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227. Childhood Friend – Trial and Error

The bright sunlight enveloped the white battlements of the Monastery Church. With spring upon them, the church was busy assigning new roles to priests, holy knights, and monks who had returned after being sent to churches across the continent.

Many of them were assigned to the church’s educational facilities that had reopened for the spring semester. Holy knights instructed the apprentices on basic physical training and martial arts, while the priests and monks who became teachers deliberated on how to teach their assigned subjects.

Every class goes through various trial and error at the beginning. However, despite the chaos, there were two newcomers who quietly progressed with determination.

“Lady Leah, I found you here. Have you finished your class?”

“Yes, it ended a bit early.”

Veronian approached.

He made sure not to disrupt the silence of the library as he sat next to Leah. She was reading a very old manuscript.

“What is this?”

“It’s the biography of Saint Azra.”

“Of Saint Azra? Isn’t that mentioned in the ancient theological history?”

“I thought so too, but it isn’t. You should give it a read. Saint Azra was quite a unique person.”

Veronian took the first page of the manuscript Leah handed him. The paper, which looked like it would crumble at a touch, was filled with elegant handwriting, using terms that were not typically employed by clergy.

Terms that were used in the royal court.

And not just any terms, but obsolete words from the early days of the Acaian Empire. The content was intriguing, so Veronian read up to the second chapter while referring to the dictionary Leah had brought.

“…So Saint Azra was an uncontrollable drunkard and a criminal. It’s amusing, but is this a credible source?”

“Perhaps. It’s a document unearthed by Cardinal Berg of the Conrad Kingdom. There are also notes written by Cardinal Berg here.”

“Cardinal Berg? The one who advocated the theory of the universal priesthood?”

“Yes. This must have been Cardinal Berg’s first research. He seemed very interested in Saint Azra. However, it appears he lacked basic knowledge of ancient theological history.”

“Really? In what way?”

The apprentice, Veronian, shifted his posture. As he moved, the wooden chair creaked with a dry sound.

“He reinterpreted the seven achievements of Saint Azra, but there are many inaccuracies. For instance, the first achievement of driving away the darkness that plagued the Orville Royal Palace was interpreted as a reformation of the corrupt political scene at the time. He used the second achievement of Saint Azra as a basis for claiming it was because he chased after Duke Astroth, who fled to ‘Astro Mountain.’ You know, the mountain that is named after the Asran Kingdom in the Toddler region.”

“Haha. Since Cardinal Berg was a holy knight, he probably didn’t complete the normal coursework a priest should have.”

“It seems so. He even interpreted the achievement of subduing Asin, who ruled the ‘Lodran River,’ as merely turning the water bandit group around… He really downplayed his achievements.”

“I see. But Lady Leah, you’re studying something unusual. Are you interested in ancient theological history?”

“No, this is just…”

She had been dreaming. Repetitive yet different dreams.

These matched the stories Reb had told her. While being transported to the Conrad Kingdom as a handmaiden from the House of Marquis Gaidan, she had been killed by a knight near a riverside, and in another dream, she had been falsely accused and expelled from the church due to a scandal involving an aristocrat named Gilbert Forte. However, upon arriving here, she found that Gilbert was nowhere to be seen. Instead, there was Veronian.

It was a terrible dream. The cold city gates had been knocked on all night. They never opened.

Reb had suffered a lot because of her. She could feel it even in her dreams.

He had come to find her as she saved up pennies, determined to return home, and he had proposed to her. She and Reb had a simple wedding at a bakery, officiated by Priestess Ophelia.

Why was this happening to them?

Leah had asked Priestess Ophelia on the way to the monastery if life could repeat, whether in dreams or otherwise.

Priestess Ophelia replied:

“…How fascinating. A teacher who once taught me said something similar. The achievements of Saint Azra are beyond human capability. It’s as if he acted with knowledge of the future, almost as if guided by God.”

“Why?”

“He made many mistakes as time went on. He faced despair and, although he defeated Asin in the southern port, he dropped the remnants into the sea. He couldn’t prevent the curses from falling on the eastern marshes, and at the Bado Bona Castle, he lamented, ‘I’ve let fear slip by again.’ So, recognizing the imperfection of his achievements, he prayed to God for the strength to fight against evil, as you may know. As a result, a holy woman descended upon this land. So, what do you think? Isn’t Saint Azra too human for the achievements he accomplished? The teacher who told me this said, ‘It seems Saint Azra must have lived his life repeatedly. He was a man who progressed through all sorts of trial and error, not a great saint from birth.’ By the way, where did you hear that life repeats?”

Leah quickly responded.

“Um… It was a legend shared by Brother Leslie who was in our village. I was curious if it was possible.”

“Oh, perhaps that monk learned from the same teacher as I did. He seems around the same age as me… There’s nothing impossible in what God does. If you go to the monastery, there’s a manuscript with the biography of Saint Azra; you should read it. My teacher has annotated it.”

Priestess Ophelia smiled warmly.

Leah felt guilty for lying to her and fell into thought.

A repeating life.

Was Reb bound in a similar cycle as Saint Azra? — she pondered.

After arriving at the monastery, Leah continued to learn about Saint Azra amidst the bustling days of being a freshman. Through the manuscript given by Priestess Ophelia she had read, she came to a conviction.

Her friend was being tested.

Why God chose to test Reb was unknown.

Additionally, the conditions for passing Reb’s perceived test were absurd (why must I become a princess?), leaving Leah conflicted.

No matter how much she thought about it, she realized she would have to ask the holy woman. Yet a mere apprentice couldn’t meet her.

She needed to be at least a high priest to request a meeting, and the monastery was too vast to hope for a casual encounter. It was also not a time to be idle.

Thus, there was only one thing Leah looked forward to. On the day of the ceremony that would determine whether apprentices should become priests or monks, apprentices could meet the holy woman. Leah concluded after much thought.

‘I must graduate quickly. Before Reb gets into trouble… he said he would go to the aristocrat in the House of Marquis Gaidan, right?’

Reb had said he would contact her, but Leah intended to reach out first. She would deliver the answer she received from the holy woman before she became a priest.

“No, this is just interesting reading. Now, I must study.”

“I see. By the way, are you taking the Udean reading class? I read it before coming to the monastery, and there was very interesting content…”

Leah continued the conversation, debating Veronian’s claims and adding her own points. The two became a bit noisy and were soon scolded and chased out of the library by a fifth-year apprentice named Daniel.

“Ah… I got a bit too excited. Well then, I’ll take my leave.”

“Yes. Please go ahead. I’m going to pray for the evening.”

“Haha, Lady Leah, you always pray here. Alright, have a good night.”

As Veronian departed and Leah was left alone, she approached the brass goblet placed near the stairs on the first floor of the library. She remembered this goblet.

‘When I become a priest, it is something the holy woman will give me… When I was possessed by the Asin named Barbatos, the holy woman held this.’

Although it was on display somewhat randomly, could it possibly be something grand? Could it be the goblet that belonged to Saint Azra…?

Leah looked around, not intending to do anything wrong, simply feeling shy. She lightly stepped onto the platform and reached out to grab the goblet.

However, contrary to her expectation, nothing happened. Leah turned the unexpectedly weighty goblet around, then burst into a chuckle.

What was I thinking?

She placed the goblet back in its place and offered her prayers dutifully like always. After Leah left, the goblet remained silent in the library, still. Had it warmed up a bit?

*

“Wow, look at that battlement. It’s incredible!”

Ruben Bijan exclaimed. Vann Bijan retorted, “Quit acting like a bumpkin and just stay still,” while Reb took in the unfamiliar surroundings of Nevis.

The blazing sun. It had been a long while since he’d seen the relentless heat of the Nevis market street even during summer’s sweltering days.

Was it almost 6 and a half years… since he had re-encountered his childhood friend episode when he became an Apostle of Barbatos?

Of course, he didn’t feel happy or anything. All he had were bad memories.

Eventually, Reb began searching for accommodation for the approximately one hundred disciples that had grown in number. Even after narrowing it down, there were so many people that there was no place to lodge them all at once, so he brazenly sought out the inn where Leah had been captured.

“Um, welcome, good sir, but right now we don’t have any rooms available…”

As a group of sword-wielding young men rushed in, the innkeeper was flustered. Since it wasn’t a lodging house by purpose, he was trying to come up with an excuse, but Reb, showing his irritation, waved his hand dismissively, cutting off the innkeeper.

“It’s boiling in here. You don’t mean to say there’s no room here either, do you? It clearly looks empty. Right?”

“W-well, that…”

“Let’s unpack first. We’ll settle the bill later.”

Ideally, he wanted to kill this guy again. However, remembering the brutal killing from his time as the Apostle of Barbatos, he let go of that impulse.

It was a rule set by Minseo.

Satisfaction with revenge was to be just once.

If that rule was ignored, they would have to transform into murderers each episode, making it impossible to progress.

Respecting Minseo’s opinion, Reb gruffly interacted with the innkeeper, choosing not to draw his sword. Instead, he summoned Vann and Ruben to speak.

“I’ll go meet Marquis Gaidan. You two should stay here for a few days. But don’t eat or drink anything they offer here. It might be poisoned. Get your food and water from the market and keep watch at night. Don’t draw too much attention to yourselves; consider this a vacation and get some proper rest. Oh, you don’t need to give that guy any money. He won’t be able to report us anyway.”

“Yes! Understood.”

With the bustling inn filled with voices and the disgruntled innkeeper left behind, Reb made his way to the Nevis inner castle.

Not wanting to attract unnecessary attention, he left his sword and horse at the inn.

Unless it was a special case, inspections were selectively conducted, so Reb passed through the city gates with a relaxed stride as if he were out for a walk.

‘I think I need to form a mercenary group. To be able to take these guys along.’

Having more than a hundred youths carrying swords and riding horses certainly made them stand out too much. Unless they were entering less prominent villages or cities, this Nevis was a bustling capital, making it more acceptable to venture into the outskirts.

Originally, there should have been many more than this.

If he counted all the ones recruited from each tribe, there would be over two hundred, but he needed someone to guide the soldiers who promised to resist against him.

Reb left, tying up about five disciples from each tribe, thinking that was a good way to save time.

Even though nearly a year had passed since this episode started, there were still many things on his to-do list.

He still had to persuade Marquis Gaidan. Then also needed to convince Duke Drazin of the Northern Boundary and Count Ogerton the Sorcerer.

Recently, Prince Aton de Lognum’s Akiné (heir award ceremony) would have taken place, so persuading Marquis Gaidan should not be too difficult. Duke Drazin, being the closest friend of Marquis Gaidan, would likely be persuadable, and Reb had learned a method for convincing Count Ogerton during the last childhood friend episode.

It was a method that Reriana had written, suggesting that he should approach the Count’s son. However, the problem was…

‘Can I do it well?’

He had seen how exquisitely Reriana treated aristocrats. No one could rival his sister in that field.

Marquis Benard Tatian?

Perhaps he was different, but all he could count on were the manners through information from the noble society and the achievement of meeting the prince; he was merely starting to garner favor. Would he be able to pull off what Reriana had done… If he failed, he might lose the support of the Bolinyu Tower.

‘I can’t afford any more trial and error… but there’s no other choice. I must do my best.’

After crossing through the blazing heat, Reb soon arrived at the mansion of Marquis Gaidan. Using a token he had received from the marquis, he entered the mansion and felt the refreshing atmosphere, saying he wished to see Marquis Gaidan.

However, that was unnecessary.

The steward had already reported his arrival, and Marquis Gaidan appeared, accompanied by a young nobleman. Reb, surprised by the unexpected encounter, took a step back.

Approaching him as if he had been waiting was Count Soarel Demetri Ogerton. He extended a hand seeking a handshake and said:

“I’ve heard you are a Swordmaster. I have a request. Please show me the Oblivion Blade.”