- Pop!
Teleport.
- Pop!!
Magic.
- Pop!!!
JOAT....
Sometimes being too fast is a disadvantage too....
My vision had only flashed a few times,
yet I was already standing at the Holy Kingdom's teleport spot.
You know... how it is.
Little boys get tricked by the promise of tonkatsu and end up peeling off a layer of their own skin.
I kind of wish I'd come here with that kind of feeling instead.
But knowing the Holy Kingdom had called me outright to investigate me, I felt a bit tense.
Ah, just so you know, I'm not making a fuss because I'm actually scared they'll treat me like a lab rat in the Holy Kingdom.
That's obviously a joke.
Even if they did conduct experiments, they'd politely ask me first and adjust everything so it wouldn't burden my body.
They'd even assign a healing priest to me for twenty-four hours.
I just find the word "investigation" grating.
Usually, when the Holy Kingdom investigates something, it's mostly related to heresy, demon races, demonic humans, devils, and so on.
Of course, that's usually the case, so it's not like I need to be terrified since they might have called me to investigate something else,
but if they are investigating me for something like that, as long as I don't get flustered under the investigators' pressure and say something weird or tell a lie, I'll be fine.
Because I'm innocent.
My party members will also help me on multiple fronts to prove my innocence.
"Greetings, brothers and sisters. Welcome to the Holy Kingdom."
Similar to the Magic Tower, there was someone waiting for us in front of the teleport spot.
Judging by her attire, she seemed to be a priest.
The doctrine of the Lunia Church basically stated that all humans were equal before God, but even within them, a hierarchy existed.
After all, it was an organization, and money was involved, so without a class system, it would be realistically difficult for the church itself to function.
The ranks were, in order: Priest -> Bishop -> Cardinal -> Pope.
Then where does Lady Ariel stand in all this?
Generally, the Saintess was viewed as being above even the Pope.
But she doesn't directly interfere with the Holy Kingdom's operations?
From the standpoint of a believer worshipping the same God, they would naturally revere a Saintess who could communicate with God, but serving God and running an organization were completely different matters,
so the Saintess tended to focus wholly on serving God.
And just in case,
sometimes people talk about a certain religion that exists somewhere, having heard of it from who-knows-where.
There are people who spout dangerous nonsense, saying that over there, only men can become priests, and that the Lunia Church is heresy or whatever.
First of all, this is the Lunia Continent, and the supreme God is Lord Lunia alone.
All other gods are classified as heresy.
So if you have any preconceived notions about religion from before, you'd better erase them from your head quickly or go somewhere else where that religion exists.
For your information, to go somewhere else, you'd probably have to leave this world.
Because aside from the continent called Lunia, no other continents exist in this world.
Well... anyway.
We moved to a certain building under the priest's guidance.
'This is...'
A training ground?
Ha, shit... those damn nonexistent memories.
I'm sure I've experienced something like this somewhere before.
"Only Brother Evan needs to enter the training ground. The rest of you, please follow me upstairs."
The priest took them to a spectator's seat? on the second floor.
I walked forward and stepped up onto the training ground.
- Shhhk!
As soon as I fully stepped up, a barrier formed around the perimeter of the training ground.
"I apologize for this immediately upon your arrival, but Brother, you must catch one monster for the investigation."
The priest unilaterally informed me and then reached out to operate some machine.
Then,
- Grrr...
A monster slowly rose from the floor across from me.
"That's..."
A very weakened monster.
Its hands and feet were bound by consecrated chains, unable to move, but that wasn't particularly important.
'What's important is how the hell they captured that thing alive.'
The monster before me was a Goblin Champion.
A high-rank monster that you'd need to be at least high-level Expert to handle.
I couldn't even fathom how strong you'd have to be to capture a monster of this level completely intact like that.
'I have a feeling you'd need to be at least a Master to pull it off.'
I mulled it over for a moment,
and even at the level I was when I fought the Elder Lich, I could probably kill it, but capturing it alive seemed impossible.
'But what does this have to do with an investigation?'
It's a bit bewildering to be told to just catch a monster without any explanation.
- Swish.
I set aside my thoughts for now and raised my sword.
Even in good condition, a Goblin Champion was weaker than the Skeleton Dragon I'd faced before, so I had some confidence,
but unlike back then, I was now a high-level Expert,
so letting my guard down was out of the question.
- Clunk!
As the heavy chains fell away,
"Groooaarck!!!!!!!!!!"
The monster's roar reverberated through the entire training ground.
Someone without information about it might have panicked or been intimidated by that roar,
but since I knew quite a lot about it, I rather felt a certain certainty.
'That thing seems even more weakened than I thought?'
I was sure it had weakened to the point where it could be a boss in a mid-level dungeon.
As a mercenary, I tended to collect information on monsters first and foremost,
and according to what I'd learned, a Goblin Champion only roared in two situations.
'To rally other goblins' morale before battle, or when it judges itself to be in danger.'
There were no other goblins here, so the reason for the roar was one hundred percent the latter.
It wasn't human language, but it was blatantly telling me.
That I was stronger than it.
"Thanks for letting me know so kindly."
- Fwoosh!
I wrapped my sword in a dark red aura.
It was a bit awkward that my aura happened to contain black, but
well, a person's aura can have a bit of a blackish hue.
If anyone dares say something about this,
I'll brand them a colorist.
- Thud. Thud.
I approached it step by step.
- Crackle.
Holding flames that flickered softly like a campfire.
"Gurk! Gurk!!"
It stretched one arm toward me and roared loudly.
As if telling me not to come any closer.
As if it would graciously spare my life if I stopped now.
Trying to look as calm as possible, it took another step back every time I took a step forward.
Anyone could see that its actions and words were completely contradictory.
"Just how badly did someone beat you for a monster named Goblin Champion to be this scared? You're usually fucking aggressive."
I said with a slightly bored expression.
"Come."
- Shwick!! Boom!
I sent out a slash to cut off its retreat.
Then, it glanced back and forth between front and back.
"Gurk!!!"
Realizing it wouldn't get out alive, it charged at me in desperation.
Back when I first cleared Abraxas's Nest, monsters in mid-level dungeons felt quite burdensome,
but now? Not so much.
Maybe it's because I'd smashed through so many mid-level dungeons before coming here.
Seeing the thing charging at me not feeling difficult at all, I could clearly feel how much I'd grown.
"Thousand Solar Fire Sword."
Well, I'd decided not to let my guard down,
"First Form."
It might be malnourished, but its body itself could be sturdy.
"Shen Zhao Kaihuo."
I decided to finish it with a technique.
- Swish.
One concise curved line drawn horizontally from the front.
- Swish.
Two sword trajectories connected from behind.
These two combined to form a circle symbolizing a blazing sun.
"Gurk...?"
It hadn't even realized what was happening to itself.
It probably only sensed that I was now behind it, as if it had merely blinked.
But it wouldn't be able to turn its head to confirm.
- Fwoosh.
For all its name as a Goblin Champion,
it couldn't show a thing and dropped its head limply to the ground, exiting the stage.
- Srrng... clack!
I naturally sheathed my sword as if it were no big deal....
'Ah, fuck. Right. The Dwarf!'
I'd completely forgotten because I'd been so caught up learning magic, but I didn't get to ask the dwarf about my sword at the Magic Tower?
Hehe, fucking hell.
That's right, I'd been so obsessed with magic.
I was going to ask when I met Noona, but she beat me to the punch and we ended up going on a date?
I thought it was a normal date and was going to ask when it ended, but I ended up forgetting about the dwarf entirely.
'Then when can I meet the dwarf again?'
No...
Yeah, my schedule suddenly got busy. It couldn't be helped.
I shouldn't think of myself as such a fucking idiot.
It just wasn't fated to be.
Keh...
Isn't that totally mature adult thinking?
.....
I suppressed the negative thoughts rising in my head and spoke to the priest.
"Is this enough now?"
"We would be grateful if you could do one more thing."
I felt a sense of incongruity at the priest's words and immediately grasped what the remaining thing was.
I'd said so when I first arrived,
I feel like something similar happened before?
Of course, I don't remember.
"Is that final thing related to the person who was watching me from above?"
The moment I asked her,
right at that instant.
"This old one... still seems to be lacking in training."
The person who had been above until just moments ago disappeared from my sight and appeared right in front of me.
'I knew they were a master... but they seem to be on a much higher level than expected?'
It seemed the investigation was only just beginning.