Chapter 227. Childhood Friend – Trial and Error
Bright sunlight covered the white walls of the capital’s church. The church, welcoming spring, was busy assigning new roles to priests, paladins, and monks returning from churches across the continent.
Many of them were assigned to the educational facilities of the capital’s church, which had opened for the spring semester. The paladins were instructing the trainees in basic physical training and martial arts, while the priests and monks who had become teachers were pondering how to teach their assigned subjects.
Any class inevitably goes through various trial and error phases at the beginning. However, despite such confusion, there were two new students who moved forward silently and swiftly.
“Lady Leah, you were here. Is your class over?”
“Yes, it ended a bit early.”
Veronian approached.
He sat next to Leah, careful not to break the library’s silence. She was reading a very old manuscript.
“What is this?”
“It’s the biography of Saint Azra.”
“Saint Azra’s? Isn’t that all covered in ancient theological history?”
“I thought so too, but it wasn’t. Have a read. Saint Azra was quite a unique person.”
Veronian took the first page of the old manuscript Leah handed him. It was written in a beautiful script that seemed like it would crumble just by holding it. The words used were not those of a cleric.
Terms used in the royal court.
They were also very old, archaic terms from the early days of the Archean Empire. Intrigued by the content, Veronian referred to the dictionary Leah had brought and read up to the second chapter.
“…Saint Azra was an incorrigible drunk and a former convict? It’s interesting, but is this a credible source?”
“Probably. It was discovered by Bishop Berg of the Conrad Kingdom. There’s also a note from Bishop Berg here.”
“Bishop Berg? The one who advocated for the Universal Priesthood?”
“Yes. This was Bishop Berg’s first research. He seemed very interested in Saint Azra. However, it seems the bishop lacked basic knowledge of ancient theological history.”
“Really? In what way?”
The trainee, with a single tassel, Veronian, adjusted his posture. The wooden chair creaked with a dry sound as he leaned back.
“He reinterpreted Saint Azra’s seven achievements, but there are many flaws. He interpreted the first achievement, which was dispelling the darkness that had fallen over the Orville Palace, as cleansing the corrupt political scene. He cited Saint Azra’s second achievement as the basis for this. Because he chased the ‘Grand Duke Astaroth’ to ‘Astro Mountain.’ You know, the mountain in the Toddler region, the origin of the name of the Aslan Kingdom.”
“Haha. Bishop Berg was a paladin, after all. He probably didn’t complete the courses that priests have to learn properly.”
“Seems so. He also interpreted the achievement of subduing Seares, the guardian of the Lordran River, as subduing a group of water bandits… He greatly diminished the saint’s achievements.”
“I see. But Lady Leah, you study some interesting things. Are you interested in ancient theological history?”
“No. This is just…”
She had a dream. Repeatedly, but different each time.
These dreams matched the stories Lev had told her. While traveling to the Conrad Kingdom as a maid of the Marquis of Guidan, she was killed by a knight by the river. In another dream, she was falsely accused and expelled from the church. It was because of a scandal with a nobleman named Gilbert Forte, but upon looking around here, that nobleman was nowhere to be seen. Instead, Veronian was there.
It was a terrible dream. Knocking on the frozen castle gate all night long. The gate never opened.
Lev had gone through a lot because of her. She could feel that even in the dream.
He had found her, who was saving pennies to somehow return home, and proposed to her. Lev and she had a modest wedding at a bakery with Priest Ophelia officiating.
Why was this happening to them?
On the way to the capital’s church, Leah asked Priest Ophelia. Whether life could repeat itself, dreams or not.
Priest Ophelia answered this way.
“…That’s interesting. A teacher who taught me a long time ago said something similar. He said that the achievements of Saint Azra were impossible for a human to accomplish. He acted as if he knew the future, but it didn’t seem like he was guided by the divine.”
“Why?”
“As time went on, he made many mistakes. He fell into despair, defeated Asin at the southern port but lost a fragment of him into the sea. He couldn’t prevent a curse from descending on the eastern swamps, and in the city of Vadobona, he lamented, ‘I lost sight of fear again.’ So, he prayed to God, acknowledging the imperfection of his achievements, asking for the strength for humans to fight against evil. As you know, as a result, a saint descended to this land. So, what do you think? Doesn’t Saint Azra seem too human compared to his achievements? My teacher who told me this story said, ‘Saint Azra seems to have lived life over and over again. He was not born a great saint but advanced through many trials and errors.’ But where did you hear about life repeating?”
Leah quickly made up an answer.
“Uh… it’s a legend that Monk Leslie from my village told me. I was curious if it was possible.”
“Oh, that monk might have learned from the same teacher as me. You are around the same age… What is impossible in the deeds of God? If you go to the capital’s church, there are ancient manuscripts about Saint Azra’s secret history. My teacher has annotated them.”
Priest Ophelia smiled warmly.
Leah felt guilty for lying to her and fell into thought.
A repeating life.
Could Lev be bound by a similar fate as Saint Azra? ─ She wondered.
After arriving at the capital’s church, even amid the hectic days of being a new student, Leah took time to learn about Saint Azra. Now, after reading the ancient manuscripts Priest Ophelia had mentioned, she was convinced.
Her friend was being tested.
Why God was testing Lev, she did not know.
Moreover, the conditions Lev believed necessary to pass this test were absurd (Why should I become a princess?). Leah hit a wall.
No matter how much she thought about it, she needed to ask the saintess. But an ordinary trainee had no way to meet the saintess.
One had to at least be a high priest to request an audience, and the capital’s church was too vast to hope for a chance encounter. It wasn’t leisurely either.
So, Leah pinned her hopes on one thing. On the day of the ceremony that determined whether a trainee would become a priest or a monk, the trainees could meet the saintess. After much deliberation, Leah concluded.
“I have to graduate quickly. Before Lev causes any trouble… Didn’t he say he would go to the Marquis of Guidan?”
Lev said he would contact her, but Leah intended to contact him first. As soon as the ceremony was over, she needed to convey the saintess’s answer before becoming a priest.
“No, I’m just reading this out of interest. I should study now.”
“Is that so? Are you taking the Udean lecture? I read it before coming to the capital’s church, and it had some very interesting content…”
Leah continued the conversation, sometimes debating, sometimes adding to Veronian’s assertions. They were a bit loud, and a trainee with five tassels named Daniel scolded them and drove them out of the library.
“Oh dear… I got too excited. Well, I’ll be off now.”
“Yes, go ahead. I’m going to offer my evening prayers.”
“Haha, you always pray here, Lady Lea. Understood. Have a good night.”
After Veronian left and Leah was alone, she approached the brass goblet displayed on the first floor of the library. She remembered this goblet.
‘When I become a priest, the saintess will give this to me… When I was possessed by Asin Barbatos, the saintess held this.’
Though it was casually displayed, could it be an extraordinary item? Could it possibly be the goblet that Saint Azra carried around…?
Leah looked around. She wasn’t trying to do anything wrong, just feeling a bit shy. Stepping slightly onto the platform, she reached out and grasped the goblet.
However, nothing happened as she had hoped. Leah turned the surprisingly heavy goblet around and chuckled.
Who do I think I am?
Returning the goblet to its place, Leah prayed earnestly as usual. After she left, the goblet in the library remained still. Perhaps it felt a bit warmer?
* * *
“Wow, look at that fortress wall. It’s incredible!”
Ruben Bizan exclaimed. While Ban Bizan scolded her partner, “Stop acting like a country bumpkin and stay still,” Lev looked around Nevis curiously.
Bright! Sunlight. It had been a long time since he had seen the bustling heat of Nevis’ market square, even on a hot summer day.
Almost six and a half years… It was the first time since the last childhood friend iteration where he had become an apostle of Barbatos.
Of course, he wasn’t glad to be back. He only had bad memories here.
Lev then went around looking for accommodations for the approximately 110 disciples who had grown in number. Despite having reduced the group significantly, they were still too many to fit into one lodging, so he boldly sought the place where Leah had been taken.
“Oh, welcome. But, sir, our lodging currently doesn’t have any rooms…”
The innkeeper was flustered as a large group of armed young men entered en masse. He was about to make up an excuse since the place wasn’t primarily for lodging, but Lev, with an annoyed gesture, cut him off.
“It’s hot as hell. Don’t tell me you have no rooms here too? It looks empty at a glance. Isn’t that right?”
“Well, that is…”
“Let’s unload our luggage first. We’ll settle the bill later.”
He felt like killing the man again. But he remembered having brutally killed him when he was Barbatos’ apostle and decided to let it go.
It was Minseo’s rule.
One should be satisfied with revenge once.
If not, they would end up as serial killers in every iteration, making it difficult to proceed through the cycles.
Respecting Minseo’s opinion, Lev was curt with the innkeeper but didn’t draw his sword. Instead, he called Ban and Ruben and said,
“I’m going to meet the Marquis of Guidan. You all stay here for a few days. Don’t drink the water or eat the food here. It might be poisoned. Get your food from the market, and set up watches at night. Don’t draw too much attention and consider this a vacation. Also, don’t pay that guy. He won’t dare report us anyway.”
“Yes, sir! Understood.”
Leaving the crowded inn and the distressed innkeeper behind, Lev headed toward the inner fortress of Nevis.
Not wanting to draw unnecessary attention, he left his sword and horse at the inn.
Unless it was a special case, inspections were selective, so Lev casually walked through the gates as if on a stroll.
‘I’ll have to form a mercenary group to keep these guys together.’
Over a hundred young men with swords and horses were too conspicuous. Thus, they couldn’t enter most villages or towns, but Nevis was a bustling capital, so entering the outskirts was fine.
Originally, the group should have been much larger.
Including those recruited from various tribes, there should have been over two hundred, but someone was needed to train the soldiers promised by the tribes that had pledged rebellion.
Lev left behind those he deemed capable and sufficiently trained, assigning them to different tribes in groups of five or six before departing.
It was a way to save time.
Although nearly a year had passed since this cycle began, he still had many tasks to complete.
He needed to fully persuade the Marquis of Guidan. He also had to convince the northern frontier marquis, Marquis Drageen, and the wizard, Count Ogerton.
Recently, there had been the Akine (heir conferral ceremony) of the first prince, Aeton de Lognum, so persuading the Marquis of Guidan shouldn’t be difficult. Marquis Ebeny Drageen was a close friend of the Marquis of Guidan, so it seemed feasible to persuade him too. As for Count Ogerton, he had heard a method in the last childhood friend cycle.
It was a method used by Leriana, which involved approaching the count’s son. However, the problem was…
‘Can I do it well?’
He had seen how meticulous Leriana was in dealing with nobles. No one could match her in that field.
Marquis Benard Tatian?
Perhaps, but I only had the advantage of starting with favor due to the etiquette and connections from {noble society} information, and {king’s blood}, and the achievements of meeting the prince. Whether I could do as well as Relliana had… If I failed, I might not be able to get help from the Bolinu Magic Tower.
‘I can’t afford to make any more mistakes… There’s no choice. I have to do my best.’
After crossing the scorching heat on foot, Lev finally arrived at the mansion of the Marquis of Guidan. Entering the mansion with the token he had received from the marquis, he felt the refreshing coolness and requested to see the Marquis of Guidan.
However, it wasn’t necessary.
The butler had already reported his arrival, and the Marquis of Guidan appeared, accompanied by a young noble. Taken aback by the unexpected meeting, Lev stepped back.
Count Soarel Demetri Ogerton approached as if waiting. He extended his hand for a handshake and said,
“I heard you are a Swordmaster. I have a request. Please show me your Aura Blade.”
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