#57
Outside Luck (1)
“Hoo··· Is it all over?”
Heinrich lightly dusted off his sword and glanced around.
Given the skill level of those participating in the battle, the situation had ended in an instant.
Monsters were dying from the fierce lightning storm raging like nature’s wrath and the spikes shooting up from the earth.
The judgment of light burned the unholy beings, and even the massive demon they summoned couldn’t hold on for long before being chased back to the Demon Realm.
‘These are the top-tier powerhouses of this continent…’
Of course, they were not the peak.
The Church had at least ten publicly known paladins, and it was hard to say how many strong individuals there were when including combat priests and inquisition officers.
It wasn’t just Laforey representing the High Elves; there could be similar powerhouses within the Elven Kingdom.
‘But that’s when considering the entire continent.’
When one measured the expanse of the continent, it was impossible to belittle their level.
Sure, dark mages were not easily toppled either, but a significant factor in their downfall was Heinrich’s presence.
Appearing unexpectedly among those whose specialty was summoning beasts to fight, what could they do when he swung his sword?
The elder, who seemed to be the enemy leader, had somehow summoned a massive demon, but…
“Cough—! How did the Church get here… cough!”
As the demon, under concentrated attack, vanished, its life was extinguished by the sword of the Black Twilight Captain.
It was the end for an unprepared summoner.
“Sir Heinrich Landguard, well done. Thanks to you, we could easily dispatch these foes.”
Archbishop Latinus approached with a kind expression, turning the corpses of dark mages to ash with holy flames.
“Ah, Your Excellency, you too have suffered. Here is the holy token.”
Heinrich politely returned the holy token he had received from the archbishop.
They had flown rapidly from Tarak to the Northern Mountain Range using the power of the wind spirits.
But even Heinrich did not know the exact destination, so he couldn’t guide them effectively.
He could only move to the space perceived by Hali through the skill “Blessing: Leap.”
Thus, the plan was for the archbishop, who had bestowed the holy token imbued with his holy power, to track it and guide the remaining members.
And that operation went better than expected.
The sudden arrival of Heinrich had thrown the enemies into chaos, preventing them from preparing for the approaching individuals.
“By the way, aren’t we going to capture them for questioning? We could uncover their backers with information about them.”
“Unless they are inquisition officers, it is the principle to kill dark mages and their followers on sight. We can’t know when they might pull a trick. Besides, every single one of them has a taboo placed upon them.”
Well, given how bizarre dark magic was, it made sense.
It seemed they were meticulously incinerating their bodies.
“By the way, that elf lady over there seems to be the High Elf candidate.”
The archbishop remarked softly while glancing to one side.
Over there was a small elf and a large barbarian, approaching with Laforey and his elven companions.
“Truly, what you say is right. How did you know? I can’t believe we found the target without any blessings at all!”
“Hahaha… I also don’t know. It just came to me all of a sudden.”
“Surely, the Holy God is watching over us! What an honorable event!”
Having expressed admiration once more, the archbishop took a moment to pray with the approaching paladins.
Only then could Heinrich head towards the group of elves.
*
“Thank you. Thanks to you, Cecily is safe.”
“Haha! It’s only natural for an honorable warrior to help someone in danger! Don’t worry about it too much. I didn’t do it for any ‘reward’! Ha ha ha!”
“Indeed, you possess an excellent sense of values.”
Following a brief introduction, the conversation continued cheerfully.
Laforey was not at all surprised by Hali’s appearance.
He was a High Elf who had lived for many years.
Even if he looked young, his age was by no means insignificant, so he considered Hali’s fashion as quite standard for a southern individual.
“However, I can’t just accept help without offering anything in return. Please accept this, even if it’s just a token.”
“Oh dear, that’s quite troublesome! Hahaha!”
Though he said that, Hali instantly accepted the item he offered.
It was a bracelet made of various colorful jewels woven together with a thin wooden string that was still fresh as if alive.
“La… Laforey, that’s…!”
A male elf beside Laforey panicked, trying to say something, but he only waved his hands at Hali, fixated on him.
“Our base isn’t in this continent, so we don’t have a way to repay you immediately. We are currently indebted to the Church for various reasons.”
Because of that, they couldn’t promise anything for later either.
Even now, they had to support the Church, and it was uncertain when they would return to the Enamel Continent.
“Of course, if you ever need our help in the future, we will try our best to assist you. We’ll arrange it with the Church on our side.”
Since they couldn’t take action directly as they operated from another continent, they made sure to offer help through the Church and pledged to compensate the Church later from the Elven Kingdom.
“He done a good deed for our Church, after all. I’ll handle it well.”
Archbishop Latinus, who had approached by then, took up Laforey’s words.
Thanks to Hali, the Church’s affairs had been made easier, so they decided to repay that kindness.
It was the most generous offering the Elven Kingdom could provide, but Hali, connected with the high-ranking members of the Church, was more interested in the bracelet that landed in his hands.
Noticing the gleam in his eyes, Laforey quickly explained the bracelet.
It enhanced elemental affinity and resistance, amplified nature energy, and provided additional bonuses when summoning spirits.
Moreover, the bracelet held significant symbolic value, being a very rare item.
With it, entering the elf’s sphere of influence would earn considerable respect.
‘Well, of course, it’s something a High Elf used directly!’
As their conversation began winding down…
Cecily, who had been freed from her magical item with the help of Archbishop Latinus, approached Hali with a clean appearance.
The dirt from the battle and blood that had splattered on her had been washed away by the female elf who had come with Laforey using spirits.
‘Hmmm… There was a lot of blood from the leather due to “Beastly Feast”…’
It was a situation where he simply couldn’t care.
“I think I owe you another thank you. Thank you for saving me. If you hadn’t come, I wouldn’t be alive right now.”
“Hahaha! Well, it’s only natural to do what one ought to do.”
Cecily bowed respectfully.
She momentarily gazed at Hali, and then an awkward expression crossed her face.
“Um… Hali? Could you sit down for a moment?”
The girl, whose height barely reached his waist, fluttered her hands down below.
“…?!”
As Hali squatted down, their eyes finally met.
“May the blessings of the great nature be with you.”
Cecily lifted the tattered head of a black leopard and lightly kissed his forehead.
Whhaaa—
‘Hmm? This feels like… the energy from the World Tree?’
Something was definitely enveloping him, but no system message appeared.
“This is a blessing that a High Elf can bestow. It’s of a very high level since it’s the blessing of great nature that can’t be used frequently.”
Laforey added quietly from the side.
Cecily using the blessing of the High Elf without having opened her eyes surprised everyone.
“It’s not a full High Elf yet, so it’s somewhat weaker than the original blessing. Once I open my eyes, I’ll provide it properly again. It should be helpful since it sounds like you handle your body quite roughly.”
Listening to her, Hali figured it was a type of blessing that would increase elemental resistance.
If that’s the case, he would gladly welcome it, and Hali nodded his head pleasantly.
Seeing his response, Cecily smiled proudly.
She hesitated for a moment before extending the branch she had held in her hands the entire time towards Hali.
Perhaps having used the last bit of energy, the branch was utterly devoid of vitality…
It was a withered branch from the World Tree.
“Um… I don’t have anything to give right now. I promise to provide a more proper gift next time we meet.”
Cecily blushed with embarrassment as she lowered her head deeply.
Yet, even if it had lost its energy, it was still from the World Tree.
Hali wouldn’t refuse something given freely, so he eagerly accepted it.
“The branch may have lost its energy due to overexertion from the World Tree, but it should purify the surrounding air and clarify energy. Just place it in a pot in your house and water it… um…”
Laforey advised, pausing as he looked at the branch in Hali’s hands, then shifted his gaze back and forth between him and the burly muscle-bound figure wearing a predator’s head.
“Hmm, after defeating a formidable opponent, if you use that as a gravestone in front of them… Or you could use it for firewood; it would create a strong and lasting blaze. That’s the very reason dwarves covet it…”
Suddenly, Laforey began rambling, looking confused.
‘Wasn’t this guy originally different from this?’
Perhaps it was due to having completed the mission, relaxing his mind.
Hali quickly spoke, trying to ease the situation for both him and the increasingly embarrassed Cecily.
‘This can just be put in my room on Earth.’
It would serve as the best air purifier, a win-win situation.
With that, the interactions with the elves came to a tentative close, allowing him to also greet the members of the Church.
While they weren’t as proactive as the elves since they weren’t direct parties to the matter, the Church members showed considerable interest in Hali.
“Your eyes are quite unique. Are you a mixed-blood? Oh… I apologize. I shouldn’t pry.”
While Hali’s left eye caught attention, it seemed no one continued with that topic, thinking perhaps it might have some birth secret.
“Oh ho~ This is quite a splendid physique. Not much different from Sir Heinrich, huh? Would you consider becoming a knight and smashing the heads of heretics?”
As they chatted casually, the words of the Black Twilight Captain made “we” glance at each other.
It was the first time they had truly faced each other.
Having undergone multiple transformations fitting the image of a barbarian warrior, Hali significantly differed from Heinrich in impression.
Through extreme training using “Super Recovery,” Heinrich had enhanced his physique to its peak, continuing hard training even after obtaining “Blessing: Strong Body.”
Having consumed dozens of monster through “Beastly Feast,” Hali had created an ideal body, selecting superior genes from those transformed by “Mutation” and “Physical Transformation.”
“Hmm…”
“Hooh…”
In comparing them side by side, involuntary sounds of admiration slipped out.
It was a shame Heinrich was in armor, as it obstructed a detailed examination.
“…What are you two doing?”
Just as they momentarily became aware of their bodies, they heard Archbishop Latinus’s discontented voice.
‘Oh no, I was too absorbed.’
Surprised at unintentionally flexing various muscles while comparing, the paladins seemed to understand their situation.
“Archbishop Latinus, for those of us who use our bodies, such behavior is quite natural.”
“Well, of course! Every man should have muscles! Ah, I’m not implying anything negative about you, Your Excellency! Hehehe.”
The holy knights of the Holy God Church were all devoted practitioners of ultra-high-intensity weight training.
*
“Once again, thank you. It seems we’ll be staying in the Ion continent for a while, so during that time, we can lend our strength directly.”
The party, now with two more members, quickly returned to Tarak through the wind spirit.
There, they said their farewells to Hali.
“Sir Hali, I’ll take my leave now. Take care until we meet again.”
“Haha! I’m just a body without strength! You take care too!”
With that, Hali vanished into the streets of Tarak.
Lastly, he exchanged meaningful glances with Heinrich.
“Hmm, it seems like you share a connection with that warrior. Even though it’s your first meeting, you seem to be quite aware of one another.”
“There feels like a good bond. We’re likely to cross paths often in the future.”
“Oh ho~ I cannot ignore Sir Heinrich’s intuition. I’ll make sure to pay more attention on behalf of the Church. Since he’s a mercenary, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to express our gratitude through the mercenary guild at the Church level.”
‘That works.’
Finally, having captured the atmosphere, Heinrich successfully raised Hali’s status by leveraging his name.
With the backing of the Church, it would be incredibly helpful for future endeavors.
‘Seems like I’ve gotten everything worth getting today.’
It was a thoroughly satisfying day.
*
Returning to the Rosellia Temple took about half a day, unlike when they left.
Even then, the schedule had been accelerated with the cooperation of each temple along the route.
After returning and resting, the next day, a gathering with the elves was arranged again.
“Thanks to the Church’s help, we could safely bring Cecily back. I’d like to thank Sir Heinrich once more.”
The meeting started with Laforey’s words of gratitude and swiftly transitioned to the next topic.
This time, it was about the Church’s request: tracking down the Undead King.
“The World Tree is the root of all trees that exist in the world.”
He spoke gravely, explaining methods to locate the Undead King.
“And the High Elves can borrow the power of the World Tree to detect the energy around trees.”
It was a way of scanning the area using trees that contained significant nature energy.
Of course, there were clear limitations.
Regions without trees could not be attempted, and the range that could be checked at one time was restricted.
Since the necessary preparations were cumbersome, it was a method that couldn’t be used when quickly searching for Cecily.
“If we are to scan the entire Ion continent, it would take roughly a month.”
That estimate was made excluding regions without trees.
However, despite the great limitations, the effect would be remarkable.
“If he’s hiding in an area with trees, I can guarantee he won’t escape detection. And sparsely populated areas are usually filled with trees.”
He proclaimingly raised his chin confidently.
Indeed, even if they could not find him using that method, they could certainly narrow down the candidates, making it a good opportunity.
‘Hmm, can I clear out the trees around the cave? To what extent? If I remove too many, it might stand out… Should I just time the summoning release perfectly?’
Heinrich, with an unperturbed expression, secretly pondered.
Despite having fortifications in place, seeing the archbishop’s composed demeanor made him feel slightly uneasy.
“However, using this method brings one issue.”
Laforey continued speaking.
‘So despite his self-assured personality, it seems there are quite a few limitations.’
“To confirm accurately, I need to know what kind of energy it is, but since I have no knowledge about the Undead King, it may take longer.”
Since they could only track dense dark magic, there was a possibility that the period might extend to half a year for precision.
Of course, ideally, they would find him long before then, but one could never know how things would unfold if luck was lacking.
“As for the energy regarding the Undead King… Don’t worry. But before that, I would like to ask for a favor…”
Upon hearing his words, the saint replied with a serious expression.
And Heinrich understood why she said that.
What followed was unexpected.
“…This opportunity could be good for you, Heinrich. You would do well to understand what we’re against.”
As she murmured those words, her gaze shifted back to him with a peculiar expression.
…In that instant, his heart raced.
He thought he had obtained everything, but it seemed the real surprise was still ahead.
