Episode 190. The Moment of Welcome (1)
There are only a few days left until the Magic Banquet.
Traces of the hard work put in by the academic staff and the townspeople until this moment arrived were evident everywhere in Alighieri.
In fact, Alighieri, which looked like an ordinary village, was the type that would stand out even with just a little decoration.
Many people say that they appreciate it because they know that it has changed a lot, and that this is the part that is optimized for showing off.
Ninety percent of the celebrities who had been invited to the festival had already arrived.
If you include the number of spectators who came to see the festival, the number is indescribable.
All the accommodations in the village were long since full.
Those who found a room quickly were the lucky ones, and those who couldn’t had to camp out on the back mountain.
I came all the way to see the festival, so I can’t go back.
Alighieri, the land of wisdom left behind by the great sage Dantias. The festival that would take place here was nothing less than a memorial service dedicated to him.
The Order of the Holy Cross also reveres Dantia as much as God.
The grand ceremony will be held exactly three days later, and the event will last for a full seven days.
The participants also knew how much attention this performance was attracting.
Anyone who is directly involved in the event will not be able to sleep comfortably.
Because my nerves have become that sensitive, I don’t neglect my preparations even for a single second.
The same goes for Ruska Mad-Eye.
“….”
In the forest bathed in the morning sunlight, Ruska stood blankly.
Close your eyes, concentrate, and disconnect from the world.
The sound of the branches swaying in the wind, the birds fluttering above, the sound of the stream flowing nearby, and the sound of the waterfall falling nearby were all blocked out.
In this way, Ruska slowly entered a world of her own.
The human mind is filled with infinite possibilities. Regardless of the uniqueness of the brain structure, everyone has a mental world.
As you accumulate knowledge, a bookshelf will appear in the world, eventually taking on a form similar to a library.
For a wizard who seeks knowledge, the amount is so vast that even he cannot remember it all.
However, the spiritual world that Ruska saw was showing something completely different.
[Uhhhh… What the… Found it…!]
A scene unfolded before my eyes.
It was hard to see clearly because it was blurry, but I could hear the sound and it was the sight of someone covering him.
However, this was a part that did not exist in the knowledge piled up on the bookshelf.
Ruska is a combat type, not a magician.
Rather than exploring the knowledge accumulated in the library, it was about awakening one’s fighting instinct and maximizing one’s senses.
So, instead of seeing the bookshelf, a different sight unfolded.
That’s exactly what will happen to you in a few seconds.
“Hahahaha! Found a loophole!”
The moment he heard the same sound he had heard in the spirit world… Ruska immediately turned his head.
Then, I was able to avoid Mary’s surprise attack, who jumped in from behind with her teeth bared in.
“Ugh!”
Mary, who had bitten the air, fell to her opponent and landed face down on the grass.
I thought it would be painful because my face was stuck in it…
“Hehehehe! I found a bug!”
He raised his face again, biting the worm that had been hiding in the ground.
There was no sign of pain, as if his face was made of iron.
Ruska asked with a trembling expression.
“Is it that delicious?”
“Yeah! It’s really delicious! Friends, do you want to try it too?”
“I’ll give up.”
“Why? I can cook it for you deliciously.”
“I told you so, so be it!”
Even though he flatly refused, Mary was still smiling.
I had an odd personality that I thought I would never be able to adapt to, but now it wasn’t a big deal.
Ruska felt a secret fear that she too might become infected with the same thing because she had encountered it so many times.
“But buddy, how did you avoid that just now? You had your eyes closed.”
Even the most idiotic Mary could sense her curiosity.
It was amazing how Ruska naturally avoided things as if he had eyes in the back of his head.
But I couldn’t get the answer I wanted.
“I’m still not sure. I’ve been having strange dreams recently and I’ve been feeling strange.”
“Shall I call Professor Stella?”
“You don’t have to. I’m not particularly sick or disabled. It’s just that…”
It feels like my mental power has been maximized. I’ve acquired a useful ability.
Combat requires not only overwhelming physical strength but also outstanding mental strength.
If you concentrate your mind, you can clearly see your opponent’s movements and engage in battle with the optimal movements.
The same applies even in places like sports competitions, not necessarily in bloody battles.
But Ruska goes beyond that category…
“I feel like I can see the future.”
“future?”
It was so mysterious even to me that I couldn’t explain it.
Rather, it was to the point where I wanted to ask myself.
“If I can handle this well, I might win the tactics banquet.”
“Is it some kind of precognitive magic?”
“That’s completely different. I’m not a wizard.”
Ruska, who was nodding her head as she spoke, suddenly became curious.
“But Mary, what are you doing here? You won’t be free during this festival.”
“Oh, my love called me here.”
“self…?”
“Yeah! Honey.”
Who on earth do you think you are?
Mary usually calls her classmates “friends.” So, whenever she sees Mary, she can’t help but say, “Hey, friend!”
But this is the first time I’ve heard that. Isn’t that something that is usually said to women?
“Wait a minute, is that you…?”
“That’s right! That guy. The guy you know well.”
Ruska sighed and placed her hand on her head, as her ominous feeling was not wrong.
I wonder if people use the expression “self” knowing what it means.
But her opponent is Mary. She is a madwoman who cannot control herself if she doesn’t go on a physical assault for even a single day.
There is no way that a kid like that would use the word ‘self’ sincerely.
‘No way. Definitely…’
Ruska thought as positively as possible and then asked her question again.
“But why is that guy Radon calling you?”
Why in a place like this?
There were other people who appeared the moment that thought occurred to me.
“Ruska, you were here too?”
“Did you get called, too, sister?”
“There are quite a few familiar faces here.”
Jenny, Angela, and Nevia.
They, like Mary, were summoned by their friends.
It seems that he deliberately called me to the place where Ruska was training.
“I came to see you because Radon Oppa suddenly called me. He said he had something urgent to tell me….”
“Seeing as they called us with this combination, it seems like they’re definitely going to have a meeting.”
Angela and Nevia have great doubts.
It was around this time that his popularity, which allowed him to freely call two saints, was once again felt great.
“Good answer. I have an important meeting coming up.”
The person in question, Radon, appeared at the right time.
He seemed happy that he had made a quick appearance, but he was once again curious about the two mysterious people Radon had brought with him.
“Radon, who are those people?”
One side was wearing the armor and helmet of a Divine Imperial Knight Commander, while the other side was a woman with her mouth covered by a scarf.
The two of them gathered up their clothes and took off the decorations that had been covering their faces.
“Who the hell are you…?”
Since it was a face she had never seen before, Jenny’s question was completely natural.
But Mary was different.
“Huh? It’s the spirit queen!”
“Spirit King?”
“And you… a wooden stone disguised as a knight commander!”
“Commander of the Knights?”
The group was startled by the incredible words that came out of Mary’s mouth.
What is the Spirit King, and what does the wooden stone on the knight commander mean?
In fact, except for Mary and Radon, no one seemed to know.
This is because these two were Shaikar, the spirit king of life, and Spryke, her direct spirit, whom I had met by chance during the last mission.
“So…”
“That’s what happened!”
Radon and Mary explained to their other friends what had happened on the mission.
At first, everyone resisted, saying it was unbelievable, but after Shaikhar showed his power once, everyone became convinced.
“Are you really the… legendary Spirit King?”
“You still can’t believe it?”
At Shaikhar’s gesture, a giant tree began to grow on Jenny’s shoulder.
Of course, it was just a light prank, so they let it go right away, and the two saints, including Jenny, also showed their courtesy.
“Your Majesty, it’s nice to meet you. I am Saint Angela Whitegreen of the Order of the Holy Cross.”
“Likewise… this is Nevia Cromag.”
The two saints were at a loss at the appearance of the divine being.
It was to the point where the etiquette taught in school was shaken.
“Hmm… Are you the saints who follow in Mary’s footsteps?”
“yes…”
“Yes.”
“Two of them too… This generation of humans is quite blessed.”
We have learned that the former saint, Maria, was raised by Shaikar.
Since they can be seen as beings very closely related to the religious order, the two saints became quite sensitive.
“But over there…”
“What is it?”
“I just wonder why you’re here.”
When Jenny asked cautiously, Shaikhar’s face lit up with a sneer.
“Don’t get too carried away. This is just an avatar for exploration, not the main body. I said before that I wouldn’t get involved in human affairs, so I can’t get involved myself.”
“Wow! So you came to see the festival too?”
Mary got excited again, unable to read the mood.
Just as Ruska was about to hastily cover her mouth… Shaikhar said with a laugh.
“Hahahaha! This kid is always the same.”
“Yeah! Me, kid… what?”
Mary’s once energetic face became stern.
At the same time, the already tense atmosphere suddenly became cold.
Everyone was worried about Mary’s rampage, but… there was no need to worry.
“Hey kid. How have you been?”
“Ah… I’m not… a kid…”
“Every time I see you, I’m reminded of Maria when she was a baby. You look so much alike that you’re so cute. Don’t you think so? Little punk.”
“Eeeeeeeeeee! No! I said no!!”
Mary just cried, unable to fight back logically or physically.
As expected, Shaikhar was Mary’s etiquette instructor.
“I’m not broad-minded enough to get involved in a human festival. I just came out because I was curious.”
“What kind of curiosity?”
Ruska asked, trying to comfort the sobbing Mary.
Then, at Shaikhar’s sidelong glance, Sprite took a step forward and explained.
“At the order of Shaikhar, I went undercover as the Knight Commander and explored the inside of the palace. And I investigated the forces controlling the palace from behind the scenes… and what they were planning to do during this festival.”
At that moment, a dark shadow fell over Sprite’s face.
“This magic banquet… has a high possibility of becoming a bloody festival.”
* * * * *
‘They look so alike.’
Gerard Chainsilver was standing before the most precious person in the empire.
Even if they are not as powerful as the emperor or empress, those with their bloodline can wield absolute power.
Gerard looked at Princess Mirona among them and thought.
`It’s strangely similar. To the saintess of the previous generation…`
The glossy, flowing red hair and innocent eyes were very similar.
So much so that it is automatically projected just by looking at it.
“Nice to meet you, Sir Gerard. I am the Third Princess Mirona Kirien Divine.”
“I am Gerard Chainsilver, the head of the Chainsilver family.”
Gerard, who had never been flustered when welcoming the emperor, could not help but lose his composure this time.
Of course, it was impossible for them to be the same person, but just seeing that resembling being made Gerard feel a sense of guilt.
‘If only I had protected the saint myself back then…’
30 years ago, Gerard prioritized the lives and safety of the people of the empire.
However, his judgment was clouded by the aftereffects of numerous battles, and he only considered the thoughts of the imperial people.
Because I kept seeing them die and I went crazy.
So, I disobeyed my brother’s advice and emphasized the grim situation at the time to the saint.
The selfless saint eventually threw herself at the people, and as a result…
`It’s all my fault. It’s all…`
It had been 30 years ago. Gerard was still young, but the misdeeds he had committed back then still remained as a nightmare.
If my brother is alive, I must apologize.
“Excuse me… Sir Gerard?”
“yes.”
“Your complexion doesn’t look good…”
“Hahaha… It’s okay.”
Gerard barely managed to present himself as normal.
But once again, Gerard’s heart sank.
“But, Your Majesty, who is the student standing behind you?”
He had white hair, but his face was not visible because he was wearing a mask. However, a strangely familiar aura emanated from the cadet.
‘That face…!’
The swordsmanship that Jenny showed off during last winter break… It was very similar to what my ‘hyung’ used.
Maybe there was someone related to his brother at the Academy. From then on, Gerard had been holding onto hope.
So, as soon as the Magic Banquet period started, I ran to the Academy faster than anyone else.
“Oh, this person is the student council advisor. He’s wearing a mask right now because his face was injured.”
“If you don’t mind, may I ask you one thing?”
When asked what the favor was, Gerard answered cautiously.
“I would like to talk to that student one-on-one.”
Surviving as an Academy Fraudster
