Chapter 121

Iris Senior and Ian.

The two greeted each other with smiles.

Meanwhile, Noa spotted Ian and momentarily looked shocked before firing off a question.

“Huh? Are you already walking around?”

“I’m a bit tougher than I look.”

“Still, you were just slammed into the ground…”

“Haha, I’m fine.”

Ian answered with a grin, but it was short-lived.

Suddenly narrowing his eyes, he glanced toward where Ulan was standing and then spat out a bone-chilling remark.

“Of course, if someone hadn’t slammed me into the ground, I’d have recovered even faster.”

“I apologize for that.”

Ulan slightly bowed his head, looking a tad sheepish.

Just then, Delia and Ivella approached, curiosity lighting up their faces.

“But why did that happen?”

“Right? Was there some reason behind it?”

Yesterday, Ulan had literally slammed Ian and the other Eloden cadets head-first into the ground during a mock battle.

However, since they hadn’t heard why yet, both were brimming with curiosity. Ulan succinctly explained.

“To prevent them from using their prayers.”

“Prayers, you say?”

Ivella echoed, prompting Ulan to dive into an explanation.

To block prayers, one must render the opponent unable to speak, and for that, slamming their head into the ground is the easiest way.

Once Ulan finished explaining, the room was thick with awkward silence.

Noa looked equally incredulous, not believing that was the reason.

Then, Ian let out a heavy sigh.

“Ugh. What irritates me most is that I had no reason to be slammed into the ground in the first place.”

Right after scowling, he shot a glare at Ulan.

“Because the moment our swords clashed, the backlash shattered the orb I had on me.”

Ulan shrugged, nonchalantly admitting, “True, that did happen.”

“So why did you do that?”

Ian yelled, clearly miffed.

Breaking the orb practically meant being out of the game, so why the heck did he have to be slammed? Staring into Ulan’s face demanding an explanation, he replied flatly.

“Just didn’t think about it.”

“W-what?!”

Ian exclaimed, utterly baffled.

“You mean, who on earth slams someone into the ground without a thought?! “

“I’ll be careful next time.”

“No! It’s all good. There won’t be a next time where I’ll be fighting you!”

With that snappy retort, Ian concluded. Thanks to the peculiar circumstances of the friendly mock battle, they’d been forced to clash, and he had zero interest in fighting Ulan again.

Not that they would have had any reason to fight in the first place.

But then suddenly…

“Huh? That’s not how it’s going to be!”

A voice jumped into the conversation—none other than Laurea. She grinned at Ian and Ulan, a gleam of mischief in her eyes.

“Pretty soon, there’s going to be another fight.”

“Excuse me, senior? What do you mean by that?”

“I asked Ulan to mentor you until the day you return.”

“…Huh?”

A blank expression settled over Ian’s face, blinking as if trying to comprehend the situation.

On the other hand, Laurea sported a beaming smile.

“Fortunately, Ulan has agreed!”

“Wait, what about my approval?!”

“Huh? Is that really important?”

“It’s the most important thing! You can’t just move forward with something without the person’s consent!”

Ian jumped up, determined not to receive any training. Laurea immediately countered.

“So you won’t do it?”

“Of course not!”

“Are you really going to throw away such a rare opportunity to be taught by a Master?”

“Master or not, that monster is utterly devoid of common sense! If I received his training, I might just die!”

His passionate rejection spilled forth, as genuine horror painted his expression.

Just then, a large hand patted his shoulder.

It was none other than Ulan, who had approached without him noticing.

“Don’t worry.”

“Huh? About what…?”

“I won’t kill you.”

Ian wasn’t planning to do it anyway, but Ulan’s comment made him want to do it even less.

He took a step back, trying to keep as much distance as possible. Seeing that reaction, Laurea raised both hands in surrender.

“Phew, fine then. You don’t have to do it.”

“Really? Are you serious?!”

“Yes, but I’ll make sure to tell Sir Shanktus that you ran away from your chance to learn from the Master.”

“…!?”

Ian’s face turned pale.

His teacher, Sir Shanktus, always preached that even one should humbly seek instruction from those stronger than them.

But if today’s incident reached Sir Shanktus’s ears? No matter how positively he tried to imagine, a horrific future loomed.

“Ugh, ughhh!”

Torn between Ulan and his teacher, Ian ultimately made a choice.

“Ugh, alright. I’ll take the lessons! It’s not like I can refuse!”

The reason behind his selection was simple: The time spent learning from Ulan would be significantly shorter than being tormented by his teacher.

If both options were hell, shorter hell seemed preferable.

However, did they say there’s always a way to escape a corner? In a flash, Ian concocted a clever way to avoid Ulan’s lessons.

“As a martial artist, I have no intention of dodging the teachings of a strong one. However…”

“However?”

“You know, after yesterday’s battle, I’m still recovering my health, right?”

Right then, he planned to use his injury as an excuse to delay the lessons as much as possible. Grinning inwardly, Ian continued with his spiel.

“At this rate, I can hardly endure your escort, let alone signing up for Ulan’s teaching until I’m fit again…”

But before he could finish his sentence, a dazzling light enveloped him.

Simultaneously, something miraculous happened.

“…Huh?”

In the blink of an eye, all his small wounds vanished, and the pale color in his cheeks returned to normal.

But that’s not all; his body felt significantly lighter.

As if he had never been injured at all.

“How about now? Feel better?”

Laurea clasped her hands together as if praying.

With a satisfied smile, she asked again.

Upon hearing her words, Ian immediately pieced together what just transpired. He gaped, his body trembling as he shouted.

“Isn’t this cheating?!”

“Huh? Cheating?”

“No, you used a sacred item!”

The healing sacred item, Rimedium.

It was the name of the earrings Laurea wore.

And this sacred item, when invoked in prayer, significantly boosts the healing effects.

Much like what had just happened to Ian.

“I just wished for you to recover your health quickly and prayed for it!”

Laurea beamed with a bright smile, as if her actions were purely out of kindness.

Ian opened his mouth to argue again but found no words came out. An overwhelming sense of foreboding washed over him from behind.

“It’s great you’re feeling better.”

“…!?”

“Then we start immediately from tomorrow.”

His heart sank as Ulan grinned.

While Laurea and Ulan shared a chuckle, it was clear they had reached their goal.

“…Divine Being, I wish your knight doesn’t want to become a star in the night sky yet. If you can hear my voice, please show mercy.”

Please, I really mean it!

Ian closed his eyes, praying fervently for the first time since becoming a Holy Knight of Eloden.

Not too long after that, familiar voices reached him.

“Oh, everyone’s already here!”

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

It was Kamila and Iris, along with two other members from the squad, Rand Filius and Emil Dirbel.

Both were exceptional hunters from the assault and defense teams.

“Let’s go inside.”

With Iris’s invitation, the group headed towards the dining hall.

Upon reaching the reserved room, a feast was waiting as if it had been timed perfectly.

“Oh, but….”

The portions were quite generous.

Of course, that was to be expected.

Today’s meal was prepared with the assumption that all participants of the mock battle would attend, which meant twenty-four servings.

Seeing it for the first time, Ian couldn’t help but wonder, “Are we really going to finish all this?”

However, as dinner commenced, he quickly realized his worries were unfounded.

Chomp chomp! Nom nom!

The sight of someone devouring the food in a barbaric manner was none other than Ulan.

He ate as if he hadn’t had food in over ten days, shoveling it down rapidly without a care in the world—a truly wild display.

No one dared to criticize him.

*Well, I guess that makes sense.*

He was a Master after all.

A monster beyond human comprehension, one of only ten in the entire continent. Thus, his interests lay elsewhere rather than in table manners.

“Hmm, what’s this…”

“It looks like once you reach the Master’s level, your food intake skyrockets!”

“Yeah! I wonder if that’s because he burns so many calories?”

Following Rand and Emil’s theories, Kamila proposed a plausible explanation, especially given Ulan’s large physique.

However, that was just speculation.

As the rest of the group began their meals, it became clear someone had to step in; otherwise, Ulan was going to finish all the food!

How much time passed?

Once their rather combat-themed meal drew to a close, a delightful dessert was served along with coffee.

Cakes, cookies, hot pancakes—all sorts!

As they reached out for the enticing desserts, Ivella suddenly piped up.

“Hey, Ulan.”

“…?”

“Do you remember?”

“Remember what?”

“That hot pancake. Doesn’t it look a lot like the one we had back in the capital?”

Upon consideration, Ulan agreed.

Nodding, Ivella continued with a bright smile.

“It was really delicious! Right?”

“Yeah, it was memorable.”

“Would you want to eat it again?”

Ulan nodded again, figuring if given the chance, he definitely wouldn’t mind having it again.

With that, Ivella grew even more excited.

“Really? Yay! Well, now that we have our outing permission, we should go again soon!”

In her eagerness, she resembled a skilled hunter determined not to miss her prey as she immediately made a date with Ulan.

But little did she know, there were others who considered themselves hunters, too.

“That won’t fly.”

“What?”

“You went out last time, remember?”

The golden-eyed Delia shot a look at Ivella, who had been more than eager. She pulled out her own outing permission slip and declared, “This time, it’s my turn.”

“What are you talking about? I never established a turn order!”

“Don’t you know basic consideration?”

“Nope, not at all.”

While both wore cheerful smiles, an icy coldness surrounded them, causing even Noa a shiver as she hugged herself from a distance.

*Forget the argument, let’s just focus on those cakes.*

This was a matter between Ulan and the girls, so surely he would handle it.

Noa thought this to herself, but it was purely her own reasoning.

“Noa.”

A familiar voice pierced through her thoughts, causing her to jump.

Instinctively, Delia and Ivella simultaneously began the inquisition.

“What do you think?”

“Who do you think is right?”

“……”

Suddenly bombarded with questions like arrows.

Seriously, why are you asking me? Just go ask Ulan!

Noa sulked silently.

She knew that whichever side she leaned towards, there would be consequences. Unable to respond, she began to squirm.

Then suddenly, a voice of salvation rang out.

“Oh, right!”

It was Iris’s voice!

“Speaking of which, when was the return date for the Eloden cadets?”

“Next week on Thursday.”

“Wow, that’s shorter than expected.”

“Well, they originally came on a two-week schedule.”

The topic of Eloden emerged suddenly, prompting Ian, Ulan, and others to turn their heads towards that direction.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Noa breathed a sigh of relief.

“Can I ask about your remaining schedule?”

“Of course! First, in three days, on Friday, we’re scheduled to visit the Source of Magic.”

This was indeed the ultimate goal of the Eloden delegation’s visit to Arsene.

However, at this stage, the reason had somewhat lost its weight in light of what Ulan had discussed.

But Laurea showed no sign of it, appearing genuinely excited as she replied.

“That’s actually the schedule I’m most looking forward to!”

“The Source of Magic tour?”

“Yes! I’ve only seen it in books, and this is my first time visiting!”

This was the one truth. Leaving aside oracles and investigations, she wanted to see the Source of Magic at least once.

However, the students of Arsene, including Iris, wore peculiar expressions. Laurea, realizing this too late, tilted her head.

“Huh? Why the funny looks?”

“Well, I thought you might be disappointed.”

“Why’s that?”

“Honestly, there’s not much to see.”

Iris chuckled awkwardly.

“True enough.”

“Unless you go beyond Zone 3, 1 and 2 don’t offer much in the way of variation.”

Rand and Emil added their thoughts.

At that point, with the three sharing their viewpoints, Laurea suddenly seemed to have an epiphany.

“Is there a restriction on access zones?”

“Yes. If it’s just for the tour, I’d say it’d only be in Zone 1.”

“Exactly. Also, since there’s been an incident recently in Zone 2, it’s highly likely they’ll only let you check out Zone 1.”

It was Iris and Kamila who responded this time. Just as they had said, there existed restrictions on entering different zones concerning the Source of Magic. Laurea’s expression dimmed, as she realized this.

“Ah, that’s kind of disappointing. I was hoping to see all the zones.”

“If you actually visit, you’ll realize that…”

“You won’t want to say that at all.”

Delia and Ivella cut in, looking quite displeased.

The pair knew too well just how dreadful Zone 2 and beyond could be, having experienced it firsthand.

As that conversation wrapped up, the topic shifted back to scheduling.

“So what’s next on our agenda?”

“From here on out, it’s free time.”

“Phew, that’s a relief.”

“So before you head back home, you’ll get to tour the Lake Festival.”

Both Kamila and Iris smiled.

Meanwhile, Laurea wore a puzzled expression.

“Huh? The Lake Festival…?”

“It’s a traditional festival of Arsene.”

“Historically, this area experiences a lot of floods during summer. To prevent this, they would pray to the goddess of the lake.”

“And during the prayers, they held grand festivals to please the goddess, and from then on, the floods began to decrease.”

As the detailed explanation rolled on, Iris suddenly realized she had made a slip-up and covered her mouth.

“My apologies. Mentioning another god in front of the Eloden folks…”

She repeatedly apologized.

However, Laurea and Ian brushed it off without a care.

“It’s fine, really.”

“Exactly. You’d be surprised how many gods have existed since ancient times, just like stars in the night sky.”

Their words held truth. The holy nations recognized all divine beings, respecting various religions and beliefs.

All except for one.

‘Desert Order.’

The cultists from the southern desert.

The holy nation denounced them as abominable beings that shouldn’t exist in this world.

Two reasons dictated this stance.

First, that the object of their worship wasn’t a divine being but a human who once existed.

“…Kazan Rudrik.”

An enigmatic figure scarcely mentioned in the original work. The Desert Order worships Kazan Rudrik as their one and only god.

The act of worshiping a mere creation as a god was viewed as heretical in the eyes of the holy nation.

“And the second reason…”

Involves the doctrine of the Desert Order itself.

More specifically, their ultimate goal.

The crazy aim of transforming every living thing in the world into a monster.

This was the very reason not only the holy nation but even the empire turned against them.

As Noa fell deep into her thoughts, the rest of the students had passionately dived into talks about festivals.

“Wow, thinking about the festival gets me excited too!”

“Hehe, you can definitely look forward to it. We put a lot of effort into preparing it!”

With sparkling eyes, Laurea and a proud Kamila exchanged cheerful banter amidst a pleasant atmosphere.

While they were deep in conversation, a light tap tapped on Ulan’s shoulder.

In an almost businesslike tone, she spoke.

“Ulan Cadet.”

It was Iris Senior.

Out of the blue, she pointed toward the balcony, whispering.

“Do you have a moment?”

“Is there something you need to discuss?”

“Yes, I have something to talk about regarding the Student Council.”

With the mention of the Student Council, Iris’s gaze sharpened.