160th Episode
One day, Alicia started her day earlier than others.
After the festival, Alicia found herself unable to sleep at all.
Her already limited sleep time shrank even further, with countless instances where she would sleep less than an hour a day.
In the still dark hours before dawn, she focused on enhancing the perfection of her sword inside her dormitory room.
With a firm grip on the sword, she closed her eyes and quickly spun the mana within her body, imbuing it with properties.
Guiding the composition of her core aura, she mentally wrote down her own formula for the element of wind.
The formula didn’t flow smoothly; there were times it would hit a wall and even backtrack.
Such struggles are a natural part of learning.
Scholarship isn’t a straight freeway but rather a complex maze. Just as you think you’re approaching an exit, you might discover you’re actually going back.
Especially with magic, where characteristics can change based on an individual’s tendencies, it’s even more so.
However, ever since the battle with Archbishop Beris, Alicia had developed a kind of powerlessness, feeling her progress was lacking.
The archbishop was powerful.
Naturally, she was one of the fifteen entities leading the Goddess Church.
Yet, she was too “thoroughly” playful.
She hadn’t even entered a full state of power release.
What if she had completed the power release? What would have blown away like dandelion seeds in the wind wouldn’t have been Beris’ but her own shattered body.
The moment she made contact with Beris’ rigid exterior.
Alicia immediately realized the absolute difference between them, and if it weren’t for Naias, she might have died multiple times.
Of course, she didn’t mean she wanted to engage in a nail-biting one-on-one duel with the archbishop right away.
Even being completely unaware of the world, she wasn’t that oblivious.
However… the obsession that she should at least be able to endure steadfastly with everyone’s support drove Alicia’s body to move.
Swish-.
The sword, imbued with the property of wind, sang with rapid aura.
Alicia’s sword did not pierce Beris’ body.
The reason was a lack of skill.
The final step towards the red aura.
The sharpness of the sword.
If she could just grasp that, she could become stronger than she is now.
She could be of more help to the young master and face off against a stronger Altife.
Whether it was due to Alicia’s lack of experience, that “sensation” was rarely conveyed to her. Whenever feelings of doubt surged, another distraction would scatter around Alicia.
– Did you perhaps have an ‘older sister’ or something like that? If not…
Was what Archbishop Beris said just a coincidence?
Yet, it felt too unsettling to dismiss it as mere chance.
– Ahahaha-! Thanks to you, it’ll be fun to see what happens next. I can’t wait to see your expression when that time comes… so looking forward to it.
What kind of expression would it have if it were to happen… I really want to see it.
Her laughter still echoes in my ears.
She was enjoying the situation back then.
For reasons unknown, Beris came to a realization due to the reaction she showed, which seemed connected to her sister who lost her life trying to protect her in the past.
“……”
Alicia dispersed the intense power she had gathered in her sword as soon as she stopped the thought process.
Quite some time had passed. If she didn’t hurry to wash up and greet the Young Master, she would fall behind schedule.
Alicia didn’t just dwell on her dilemmas; she had much to do and didn’t want to disappoint her master for personal reasons.
After washing away the sweat and drying her hair, she dressed up and tidied herself. She carefully donned the necklace given by Charlotte.
Finally, she adjusted her expression by looking in the mirror.
She lifted the corners of her mouth so the Young Master wouldn’t worry.
With all preparations complete, Alicia opened the dormitory door and headed off to meet Vargan.
Having recently realized her feelings for Vargan, she would normally show signs of awkwardness in her expression and movements.
She should have felt flustered and blushed at his small gestures.
However, due to other negative thoughts suppressing that feeling, it was not outwardly expressed, and although it was somewhat unclear, she managed to conceal her feelings quite well.
“Ah-!”
“You’re still full of distractions, Alicia. I’ll let it slide today due to your generous nature, but if you show up like this tomorrow, a light slap won’t be the end of it.”
“…I’ll remember that.”
It was fine to hide her embarrassed and guilty feelings about her master, but this resulted in Alicia’s forehead never failing to turn red.
“…What are you staring at?”
“Oh, nothing… Ah!”
“Is it because I hit you too much? Seeing your complexion improve after getting hit, you really are something else.”
Alicia enjoyed her time with Vargan.
In the moments when she could focus solely on him, her negative thoughts briefly subsided, and she tried to let that positive feeling rise as if she could accomplish anything.
Human emotions can rise and fall countless times in a single day. This was a fact Alicia learned while spending time with Vargan.
They entered the classroom together and attended the morning lessons.
Today marked just over two weeks since the festival ended.
Just like the buildings of Academia were quickly restored using magic and techniques, the schedule at Academia had also returned to a normalized state.
Not all classes flowed with the usual curriculum yet, and events like the Student Council elections had been pushed back, but most class schedules proceeded as they were.
After all morning classes ended.
It was a day without afternoon classes, so normally Alicia would have eaten lunch and dropped by the laboratory.
However, Vargan hadn’t opened the Research Society door to speak with Erica, and Alicia headed off to the training ground alone for a rare change.
She didn’t join the other members of Arbol Frutal.
While helping others grow was important, her priority now was to focus on enhancing her own accomplishments.
As she wielded her sword, she fell deep into thought again.
Despite her master telling her to shake off distractions earlier, they clung to her like a phantom, refusing to disappear.
As she continued swinging her sword for a while.
Someone called out to her.
“Are you troubled by something?”
It was an elegant, refined voice.
Ocell Bui Arterion.
Coincidentally, he stumbled into the training ground at the same time and noticed Alicia’s sword, seeing the impurities that lingered within it.
As he stepped into the training ground, he saw Alicia’s sword and noticed the impurities that clung to it.
Alicia briefly set down her sword, showing respect for royalty. With a faint smile that hinted at shyness, she spoke.
“It’s nothing special. I just… feel a bit troubled going through a phase of stagnation lately.”
“Is that so…?”
Arterion pondered over Alicia’s words.
Once hailed as the reincarnation of the Sword Master due to his extraordinary talent with the sword, he couldn’t help but notice that Alicia’s current growth trajectory was still overwhelmingly impressive.
If others heard her words, they might call it deception; Alicia seemed unaware of her own stagnation.
‘Well… if she feels that way, then it must be true.’
His thoughts were based on trust in Alicia herself, but because of the impurities he noticed moments earlier, Arterion did not dismiss her words lightly.
After quietly contemplating Alicia’s worries, he asked,
“…Do you want to reach the realm of the red aura?”
Alicia responded with an awkward smile, as if to say it all without words.
‘If she continues to grow like this, she’ll naturally reach it in the not-so-distant future, but she’s in such a hurry… This must be Vargan’s influence.’
The arrogant face of a man flashed before Arterion’s eyes.
His well-defined eyebrows twitched slightly, but he soon erased that expression.
Instead, he focused on the woman before him.
She walked the same path of the sword as he did.
Being a genius doesn’t mean one has no worries. In fact, the weight of each step taken by a genius is likely different.
The struggles she faced were ones that Arterion had also experienced.
He could empathize.
“If you need help, I will assist you.”
“…Excuse me?”
“I said if you need assistance, I would help.”
The red aura’s true realization relies heavily on one’s personal understanding. Therefore, direct instruction from others isn’t particularly effective.
However, sharing experiences with someone who has walked the same path can be somewhat helpful.
Alicia was taken aback by this unexpected offer.
She had no idea why he, with no specific ties to her, would want to help her.
“……”
As she gazed at him with blinking eyes, it became clear that his words were not said lightly.
Perhaps it was just her imagination, but the earnestness in his gaze felt almost affectionate, causing her to avert her eyes instinctively.
“Thank you for your words, but… I worry it might be a burden…”
Alicia tried to express her reluctance.
Her mind was flooded with memories of her battle with Beris and the words he had left her with, causing her to fall silent.
Noticing her hesitation, Arterion spoke slowly.
“You don’t need to dedicate an excessive amount of time. Just one hour a day. That should suffice.”
“……”
After much contemplation, Alicia held back her answer.
“Could you give me a moment… to think?”
She intended to report what had just happened to Vargan and seek his opinion.
If Vargan says no, she would immediately decline.
If he says yes, she would ponder it even more deeply.
Arterion understood her intentions and nodded.
“Do as you wish.”
With that, their conversation reached a temporary conclusion.
As silence began to envelop them, a voice broke through.
“Alicia….”
Emily approached, tears streaming down her cheeks, her lips trembling as if she were freezing.
“What’s wrong, Emily?! Is something the matter?”
Alicia rushed to Emily’s side, supporting her. Emily shook her head, continuing to cry.
“What do I do, Alicia… What do I do….”
Being close to Emily, Alicia could feel her tremors resonating through her. It was as if a chill was contagious, sending a cold shiver down Alicia’s spine.
It brushes past my body.
Emily expressed her sorrow. Her eyes, along with Alicia’s listening gaze, shook simultaneously.
And.
The blue mana stone hanging from Alicia’s neck sparkled and shone.
*
“It’s you… the new archbishop.”
With her messy hair, the hero Charlotte retorted, gripping the hilt of her sword tightly.
Behind her, her teammates were preparing for battle, each armed.
『…….』
A village where countless people were slaughtered.
Around them lay corpses strewn about like rags, a gruesome sight.
The ‘white-haired woman’ who clearly heard Charlotte’s words didn’t turn around.
She was drenched in blood, her entire body stained red, gazing at the sky as if longing for something, with only her delicate hand outstretched.
“I never thought I’d suddenly encounter an archbishop here… and that it would be the recent hot topic, Archbishop Salecius.”
Due to a recent incident at the Academia, an archbishop of the Goddess Church had yet to be designated.
Thus, Salecius, who had just made his first appearance in Dortmund, was the newest archbishop.
Charlotte quickly assessed his full body.
Just as she had heard, he was truly a human-shaped entity.
Salecius held a massive sword, as if wanting to declare himself a hero.
His white hair flowed long like a valley, also stained in the villagers’ blood.
“Charlotte… I’ve completed the request for reinforcements. But… it’s a long distance, so it won’t be quick…”
One of the team members spoke up. Charlotte was already aware. Even if they sprinted at maximum speed to the closest church, it would easily take at least two hours.
Considering the superhuman physique of top-tier heroes, it was hardly a short distance.
Charlotte spoke without dropping her guard, relaying to her team.
“We have no choice. We can only hold out…”
……Huh?
Why suddenly showing interest?
At first, it was just a question in her mind.
Salecius, who had shown no interest in Charlotte’s group, suddenly turned his head as if responding to ‘a certain word.’
An emotion that sent shivers down her spine filled Salecius’s previously vacant eyes.
However, Charlotte’s frown didn’t stem from that.
‘He looks like her… quite a lot.’
“Are you saying… she resembles Alicia?”
Charlotte blurted out the name without realizing it.
Upon hearing Alicia’s name, Salecius became even more interested and turned his full body towards her.
Not only that.
The emotion that surged in his eyes deepened and transformed into a pitiable state.
Why on earth… is Archbishop Salecius reacting like this…?
Charlotte’s pupils widened.
‘Could it be… that’s what it was…!’
Having heard from Alicia about her experiences, she pieced the situation together and realized the truth.
Salecius lifted the sword he had lowered.
A deadly red aura surged up the blade.
‘Can that girl… hold on?’
In a situation where her life could be taken at any moment, Charlotte worried about Alicia.
Charlotte also summoned a fierce aura around her.
With her resolve igniting, she glared fiercely.
She absolutely cannot die.
If she dies here, that girl will be covered by a brutal reality she cannot bear.
She was a girl who had just taken her first step toward happiness.
How… how can that be…?
Charlotte clenched her fists instead of grasping the necklace that had hung around her neck for many years.
After preparing her resolve.
She whispered softly.
“…Don’t worry, Alicia.”
I won’t die, no matter what.
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