286 – Champagne Supernova (1)
Croc’s eyes turned to Theo.
He seemed to hope that the ‘brave’ he was talking about was Theo.
Theo spoke plainly.
“Everyone was together. “It was not an easy fight.”
“······Is that so?”
Anyway, if you see Maitri’s body, anyone with eyes will know that Theo killed him. Claire will also be a witness.
‘······Use this as an opportunity to take control of the inside of the church.’
While returning to the group, Theo asked.
“Lord Kroc, when will the army to destroy the shrine be launched?”
“······Hmm. There hasn’t been this many demons appearing at once in over a hundred years. We need to start by investigating what kind of demon is inside the shrine. “Not all devils are the same.”
There are various types of devils.
Although the body is weak, it is a leader-like entity that commands numerous subordinates.
Although it has a small number of subordinates, it is an entity with enormous power.
An entity that supports other demons with various buffs.
An entity that is weak in close combat but is good at witchcraft such as magic.
Depending on what kind of demon you are dealing with, of course tactics and strategies also change significantly.
For example, when dealing with a leader-type entity, a large number of people are needed to stand up to the subordinates.
Theo nodded his head.
“Is that so? “If you need my help, please let me know at any time.”
“Oh…! Is that okay?”
“Of course.”
“Even so, the movements against the robot earlier seemed unusual. “When I read the news article, I felt ashamed of myself because I thought I was just an academy student.”
“I think that may be the case. “Since we are all different people, we will all have different thoughts.”
Croc was impressed.
“As expected, your thoughts are special. Ah, now that I think about it, Theo has inherited the blood of the Balderk family, so I guess he will exert even stronger power against the devil.”
“Yes. “Even now, far from the shrine, my blood is boiling.”
“For hundreds of years, the Balderk family has been famous for subjugating demons. I will make a strong request to my superiors. “Theo’s participation in this demon suppression.”
“I think it would be great if that happens. “I’m still a student and an outsider, so the church won’t use me too seriously.”
“I’ll do my best, Theo. Even if you can’t participate in battle directly, you will learn a lot just by facing the devil in person.”
“Thank you for your advice, Lord Croc.”
Theo nodded his head, managing his expression.
‘Of course, I have no intention of sucking my fingers in the back line.’
This is a good opportunity to openly show off your abilities to key members of the church.
They are confident that they are experts in subjugating demons. To shatter that solid confidence, an overwhelming performance is needed.
‘Once you realize what you learned today, quickly embody it.’
First of all, training comes first. Today, I especially gained a lot of enlightenment.
‘I will stand on the front line at any cost.’
* * *
Theo’s wish soon became a reality.
The starting point was the testimony of personnel dispatched from the church to follow up on the [Ford Company] Case.
─······The contract with the great evil Andros was annihilated with a single blow.
─There is no trace of divine power or magic. A demon contractor who has been demonized to this level cancels out most magic.
─It’s hard to believe, but… It looks like he was cut with a sword-like blade.
They asked Guardian Knight Claire, the only witness, about the situation as if it were an interrogation.
Claire’s answer was consistent.
─Honestly, the other personnel, including me, were not of much help. The contract with the Great Evil was defeated by student Theo Lin Balderk alone.
─What’s unusual is that the sword Theo was holding seemed to glow bluish.
This fact seemed to have gained wings, and within a week it spread beyond the empire and across the continent.
All media outlets on the continent covered this incident and Theo, a contract with the great devil who had not appeared in a long time. Of course, the most central thing was the character ‘Theo’ himself.
Meanwhile, Theo was training in his dormitory room.
Because I did not have enough training time, I declined all the requests for interviews and recruitment proposals that came flooding in. I told Amy to filter most people first.
However, the more it happened, the more anxious reporters, guilds, and government officials became.
So, even though it was vacation time, Ellinia Academy was crowded with many outsiders.
When Theo closed his eyes and let his energy circulate through his body.
─My child, it suddenly became quiet outside.
Ney spoke to me.
Theo replied with her eyes still closed.
─I can feel it too, gray princess.
The gray princess.
The identity of Ney that Theo heard from the original owner of the body.
Upon hearing that title, Ney raised his voice.
─······! I told you not to call me by that name! My face is burning!
─Didn’t you say you don’t remember about that? From what I’ve learned, if you keep mentioning things you don’t remember, they often come back to mind, Gray Princess.
─Hey, this Goyan…! When I told him to practice, his ability to use his tongue improved a lot!
─Managing energy, training the body, storing knowledge in the brain, improving speaking skills… Aren’t all of these training? Ah… As expected, the gray princess is special. You gave me enlightenment like this again today.
─Joe, be quiet! Anyway, that’s not important right now. The approaching footsteps are unusual.
─It’s powerful, but at the same time light and agile.
After some time.
Knock, knock.
A knock was heard. It was concise but heavy.
Theo wiped the sweat with a towel and opened the door.
Outside the door was a woman who looked somewhere between her teens and her twenties. She said politely.
“You are Theo Lin Walderk… Looking at her face, I guess she’s right. “My name is Nesser and I am from the church.”
Theo nodded her head.
‘They are big ships.’
Her real name is Adrienne. Nesser is a pseudonym.
She is a member of the Acolytes of Light.
The identities of the members of the Acolytes of Light are completely shrouded in mystery, but Theo knew them, of course, since she had seen them in this work.
“There are a lot of eyes around, so come inside and talk.”
Adrien looked around. Numerous reporters, guild & national officials gathered there.
“Ah… Then please excuse me.”
She entered her room and closed the door.
Theo said.
“It’s a short-term dormitory room, so it’s small. “Please sit wherever you are comfortable.”
“Thank you, Theo Lin Walderk.”
Theo said to her as he sat down in her chair in front of her table.
“No, Nesser. No······”
Theo followed her words.
“Should I call you Adrienne?”
“······!”
Adrienne pulled out the sword she was wearing at her waist. She quickly aimed the sword at Theo’s neck. She asked in a cool voice, completely different from her previous ones.
“······Where did you hear this information, bastard?”
Theo calmly removed the sword under his neck with his hand. He answered in the same calm voice as before.
“Just put this away for now.”
“······.”
Adrienne glared at Theo and put her sword back into her scabbard.
Theo sat on the chair across from her.
“Let’s drink something and talk. “Do you have a favorite car?”
“······Anything.”
“Yes.”
Theo clapped his hands.
Immediately I heard Amy’s voice outside the door.
─Yes, master. Please tell me.
“A cup of iced Americano and a cup of mint chocolate latte.”
─······I understand, master.
Eventually, Amy brought her two drinks.
Theo placed the mint chocolate latte in front of Adrienne.
Adrien frowned.
From Noble mtl dot com
“······What are you trying to do, bastard?”
Theo said, taking a sip of iced Americano.
“I prepared a mint chocolate latte because they said I could do anything. Is there a problem?”
“······.”
Adrienne took a sip of mint chocolate latte without saying a word. She said, frowning.
“I’m embarrassed. Yeah… Bastard. “Where did you hear my name?”
“You will find out about that little by little. “More than that, what business did you come to see me for?”
“······Investigation of the Great Demon Shrine located in the northern magic city. I came to see if you were a good candidate to join the investigation team. But······”
“But?”
“It has already been decided. “You must join the investigation team.”
Theo crossed her legs comfortably. Nevertheless, he had an undisturbed and dignified attitude.
“What if you refuse?”
Adrienne placed her hand on the hilt of her sword.
“I will join them even if I have to cut them out in one place.”
“Hmm.”
An imminent situation.
However, Theo was carefree.
‘According to plan.’
Regardless of their outstanding skills, the Acolytes of Light are a group of guys with screws missing from their heads. Rather than being loyal to the denomination, they prioritize their own desires. Even outward loyalty to the religious order is simply because the religious order satisfies their desires the most.
Adrienne in front of me is the closest to a normal person.
‘To be among the crazy dogs, I have to look crazy too.’
The immediate mention of Adrienne’s real name was in the same context. It was to appeal that force was natural and that he was something unusual.
‘The first step to taking control of the inside of the church is to take control of the practitioners of light.’
After Theo organized his thoughts.
Boom──!
I kicked the table with my foot.
“I will first check whether you have the skills to say such arrogant words.”
At the same time, I pulled out the [Demon Sword] From the scabbard.