136 – Holy Grail (4)
Beatrice moved very carefully. Even though it was early in the morning, there were many paladins walking around for security purposes.
Besides, isn’t her power specialized for hiding?
Her divine power itself was far from her secret, and she herself was not a type of person who trained her body.
If she really did something wrong, it wouldn’t be surprising if she got caught at any time.
“Hmm?! “Who is there?”
“Ah.”
For example, like right now.
Beatrice, who stopped without thinking, immediately broke into a cold sweat.
The moment I turn my head with a squeak, my eyes meet a paladin wearing white armor.
For a very short time, there was a moment of silence for exploration -.
“Tch.”
Beatrice clicked her tongue inaudibly and immediately turned her body around. It goes without saying, but of course, to the passage opposite the Paladin.
Were you surprised by her sudden behavior? The paladin looked dumbfounded for a moment.
“…… An intruder is found in the sanctuary! “Heading towards the entrance!”
She soon came to her senses and quickly threw her body away. While not forgetting to convey the situation to her colleagues throughout the temple using communication magic using her divine power.
Beatrice blushed when she heard the contents of such communication.
‘…… ‘It’s a good thing I brought a cardigan.’
And that thought also comes to mind. First of all, she was able to cover her face thanks to the cardigan she had brought along.
At least she felt less ashamed.
Although she became like a criminal in return, that could not be helped.
Since she had left her robe behind, the only thing that could cover her face was her outer clothing.
‘Why do I have to hide in my own home, really…’ … !’
Beatrice lamented inwardly as she deliberately headed towards an alley away from the entrance of the sanctuary to avoid the gradually increasing number of paladins.
‘Still, I am a saint, and this is the headquarters of the religious order,’ she said.
Of course, it seems unreasonable when he is secretly moving to steal her Holy Grail. Anyway, isn’t it true that it’s a violation of rules?
Beatrice didn’t know that either. However, the sudden change in her condition just made me sigh.
‘But we’re almost there. Now just a little more.’
Soon she shook off her distracting thoughts. We’re literally almost there now.
The route has been twisted enough, so now she just has to go back.
‘The Holy Knights are gathered in one place, so all they have to do is enter the sanctuary…… !’
Thinking like that, it was the moment when Beatrice managed to reach the front of the stairs leading a little deeper underground.
Chaeng!
“…… !”
Intentionally resounding metal sounds, the sound of a sword moving heavily.
Beatrice had to stop her steps in a hurry.
There was one man who blocked her way.
A middle-aged man who appears to be on the brink of old age.
Despite her age, her strong body was visible, as well as her ability to find a gap even without a single armor on.
‘Oh, my.’
Beatrice sobbed inwardly.
That’s because she was the man she knew.
“This is not a place where you can tread lightly, intruder.”
The name of the man who speaks in a cold voice is Bernard Helvin.
He was the leader of the Knights of St. Lucrezia, the pride of the Holy Order, and was known to have already reached the level of a sword master with his sword skills excluding divine power.
‘…… Of course, Sir Bernard.’
In other words, it meant that the opponent was not simple enough to be able to break through in a split second at this urgent time.
Beatrice’s eyes narrowed.
‘How do I do it?’
Judging by her calm reaction, the other person probably hasn’t noticed her identity yet. Since I didn’t see her face, should I say it’s natural?
Beatrice’s tiny face was currently covered by a cardigan.
Therefore, at this time, revealing her identity openly could have been a solution.
They use their familiar relationship and her status as a saint to force her to get out of the way.
It’s a gamble, but there’s a lot of potential. Thinking like that, Beatrice reached out her hand toward the cardigan that covered her face.
“I’ll say it again, intruder.”
At that moment, Bernard opened his mouth again in his characteristic calm tone.
“Intruders cannot set foot beyond here.”
“… ….”
At first glance, it seems like just repeating the same words over and over again. However, Beatrice was able to notice that the pitchless voice particularly emphasized the keyword ‘intruder’.
She thought. Why, for what purpose?
That was before the thought that came to my mind was even finished.
“Captain! “You came first!”
The Paladins who had somehow managed to escape by taking advantage of the familiar space began to arrive in front of the sanctuary one by one.
At the same time, they blocked all of Beatrice’s escape routes.
Beatrice frowned and summoned her divine power into the palm of her hand.
In front is the knight commander, and in the back are dozens of paladins.
You won’t be able to break through easily. But you have to do it. After all, it wouldn’t be easy to openly reveal one’s identity in front of such a large number of people.
So what I chose was conflict.
‘Well, if only I could knock out Sir Bernard.’
Beatrice was going to immediately initiate such a conflict based on her divine power that she had raised without being noticed.
She creates an arrow with paralyzing properties and holds it in her hand.
And just as she was about to throw the arrow away before her opponent realized it.
“You guys go back.”
Suddenly, Bernard, the knight commander, opened his mouth to his members.
Disbandment was ordered.
Although she did not show it, Beatrice blinked her eyes secretly, and the other Holy Knights were also embarrassed by Bernard’s instructions.
“Captain?”
“I’ll take care of this intruder.”
Bernard responded calmly to his member’s questioning voice and pointed at Beatrice with a wink.
“…… From what I heard, it looks like he has a friend, but maybe his real purpose lies elsewhere in the Holy Land. Confirmation is urgent, so move immediately.”
And at the words that followed, the paladins’ expressions hardened. Could it be that they, in their own way, assumed that this intrusion was something unusual?
The truth was a little, no, a lot different, but they had no way of knowing.
The Holy Knights immediately bowed their heads to the leader and caught a glimpse of the intruders and left the place as quickly as they had arrived.
Silence fell on the place.
Beatrice glanced at the paladins for a moment and then looked at Bernard.
He was still staring at Beatrice with a calm expression.
‘…… ‘Me, indeed.’
From that perspective, Beatrice was suddenly able to realize something. The identity had already been discovered.
She took off the cardigan that was covering her face.
As expected, the other person did not show much surprise upon seeing Beatrice.
I just tilt my head shamelessly.
“That’s an unusual hair color. “You look a bit like someone I know.”
Somehow, unlike before, the tone was firm and the two words gave off the feeling of acting.
Beatrice pressed her forehead.
“Stop it. “Because it’s not fun.”
It was a short statement, but the meaningless shame contained within it was clearly revealed.
Bernard immediately nodded, ‘Hmm’.
“I will. “Please go in now, there will be no more tracking from the Paladins.”
And then, without even thinking about it, he gets out of the way of what was blocking the entrance to the sanctuary. It felt as if it was a sign of intention to enter as much as one wanted.
Beatrice looked at him with shocked eyes for a moment, then glanced up at Bernard.
“Did His Holiness contact you first? “You’re saying I’ll come find you?”
The voice that carefully asked the question had a somewhat sullen tone to it.
Were you able to roughly guess the reason?
Soon, Bernard just burst into silent laughter.
“Yeah, whatever. First of all, that’s true. “She also added that if the saint was to be discovered by the knights, she would be roughly covered up.”
“…… Joy.”
Because it was an expected answer, Beatrice did not bother to respond. However, he entered the sanctuary with a more complex expression.
Of course, Bernard did not stop talking.
“He is a very dishonest person. Don’t you think so? “It would be simpler to formally grant permission to use the Holy Grail.”
“…… Yes, it really is.”
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Beatrice responded briefly and bluntly to his words.
At first glance, it seemed like her tone was impolite, but Bernard, who was well aware of the girl’s personality, could only laugh and say, ‘Heh heh heh.’
Beatrice left Bernard behind and walked straight up the stairs to the sanctuary.
She was almost running down the straight stairs, the end of which could not be clearly seen.
‘He said it was none of his business whether he was torn to shreds or not.’
The dissatisfied mutterings inside were clearly directed at the Emperor. As she continued to grunt, Beatrice couldn’t stop the corners of her mouth from flinching in joy.
Yes, of course she knew. Emperor Kazan is that kind of person, that kind of personality.
He appears to have adjusted his security techniques to the highest level, and although he may be a bit grumpy, in the end, looking back, he probably condoned his attempt to steal the Holy Grail.
If this is really going to happen, just like Sir Bernard said, it would be better to ask for permission from the beginning, Beatrice said inwardly, not dissatisfied at all.
Even in the midst of all this, the gentle smile on his lips could not be erased.
Even though it didn’t seem like it, it was Beatrice who was grateful for the Pope’s favor.
She thought. I didn’t expect any active help from her in the first place. That was natural.
She is of great help just by standing by.
‘With this, we can save Flügel. It’ll be okay now, I’m sure.’
Beatrice was so sure.
Now Flügel can be safe.
Of course, unless the Pope interfered, there was no one within this church who could stop them.
In fact, at this point, you won’t even know that two intruders have entered the deepest part of the sanctuary.
Beatrice was relieved.
I felt relieved and smiled brightly.
Gratitude to the Pope, joy at his favor, relief at being able to save Flügel…….
There were many emotions, but in the end, they were all things that I could think of because I thought the situation was over.
In other words, to put it another way.
She didn’t know yet.
If you think about it, it was natural, but there was still one big wall blocking her path.
The sanctuary’s own security technique.
One thing to add is that it is a security technique whose level of vigilance has been raised to the final level by the power of the Emperor.
Beatrice at this time was just bright and cheerful.
It was because the Emperor, who pretended to be calm but in reality was not, was willing to take care of the Emperor, who was in fact no different from his adoptive father.
And, because she did not know the situation inside the sanctuary yet.
She just smiled and reached the final barrier that protects the sanctuary…….
“… ….”
It was silent.
I became rigid.
Shooooo…… !
There are waves. What? A barrier. How? Very violently.
“…… Uh?”
Beatrice was embarrassed and expressed her doubts. She let out a dazed voice, blinked her eyes, and absentmindedly touched the barrier.
Wow.
“Uh, uhh.”
The barrier responded to her divine power and opened the way without resistance, but as a result, Beatrice’s fingertips were instantly sucked into the water.
The sensation of her bare skin freezing cold.
Only then was Beatrice able to come to her senses. And she realizes.
The identity of the water that filled the barrier.
“Emperor, Your Majesty…… !”
Beatrice clenched her teeth and her whole body trembled while her legs were fixed. Suddenly, her grateful heart disappears and a feeling of absurdity arises.
…… Anyway, isn’t this too much?
Beatrice drew her magic circle, feeling her head spinning for no reason. She quickly writes down her technique.
There was no time for this.
As far as Beatrice knew, Dante had no ability to deal with such a basic and ignorant trap.
What will she do with her thunderbolt power?
Water is constantly pouring in, and there is nothing you can do except electrocute yourself.
That was why Beatrice’s expression became anxious and urgent.
Probably not, but probably not.
I really would have done it somehow…….
‘What if Dante is in there?’
So, what if Dante is trapped inside now and she can’t breathe properly?
“…… No.”
Beatrice inadvertently let out a trembling voice. It was an unconscious training.
Her face lost its color in an instant.
Woah!
“Okay, that’s enough.”
At that point, the procedure was completed. Activating her magic, Beatrice immediately applied the magic circle to her body.
As one of the many applications of the sacred barrier, she is able to breathe shallowly even underwater, as long as the magic circle attached to her respiratory system does not dissipate.
Wow!
There was no time to hesitate. As soon as the magic circle was properly applied, Beatrice crossed the barrier and soaked his body with water.
A cold and chilly chill that was natural but one I had never experienced before began to flow through my body.
‘Ugh… ….’
Beatrice frowned, but it was not because she was reluctant to breathe underwater, but because she wanted to explore the water more accurately.
She was looking for Dante now.
‘…… Where are you. Where are you.’
Dante will definitely be in here.
That much was certain.
When the Holy Knights saw Beatrice for the first time, they seemed surprised and chased after her. That means that Dante, who tried to infiltrate the sanctuary first, was not discovered.
Dante must have come here in search of the Holy Grail.
Beatrice looked around her with her sorrowful heart. She had to find it. If she did it wrong, she might really drown.
This space was completely underwater right now.
That was right around that point.
‘Ah…… !’
Beatrice’s narrowed eyes widened for an instant.
Her gaze went beyond the water, to the barely remaining surface.
Something, like a lump, was floating above it.
And Beatrice had a hunch.
The identity of that lump is Dante, and at the same time, he is currently unconscious.
Beatrice bit her lip tightly.
‘Really, I knew it would be like this!’
Soon, she reached Dante’s side by swimming with difficulty.
“Puh-ha!”
Then she comes out of the water and takes a breath in a familiar way, different from before.
She shook her head to shake off the moisture.
Right now, one of her hands was pulling out all the strength it had to hold on to Dante, but needless to say, she could be said to have faced a difficult situation.
“Wow, it’s hard…… !”
Since he was a man, he would have weighed more than Beatrice, but since she had lost consciousness, he was literally just a ‘lump’.
It was not easy for her to swim across the water while almost dragging such a lump.
Beatrice closed her eyes tightly and tried as hard as she could.
What can we do? I can’t leave this behind.
Isn’t this the water you came into to save him in the first place?
Beatrice gritted her teeth and swam.
As a child, he often played by the river near the village with his real parents, which he found really helpful.
Slap!
“Ugh, evil.”
Should I say I am fortunate? Despite carrying such a heavy load, Beatrice successfully escaped the barrier.
Letting out a sound of ‘panting’, her wet body shivered once.
…… I felt like I needed to cool off right away, but there was still urgent work left.
Isn’t the patient who fell unconscious right here?
Beatrice let out her breath again, remembering her reasonable(?) Resentment toward the Pope.
After wiping her face once, she turned her body.
“… ….”
Dante was there with his eyes closed.
In this way, divine power is evoked.
It may be that he truly lost consciousness without any problem, but you never know. If he drank too much water, he would find out when it was too late -.
If I left it like this, I might never wake up.
For that reason, I was trying to infuse divine power, but an unexpected problem occurred at that very moment.
“…… What.”
The flame of divine power generated is faint.
Literally, it was extremely weak.
Beatrice realized it too late. He now realizes that the place where he is located is a sanctuary like no other.
Her complexion turned white.
…… This place, where not only the Holy Grail but also countless other holy relics are and have been kept, is already a sacred place in itself.
The sacred power accumulated over hundreds of years by countless holy relics, the accumulated divine power is powerful.
If you ask me how powerful it is, the answer is simple.
The moment you step into this place, almost all of its power will be sealed, even if that being possesses divine power of the Pope’s level.
No, it has to be even more so since he possesses the divine power of the Holy Emperor. The stronger the sacred power it contains, the more the amount absorbed by the sanctuary increases exponentially.
Because, apart from the ‘security techniques’ designed by humans, this space itself is such a space.
“… ….”
Beatrice was silent.
Shut her mouth and close her eyes.
She realized that her hands were shaking endlessly.
Helplessness.
She had visited the sanctuary before, but when she was young, her divine power was not as saintly as it is now.
She was just a child who was blessed with divine power and possessed a large amount of divine power.
…… Not now.
Currently, she is a saint who possesses such divine power that her quality and quantity are literally on par with that of the Pope.
How great is the divine power taken away by the sanctuary, and how much can it do?
There was no need to say that.
Beatrice looked at Dante with shaking eyes.
She then clenches her fists.
I finally realized it, but now Dante can’t hear the sound of breathing.
The meaning was simple. Breathing stops.
“Sir, really.”
There is no room for hesitation.
There is no reason for that.
Tub!
Beatrice moved immediately. Reaching out her hand, she grasps Dante’s chin and tilts her head slightly.
After wiping her slightly moist lips with her sleeve, Beatrice bent down.
And make contact.
Page.
He pressed his lips against hers.
Why?
That’s right, I had to give her some breath. Otherwise, you might not be able to wake up.
Isn’t it really a simple thing?
Beatrice narrowed the corners of her eyes.
“… ….”
Move your tongue carefully and lightly press Dante’s tongue. This is to ensure airway.
After this, Beatrice did not hesitate and tried to take her breath away.
Anyway, I received training on artificial respiration.
So, it won’t be difficult.
I thought so.
‘…… Uh.’
Until, without warning, Dante lifted his eyes helplessly.
Soon Dante’s blue eyes turned to Beatrice.
A short silence fell between the two.
To reiterate, artificial respiration was not attempted.
There was just an exchange of glances with different feelings.
“???”
“…… !! …… !!”
Dante just put a question mark.
Beatrice was the opposite.
I was so surprised that I couldn’t even think of removing the lip contact that had now lost its meaning.
It just hardened like that.
Dante wake up before CPR….
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