8. Magdalen Abbey (6)
Helena was distracted by the flow that raged like a gust of wind.
Suddenly, Ian from the 1st party appeared and seemed interested in him.
Abruptly, Abbey Miriam and the officials gathered to advance the date of the public exam.
Protests erupted, but everyone shut up when they saw the gold coin in Miriam’s hand.
Apostle’s Gold Coin.
Those who engage in Seonghwagyo cannot dare to oppose it.
Miriam did not reveal who the apostle was until the end.
However, it is said that the apostle ordered the monastery to be closed, and that the public exam be held today.
In fact, the Eoyoung and Buyeong public exams have been conducted.
And now.
“Hero, did you say you wanted to?”
“Yes… ?”
“Come with me.”
“Yes… ?”
“I will upload it. to the desired point.”
“… … .”
As if you dipped your face in water, the sounds around you become distant and muffled.
what is it
Why is Ian making this offer to himself?
Why is the former manager of the first party looking at him with such bright eyes?
In the time when the sense of reality faded, Helena’s consciousness was sucked into the past.
*
It’s been quite a while since Helena became a superhuman.
It was a time when there was no system for training warriors in the empire yet.
Helena recalled the starting point of her memories.
I wasn’t even born that day, but only that day is as vivid as the first day of my life.
The day I couldn’t protect my family because I was a superman.
The day I couldn’t even watch my family die.
The senses of the moment when I was hiding in a safe place alone are so vivid.
It wasn’t Helena’s fault.
At the time, Helena was a trainee at a church in the center of the village.
His father was a shepherd, and his mother a washer.
Due to the nature of their jobs, both of them lived mainly on the outskirts of town, and their homes were also on the outskirts.
In other words, it was physically impossible for Helena, who was helping mass at the church in the center of the village, to save her parents who were attacked by demons on the outskirts of the village.
The raid ended in vain.
There were only a few mini golems the size of people.
The village youths joined forces and were able to defeat it with farm tools.
There were quite a few wounded, but few deaths.
Trouble is, Helena’s parents were among those few killed.
‘He died because of me. No, I killed… .’
Guilt came regardless of logic.
The fact that she was the only superhuman in the village further fueled her guilt.
Anger and futility without direction dominated her body, and Helena entrusted herself to a certain monastery.
I wanted to take revenge by polishing my faith.
Then, the ‘hero’ appeared in earnest in the empire, and Helena hoped to become it.
the problem is.
‘Helena… . This is not the only way.’
Helena had no talent.
It was to the extent that I wondered if it was the same superman.
Even the miracle of the protection system, which he was confident in, was a stumbling block.
It’s so big that it only gets in the way of your colleagues.
I was pointed out countless times that it would get in the way when shooting an arrow or using magic from behind.
Still, Helena couldn’t dislike that single advantage.
‘I know how you feel, but I’d better give up.’
It couldn’t be.
Helena’s life has already reached inertia.
It is impossible to stop voluntarily.
If it ever stopped, Helena knew that her life itself would stop.
I also used the story of ‘Aria’ that I learned one day as a driving force.
Arya’s growing up was decorated like a pleasant comedy.
The story of Aria, who is indolent and lazy, and Philip, who calms and calms Aria.
It was one of the oral fairy tales that someday centered around Supevia and the members of the 1st party.
Among them, Helena liked Arya’s story the most.
It’s light, but it was a story with a hopeful lesson that effort is rewarded in the end.
And on the other hand, just like Philip came to Arya.
There was also a selfish and double expectation that someone would come and lead him.
Around that time, he moved to McDerline Abbey and met Rachel.
The child with a calm impression was as clumsy as himself.
That evoked a sense of camaraderie.
While helping such Rachel, Helena also leaned on her on the other hand.
I felt joy just being able to help someone, and I felt like I had a new appreciation for myself.
Rachel, who was clumsy, was quick to learn, and quickly surpassed Helena.
Helena did not envy it again.
I just accepted my situation.
Sometimes, it was a life that was all about being satisfied with Arya’s story.
Then I heard that the public exam was being held at Magdalen Abbey, and then Salome appeared.
In a different sense from Helena, he was an overwhelming talent who wanted to be the same superhuman.
He was a person who had already come in while preparing for the temporary warrior test elsewhere, and even had actual combat experience.
“What, you’re saying you’re going to put me on the same line as these kids?”
The arrogant Salome reigned among the novice nuns and became violent.
The main target was Rachel.
The reason was simple.
This is because Rachel did not particularly respect Salome, and was in second place, just below Salome.
“stop it!”
It was the day when Helena stood in the way of Salome instead of Rachel.
Salome’s reaction was colder than anything else.
“… Who is he?”
The reaction was that he did not know who Helena was.
“Helena? Who is it? … 30th?”
Salome wrinkled her brow as if she were looking at a funny insect.
After that, the target was changed from Rachel to Helena.
Helena gladly accepted.
It was an expression of guilt.
A forced sacrifice to bruise the past self for not being able to protect the family.
Salome persistently chewed on Helena’s only organ, the protection system miracle.
“Hey, hey. It’s because you shouldn’t do it like that. How many times do I have to inform you? Or are you saying that I’m annoying you on purpose?”
If there was one thing that Salome, who was excellent in all aspects, was just missing, it was the output of protection.
It was the average skill in the monastery.
It’s not that it’s lacking, but the other stats were so outstanding that they stood out.
Because of that, Salome disliked Helena, who was superior to her in protection-type miracles, and even more so to the point of being bizarre.
“Starting today, just try to have a bastard who makes his protection bigger than me.”
It reached the point of suppressing the skills of the Gearko apprentice nuns.
At the center of it all was Helena.
Everyone hated Helena.
‘Even if it wasn’t just you.’
Salome would not have been so forceful.
He couldn’t hate Salome, so he hated Helena.
I tried to protest to Lydia, the person in charge of the public exam, but she only said that she would take action.
Fearing that it would be a nuisance, he deliberately distanced himself from his only friend, Rachel.
Rachel, too, could not overcome Salome’s glare and Helena’s ignorance, and ended up turning a blind eye to Helena.
Helena didn’t particularly hate or blame Rachel.
It was just that he had replaced Rachel.
Day by day, I become isolated in the crowd.
Slandering that even the only organs he believed in were trash.
One day, I thought that even praying to God was meaningless, and my faith was diminishing.
Again, Helena is back now.
A meeting room for two.
Ian in front of him was calm, matching the impression he had on that day, but his eyes were sincere.
“Come with me.”
“I… .”
Ian did not give Helena a chance to speak.
“I took the test today and was convinced. Helena, you are exactly what I was looking for.”
“that… .”
“Especially before the exam, was there a time when you personally showed off your skills one by one? I felt it right then.”
Regardless of the test, each of the 30 nuns performed three miracles in front of the test officials.
The name was to check the physical condition before the surprise test.
In fact, Ian’s identification was the purpose.
‘A sense of incongruity prevailed throughout the monastery, not to mention the novice nuns. If it’s a problem between people, it’s easier to show off my skills when people’s eyes are few.’
In fact, compared to the last time I saw it, the level of miracles in the protection system had risen by one level.
Among them, Helena was overwhelming.
“I… .”
“I think you said it as if you respected Arya. Right?”
Ian continued not to give Helena a say.
I’m not trying to ignore her.
‘Seems like he’s obsessed with being ranked 30th, he’s the kind of person who deliberately pushes himself in a bad direction. You shouldn’t give them room to think or speak.’
Those who are addicted to despair turn away from happiness or hope.
They commit themselves to sink into the pit of self-consciousness endlessly.
From Ian’s point of view, Helena was that type.
You shouldn’t give yourself time to study yourself.
“Yes that’s right… .”
“I am the one who watched that aria for a long time. You said you knew me, right?”
“Yes… . However… .”
“You must be curious. The reason why the person who had been with Aria whom he admired wants him now. You won’t believe it.”
It outruns their thoughts and even steals what the other person has to say.
“That’s it, hmm… . How should I feel about this?”
He spoke briefly and forcefully to stir Helena’s thoughts.
“I’m obsessed with Helena.”
-thud!
Helena shuddered and pressed her knee to the desk.
“What, Ma, Words, Lee Shin, ah, in Seonghwagyo, that, dating, of course, allowed, but, but, I still… .”
I shook a lot, but I shook too much.
“… No, I don’t mean that. Remember when I said I was looking for someone who specializes in protection-type miracles?”
“I remember… .”
“It is right in front of me. And you keep obsessing over the 30th… . Helena, even if we get out of here, will Helena be 30th?”
“Yes… ?”
“What is Helena when you get out of here? After becoming a temporary warrior? What if you become a full-fledged hero?”
“… … .”
“The number 30 cannot represent you. In other words, even if you are not ranked 30th, Helena is still Helena.”
Helena kept her mouth shut.
The words I was trying to deny came in.
Ian felt the conflicted feeling.
This time, I gave him some time to ponder.
Suddenly, Ian remembered the first time he met Arya.
She was the one who made absurd sophistry about wanting to do it but not wanting to do it.
Compared to that bad boy, persuading this Helena is like playing with children.
“Follow me.”
Only the degree and resolution are different.
Same as Vivian.
A person who cannot believe in himself.
Ian will re-form that belief through himself.
But I had an intuition that I needed to be more active than Vivian.
Seeing Ian’s hand, Helena grabbed it as if possessed.
“Yes… .”
Ian didn’t let go and pulled his hand lightly and said.
“Let’s do our best in the future.”
“Yes, yes… . Me too, please… .”
Helena blushed slightly, and answered in a crawling voice.
*
Helena had no idea how the day was going.
It’s an irreverent thought for a believer, but it’s like being possessed by a demon.
I couldn’t leave the monastery until the test results were released, so I waited until the next day.
Aside from Ian’s dominance of Helena, Helena didn’t test very well.
“From now on, I will announce the 15 successful candidates of the McDerlin Abbey Public Examination.”
Miriam declared.
“Fifteenth place, Yunias. 14th… .”
The order is in reverse order from 15th to 1st.
Calling three people by name.
“Veronica in 6th place, Naomi in 5th place, 4th… .”
The names of the top two, Salome and Rachel, are not mentioned.
Helena would have fallen out of the 15th place, so of course there is nothing to be called.
One final announcement remains.
The top of the public exam.
A talent that will be coveted by all who come here.
These are the people who may influence the position of Seonghwagyo in the future.
On Miriam’s next call.
“Third, … Salome.”
The hall was in an uproar.
Everyone here predicted that Salome would end up in first place.
Despite the sudden test, Salome showed great skill.
But that Salome, took third place.
Salome stepped forward with a puzzled face.
Miriam calmly announced the next order.
“Second place, Rachel.”
The hall was agitated.
Rachel is excellent, but is she better than Salome?
Not everyone was so sure.
“Yes… ?”
Rachel stood next to Salome, who hesitated.
Salome glared at Rachel with a frown.
“next. 1st.”
Miriam was in a tumultuous atmosphere, and herself hesitated a little before calling out the first place.
“… Helena.”
… … .
silence.
An unpleasant silence focused on Helena.
“… uh?”
Helena belatedly came to her senses, and the crowd stirred up again.
It is a situation far beyond expectations.
Confused, so was Ian.
‘… what?’
I chose it myself, but to be honest, I don’t feel like Helena is number one.
Yesterday’s test also surprised people with an unexpected miracle of protection, but that was all.
‘What happened?’
“Oh, goosebumps! What’s this! It’s the Helena that Ian said he’d take! Wow, is there really something I can’t see?!”
Marie, who was watching from the side, patted Ian’s arm.
Ian pointed Marie to a few nuns who seemed fine, including Helena and Rachel.
Naturally, Marie had promised not to touch the nun Ian coveted.
By the way, the person she covets the most right now is Rachel.
“Didn’t Ian do something?!”
“How do I do that?”
I can do it.
Still, this time it wasn’t real.
When he was told that he might see a new colleague today, Vivian, who followed him, laughed hesitantly because he just couldn’t grasp the situation.
What surprised me the most in this situation was, of course, Salome, who predicted her first place.
“Now, wait a minute… ! Nonsense! Those bastards did better on the test than me?”
She was shocked enough to spit out double curses in front of people.
But the audience felt the same way.
“What are these bitches doing behind the scenes… .”
Salome approached menacingly, and Helena stood in Rachel’s way.
“I don’t know, but don’t touch Rachel… !”
“Fuck the kid! Hey, can’t you understand the situation? Does it make sense for the two of you to be ranked 1st and 2nd above me! What have you guys done! There must have been some trick behind the scenes! Aren’t you?!”
said Salome, looking around at the crowd.
It was a very sympathetic atmosphere.
‘It’s a dirty bitch… .’
I was going to let it go because it was time for the Holy Knights to come soon, but the level of harassing Helena was a bit severe.
“Did you put a bribe behind your back? No, beggars like you don’t have the money for that. Why, where are there people who want to buy your body? Yes, that person called the apostle… .”
“stop!”
The moment Miriam intervenes.
At the same time as Ian gets up.
“It’s such a fucking bitch.”
Marie also stood up.
Unaware that Ian was awake, Marie walked out in front of Salome with a bloody expression on her face as if she would chew up anyone in her way.