The Purification Training, Part 2
Apel Cloud soared into the air.
"You will be transported en masse via teleportation magic. Please keep in mind that symptoms such as motion sickness or tinnitus may occur."
Motion sickness? We weren't boarding an express bus. Then again, covering such a vast distance in an instant without any side effects would be too much of a cheat.
Apel Cloud began to chant, drawing a massive magic circle in the air.
Activating my Eye of Clairvoyance to check Apel Cloud's state, I saw eight brilliantly glowing rings violently fluctuating around him. Was it even possible to cast a spell of this scale while simultaneously shielding all of us? Well, he was in the realm of transcendents, so I was sure he'd manage. My only job was to protect my own party members.
As I stared blankly up at the sky, the girls began to chatter.
"I'm feeling rather nervous," Ronia said.
"Of course you are. It's our first purification training," Micaris replied. "The third-years get deployed often, but this is a first for us."
"I've been so out of it lately, pushing myself to reach the 4-Circle in time for today," Aileen whined.
Unlike the dungeon practice, everyone seemed incredibly tense about the purification training. Their trembling voices gave them away. I offered them a word of encouragement.
"Don't worry. You'll be safe as long as I'm with you."
"Exactly. We have a Sword Saint leading us, so what is there to fear?" Micaris nodded in agreement.
"That's right. You don't need to be nervous either, Aileen," Ronia added.
"Look who's talking, Ronia. You're shaking too."
"Hehe, I suppose I am."
The conversation seemed to ease their tension a bit, as they soon began to giggle. However, my eyes remained as solemn as ever. Just like what happened during the dungeon practice, disasters always struck on days like this. It was a classic cliché—a universal law of storytelling.
While I was meditating to calm my mind, I noticed that Apel Cloud's magic circle was complete. A massive, brilliantly blue magic circle materialized beneath our feet.
"I shall now cast the transcendent magic, Advanced Teleport. Everyone, prepare yourselves."
Vrrr. A massive tremor shook the earth beneath us. Then, one by one, the students dissolved into blue light and vanished. After a brief wait, my turn came. As I was transported, a blue chamber filled my vision—perhaps because it was spatial magic. Everything flashed past at blinding speed.
This is definitely enough to cause motion sickness.
Even my stomach was churning, so I could only imagine how the others felt. Finally, the teleportation—which felt like having my brain scrambled in a blender—came to an end, and we arrived.
What greeted my eyes was a village that closely resembled a slum. The surrounding buildings looked on the verge of collapse, and the nearby forest exuded an eerie, unsettling atmosphere that made even the observer feel anxious.
"...This doesn't feel right."
As I looked around and waited, the rest of the students finished teleporting. I scanned the crowd and quickly located the girls.
"Is everyone alright?"
"My stomach is churning a bit," Micaris groaned.
"I feel rather dizzy," Ronia said.
"Teleportation... so cool..." Aileen muttered.
Aside from Aileen, everyone seemed to be in poor condition. By the way, I always thought this, but Aileen finding wonder in absolutely everything was incredibly cute.
Sensing a presence, I looked up at the sky. Apel Cloud, looking slightly out of breath, spoke.
"Whew... Has everyone arrived safely? If anyone is experiencing severe symptoms, please speak up now."
At his words, several students raised their hands. Their symptoms seemed quite severe. Their faces were pasty white, and their grimaces were so painful that it made me uncomfortable just looking at them.
The High Priests who accompanied us quickly treated the severely affected students, while Apel Cloud received mana recovery magic.
He must have consumed a massive amount of mana to cast that transcendent spell.
Even a transcendent was still human. If someone could cast such grand magic and remain completely unfazed, they would be a monster, not a man. Once Apel Cloud finished recovering, he soared back into the sky.
"This is a village located near the metropolis of Garhirst. As you can see, the atmosphere is quite grim. This is the direct influence of the Black Rain."
The dazed students looked around at Apel Cloud's words. Some showed sorrow, while others cast looks of disdain. Their differing reactions painted a clear picture of their respective personalities.
"From here, you will travel to Garhirst on horseback."
Apel Cloud introduced a man standing nearby and continued.
"Those who have pre-registered for horse transport, please speak to this gentleman, and he will guide you to the stables. Once everyone is ready, please gather at the village entrance."
After finishing his announcement, Apel Cloud descended.
"I need to head to the stables. I'll see you in a bit," Micaris said.
"I also requested a personal horse. Let's meet at the entrance," Ronia added.
With that, Ronia and Micaris headed toward the stables.
"Do you know how to ride a horse, Aileen?"
"...No."
Huh? What was this lady saying?
"You don't know how to ride?"
"Yeah."
What was with that blank expression? Did she not realize we would be traveling on horseback? This was an unexpected problem.
"We're all traveling by horse. There are no carriages."
"But I've never learned how to ride..."
Aileen bit her lip and hung her head.
"Hmm, hold on a moment."
I approached Apel Cloud and asked, "One of my party members doesn't know how to ride. Is it alright if we share a horse?"
"Yes, that is perfectly fine. We allow double-riding for those who cannot ride on their own."
Fortunately, there was no issue. I returned to Aileen and said, "You can ride with me, Aileen. Though my mount is a bit... unusual."
"Really? Is that okay?"
Aileen's face instantly brightened.
"Of course. Come forth, White Specter."
This time, instead of a simple skeletal horse, a magnificent steed draped in dark shadows, fully equipped with armor and a saddle, was summoned. Even to my eyes, it looked incredibly badass.
Aileen's eyes sparkled. "Whoa... Is this horse White Specter too? It's so cool..."
Hearing her call it cool made my shoulders swell with pride. I gave a smug nod.
"Naturally. Look who summoned it. Here, take my hand."
I mounted the horse and extended my hand to Aileen. She took it and climbed up behind me onto the shadow-draped White Specter.
"A special horse... so cool."
This girl was as cute as a child sometimes.
"We should head to the entrance first. The atmosphere here is pretty grim."
"Yeah, let's do that."
As we made our way to the entrance, looking around, my eyes fell upon the refugees of Garhirst—the metropolis currently plagued by the Black Rain.
With the population of a massive city crammed into this tiny village, it wasn't hard to guess the kind of hardships they were facing. The wells were filled with black, muddy water. The fields were not golden expanses of wheat, but reservoirs of dark, stagnant filth.
An old man sat silently at the edge of the village. His wrinkled face was as dark and gloomy as the overcast sky above.
The people here likely had no food to eat their fill, and many were probably sleeping on the streets due to a lack of shelter. Moreover, the gazes directed at us from their dark, despairing faces were filled with jealousy, resentment, and contempt.
They must find the sight of noble children offensive.
They had no idea that these very noble children they despised were risking their lives to purify their city, yet they glared at us like that. No matter how hard life was, this was a bit much. Tsking quietly, I rode toward the entrance.
Many students were already waiting at the entrance, fully prepared to depart.
"Aren't you nervous, Aileen?"
"Of course I am. But since you're here, I'm not that worried."
Oh. To think she trusted me this much. I felt deeply moved.
"I suppose so."
Aileen continued to stare blankly ahead. Was she lost in thought? Just then—
"W-Wait. Hound? What is that... what is going on in front of you?"
Micaris was so flustered that her words tripped over each other.
"Pardon?"
"Aileen... in front of you..."
Aileen turned her head to meet my gaze.
"Ah, Aileen doesn't know how to ride a horse, so I decided to let her ride with me."
Micaris's eyebrows twitched. "Wait, if that's the case, why not let her ride with me?"
"It's fine for her to ride with me, though."
Ronia, who was riding alongside us, nodded in agreement. "It would be uncomfortable for you ladies, so it is only right that I handle it."
"..."
"..."
The trembling in Micaris and Ronia's eyes did not look promising.
"I should have said I didn't know how to ride either..." Ronia muttered.
"Ronia? What was that?"
"Oh, nothing in particular..." Ronia feigned ignorance.
Micaris let out a deep sigh.
"Whew, fine. It can't be helped. I'll let it slide just this once."
Just then, Apel Cloud shouted.
"It seems everyone has gathered, so we shall prepare to depart! If there are any issues or if anyone is still suffering from the aftereffects of teleportation, please speak up now!"
No one spoke, indicating they were fine. They merely nodded.
"Since there are no issues, we shall depart!"
The knights took the lead and signaled the start.
"Move out!"
Clack-clack, clack-clack. The thundering of hooves and the fierce clanking of the knights' armor and helmets echoed through the air. Soon, the students began to follow suit. The sounds of countless military boots and saddles clashing filled the space, and above them, the imperial military banner fluttered proudly.
It's finally starting.
The purification training was officially underway. As we rode, I asked Aileen, "Are you comfortable, Aileen?"
"I'm not uncomfortable, but..."
Aileen kept her eyes fixed straight ahead.
"The motion sickness is pretty bad."
That was usually how it went. Just like how a car driver rarely got motion sickness while the passenger did, riding a horse was probably the same.
Well, that's just what I've heard, anyway.
Ronia and Micaris, riding alongside us, glared with fierce eyes.
"If the motion sickness is that bad, you can always switch to my horse," Micaris suggested. "Hound only recently learned how to ride, so that might be why."
"Indeed. I am also quite confident in my riding skills, so how about riding with me instead?" Ronia chimed in.
Aileen shook her head. "I like it here..."
"..."
"..."
Seriously, weren't they being a bit too sensitive over sharing a horse ride...?
Leaving Micaris and Ronia's jealous glares behind, we continued forward until dark, ominous storm clouds began to appear in the distance. The Black Rain was falling so heavily that I could hear the thick pattering sound of the droplets even through my Aura.
So that is the Black Rain.
Beneath the storm clouds, everything was withered and desolate, crawling with magic beasts corrupted by the Contamination. Their numbers were so vast that they practically blanketed the earth.
As we drew closer to the dark storm clouds, some of the magic beasts noticed our presence and lunged at us. However, the vanguard knights and Apel Cloud easily dispatched them.
"It's starting..." Ronia murmured.
"Yeah. Seeing the Black Rain with my own eyes makes my heart race," Micaris agreed.
"..."
They were clearly feeling the tension.
Honestly, it would be stranger not to be nervous after seeing this sight.
As we rode further, the dark storm clouds loomed directly ahead, blocking our path. Apel Cloud then announced:
"We begin here. Everyone, split up by party and take your positions."
We took our positions according to our planned strategy.
"Lord Elmut, please bestow your mercy upon us."
A golden, glowing barrier enveloped our entire party.
Apel Cloud shouted:
"The purification training begins now! There are no designated zones. Defeat the magic beasts and purify each area!"
I turned to the girls. "Is everyone ready?"
"Of course," Micaris replied.
"I'm a bit nervous, but yes," Ronia said.
Aileen remained silent, merely offering a firm nod.
"Just stick to the plan. We'll proceed with our defensive strategy for the purification. Let's go."
And with that, we plunged into the purification training.