Chapter 63
The Pink Hawk, having witnessed a miracle, found all her wounds perfectly healed as if they had never existed.
This was not something that could simply be called a basic recovery ability.
The parts of her body that had disappeared regenerated, and even better than before.
In just a single moment.
The girl retracted her outstretched hand and took a light breath.
Despite using her ability, she showed no obvious side effects.
If that were true, how outrageous was that ability?
With just her, every aspect of the previous battles would be turned upside down.
Was this the true value of the Messiah she had been desperately seeking?
“Are you okay, My Lady?”
“…Yes. Thank you for saving me.”
“No, it was just a prayer on my part.”
The Pink Hawk briefly looked up at the girl before easily standing up from her seat.
Her body felt as light as a feather. Her condition was at its peak.
“Well then, shall we go?”
“Yes. Let’s hurry back.”
The two began walking again towards the cave at the designated location.
As they walked side by side, the girl spoke without stopping her steps.
“You asked me earlier on the train why I wanted to become an apostle.”
“…If it’s difficult to answer, you don’t have to force yourself.”
“I’m not lying; I really didn’t know. So I kept thinking about it after hearing your question. Why do I want to follow you here and become an apostle?”
The Pink Hawk cautiously asked.
“Have you found the answer?”
“I want to know who I was. What my name was, why my chest sometimes feels tight, and why I want to cry when I look up at the stars in the night sky.”
As she said this, the girl tilted her head back to gaze at the Milky Way.
It felt as if someone up there was watching her.
She didn’t dislike that feeling. Instead, she found herself wishing to be watched over continuously.
“Have you concluded that by becoming an apostle, you can regain your memories?”
“Perhaps. One certainty is that if anyone knows about my past, it would only be you, Teacher.”
The girl remembered the moment she first opened her eyes.
The first part of her memory, which felt as if it was abruptly cut off, began in a dark void of nothingness.
It was none other than her Teacher who discovered her at the bottom of that abyssal lake.
If it weren’t for him, she might have been trapped there for eternity.
She didn’t know if her Teacher was a good person.
From humanity’s perspective, he might be considered a bad person.
However, the girl had no realization that she was on humanity’s side.
Neither did she wish to side with the monsters.
First, let’s regain memories.
That’s the most urgent matter.
*
“Good job.”
Upon their return to the temple, the two immediately reported to the Black Goat.
“Encountering the Great Mage was unexpected; it nearly turned dangerous.”
The girl glanced around, confirming the presence of the apostles she had never seen before.
They were all wearing animal masks. If she became an apostle herself, would she have to wear a mask just like them?
“Regardless, we successfully assassinated our target and completed the mission. So I suppose we can consider this a pass. Is there anyone who disagrees?”
The apostles all acknowledged and accepted it without hesitation.
Of course, there were still some who were unhappy about a human becoming an apostle, but given the already agreed-upon content, there was no reason to provoke the Black Goat.
“You are now officially the twelfth apostle. Accept it.”
The Black Goat held out a cloak and a mask in both hands towards the girl.
The cloak was a noble and pure white.
The mask was a sheep’s mask adorned with twisted horns.
“Well done, White Lamb.”
White Lamb.
That was the new name for the girl who had lost her former name.
Also, it was the first compliment she had ever received.
The girl hesitated for a moment before slowly donning the mask and cloak.
White Lamb had become an official apostle.
“Now, we will move into our main activities. Our first goal is to find the Holy Grail.”
“The Holy Grail? What’s that for?”
The Gold Lion asked, and the Red Dragon sighed deeply.
“You fool. The Holy Grail is a relic of utmost value.”
“So what’s its purpose?”
“It can purify and restore everything.”
With such vague explanations, only a few could comprehend what he meant.
Feeling frustrated, the Red Dragon attempted to elaborate further.
“There are three relics in the world: Longinus’s spear, the Holy Grail, and the crown of thorns…”
“That’s enough. What’s important is that we need the Holy Grail for our objective. Got it?”
The Green Horse answered.
“When has the captain ever explained the details of the plan perfectly? We just follow the captain and trust him.”
“I agree. Please tell us what to do.”
In response to the Pink Hawk’s request, the Black Goat replied.
“The Pink Hawk will remain in the temple.”
“What? Why?”
“Even if you’re fully healed, the psychological shock is a separate issue.”
“…Are you saying I’m scared?”
“If it weren’t for White Lamb, you would have died. Is that incorrect?”
One could sense that she, who always maintained her composure, was becoming agitated.
Eventually unable to respond, the Pink Hawk bowed her head deeply, leaving the Black Goat to continue explaining the plan.
“While we don’t know exactly where the Holy Grail is, there are suspected locations derived from information that the Sand Crocodile painstakingly gathered.”
The world map was immediately sketched in the air through magic.
“There are four candidate sites. If we attack even one of them, the association will immediately catch on to our intentions and move the Holy Grail.”
“So what do we do?”
“We strike all four sites simultaneously.”
The Blue Shark, who had been quietly listening, snorted, showing intrigue.
“The ten members, excluding the Sand Crocodile and the Pink Hawk at the academy, will move at once to attack all four sites together.”
“How will the teams be arranged?”
“Those who are not here have already had discussions. They will head to Brazil.”
Three animals were sketched in the brightly shining Brazil area on the map.
“Red Dragon and Green Horse, take the Purple Fox and head to Egypt.”
“Hm…”
“Tch. Of all people, why her?”
Images of a dragon, horse, and fox were drawn in the Egyptian area of Africa.
The Green Horse let out a low growl, and the Red Dragon clicked his tongue openly.
The Purple Fox, who was not currently present, seemed to be an unsatisfactory partner.
“And the Gold Lion, Blue Shark, and White Lamb will head to Japan.”
Images of a lion, shark, and sheep were drawn in the Japanese area.
White Lamb quietly gazed at the map before asking.
“What about the remaining location?”
“I’ll go directly to the Vatican.”
With that, the Black Goat’s drawing of the image in Italy marked the completion of region assignments.
Then the Black Goat immediately left the meeting room.
In an instant, with the meeting room becoming chaotic, White Lamb stood alone.
She looked at the Pink Hawk, who appeared gloomy, with worry but had no words of comfort to offer.
Determining that it would be best to give her some alone time, she approached her teammates.
The Gold Lion and Blue Shark both seemed to be in a pretty good mood.
The Blue Shark smiled and greeted the girl as she approached.
“Newbie. Long time no see?”
“…Huh?”
“Oh, you don’t remember?”
With those words, White Lamb’s eyes widened in surprise as she quickly asked.
“Do you know me? Were we acquaintances?”
“Well, it’s complicated. I just had the role of bringing you to the temple.”
“…I tried to go to the temple? Why?”
Pausing for a moment to think, the Blue Shark shrugged.
“Honestly, I don’t know the exact reason either. Anyway, you voluntarily decided to go to the temple and came looking for me.”
“…Then, aside from the Shark, are there any apostles who know me?”
“None, I’d say. It was all ruined by the association’s interference before you could get to the temple. Oh, the Sand Crocodile knows though.”
The Sand Crocodile.
White Lamb recalled the name, having heard it mentioned several times in conversation, but remembered having never seen him in the temple.
“Is there a chance I could meet the Crocodile?”
“Not right now. He’s disguised as a vice principal at the academy.”
“I wonder how he’s holding up. Only humans who want to tear him apart are around, and he can’t even fight back.”
The Gold Lion remarked, and the Blue Shark snorted.
“Does everyone think like you? But it must be tough to hide among humans for sure.”
“The academy… If I go there, will I be able to meet the Crocodile?”
Upon hearing this, both stopped the conversation and stared at White Lamb.
“You’d better not. The captain will get really mad.”
“Yeah. If you bring that up in front of the captain, you won’t even be able to stir a pot.”
Just then, the Black Goat walked back into the meeting room.
Could he have heard the conversation just now? White Lamb felt a tightening in her chest as she grew nervous.
“Oh right. There’s something I forgot to mention.”
The Black Goat’s gaze fell upon the Japanese team.
“According to the Sand Crocodile, academy students are also going on a field trip near your destination.”
“Is that true?”
“Yeah. So…”
“Kill them all.”