Early morning.
The academy members were climbing the snowy mountain. Their breath was puffing out as they stepped on the crunching white snow.
"..."
Ruin, who followed behind, silently accepted the luggage and followed behind.
"Haa... haa..."
Malik nodded silently and glanced at Ruin, who was breathing heavily.
'Your gaze has changed.'
The once foolish, aimless gaze was now revealing a new meaning. It was a gaze filled with the passion of someone who could fully fulfill their role.
Malik smiled slightly at Ruin's expression, which now looked human.
'If I had been a little more persistent, I might have become more attractive, but I guess I'll have to endure it.'
It would be a waste to make a good porter cry.
"Euuuugh! It won't work if I just say that...!"
It didn't feel like I'd achieved enlightenment or awakening. It felt like I'd just gone through something more difficult.
It's often the hardest to break someone's stubborn convictions. For someone like him, who enjoyed positions and rights that others didn't, it would have been even harder to bend his pride. But the eyes of Ruin, now before my eyes...
"Whew... Whew..."
He looked like someone who had climbed those difficult stairs.
I knew I wouldn't be able to produce results quickly because of the huge failure, but I couldn't deny that the current situation looked better than when I had stuck to my past actions.
'That's cool.'
The students' faces were filled with determination.
Although she was a healing type, Yuria's face was tense as she had been on the floor tens of thousands of times with the goal of not being able to stop.
-...Nothing will happen, right?
The princess's face, which had gathered a lot of information and narrowed down the location of the Holy Sword to the north, was burdened with a sense of responsibility.
-It has to be there. It absolutely has to be there.
There was a calmness on Hannah's face.
-...
Hannah seemed to have anticipated, to some extent, that this would not be an easy journey.
A huge procession stampedes its feet.
Slowly towards the temple where the holy sword sleeps.
The fifty imperial soldiers following behind were chatting about the holy sword and relieving their tension.
-Hey, is there really a holy sword?
-I don't know, I'm going because they said the princess is there.
-Ah... This is so fucking hard.
-Everyone shut up and follow me.
-yep...
-But who has the holy sword?
-Are you an idiot? The one who chooses is the owner.
If the Holy Sword were found, who would be its owner? We chatted about this and endured the arduous hike.
Their steps were free of tension, as if they didn't know what might happen.
"..."
Malik, seeing their lack of tension, clicked his tongue and thought, 'Tsk.' He then remembered what Ricardo had said.
-There are more pagans than you think.
-How many people are there? My father said he'd come too, so I don't think it'll be too crowded.
-No. We are being pushed back.
-We're being pushed...?
If he could say something like that, it meant a force of unimaginable proportions had arrived. Especially since the Apostle was someone I'd never encountered before.
How strong it is.
They had no idea what strange abilities they possessed. The most frightening aspect of black magic was their unpredictable individuality.
There was nothing to worry about yet, so Malik could relax a little, but the peace, which seemed unending, made him cautious. His father hadn't arrived yet.
Something's broken out in the capital. I'll probably be late because of the cleanup, but I'll try to get there as quickly as possible before you arrive.
'Now I can see the top... but I'm worried.'
Malik slowly raised his head and closed his eyes, looking at the snow-capped peak before his eyes.
'I guess I'll have to buy some time for my father to join me.'
Malik, who was in the lead, spread his hands toward the group following him and spoke.
"Stop for a moment."
The group following behind questioned Malik's sudden gesture, but they breathed a sigh of relief at the opportunity to catch their breath. They were exhausted from the hike since dawn.
"Sigh... I'm dying."
"I'm cold... and hungry."
"Is Yuria here?"
"Ah...not yet...!"
Malik, who was standing there looking at the settlement, looked at Yuria who was looking embarrassed and asked.
"Yuria."
"Yes...yes!"
"How long do you think it will take to get there?"
Yuria frowned as she recalled the memory, then answered Malik.
"I think it'll take about five hours to get there! It's 12 o'clock now...! If I take the fast route, it'll take three hours, and if I take the easy route, it'll take about five hours!"
"Five hours... It's still a long way to go."
Five hours.
It was a tight time.
We were ready to go camping if we had to, but we wanted to finish it in one day if possible.
The longer the journey, the more exhausted the group became, and if that was the situation they were aiming for, they had to avoid it even more.
Malik took a deep breath and said.
"Let's take a third break here. Get out the groceries. I'll cook."
The time now is noon.
There was a need to conserve stamina.
'My shoulders are heavy.'
The weight of the word responsibility felt heavy.
*
"There are a lot."
Hiding nearby in the temple where the holy sword slumbered alone, I frowned and muttered to myself. There were more people than I expected.
The number of black-clad figures surrounding the temple where the holy sword slept was estimated at around 100. They all seemed to be single-minded.
The pagan camp surrounding the opaque barrier was pouring magic toward the temple's barrier.
-Kwaaaah!
-Kugung...!
-Kugugugugugugu!
"...Even if you do that, it won't break through."
The conditions for entering the sanctuary are met after sunset. When the light-bearing aura of the holy sword weakens, you gain the freedom to enter.
If you try to force your way in.
-Ku ...
In this way, the body is burned by the energy of light and dies.
A specific time.
Certain conditions.
The reason the location of the Holy Sword remained elusive for hundreds of years was because of the temple's secrets. Only those with a chosen destiny could enter the Sword Temple, making it nearly impossible.
So, Yuria must have fulfilled the condition by finding out where the Holy Sword was sleeping.
The ways of the pagans are ignorant.
It was because they were searching like they were heading straight for the ground, that they got caught. The Academy's method was to open the path in the direction the Holy Sword wanted. That's why the heretics are struggling.
Even though the lives of 20 of our followers have already been lost like lab rats, these guys who keep bumping into each other are amazing.
Hmm...
The goal of pagans is one.
The goal was to first seize the Holy Sword and then purge those who arrived later. However, the sight of those who were impatient with things not going as planned signaled something was amiss.
"...a holy sword."
But, I wonder if I can hear it too.
I can proudly say that my heart is whiter than any color in the world.
'...isn't it?'
Realizing that the girl would laugh out loud if she heard this, I slowly closed my eyes and looked at the setting sun.
"It's about to start."
-The barrier has disappeared!
As the opaque barrier surrounding the sanctuary disappeared, the image of a pure white temple began to appear before my eyes.
A temple as white as the color of pure white.
At the same time, I was struck by a sense of wonder, wondering how people could have overlooked such a massive temple for hundreds of years. It was a direct translation of the novel's description.
'The scale is crazy.'
How will they move now? According to Elicia, the thugs are moving to deal with the Academy personnel following behind.
I looked at the seven men carrying bundles behind a crowd of over a hundred pagans.
and.
"what."
I rubbed my eyes as I saw a figure walking out of the darkness.
"Eight people?"
Why is there one more person?
A single person, wearing a robe, walked out of a gate-like space. Judging by her short stature, she appeared to be a woman, but her face was unclear, making it difficult to tell the difference.
One thing is certain.
- Meet the Apostle of Mercy.
Things must have gone wrong.
Over a hundred pagans quickly formed a camp and took their places in line. Then, five archbishops, clad in white robes, looked at the apostle and spoke in a loud voice.
"The way is open!"
The apostle of temperance raised his hand.
"The hunt begins."
It's the beginning.
'It's a variable.'
Things started to go in a direction I hadn't expected.
*
A hiking trail after a break.
As the temple came into view, the group began to breathe a sigh of relief.
"It's a temple!!!"
"Wow, it really happened?!"
"...Your Majesty! It's a temple! A temple!"
Shalltear sighed in relief.
It was the same for Yuria.
Everyone was exclaiming in awe. It was astonishing that such a beautiful temple existed in the barren north. As they marveled at the sight of the massive temple amidst the sunset,
"stop...!"
Malik's nerves were tense and he drew his sword.
"Take up your sword."
"...yes?"
The soldiers who sensed the presence among the panicked people began to draw their swords one by one.
At the same time.
-Oh my god!!!
The sky tore open and a huge mass of magical energy began to fall over their heads.
"It's an attack..."
The person who attacked them was a robed woman.
"It's an elf."
He was an elf skilled in archery and magic.