Chapter 5
Chapter 5
For Adela
Early in the morning, I headed toward the northern district boundary where I had previously left Adela.
The northern district was an area where the churches that raised saints were gathered. It played a central role in protecting this holy city.
Because the only thing that could drive away darkness was light.
Narrow streets were filled with the glow of various church buildings, blending together into something like an aurora.
The Gothic-style cathedrals I had only ever seen in history books always felt overwhelming whenever I passed by them.
Adela’s location was within the Moonlight Church, where a soft blue glow gently illuminated the surroundings.
“Adela!”
“Ruvel~”
I greeted Adela, who looked noticeably brighter than a few days ago.
The cool blue light of the Moonlight Church always had a calming effect on the mind.
“You heard the dispatch news, right? You’re going to the Great Archive.”
“Yeah. I still don’t know the details either.”
Adela stepped out from the shadow where the light didn’t fully reach, and the glow she carried lit up the area.
“You look brighter than before.”
“Ehehe, I’ve been trying hard not to be a burden in my own way.”
Not being a burden.
Naturally, I reaffirmed my own resolve not to fall behind either.
“The Great Archive always feels so tall it’s hard to look up at it.”
“Probably because so many people sacrificed themselves to build it up… should we go in?”
We opened the doors of the Great Archive and stepped inside.
Carefully avoiding the stacks of books so nothing would collapse, we made our way to Labirin’s office.
Just before entering, I stopped.
Knock first. I didn’t want to get scolded again.
Knock knock.
“Yes, this is Second Archivist Labirin. Please come in.”
Only after the mechanical reply did we open the door and step inside.
Labirin’s room was still filled with flying documents and long scrolls of parchment spread across the floor.
“You’re here. Ruvel, Adela. Sit down. I’ll deliver the dispatch order right away.”
We cleared a stack of documents and sat down.
Labirin moved her quill through the air as if writing unseen words and continued speaking.
“I’ll get straight to the point. This expedition was decided by the Grand Council. You will retake the destroyed temporary outpost and then establish the fourth frontline base.”
“Wait. That temporary outpost… you mean the place we just came back from?”
“Yes, that’s the one. The one where you encountered the Night Lantern.”
“You’re sending us back there?”
Even if it was called a temporary outpost, it was still far from the capital and extremely dangerous.
Going there with just the two of us felt unreasonable.
And if the Night Lantern appeared again…
“You seem worried already. The Grand Council isn’t an institution that sends knights to their deaths. More people will be assigned.”
Not an institution that sends people to die.
Right. I shouldn’t think like that.
“Each unit will consist of one knight and one saint. In other words, one fireseed team, along with a construction corps for base development.”
“So effectively, there will only be two combat-capable fireseed teams.”
“Is that a problem?”
“It feels a bit lacking in manpower…”
“Ruvel, didn’t you defeat Sir Cassius, a first-rank knight who had become a wraith-like anomaly?”
“That’s true, but… what kind of knight will be accompanying us?”
“A first-rank knight originally stationed in the western district. He is stronger than an ordinary first-rank knight, so don’t worry.”
At Labirin’s precise tone, which was starting to grate on my ears, Adela raised her hand.
“Um… what about the saint who will be with us?”
“Yes, Adela. Your accompanying saint will be from the Ashen Church.”
“The Ashen Church…”
Adela scratched her cheek awkwardly.
“Just imagining two different churches working together to shine light makes me feel a bit relieved. Ah, and there will also be a trainee archivist assigned as a scribe.”
Even a records assistant.
They really were assigning quite a full team for one expedition.
“That concludes the explanation for the fourth frontline retake operation. Any questions?”
“Do we know what enemies to expect?”
“Most likely the usual wraiths and the Earthbound Shadows. And also…”
“And also?”
“No, that’s all.”
What was that?
It definitely felt like she was holding something back.
“The departure is in two weeks. The meeting will be in two days at the east gate of the central corridor.”
With that, the briefing ended and we left Labirin’s office.
As we exited the Great Archive, I let out a small sigh.
“Haa…”
“Why?”
“I’m just a little worried. I’ve been on missions with separate groups before, but this is the first time forming a proper team like this.”
“True. And I’ve also got a saint from the Ashen Church…”
“Is that church not on good terms with yours?”
“It’s not that I dislike them, but their methods are a bit extreme.”
Honestly, saints and churches were still hard to understand.
They all seemed similar, yet different in complicated ways.
“Hmm, I see. I like Adela’s light though.”
“Hey, that’s obvious.”
We exchanged light jokes as we walked through the district.
Under the warm blue sky, it was hard to believe the world was covered in darkness at all.
Before long, we arrived at the northern district boundary.
Time felt like it passed in an instant.
“I’ll head in now, Ruvel. See you in two days!”
Adela waved brightly as she disappeared between the cathedral-lined streets.
She looked like an ordinary girl in that moment, yet she bore all my pain as a saint.
My hand rested on the sword at my waist.
Inside the scabbard was a standard-issue longsword, a replacement for the broken one.
Adela, the construction corps, the trainee archivist…
The things I had to protect kept increasing.
If I didn’t improve, if I didn’t grow beyond this, I would never be able to protect Adela’s smile.
With my current skills and issued equipment, I might fail her again.
I would break again, fall again, and end up crawling through corpses searching for hope.
But hope like that doesn’t always fall into my hands.
I couldn’t rely on luck forever.
I needed something that could protect people.
Something like a wall surrounding this city against the darkness.
A shield.
The moment I decided that, I turned toward the western district through the outer ring road.
Passing through the central corridor gate into the western district, the air immediately changed.
The western district was a military-industrial city filled with blacksmiths and stationed knights.
It was where the strongest people of the city lived, hardened by harsh conditions.
Sometimes relics from expeditions or belongings of dead knights would be brought here.
It was the best place to find equipment when needed.
After walking for a while, I muttered to myself.
“Something less flashy… and more practical…”
Weapons on display reflected the red glow of furnaces, dazzling and overwhelming.
They seemed to call out for attention.
This wasn’t what I was looking for.
I passed the brighter shops and headed toward the outskirts, where light barely reached.
The moment I stepped into the shadowed alley, a metallic scent mixed with blood hit me.
I walked toward a corner filled with scrap metal and debris, where no signboard was even hung.
“Can I take a look?”
“…Do whatever you want.”
An old man with a long white beard glanced at me briefly before closing his eyes again.
Among the scrap, something caught my eye.
A massive iron shield large enough to cover the upper body.
Its front surface was scarred with claw marks like those of a beast, and its edges were rusted, close to collapse.
The grip was nearly stripped of leather, and the inside was stained dark red with dried blood.
It was the kind of equipment any normal knight would ignore.
But I could feel it.
The fear, the battles, the countless near-death experiences of its former owner.
“May I touch this?”
A nod.
He didn’t even look at me.
Just like when I fought Cassius… please. Show me something.
I placed my hand on the shield.
And the moment I did, a surge of memories like an electric shock flooded into me.
Screams. Pain traveling through a gripping arm. Endless battles.
I swallowed down the nausea rising in my throat.
Then I exhaled.
This was it.
If I could borrow the resolve of the one who once carried this shield, even for a moment…
Then maybe I could protect Adela without relying on anyone else.
After Ruvel left me at the northern district boundary, I watched his back as he walked away.
His back always felt strangely comforting.
The Ruvel from today’s battle with Cassius felt different.
He had always cared for me, but not like that.
Was something changing in him?
I touched the places where he had been hurt while protecting me.
Stabbed, cut, crushed…
It must have been scary.
And yet, thinking about how kind he was to me makes my chest feel strange.
They say this is what being a saint is like, but…
Being the one who takes someone else’s pain doesn’t feel entirely bad either.