Chapter 192: A Blade Does Not Choose the Hand That Holds It-4
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 192: A Blade Does Not Choose the Hand That Holds It-4
"Mmm... ugh...."
Maria was sleeping soundly, letting out occasional, unintelligible mumbles.
I’d noticed the dark circles under her eyes getting worse lately and figured she was exhausted, but I hadn't realized it was this bad.
"She’s really out."
Looking at her was like looking at a mirror of my past self after pulling three consecutive all-nighters.
"......."
I flipped through my notebook, occasionally glancing at Maria as she tossed and turned.
The way her massive chest rose and fell with every breath was quite a sight.
Is it okay for a Saint to be looking at such things?
Well, who cares? It’s not like I’m a real Saint anyway.
After admiring the view for a moment, I turned my attention back to the notebook.
Bible verses written densely in Hangul greeted me.
After reading through the scriptures several times, I had discovered a key fact.
The most important value in the Solarium Church was 'Faith.'
Of course, one could argue that faith is important in any religion, but...
The phrase that best summarized Solarium was: [There is a reason for everything God does, and those who are servants of God must believe and follow His will.]
Every single anecdote in the Bible was related to 'Faith.'
The Holy People mentioned in the scriptures were essentially individuals who were canonized because they demonstrated a level of faith that surpassed others.
To be precise, one had to demonstrate extraordinary faith and perform a 'miracle' to be recognized as a Holy Person.
A miracle.
It’s a vague word to define, but in Solarium, a miracle was described as follows:
An act impossible for human strength alone.
Defeating hundreds of people single-handedly, moving trees to block a landslide caused by a torrential downpour, or healing a patient dying of a terrible plague until their body was clean and whole—these were the kinds of miracles recorded in the Bible.
In short, a believer who performs a miracle is a Holy Person.
Then what exactly is a 'Saint'?
That was the question I had been pondering lately.
If a Saint was the same as a Holy Person, there wouldn't be a need for a separate title.
Unlike the Holy People who appeared frequently in the Bible, mentions of the 'Saint' were rare and abstract.
Based on my repeated readings and the information I’d squeezed out of Maria, the Saint was someone who appeared in a chaotic world to guide believers and lead them to heaven.
It didn't really resonate with me, though.
Proof of being the Saint was determined through an ancient Holy Relic. The sword I had pulled out when I first arrived here was that very relic.
Apparently, when the Saint draws the sword, the blade glows white.
Thanks to that glowing sword, I was now playing the role of a Saint, a fate I never asked for.
"...Mmm?"
I heard rustling from the bed.
I looked over to see Maria sitting up, staring at me with a dazed expression.
Sleep still clung heavily to her eyes.
I stood up from the desk, approached her, and leaned in close.
"Where... am I...?"
Still trapped in the fog of sleep, she murmured with a vacant face.
Waking her up normally seemed a bit boring, so I put on my most benevolent expression and whispered to her.
"Welcome to heaven... Sister Maria."
"...Hea...ven?"
She slowly turned her head toward me.
I folded both of my hands over hers and nodded slowly.
"Yes, that is correct. Your steadfast faith has led you to heaven."
"Ah...."
Even in her half-asleep state, I could see ecstasy slowly filling Maria’s face.
"My... my life wasn't a mistake. Ah...."
A single tear rolled down from her emerald eyes.
"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much."
Seeing Maria weeping and offering her gratitude, I figured it was time to end the prank.
I flicked her right in the forehead with my finger.
— Thwack!
The sensation of her solid forehead vibrated through my finger.
The impact was enough to snap Maria’s head back slightly.
"Ouch!"
Startled by the sudden pain, Maria raised her hand to rub her forehead.
She looked a lot more awake now.
"Wake up, Sister Maria."
"S-Saint-nim?"
Maria’s eyes widened at my voice.
She hurriedly looked around, taking in her surroundings.
The bed she was sitting on, the blanket draped over her body.
As she realized the situation, her face turned pale.
"Huh? Ah! Oh!"
Making strange noises, Maria scrambled to get out of bed.
"Shh."
Knowing what would happen if I let her keep panicking, I placed a finger over her lips.
"Do you feel a bit more rested?"
When I asked quietly, Maria nodded silently.
"I-I'm so sorry."
As soon as I took my finger away, she whispered her apology.
"You've been overworking yourself lately. Between reviewing the scriptures and your training... the fatigue must have piled up."
As I spoke softly, Maria shook her head as if to say she was fine.
However, the dark circles under her eyes were still prominent, which made me feel a bit bad.
A thought followed: Am I pushing her too hard for my own convenience?
"I-I'm really okay."
Maria quickly hopped off the bed and straightened her clothes on the other side of the room.
My eyes briefly lingered on the curves of her body, and I had to hurriedly look away.
"Ah, look at the time...."
Her personal time was already over.
It was time for everyone to go to sleep, but Maria still had two hours left.
Two hours the Chief Inquisitor had set aside for her to prepare for the tournament.
"Um, well... Saint-nim. Thank you for your hard work today."
Maria fidgeted for a while before finally managing to speak.
I nodded as she signaled her intention to leave.
"You worked hard too, Sister Maria. If you're tired in the future, just let me know. You're welcome to sleep here."
"No, no! T-Today was truly my mistake. Next time, I'll make sure to stay sharp..."
"It's fine. I'm not scolding you for dozing off. Anyway, tell me if you're tired. We can't have the person attending the Saint falling ill, can we?"
I calmed her down with a soothing hand gesture.
"T-Then, I'll be going now. I'll see you tomorrow."
After bowing, Maria rushed out the door.
Thirty minutes passed after she left.
I was still wrestling with the Bible.
No matter how much I read, there seemed to be no end. The abstract and metaphorical content was giving me a headache.
"Hmm...."
Maybe I should go for a walk.
It was past curfew, but no one was going to complain to the Saint.
*
I went out for a night stroll without a specific destination in mind, but then I found myself heading toward the Solacusia, wondering how Maria was doing.
Perhaps because everyone had gone to bed, I didn't see anyone except for the Holy Knights on patrol.
I slipped past them and headed toward the training ground where Maria was likely to be.
Even though my internal energy was gone, the stealth skills I had learned from my Master were more than enough to use even without it.
"Hah!"
As I neared the training ground, I heard Maria’s voice.
Her shouts carried clearly through the night air.
The training ground was a wide, open space, but it looked dilapidated compared to where the Holy Knights trained.
A few torches were lit, illuminating Maria as she swung her sword at a training dummy.
"Hyah!"
She looked like she was struggling as she attacked the dummy with a massive greatsword.
"Hmm...."
Swinging like that made consecutive attacks impossible. There were glaring openings in every single movement.
"Hah!"
An upward slash.
Her shoulders were too tense, ruining her accuracy.
It might work if she were using the sword as a blunt weapon, but it was insufficient for actually cutting anything.
I grabbed a worn-out wooden sword from a weapon rack standing to one side.
Then, after taking a deep breath, I lunged forward.
"Hah... wait, what?"
I parried Maria’s downward swing with my wooden sword.
The strong recoil sent Maria tumbling onto her backside.
"Ugh... who... Saint-nim?"
Maria froze as she recognized the face of the person who had knocked her down.
"Sister Maria. How is your training going?"
I asked, pointing the wooden sword at her.
"Pardon...? Oh, well..."
"Get up."
I didn't give her time to think.
At my command, Maria hesitantly stood up.
"Grip your sword."
She picked up the weapon she had dropped.
Maria was someone who had helped me a lot in adjusting to this world.
So, I figured I could at least help her this much.
"I'll check your form. Try swinging at me."
"A-At you, Saint-nim?"
"Yes. Don't hold back. Come at me with everything you've got."
As I stepped back and took a stance, Maria furrowed her brows in distress.
"S-Saint-nim, how could I possibly..."
I stepped forward with my right foot and swung.
— Clang!
With a sharp sound, the sword in Maria’s hand flew into the distance.
Rather than trying to convince her with words, it was faster to make her understand like this.
"I am stronger than you think, Sister Maria."
I pointed the sword at her again, my voice dropping to a low, serious tone.
"So, pick up your sword."
Maria picked up her sword once more.
"Keep your grip firm."
The moment I finished speaking, I swung just like before.
— Clang!
Maria’s body swayed violently, but this time, she didn't lose her grip on the sword.
"Good. Now, try blocking this."
I pulled back my sword, raised it above my head, and brought it straight down.
Maria tried to block the strike with the flat of her greatsword.
"Good attempt, but your body is wide open."
I retracted the sword halfway through the descent and lightly poked her in the stomach with the tip of the wooden sword.
"Urgh...!"
Maria doubled over instantly.
The impact seemed to be greater than I had expected.
"Are you okay?"
I patted Maria on the back as she gagged.
She coughed for a good while before wiping her mouth with her hand.
"...I'm fine."
Staggering to her feet, Maria took her stance again.
The usual gentle look in her eyes was gone, replaced by a gaze full of burning determination.
I couldn't tell if she was angry or if her competitive spirit had been ignited.
Either way, it was a good look.
I couldn't hide the smirk tugging at the corners of my mouth as I raised my sword again.
The heavy sensation of the wooden sword traveled up my arm.
To be honest, I had been itching for some action myself.
While I was doing this to help Maria, part of me just really wanted to move.
"Now, do you feel like giving it your all?"
I asked Maria with a grin.
With a face full of tension, Maria slowly nodded.
"Good."
In this moment, I wasn't Kang In-ho the Saint.
I was Kang In-ho, the disciple of the Heavenly Demon.