Heinrich (3)
A sword came flying at me.
I thrust out the shield in my left hand to let the blade slide off, but…
Kaga-gak!
‘Too shallow!’
The sword lightly scraped past the shield, changed its angle, and came cutting in toward my lower body.
I hurriedly swung the longsword in my right hand to knock the attack away, but my opponent’s assault did not end there.
Clang! Cla-clang! Chwaaang!
—I blocked the continuing barrage with the sword and shield in my hands.
With the help of honed intuition, countless hours of training, and a body tempered to the extreme, I was barely able to react.
Then, at a certain moment.
‘An opening!’
A gap momentarily appeared in my opponent as he swung his sword.
It was not a perfect opening. If I aimed for it, I would have to accept even greater damage on my end.
But if I was prepared to give up bone, it was a chance to cut flesh!
Without hesitation, I swung my sword…
Thud!
—Only to be driven backward and sent tumbling by the impact that slammed into my shield.
“Guh…”
“Hah, hah, hoo… You scared me. Are you insane?”
My opponent staggered back, shook out one leg, and shook his head.
At the last moment, he must have stopped swinging his sword and kicked my shield to create distance.
Perhaps he had overexerted himself in the process, because he kept grimacing and shaking out his body.
“Hey, let’s stop here. Who charges in like they’re trying to die during a spar? Sure, we’re not afraid of wounds, but still.”
The senior crusader serving as my instructor and sparring partner grumbled.
At that, the people watching from nearby approached and began talking as if reviewing the fight.
“Heinrich’s recovery ability is incredible, isn’t it? If you consider that, isn’t it a decent combat style?”
“Even so. What good is recovery if he gets hit wrong and dies in one blow?”
“If he can just regulate that part properly, it looks pretty good, doesn’t it? Accept a certain amount of damage, quickly eliminate the enemy, then recover…”
“Well, as long as he has enough holy power, it might be fine. And as for that guy’s holy power… everyone acknowledges it. Later on, he’ll probably rise so high we won’t even be able to see his face.”
Just as they said, now that two or three months had passed since my baptism, my holy power had nearly reached the level of a high priest.
Since a high priest was the person in charge of a temple located in a small city, it was by no means a low position.
‘Right above a high priest is the bishop in charge of this Talia Temple. Of course, the gap between them is large.’
In any field, the higher one climbed, the wider the gaps became.
More than that, lately I had been troubled because the growth of my holy power seemed to have slowed.
‘It feels like I’ve reached some kind of limit. To grow further from here, I’ll have to break past this limit. But I still can’t get a sense of how.’
That was probably the standard that separated a crusader from a holy knight.
For now, all I could do was devote myself even more to training.
《The individual has gained enlightenment through repeated training. Acquired the skill 「Crusader Combat Arts」.》
And as it happened, there had been results.
-Individual Name: Heinrich
-Common Traits: 「Mind Hub」, 「Persona」, 「Super Recovery」, 「Clear Mirror, Still Water」
-Individual Traits: 「Holy Baptism」, 「Martial Bone」, 「Crusader Combat Arts」
-Special Notes: As his spirit vein has been connected to the Supreme God of Auterica, the mana within his body has been replaced by holy power. By operating holy power, he can produce various beneficial effects. Through training that surpasses his limits, his physical abilities are growing by a large margin.
I approached the senior crusader who had sparred with me and bowed my head.
“Thank you for the spar!”
“Uh, yeah. Good work. But you really have improved a lot. At first, you were just a guy who ran wild relying only on your physical abilities, but how many months has it even been since then for you to improve this much? Is this what talent is…?”
“That’s what I’m saying. Good grief. A guy who already had superior physical ability has even mastered combat techniques now, so ordinary people can’t even face him anymore. He’s been training with the instructors instead.”
A countless baptism of praise poured down on me.
I merely smiled awkwardly and repeatedly expressed my thanks.
“Come to think of it, you said you wanted to become a holy knight, didn’t you?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Good. The holy knights who occasionally come to the training ground seem to have been keeping an eye on you too. If you continue as you are now, there should be good news soon.”
“Hahaha, I truly hope so.”
The holy knights had their own training ground, but perhaps to coordinate for actual combat, there were times when we conducted joint training.
Having drawn attention from the baptism ceremony onward, I also received a great deal of notice during training, and even the so-called “higher-ups” showed quite a bit of interest in me.
Since one had to stand out even among crusaders to become a holy knight, it was something I welcomed.
And a few days later, I soon learned that the senior’s words had not been empty.
“Pardon? To the Great Temple of Rosellia?”
The Great Temple of Rosellia.
The holy land of the Order of the Supreme God, located in the central region of the Ion Continent where we were, and the Great Temple standing at the very heart of it.
It was the largest among the few Great Temples in Auterica, and the heart of the Order where the pope and the saintess resided.
I had received an offer asking whether I would like to go with them to such a place.
“Yes. If they’re trying to take you to headquarters, the people above must truly see you favorably. It seems they intend to raise you properly.”
The captain of the crusaders who had come to deliver the message scratched the back of his head.
As he said, this was a great opportunity.
A chance to leave the remote Talia Kingdom behind and step onto a larger stage.
“For now, they told me to ask your own wishes. After all, it means leaving the place you’re from. Headquarters isn’t exactly close to here, and unless something unusual happens, it will be hard for you to return to your hometown.”
Since this place had never been my hometown to begin with, it did not matter to me either way.
Of course, as someone who had lied about my origin, I could not say that outright.
“It’s all right. I don’t have any family left here anyway. And the holy land, no less! As someone who serves the Supreme God, isn’t it like a dream? I definitely want to go!”
“Yes, you’ve thought well. This is truly a good opportunity. Then I’ll report it that way. You should prepare as well.”
After that, the captain of the crusaders lamented that he was envious I would be going to the holy land, and that he too had to go there at least once someday but it was difficult because of his family, before disappearing to make his report.
‘The holy land, and the Great Temple of Rosellia…’
A place far from here, the western frontier of the continent.
My heart pounded at the anticipation of seeing a broader world of Auterica.
***
The Immortal King subjugation force was disbanded.
In truth, they had fought vampires and black mages more often than the Immortal King’s successor, but their months of effort could not be ignored.
After holding a simple farewell gathering, they returned to their respective places.
Archbishop Latius, the one in overall command, and his aide, Paladin Tuskin.
Seven high priest-level combat priests led by one bishop.
A dozen or so Silver Wing holy knights under Tuskin.
And one crusader included among them.
These were the people who would leave the Talia Kingdom.
“Hooh… So you are the crusader named Heinrich? Indeed, you are a devout young man.”
“You wish to become a holy knight? Have you no thought of walking the path of a priest?”
“What are you saying! His holy power is one thing, but his frame and muscles are truly excellent. If he advances just a little more, he’ll be able to become a fine holy knight.”
“I heard from the training ground that he has perseverance and outstanding talent as well. Perhaps he may even be material for a Paladin.”
While waiting in the inner depths of the temple with more than twenty people, I politely responded to those who showed interest in me.
After all, the priests and holy knights here were all essentially high-ranking personnel.
Holy power was granted according to faith in god, and only when it was strong could one rise to a high position.
Those in high positions inevitably had strong faith, so corruption could not exist, and therefore the Order did not worry about things like spies.
It was also the reason Heinrich had been able to become part of the Order with ease.
If someone had other schemes or became corrupted and their faith weakened, that much would show in their holy power.
It was the reason the Order of the Supreme God had become the de facto single religion.
‘I’m an extreme exception. Well, it seems the Supreme God knew and left me alone, so I suppose I can take that as permission?’
Because of that, holy knights and combat priests who desired it were given a certain degree of freedom.
The meaning was that they should travel the world and widely spread god’s will.
This was also one of the reasons I had wanted to become a holy knight.
In the middle of our conversation, a door on one side opened and Archbishop Latius and Sir Tuskin entered.
“Is everyone ready? They say the transfer preparations are complete as well, so let us move now.”
At Tuskin’s words, we moved even deeper into the temple.
Having packed only light luggage as instructed beforehand, I simply followed where I was led.
And the place we arrived at was one I had somewhat expected.
‘From the western end of the continent to the central region… Considering the transportation conditions here, if we traveled by land, who knows how many months it would take. I expected this from the moment they said only a small number of people had been dispatched in haste.’
An arched stone gate made of white marble stood within a vast space.
The white stone gate was decorated with beautiful gold, and waves of gold that began from the gate spread all the way across the floor around it, softly illuminating the surroundings.
—…And so the shepherd said, Grant grace and become strength to the servants who believe in the Lord as they convey His word. With one step they crossed mountains, with two steps they crossed seas…
—…He commanded that His will be spread to all nations, and thus the earth folded, allowing them to go wherever they wished. Their eyes looked ten thousand li ahead, and their feet stepped a thousand li forward…
No, on closer inspection, they were prayers densely engraved and gilded in gold leaf.
Every single one concerned miracles that ignored the restrictions of distance and space.
“Then we shall begin.”
As our party stepped inside and exchanged nods with the priests guarding the place, they soon surrounded the gate and began reciting prayers.
In response, the golden prayers began to shine from the outside where the priests stood, then flowed all the way to the stone gate at the center.
‘What a spectacle…’
A beautiful golden dawn wrapped around the stone gate, and from its center, a blue vortex formed as it whirled.
It was a phenomenon impossible to understand with Heinrich’s still meager knowledge of sacred arts.
A new power that could not be grasped with Hans’s knowledge of 「Black Magic」, nor with Heinz’s 「Blood Magic」.
Wooooong.
—Along with a faint vibration, the blue vortex at the center slowly grew larger and filled the inside of the stone gate.
Then the golden light that had illuminated the surroundings gradually faded.
A blue gate quietly vibrated.
“Then let us move.”
At the archbishop’s words, everyone moved toward the gate with natural ease, as if they were used to it.
‘Well, they must have come here this way too. I suppose I’m the only one seeing it for the first time.’
After exchanging final farewells with Bishop Chromville, the person in charge of Talia Temple, the party disappeared beyond the gate one by one.
At last, my turn came…
And without hesitation, I threw myself into the blue vortex.
‘Farewell, Talia Kingdom! I depart in search of new lands!’
Once I passed through this gate, the holy land at the center of the continent would be waiting for me!
***
Though I crossed the gate with bold aspirations, the place waiting for me was not the holy land.
It was a temple in the Sharoti Kingdom, located to the northeast of the Talia Kingdom.
From what I heard, crossing half the continent in a single jump was something possible only with considerable strain.
“There’s no particular reason for us to hurry back right now. We’re planning to divide the journey up and move safely.”
“Ah, I see.”
Thanks to that, we had the leisure to rest for a day at each stopover and look around, so I was touring the city with the youngest holy knight in our party.
Perhaps out of consideration for me, since I said it was my first time leaving Talia, he volunteered to act as my guide.
Several days passed like that.
“This is the last time. Everyone, compose yourselves before entering the holy land.”
“Yes, sir!”
Wooooong.
—We crossed through the blue vortex.
And finally arrived at the Great Temple of Rosellia in the holy land.
The first thing I saw was a transfer chamber no different from those of other temples.
And a group of priests gathered to one side.
“Welcome. Everyone, you have worked hard all this time.”
A girl standing in the middle of the priests stepped forward and greeted us with a smile.
Bright silver hair that scattered the surrounding light, and glittering golden eyes.
Just by appearing, she made the surroundings feel brighter.
‘No, it’s not just a feeling?! Is that a halo?’
It was my first meeting with the saintess of the Order of the Supreme God, “Liesta Saint Hatianus.”
***
“Heinrich has established a foundation to grow steadily, so all he needs now is time.”
Even thinking back on it, going to the holy land had been fortunate.
Thanks to that, I had also become able to travel to the cities I stopped at along the way.
Once I grew to a certain extent, I would be able to travel the continent freely under the pretext of missionary work.
‘As a holy knight respected by everyone!’
How miserable had Hans, who could not even step forward in front of people, and Heinz II, who had to hide while constantly on edge, been until now?
Now, that life was over.
“That side is taken care of, so I should start disposing of these.”
I looked toward the inner part of the storage room with satisfaction.
Gold ingots and other valuables were piled high in the corner.
They were the reward for all the blood, sweat, and effort I had put in until now.
Srrrk.
—Heinz, who had appeared silently at some point, placed some of the valuables into the bracelet-type subspace magic tool.
The bracelet had been found among the treasures taken from the vampire mansion. Its capacity was only about the size of a single bag, but because of its convenience, I had come to use it often.
‘Subspace magic tools are precious, after all.’
After gathering the valuables, Heinz headed for the window.
It was past ten at night. A fine time to be active.
Heinz opened the window and disappeared into the darkness of night.
I had already decided how to dispose of them.
After all, while Heinrich had been suffering, this side had not simply been sitting idle.
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