“Are you ready to move on to the next stage?”
Belnoa remained silent.
Ready for the next stage? Well, it wasn’t easy to answer that one right away. Belnoa’s eyes were fixed on the names engraved on the map.
Hero, and Superhuman. Those strong enough to qualify as superhumans.
The names written on this single piece of paper were literally humanity’s elite. These were individuals who had pushed beyond their limits in their respective fields. Just mentioning their names or titles would evoke recognition and awe. Among those names, hers was inscribed.
“Master.”
Belnoa lifted her head.
Raniel motioned for her to speak.
“The reason you’re showing me this is… because I’ve become a superhuman?”
“Exactly. Shall I be more precise?”
Raniel extended her finger.
That finger was pointing directly at Belnoa’s heart.
“Three years ago, on that day, a fragment of the Holy Grail was implanted in your and Lac’s souls. We needed to wait for that fragment to blossom. You had to truly reach the realm of superhuman.”
“Need… what do you mean?”
“Because you are their successors.”
Who she was a successor to.
That was a question Belnoa didn’t need to ask. She already knew to whom her power belonged.
“…the Black Storm, Belial.”
“Correct. Lac’s case is the Death’s Blade, Ganikalt.”
Belnoa realized that those now known as calamities were once the party of the first hero who opposed the Demon Lord. As if affirming that fact, Raniel nodded and continued.
“We need you for the campaign against the apostate. Whether to completely sever the contract or for the sake of someone who has waited centuries… your existence is essential.”
She muttered with a bitter smile.
“Honestly, it’s just that we’re low on manpower.”
Belnoa didn’t easily understand the words she threw out. Low on manpower? With this many superhumans being deployed, and to top it off, that great mage leading the charge… how could there possibly be a lack of manpower?
Of course, the apostate was indeed a dreadful calamity.
Her strength warranted being labeled a calamity, and even the strongest of superhumans wouldn’t dare challenge her. It wasn’t without reason that she was classified as a disaster throughout history.
Even so, extermination was not impossible.
The apostate had already been repelled several times, and the one leading those operations stood right before Belnoa now. In a state much more powerful than before. Wasn’t she now a mage said to be on par with the divine?
‘If we’ve figured out where the apostate is and understood this much about the force… couldn’t we exterminate them right away?’
Belnoa figured it would indeed be possible given Raniel’s strength. As if reading her thoughts, Raniel smiled sadly and spoke.
“You’re making the same expression as Destel. Your face says, if we’ve planned this much, can’t we do the extermination already?”
As the point struck home, Belnoa fell silent, while Raniel quietly shook her head.
“Without a doubt, it’s impossible.”
She spoke in a firm voice.
“You know the identity of the apostate, right? You must have heard it from the goddess you serve or learned through Belial’s arrangements, one of the two…”
Raniel chuckled as she looked back over her shoulder.
There stood Kalt, who shook his head while tapping his ears. It was a signal that he heard nothing.
In fact, since Kalt had no access to this information, the conversation between Belnoa and Raniel had been muted to him since earlier.
“I’m getting used to it. Are you two talking about something only you know again? It feels like I’m being excluded in the same space…”
Kalt’s whiny voice was lightly dismissed as Raniel continued.
“The apostate, Gletus, is the First Saint. This is the same saint believed to have been closest to the divine. In terms of distance and also in terms of power.”
As time passed, the powers of the saints who emerged in later generations became specialized in one area. Even the divine powerhouse, Sara, was such. But the First Saint was an exception.
“If the Mage of Ancient Dragons honed the foundations of magic… it was she who systematized divine arts. She could handle all forms of divine magic, and at the end of it all, she reached the realm of miracles. The Holy Grail you used was created by her.”
Now categorized as divine artisanry or miracles.
The highest level of divine arts, which could barely be imitated without borrowing items related to the First Saint.
“Then, isn’t it strange?”
“What do you mean…?”
“She was both a saint and an alchemist, while also being a summoner. Yet the saints humanity faced never once used divine arts.”
Alchemy and summoning.
She didn’t wield her greatest fields; instead, she used others to crush humanity. She reigned as a calamity. That was certainly a strange tale.
“Did she become a calamity and lose the ability to use divine arts? From my perspective, that’s definitely not it. She just stopped being the Priest of the Star… she’s the most favored priestess of the Shadow.”
The Shadow and the Star are essentially the same.
Then it might also be possible to borrow the power of the transcendent being she serves, known as divine arts.
“Yet she didn’t use them. I can’t fathom the reason, but one thing is certain…”
Raniel reached out.
The tip of her finger pointed towards Alkeia.
“Here lies the answer.”
A land for those who don’t believe, Alkeia.
“When humanity reaches this place, when the final battle against the apostate unfolds… she will reveal everything she has. Much like the saint who once performed miracles.”
This was information she had heard from Cardi.
The geographical features of Alkeia and what the apostate referred to as salvation.
Raniel, having accessed all contractual information, made the same judgment as Cardi.
‘The apostate is the first entity that needs to be exterminated.’
To reach the temple of the Shadow, they must pass through both Alkeia and Gehete.
‘And whether it’s Gehete or Alkeia…’
The moment the line is crossed.
What would appear there would not be the apostate, but rather a fallen saint and the priestess closest to the divine. Hence, there was a need to exterminate the apostate first before reaching the Death’s Blade.
“If that happens, I won’t be able to handle her alone. Especially considering the peculiar elements of the terrain of Alkeia. That’s why this level of manpower is needed.”
“And so…”
“And so, you all are necessary.”
A variable, the blade that would reach the calamity.
Raniel smiled slightly and tapped the map. The four names written in the thickest letters. Pointing to those prodigies that she had raised, she continued.
“You and Lac, who carry on the legacy left by the hero, Chloe, who carries on Galahal’s will, and Resti, who possesses talents to stand against calamities…”
Once upon a time, they were the children she believed would carry on her legacy. But the future had changed. The disciples Raniel had raised were no longer just children following in her footsteps. They had become more.
“Your special powers are needed.”
Allies to stand on the same battlefield.
To reduce sacrifices and to avoid treading the path the Goddess of Ashes took in the future, their strength was essential.
“Belnoa.”
Raniel said.
“I’ll ask you again, are you ready?”
2.
Inside the barracks, leaning back in a chair, Belnoa let out a long sigh. The night was deep, but sleep eluded her.
It was because of the conversation they had during the day.
Raniel had asked for her resolution, and after a moment of contemplation, Belnoa had nodded. It was a request from her mentor, a thought that she ought to do so… but it was more than that. Belnoa closed her eyes and recalled the past.
“If you get caught, you’ll die.”
“So hurry and go. Before my whims end.”
Belnoa remembered the apostate she had seen in her final moments. A woman strikingly resembling Chloe. The words she had spoken with a wistful smile were definitely not those of a calamity.
A human voice, a senior’s advice.
That advice had led Belnoa to the realm of superhuman in her last moments. Her mind was a jumble. As Belnoa let out another long sigh…
“Belnoa, are you there?”
Chloe’s voice called from outside the barracks.
…Was she going to force that subordinate contract on her again? Belnoa opened the barrack door with dull eyes. Chloe stood outside, lightly dressed.
“Can I come in?”
The atmosphere was different from usual.
Under the moonlight, Chloe’s white hair shimmered.
‘White hair and green eyes…’
As Belnoa looked at Chloe, the situation reminded her of the apostate, and she felt a strange sense of guilt. Clearing her throat briefly, Belnoa composed herself and nodded.
“Come in.”
Chloe entered with a bright smile.
“I’ve heard everything from Senior Rania.”
Chloe, perched on the edge of the bed, said.
“The plan to exterminate the apostate, and that you and I… along with a lot of troops will be involved.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah, you agreed, right?”
“It seemed like it had to be so. And…”
Belnoa sighed as she gazed at Chloe.
“You have to go, right? There.”
Chloe smiled sadly.
“…While Lord Galahal may not seek revenge, I do. It’s also part of my desire.”
Ultimately, it was the apostate who killed Galahal.
Chloe felt hatred towards the apostate, and though it wasn’t as intense as the Sword Demon or the Braver’s, she felt a kind of duty.
She had to exterminate the apostate.
As someone who was saved by Galahal’s sacrifice, she believed that she must play a significant role in that extermination.
That, she thought, was how the value left by Galahal’s death could shine. Belnoa had no intention of denying that thought.
“I’ve been thinking something similar as well.”
Belnoa sighed and said.
Looking at Chloe brought to mind the words the apostate had left behind in the final moments. The expression she had worn, the wistful smile, and…
“What should I say? It’s just a bit concerning…”
As Belnoa was comparing Chloe to the apostate, Chloe suddenly reached out. That hand tightly grasped both of Belnoa’s shoulders.
“Belnoa.”
“Uh, what? Chloe?”
With her shoulders grasped, Chloe looked deep into Belnoa’s eyes, their noses almost touching. The vibrant green of Chloe’s eyes reflected the reddish glow of the lantern in the tent, shining oddly.
“What were you just thinking about?”
Belnoa swallowed.
Why is her intuition so sharp?
“I definitely thought of another woman…”
“I didn’t think of anything. Not a thing at all.”
Trying to gently push away her suspiciously perceptive childhood friend, Belnoa let out a long sigh.
“I’m just concerned. It might be something similar to my predecessor contract’s desire.”
A wish to free her comrades.
And perhaps…
“It might be related to Cardi.”
“Why Cardi?”
“In my view, that old man has something.”
Heroes who had been active hundreds of years ago.
It seemed those heroes regarded Cardi as a comrade. And as for the apostate, it seemed there was something more than comradery involved. She would have to pay him a visit one day.
“Well, regardless of that…”
Belnoa reclined her head back.
“Six months from now.”
“Right, you mentioned that.”
Raniel said.
The campaign against the apostate would commence in six months, and until then, they were to learn how to wield their powers. This wasn’t merely consideration for Belnoa and Lac.
“I have kept a steady pace until now, but from now on, I’ll push forward without pause. Given the conditions are all met, there’s no need to wait any longer.”
Expansion of the frontlines.
“Considering that pace, and factoring in when all frontlines stabilize… the operation will commence six months from now.”
She judged it would be the appropriate time six months later.
Thus, the time given to Belnoa would also be six months. She had to become accustomed to this power within that half-year.
“Let’s work hard, Belnoa.”
Chloe said with a faint smile, her eyes half-closed.
“This time, I’ll protect you.”
Feeling an inexplicable chill from her half-opened eyes, Belnoa shivered slightly. It felt as if Chloe was heading in a strange direction…
“Yeah, whatever.”
It must just be her imagination.
Belnoa exhaled sharply.
“Let’s try our best.”
So that she could repay her debt.
3.
Late at night, within the barracks.
Raniel was skimming through the records penned by Belnoa. What Belnoa had seen inside Alkeia, and the peculiar behaviors displayed by the apostate.
And lastly…
“Letters, letters…”
The letter mentioned by Belnoa.
Raniel silently gazed at the letter laid upon the table. She thought about tearing it open to check inside, but refrained.
‘She asked me to deliver it to Cardi, right?’
Belnoa had said.
In her final moments, the apostate felt not like a calamity. It was as if she was facing a senior. Raniel didn’t think it was simply Belnoa’s misunderstanding.
“Huh…”
Raniel let out a long sigh.
On her table lay a stack of documents. Documents handed out to everyone participating in the operation, except for one last page that remained blank.
The only one holding that page was Raniel.
For quite some time, Raniel stared at the last sheet of the documents. The deep night passed and dawn approached. As the sun rose, it was only then that Raniel set the documents down.
…Six months from now, the operation will take place.
On the day humanity breaches Alkeia, Raniel will thoroughly crush the apostate. She would strip away everything the apostate possessed and burn it all without mercy.
The apostate was a calamity that must be exterminated.
For those who had been humiliated and trampled to death by her, she must be eradicated at all costs. That resolve has not changed even now.
‘…But still.’
Still, she mused.
“At least I should show a modicum of respect.”
Raniel gently folded the final page of the operation plan that no one else would see and sealed it in an envelope. She tucked the envelope, reinforced with many spells, deep into her robe and got up from her seat.
The last page of the operation document and the letter the apostate had asked to be delivered to Cardi. Holding those two pieces of paper close, Raniel headed somewhere.
