God Reveals Himself to Those Who Earnestly Desire Him
God reveals His true form to those who yearn for Him with all their hearts. Hardship, asceticism, misfortune, trials, tests, obstacles… For all those drowning in the despair that exists in this world, only fervent prayers to God remain. To everyone who craves Him amid the difficulties of life, God extends His voice and scatters a handful of hope that allows them to endure.
"I hate this… I can't take it anymore…"
Here, in the darkness, a single lamb writhed in despair. Even in broad daylight, the room was pitch black, not a single ray of light penetrating. The curse sown by the King of Death gnawed endlessly at her insides. Her husband had thrown in his lot with the Church's forces in a desperate bid to save her, setting in motion plans that would throw the entire nation into chaos. Her life had crumbled, and the path ahead was a thorny road leading straight to ruin. The woman endlessly protested the injustice of having to suffer like this. In the end, her cries reached God.
"Good day, Viscountess Gibbernoon."
The door was locked. The windows were surely shut as well. Neither the attendants nor her husband, Viscount Gibbernoon, had entered her room. Yet a stranger's voice echoed from a third party. Anna Gibbernoon flinched, her body trembling, and cautiously peeked out from beneath the blanket she had pulled over her head.
There stood a mirror. The reflection showed nothing but the same impenetrable darkness. Yet strangely, a silhouette became visible. It was her own form—exactly as she had looked before receiving the curse from the Four Kings. The arrogant expression she once wore, looking down on those beneath her, was now reflected in the mirror.
"I come from the Church. In accordance with the agreement with Viscount Gibbernoon, I am here to free you from the curse."
The voice was as sweet as an apple. At the same time, it was as seductive as a beautiful woman's smile. Drawn by the fragrance she seemed to smell within that voice, she found herself walking toward the mirror without realizing it. Scars covered her arms and legs.
"Ah…"
A soft gasp escaped her parched throat, cracked like a desert from all the screaming. Before she knew it, she had fallen to her knees before him. She didn't know who he was. This grotesque silhouette might be nothing more than an illusion. Perhaps she had finally gone mad and could no longer distinguish between reality and dreams. Even so, she instinctively knew—his presence would be her salvation.
"Welcome to our fold, Viscountess."
But she didn't know. She had no idea she was being forced to believe. She didn't realize she had stepped into a world governed by such rules.
"I've already spoken with the Viscount, but we're not yet ready to save you. This is merely a brief greeting. I look forward to meeting you again soon."
"May you dream a happy dream, at least for today."
With the figure's smile, the silhouette in the mirror vanished. Anna unconsciously clasped both hands over her chest. Sometimes, profound despair and trials become the foundation for unwavering faith in God. Thus, in that secluded room unknown to anyone, the seed of another incident was planted in someone's heart.
＊ ＊ ＊
A wooden, streamlined boat cut through the fierce waves, pushing forward. The waves churned ceaselessly. The culprit was the magic raining down from directly ahead.
"They're targeting us exclusively now."
My abilities must be quite threatening. Marily smiled faintly, almost proudly, as a barrage of flames capable of melting all the arctic glaciers hurtled toward them, raising the water temperature.
"Jeez, this is insane!"
Togun, frantically rowing while dodging Aaron's fireballs left and right, looked utterly miserable. If the boat capsized, it was game over. The team's fate rested on his arms. His waist felt ready to snap from constant movement, and his arms, battling the rough waves, seemed about to tear off at any moment. Yet he gritted his teeth and endured every ounce of pain for the team.
"……"
Togun wasn't the only one struggling. The continuous bombardment accumulated damage. Though Togun tried his best to dodge, avoiding everything was impossible, so the task naturally fell to Arina. She kept reinforcing and repairing the boat, layering magic circles over it with meticulous care, convinced that the moment it broke, everything would end.
"Don't we have any way to counterattack?"
"As if we do! Just surviving their concentrated fire is a miracle!"
Honestly, lasting this long under the focused assault of a 4-star mage was nothing short of miraculous.
"Just row faster! Getting through the gate and putting distance between us is our best option right now!"
The opposing boat was faster. The only way to evade their bombardment was to reach the gate and create distance as quickly as possible, just as Marily had said.
Whoosh!
At that moment, a feeble flame—completely different from the previous barrage—flew toward them from behind Benedict Academy's B Team. The attack lacked both power and accuracy. Arina instinctively glanced back and saw the Dominic Academy team's boat had closed in right behind them.
"Hahaha! How about that, Benedict Academy! Do you feel the terror of Leon Nenfil's—whaah?!"
Leon Nenfil stood at the bow, holding two adorable little fireballs in each hand and shouting triumphantly. Then the boat lurched violently, and he nearly tumbled into the sea before barely regaining his balance.
"Ptooey! Ptooey!"
Unable to avoid swallowing the salty seawater, he lowered his head and spat forcefully onto the deck. Arina watched his pathetic display with a peculiar expression.
I've been wondering for a while now—what exactly is this guy trying to accomplish?
"Why are you attacking us?!"
Unlike Arina, who felt a twinge of pity for his pitiful actions, Marily scowled in anger. Leon burst into laughter as if he'd been waiting for that question.
"What kind of obvious question is that?! Obviously, to eliminate you!"
Ennya Dexspin had formed a team to challenge the strongest mages of the tournament—Aaron Dice and Chris. But not every participant shared her goal of making an impression on the scouts by toppling the ace teams. Some teams, like Benedict Academy's B Team, hoped to surpass them despite their inferior skills. Others, like Dominic Academy, pursued an entirely independent path.
"I saw Aaron Dice's power earlier! If first place is impossible, let's aim for second instead!"
In other words, they had abandoned trying to restrain Aaron Dice and were now hunting Benedict Academy's B Team, who were aiming for second place. Marily fell speechless at the shameless declaration. So they were too scared to touch Aaron and had decided to target the relatively easier first-year students instead? A classic case of bullying the weak while fearing the strong. Even Arina, listening nearby, felt the sympathy she'd been feeling moments ago evaporate completely.
"……So teams can form alliances like this too."
Forming teams wasn't exclusive to the weak. There were also cases where people allied with the strong to secure even a second-place position. This wasn't limited to the tournament—it was a common practice in noble society and politics as well. Marily swallowed a sigh, realizing she had once again underestimated her peers.
Boom!
Meanwhile, an explosion from beneath the waves sent a massive surge of water upward. The boat, losing balance atop the towering column of seawater, was launched high into the air.
"Kyaaaaah!"
The children screamed, gripping the boat with all their strength. Letting go meant plunging straight into the sea. Even though it was virtual, the terror of falling into the endless ocean was real. As Arina clung desperately to the weightless boat, her eyes widened in shock.
"This is the end."
Beyond the waves, Aaron Dice's gentle smile came into view. He had deliberately launched their boat skyward, restricting their room to maneuver. His fingers—index and middle extended like a magic gun—were aimed at them, a blazing fireball loaded at the tip.
Vwoom!
Watching this, Arina swiftly extended her right hand toward her left wrist. The mana restriction cuffs, with their embedded magic circles. She extracted one and compressed it into the shape of an arrow. In this extremely urgent moment, under pressure that felt like time had frozen, she precisely targeted the incoming fireball with her magic circle arrow. For Arina, who could even hit flying lasers, striking a fireball was child's play.
KABOOOOOM!!
The intangible arrow collided with the flame, which expanded violently and dyed their vision crimson. The boat plummeted back to the water's surface, sending up another massive wave. Togun, who had maintained balance on the deck by controlling the oars with swordsmanship-like finesse, lifted his soaked head and looked ahead. He could no longer tell if the moisture on his face was sweat or seawater.
When are we going to reach the second gate? And is this even the right direction? We're not going the wrong way, are we?
Anxiety and worry surged along with the fierce waves. Though he continued rowing according to Marily's navigation, the constant chaos had completely disoriented him.
"We're off course! Turn a little more to the right!"
Marily's shout cut through his unease. Right. All I can do now is trust my teammates and keep moving forward. Clinging to her unwavering voice, Togun gripped the oars tightly.
"They're coming again!"
Fireballs tore through the rolling waves in rapid succession, flying straight toward the center of the boat. Arina summoned another magic circle and shot one down, but this time the explosion was far too close. The boat lurched violently, nearly capsizing as it rose high into the air. Once again experiencing weightlessness, Togun spun the oar once, using centrifugal force to make the boat perform an acrobatic rotation.
Beast Imitation Footwork — "Dolphin." Normally a walking technique, he reproduced it in a limited form atop the boat. Footwork was the study of movement—how to walk, or rather, how to travel. The boat danced flamboyantly across the waves, a spectacle reminiscent of a master surfer performing impossible feats. Imitating something he'd only seen in internet videos, Togun balanced precariously before the boat righted itself on the water's surface once more.
Marily frowned as she looked at the growing distance between them and Benedict Academy's A Team.
"Puhah… someone save me… I fell off the boat… please…!"
At that moment, something floundered up beside their boat. It was Leon Nenfil, who had fallen overboard. His team's boat had apparently been swept far away by the earlier explosion. Marily extended her hand forward, not even sparing him a glance.
"There's no time to rest! Row faster, Togun!"
"Seriously! We've been through so much—can't we catch our breath for a second?!"
Even as he complained, Togun's arms moved powerfully in accordance with Marily's command. They rowed desperately for some time.
"There's the second gate!"
A waterfall of spells, identical to the first gate, appeared before them. Marily, drenched from head to toe, shouted loudly as she stared at Benedict Academy's A Team, who had stopped in front of the shimmering translucent barrier.