227. Childhood Friends - Trial and Error
The clear sunshine enveloped the white fortress of the Cathedral in the capital. With the arrival of spring, the Cathedral was bustling with activity as it assigned new roles to priests, crusaders, and monks who were being sent out to churches across the continent or returning to the capital.
Many of them received assignnts at the capital's educational facilities, where the spring sester was in full swing. Crusaders instructed the novices in basic physical training and martial arts, while the newly appointed teachers among the priests and monks pondered how best to teach their assigned courses.
Any new class inevitably faced various trials and errors in its initial stages, leading to so creaking and grinding along the way. Despite the initial chaos, there were two freshn who quietly, yet swiftly, progressed without being affected by the disorder.
“Lady Lena, here you are. Is your class over?”
“Yes, it ended a bit early.”
Veronion approached, careful not to disturb the silence of the library as he took a seat next to Lena. She was engrossed in reading a very old manuscript.
“What is this?”
“It’s the life of Saint Azura.”
“Saint Azura? Isn’t that all covered in ancient theological history?”
“That’s what I thought, but it wasn’t. Take a look. Saint Azura was quite a unique person.”
Veronion took the first page of the ancient manuscript Lena handed him. The docunt, fragile to the touch, was filled with elegant handwriting, but the language used was not that of a clergy mber.
Instead, it used terminology once reserved for the royal court.
Moreover, it contained archaic terms that had beco dead language, dating back to the early days of the Arcaea Empire. The content was intriguing enough that Veronion referred to a dictionary Lena had brought to read through to the second chapter.
“…That Saint Azura was an incorrigible drunkard and a forr criminal. It’s interesting, but is this a credible source?”
“Probably. It was discovered by Cardinal Verke of the Conrad Kingdom. He’s annotated it here.”
“Cardinal Verke? The one who advocated the Doctrine of the Universal Priesthood?”
“Yes. This was the first study conducted by Cardinal Verke. It seems he had a keen interest in Saint Azura. But it appears the Cardinal lacked basic knowledge of ancient theological history.”
“Really? In what way?”
Veronion, a novice with a single tassel, adjusted his posture. As he leaned back, the wooden chair creaked with a dry noise.
“He reinterpreted the seven achievents of Saint Azura, but there are many flaws. He interpreted Azura’s first achievent of dispelling the darkness that had enveloped the Orville Royal Palace as purging the corrupt political scene at the ti. He based this on Azura’s second achievent, claiming it was because he pursued ‘Archduke Astaroth’ who fled to ‘Mount Astro.’ You know, the mountain in the Toddler region, which gave rise to the na of the Aslan Kingdom.”
“Ha ha. Cardinal Verke was a crusader, after all. He probably didn’t complete the subjects a priest is supposed to learn.”
“It seems so. He also interpreted the achievent of subduing the pirate horde, Aseen, and Seares, which ruled over the Lodran River, too narrowly.”
“I see. But Lady Lena, you’re studying sothing quite unusual. Are you interested in ancient theological history?”
“No, this is just...”
She had dread. Repeated dreams, but each distinct in its way.
These dreams matched the stories Rev had told her. In one, she beca a maid of the Marquis of Guidan and was murdered by a knight by a river while traveling to the Conrad Kingdom. In another dream, she was falsely accused and expelled from the church for causing a scandal with a nobleman nad Gilbert Forte. But upon arriving here, she found that the nobleman nowhere to be seen. Instead, there was Veronion.
It was a horrifying dream, pounding on the frozen gates throughout the night. The gates never opened in the end.
Rev suffered much because of her. She could feel that even in her dreams.
He had found her as she was trying to save up little by little to return ho, and he had proposed to her. She and Rev had a modest wedding at a bakery, officiated by Priestess Ophelia.
Why was this happening to them?
On her way to the capital’s cathedral, Lena asked Priestess Ophelia whether lives could indeed repeat themselves, dreams or otherwise.
Priestess Ophelia replied thusly:
“…It’s fascinating. My teacher once said sothing similar. That the achievents of Saint Azura were beyond what a human could accomplish. He seed to act as if he knew the future, yet it didn’t appear to be divine guidance.”
“Why not?”
“Because he made many mistakes toward the end. He fell into despair, and although he defeated Ashin at the southern port, he let its fragnts slip into the sea. He couldn’t prevent the curse descending on the eastern swamp, and at Vadovona Castle, he lanted, ‘I let the terror slip through my fingers again.’ Thus, he admitted the imperfections of his achievents and prayed to God, asking for the strength for humans to fight against evil. As you know, the result was the descent of the saintess upon this land. So, what do you think? Isn’t Saint Azura too human compared to his accomplishnts? My teacher said, ‘Saint Azura seems to have repeated his life, facing countless trials and errors, not born as a great saint from the start.’ But where did you hear about life repeating itself?”
Lena quickly made up an answer.
“Oh… It’s a legend told by Brother Leslie, who was in our village. I was curious if it’s possible.”
“Oh, perhaps that monk studied under the sa teacher as I did. They seed to be of similar age… After all, nothing is impossible when it cos to the work of God. If you go to the capital’s cathedral, you can find ancient docunts detailing the secrets of Saint Azura, annotated by my teacher.”
Priestess Ophelia smiled warmly.
Lena felt guilty for lying to her as she fell deep into thought.
A life repeating itself.
Was Rev caught in a similar cycle as Saint Azura? — She wondered.
Upon arriving at the capital’s cathedral, Lena researched Saint Azura amid the chaos of being a freshman, and now, after reading the ancient docunts Ophelia had told her about, she was certain.
Her friend was undergoing a trial.
She could not understand why God had put Rev to the test.
Moreover, the condition Rev thought was necessary to pass this trial was ridiculous. (Why do I have to beco a princess?) Lena had hit a wall.
No matter how much she thought about it, she realized she needed to ask the saintess. However, there was no way for a re novice to have an audience with the saintess.
One had to be at least a high priest to request a eting, and hoping to run into her by chance was impractical given the vastness of the cathedral. It was too big to rely on chance encounters.
Therefore, Lena had just one thing to hope for. On the day of the ceremony that determined whether a novice would beco a priest or a monk, they had a chance to et the saintess. After much contemplation, Lena ca to a conclusion.
‘I have to graduate quickly. Before Rev causes trouble… He said he would go to so noble nad Marquis of Guidan, right?’
Rev said he would contact her, but Lena planned to reach out first. She needed to perform the ceremony and deliver the saintess’s response before becoming a priest.
“No, I’m just reading it out of interest. I need to study now.”
“I see. Are you taking Udean’s scripture reading class? I read it before coming to the cathedral, and there’s so very interesting content in there…”
Lena continued her conversation with Veronion, sotis arguing against his points and other tis elaborating on them. Their discussion must have gotten a bit too loud because they were reprimanded by another novice nad Daniel, who had five tassels on his robe, and were subsequently kicked out of the library.
“Ah… I got too excited. Well, I’ll be off now.”
“Sure, you go ahead. I’m going to stay and say my evening prayers.”
“Haha, you always pray here, don’t you, Lady Lena? Alright then, have a good night.”
After Veronion left and Lena was alone, she approached the brass chalice displayed at the foot of the library's first-floor stairs. She rembered this chalice.
When I beca a priest, the saintess gave this item… when I was possessed by the Ashin known as Barbatos, the saintess held this.
It was displayed casually, but could it be sothing extraordinary? Could it really be the chalice that Saint Azura was said to have carried?
Lena glanced around. It wasn’t that she was about to do anything wrong, but she felt a bit embarrassed. She stood on the platform, reached out, and grasped the chalice.
However, contrary to her expectations, nothing happened. Lena turned the chalice around in her hands, feeling its surprising weight, and couldn’t help but chuckle.
Who do I think I am?
Returning the chalice to its place, Lena offered her prayers sincerely, as she always did. When she left, the chalice remained in the library, still enveloped in silence. Perhaps it had ward slightly?
---
“Wow, look at that fortress wall. It’s incredible!”
Reuben Bizaine exclaid enthusiastically. While Vanne Bizaine scolded her partner, telling him to stop acting like a country bumpkin, Rev looked around Nevis with a sense of unfamiliarity.
The blazing sunlight and the market heat that never seed to abate, even during the hottest days of sumr, were sights he hadn’t seen in a long ti.
Was it nearly six and a half years? Not since the last iteration when he beca Barbatos’s apostle.
Of course, it wasn’t as if he was happy to be back. All he had here were bad mories.
Soon, Rev began searching for accommodations for the hundred or so students who had joined him. Despite trimming their numbers down repeatedly, there were still too many of them to fit into any one inn. As such, he brazenly sought out the place where Lena had once been captured.
“Uh, welco, sir. But, you see, we don’t have any rooms available right now…”
The innkeeper was flustered as a crowd of young n ard with swords poured into the establishnt. It wasn’t a place intended for lodging, so the innkeeper tried to make up excuses, but Rev cut him off with an impatient wave of his hand.
“It’s unbearably hot. Don’t tell you’re out of rooms too? Looks pretty empty to . Am I wrong?”
“Well, you see…”
“We’ll unpack first. We can settle the bill later.”
Honestly, I’d like to kill this bastard again. However, I rembered brutally killing him when I was Barbatos’s apostle, so I decided to let it go.
Minseo had established a rule:
Once was enough for revenge.
If we weren’t satisfied with just one act of revenge, we’d end up becoming murderers in every cycle, which would make it hard to progress.
Respecting Minseo’s opinion, Rev spoke harshly to the innkeeper but didn’t draw his sword. Instead, he called over Vanne and Reuben and gave them instructions.
“I’m going to et with the Marquis of Guidan. You stay here for a few days. But don’t eat or drink anything served here. It might be poisoned. Get your food from the market and set up a night watChapter Try not to draw too much attention, and think of it as a vacation and rest up. Oh, and don’t bother paying that guy. He won’t report us anyway.”
“Yes! Understood.”
Leaving behind the bustling inn filled with people and the innkeeper on the verge of tears, Rev made his way toward the inner fortress of Nevis.
Wanting to avoid unwanted attention, he left his sword and horse at the inn.
Unless there were special circumstances, inspections were conducted selectively, so Rev passed through the gates at a leisurely pace, as if he were taking a stroll.
I’ll have to form a rcenary company if I’m going to keep traveling with these guys.
With over a hundred young n wearing swords and riding horses, they drew too much attention. As a result, they couldn’t stop at most villages or towns, but it was acceptable to enter Nevis, a bustling capital city.
Originally, there should have been many more of them.
If he had gathered everyone drafted from each tribe, there would have been over two hundred. However, he needed soone to train the soldiers of the tribes that had promised to rebel.
Rev had left behind those with leadership abilities and whom he deed adequately trained, grouping five or six disciples per village.
It was a way to save ti.
Nearly a year had passed since the start of this cycle, and he still had much to do.
He needed to finish persuading the Marquis of Guidan. He also needed to persuade the Northern Border Count, Marquis Drazhin, and the wizard, Count Ogleton.
Since the Akiné (heir ceremony) for First Prince Athon de Lognum was held recently, it wouldn’t be difficult to persuade the Marquis of Guidan. Marquis Evni Drazhin, a close friend of Marquis Guidan, should also be persuadable, and Rev had heard about a way to persuade Count Ogleton in the last cycle.
It was a thod used by Lerialia, and she said it involved approaching the count’s son. The problem was…
Can I really do it?
He had seen how skilled Lerialia was at dealing with nobles. No one could match his sister in that field.
Perhaps Marquis Benar Tatian?
I’m not sure about him, but I only have basic etiquette knowledge from {Noble Society} information and the achievents from {King’s Blood} and eting with a prince to earn favor.
I’m not sure if I can handle it as well as Lerialia did… If I fail, I might lose the chance to get help from the Bollineu Magic Tower.
I can’t afford any more trial and error… There’s no choice but to do my best.
Having crossed the scorching streets on foot, Rev soon arrived at the Marquis of Guidan’s residence. Using the token he received from the marquis, he entered the mansion, noting the refreshing coolness within as he requested to see the marquis.
However, it turned out to be unnecessary.
The butler had already reported his arrival, and the Marquis of Guidan appeared, accompanied by a young nobleman. Startled by this unexpected eting, Rev took a step back.
Count Soarel Detri Ogleton approached as if he had been waiting, extending his hand for a handshake.
“I’ve heard you’re a Swordmaster. I have a request. Please show your Aura Blade.”
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