Chapter 027. Spirit Sword (4)

"Is this what you mean?"

"Arwen really understands quickly. It makes it easy for the teacher too."

"You flatter me."

"Me too! Please look at me too."

'Damn it.'

The Inquisitor couldn't understand why he was being punished under the pretext of physical training in the mansion's backyard.

Moreover, watching a man and two women chatting amicably made curses that were unbefitting a clergyman walking the path of faith slip out involuntarily.

'What a bastard.'

In fact, it was something he had brought upon himself by declaring surrender without confronting them directly. But he wasn't a mere sack of barley; if they were going to treat him like this, what was the point of calling him to the mansion in the first place?

"Oh my, you seem to be struggling. What should we do?"

Adding to his torment was the presence of a beautiful woman with green hair. She was covering her mouth while looking at his trembling arm, but contrary to her words, her eyes were filled with laughter.

Saintess Cecilia. Why was she, the pride of the Holy Kingdom and even the continent, with this monster? Moreover, the closeness between the two suggested they were quite intimate.

…To be precise, it felt more like Cecilia was clinging to the still Veris.

"Are you having a hard time?"

"No, not at all!"

As Veris approached him after helping Arwen and Cecilia with their practice, the Inquisitor quickly corrected his posture.

Right, what's the point of getting close? Just his mere step forward made the overwhelming mana prick at his skin.

"I saw your subordinate last night having a grand time drinking in the commercial district."

Crack.

The Inquisitor gritted his teeth at Veris's calm revelation of the facts. The Holy Knights, the pride of the Holy Kingdom, were here on a mission and were drinking?

'Those damned bastards.'

It would be a lie to say he wasn't annoyed that they were drinking while he was being humiliated like this.

But the unfortunate reality was that regardless of what they did, Veris had a firm grip on his leash.

"What should I do with you? It's a big dilemma."

"…What do you mean? What are you saying?"

"I'm saying you're useless. I can't just let you go because it annoys me."

"…"

The Inquisitor fell silent at Veris's sharp voice.

The more he conversed with this unpredictable man, the stronger the feeling that he was at a disadvantage became.

"Ah!"

"…?"

"It would be suitable to use you as a training tool."

"W-What?!"

"Recently, Arwen has been struggling after hitting the wall. You'll have to suffer a bit, okay?"

At Veris's peaceful voice, the Inquisitor's face began to flush red.

Who was he?

He was the Inquisitor. Among the field positions held by a priest from the Holy Kingdom, he was the highest rank.

And what? He was going to be used as a training tool by this great priest?

It was enough to make the veins in his neck throb. Moreover, the opponent was a heretical elf swordsman. Naturally, he couldn't accept this reality.

"I refuse! I will not help the training of a vile heretic!"

"You refuse?"

"Yes! I have pride as a person from the Holy Kingdom!"

"…Is that so? Cecilia."

"Oh my, it seems he doesn't understand. The teachings of the scriptures say not to distinguish between heretics and pagans but to embrace them with compassion."

"…Cough! Whose side are you on, Saintess?"

"I am always on the side of justice."

"What? Are you saying that I, who am carrying out the mission of the Holy Kingdom, am not just?"

No matter how high-ranking the Saintess was, second only to the Pope, she couldn't easily criticize a priest sitting in the position of an Inquisitor. Looking at the Inquisitor's wronged face, Cecilia nodded without a hint of hesitation.

"Framing innocent academy students and planning to transport them to the Holy Kingdom is not justice, is it?"

Despite her young age, Cecilia was eloquent in theology, and the Inquisitor fell silent. He never expected that a Saintess, who was close to being a mere honorary position, would know so much.

"Well then, let's start preparing."

─Zing.

With Veris's words, a vast amount of mana began to pour out from his body.

It was a magnificent sight, like a tidal wave of mana. The powerful and enormous mana soon engulfed the backyard where they stood.

"Oh, Lord."

The Inquisitor found himself seeking the divine in the face of such an abnormal sight that made him dizzy.

Indeed, there was no need to confirm his abilities physically. Just by witnessing that scene, he realized that even the best of the Holy Kingdom would not be a match for Veris.

"What are you doing?"

"…?"

"Not preparing."

It seemed that the duel between him and the elf swordsman had already been decided, and the calm voice of Veris made the Inquisitor feel faint.

This guy was serious. He intended to use him as a tool to help the elf's training!

As a result, the Inquisitor felt wronged. It was true that he had entered the academy with impure intentions. But there's a principle of presumption of innocence; how could they persecute him like this?

"Shouldn't you just help that elf with their training?"

Finally unable to hold back, the Inquisitor protested to Veris with a voice full of grievance.

It was indeed a reasonable argument. Veris was strong. So it made sense for a skilled master to impart teachings.

"I can't duel with Arwen. My normal strikes would literally pierce the heavens."

"What do you mean?"

"And look. Is it even appropriate to swing a weapon at that cute little thing?" The Inquisitor frowned and turned his head.

At the end of his gaze stood a blonde elf holding an old iron sword, and he could tell with his eyes that her complexion was anything but ordinary.

"C-Cute? You must be joking."

"It's the truth, so why hide it?"

"Hmph."

The Inquisitor let out a hollow laugh at the ongoing display of affection. Damn it. Did they think they were newlyweds or something?

"Position."

At Veris's gesture, the Inquisitor had no choice but to face the elf in the backyard. Looking at her with the massive scythe he was proud of, he realized that the elf's skills were not to be underestimated.

"Begin."

"Engage!"

The Inquisitor charged at the heretic to vent his pent-up frustration.

After all, the venue was already dominated by that monster's mana. Even if he unleashed a considerable amount of killing intent, it was clear that the man would intervene before anything could happen, so what was there to hesitate about?

"Die!"

─Whoosh!

The Inquisitor approached Arwen and swung the massive scythe down.

The shock was a combination of the speed and weight of the object. Knowing this fact all too well, he put all his strength into the first attack.

Clang!

"Hmm?"

But Arwen's response was also very smooth.

Instead of meeting strength with strength, she held her sword at an angle and easily deflected the impact of the scythe.

"How dare you!"

Having already deemed his opponent a wicked heretic, the Inquisitor shouted loudly as his attack struck the ground in vain.

The holy mana began to ripple in response to his will. Although he couldn't exert much power since this space was already dominated by Veris, it still followed a different trajectory compared to an attack without mana.

"Be careful! That person has mastered holy mana. Holy mana has a sturdier characteristic compared to ordinary mana!"

With Cecilia's voice openly supporting the elf, the Inquisitor felt like crying.

This place was not one where he could stand.

* * *

"Phew."

Arwen looked at her unexpected duel opponent.

A tall enemy wielding a scythe as big as a person. If it weren't for Veris standing firmly behind her, she might have been frightened by this formidable foe.

However, with Veris sending her warm glances, Arwen couldn't give up.

"Ha!"

The Inquisitor, glowing with golden light, was someone she couldn't feel any affection for after realizing he was originally aiming for Veris's neck.

─Whoosh!

She dodged the horizontally swinging scythe. Then came Arwen's thrust, descending like lightning.

It was a rapid occurrence, but he seemed to be familiar with the attack, as he merely turned his head slightly to evade it.

Even if he landed a hit, it would be difficult to make an effective attack. Arwen thought.

'How?'

He was a foe as formidable as a mountain. Although he was suppressed by Veris's power and couldn't fully exert himself, she knew he was not someone to be taken lightly.

"Like a fly!"

Perhaps feeling humiliated by the very fact of exchanging fierce blows, the Inquisitor continued his relentless assault.

Arwen dodged with her specialty of swift movements, but since she couldn't find an opening for a counterattack, she ultimately had to allow an attack.

─Thud!

"Ugh!"

"Ha! A mere academy student dares to challenge me?"

Whether it was misfortune or fortune that she was hit by the shaft of the scythe rather than the sharp edge, the pain in her struck arm was no trivial matter.

Yet, even amidst that pain, Arwen did not lose her focus.

Suddenly appearing, the person who had aimed for her life was shown mercy by Veris. And it was clear that he intended to have her duel to resolve her troubles, so how could she easily give up?

"I'll acknowledge your willpower!"

As the Inquisitor, who had widened the distance, began to charge in again with a fierce roar, the golden holy mana swirled around, ready to strike Arwen.

The aura felt so terrifying that it evoked fear.

─Clang! Bang!

"Eek!"

Ultimately, the situation began to deteriorate further.

Having already allowed a hit, Arwen's movements noticeably slowed. In contrast, the Inquisitor's attacks grew stronger and faster, and eventually, after another clash of mana, the shock sent Arwen flying.

"That willpower is commendable."

"…"

At his confident voice, Arwen swallowed hard.

If this were a real battle, there would be no doubt that she would be facing death. The only relief was that this was a practice that didn't feel like a real battle.

As she thought that, Arwen's expression quickly darkened.

From the moment she was captured by a slave trader and flowed into the Vitelbach territory, up until now, she had grown under Veris's unconditional care.

She considered herself a delicate flower in a greenhouse.

Despite her efforts to stand proudly by his side for her entire life, it felt utterly pathetic to be at such a miserable level.

A deep sense of depression gnawed at her. Perhaps if she were to worry about getting hurt again, Veris would stop the duel and comfort her with warm and gentle words.

'I don't want that.'

It wasn't that she disliked Veris's warm voice.

She just… wanted to stand by his side as someone who was not lacking.

As Arwen staggered to her feet and turned her gaze, she saw Veris looking at her warmly from the corner of the backyard.

Seeing that figure, for some reason, her whole body felt invigorated, and her fighting spirit reignited.

─Boom!

"Ugh!"

But will and reality built an insurmountable wall.

The Inquisitor showed no signs of stopping his assault in response to Arwen's changed demeanor.

Swish.

Ultimately, shards flung from the massive scythe striking the ground began to leave tiny wounds on Arwen's body.

In a way, it was a miracle that she hadn't sustained visible injuries despite the clear difference in power.

'…Huh?'

As despair and hope coexisted in a complex turmoil, Arwen's pupils began to tremble violently.

Even though she could see the slowly approaching Inquisitor, Arwen could only stand there, mouth agape in a daze.

What caught her eye was a pale shimmer of light.

At first, it was just one, but soon it multiplied into a dozen or so, transforming into a grand spectacle of light that filled the space.

However, looking around, neither Veris nor Cecilia, who wore a worried expression, nor her enemy, the Inquisitor, seemed to notice the light, remaining as they were before.

'What…?'

The opponent was now just a stone's throw away.

Yet, seemingly unconcerned by his presence, Arwen reached out in a daze to touch the light.

[TL: If you can't wait on updates and want to read more, please support me to read the whole novel here: https://buymeacoffee.com/mythictranslations.]