The grandmaster seems to be absent today as well.
According to the timeline, around this period, the relationships between the churches begin to deteriorate in earnest.
It makes sense that he, the spiritual pillar of the Holy Nation, is so busy he doesn’t have a moment to breathe.
The Schnifelt family is currently bound by the Dragon God’s shackles, unable to even twitch a finger.
However, due to a certain event that occurs in the latter half of Part 2, they manage to loosen those shackles halfway.
Once they regain their freedom, the Schnifelt family openly declares war against the continent’s major powers, and the Holy Nation is among them.
But with the domestic situation in turmoil due to conflicts among the churches, they were too occupied stabilizing things to contribute much to the decisive battle against the Schnifelt family.
In that sense, the Dragon Horse Cult’s attempt to assassinate Pantilis in preparation for the future bore fruit.
Snapping out of my reverie, I nodded.
“I’ll gratefully accept the offer. I was just worrying about finding a place to stay in the Holy Nation tonight.”
“Really? Perfect.”
Chesa and I followed Estriel into the dining hall within the school’s grounds.
Albina and Amiel happened to be there.
“We meet again, senior brother!”
“…It’s been a while, Lord Aiden. Lady Chesa.”
The atmosphere between the two familiar faces was polar opposites.
What’s with Amiel and his low-energy vibe?
Looking closely, there were dark shadows under his eyes.
“…Amiel. Did something happen recently? You look half-dead.”
“That’s…”
“The kid got thoroughly beaten in a spar with Albina not long ago. Right before the spar, he even boasted that he wouldn’t lose to some frail girl.”
Estriel chuckled as he interjected into our conversation.
Hearing that, Amiel couldn’t retort and just turned his head sharply away.
“…Amiel lost? To Albina?”
I was utterly stunned.
The difference in their stats is huge.
<Amiel Brever>
[Level: 14/56]
<Albina Rubio>
[Level: 5/29]
Just the visible level gap is about 9.
That’s a significant difference already, but Albina has stats that haven’t even reached the cap of 5, which can be raised without leveling.
Amiel is two years older and has been training since his slum days—there’s no way he could lose.
As I alternated glances between them with a dumbfounded expression, Estriel soon pulled me aside to a corner and explained the situation.
“For several days, I made them spar in an extreme state after staying up all night in the forest. His right arm was tightly bound with strong wire, and he knew nothing about the Resonance Shatter Art. On the other hand, Albina was in peak condition, having eaten well.”
I see.
With that many penalties, it makes sense.
According to Estriel, the spar went like this: Amiel, completely unaware of the Resonance Shatter Art, underestimated Albina and took a direct ‘Vileshaker,’ rolling on the ground in agony.
When I asked why he piled on so many penalties for the spar,
“It’s shock therapy. During long periods of stealth operations, you might end up in unavoidable combat in the worst conditions. The intent was to teach that even against a clearly inferior opponent, if there’s an unreadable card, you should stay vigilant… I’m not sure if he got it, though.”
I clicked my tongue at the strict training policy.
He doesn’t treat the Alsigima school’s disciples this way, but since it’s an assassin’s curriculum, it seems he teaches rigorously.
Soon, the other members of the school gathered in the dining hall one by one.
“Hello, you’re Aiden, right? I’ve heard a lot about you from Estriel. Indeed, your aura is extraordinary, as expected.”
This middle-aged man using formal speech is Trifonas Kapidu.
He’s Estriel’s senior brother and, like Albina, once suffered from Reverse Veins.
For reference, his level is [36/38].
The current Alsigima school has 9 members.
More than half are five disciples from my generation.
If I had to pick one intriguing figure among those five, it would undoubtedly be the person before me.
“I’m Estriel’s first disciple, Menel Alsigima. That makes me your grand senior brother.”
“I’m Aiden.”
Menel, a man in his late twenties.
He shares the same surname as the school’s founder, Isidoros Alsigima.
However, in the original story, he never appears directly, and his character sheet isn’t revealed.
It’s only mentioned that he’s away on a long-term trip due to unavoidable circumstances and can’t return.
The details aren’t disclosed.
Personally, I speculated there might be a MacGuffin related to him.
It’s likely a low-numbering one, but collecting it won’t hurt.
Oh, and as a reader, I had one curiosity about Menel.
Should I ask?
“Are you perhaps a descendant of Lord Isidoros?”
“Ah, the surname bothers you? Unfortunately, I’m not a direct descendant of the founder, Lord Isidoros. Rather, I come from the Alsigima family that persecuted him.”
This is news to me.
In fact, the Alsigima family remains a prestigious martial house to this day.
Since the manifestation of innate traits is thought to be heavily influenced by genetics, it’s possible another Reverse Veins possessor like Isidoros could emerge among them.
After the meal in that convivial atmosphere,
Chesa and I headed to the Mirvana residence to spend the night.
The next day, we resumed our journey to Bolleda right away.
『Alsigima Heart Method (A)』, vibrating qi.
『Tranquil Heart Method (A)』, still qi.
『Taramu Heart Method (B)』, blood qi.
『Stroke Heart Method (B)』, surging qi.
Thanks to the power of the Brandish Harmony Heart Method, a total of four qi energies now reside within my body.
After checking the state of each qi, I wore a satisfied smile.
“No issues so far.”
The Brandish school’s Harmony Heart Method is indeed an incredibly useful technique.
It allows incompatible qi to coexist, and as more qi are woven together, the grade continues to grow.
It seems like nothing but advantages at first glance.
But of course, it’s not omnipotent, and limits exist.
In exchange for learning numerous heart methods simultaneously, even at the pinnacle, you can only exert 70-80% of the original qi’s power.
That’s why I didn’t separately teach the Harmony Heart Method to those with clear growth directions, like Amiel or Epio.
Pursuing versatility half-heartedly might prevent them from fully utilizing their innate traits.
However, the Aiden Stroke I possessed had no distinctive innate traits or stats.
In other words, it’s a blank slate that can be filled with anything, and combined with my knowledge as a reader, it means I can assemble a near-ideal combination.
His lack of individuality turned into an advantage.
[Firebird (S-) trait manifested!]
[Potential level increased by 1.]
[Agility increased by 1.]
[Partner, Chesa Utland’s senses increased by 1.]
The results from training via 〈Link Sense〉 were substantial.
Honestly, I was skeptical about the Firebird (S-) at first, but now I think bringing Chesa was the right call.
Before long, the carriage arrived at our destination, the Bolleda Kingdom, and from there, we headed to a high-end tavern that was the rendezvous point.
The Elcoro Dubao we met there was a bearded, short-statured warrior of mixed human and toadman descent.
His bulging eyes and solid muscles exuded an intimidation that transcended his height.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sir Elcoro Dubao, one of the Continent’s Twelve Heroes. I’m Aiden Stroke.”
“Are you the ones from the Blispiel Clan? Younger than I expected.”
After confirming our appearances, he yawned openly without hiding his annoyance.
He seems out of touch with worldly affairs, as hearing my name didn’t make him associate me with the inheritor of the Seal of Struggle.
<Elcoro Dubao>
[Level: 55/56]
[HP: 15] [Strength: 17] [Agility: 15]
[MP: 15] [Mind: 09] [Senses: 14] [Divinity: 04]
[Traits: Giant Body (S+), Innate Dexterity (A), and 3 others]
[Skills: Toin Kingdom Secret Blunt Art · Extreme (S), Dubao Heart Method (A), Metallurgy (A), Miktran Mercenary Combat Art (B), and 5 others]
[Description: Age 53, half-toadman. Originating from the Toin Kingdom’s elite guardians, he is a Dragon God follower who has attended several gatherings at the Sun Cathedral.]
Glancing at Elcoro’s character sheet, he was a solid mid-upper tier among the Continent’s Twelve Heroes.
And this guy dies horribly without putting up a fight in the upcoming Sun Cathedral raid?
It really hits home how dangerous the situation we’ve stepped into is.
“So, you want to tour the Sun Cathedral?”
“I’ve been deeply interested in the Dragon God faith for a long time. But I haven’t had the chance to get initiated.”
“Unlike the churches with branches all over the continent, this religion isn’t very accessible. Sometimes I wonder if the higher-ups even want to expand.”
Elcoro grumbled like that.
“…Personally, I have business in the Bolleda Kingdom, so departure for the Sun Cathedral is in three days. We’ll meet back here then. I’m busy, so I’ll be off.”
With that one line, Elcoro left.
Seeing his arrogant and careless attitude, Chesa slightly furrowed her fine brows.
“…What’s with that guy?”
“Don’t mind him. Master Rolango or Edval are the exceptions; most of the Continent’s Twelve Heroes are full of themselves.”
To the inhabitants of this world, the Twelve Heroes are contenders for the continent’s strongest.
There are quite a few stronger ones in the shadows, but unless you seek them out, you rarely fight such opponents.
Naturally, they end up with sky-high egos, ignorant of the wider world.
“More importantly, his nonchalant attitude suggests he’s taken bribes to bring outsiders to the cathedral multiple times before. He doesn’t seem wary of us at all.”
It’s not incomprehensible that he’d be so lax when the cathedral’s safety is at stake.
The combination of the holy knight order and priests guarding the cathedral is quite powerful, and crucially, the 〈Sacred Cradle〉 protecting them is an exceptional barrier spell.
“You said breaking the barrier protecting the cathedral requires at least 3 million nano of magical power.”
“3…?!”
Chesa widened her eyes at the astronomical number.
‘Nano’ is the unit for measuring magical power.
It’s commonly said that if you can cast attack spells exceeding 10,000 nano, you’ve reached the realm of a first-class war mage.
The continent’s poster child grand mage, Tristan Alabur, can temporarily unleash spell bombardments up to 900,000 nano.
In theory, fully shattering the 〈Sacred Cradle〉 would require four Triple Star-level grand mages.
It’s no wonder I thought breaking the barrier without a weapon like the ‘Vice Wolf’ would be tough.
“But a sword saint or Thousand-Man Slayer-level expert couldn’t shatter the barrier, but they could concentrate firepower at one point to create a temporary hole.”
Of course, in that case, the alarm would sound immediately.
I wonder how the intruders will safely breach the barrier—thinking about it made my palms sweat with tension.
3 km above the Bolleda Kingdom.
In the sky overlooking the Sun Cathedral below, a massive mechanical airship with a diameter of 30 meters floated.
It was the ‘Pendic,’ entered into stealth mode.
One person aboard was humming a tune as they headed toward the power supply line.
“Hmm~”
The gender is female.
Her height is in the early 150s, quite short.
However, her figure clearly shows the curves of an adult woman, so she doesn’t give the impression of being young.
If one were to describe her appearance in a word, she’s a woman with bizarre hair.
Her long hair reaches below her knees, a mix of white and black.
Moreover, strangely, the two colors aren’t evenly blended; instead, they form irregular patterns like multiple gradients overlapping, strongly drawing the eye.
The humming woman soon arrived at her destination.
“Resha~ It’s about time for the gathering to start at the cathedral. When are you planning to head down?”
“………”
Zzzzt!
The man generating ‘thunder qi’ to supply electricity to the Pendic opened his uninterested eyes upon hearing the familiar voice.