continued to stare blankly in front of her, like a still image.
She still had a fever, and she was shivering to the tips of her toes. She was sweating so much that her entire uniform was wet. It seemed that she had a hard time breathing, so I unbuttoned a few buttons from her shirt and took the shawl she was wearing, putting it off to the side. I then wiped the sweat from her forehead as I stood up.
The man had come pretty close to us, but I continued to only look at Yennekar.
"Is that girl the one using the spirits?"
"...."
"If I don't subdue her right now, my colleagues could be in danger."
The reason Yennekar was in such an extreme state was because she was still handling all of the number spirits, blocking the other apostles from chasing after us.
From Taldarek's point of view, he would want to defeat Yennekar right away to get rid of all the spirits that were threatening his comrades.
Perhaps because he came to the conclusion that nothing good would come from waiting any longer, Taldarek quickly flew forward with his spear in hand.
He was so fast that you could say it was impossible to see and dodge his attack with the naked eye. A speed that transcended even the speed of sound. That spear, which was heading straight towards my stomach, was so powerful that it wouldn't be surprising if I were to die in a single strike…
Fwoooooooosh!
The 'speed that transcends my cognition' acted as an advantage for me only once.
Just one time, Storm's Blessing would negate an attack that I was unaware of.
A wind started to form from the tip of his spear, wrapping around Taldarek's body.
"Wh-What?!"
I didn't pay attention to Taldarek's attack 'intentionally', in order to activate Storm's Blessing.
I didn't look at him, nor did I try to anticipate the timing of his attack.
Clang!
The spear bounced back, and in that instant, a large opening was formed on Taldarek's body.
A very brief moment of suppression. Taking advantage of it, I shot the intermediate fire magic Point Explosion right at his abdomen.
Booom!
I turned around to look at him as I pulled out my dagger. The aftermath of the explosion still remained.
I then leapt forward with my dagger in hand, thrusting it into his shoulder.
"Keuaaaaak!"
Boooooooooom!
Then, the spiritual skill Explosion activated, and another explosion erupted.
As I had said before, the only way for me to defeat him was to rely on a short, decisive battle by using flukes. I would just have to clench my teeth and somehow create a gap to deliver a critical hit.
However, because I was unable to manifest Merilda, there was a limit to my firepower.
Ultimately, to defeat Taldarek, it was necessary to manifest Merilda. But at that moment, I couldn't use Glast's Golden Phoenix Ring.
"You bastard…!"
Taldarek fell to the ground, but quickly regained his composure and stood up. The dagger pierced through his clothes, but it looked like it couldn't get to his body because it was covered in Sacred Magic. There was a blunt feeling when I stabbed him.
Absolute lack of firepower. That was my chronic weakness.
"You will keep resisting to the end…!"
That was why…
If I didn't have the ring, what else could be done?
How long was I going to continue using high-ranking spirits while relying on the ring to draw magic power, despite all of the penalties?
I took a deep breath as I refined my magic power.
Dozens of memories of my death crept through my brain.
I died under the rubble of a building, excessive bleeding, was stabbed to death, struck by the scales, and various other reasons… The countless memories imprinted in my brain didn't just give me pain.
Whenever I was in a crisis, I had always summoned Merilda. And that resonance of magic power remained in my memory, after repeating it dozens of times.
The surest way to raise one's Spiritual Resonance was to accumulate experience.
And over that short period of time, my experience was steadily accumulating within me. I suddenly realized that the flow of magic had become much smoother than before.
"Is that it?"
Only then did I understand why my memory was completely restored.
It was thanks to Celestial Magic, which I was familiarizing myself with before.
Since I had never used it properly before, my proficiency in Celestial Magic was awful…
But as Adele constantly rewound time, I ended up becoming constantly exposed to it. So, because of that, my Celestial Magic Resonance had been steadily increasing.
That was right.
When time rewound, all memories and events returned to the past… But my stats, engraved in me in my 'stats window', were also completely affected.
As Adele drew closer to death, the strength of Celestial Magic Power she had in her body gradually weakened.
On the opposite end, my strength was gradually increasing, until eventually the dynamic between it had become completely reversed… Only then was I able to resist her Celestial Magic and retain all my memories.
Elementalism… Would it be any different?
[ Magic Skills Details
Grade: Proficient Magician
Specialized Field: Elements
Common Magic:
Fast Casting Lvl 12
Mana Sense Lvl 13
Fire Element Magic:
Ignite Lvl 17
Point Explosion Lvl 2
Wind Element Magic:
Wind Blade Lvl 16
Spirit-type Magic:
Spiritual Resonance Lvl 18 (Up!)
Spiritual Understanding Lvl 18 (Up!)
Spirit Manifestation Lvl 13 (Up!)
Sense Sharing Lvl 13 (Up!)
Resonance Level: 5 (Up!)
Spiritual Efficiency: Perfect (Up!) (Possible to Raise Status)
Innate Skills:
Blessing of Fire Fortune (Temporary Immunity to Fire)
Explosion (Low-level Explosion)
Increased Ability of Fire-Type Magic
Resonance Level: 4 (Up!)
Spiritual Efficiency: Very Good (Up!)
Innate Skills:
Water Lioness' Blessing (Temporary Immunity to Flames)
Manifestation of a Water Source (Intermediate Water Magic)
Increased Ability of Water-Type Magic
Resonance Level: 3 (Up!)
Spiritual Efficiency: Normal (Up!)
Innate Skills:
Storm's Blessing (Periodically Neutralizes Damage)
Updraft (Intermediate Wind Magic)
Increased Ability of Wind-Type Magic
Celestial Magic:
Expression of Celestial-Type Magic Power Lvl 3 (Up!)
Property Transformation Lvl 2 (Up!)
Death Immunity Lvl 0
Time Prison Lvl 0
Short-Distance Spatial Movement Lvl 0
Forced Collection Lvl 1 (Up!)
Expression of Visual Hallucinations Lvl 0
Dazzle Lvl 0 ]
The hem of Taldarek's robe flapped from the gust of wind.
He tried to lower his center of gravity to withstand the strong wind, but eventually his body went flying and he got stuck in a nearby tree.
Even the old, large trees were shaking back and forth like barley. Tiny conifers were uprooted, sent flying through the air. I was worried that Yennekar might also be harmed, but the wind blew strangely, avoiding the tree that Yennekar was leaning against.
That meant it was an artificially made wind.
As time rewound countless times, how many times did I die in the past?
Leaving everything to Clarice, on my own I constantly faced a painful death.
I had all the memories of when I clenched my teeth and used all the strength I could to achieve something. All led to a tragic death. All the memories of the past that now ran through me were the records of my meaningless efforts.
Had all of those horrific pains and deaths I experienced become things of the past?
Nothing more than meaningless struggles?
Were my struggles, my unwillingness to give up on my unavoidable fate, nothing more than useless attempts?
Thankfully, God shook his head at that question.
Awoooooooooooo!
There was a saying among peddlers that if you heard a wolf crying in the forest, you should beg God for your life. The mountains and forests were the territory of the wolves.
Standing among the large coniferous trees that stretched high, a wolf the size of a house growled. It was a high-ranking spirit that I had manifested entirely with my own power, not drawing any magic power from elsewhere.
The gigantic Merilda looked down at Taldarek with sullen eyes.
***
"Keuaaack…!"
There was a huge hole in the ceiling of the cathedral.
Aside from Clarice, who was completely immune to Sacred Magic… Everyone else was injured by the sudden explosion.
The interior of the chapel was already in shambles. It took quite a long time to cast an explosion of that size with just divine power.
While Verdio pretended to assert his innocence, he secretly chanted a sacred magic spell.
"Someone that can change the power of time on Acken Island… It must have been Adele Cerise… There's no one else who could do it…"
Clarice was being choked, suppressed under Verdio's arms. He walked through the knights, who were moaning in pain. However, even the knights that could still gather their strength couldn't go against him when the Saint's life was at risk.
Since Verdio was baptized by the Telos Religious Group, his surprise attack didn't do any damage to her because of the Holy Blessing. The only way he could subdue her was using his raw strength to grab her.
"K-Keuk… Doing this… Do you think you will be able to leave unscathed, Verdio?"
"Naturally, I can't just get away with this. Still… Adele Cerise… Where is that girl? Tell me now… because I don't need anything else…!"
All of his plans had already gone awry. There was nothing he could do now. And there weren't any escape routes left.
Nevertheless, Verdio seemed to be looking for something… He tried to get out of the cathedral.
"Since all my plans are ruined, at the very least… I can…"
"Keuk…!"
Clarice clenched her teeth as she tried to escape, but she couldn't overcome the difference in physical strength.
Despair crept over her.
It was her last chance, and she was nearly there. But right at the last moment, she became careless. Verdio's instantaneous decision and bold actions were much more drastic than she expected.
Slam!
As Verdio ran out the front door of the cathedral, slamming it behind him, he took a horse from the carriage and was getting ready to head somewhere.
However—
"You're a bit late this time."
There was a girl sitting on top of the carriage, chewing on jerky with drowsy eyes.
Verdio didn't know the girl's identity yet, and he didn't know why she had appeared there.
"Come here. I've been waiting."
However, Clarice, who was trapped under his arm, knew.
Now… Verdio really didn't have a way to escape.
"Is the story over now?"
-x-X-x-
The girl sitting down, leaning against the wall of the hallway in Glockt Hall, raised the corners of her mouth.
The Joint Combat Practice was in full swing at the Student Center. She could hear the sounds of the duels all over.
While everyone was focused on the battle taking place in the arenas, Adele sat still as she reminisced back on her life.
A life that was full of ups and downs. But right now, in such an urgent situation and with everyone's life on the line, it wasn't the time to reflect on the meaning of her life.
However, as she ran around frantically, she came to realize there was nothing left to do. Because she had worked so hard to survive so far, she ended up giving up on any meaning to her life.
As Ed Rothstaylor said… If you lived your life by gritting your teeth and struggling to survive… the life you lived had to be worth it. But if one were to ask Adele if her life were worth it, nothing would come out of her mouth.
Survival, rather than living. It was that type of life.
It sounded rather incredible, but for the most part that was how most people's lives were.
The world was full of humans that were struggling to do their best to just barely survive.
Everyone struggled to survive for their own reasons.
— —
The same was true of Taldarek, who clenched his teeth as he received a blow from Merilda.
Just being able to tank an attack from a high-ranking spirit with a human body was an incredible feat. He had blocked Merilda's front paw with his spear, fighting back hard with his trembling hands.
However, with a magic arrow coming straight into his shoulder, he lost balance as he fell over. He quickly got up, preparing to counterattack, but the lioness Lacia quickly jumped forward and bit into his shoulder. He tried to tear her off and get back into position, but in front of him was the high-ranking wind spirit Merilda and the high-ranking fire spirit Takan, glaring down at him with all their majesty.
— —
The same was true of Verdio, who tried to find a way out after being trapped in a corner.
The moment he made eye contact with Lucy, he tried to run in the opposite direction, dragging the Saint along behind him. However, a magic bullet instantly hit his right foot, making him fall.
Clarice was released from his grasp as Lucy stood up from her spot. Verdio used weak Sacred Magic to cast a defensive spell, but Lucy was able to destroy it with just a lift of her finger.
He tried to get up and quickly run away, but he was cut down from behind by the beginner wind magic Wind Blade, sending him falling back down. His face slammed into the ground, but he still held on. He clenched his teeth as he gathered all the strength he had to somehow stand back up.
As he struggled to raise his head, Lucy looked down at him with indifferent eyes.
Still, Verdio didn't lose the strength in his arms. For the sake of survival.
— —
The life of Swordmaster Taylee was also a series of ordeals.
He managed to master the Swordmaster's Skill after struggling through countless ordeals. And even today, during the Joint Combat Practice, he continued to put in his best effort working tirelessly.
Standing in the center, outside of the Student Center seemed to be noisy. However, inside the arena he was completely separated from the outside world. He didn't care about anything else. Now was the time for him to face the opponent in front of him.
Even though numerous first years challenged him, he never dropped his sword. Neither the top student in the combat department, Wade, nor the top student in the magic department, Joseph, could defeat him. Although the top student in the alchemy department, Claude, used all sorts of cowardly moves to defeat him, Taylee never lost.
Even when he saw Claude, who had his back against the wall and drank the forbidden reagent 'Evil God's Blood', he didn't avoid the fight and confronted him head-on.
— —
The same was true of Yennekar Palerover, who couldn't see in front of her.
Beyond her blurred vision, she felt as if she could see the silhouette of Ed fighting against Taldarek. But even though he could use a high-ranking spirit now, there was still no guarantee that he would be able to defeat a member of the Apostle of Telos in a one-on-one fight.
Her body had already reached its limit as it screamed out at her. However, feeling Ed Rothstaylor right in front of her, fighting with his life on the line, she clenched her teeth and drew out her magic power one last time. In the end, Yennekar ended up gathering all her magic power to manifest the high-ranking fire spirit, Takan.
One ultimate spirit, one high-ranking spirit, eight mid-ranking spirits, one hundred seventeen low-ranking spirits, four hundred seventeen fluid spirits.
You could call her a one-man army.
It was only possible to manifest all of them by gathering her magic power from the future in exchange for shaving off from her life. Regardless of that, the sheer amount of spiritual resonance she had shown was at an unbelievable level.
Fire and wind cut through the forest as Ed stood between two high-ranking spirits, taking out his dagger and bow.
The sound of two men yelling as they clashed against each other filled Yennekar's ears.
— —
Was it any different for Adele's close friend, Clarice?
Having escaped from Verdio's grasp, Clarice stood up. From the start, her body was already full of scratches, and she had been somewhat damaged from Verdio's attack.
And yet, she somehow managed to push her body, which was falling apart, towards the cathedral.
There, the Holy Father Elane had the power to put an end to all of this. Since the situation had gotten to that point, for a person that didn't know anything aside from his religion, he wouldn't just stand still.
The moment she reached the front door of the cathedral, the door swung open by itself before Clarice even had the chance to try.
The Holy Father Eldane and his knights came walking out. Although they were slightly injured from Verdio's surprise attack, no one was fatally wounded.
The Knight Templars paid their respects to the Saint as they passed by, heading towards Verdio. The Holy Father Eldane walked quietly beside them, and he bowed politely to the Saint. Aside from their god Telos, who blessed the earth, he was the person considered to have the highest sacred authority.
Such a person had bowed his head politely towards Clarice as he passed by her, proceeding towards Verdio.
The Knight Templars surrounded the fallen Verdio as the Holy Father Eldane made his way through, looking down at him.
Verdio clenched his teeth as he struggled to cast another Sacred Magic spell, but before the knights could even respond, Lucy trampled on his arm.
He screamed out as he grabbed Lucy's foot, but he couldn't do anything, as she had covered it in defensive magic. Looking down at the struggling Verdio, Lucy's face was completely expressionless.
— —
And more than anyone else, Ed Rothstaylor was a man that lived his life the most passionately.
Ed Rothstaylor's body was covered in injuries as he pulled the bowstring.
Despite Merilda and Takan sending wind and fire magic his way, Taldarek still managed to somehow withstand it all. Wielding his spear, he deflected the magic, dodged Ed's arrows, and evaded Takan's tail and Merilda's paws as he fought on.
However, it was still difficult to deal with two high-ranking spirits as well as Ed Rothstaylor, whose body was covered in all sorts of blessings.
That was why it was necessary to cut off a major source of his opponent's power. Ed Rothstaylor, who manifested Merilda, was able to fight off against him in close combat.
However, Yennekar Palerover, who was in a crippled state… Against her, things would be different.
If he could defeat her, he could also get rid of the fire lizard in front of him and the flying whale in the sky that was blocking his comrades from supporting him.
Taldarek quickly changed the direction of his attack towards Yennekar Palerover, who was suffering from a high fever and gasping for breath.
That decision was a drastic one. If he were to hesitate in the middle of a battle, where the tips of swords clashed, he would be the one to lose his life. Taldarek was well aware of that.
The spear still faced Ed Rothstaylor. Ed prepared to dodge Taldarek's attack, but the spear suddenly changed directions and was then thrown in the direction of Yennekar Palerover.
The strength of Taldarek surpassed that of a human. The spear flew towards Yennekar at an unbelievable speed.
However, Ed Rothstaylor didn't even look back towards Yennekar. Taldarek thought it was strange, as it seemed that Ed thought highly of that girl.
Boom!
Only then did Taldarek realize that all his thoughts were being read.
The low-ranking spirit Mugg, who was hidden under Yennekar's shawl, suddenly popped up. It used Explosion to deflect the spear.
Ed had assumed Yennekar would be attacked, so he sent one of his key sources of power, the low-ranking spirit Mugg, towards Yennekar.
And since Taldarek had attacked, there was an opening. His center of gravity pushed him forward, and he no longer had his spear in hand.
Takan's tail flew towards him as Taldarek put up his guard, tightening his stomach, to try and withstand the blow. His legs dragged through the dirt as he was pushed away. His bones, which were as hard as steel, didn't break—but he couldn't do anything about the new opening that was made.
Merilda jumped forward and grabbed him with her teeth. Taldarek tried to move his center of gravity to deflect it, but two magic arrows pierced his shoulder. He shouted in pain as Merilda's huge teeth dug into his right arm.
Blood splashed as his complexion turned pale, but Ed stayed vigilant and drove a dagger further into his chest. Then, a Spiritual Skill was cast—another explosion erupted as Taldarek fell to the ground.
And just like that, the third seat of the Apostles of Telos, Taldarek, fell unconscious.
Takan's massive body disappeared as Merilda quickly changed into the form of a human girl to lessen the heavy magic burden on Ed.
Merilda ran towards Ed as the hem of her white dress blew in the wind. She supported him as he stood up.
Merilda also knew of his goal. She quickly grabbed Velbrok's Tooth Necklace from his pocket.
Merilda continued to support Ed as they continued to walk further into the woods.
There was no end in sight of the forest, which continued with trees spread out all around them. But in the first place, their goal wasn't to reach the end of the forest.
Ed continued to be conscious of Velbrok's Tooth as he was being held up by Merilda.
Little by little, the magic power that covered it grew weaker, before completely disappearing.
He struggled to raise his head.
There, in front of him… there was a massive lake that stood in the center of the forest. It was extremely beautiful.
Ed sighed deeply as he looked up at the sky.
He saw an optical illusion of that massive dragon's head appear above the open sky.
How many times did he have to die to reach that point? What he was certain of was that, despite each death being painful, they weren't meaningless.
None of it was pointless. That fact alone comforted him as the open sky started to look even more beautiful.
Ed took Velbrok's Tooth from Merilda. Now, the weakening magic power on it had completely disappeared. Ed caught his breath as he then threw it into the lake.
It flew in the air for a minute before eventually settling down at the bottom of the lake.
Adele opened her eyes.
She slowly put her hands on the wall as she stood up. Her blood continued to drip down as it wet the floor more and more.
Ed Rothstaylor walked over to a tree.
Dragging his exhausted body, he returned to the tree Yennekar was leaning against. He had run out of magic power, even canceling Merilda's manifestation. All that he had left was his beaten body.
Walking back to Yennekar, he sat down. The condition of their bodies was no joke.
In a relaxed tone, Ed opened his mouth.
"It's all over now."
It was also time for the Joint Combat Practice to come to an end.
And the Holy Blue Dragon Velbrok never ended up appearing.
"Let's head back, Yennekar."
***
Gathering all the magic power I had left, I managed to manifest Lacia as we neared Acken Island, riding on her back.
But after we crossed Mexes Bridge, I no longer had the magic power to keep Lacia around. So, I ended up carrying Yennekar on my back the rest of the way.
Seeing two exhausted and injured students cross the bridge, the school staff guarding the entrance were startled as they ran forward to take care of us. They said we were even able to receive support from the medical facility in the Student Center.
The school was peaceful. At least, compared to before.
The Ultimate Spirit that suddenly appeared in the sky above the school, and the Apostles of Telos that fought against it.
And near the school's cathedral, there was the terrorist attack caused by the sacred magic of the Archbishop Verdio.
Even at Glockt Building, there was an incident where a first-year student drank the blood of an Evil God, causing a riot.
They told us that they couldn't provide a lot of manpower to support us since they were already in the middle of taking care of various incidents across school.
Our injuries weren't fatal, we were just exhausted, so that didn't matter.
However, I needed to have Yennekar rest as soon as possible… So, I asked the school's staff to get us there as quickly as they could.
As we made our way to the Student Center, a magnificent carriage stopped right in front of us.
It looked as if it were heading towards Mexes Bridge, but as soon as it approached us, it made a sudden stop. Looking at the outside of the carriage, I recognized it. I was sick of the sight.
The carriage doors swung open as an escort knight stepped off first. He tried to slowly escort the carriage's owner outside first, but she didn't care as she quickly left her seat and ran into my arms.
"Ed!"
Saint Clarice of the Telos Religious Group.
In terms of nobility, she was comparable to the third princess Penia. Uncaring of the surrounding gazes or of being cautious of herself, she ran right into my arms.
"It's all over…! It's all over now…!"
"…Yes…"
"Really… It's all over…"
I was going to tell her to be conscious of her surroundings.
However, she really did finally manage to barely escape from that hell. Clarice… she must have had a hard time controlling all of her emotions.
"Really… all of it… is finally over… Verdio has been officially expelled and the Holy Father is going to send an official letter of apology for the uproar that took place at the school. The Holy Blue Dragon… didn't show up either…"
"Yeah."
"We did it… We… really… did it… If it wasn't for you, Ed… What would have happened… to me… And Adele…"
Tears continued to well up as Clarice suddenly raised her head.
"Adele…"
The situation was so urgent that, in order to make use of this final chance, every minute and every second we had was too precious.
So, only then… did I remember that name.
"Adele… where is she…?"
***
A life of running away.
She spoke of freedom, but what she longed for was actually survival.
So, in the end, what was the reason for going back to the sacrificial magic circle and dying?
Was it simply because she felt sorry for Clarice? Did she feel pity having made her face her own death in her place?
Sympathy, compassion, and guilt. Did such emotions grasp Adele's heart to the point that she couldn't help but throw away her own life?
To some extent, it was true. But if you were to ask if that was the complete answer, it was not.
Going to the Commercial City of Oldek, before eventually heading to the Holy Capital Karpea, she lived as a bard and wandered around the world before finally ending up at Silvenia Academy.
In that life, the moment that always stayed in her heart was the memory of sitting at the window of the Holy Father Building, playing the lute.
A life without purpose. At least, that was what it was before leaving the Holy Father Building.
The reason she decided to enjoy the many landscapes of the world was because she didn't want the song that she sang to Clarice to remain a lie.
Clarice, who widened her bright eyes every time she heard Adele's lute from her window. Because of that girl, she decided to become a bard.
By becoming a real bard, she hoped the words she had told her would gain meaning.
So, Clarice was the meaning to Adele's life.
She was someone that gave her meaningless life its own worth.
A life without family and friends. Such a dull life usually had a sad ending.
She often saw those that ended up throwing away their own lives and those that found meaning in taking away the lives of others. That was why Adele was able to have a warm smile at the end of hers.
In the end, there was only one thing Adele could say to Clarice and Ed.
And it wasn't a very long story.
Slam!
Ed and Clarice ran through the door of Glockt Hall.
They ran through numerous corridors leading to the arena as they headed towards the deepest and darkest area of the building.
As soon as they turned the corner, they could see her at a glance.
Her expression was comfortable. Like always, she looked happy.
The puddle of blood that slowly spread around her was like a cradle embracing her.
It wasn't difficult to remember the image of that same girl sitting next to him on the bench, rubbing her eye.
"I'm scared."
"I don't want to die."
So, seeing her lean against the wall while looking so comfortable like that, how could she look like that?
Thinking about what she was scared of, it wasn't difficult to determine the reason.
What Adele had feared so much was a meaningless death. Thinking of Clarice, who would be left alone underneath the walls of the cold Holy Father Building, it seemed like her own death would be meaningless.
Either she would be swayed by the goal of the Religious Group, or she would lose all faith and become The Saint of Distrust, turning the world into her enemy. The future of Clarice… it was a sad one.
However, things had changed.
After finding out that Ed had remained by Clarice's side, she was finally able to escape that fear of hers.
It made her feel as if she had been saved and she couldn't help but smile.
The life she lived was like the wind, but in the end there was a reason for her life and her death.
Clarice fell into Ed's arms as she cried for a while.
Fortunately, Ed was there to hug her.
And like that, Ed continued to hug Clarice for a long time.
So that she, who had just lost a precious and close friend, could lean on someone emotionally.
***
So, become stronger.
I dedicate the last sentence of this book to you, who became a period in my life.
Lucy.
The girl sitting on the roof of Glockt Hall closed the book. The building was built through the support of that old man.
Glockt's official last book that was revealed to the rest of the world, 'Exploration Record of the South.'
It was said that the original version was sold to a noble family of magic for a high price, but the real original was right there in Lucy's hands. The book that was sold was nothing more than a high-quality copy… though, no one else knew that fact.
Lucy didn't really care, either. If everyone thought it was real, then that book became real.
"..."
For Lucy, the last verse of the book was particularly unforgettable.
Even at the very last moment before his death, Archmage Glockt had been searching for meaning in his life.
After all, wasn't one's life just a journey in search of a reason? Lucy was still young, so the picture of her great journey had yet to be drawn… Still, she somehow felt empty inside.
The hectic Joint Combat practice had finally come to an end. Although a first-year alchemy student had caused a commotion, thanks to the Swordsman Taylee quickly subduing him, there was no major damage.
The sacred magic that was cast in the cathedral would be dealt with between the school and the Holy Father.
The Ultimate Spirit that suddenly appeared, terrifying people below, didn't really cause any casualties or property damage. Because of that, it'd just be discounted as a random occurrence. Though, she'd certainly get scolded for a bit.
"I want to eat jerky."
She looked up at the sky as the sun was setting.
Lucy gently closed her eyes as she enjoyed the warm wind of late spring. Then, her memories of the past suddenly raced through her mind as Lucy's ear became hot… However, she let out a sigh as she blew away that strange sense of embarrassment.
Summer would arrive soon.
Then, once the break began, the camp would become busy once again. Then, fall would come, and winter would follow again.
And just like that, time would pass. Just as it always did.
-x-X-x-
Crack!
A piece of firewood split in half as it rolled across the grass.
I picked up the split firewood as I tossed it towards a nearby pile. The firewood rolled down before it reached the bottom of the pile.
For a while, only the sound of chopping wood echoed through the camp. Thirty minutes later, the occasional chirping of the birds could be heard, as there was no firewood left to chop.
"Phew…"
I sat on an empty tree stump as I took a deep breath.
Spring was coming to an end.
In the early morning air, I could already feel summer's characteristic heat and humidity rising. Slowly, more and more flying insects would start to come as the sweltering heat only got worse.
I had already experienced living a summer in this forest before.
I still needed to set up an outdoor tent for my outdoor activities. I also wanted to create a space where I could consistently secure cold water.
Besides that, I wanted to renovate the cabin a bit more and finish working on the wand I was planning to give Yennekar… I had a lot more to do than I had thought.
Life had been pretty hectic, but there were still a lot of things left for me to do.
Living in the camp, there were many times that I felt like I was losing my mind from the sheer amount of work I needed to get done. It would build up whenever I got just a little bit careless and lazy.
I grabbed my axe, tossing it over my shoulder as I headed back towards the camp.
***
"I'm surprised to see you looking so good. I'm glad to see that you aren't in a serious condition."
Two days had passed since the Joint Combat Practice.
In just a single day, there were so many absurd incidents that occurred. Because of that, the school was probably going to be busy taking care of the aftermath for some time.
Still, at least there were no casualties or major property damage. Though, there was a hole in the ceiling of the school's cathedral and the stained glass had completely shattered… It'd probably be repaired before the end of the month.
"In the first place, I wasn't seriously injured. Yennekar had it worse than me."
"Is that so? Actually, the reason I came was to check on Lady Yennekar today."
The head maid of Ophelis Hall was never idle.
There wasn't a single flaw in her elegant posture and clean uniform, even though she must have been busy doing all sorts of work from early that morning. Still, since she didn't look the slightest bit exhausted, I thought it was very much like Bell Maya.
The basket she was holding contained a few pieces of cut fruit, clean cloths and bed linen, medicinal herbs with antipyretic properties, and a change of clothes.
"I heard rumors that she was very sick. Since you're taking care of her, I feel a bit more relieved. However, I still couldn't help but worry, so I came to see her."
Because Yennekar's condition was rather bad, she hadn't gone anywhere to explain anything to anyone yet.
Yennekar also preferred to stay inside the cabin rather than go to the school's medical room. I wanted to tell her to go and rest in a more comfortable environment, but she refused and said that it would be better to recover in a place she was familiar with.
So, in the end, Yennekar was recovering in the cabin. It wasn't so severe that she couldn't move her body, so there weren't any problems with me checking in on her while I took care of my own business.
After all, it wasn't an injury that came from a disease. The only cure was time. There was no other choice but to wait for Yennekar's magic power to recover, little by little.
Maybe it was because of her blurred vision, but I occasionally needed to help her, as she would bump into the furniture or the edge of the door. However, I'm relieved to see that her vision was slowly starting to come back.
"You didn't have to. If it was too much for me, I would have gone and asked someone for help."
"Young master Ed. If something like this happens, you should come and find me first."
Her eyes were still as expressionless as always, but there was a strange glisten to them that looked rather happy.
However, Bell wouldn't have been happy to just come and check on Yennekar's condition. Maybe she was happy to finally have the opportunity to do regular old housework.
She preferred doing practical housework like that much more, but because she had been promoted to a higher position, she hadn't had the chance to do so for a while. Her hands must have been itchy. Her attitude towards her work was quite admirable.
"But… Young master Ed."
"Yes?"
"'Is there anything else you are struggling with?'"
I had a puzzled expression on my face as I looked at Bell, putting my hand on my chin and tilting my head.
"Never mind. When you do this kind of work for a while, you start to have these useless speculations. It's like an occupational disease."
"Useless speculations?"
"It's just… The Saint and Lucy have been asking about you these days… And uhm… Well, I don't think it'll be good if I talk about it in much detail. For now, it would be better to go and take care of Yennekar."
I sat by the fireplace, cleaning the fish and shellfish as Bell bowed her head slightly and walked past me.
Before opening the door to Yennekar's cabin, she suddenly turned around and spoke.
"I'm only saying this just in case, but you must definitely not enter or try to spy on us. I might be wiping off her sweat or changing her clothes, that's why."
"Of course…"
"Well, I guess there's no way that young master Ed would make such a mistake."
After saying that, Bell opened the door as she entered the cabin.
However, before she completely went inside… she suddenly said one more thing with her upper body halfway outside the door.
"Come to think of it, I wonder if there is even a reason why you shouldn't be making such a mistake."
"...?"
"Isn't this a time of curiosity and passion for you? When else would you have the chance to make such a mistake? Just being a little curious about things like this isn't a sin worth dying for. So, I think it'll be fine for you to listen to your inner voice every so often…"
"Stop saying stupid things and go help Yennekar…"
"That's a shame. Ah, young master Ed."
Bell's expression drastically changed just before she closed the door. There was a strangely refreshing feeling from her.
"You just spoke casually to me."
Her tone of voice, which was pleasant and refreshing, left quite an impression. She looked like a relieved yet ecstatic gladiator that had just won a round.
Slam!
"..."
From inside the cabin, I could hear Yennekar making a fuss. The sound of Yennekar screaming, telling her to 'lock the door' and 'what in the world are you talking about?' I could also hear Bell ranting, telling her to 'open the door, because you don't know how important ventilation is in a patient's room.' The two of them fought back and forth for a while.
"Is there anything else you are struggling with?"
I sat still as I swung my dagger in the air.
Looking at the burning campfire, I recalled Bell's meaningful question.
Bell was the person that managed all of the students living in Ophelis Hall. She probably asked such a question after speculating on things after seeing the reaction of Saint Clarice and Lucy, who were in Ophelis Hall.
Bell herself said that she worried about too many things and dismissed that habit of thinking deeply of others, saying that trying to get involved to help them was a mere weakness of hers. However, being on the receiving end of her kindness, I only felt grateful towards her. In all sorts of ways, Bell had helped me a lot.
"Lady Yennekar! It's a crime to put a patient in such a dusty environment! At this point, it'd be better for you to go to the school's medical room! Even if you don't like it, you don't have a choice! For now, I will open the door to let in some cool air and ventilate this place! Alright, let's go!"
"Why are you doing that all of a sudden nooow?!"
I couldn't help but feel confused hearing the commotion they were making inside.
***
"I-I was wondering… If I can ask you a rather rude question…? If you think I crossed the line, you can stop me with your fist. No, if I end up clearly crossing the line, then… You know, as another man it's also extremely difficult for me to bring this up and ask you about it. However, I'm just going to tighten my stomach and ask you. Don't worry, since I'm pretty confident in taking a hit."
After classes were over, Ziggs came to visit me.
"So, did you do it?"
"..."
"…Heub…!!!"
"..."
"…I-I… Apologize."
As the cool evening wind blew, I brought Yennekar outside and sat her down to get some fresh air.
Bell, who wiped down Yennekar's body and changed her clothes, had already left, looking rather exhausted.
It seemed like she was trying to send me some kind of signal earlier, but I didn't bother trying and making a mistake. I wanted to maintain my good relationship with Yennekar. Plus, I wasn't _actually a teenage boy, so there was no real desire for me to go and peek at a woman's body.
Still from the point of Yennekar whose vision was blurry, her ears were bright red as she tried to cover her eyes.
It looked like she wanted to ask if I had peeked at her, but it was difficult to ask me directly, so she was hesitating and blushing. It was certainly a strange feeling, seeing her try to avoid eye contact.
Even though she believed in me, she couldn't help but feel a bit anxious about it. That being said, if she were to ask me directly, it would seem like she was suspicious of me.
She must have overheated by thinking of such things. I wouldn't have cared if she were to ask me bluntly, but that overly-kind and considerate response was very much more Yennekar-like.
I was already ready to tell her that I didn't peek at her, but she was already preoccupied with her own thoughts. However, since she wasn't asking me about it, the awkward atmosphere wasn't going away and the strange stalemate between us continued.
From an outsider's perspective, it would have been hard not to say anything about the situation.
"Actually, I came today under the orders of the student council president. She said she wouldn't be able to come in person because she's rather busy, so she sent me instead."
"Tanya did?"
"Yes. She seems to be worrying a lot about you. Actually, there were some rumors going around Ophelis Hall because the people close to you were acting strangely worried."
"That's hilarious. What are they even worrying about? Anyway, thanks for your concern, but I'm really doing fine. Don't worry about it."
Ziggs titled his head as he looked at me.
It looked as if he was trying to read my expression. He continued to glare at me for quite some time, but of course he wouldn't find anything strange there.
In the end, Ziggs only nodded his head as he agreed.
"You must have fallen behind in your camp work, is there anything I can do to help?"
"There's nothing right now. I'm grateful, but you don't have to worry about me. You're already busy with your own work."
"Hey, I can still take care of my work and lend you a hand. Well, since you said you're fine, I'll go and finish my work."
Ziggs brushed off his clothes as he stood up.
"Ah, that's right. Das Lortel visited you?"
"Lortel? No, she hasn't come to the camp."
"Hmm…"
Ziggs tilted his head at my answer.
"Is there a problem?"
"No, not particularly. She was quite worried about you, so I was just surprised to hear that she hadn't come to visit you. Even though she was so worried, and her complexion was completely pale, she didn't come to see you… Well, she must have been busy with her work."
"Yeah. She is a valuable person, after all."
"She is, but… Looking at the Elte Company's recently reported documents, it made me wonder if she really did have that much work to take care of."
Come to think of it, I had seen her before, when time rewound.
A scene where the Elte Company's carts filled Mexes Bridge. They were probably wagons filled with supplies that were supposed to be delivered to the Elte Store.
"Well, now that I'm a member of the student council, I can't help but be curious about what Lortel is doing. Either way, since you said you're doing good I'll go ahead and report it. Please take care of yourself."
"Alright, good work."
***
After that, I spent the rest of the day taking care of Yennekar until the sun set. It felt like time had passed pretty quickly.
Then, later in the night, the next person to visit me was Clarice.
As I sat down in the middle of cleaning a boar's carcass by the fireplace, she showed up wearing her robe.
When she took off her hood, she looked like a girl of noble status with brown hair and cute facial features.
However, when she untied the pendant from her neck, her dark hair disappeared and turned into elegant white hair that flowed down.
Looking at her hair shining softly under the moonlight made me realize just why that girl was considered the most elegant and noble girl within the Telos Religious Group.
I quickly tried to throw the blood-stained dagger behind the boar's corpse and to hide the protruding intestines from her sight by pushing them away with my feet. Though, I ended up doing it rather late.
However, surprisingly Clarice didn't seem to be surprised or bewildered by the sight. She just actually sat on the tree stump opposite me as if she were relaxing.
"Hello."
I washed my hands in the stream before I came back and sat across from her. I handed her a mug that was on my workbench. It was an herbal tea that I made with the herbs that Bell had brought over.
The sound of the bugs in the grass rang out through the cool night air. And just like that, the two of us sat still for some time.
Wondering when the silence would break, Clarice finally spoke first.
"Archbishop Verdio has now been officially expelled."
"I see."
"And the Holy Father Eldane acknowledged his complacent attitude. He said that he was now seriously thinking about what direction the religious group should head towards due to the changes of time. As he should be doing, Rather than being swayed by the voice of an Archbishop, we should all be moving according to the Holy Father, who rules over the Holy Capital, Karpea."
"Do you think things will be okay?"
Clarice slowly closed her eyes as she spoke, looking up at the distant starry sky.
"He must have struggled for a long time between his faith and the cause. It's unfortunate that he spent so much of his later life as a bystander, but this event may become an opportunity for him to turn to a new direction."
"..."
"So, I'm going to try believing in him just one last time. Holy Father Eldane has always been a devout believer ever since he lived in a monastery in the Lamelin Mountain Range. So, I think it's too early for me to fall into a pit of distrust."
Clarice lowered her head as she spoke.
She looked down at a tea leaf floating in her cup. Above her, the bright moonlight poured down as she watched that leaf float back and forth.
"And… Adele…"
Clarice was suddenly unable to speak anymore. And with that, the silence returned for a while.
I continued to sit still, waiting for Clarice to continue speaking. And yet, she remained speechless, looking down at her teacup.
"She died smiling."
I didn't try to look at Clarice's expression.
"I'm certain of one thing, Saint Clarice, you must have been the meaning of her life."
Adele wasn't a bard in the first place. The reason she decided to wander across the world and become one was because she didn't want to lie to Clarice about what she had said. Even if it was after the fact.
Clarice was the reason for Adele's life, which was without any family, friends, or lovers.
"I don't know if you know this, but you were her reason for living in a world where she didn't have any close connections."
"..."
"So, there's no need to be too hard on yourself or feel guilty. You did your best."
After talking, I closed my mouth. Clarice continued to stare down at her teacup for some time… And then she slowly started to shiver.
Beyond the sound of the bugs, I could hear the sound of a girl swallowing her breath.
As I sat in front of her… I continued to stay with her for some time without saying a word.
"It's going to be summer break soon."
Clarice stood back up, getting ready to head back. If she were to spend any more time at the camp, the trail back would become too dark.
Though, the trail was already pretty dark. So, I made her a torch by soaking some cloth in oil.
Clarice took the blazing torch as she said her thanks.
"Will you be staying here at the camp over break?"
"I probably will, as there's nowhere else I can really go."
"Then I will visit often. Not as Clarice, but rather as Kylie Eckner…"
"That sounds good. I don't mind at all."
Clarice looked at the torch for a moment before she asked in a hesitant tone.
"A-And, I have a small request."
"A request?"
"When I'm not Clarice, but rather Kylie… I was wondering if you could treat me as your underclassman…"
Right now, she was a holy girl with white hair and red eyes, but when she was a regular student she was just a normal aristocrat that went by the name Kylie.
"..."
"Is it a strange request?"
"No. In fact, since there are so many eyes around school, it would be more natural to treat you as my underclassmen. That's what I planned on doing anyway."
"Oh, is that so?"
I didn't know why Clarice looked so satisfied as she smiled softly.
Now that it was time for her to really start heading back, she lowered her voice and said one last thing.
"Actually… I was worried about you, too."
"You were worried about me?"
"The person that did the most to try and save Adele was none other than you, Ed. Until the very end, it was you…"
I heard that there were a few people worried about me in Ophelis Hall. Clarice was one of them.
There was also Bell and Ziggs. Both of them came by, asking if I was doing alright.
My answer was the same to all of them.
"I'm fine. In fact, I'm not having a hard time at all."
"That's a relief…"
"I tried my best, but it didn't work. If I only let that regret eat at me and suffer on my own, I'll just run out of time to do what I need to. So, I try to not worry so much."
Clarice glanced at my face as she nodded. She then squirmed a bit as she awkwardly walked up to me.
Then she buried her face in my shoulder. It was too embarrassing for her to talk while looking at my face.
"Even if others don't know, I remember everything clearly."
"..."
"I know how hard you struggled with your teeth clenched, doing your best. Even if everyone else forgot, I will never forget. I will remember it til the day I die."
With her face buried deep in my shoulder, not lifting it up… I had a hard time reacting.
"There's not much I can do, but if you ever need it, please ask for my help. I'm not confident, but I'll do my very best to help you as much as you helped me… I'll do everything that I can."
"I'm grateful for the thought. It's almost curfew, so you should head back."
Clarice raised her head, which was buried deeply in my shoulder… she forced a smile.
And then she laughed as hard as she could.
***
Thank.
After meeting with Clarice, I sat by myself on a tree stump by the campfire.
I was grateful for each of them personally coming to visit me because they were worried. Everyone seemed to be worried that I might be hurting.
I shook my head, telling them there was nothing to worry about. Over and over, I told them that I was doing fine. There was nothing good that came from worrying them, or from showing a weak side of myself.
What I needed to do was add firewood to keep the campfire going as long as possible. I also needed to cook the meat that I had trimmed.
While picking up a good amount of firewood and throwing it in, I tried to take in the early summer night air through my mouth.
Then, a heavy feeling of weight fell on my back.
There was no need to look back.
I could feel the blood running down my spine.
A girl had leaned her back against mine as she sat on the tree stump. The bard that I had seen a few times before.
With a soft smile on her face, her life came to an end. And now, she was quietly leaning against my back. I tried to use more strength to carry the weight that was pushing down on my body while I picked up a few more piles of firewood, throwing them in.
According to the original timeline, she was a girl that should have died anyway.
The only reason I tried to save her was because I couldn't leave a person that was about to die all on their own.
If I had to give a reason for not saving her, I could name several.
In the last regression, it was a race against time. I was busy trying to move far away as fast as I possibly could. I didn't have the time to waste taking care of Adele first.
Clarice must have had no idea where Adele was. It was a fact that I was the only one capable of knowing that Adele's starting point was in the hallway of Glockt Hall. But because of the pressure of time, I couldn't even tell anyone of it in advance.
In the first place, it was impossible to expect that Adele's strength and vitality would hold up in the final regression. Since she told me she could probably do it at least one more time, I had just assumed that she would be heading to the school's cathedral like she always did. That was because she had continuously done that dozens of times before.
However, I was also aware that all of those reasons I was thinking of were just a self-defense mechanism.
Whatever the case, Adele Cerise had died. Even if she met her death with a smile on her face, the fact that she died didn't change.
I didn't have a particularly special relationship with her. The only reason I tried to save her was because of my weak conscience. That was the case, but still…
I had tried to save her. But the fact was, I couldn't do it.
Dealing with the weight pushing down on my back, I continued to throw piles of firewood in for some time.
"Ed."
Suddenly, I shook my head, hearing my name being called.
"You put too many in."
When I looked at the campfire, there was already a lot of firewood piled up, being burnt.
Beyond the flames, Yennekar was sitting at the edge of the campfire.
It must have been difficult for her to move by herself with her blurry vision. She was probably able to do it because the camp structure was already engraved in her head to some extent.
"Ed."
Yennekar softly called my name.
"It's okay."
"Yeah."
As I used the poker on the fire, I looked up at the flames.
"Still, it's an experience I never want to have to go through again. Never again."
"Yeah."
Then, I remembered… the time that I spent next to Yennekar, looking up at the sky from the half-destroyed Nail Hall.
Back then, it was early summer.
The Joint Combat Practice ended, and it was summer break.
There was still a lot of work to be done.
Yennekar didn't try to hastily comfort me, nor did she try to give words of encouragement.
Looking up at the flickering lights, she sat with me until the long night's darkness passed.