Chapter 27: Secret

A town of outsiders.

When the town of the outsiders used to be a slum in the fourth district of the royal capital, there was a relief center that claimed to help people but behind the scenes was involved in the sale of slaves and illegal drugs, as well as the mediation of prostitution for both men and women, and was truly a place that combined the good with the bad.

When the slum was officially transformed into a town, the church of Elinora was supposed to have been reborn as a church with proper management.

But that was short-lived, and once again, underhanded businesspeople came in and out of the church, using the church as a front to mediate their underhanded work.

And time passed. The lineage of the church’s underworld business was passed down to a deacon and executioner who condemned evil based on his own judgment and prejudice under the belief in the goddess Elinora.

The deacon and executioner is no longer in this world as a living person. He is now only bound to this world as the Dead Spirit.

Whether you think this end of life is pathetic or self-inflicted and spit on it is up to the mind of the viewer. ……

As was the case in the former Relief Institute, there were indeed a number of people who were helped by the church and deacons, although they were involved in underhanded business. It could be said that there was just a big difference between the front and the back. And which was the front, and which was the back? No one knows that anymore.

The spirits of the dead are no longer stirring.

****

“…..So this is the destination, the church. I can certainly feel the mana of impurity. There were a few undead in the eastern canyon, but this is the first time I’ve sensed the spirits of the dead so clearly.”

“Daryl. You’re just visitors today. Don’t get too far ahead of us.”

　Daryl and others, through the favor of the archbishop, are to witness the defeat of the dead spirits that are hibernating in the abandoned church. The church’s forces will be the main force in the fight.

The Knights of the Cathedral.

Those who use the “sacred arts” for battle. The church’s own battle group.

Although they are only fighting undead demons such as spirits of the dead, they are said to include “guidance” for those who go against the church’s doctrine and the inquisition of heretics.

In other words, the Inquisitor and the Inquisition are rumored to be the backbone of the Knights of the Cathedral. Rumor only.

“Daryl and Cecily. Please be careful, both of you. ……I think you don’t need me to warn you, though. Both of you are young but well trained. And although I feel it is a little different from the mana of the “Sacred Art,” …… I also feel a power like the blessing of the Goddess. Truly wonderful.

A middle-aged man, a knight of the cathedral, is accompanying them. Including him, three knights and four squires have been dispatched on this occasion, which is a very careful arrangement.

It is said that there are two spirits of the dead this time, but they are of medium threat level, and it is said that one knight-class man and three squires would be enough.

“Mr. Wallace. I heard that this time the spirits of death are intermediate level, but will our …… “White Mana” like “Sacred Art” be effective?

“Hmmm. Well, I’m not so sure about that. ……It probably works, but I’m not sure how effective it is.Have you dealt with the undead so far?”

“If it’s just low-grade zombies or skeletons, ……”

The cathedral knight accompanying Daryl and the others, called Wallace, holds his hand to his chin and looks thoughtful.

White manna.

Daryl’s strongest attribute is “fire. However, from some time ago, when he releases magic, it is mixed with white mana. White flame. It is much more powerful, and on top of that, it even has an effect like recovery magic.

When asked at a church in his home territory, he was only told that it is similar to “sacred art,” but the details were unknown. Even after checking various documents and human legends, the details remained unclear.

And although Daryl’s degree is higher, Cecily also has white mana mixed in as well.

　The kingdom and church officials who know what is going on are fussing that “that white mana is the proof of the goddess’ blessing,” and are trying to find out its performance, characteristics, etc., so that they do not think it is unnatural as much as possible.

　This time, it can be said to be part of that process.

“…… As a matter of fact, this number of people is excessive for intermediate level dead spirits. It is possible not only to destroy them but also to bind them with wards. Would you like to try it in that state?”

“…… Mr. Wallace, It’s just Darryl’s nonsense after all. We’ ve been asked to accompany you, and we can’t cause you any more trouble than we already have.”

Cecily, feeling threatened by Daryl’s too-casual request, intervenes.

However, from Wallace’s point of view, such a concern is unnecessary. He is not just a knight, but a captain of the Order of the Cathedral Knights, and is here to conduct experiments on the magic and mana of Daryl’s group.

“Ho ho. Cecily-dono. It doesn’t matter. I was originally told to help you clarify your mysterious mana.I heard that such a thing was mentioned during the questioning of the archbishop.”

“Well, we certainly talked about that…..”

“So, don’t be so overawed. It’s just an occasion for us.”

Wallace admonishes Cecily with a meek expression. He does not say that the extermination of the spirits of the dead is “just an afterthought”.

****

“Oops. I guess the church has already been around. …… Let’s hide our presence to some extent, just in case.”

“……Yes, Master Al.”

But still, this on the same day I came to the town of the outsiders on a whim. …… I still feel like I’m being drawn to the event.

While lowering Vera’s friendliness level and raising his alertness, Al and Vera arrive at the church.. However, the Cathedral Knights and Daryl have already arrived, so they will only watch the situation secretly from a distance.

“Vera, do you hear anything about them and Daryl’s group?”

“……These are the Knights of the Cathedral. As I recall, Daryl and his friends have been mingling with church officials for some time now. The “those with a background in the sacred arts who are enrolled in the academy,” as we heard at the inn earlier, are definitely Daryl and Cecily. It may be part of the investigation into their special magic and mana……. Three cathedral knights may be too many to deal with dead spirits, so the main purpose is to deal with Daryl’s group.”

Vera answered clearly, but Al felt a sense of discomfort.

“Huh? Wait a minute. Are Daryl and Cecily masters of some kind of “special magic or mana”?”

Vera’s discomfort was next. The expression on her face is as if to say, Huh? What are you talking about now?. She no longer hides her negative feelings toward Al. You did it. The relationship has taken a step forward, in a bad way.

“Master Al, isn’t the …… Falconer’s a master at mana control? Did you not sense that special mana of theirs?”

(Ugh. …(it wasn’t that i specifically examining of the two’s mana, pulled by the information that comes in through visual …… ‘sign’, although in the game they become superhuman as they level up. The setting was only “an ordinary boy and girl from a frontier aristocratic family,” and I’m certain there was no such special mana in game)

Al thought he understood that even the initial settings were different between the game and this world, but somewhere he was still pulled by the game settings. There was no longer any guarantee that it would follow the regular route story as he knew it.

(… isn’t it obvious when you think about it? In the game, they became stronger by leveling up. But in this world, we rarely grow dramatically by defeating monsters. In a manner of speaking, there seems to be a mechanism whereby the mana of a defeated demon is absorbed and the amount of mana gradually increases, but it is not as effective as the level-up in the game. It is only the result of steady training and magical research that makes you stronger.

In games, I learned new magic, and skills as my level increased, but in reality, that is not the case. Even my “bullets” took several years to reach a satisfactory ejection speed and power, even though I have a clear image of them. it’s almost impossible for a single person to master and fully manipulate dozens of original magic…)

In this world, there are also those who acquire and develop original magic, like collectors. However, a practical mage has only one or two original magic trump cards other than basic magic. They do not try their hand at all kinds of magic, but often take time to sharpen a single magic. They tend to hone one’s magic over time, like Vera’s “Binding Chain” and Al’s “Bullet”.

Incidentally, Claudia, a blonde with vertical rolls, whom Al identified as an event character, is said to use a powerful fire-attribute magic called “Ruins of a fire” which is a secret of the Allport family, a western noble family, and is specialized for use against the fish people.

“…… Vera have you ever seen their mana or magic in person?”

“It’s not a good idea to pry into other people’s magic, but …… it’s too late for the two of us …….　Daryl is good at fire magic and Cecily seems to prefer wind magic. However, both of them have a kind of sacred light mixed in their magic,……Darryl and his friends call it “white mana”……. And that may be the reason they are so good at it. Perhaps it was because Daryl was manipulating the white flames. On the other hand, Cecily’s magic did not have the same characteristic changes as Daryl’s, but she is a very good user!”

White flame. There is a faint tug on Al’s memory. Game setting.

(White Flame ……? I don’t even remember the name of it, but is it the male protagonist Daryl’s hidden power? The one with a cut-in and a long demonstration-like effect of the Hero……. There must have been one or two such things for every important character, both friend and foe… In this world, the game’s hidden secrets are represented as a character trait? What was the female protagonist, Cecily? According to the information from Vera, is it a wind-type magic? Hmmm… I don’t remember that much anymore…)

Mysterious skills or secret arts. In a game, it is like a high-powered special move that is acquired at the end of the game.

Each character has his or her own special characteristics, and some of them can only be mastered after completing special conditions or events.

Daryl’s secret technique, which is stuck in Al’s memory. This is one of the events in which Daryl fights one-on-one with his former master, and by winning the battle, he acquires the secret technique.

Although it was a forced event in the scenario, there was also a hidden element in which the effects of hidden secrets that could be acquired differed slightly depending on the content of the battle with the master and how the player won the battle.
 

 

“Master Al, They are on the move. It seems that Daryl and the others are going inside. After all, it seems that this is a setup to verify the abilities of Daryl’s group.”

“Can we get any closer? The roof is partially off during the demolition. …… Let’s try to go around to the higher ground and see if we can’t observe what’s going on inside.”

And Al knows. A part of the hero Daryl’s power.

****

Abandoned church.

Not much time has passed since the deacon died unexpectedly, and the church was decided to be demolished when no replacement could be found.

However, the presence of the dead spirit has left an impure mana in the air, and the interior is more decrepit and dilapidated than it seems from the passage of time or from the outside.

And an empty church chapel. In front of the statue of the goddess Elinora stands Mary.

A woman.

As if her flesh were back. If her blood was there, if her expression moved, you would know that she was of an age when even flowers were ashamed of her. But now she is a pale shadow of her former life.

Daryl and the others had no way of knowing, but the Knights of the Cathedral knew to some extent. Mary is an assassin who, along with Deacon Franz, was active in the underworld. Yes, in fact, Deacon Franz’s underworld activities were tacitly approved by the church.

Dead Spirit. A body composed of black, impure mana. It is not only the expression that is dark, but all of its Existence.

Now it is just standing there, doing nothing against the intruder. But it is obvious that it is not an ordinary being.

“…… Mr. Wallace. Is she a spirit of death?”

“Lord Daryl. That thing” is not her. It doesn’t matter if it is male or female, or even what she looked like before she was born. She is just a dead spirit. …… If you refer to her as a human, it will take advantage of you.”

Even though he has secret orders from above, Wallace is a cathedral knight first. In a situation where he has to deal with deadly spirits, his cathedral knight side comes out strongly. He will even correct the Divine Child’s immature mistakes.

“Sorry about that, sir. I was just pulled in by the appearance. I will be careful.”

“Ho ho. I hope you understand. If Daryl’s group’s mana is compatible with the “sacred arts,” we may be dealing with more undead in the future. If that is the case, you will eventually be taught how to be prepared when facing them. But for now, just remember not to think of them as humans.”

(… Mr. Wallace says so, but somehow, he is, like, convinced that our mana connected is to the sacred arts. Is this a confirmation of that? No, even the archbishop and the knights of the cathedral are working on it. I wonder if they would go out of their way to make such a big deal about something of that magnitude. …… Damn, Daryl is such a clunker at times like this. He relies on “a hunch of a bad omen,” and if he doesn’t have a hunch, he doesn’t suspect or read the backstory too much. For better or worse, he’s a straight shooter…)

Daryl has no distrust of the church. Nor does he distrust Joel and his friends. Because he does not have a “hunch.

But Cecily is a little different. She does not rely on “hunch” as much as Daryl does. At least, she uses it as a reference for her actions.

She has a sense of discomfort.

　The actions of the Joels, mingling with the Church and the various noble families. It is certainly necessary, but everyone they meet is too hospitable to them …… and such distrust. It could be said to be an extravagant concern.

In fact, it is still only a small piece of her disbelief, a little more than a misunderstanding.

“Mr. Daryl. That thing does not seem to be the type to actively do anything. Perhaps the other one, the one that harms intruders, may have sensed us and disappeared. …… For the time being, could you try to unleash your magic on it? Then we will see how they react. There will be no need for warding.”

“Huh? Is that all right? Are you sure, you won’t miss it?”

“Ho ho. Daryl-dono. I don’t mean to be rude, but spirit of this caliber, I can destroy it with a single hand. Even if it tries to escape. There is no way I could miss it. Don’t worry about me.”

A knight of the cathedral who has a family tradition regarding the undead. If the knight said there was no problem, Daryl decided to obediently cast a magic spell without hesitation, partly because he had no “hunch.

Daryl’s white flame is a flame, but it has a warmth to it, as if it were a loving flame.

The basic magic of the white flame is a fireball. The so-called fireball.

Because it is a test, the power is restrained and the speed of the fireball is only enough to advance while floating in a fluffy manner.

Everyone, including those who were present and Al and others who were watching from afar, followed the path of the fireball with the understanding that “well, it seems to have some effect”, The same was true for Mary, who had become a mortal spirit. She just stood there and did not take any evasive action.

And the moment Daryl’s white fireball touched Mary, the spirit of death.

Mana exploded with a flash.