Hohenrich (3)
The sword flies in.
I extended the shield in my left hand to deflect the sword, but…
Kakak!
‘So shallow!’
The sword that lightly grazed my shield now bent to cut into my lower body.
In a rush, I swung the longsword in my right hand to counter the attack, but the opponent didn’t stop there.
Ching! Ching! Chwaang—
I blocked the continuous flurry of strikes with the sword and shield in my hands.
Thanks to my sharp instincts, countless training sessions, and an extremely refined body, I barely managed to react.
Then suddenly…
Opportunity!
An opening momentarily revealed in my opponent’s sword swing.
It wasn’t a complete opening. If I aimed for that spot, I would have to endure a larger injury.
But if I was ready to sacrifice a bone, I could take a slice of flesh!
Without hesitation, I swung my sword…
Puhah—
I fell backward from the shock that pushed me away from my shield.
“Gah…”
“Ugh, ugh, phew… What a shock. Is he crazy or what?”
The staggering opponent shook his leg and shook his head.
He must have kicked my shield to gain distance, stopping his strikes at the last moment.
He grimaced and shook off his body, clearly having overexerted himself in that moment.
“Hey, let’s call it a day. Why on earth are you coming at me like you want to kill me in practice? Even if we’re not afraid of getting hurt, this is a bit much.”
The senior Paladin who was my sparring partner grumbled.
At that, those watching nearby approached and began discussing the fight as if recounting it.
“Heinrich’s recovery is truly impressive. Considering that, isn’t this a decent fighting style?”
“Even so, if you get hit wrong and die in one shot, what’s the use of recovery?”
“If he can manage that point, it looks pretty good, right? Take on some damage, quickly deal with the enemy, and then recover…”
“Well, if you have enough holy power, it might be alright. And his holy power is… well, everyone acknowledges that. Eventually, he’ll rise to a level where we won’t even get to see his face.”
As he said, my holy power was nearing arch-priest level just a couple of months after my baptism.
An arch-priest is in charge of a temple in a small town, which isn’t a low rank.
The arch-priest is directly above the bishop who oversees the Talia Shrine. Of course, there’s a significant gap, but…
The higher you go, the greater the disparity, regardless of the field.
More than that, I was troubled as my holy power’s growth seemed to be stalling.
I feel like I’ve hit a limit. To grow further, I need to get past this wall. But I still have no clue.
That would be the criteria that separates a Paladin from a Knight.
For now, I would have no choice but to train even harder.
The entity has gained enlightenment through repeated training. You have acquired the skill “Paladin Combat Technique.”
I had managed to achieve something in my training.
[Entity Information]
-Entity Name: Heinrich
-Common Traits: “Mind Hub,” “Persona,” “Super Recovery,” “Pure Concentration”
-Entity Traits: “Holy Baptism,” “Mugol,” “Paladin Combat Technique”
-Special Notes: Connected to the Holy God of Auterica and the spiritual vein, the mana within has been replaced with holy power. Can use holy power to produce various beneficial effects. Body capabilities are significantly improving due to training beyond limits.
I approached the senior Paladin who had been my sparring partner and bowed my head in greeting.
“Thank you for the spar!”
“Ah, yeah. Good work. You’ve really improved a lot. You were just relying on physical capability back then, and look how far you’ve come in just a few months. Is this what talent looks like…”
“Exactly. It’s remarkable how someone who already had outstanding physical abilities has now mastered combat techniques; regular folks can’t keep up, so I’ve been training with the instructors.”
A flood of endless compliments washed over me.
I could only smile awkwardly and repeat my thanks.
“By the way, you mentioned you were aspiring to be a Knight, right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Yeah, I hear that Paladins who come by the training grounds are keeping an eye on you. If you keep this up, good news will come soon.”
“Haha, I really hope so.”
Although the Paladins had a separate training ground, occasionally they would hold joint training to prepare for real combat.
I had caught their attention since the baptism ceremony, and I was receiving quite a bit of interest from the so-called “high-ranking folks.”
To become a Knight, I had to stand out even among the Paladins, so this was a welcome opportunity for me.
Then a few days later, I quickly found that the senior’s words weren’t just empty praise.
“Eh? To Rosellia Temple?”
Rosellia Temple.
Located in the heart of the Ion Continent, a sacred place of the Holy Church Order, right at its center.
It was the largest among a handful of temples in Auterica and the heart of the Order where the Pope and the Saint resided.
I was being invited to go along to such a place.
“Yeah, if they’re bringing you to the main headquarters, it seems like the higher-ups are looking at you favorably. Looks like they want to raise you well?”
The Paladin Commander who delivered the message scratched the back of his head.
As he said, this was a major opportunity.
A chance to escape from the remote Talia Kingdom and step into a larger stage.
“They just wanted to see how you felt about it since it’s moving away from your homeland. It’s also not close between here and the main headquarters, so it won’t be easy to return home.”
It didn’t matter much to me since this place wasn’t my actual hometown.
Of course, I couldn’t exactly say that since I was pretending to come from here.
“It’s alright. I don’t really have any family left here anyway. And it’s a sacred place! As someone who serves the Holy God, it’s a dream come true. I would love to go!”
“Good, glad to hear that. This is a really great opportunity. I’ll report that, so you prepare too.”
The commander then began to express his jealousy about going to the holy place and lamented how he wanted to visit someday but couldn’t because of family obligations before he left to make the report.
Holy place, and Rosellia Temple…
A location far removed from this western corner of the continent.
My heart raced with anticipation at the thought of seeing the broader world of Auterica.
*
The Undead King’s extermination team was disbanded.
In truth, we fought more against vampires and dark wizards than the Undead King’s descendants, but we couldn’t overlook their hard work over the months.
After a brief farewell party, everyone returned to their respective posts.
The overall commander, Archbishop Latinus and his assistant, Paladin Tuskin.
One bishop leading seven arch-priest level combat priests.
A dozen or so members of the Silverwing Paladin Order under Tuskin.
And a single Paladin caught in between.
These were the people leaving the Talia Kingdom.
“Oh? Are you the Paladin named Heinrich? Truly, a devout young man.”
“Aiming to be a Knight, huh? Have you thought about walking the path of a priest?”
“What are you saying! Holy power is one thing, but your sinews are excellent. With a little more effort, you’ll be a great Knight.”
“I heard you’ve got persistence and talent from the training grounds. You might be a candidate for a Paladin.”
I stood in the shrine’s inner chamber among more than twenty individuals, attending politely to those who showed interest in me.
Every priest and Paladin here was practically of a high rank.
Holy power is granted according to faith in God, and to rise to a higher rank, it must be strong.
High-ranking officials necessarily have strong beliefs, so corruption is unheard of, and thus the Order doesn’t worry about spies.
That’s why Heinrich could easily integrate into the Order.
If someone had ulterior motives or fell from grace, their weakened faith would show in their holy power.
This was the reason why the Holy Church Order had become a practical single religion.
I am in a rather exceptional situation. Well, since the Holy God probably knows and has allowed it, one could say it’s permission?
Thus, a certain degree of freedom was granted to the Paladins and combat priests who desired it.
This meant to go around the world and spread the divine will.
This was also one of my reasons for wanting to become a Knight.
While we were conversing, one of the doors opened, and Archbishop Latinus and Sir Tuskin entered.
“Have you all prepared? The transport’s ready, so let’s get moving.”
With Tuskin’s words, we moved deeper into the shrine.
As instructed, I had only packed light, following along behind them.
And the place we arrived at was as I had somewhat anticipated.
From the far western edge of the continent to the center… Given the transport situation here, taking the road might take months, it was expected since a small group was to be rushed over.
A white marble archway sat in a vast space.
The archway, decorated beautifully with golden embellishments, radiated a golden wave from its entrance that softly illuminated the area.
-…Then the shepherd said, may the servants who believe in the Lord be strengthened in proclaiming His word, bestowing grace. They shall cross mountains in a single step and oceans in two…
-…Proclaim this message throughout the world, so the Earth shall fold and allow passage anywhere. Eyes shall see thousands of miles, and feet shall tread ten thousand…
Wait, upon closer inspection, that was a prayer text engraved densely with gold leaf.
All content disregarded the constraints of distance and space, dedicated to miracles.
“Then let’s begin.”
As we entered, the priests guarding the entrance exchanged greetings, and they soon began chanting prayers around the doorway.
In sync with that, the golden prayer text, which began to glow, flowed toward the archway’s center.
What a spectacle…
The beautiful golden light enveloping the archway and a swirling blue vortex that erupted from its center.
It was a phenomenon I couldn’t comprehend with my limited knowledge as a novice in holy law.
Not even Han’s knowledge of “Black Magic” or Heinz’s “Blood Magic” could grasp this new power.
Uuuuung—
With a soft vibration, the blue vortex slowly grew, filling the archway’s interior.
The surrounding golden light gradually faded.
A quietly vibrating blue gate.
“Then let’s move.”
With the Archbishop’s statement, everyone moved toward the gate in a natural manner as if they were used to it.
I guess they must have come this way too. Am I the only first-timer?
The group bid farewell to Bishop Chromville, the head of the Talia shrine, and one by one, they disappeared through the gate.
Soon my turn came…
Without hesitation, I threw myself into the swirling blue vortex.
Goodbye, Talia Kingdom! I’m off to seek new lands!
Beyond this gate lay the sacred place at the heart of the continent, waiting for me!
*
Though I stepped through the gate with ambitious aspirations, the location awaiting me was not the sacred place.
It was the shrine of the Sharotti Kingdom, located in the northeast of the Talia Kingdom.
From what I heard, crossing half the continent at once would require quite an effort to make it possible.
“Right now, there’s no particular reason to rush back, so we plan to travel steadily.”
“Ah, I see.”
Thanks to that, I had the time to rest each day and take in the sights during our stopovers, touring the city with the youngest knight in our group.
After several days…
“This is the last one. Everyone should get settled before entering the sacred place.”
““Yes!””
Uuuuung—
Having passed through the blue vortex.
We finally arrived at the sacred Rosellia Temple.
The first thing to appear was the transport space that looked no different from other temples.
And a group of priests gathered in one corner.
“Welcome. You all have worked hard during your journey.”
A girl standing among the priests stepped forward with a smile to greet us.
Her bright silver hair and sparkling golden eyes refracted the surrounding light.
Her mere presence brightened the whole room.
No, it’s not just a feeling?! That’s literally a halo!
It was my first encounter with the Holy Order’s Saint, ‘Liesta Saint Hatyandus.’
*
“Now that Heinrich has laid a stable foundation for growth, all he needs is time.”
Looking back, getting to the sacred place was sheer fortune.
Thanks to that, I’d been able to move to the cities along the way.
After a certain level of growth, I would be able to traverse the continent freely under the pretext of spreading the faith.
As a respected Paladin!
How hard had Hans and Heinz II suffered, unable to step out into the light and having to hide?
That lifestyle was now in the past.
“Now that’s sorted, it’s time to dispose of these.”
I proudly surveyed the inside of the warehouse.
Stacks of gold ingots and precious metals piled in a corner.
This was the reward for all the blood and sweat I had shed.
Slither—
Before I knew it, Heinz appeared without a sound and collected some of the gemstones into his bracelet-type Spatial Dimension Magical Equipment.
The bracelet, one of the treasures gathered from the vampire mansion, had space for about a single bag but was valued for its convenience and became frequently used.
Spatial Dimension Magical Equipment is precious, after all.
Heinz headed towards the window with the collected gems.
It was past 10 PM at night—prime time for activity.
Opening the window, Heinz disappeared into the darkness of the night.
How to dispose of the items had already been decided.
While Heinrich was training hard, we weren’t just idling here either.
