Chapter 138
The sole holy relic of the Balterus Church.
Acusium.
A holy relic that can confirm all pilgrims wearing rosarios and all those carrying scabbards made from rosarios.
On this day, the Church observed the movements of pilgrims and paladins.
It was not for any particular reason.
It was merely to secure their positions and send messengers to nearby pilgrims or paladins whenever matters arose to deliver missions.
From trivial tasks like capturing pet magic beasts kept by nobles.
To carrying out missions as significant as eliminating imperial spies or heretics.
Acusium is a holy relic.
However, executing it requires divine power at the bishop level.
Therefore, it was not activated unless there was urgent communication or a need to secure positions, but today was different.
Many bishops rolled up their sleeves to observe just one pilgrim. The stone chamber of Acusium, which normally only Church officials could enter.
There sat a holy woman who seemed out of place in the stone chamber.
"Sahara Holy Land."
"Yes."
The bishops managing Acusium rose from their seats en masse, sweating profusely.
A woman with shimmering silver hair braided long.
A crown rested atop her head, declaring her queenship.
Indeed.
The guest of Acusium's stone chamber.
The Queen of Carpe.
Queen Clara von Agatha Bright had come for a personal audience.
Thus, the bishops broke into cold sweat even though they had done nothing wrong.
Originally, they did not find it difficult to deal with the queen.
Naturally so.
An unqualified king.
Clara bore the stigma of being a cowardly king.
The common perception was that she had luckily occupied the position that Chloe the Great should have held.
Clara had neither the power nor the authority of a king.
Therefore, Queen Clara always maintained a low posture even toward her subjects.
Who would fear such a queen?
There shouldn't be anyone.
Of course.
That was all in the past.
'She has become dignified.'
All the bishops looking at the queen felt the same.
They heard it was because Saint Stella's swordsmanship achievements were growing day by day.
Indeed.
The aura exuding from the queen had clearly changed from before.
The queen no longer flashes cheap smiles at her subjects.
Her pale pupils have sunk coldly to pierce through her subjects' intentions, revealing nothing of her inner thoughts. Except for slightly raising the corners of her mouth, no change in expression could be detected.
Now she fears no one.
"I see. The reason the count went to the Holy Land was indeed to become a Seeker. Are there any pilgrims of our Church at the Holy Land?"
"They do exist. There are also those continuing their training at the Holy Land. However, these are pilgrims who have not come out of the Holy Land for ten years."
"Why would they stay in the Holy Land for ten years?"
"Because of the Holy Land's special nature. The Holy Land is a better place for pilgrims to train, and the tower of the Holy Land is virtually a training space created for pilgrims, so naturally they settle down there."
Moreover, the Holy Land is not a place where only sword pilgrims reside.
Pilgrims of other gods who are normally difficult to meet can be seen without difficulty.
Training together with them in the tower leads to many realizations, and one receives teachings from the beings residing at the top of the tower.
"In the tower is also Pilgrim Orbile, one of the Church's saints."
The Balterus Church had three saints.
One of them was Pope Filechei, and next was Cardinal Sullivian.
And finally.
Orbile.
The unique existence who was both a saint of the Balterus Church and simultaneously a pilgrim.
A bizarre figure who possessed the divine power of a saint yet maintained the identity of a pilgrim and did not seek her own sword.
Moreover, she never showed herself at the Church and simply lived at the Sahara Holy Land, never returning.
There were Church officials who pointed that out, but they were dismissed by a single word from the Pope.
[Do not provoke her temper.]
A pilgrim whom even the Pope was cautious of.
Orbile.
"I see."
Sahara Holy Land.
Pilgrim, Orbile. Saint.
As those things occupied the queen's mind, Callias's name was etched into it.
'Murder is forbidden in the Holy Land, but.'
Still, she was inwardly worried.
The man who saved her life and was also her master.
Callias.
Having learned his location, the queen saw the glowing dot with eyes full of concern.
It had already been half a year since that insolent subject who didn't even inform her of his destination had departed.
She came to the Church to find out his location because she was angry that there wasn't a single word of contact. But to think he would be at the Holy Land beyond the empire.
"I wonder if he's overexerting himself again."
"Pardon?"
"Never mind. Viktor? Let's go."
"Yes, Your Highness. Shall we visit the Academy as scheduled?"
"Yes. I heard the young lady of Zerban is so outstanding that even the Pope personally looks after her, so I wanted to see for myself."
The mansion where many traces of him remained held many children of Caladi.
Children who dreamed of becoming knights.
Not those with noble status, but children who purely dreamed of becoming knights.
She was inwardly grateful that he had done what she, as queen, should have done.
"It's called Zerban Academy, I believe."
"Yes. I heard the Royal Academy and Zerban Academy frequently compete against each other."
"My, the Royal Academy students must be bullying them a lot."
"No. At first the Royal side was ahead, but now they say it's neck and neck."
"Really? How is that possible?"
"It's because the young lady of Zerban I mentioned before left the Royal Academy and decided to join Zerban. They say Lady Emily personally trains them."
Like father, like daughter, indeed.
A gentle curve formed at the queen's lips.
* * *
Sahara Holy Land.
The towering tower standing there.
Agathod.
Agathod, with a total of 66 floors, was densely packed with pilgrims and priests from the first floor.
The reason was none other than.
"Selling the finger of the Black Saint!"
"A skull of one who nearly became King of the Dead. It holds powerful divinity. I'll take three Hapin holy stones."
"A fan of a fallen nation. Yet it still holds strong divinity and an upright soul. Originally it was of the Spirit rank. One holy stone will suffice."
It was because pilgrims who had spread out their stalls were selling items they had obtained while traveling from various places.
"Master, no. Lord Callis."
"What is it?"
"Why are these people selling things here?"
The Holy Land's tower.
Looking at those who had set up stalls in front of Agathod's entrance, it would not be an exaggeration to call them merchants rather than pilgrims.
"They're not selling because they want to. They're selling because they have no choice."
"What does that mean……."
Serena found it difficult to understand.
"The reason pilgrims climb the Holy Land's tower is to attain enlightenment. Or to train."
The tower is the center of the Holy Land, so divine power is more concentrated there than in other places.
There is no better place for training.
Therefore, many came here to break through their walls.
"When demand couldn't keep up with supply, the tower's managers devised a scheme."
Money is needed to obtain a training room in the tower. So they sell things here.
"I see……."
Pilgrims are generally not wealthy.
So they sell everything they have to climb the tower.
"Of course, it's not only for breaking through walls. It's also to challenge, or because they were defeated."
The Holy Land's tower.
Agathod has managers.
Those called Floor Masters manage every 10 floors, and pilgrims can challenge them.
If they win, they can receive certain rewards, but if they lose.
"It's the Holy Land's custom that as the cost of the challenge, much is taken by the Floor Master and they're made to run errands."
Most of those running stalls probably do so to obtain holy stones, but some had been defeated by the managers and were wandering nearby picking fights.
"Why do they pick fights?"
"Because the Floor Master probably ordered them to win sparring matches against anyone."
If they were the 10th Floor Master, ten times.
If they were the 60th Floor Master, sixty times.
Generally, that's how it works.
They cannot spar again with someone they've already defeated once.
'Agathod.'
Callias's eyes looking at Agathod fell into deep reminiscence.
Serena, who glimpsed his deep eyes, realized she had been inconsiderate.
'The tower built after the Dragon-Ma War ended.'
For him, a dragon-human, this place couldn't be somewhere novel and interesting unlike for herself.
Serena blamed and reflected on herself for having been excited.
However, unlike Serena's thoughts.
The reason Callias had eyes of reminiscence was entirely different.
"Why did they even make something like this."
"Pardon?"
"Never mind."
He had designed Agathod.
The Floor Masters.
The six who owned the top of the tower.
The trials created for trainees on each floor, and so on.
He had designed all of it.
Certainly, just climbing the tower makes one stronger.
Because it was a system created to reproduce supersensory perception that transcends virtual reality.
But precisely because of that, certainly.
'It's hard.'
The tower's trials are extremely difficult.
Just thinking about climbing it from now on made his vision go dark.
"Are you a first-time visiting pilgrim?"
"I have no interest in sparring."
"Haha, I'm not shameless enough to recommend sparring to a fledgling who just arrived. I merely wish to give you advice."
"Advice?"
"It would be better to keep your eyes closed from the start. I guarantee it."
Was that what it was about.
"Serena. What will you do?"
"I will follow you."
"Alright."
Callias opened Agathod's door.
Creak.
The two who entered the tower soon saw its interior.
There was not a single light inside.
It was so dark that nothing could be seen.
However, with the brief light when the door opened, they confirmed what was inside.
'Puppets.'
Wooden puppets.
Boom.
The door closed. At the same time.
[Welcome, challenger.]
The tower's voice began to be heard.
[The trial begins.]
Creak, rumble rumble.
As the mechanical devices turned.
In the pitch-black darkness where nothing could be seen, they sensed the presence of puppets rushing toward them.
From the 1st floor up to the 10th floor, it was darkness where not a single ray of light entered.
That was the concept.
And within that darkness.
They defeat unseen enemies.
The dozens of puppets were all powerful and quite sturdy.
Therefore, most pilgrims failed to clear even the 1st floor, panicked, got beaten up, and were kicked out.
Of course, that was if they were ordinary pilgrims.
Callias stomped the air.
"Heaven-Shaking of the Three Classics."
A spell formation appearing from beneath his feet instantly covered the entire area.
Divine art formations were drawn across the entire dark 1st floor.
Unlike before, it was an astonishingly concise and rapid deployment of spells.
"Rule of Nine."
Shrrrrr!
Formless chains sprang from the ground and bound all the wooden puppets.
Creak, creeeak.
Through the puppets struggling unable to move.
"Out of the way."
Swish.
With a wave of his hand, the puppets' bodies were pulled aside on their own, creating a path.
Like a path formed like Moses' miracle, Callias crossed it slowly as if a king marching through.