NOVEL NEXT Chapter 86
#86
Piccaol Temple (1)
A training ground of the Rosellia Temple.
“Haap!”
Clang—!
The retired former Paladin Luther admired the young man in front of him as he deflected his sword.
‘His growth rate has increased.’
He had already been watching Heinrich Landguard due to his exceptional potential that even warranted special privileges from the Holy Church, but recently, his growth had taken off.
So much so that predicting his limit was impossible.
‘Heinrich Landguard···.’
With the higher-ups and even the Saint directly supporting him, Luther didn’t openly show it but secretly felt displeased about the situation.
He recognized his potential and possibilities, but he thought it was too heavy a burden for a fledgling who had just been appointed as a Knight.
‘For a Knight, holy power isn’t everything.’
Of course, he respected the proof of faith and agreed it was better to have more than less, but…
Separately from that, for a Knight who had to stand at the forefront and not as a protected priest, personal strength was crucial.
‘I thought so…’
In fact, Heinrich wasn’t lacking in strength from the start.
He was not at the level of a commander but was comparable to a decent upper-level Knight.
“Hmm—!”
His sword suddenly bent in an unreasonable direction and thrust toward Luther’s solar plexus.
Although it placed tremendous strain on his wrist, Heinrich didn’t care.
Ching—!
Casually, he followed up the blocked attack, using the rebound to sweep his leg.
Luther easily fended off that strike, but…
‘Light?’
He felt no weight in the attack.
As soon as he realized this, he stepped back.
Whoosh—!
A metal mass whizzed by where his ankle had been.
It was Heinrich’s leg, clad in armor.
Luther noticed a spark in his eyes, but Heinrich merely clicked his tongue in disappointment.
‘I tried to use what I was hit with, but it didn’t work. Is the opponent just not good enough?’
Heinrich’s weight, wrapped in armor, must have played a part.
The Trueblood Frigia, who had first used this technique in Brokoslac, was quick and light with every movement, so a difference in combat style was natural.
However, Luther, who was Heinrich’s swordsmanship instructor, nodded in admiration at his sense, which was better than expected.
‘He’s definitely not ordinary. Even now, he might be comparable to a veteran Knight. At this rate, he could really reach Paladin status within a few years.’
While secretly acknowledging Heinrich, he maintained a stern expression to avoid giving false hope to a promising talent.
“Today’s training ends here.”
“Thank you! Instructor!”
After a few hours of training, Luther left the training ground with a pleased expression.
‘After all, stamina is the source of all power. He truly has exceptional potential right from the start.’
Every time he observed Heinrich’s overwhelming stamina, he had a richly fulfilling time training, taking joy in mentoring a junior.
Left alone in the space Luther had just vacated, Heinrich slowly relaxed and tidied up the training grounds.
It had been a few days since he heard about the Holy Sword from the Saint, but all he had done during that time was training.
Training in various combat arts, sacred laws, and personal drills.
‘It’s nice that I can focus solely on becoming stronger.’
Thanks to the growth rate acceleration added by enhancing his Unique Skill, he could visibly see himself growing day by day, and with results coming in immediately, training was naturally enjoyable.
About two weeks after he immersed himself in such a satisfactory environment, Saint Liesta called for Heinrich.
Knock knock—
“Saint, it’s Heinrich. You called for me.”
“Yes! Come in!”
The Saint’s office was simple, filled with shelves packed with books and decorative items carved in the symbol of the Church.
As he casually glanced around the plain office, he noticed the titles on the books:
[Adventures of the Hero and the Saint ~Dragon Hunting Chronicles]
[Adventures of the Hero and the Saint ~Fairy Kingdom]
[The Foolish Prince and the Cursed Princess]
<······>
‘Hmm.’
He noticed the books tucked away in the corner, yet he pretended not to see them and turned his gaze away.
A girl’s privacy should always be respected.
Unaware of Heinrich’s consideration, the Saint jumped up from her desk and welcomed him, tossing aside the documents she had been struggling over moments before.
Most matters were handled by the staff according to the Cardinals’ decisions, but there were tasks like these meant to provide the Saint with experience.
What she had been reviewing was such a bothersome issue, and as soon as Heinrich entered, she seized the opportunity to throw it aside.
Though leaving it unresolved wouldn’t fix the issue, it merely meant postponement…
The Saint was content to escape a headache for now.
She could leave later matters to her future self!
“Hello, Saint.”
“Hello, Sir Heinrich! We have a lot to discuss, so please, have a seat.”
Heinrich sat on the sofa across the reception table and faced the Saint.
“I’ve heard stories. There are many strict instructors, but everyone speaks highly of you, Sir Heinrich.”
“Not at all. It’s thanks to all the wonderful teachers who train me.”
After exchanging compliments and modest words, the serious conversation began.
“According to others’ evaluations, I think you’re about ready to challenge the trial of the Holy Sword.”
“The Holy Sword, huh… That was faster than I expected.”
It hadn’t been a month since Heinrich began intensive training after hearing about the sword from her.
Even though he had grown rapidly, he thought he would need a bit more practice.
“Honestly, I’d prefer if you had a bit more time to prepare, but I have a bad feeling about things.”
“A bad feeling?”
“I have a premonition that something big is about to happen. I’m not sure, but it seems like the Undead King is about to stir something up.”
“Ah… Is that so?”
The Saint’s premonitions were said to be akin to foresight, but it seemed she might have missed the mark this time.
Hans was still busy volunteering back on Earth.
“So, the Church is raising the alert level and preparing for any situation. Warnings will soon reach other factions as well, so everyone should be ready for something to happen.”
But seeing the Saint’s confident demeanor made it seem like she sensed something.
It might not be because of Hans, but she seemed to have picked up on something significant.
“Now, let’s get back to the topic of the Holy Sword. I received word that you can start the trial at the Piccaol Temple in the western continent whenever you’re ready.”
About 300 years ago, the second Undead King wreaked havoc in the western part of the continent and destroyed the Sarv Empire.
Then, after the Special Task Force defeated the Undead King, what took its place was the Kingdom Alliance formed by four countries claiming descent from the Sarv Empire.
Talia, Sharoti, Tulke, and Resk Kingdom successfully erased the scars of the Undead King War after a long effort.
Of course, their individual strengths weren’t particularly strong due to the aftermath, but they worked together to help each other develop.
‘Among these kingdom alliances, the temple built in the southern Resk Kingdom is…’
Piccaol Temple.
The most recently constructed temple during the reconstruction process around 300 years ago that housed the Holy Sword and…
It was also the site where the previous hero alongside the Special Task Force defeated the second Undead King.
“However, while they succeeded in subduing the Undead King, they didn’t manage to properly seal his heart.”
And perhaps because of that, whether it was because he did something before dying or simply due to revenge, the place where the Undead King fell began to turn into the Abyss.
“To purify it, the previous hero and the Holy Church planted the Holy Sword there, sealing it before constructing the temple above it.”
That was the Piccaol Temple overseeing the west.
The existing temples in the west had fallen along with the Sarv Empire, creating a need at that exact moment.
“So if I pull the Holy Sword, the seal will be broken, right? Can I go get it?”
“It’s been 300 years. While that was the only option back then, it should be fine now even without the Holy Sword.”
They had attempted to recover the Holy Sword periodically since the last generation because it was too valuable to leave in one place.
Of course, the results were predictable.
“They all failed. It’s not easy, it seems.”
The Saint sighed and shrugged.
To become the owner of the Holy Sword, one had to pass through several challenging trials, and if the same person challenged multiple times, it reportedly required a higher level each time.
Thus, the best method was to gain the Holy Sword’s recognition on the very first attempt.
“But how can you be so sure that I will succeed right away?”
“Because Sir Heinrich is the one meant to defeat the Undead King!”
The Saint replied, her eyes shining with unwavering belief.
Feeling a twinge of guilt from her unwavering faith, Heinrich subtly averted his gaze.
“Understood. So when can I go over there?”
“Right now!”
“Pardon?”
“I’ve already informed the Gate! If you go now, you’ll instantly be teleported to Piccaol Temple!”
Without a moment’s hesitation, the Saint replied, proud of her quick administration.
She seemed quite satisfied with how swiftly she had handled her task.
Seeing his incredulous expression, she tilted her head innocently, blinking her eyes.
‘Well, since there’s not much to prepare, I guess it doesn’t matter if I go right away.’
Heinrich smirked and rose from his seat.
He didn’t forget to leave the Saint with a parting word.
“Well then, I’ll head over immediately. I hope you finish your remaining tasks well too, Saint.”
“Ah! Oh no…”
Realizing the homework she had forgotten, the bright smile on the Saint’s face quickly faded.
Her reaction suggested that it must be quite an annoying problem.
With that, Heinrich left the Saint’s office and headed straight for the Gate Room.
Traveling to Piccaol Temple in the western continent.
To obtain the Holy Sword that would defeat the Undead King!
*
Swish—
[Hmm… It seems I’ve mostly sorted things out.]
On the rooftop of a tall building in the middle of the night.
A presence loomed over the city, surrounded by dark shadows.
Korea’s dark hero, a criminal hunter, the unofficial strongest.
And the disaster of another world, Auterica — Death arriving from the Abyss.
Undead King Hans.
‘It’s definitely easier to work with the power of an organization. There are limits to what I can do alone.’
Sometimes, a decent number of somewhat useful allies can help more than a single absolute powerhouse.
With the presence of the blood alliance, including Heterocyst, work efficiency had significantly increased.
‘At the very least, the information-gathering capability is vastly different.’
Hans could only target criminals caught in his detection network.
A vicious criminal could easily slip through his grasp by mere luck.
But now the situation was different.
With the blood alliance expanding its reach nationwide, they gathered information, and thanks to the “Refined Blood Essence,” Heterocyst had become far stronger and hunted them down.
And the ones that they couldn’t handle would be dealt with through Hans.
It was a perfect division of labor.
[Now, it seems there aren’t any major figures to worry about.]
Hans checked Hainz II’s business phone to see if any new information had come in.
However, after moving around busy for a few days, he found nothing pressing enough for him to intervene personally.
[Hmm… Is it really none? …Then, should I head back? Hehehe.]
By “home,” he didn’t mean a house.
It was more like his homeland.
‘I was already worried about the Saint’s words, so maybe I should look into that.’
Thus, the terror of the continent, Undead King, set off toward Auterica once again.