158. To the County (2)
Claire was successfully persuaded.
… I don’t know if you can call this persuasion, but I did it anyway.
“Mari, I’m sorry, but I want you to come with me.”
Of course, the next person to persuade is Marie.
To be honest, taking her girlfriend to the source of the infection was not something she was willing to do, but when she thought about it all, she decided that it was right to take Marie.
From a macro perspective, Marie also needs to raise her level to a certain extent.
Whatever it is, it’s only Chapter 2.
Chapter 1 boss, Lee Hyeong’s hero. Chapter 2 boss, a fallen saint.
Chapter 4 boss, the guardian of the final seal, and Chapter 5 boss, the Resurrected Demon King, which concludes all chapters.
The difficulty increases in the later scenarios, but I think Chapter 3 is still the most vicious.
Chapter 3 Boss ‘Eternal Witch’.
All bosses are visited and defeated by Lucius himself, but this boss in Chapter 3 is different.
He has a much more three-dimensional personality than other bosses, so he personally infiltrated the academy in the second semester of his second year.
By the end of the second semester of the second year, it has enough influence to shake up the academy, and the recent apocalypse incident is literally at the level of fresh blood.
As a boss who not only drives countless students into the pit of hell, but also becomes the seed that leads to the destruction of even the Demon Lord’s army.
It is a monster of monsters that does not even blink an eye even if it turns all living things around the world into its enemies.
The only way to survive the disaster that will occur in the future is to become stronger.
In particular, neither I nor Marie nor Claire are extras, not the main characters.
It is a world where it is difficult to say that the lives of the supporting actors are valuable, so we will have to grow together to survive.
“Is there a reason why I have to go…?”
“Yes.”
“…Okay, then I’ll go too.”
Marie nodded her head heavily. Fortunately, it seems like he understood.
“So what’s the plan?”
From a little distance away, Claire’s face turned red and she asked while waving her hand.
It looks like he got hot from grabbing him by the collar earlier…… Even if I cared about it, it was my loss so I decided to ignore it.
“Is there a way to get in in the first place? It’s a completely sealed off place.”
“Do you know that Benit Findelnerca went to the county?”
“Oh, did you really go to the county? I knew you went somewhere with Lucius Party.”
Claire shrugged his shoulders. As expected, the information power is too excellent.
“If Benit went to the County of Findelnerca, then there is a way for us to get in as well.”
“So how are you going to find out?”
“I have something in mind. You will find out sooner or later.”
“Huh?”
Claire tilts her head.
But unfortunately, there is no proper way to explain it at this point.
It’s good to know information about the future, but it’s annoying every time this happens. In the end, order is necessary to get things done.
“I’m not sure, but I think we’ll be leaving in 4 days. So I hope everyone gets ready in the meantime.”
“Get ready. What do you need?”
“You need a lot of holy water. And if possible, it would be a good idea to wear holy items on your body.”
For example, the necklace gifted to Marie has a divine effect. Of course, since it is just an item purchased from a store with money, it is difficult to expect much in terms of performance.
Still, it’s better than nothing.
Since you will be staying in the County of Findelnerca for about 3 weeks, you need to make sure you have infection control measures in place.
“Holy water and sacred items. I’ll take a look. What else?”
“I brought the item from the Student Knights’ warehouse. The period is short, but each person must train enough to become familiar with it to some extent. —And there is the most important thing.”
“The most important thing?”
“Yes.”
I said.
“I have to do my homework.”
Two months of school closure.
Nearly two weeks have already passed.
And I would probably stay in the County of Findelnerca for at least 2 weeks or as long as 4 weeks.
If that happens, the remaining time is at most 2-3 weeks.
Each student takes approximately 17 credits per semester. That is, approximately 6 to 7 subjects.
Since there was one assignment for each subject this time, all students had to complete an average of 6 to 7 assignments.
The same goes for Lucius and the others.
Lucius has probably arrived in the County of Findelnerca by now.
While defeating the monsters there…… Perhaps they are also completing their assignments together.
Even if you are a hero who will save the world, you still have to do your homework.
If you do not complete the assignment, you will be subject to forced supplementary study due to lack of GPA.
In terms of the game system, this vacation homework was actually a side quest that ran parallel to the main scenario.
In a way, it could be said that the host and guest were converted. This is because the sub-quests are the main culprit in increasing the difficulty level.
So, I did the assignment in advance.
“…You’ve already finished your assignment?”
“Yes.”
I nodded.
As expected, Lucius and I had different positions.
Even if Lucius and the others are unable to complete their assignments, it is at best a supplementary class.
Of course, supplementary classes are also quite a painful penalty in Unknown Saga.
Bond events with heroines cannot be held, and the growth of characters is also stagnant, thereby wasting various opportunity costs.
But I don’t end up taking supplementary classes.
Ariel Beherit has already repeated a grade once, so if she fails again, she will have to leave Filea Academy.
So, I worked hard on my assignment for the past two weeks.
“It would be a good idea for you to do your homework in advance. Especially Claire, you already had bad grades in the first semester.”
“I know how to do it even if you don’t point it out….But you say we’re leaving in 4 days? No matter what, we can’t finish it in 4 days.”
“So, why don’t you do your homework whenever you have time?”
“Do you think you could have afforded that?”
“Uhm….”
Well, there couldn’t have been any spare time. The situation was complicated in many ways because of the apocalypse.
I guess this may be something I did wrong. I think I should have told Marie and Claire in advance to do their homework before leaving the floating island.
“There’s nothing we can do. We have work to do during vacation, so none of us should take supplementary classes. Rachel and I will help you as much as we can, so try your best on your assignments for the time being.”
“Whew… okay.”
That’s how our assignment life began.
After finishing my morning routine, I go to the library.
We all do homework together in the library, and whenever we have free time, we prepare to leave for the County of Findelnerca.
Buy camping equipment, holy water, and other consumables and pack your bags.
Back at the library, if Marie gets stuck on an assignment, she teaches her or we research together.
If Marie seems to be losing concentration, go to the training center and get her body moving.
She has already given Marie the ‘magic-eating bird of Hyacinth’ and trains her to become familiar with how to use the item.
She and I also practice handling ‘Stellac’s forearms’.
Although Claire does not train with us, she seems to be learning how to use the ‘Ring of Aleph’ out of sight.
She warmed up lightly and then went back to the library to work on her homework until dinner. After dinner, she returned to the dormitory and did her homework together.
Since she is out of school, her curfew and roll call are completely gone. Thanks to this, even if she stayed up late doing homework in my room, no one would say anything.
As three days passed like that,
“Senior Flora decided to do her homework for her.”
In front of the library entrance,
I was hearing those words from Claire.
“……What?”
“Oh, didn’t you hear, Ariel? I got to do Claire’s assignment instead.”
Flora, who was standing next to Claire, smiled and said.
She was holding a large amount of books and materials in her arms.
“No, what do you mean… Why is senior Flora doing your homework for you…?”
“But we’re leaving soon. There’s not much we can do in just four days from the start.”
“Yes, but….”
Assignments submitted at Filea Academy are as difficult as university assignments.
Flora is saying that she will take it on.
That is during the school closure period, which is practically a vacation.
… If it were me, I would never take it on.
“How much are you getting paid?”
“It was too much of an amount to refuse.”
“I see….”
“Well, it’s not that difficult. Even though Flora looks like this, she’s a third year student? She has her own know-how, and in fact, she’s free these days.”
“Are there any problems with the Student Knights?”
Many of the knights, including Jayca, died, and even Andy, the leader, left for the County of Findelnerca with Lucius.
So, Jin must have remained at Filea Academy even during her break from school.
She is probably still busy working tirelessly.
“Of course it was a mess. But she’s doing everything she can, isn’t she? Flora doesn’t make any money, so she doesn’t want to be busy.”
“…….”
Her attitude is that she will only work for as much as she is paid.
In some ways, he may be the most modern person I’ve ever met.
That’s probably why Flora won’t be her next deputy division commander.
“Then I will ask you a favor~.”
Claire says with a bright smile.
Flora shrugged her shoulders once and said,
“I heard he takes advantage of his seniors a lot. Well, it doesn’t matter as long as he pays the right amount of money.”
And he left just like that.
If you look at her back with that dumbfounded face,
Claire pats me on the back.
“Ariel, what are you doing? I’m not going in.”
“…….”
Feeling a little complicated.
I wonder if this is really okay, but I also wonder if Claire solved the task anyway, so that’s it.
Then, maybe I should have paid the money and left it to Flora instead of going through all the trouble…… I thought a little bit like that.
“…Okay, let’s go in.”
From noble mtl dot com
A thousand thoughts came to mind, but for now, let’s focus on the situation in front of us.
Open the library door.
Stagnant air mixed with a heavy woody smell.
The door with the soundproofing spell is heavy, slightly heavier than a typical classroom door.
The bookshelves can be seen with calm lighting.
An old-fashioned atmosphere decorated with a neat and sophisticated atmosphere without even a speck of dust.
A strange atmosphere is conveyed, including the fact that not a single page of the book has been treated with magic to prevent discoloration.
I see two familiar faces.
Marie and Rachel were waiting at a large desk.
“You are here, Ariel Beheritt.”
But neither of them greeted me.
Not many people call me by my full name.
Unusually, Nina came right in front of me.
She usually sits at the counter, but on rare occasions she was out of the counter.
“Are you on duty again today, Nina?”
“Yes, that’s right. Since most of the library committee members are taking a break due to the last incident, … are you saying they won’t be using the reading room today?”
“I can go later, but I don’t need it right now.”
“I see.”
Nod.
Nina lowered her head.
“I have to leave the room for a moment to go to the bathroom. If you have any business, I would appreciate it if you could do it after I get back.”
“Okay, let’s do it.”
“Then please excuse me.”
Nina passes by me and goes out into the hallway.
The movement was never fast, but it made no sound.
I found out about that fact a beat later and realized her discomfort only later.
“You came with Entyrus, Master. Marie’s task progress is going smoothly.”
As I passed Nina and approached the table, Rachel reported.
Marie arrived at the floating island four days earlier than Claire, and thanks to Rachel and I sticking together to help her, the task progressed to some extent.
Of course, it would be impossible to complete all the tasks before departure, but it wouldn’t be too late if she completed them after she returned from her visit to the County of Findel Nerca.
I nodded and opened my mouth.
“If there are no major incidents, we will depart for the Count of Findelnerca tomorrow. This will probably be the last meeting before departure.”
I handed out some documents.
There is a list of items written there. Each party member indicated what items they should carry and how they should move to the County of Findelnerca.
“I will first tell you about the situation in the County of Findelnerca. Currently, the ‘Territory Protection Art Act’ is in effect in the County of Findelnerca.”
“…This is the first time I’ve heard of this information. What kind of magic is ‘Territory Protection Art’?”
“It’s not magic. It’s sacred art… In other words, it’s a miracle given by God, Entirus.”
Rachel said so.
As she was her high-ranking priest, it seemed like she had some knowledge about it.
“Rachel, if you know, please explain.”
“Yes, master.
In this world, there are saints who can hear the voice of the one God, Gerginia, from the closest place. According to literature, there is a story that the ‘forgotten hero’ was also one of the saints.
Sacred arts were originally something that Gerginia took pity on us weak humans and lent her power to. It is not acceptable to use that power arbitrarily, and we are promised to record in the scriptures and use only those prescribed by God.
However, it seems that the saints were chosen by Gerginia and were given permission by Gerginia to protect the safety of humanity by using their power as freely as their own bodies.
‘Territory Protection Technique’ is one of them, and it is a high-level magic method that Melisia Dedraus, the ‘Thread of the Labyrinth’ who inherited the blood of a saint, personally woven after hearing the words of God. It is said to be a miracle that causes evil people to go astray.”
“…Something like that.”
Rachel explained things she didn’t need to know, but in summary, she said that if she enters the County of Findel Nerca, she will definitely get lost.
“In addition, it will be difficult to use the warp gate order book. It would be good to assume that there will be problems with item supply and that you will definitely end up homeless.”
“…You’ll always lose your way and you won’t be able to use the warp gate spell? Why on earth is that activated?”
“It is probably to prevent the infected entities from escaping. As a result, not only the infected entities but also the citizens living in the county are unable to escape.”
“It’s so intense… Is there some way?”
“It’s not like it doesn’t exist. In the end, ‘Territory Protection Art’ is a sacred art on a large scale. And as Rachel said, sacred art is just a power lent to humans by God.”
So, what happens when sacred art and sacred art collide with each other?
If humans with different definitions wield the power of God, whose will will the One God listen to?
“It’s a difficult problem.
Is the person with stronger faith right? Is the person with a stronger will right? Is the person with more justice right? Is the person who causes the least harm to humanity right? .
Because there are various viewpoints, God does not carelessly infringe on our human freedom.”
“When divine powers collide with each other, they cancel each other out to some extent.”
There are a total of 5 districts in the County of Findelnerca.
Eastern district, Western district, Southern district, Northern district, Central district.
In each district, a ‘holy fire’ is kept.
If you obtain the spark of the sacred fire, you can offset the Territory Protection Art Act to some extent, if not completely.
“If you are in a sacred place where the sacred fire is kept, you can probably use the warp gate spell.”
“That means Rachel’s role is important.”
Claire listened to my explanation and nodded as if she understood.
“Rachel is a slave and a high-ranking priestess, right? Then, isn’t it possible to resist to some extent Rachel’s sacred arts?”
“I’ve never tried it, but it might be possible in theory.”
“And from what I heard, you won’t have to lose your way until you get the spark of torch. Until then, Rachel will have to guide you. Can you do it with a body like that? It won’t be easy.”
“It’s okay, Entirus. You don’t have to worry. I’m not going to the Count of Findelnerca.”
“……Huh?”
Claire tilts her head.
He looked at me as if he had heard something wrong.
“…You’re not going?”
“Okay. Rachel’s not going. She has to stay on the floating island and take care of her crops.”
“No, wait… didn’t you say you were going as a group of four?”
“Yes, the four of us will go. Me, you, Marie, and….”
-Squeak.
The door was opened.
At that moment, everyone focused their attention on the sound of the door opening,
The person who received attention opened his eyes wider than usual, as if he had not expected it.
“…What’s going on?”
Nina, who had just returned from the bathroom, asked me that.