Chapter 53
Chapter 53
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter Title: 053. Persephone - (Complete)
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My original plan was simple.
Elise and I would disrupt the ritual somehow and turn the cathedral inside out. Of course, it wouldn't be pointless resistance. The key was to buy time until the rescue team, led by Sophia and Helena, stormed in.
In that sense, with help arriving now, I could say my plan was already half successful.
"I'll clear those holy knights out of the way for now."
The Great Witch Isolde flicked her hand. A tidal wave of mana surged from her fingertips.
Having roughly studied holy magic myself, I could tell. Isolde's spells were on another level entirely compared to ordinary cadets.
In terms of raw destructive power alone, they rivaled even Elise's holy magic.
Kaboom!
"Argh!"
"Evade! Get out of the way!"
Tiles from the corridor exploded, pummeling the knights' breastplates and helmets.
No matter how much armor they wore, the impact itself would transmit fully.
Soon, the knights struck by the tiles were crawling on the floor one by one.
Isolde shrugged.
"That should about do it."
For just a flick of the wrist, the destruction was overwhelming.
Well, this was the caliber expected of the magic department's top student.
That made it even harder to understand.
'Why is she here of all places?'
Even I, who had planned everything, found Isolde's appearance utterly sudden.
Clearly, in this third act, Isolde was supposed to be off at her distant family home enjoying a peaceful rural vacation during summer break.
So why was Isolde staying at Erebos during summer break?
The question was resolved soon enough.
"...Don't tell me, make-up classes?"
The doll-like young lady, Otilie, had grumbled something similar in the confessional.
She'd failed her exams and had to stay at Erebos over break.
The same applied to Isolde. After getting beaten by Sophia, she'd missed over a month of classes entirely.
In the end, Isolde had become a make-up class student too.
'Like catching a rat while stepping back from a cow.'
I hadn't intended it, but Isolde's timely arrival had gotten us past the immediate crisis.
Above all, it was a relief.
Unlike Sophia or Elise, Isolde was what you'd call a 'normal person.'
Sensible, righteous, reasonable—a true orthodox protagonist, through and through.
It was so welcome I could almost cry.
"Is anyone else from the academy at the cathedral besides you, Miss Isolde?"
"Of course. Right now, the guard forces are probably buying time at the main gate. That's how I was able to come rescue you all."
Isolde flashed a bright smile and gave a small wink.
"...Priest, we don't have time to leisurely chat with that girl."
Elise cut in next. For some reason, she glared back and forth between Isolde and me with clear displeasure, like a cat whose territory had been invaded.
At the same time, the grip on my arm tightened fiercely.
"Is that woman the magic department head?"
"Yes."
"Is she close to you, Priest?"
"Well... no, not particularly."
Elise eyed the floating Isolde in the air with cold, icy eyes.
More precisely, she stared at the intellectual gaze behind those horn-rimmed glasses and the overwhelming bosom that even the baggy robe couldn't hide—untouched by gravity thanks to the flight spell.
Isolde noticed the prickly stare and gave an awkward smile.
"Um... Saintess Candidate?"
"Call me Elise."
Isolde glanced at Elise's modified holy garb and asked cautiously with a complicated smile.
"Yes, Lady Elise. That... outfit... did it get torn in battle? Would you like to borrow a robe? At least to cover up..."
"No. I'm wearing it because I want to. Thank you for your concern, but I'm fine."
"I... see."
A dry response.
Isolde gave a wry smile.
Regardless, Elise demonstratively tugged my arm closer.
'What's her deal?'
Elise's gaze toward Isolde cooled even further.
I'd thought she only had beef with Sophia, but for some reason, she was on high alert with Isolde too.
Isolde, meanwhile, scratched her cheek awkwardly.
It felt rude toward our rescuer.
"...".
As the awkward silence stretched, someone suddenly clung to the window outside with a thud.
"Miss."
"Miss Helena."
It was Helena, the head maid from Ophelia Hall.
"We don't have time to glare at that wench. Holy Office knights are heading this way. It seems they've caught on to our feint."
"...That's a problem."
Holy Office knights.
Far stronger than the holy knights we'd just faced— incomparably so.
Even with Isolde and Elise, if a swarm of Holy Office knights charged in, our odds weren't great.
"Let's escape."
Everyone nodded at my judgment.
"Miss Isolde, if you could cast a flight spell on us. My team from Ophelia Hall has a carriage waiting outside the cathedral, so we can—"
"No."
Isolde cut off Helena. Frowning, she looked up at the ceiling.
"Escape... might be impossible right now."
"What do you mean...?"
Helena whipped her head around, sensing the anomaly too. I looked out the window where she clung.
"Tch."
I clicked my tongue.
Not long ago, at that seaside villa where the kidnapping happened.
The same gray curtain enveloped the cathedral.
Mid-boss Gregorius. He'd pulled his trick. Obviously to isolate us. No intention of letting us go easily.
"Looks like the source is on the roof."
To tear the curtain, we'd need to find a weak point or take down the caster.
But pinpointing a vulnerability in such a massive cathedral wasn't easy. Taking down Gregorius was the fastest way.
However, with Holy Office knights desperate to catch us, reaching the roof wouldn't be simple.
A tricky situation all around.
But Isolde shrugged with a wry smile.
"Shall we hold position here? I can leave the rooftop foes to someone else."
"Leave it to who?"
"Actually, besides the front gate guards and me, there's a separate strike team."
"Strike team?"
At my question, Isolde smiled with her eyes and explained.
"Two cadets who call you 'Master' and 'Muse,' Priest."
"...Ah."
They were the two aces I'd planted in the academy.
A few minutes after Archbishop Balua's orders.
Word arrived that academy guards had shown up at the cathedral entrance. They demanded the gates be opened to check on the Saintess Candidate's safety. This meant Erebos's headmaster, Cornelius, was aware of Balua's scheme.
Undoubtedly, the knight department cadet and Ophelia Hall maid we'd missed in Bellus had reported to the academy side.
Meanwhile, on the cathedral roof, Holy Office Knight Commander Gregorius had borrowed divine power to unfurl the curtain.
—Rumble...
"...Whew."
Looking at the curtain enveloping the cathedral, Gregorius let out a small sigh.
His role was straightforward: deploy the curtain to block external interference. A barrier leaving no room for variables.
"...Just wait it out like this."
The plan had twisted a bit, but it was still within expectations.
Holy knights were deployed to hold off academy guards, and ritual prep was nearly complete.
Holy Office knights capturing the Saintess Candidate was only a matter of time.
Once they had her, the possession ritual could begin immediately.
After that, no one could stop the return of divine power.
This rotten era would end, and a new age of gods would dawn.
Gregorius, gripped by near-fanatical faith, was convinced of it.
"Heh..."
A chuckle escaped his lips.
But that pleasant reverie was shattered by whispers reaching his ears.
"...That guy's the one?"
"Yeah."
"Looks shady."
"Not as much as you."
He'd thought they were whispering out of earshot, but a knight's enhanced hearing caught every word.
"Who goes there."
Gregorius turned. Toward one corner of the roof.
Two women were peeking out from there.
"...Busted."
"Told you we'd get caught."
"We're fighting anyway, so whatever."
The redhead on the left was familiar. Sophia Aquilova, knight department head from Bellus.
The woman on the right was a petite black-haired cadet.
"...Rats daring to dirty this sanctuary with their filthy feet."
He should have killed them at that villa back then.
Gregorius grimaced and drew his sword. Sophia responded by drawing her ink-black blade.
"You think a mere cadet like you can beat me?"
Word was Sophia Aquilova's swordsmanship was exceptional. Recently, in a dungeon expedition, she'd triumphed over pro assassins.
But those were just third-rate killers.
Gregorius was different. A commander-level expert. And now, with temporary divine power, she stood no chance.
"Hmph."
But it wasn't Sophia who reacted to his words. The black-haired girl beside her scoffed derisively and spoke.
"True. We might not beat you."
"...We?"
As Gregorius questioned the word, the black-haired girl raised a finger.
"But Leo can."
"...!"
His mind went blank in an instant.
Knight's have a special instinct.
The alarm bell in their head when life is at risk.
And Gregorius trusted his instincts.
"Kuh!"
His body moved before his thoughts. Gregorius leaped aside hastily.
Boom! The spot he'd stood on blackened and collapsed inward.
"...What?!"
What had just happened?
Terrifying destructive force.
Intense heat on his face.
Dense mana concentration.
Traces of top-tier fire magic.
"...A magic department professor!"
Gregorius looked toward the attack's origin: a spire. Sure enough, a man stood beneath the bell at its top. Upon recognizing his features from afar, Gregorius's eyes widened.
Too distant for clear facial details, but the tanned skin, golden hair, and priestly robes made his identity unmistakable.
"You... how!"
Priest Leo.
The priest from Bellus kidnapping was glaring down from the spire.
How had he gotten up there?
No, that wasn't important now.
"Thought you were a priest... but a mage after all."
At the Bellus villa, Priest Leo had surrendered without resistance.
To be safe, Gregorius had even scanned his body. No trace of mana, let alone holy power—not a speck.
So this situation was blatantly anomalous.
Impossible to explain rationally.
But Gregorius wasn't fool enough to deny what his eyes beheld.
'Could he have... hidden his power?'
Gregorius reached a logical conclusion.
Skilled mages could perfectly conceal their aura.
If Priest Leo was that elite a mage.
Capable of fooling even his detection.
It explained why he'd sensed nothing before.
'Come to think of it...'
A silly rumor from the academy came to mind.
A hidden mage of great skill lurked there.
He'd dismissed it then.
Now he knew its truth.
"Kuh."
Priest Leo was an asymmetric asset capable of top-tier magic.
He hadn't anticipated such a massive variable inside Erebos.
A clear blunder.
As Gregorius bit his lip—
"Opening."
Sophia, who had sneaked behind him unnoticed, raised her ink-black sword with a wicked grin.