Chapter 156

Heroes of the Allied Army (3)

Isolde's eyes looked just like topaz. It was difficult to read any emotion in their tranquil yellow depths.

"That would be rather difficult," I answered briefly.

After all, I could use neither divine power nor Sorcery. I couldn't wield any mana-based energy. By now, I had reached the point of "devouring" mana. Divine power might be the ultimate form of aura, but it was still energy derived from mana (Mana), which made it incompatible with me.

Whether aura or magical power, divine power, Sorcery, or aether—all were ultimately derived from mana (Mana). I could produce no synergy whatsoever with the heroes of the allied army.

"I see."

Isolde nodded calmly. Yet the emotion I detected through Find Weakness[U] was disappointment...?

"Can't we fight together like we did back then?"

"Back when?"

"In Violess."

There was a rare trace of emotion in her voice.

"All I did was rely on you, Adrian."

Was she still dwelling on being overwhelmed by Iratum? That had simply been because Iratum was strong, not because she was weak.

More importantly, I had only been able to blast him away with Dragon Rage Explosion[E] because she had drawn his attention. Without that? Iratum would have killed me. Things would be different now that I'd used Predation[S+] on the ogre, but back then, defeat had been inevitable.

In effect, Isolde had done all the work. But she didn't seem to see it that way.

"I've been trying to become strong enough to fight without relying on you."

Apparently, that was why she had imitated my Wrath of The Frenzied Dragon[L].

"But it seems that's difficult."

... She really hadn't changed at all.

"If you don't mind..."

I extended my left palm and aimed at a distant, deserted mountain range.

◆Activating derived skill, Dragon Burst[E]!

BANG!

My palm burst apart, releasing a straight-line explosion that sliced through the air in an instant. The blast struck the distant mountains.

... BOOM!

The delayed sound of the explosion reached us in an echo.

"What's that...?"

"A technique adapted from Wrath of The Frenzied Dragon. It sacrifices half the power in favor of precision and utility."

Isolde's eyes widened unusually far.

"Would you like to learn it?"

"May I?"

"I'm sure you could use it, Isolde."

Dragon Burst[E] was a derived skill of Wrath of The Frenzied Dragon[L]. If she could use the latter, she could use the former too. More importantly, she could regenerate her body just like I could.

"Will you really teach me?"

"To repay you for healing Seraphia."

Her expression remained unchanged. But the emotions Find Weakness[U] revealed were anticipation and excitement.

'I didn't know she could feel those things.'

... Just when I thought I understood this woman, she baffled me again.

* * *

WHIIINE!

Divine power gathered at Isolde's fingertips.

BAAANG!!

But rather than shooting forward in a straight line, the compressed power simply exploded. The impact bent her wrist all the way backward.

"This is difficult."

Isolde remained calm. I was the one who couldn't.

'She's already copying it.'

This must be what people meant by genius.

Isolde's Perfect Muscle Control[A]—an ability, and a talent, that allowed her to finely control her muscles down to individual fibers.

"Is the problem with the output?"

A genius who could even accurately assess her own performance. Still, she wasn't perfect.

"More precisely, the compression becomes inconsistent after you release the energy."

"I see."

"Could you try compressing your divine power the way you do for Divine Martial Fist's Divine Wave Burst?"

Divine Martial Fist. Lumentius Style. Divine Wave Burst.

It was a technique that compressed divine power and released it as a wave. In other words, I thought she merely needed to change the shape of the compression used for Divine Wave Burst—but then...

Something in Isolde's gaze suddenly changed. The emotion Find Weakness[U] detected was suspicion...?

"How do you know so much about Divine Martial Fist?"

Oops.

"Come to think of it, you knew about my Divine Ascension in Violess too."

... Damn it. I'd made a mistake. I'd dug my own grave.

"How do you know?"

Isolde's question felt like pressure.

Blood slowly dripped from her ruptured wrist and bent-back wrist. It was... extremely grotesque. But she paid it no mind.

"Would you answer me?"

Divine Martial Fist was a martial art devised by successive Saintesses and Saints of the Holy Kingdom to fight the darkness. In other words, unless you were a Saintess or Saint, you could not—and must not—know how it worked.

Obviously, I couldn't tell her I'd learned through live-combat sparring with her in my previous life.

Could I claim I'd read it in a book, as I had with Brumbar? That would be worse than saying nothing. That excuse had only worked because the Mana Fusion Core called the Arcanoheart was described in magical theory. Divine Martial Fist was not.

Just as I found myself at a loss for words—

◆Complete the Hidden Quest, [I'll Steal Her Away], immediately!!!

A message suddenly appeared before my eyes. It seemed to be presenting what it considered a solution...

==[I'll Steal Her Away]==

[Description] - Shut Isolde up by planting a kiss on her!

[Reward] - Aaah~♥

[On Failure] - No penalty

... Wasn't this thing a complete fucking lunatic? The quest had been forcibly accepted, so I couldn't even cancel it. I quickly dismissed the messages.

At the same time, Isolde stepped closer and spoke.

"If you won't tell me, please grant me a request."

◆Hurry, right now, immediately, ki—!

"What is it?"

"Please allow me to attach your name to this technique, as well as the previous one."

"...?"

My head tilted of its own accord.

Each form of Divine Martial Fist bore its creator's name. But the martial art itself was used exclusively by Saintesses and Saints, so only they could have their names included.

"I'd like to make you an 'Honorary Saint,' Adrian."

An Honorary Saint. Someone accorded honor and respect equivalent to a Saint's. Though not publicly recognized as a saint, they could receive equivalent treatment.

Precedence above cardinals in ceremonial protocol. Permission for private audiences with the pope and Isolde. Immunity, and so on.

It granted powers above the law, but no responsibilities to shoulder. An honorary position with rights and no duties.

That was why not just anyone could confer it. Only two authorities in the Holy Kingdom could: the pope, and the Saintess or Saint.

"But you haven't been formally canonized yet, have you, Isolde?"

Canonization as a Saintess or Saint generally followed martyrdom. In other words, the title was bestowed after death. The people of the continent merely revered Isolde of their own accord and called her the Saintess; she hadn't officially been canonized.

Her official position in the Holy Kingdom was therefore "cardinal," addressed as "Your Eminence." Once canonized as the Saintess, that would become "Your Holiness."

However, the title wasn't necessarily bestowed only after death. A person could also be declared a saint for displaying heroic virtue that made them an example to all, or for being recognized as holy by the universal teaching authority of the Church.

In that sense, Isolde, commander of Divine Command, had been a Saintess. Specifically, [The Saintess of Judgment]. But at this point after my return to the past, she hadn't been canonized yet...

"My canonization ceremony has been scheduled."

"...?"

"In recognition of my achievements in Violess."

"Ah."

The destruction of the lawless city of Violess. At my request, Isolde was known to have done everything. As far as anyone knew, she'd single-handedly purified a hell on earth. Apparently, she was being canonized in recognition of that achievement.

"Though you really deserve all the credit, Adrian."

She lowered her gaze slightly. She seemed to doubt whether she deserved to be canonized.

"You deserve it, Isolde."

I meant it. She deserved to be canonized as the Saintess.

"Thank you for saying so."

She lifted her gaze again. There was a quiet shimmer in her eyes, and even Find Weakness[U] couldn't discern her emotions.

"May I make you an Honorary Saint?"

... Somehow, it felt as though who was asking whom for a favor had been reversed, but—

"All right."

That much was fine. It wouldn't particularly restrict my activities. Honorary Saints were also known as "unrecorded Saints," after all. The instant I nodded...

◆A Saaaint?!?!

A message flashed before my eyes. Somehow, this outburst had a different flavor...

◆What kind of Saint can't even plant a kiss on someone?!

◆The continent's days are numbered!

◆A Saint is a grown-up! So is a Saintess!

◆Neither of you is a child!

◆So act your age and plant that kiss!

◆How can a saint who loves everyone fail to recognize his own love?!

◆Huh? Being a saint isn't the same as being an adult?

◆Who cares!!

... This bastard was definitely insane. Its sarcastic messages were approaching evolutionary perfection. At the very least, it certainly wasn't sane.

◆I'm beginning to wonder whether I should give you the 'Title - <Saint of the Black Moon>'!

==<Saint of the Black Moon>==

[Acquisition Condition] - Honorary Saint

[Ownership Effect] - Increases the efficiency of all recovery-related skills by [+30%].

... That aside, the Title's effect was incredible. Put simply, it reduced the calorie consumption rate required for Regeneration[B+] by [-30%]. What's more, it was an "Ownership Effect." I received that [+30%] benefit for free without even equipping the Title. Befitting an Honorary Saint, it offered rights without duties.

There was one thing, though.

'I have absolutely no idea how this Title works.'

Merely owning it increased the efficiency of every recovery-related skill by [+30%]. Honestly, I didn't know how that was possible. One thing was certain: it wasn't mana-based. Now that I devoured mana, that was clearer than ever.

This made it seem certain that Ian could wield some unknown power besides mana. It also seemed to explain why all his abilities were Extra rank[EX]...

'... Ian, that fucking bastard.'

Ultimately, Ian was the one with the answers. These were questions I could only resolve by asking him directly. I was planning to enter the empire once the Runesteel Ore was mined anyway.

'Just wait until I get my hands on you.'

I was going to give him a proper earful.

... Anyway.

"Thank you for granting my unreasonable request."

I was the one who should be more grateful. Looking at her now, it seemed she'd deliberately pressured me with that grotesque display because she thought I would refuse to become an Honorary Saint. I had kept my name out of the Violess affair, after all.

Was it an apology for that? A repayment? Well, whichever it was...

"I'll teach you one more technique."

Dragon Burst[E], and Dragon Impact[E] as well. I taught Isolde in detail about the two skills derived and branched from Wrath of The Frenzied Dragon[L].

* * *

Isolde learned both skills quickly. It took roughly half a day. There was nothing more for me to teach her; from there, it was a matter of proficiency.

... I wondered whether this was really normal, but anyway, when I returned to the runesteel mine...

"Ultimately, it is possible."

"R-really?"

Iliana and Brumbar's discussion had ended at just the right moment.

"Yes. However, making the device right now will be difficult. Mining the runesteel vein is our first priority, so I need to control the Arcanoheart..."

Brumbar looked around, then spotted me.

"Can the blood research wait?"

"Take your time."

I nodded immediately. The regeneration potions weren't urgently needed, and as Brumbar said, the runesteel vein was the pressing concern.

"But do you have enough time, Iliana?"

She currently belonged to Langrid Mage Tower. As far as I knew, mages affiliated with a mage tower weren't free to do as they pleased. Of course, I'd heard she'd become a fully qualified mage, but...

"Yes, it's fine! I got permission to leave for a couple of months!"

"A couple of months..."

I looked back at Brumbar.

"That's enough."

Brumbar nodded as though there were no problem whatsoever.

Then Brumbar hurried to put the site in order and issue instructions to the dwarves. Once Brumbar left, only Iliana and I remained.

I had a little time, and there was something I'd been meaning to ask her.

"Limits?"

I asked Iliana about Limit[M].

* * *

The Countess of Whitewolf's office.

'... I wanted to go with them too.'

Seraphia let out a small sigh and put down her quill.

Of course, Adrian hadn't gone out to play. But for some reason, she felt hurt and left out. Perhaps it was like being unable to join everyone because she had too much overdue homework.

The documents piled before her seemed endless. When would she ever finish them all? All she could do was sigh, but...

'Still, I have to work hard!'

Renewing her determination, she picked up her quill again.

Just then, a sudden commotion arose outside the window. Things abruptly became busy outside her office door as well...

"Did you bring the food?"

"What? I brought medicinal herbs, not food..."

"I told you food was more important than herbs!"

"I'll bring it right away!"

"Don't forget to grind it up so it's easy to eat!"

... Something seemed to have happened. Seraphia rose and opened her office door. Maids were rushing down the corridors of Whitewolf Castle.

"Excuse me."

"... Ah! Count."