[Saintess, Anastasia Lacroix - 17]
[Saintess, Anastasia Lacroix - 17]
The day arrives.
It had been a month since Eris's training began, and today was the day of her test.
The content of the test was something that could be described with the phrase, "Best is simple."
Simply put, she had to have a fair and square sparring match against one of the Holy Knights belonging to the Cathedral's Holy Knights order, and if she won, Eris would get a chance to turn her life around as the Saintess-nim's bodyguard.
Rising from the slums to that position in one go was a true reversal of fortune, and for Eris, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
And if she lost, needless to say, Eris would have no place left in the Cathedral.
'Well, with Eris as she is now, she can make a living.'
Ironically, by helping her grow over the past month, Eris was now skilled enough to make a living as an adventurer or whatever else she chose.
It might be a bit dangerous while she built up practical experience, but if she took on appropriate requests, she could guarantee a decent income as an adventurer.
In other words, even if Eris lost here, she no longer had to live in the slums.
Since she had the skills, there would be no problem living as an adventurer.
Nevertheless, Eris looked very serious, as if she was steeling her resolve to win.
Whatever her intentions were, she had the look of someone who didn't want to disappoint the Saintess-nim who had given her this chance.
Sometimes the Saintess-nim and Eris would have private conversations; perhaps they had grown close during that time.
I was very curious about what kind of image the Saintess-nim had in Eris's mind, but regardless, if she didn't win today, none of that would matter.
"You have arrived, Saintess-nim."
"Yes, where is Eris?"
"She is warming up."
"Good. You said Eris's skills were at a level that could reach a Holy Knight, so I can look forward to it, right?"
"We'll have to see. Besides, we don't know exactly which Holy Knight will come out."
"Surely Harold, the Captain, won't come out, right?"
"That shouldn't happen, no matter what. Basically, Harold-nim currently looks down on Eris. In fact, a month ago, she was in a state that deserved to be looked down upon."
A month ago, she only had high physical ability, so she was practically a beast or a monster without intelligence. Honestly, at that level, if they had weapons, even villagers could have beaten her depending on their strategy.
But now, it's a different story.
I spent almost a month just properly training her techniques.
Therefore, while her physical ability itself isn't much different from a month ago, the techniques I crammed into her over the month have properly soaked into Eris.
Now, it depends on how she performs in the actual fight.
Because there are people who do well in training or practice, but can't perform when it actually comes to a real fight.
Fortunately, Eris didn't seem like the type to get nervous, scared, or too excited in that way, leading to misjudgments in battle.
Kkii-ik.
Just as Eris was finishing her warm-up, the door to the training hall opened, and Harold appeared with a few Holy Knights.
Harold immediately confirmed the Saintess-nim's presence and greeted her politely.
"Good morning, Saintess-nim."
"Good morning, Harold-nim."
Her benevolence felt beyond mere pretense; she greeted Harold with the smile of a truly perfect Saintess-nim. Harold seemed a bit moved as he looked at her.
"It feels like just a short while ago when you were holed up in your room, unable to handle your proper duties... You have grown so wonderfully. You are now truly worthy of the name Saintess, Saintess-nim."
"That is because I had a good instructor. Should I say I realized what position I am in?"
"That is fortunate. The Pope-nim will surely be pleased as well. He cherishes you like a granddaughter."
For the record, Harold is not a villain.
As you can tell from the conversation just now, he just has a bit of aristocratic elitism and is a bit stubborn, which, in other words, means he has a 'tendency to value discipline'.
Although it was a bit excessive, his loyalty and faith toward the Goddess Religion were also on the high side.
"Adrian, you are truly excellent. Honestly, I was looking down on you a bit because you came from the battlefield, but I didn't know you would have such talent for academics and education."
It is often said that Holy Knights who fight on the battlefield are strong but barbaric or lack manners, and the Holy Knights who fight and the Holy Knights who keep order often clashed.
Of course, they weren't fighting seriously; it was just that there was a slight difference in their inclinations.
Those who fought on the battlefield belittled those who kept order, saying they just sucked up the honey in the back without fighting, and those who kept order got angry, saying they didn't know manners.
Honestly, they do lack manners.
Harold was surprised when he saw me at our first meeting; he said it was the first time he had seen someone called a hero who fights on the battlefield perform a proper Holy Knight-style greeting.
Even from my perspective, the Holy Knights on the battlefield had a somewhat violent side, enough to be called barbaric.
I wish those on the battlefield who protect peace and those in the rear who keep order would respect each other a bit, but it didn't seem easy.
"You are too kind. I merely helped bloom the talent the Saintess-nim already possessed. The Saintess-nim had the aptitude to do this from the beginning."
"Even so, for that flower to bloom, one must add fertilizer, water it, and manage it with care every single day. Please take good care of the Saintess-nim until she reaches adulthood."
"Yes, leave it to me."
Ahem, Harold cleared his throat and said.
"But separate from that, I must verify that pauper's skills. Luke, step forward."
"Yes, Captain-nim."
The Saintess-nim's eyebrows twitched slightly, and she whispered to me.
"Who is that?"
"Luke Asrad. He is a member of the Cathedral's Holy Knights."
"I have eyes, I know that. Is he strong?"
"He isn't remarkably strong, but as you can see, he has a certain physique, so I think he is just slightly above the average of the Cathedral's Holy Knights."
"I see."
You can consider Luke to be around 4th or 5th out of 10.
He is by no means weak, but he isn't strong either; he reliably performs the role of a shield, which can be called the essence of a Holy Knight.
He could be called a man who fits the image of a 'Holy Knight' in a stereotypical way. As a special note, as I mentioned, he is a bit big, and he is a bit childish for that size.
Should I call him hot-tempered?
He had a tendency to heat up quickly.
I sometimes watch the Holy Knights training, and while Luke has the skills, there were often cases where he was pushed back because of his tendency to get excited quickly.
He even lost fights he could have won if he had regained his composure, just because he got excited.
I wouldn't go so far as to say he's wasting a treasure, but he was someone who could definitely climb higher if he fought a little more calmly.
"A suitable choice."
As Luke stepped forward, Harold looked at Eris.
"Pauper, you are ready, right? This man is your opponent."
"Eris."
"Hmm?"
"Not pauper, my name is Eris."
"......If you beat Luke, I will remember that name. I don't remember the names of children who are about to leave the Cathedral."
"......."
Along with aristocraticism, he also had meritocracy, so maybe he really would remember it if she won, but that attitude definitely had something that pissed people off.
If this were a novel or something like that, he spoke like a third-rate villain who would get schooled by the protagonist early on, so sometimes I almost wanted to laugh.
However, Harold's aristocraticism was a bit different in nature from what those villains say.
He had the mindset that since he was born an aristocrat, enjoyed many things, and received education, it was natural for him to be superior to commoners, and therefore, he was a person whose belief was that we must be the 'protectors'.
Harold stroked his mustache and said to Eris.
"Is your weapon a spear?"
"Yeah, mister. This fits me best."
Harold's expression twisted.
"Adrian."
"Yes."
"If this child wins, start by teaching her etiquette."
Why me.
Those words came up to my throat, but I didn't bother saying them.
"Understood."
"Ed, if you really feel like you're going to die from overwork, just trust me."
That is truly comforting, Saintess-nim.
Anyway, well.
It was necessary education.
Since she lived as a pauper, she had no opportunity to receive such education, and no need to learn it, so her lack of manners couldn't be helped.
And I was planning to teach her that first if Eris won, anyway.
"Then, may we begin? Saintess-nim? You remember the promise, right?"
"Yes, if Eris loses, Eris must leave the Cathedral. But conversely, if Eris wins."
"As promised, I will recognize her as the Saintess-nim's bodyguard and treat her accordingly. So, are you ready?"
"Of course, Captain-nim. I heard she's a quarter-Beastkin, let's see what she can do."
As Luke raised his sword and shield and took his stance, Eris also gripped her spear tightly and took her stance.
"Then, the sparring match."
Harold stood in the middle like a referee and raised his hand.
"Start."
Eris and Luke moved almost at the same time.