The Extra’s Academy Survival Guide - Chapter 127

As Clarice opened the door to the cathedral and made her way inside, she could see the chapel down the hallway in front of her.

Clarice walked down the hallway, her two knight escorts walking with her.

She decided to split up with Ed and move separately from him. At the time, because there were so many things that needed to be taken care of, she hadn’t noticed it. However, after being separated from Ed, she began to feel her previous anxiety creep up on her again.

I have to get a grip on myself.

However, Clarice quickly shook her head as she straightened her back.

Most likely, the entire story would unfold inside the school’s cathedral. She was moving quicker than any of the previous times before, since she went straight to the cathedral. It was surely different from the countless repeated attempts she had made previously.

“S-Saint…?”

When she reached the hallway, the third seat of the Apostles of Telos—Taldarek—blocked her path.

Saint Clarice was someone that was greatly favored and treasured by the Telos Religious Group. Just sharing a few words with her was like being graced by God.

He didn’t know the reason for it, but her body was covered in scratches and she looked exhausted… Aside from that, she definitely looked like the Saint.

“W-Weren’t you waiting at Trix Hall? Wh-What are you doing here…?”

“Get out of the way, Taldarek.”

Saint Clarice was someone that was always kind to others, that always seemed to be in a cheerful mood.

However, the girl in front of him had cold, distant eyes—like an adult that had gone through all sorts of hardships… Clarice ordered Taldarek to clear the path.

She didn’t show the slightest hint of astonishment at the fact an Apostle of Telos was there. Her grace had changed so much that he couldn’t help but wonder if she really was the same Saint he had seen back at the Holy Father Building. However, it was inevitable for her to change in such a way. She was someone that had watched hundreds of thousands of people die dozens of times.

“B-But… Saint, the Holy Father ordered me to…”

“I’m going to talk to the Holy Father directly, so get out of the way.”

After saying that, Clarice strode past Taldarek.

Taldarek quickly stretched his arm out, as if to say something, but Clarice grabbed onto his wrist as she looked up at him for a moment… He then put his hands back down as Clarice walked past him.

The Saint’s knights, who were walking behind her, looked at each other as they realized that some was wrong. They slowly followed behind her, heading for the chapel.

Boom!

As soon as she burst through the door, she could see the entire chapel at a glance.

The first thing she noticed was the massive podium at the front of the room. Behind it was a large stained-glass window. The sunlight passed through the brightly colored glass, shining beautifully down below. Engraved on it was a picture of a large angel, its wings spread wide as it distributed bread to people.

There was also a huge pipe organ stretched out across the outer wall behind the podium. In front of it were rows of wooden seats that were prepared for the faithful to pray.

There was no layperson inside. However, there were plenty of high-ranking clergymen there.

For example, Holy Father Eldane, Archbishop Verdio, and the Apostles of Telos.

Upon seeing them, Saint Clarice’s heart began to beat faster.

The cause of the situation, the one that she had been searching so hard for. All of the parties that were involved were gathered in one place.

How many times did she wander around, looking for that place? How many times was she forced to watch Ed Rothstaylor’s death, the school’s collapse? How many times did she struggle to maintain her crumbling spirit?

She clenched her teeth but didn’t show any of her emotions. She quietly lowered her voice as she spoke with a strength that resonated throughout the hall.

“What are you doing here…?”

Looking on top of the podium, there was a relic that resonated with the sealed Velbrok. ‘Velbrok’s Tooth Necklace’ was shining. It was a necklace made from a fragment of Velbrok’s tooth that the Primordial Swordsman Luden broke off.

It was a legendary-rank item that increased one’s magic resonance and granted one an enormous resistance to all physical attacks. However, that wasn’t its only purpose.

It also served to trigger the survival instincts of Velbrok, who was sealed deep in the sea beneath Acken Island. That would break the weakening barrier containing him, helping him escape.

“Saint Clarice…?”

She looked at Archbishop Verdio, who was discussing something with the apostles in front of the podium. On the other side was the Holy Father Eldane, who was sitting down.

“Archbishop Verdio.”

Archbishop Verdio was like Clarice’s teacher and mentor. He guided Clarice, who had just become a Saint, in various different ways so that she could become one with dignity.

He was also a person that was highly respected by everyone, as he always maintained a faithful attitude. All of the people within the Holy Father Building praised him as a devout believer.

Was that reputation from honestly proving the sincerity of his heart, or was it the result of thorough management and business techniques that would even make even a merchant cry?

At that moment, she had no idea which one it was.At the very least, she knew it wasn’t the time to sit still and watch.

“Stop everything that you’re doing immediately.”

There were quite a few prematurely graying hairs mixed in with his brown locks, probably from the passage of time. His back was not yet hunched over and he wasn’t getting shorter, but he was still at an age where he had to worry about the decline of his physical abilities.

And yet, Verdio still kept his back upright as he spoke casually to Clarice, who he hadn’t seen in almost a few months.

“I had no idea that you would come here first, Saint…”

“I won’t repeat myself.”

Clarice looked around. How much longer until the resurrection of the Holy Blue Dragon, Velbrok?

Right now, she couldn’t take a guess.

“Do you know… What I am doing…?”

“You are trying to resurrect the Holy Blue Dragon.”

Verdio had a grin on his face. It was certainly different from the benevolent smile she had seen back in the Holy Father Building.

How did she know? It wasn’t the time for him to think about such things. Whether it was from a traitor, or perhaps someone that was planted inside—if the Saint knew the truth, his plans would instantly go awry.

“Archbishop Verdio. I thought you were a conscientious believer that only thought of the Holy Father Building.”

“You’re right. I only live my life thinking of the Holy Father Building.”

Verdio looked up at the ceiling, letting out a sigh without bending his back. Sunlight shone through the stained-glass window behind the podium.

“Expanding our influence is just an aspect of business. Faith is about having trust. Even though our Holy God forever lives in the heavens, unless the lowly people below him see it with their own eyes, they will struggle to ever believe in him.”

“So… You’re going to kill the Holy Blue Dragon and spread his grace in such a way…?”

“It won’t take long.”

“Did you even consider the possibility of failure?”

After saying that, a possibility suddenly came to her mind.

As Clarice looked down, she saw a giant sacrificial magic circle that was drawn on the floor. It… It was made in preparation for the event they needed to use the Saint’s unique divine power to put Velbrok back to sleep.

While Saint Clarice was waiting for them at Trix Hall, the Holy Father and the Archbishop were making such preparations at the school’s cathedral.

Clarice’s cold gaze turned to the podium.

“Your insurance… was my life.”

Was it the cold truth or a misconception?

At least on the outside, she wanted him to deny it.

“It’s only insurance. That’s only if things don’t turn out well.”

Archbishop Verdio’s expression was as cold as Clarice’s gaze… He looked like a fanatic.

Clarice had seen heathen fanatics before when she went to a village that had been attacked by non-humans in the Northern grasslands.

It was hard to view fanatics as humans with common sense as they lost all reason and ran rampant. Those that abandoned morals and ethics, absorbed in their own religious beliefs, were far from human.

Looking at him, Clarise thought he looked like a fanatic that no longer had common sense, unable to be understood and no longer human.

However, that was just a narrow-minded point of view.

He was still sane, showed dignity, discussed his opinions, and acted formally as he showed his desires like he always did… Sometimes, such fanatics also existed.

Ultimately, the main question was how much was he willing to sacrifice for his faith?

He wanted to bring back the reverence and respect people had towards God, but he should’ve stopped to think about the cost.

“Holy Father, do you really think this is acceptable?”

Eventually, Clarice’s eyes shifted to Eldane, who was sitting behind the podium.

A series of initiatives led by Archbishop Verdio… In the end, it wouldn’t have been possible without the head of it all, Eldane.

Even if he weren’t leading the project, he was still a bystander. Wasn’t he someone that had both the power and authority to stop Verdio?

That was why Clarice looked towards him with earnest eyes… Archbishop Verdio was the one that had saved the Holy Father Building from financial collapse time and time again. He alone contributed more to the glory of the Holy Father Building than hundreds of thousands of followers did.

The Holy Father gently closed his eyes as he lowered his head. Clarice unconsciously swallowed her breath.

A burning emotion, strangely different from anger, started to burn in her throat.

The seed of ‘distrust’ had settled in one side of her heart… It whispered to her to stop this calamity.

Her body moved first.

Clarice ran up the stairs to the podium, where she reached for Velbrok’s tooth necklace.

Archbishop Verdio grabbed her wrist.

He strengthened his grip as a crushing pain rose from Clarice’s wrist. Still, she kept her eyes wide open as she stared back at Verdio.

“I apologize, Saint. It won’t take long, so please sleep for a while.”

A ruckus was heard from behind Clarice.

The apostles that were sitting down got up one by one as they spread their wings.

***

Ed grabbed Adele’s wrist as he quickly dragged her away. Instead of going to the cathedral, they were taking a roundabout way to the side of the cathedral.

“Well, this isn’t a very pleasant truth to hear.”

It took some time for Clarice to explain the facts behind the Holy Blue Dragon to him, for him to process his thoughts and understand the situation, and then stop by the place he needed to go before heading to the cathedral.

Now, there wasn’t much time left before the Holy Blue Dragon’s resurrection.

Ed walked quickly as he listened to Adele’s explanation without missing a word of it.

“Archbishop Verdio has been like that ever since he was a regular priest. Spreading the influence of faith and building up the strength of the Holy Father Building—that was how the Archbishop proved his faith.”

“Hearing that, I don’t think he’s suited to be a priest.”

Adele struggled to follow behind him as she shook her head.

“His faith was real. However, the methods he takes are much too extreme.”

“People like that are called fanatics.”

“But to disregard him like that… He is just an overly rational person.”

Rational. Ed clicked his tongue upon hearing that word.

The things happening inside the cathedral that Adele described were more than just what a rational person would do.

It started with the ascension of Emperor Kroel. The emperor was a great man that deserved to be called a holy king, one without any flaws… He was known as the person that built up the continent’s peace and stability, centered around the Kroel Empire.

Thus, the importance of the Telos Religious group, which used to lead the continent and collect tax from their believers, was buried under the glory of the Kroel Imperial Family. Gradually, they declined to the point that they were no different from merchants selling faith.

Of course, that was only a decline in the public’s faith. There was no doubt that the Telos Religious Group was still the largest religious group within the Empire.

Compared to the Telos Religious Group of Genesis, who were treated as heathens on the outskirts of the continent, they were hundreds of times larger despite the decline.

However, he saw the decline of the religious group as evidence of growing distrust, rather than a change of times.

Archbishop Verdio… He wanted to resurrect the majesty of the Telos Religious Group to the heights it reached in the old days, back when the dragons and non-humans ran rampant and massacred everyone.

And then a miracle happened.

The idea to subdue the Holy Blue Dragon that threatened Acken Island and spread the glory of their name across the Kroel Empire.

“Did you try to convince him? You’re a prophet, so didn’t he believe what you were saying?”

“I… I have already lost the trust of Archbishop Verdio.”

He didn’t ask ‘why’.

Even though Adele had seen into the future many times, she rarely ever conveyed it to the Religious Group.

She even went so far as to hide her prophecies and deceive them all. The reason she didn’t want to become the Saint wasn’t ever revealed. She had only left the torch in the spire behind as she ran away into the night… It was safe to say that she had lost all trust of the Religious Group.

“The Holy Father is also following Archbishop Verdio’s plans.”

“There’s this bastard and that bastard. Is there not a sane one among them?”

“It’s because they are confident they have enough power to do it. The Holy Father brought along six members of the ‘Apostles of Telos’, a group made of the highest-level of sacred magic magicians in the Holy Father Building.”

The Apostles of Telos.

The strength of each member was tremendous, and as their numbers grew to two and then three, their strength would also increase tens of hundreds of times.

That was because they were all capable of sacred magic, could turn an enormous amount of divine power into magic power, exchange that magic between each other, and received joint formation and training.

If there were more than five members of the group together, and they maintained a proper formation while constantly being provided with sufficient supplies and magic power, they could defend their gates against thousands of troops.

And now, she was saying there were six of them. Thinking about it, it was an excessively large combat team just to come and check on the Saint. You couldn’t think of it as a simple escort team.

“And unlike in the history books, there have been many great developments in terms of magic. Reformations in efficiency using sacred magic have also had tremendous growth.”

“So, what you’re saying is… they are trying to defeat the Holy Blue Dragon after resurrecting it?”

Was calling them ‘arrogant’ the right word to use?

There was a strong symbolic meaning that came with destroying a monster from mythology in the modern day.

Looking through the historical records after time had passed, there were many people that had gained a surge of unfounded confidence.

Monsters from mythology.

From Minotaurs, Cerberuses, Cyclops, Harpies, and Leviathans.

All were depicted as horrific monsters that killed many people in the history books. However, in modern times, with the development of guns, bombs, cannons, ships, and nuclear weapons, it seemed as if we could defeat them at any given moment.

And history became distorted and exaggerated as time passed.

So, even though it was the Holy Blue Dragon Velbrok, they would have never thought it was actually capable of tearing open the sky and splitting the earth apart.

However, the story of Velbrok wasn’t exaggerated.

Unfortunately, there was no way to confirm that fact, since it was an old story that took place several hundred years ago. The Primordial Swordsman had long since died, and there was no one left that had seen the sheer strength of the Holy Blue Dragon with their own eyes.

The Apostles of Telos were a power group, capable of defeating a formidable army. People had witnessed a showcase of their great strength and majesty countless times before… So, they must have thought that they would be capable of defeating the Holy Blue Dragon.

The price of their arrogance was the lives of thousands. The land known as Acken Island would be completely erased from the map.

“Listen, Adele. How many more times do you think you can turn back time?”

“Uhm… I’m not sure… My divine power… I’ve almost run out of it…”

Thinking back on it, he realized that Adele had been following behind him, gasping for air—as if she were being dragged along. Ed then looked at her physical condition once more as he lifted her up, holding her by her thighs.

“W-Wahh!”

“Take a break and try to go back just one more time. Try to muster all of the remaining strength left in you to do so.”

“What…?”

There was a chance that Adele was already at her limit. No one could actually predict just how many more times she could turn back time.

In the first place, she wasn’t turning back time of her own will. It was the Holy Blessing engraved on her body that drew out her power, regardless of her will.

“The goal is simple. You would think we just have to go and kick the asses of those bastards that are doing terrible things in the school’s cathedral. However, no matter how much I think about it, I don’t think things will end with just that.”

“……”

“Archbishop Verdio is more than just a fanatic. He’s a person that is overly cautious and good with his head. He would never create a plan without a backup plan. If Plan A doesn’t work, he will definitely have a plan B and C prepared as well.”

“Ed… You know Archbishop Verdio…?”

He had never met him. However, he did know of him. Thinking about how he could avoid the subject, Ed shook his head as he ran down the alley.

“Our job is to block the escape routes of the rats that are trying to run away. He’s a cautious guy, so it’ll be hard to do it all in one go. So… We have to first go and check what he’s planning to do.”

“Then… I’m supposed to…”

“Yeah. I’ll pave the way, so there’s only one thing you have to do.”

They reached the back door of the school cathedral. Ed set Adele down on a nearby bench as they talked, looking each other in the eyes.

“Remember.”

“……”

“You need to clearly remember what he ends up doing and come find me. I’m sure I’ll be confused again, not remembering anything, but that doesn’t matter. I’ll get a grip as soon as I can, so figure out the situation and try to piece together the entire picture… Believe in me just this once… And come find me at the terrace bench in front of Glockt Hall. I’ll be sitting there next to Yennekar.”

“But… I’m almost out of power… And explaining it properly to you…”

“Saint Clarice can explain things to me, so don’t worry too much. You’re not the only one that remembers things. However… We need more people to help.”

“……”

“Don’t you want to live?”

Ed took off his coat and threw it down next to Adele. He rolled up the sleeves of his shirt.

“Who is going to save you if you just sit still? Even when I spend my time crawling through the filthy mud, doing the dirtiest things to survive, I still wonder if I’ll really make it…”

Adele’s eyes grew larger.

She never cried, trying to hold onto her father’s collar as he abandoned her when she didn’t want to be alone… Adele was like the girl from her childhood that didn’t want to cry out and admit she was afraid.

“To survive, all you have to do is endure everything, no matter how disgusting and pathetic it makes you look. Did you forget that after living your life as the Saint, supported by the Holy Father Building?”

Survive.

It was the only goal in her life, but one she could never reach in the end.

It wasn’t a distant story for Ed, either.

For him, every moment of his life at the academy was a struggle to survive.

“You know it all as well.”

“Still… The Apostles of Telos aren’t an easy opponent that we can defeat with force…”

“Force? It isn’t an issue of power. Like I told you, all we need to do is block the escape routes they hid like rats.”

“This… Isn’t an issue of power…?”

Do you even know who the Apostles of Telos are?

She wanted to respond like that, but Ed’s face didn’t show the slightest bit of anxiety.

***

Clink.

Booom!

It happened in an instant.

The moment the Apostles of Telos flew forward towards the Saint, a section of the stained glass behind the podium broke. It shattered and collapsed onto the floor, the glass crashing on the marble as it made an ear-shattering sound.

The human-shaped shadow quickly broke into the chapel as it snatched the two apostles that flew through the air, hanging them on the center of the podium. It was at a speed that the eye couldn’t follow.

The shock that came when it landed was so strong that everyone fell, as if it was a massive wave. All the wooden seats that had been set up for the faithful fell to the floor as people flew around like pieces of paper.

Shortly after the aftermath subsided and the dust disappeared… the true identity of the shadow revealed itself.

The fifth seat of the Apostles of Telos, Felver, was being stepped on as the seventh seat, Hubress, was being lifted by their collar.

With one hand, she held onto her witch’s hat tightly, afraid that it might blow away. In her other hand, she held up an apostle that was several times her size.

Her white hair, which curled down in two sections, was swaying in the wind from the aftermath of the shockwave. There wasn’t a particularly intense emotion in her cold gaze.

Lucy Mayreel.

She quickly picked up the man she was holding with one hand before she threw him against the wall.

Slam!

Claaaaang!

He hit a tube of the massive pipe organ as he fell straight down onto the keys.

An ominous, coffin-like sound echoed from the massive pipe organ. The sound echoed against the walls, as if to signal the arrival of a disaster.

The clergymen that looked up at the podium while crawling on the floor of the hall swallowed their breath.

Only half of the broken stained glass remained.

The remaining part of the benevolent angel’s wing that was engraved on the glass was behind Lucy.

There were cracks all over it.

Her gaze was still as cold as ever.

“You… Bastard… What… Do you think you’re…!”

“I don’t believe in things like God.”

The light shining down from the stained glass subtly lit up Lucy’s petite body.

They couldn’t feel any emotions from her as she looked down at them, keeping her foot on one of the apostles.

“I think it’s right to be punished if you commit a sin. You religious folk are wrong most of the time, but every so often you do say something decent.”

“What… Did you say…? A sin… Just… What…

Verdio-who was barely able to stand up after rolling on the floor-clenched his teeth as he stared at Lucy, who was standing up straight on the podium.

Lucy continued to quietly speak without changing the tone of her voice.

“You guys were the ones that wrote the Holy Scripture and doctrine.”

When you open the Holy Scripture, from the first chapter the human’s seven deadly sins were written down. Lucy didn’t believe in things like God, so she couldn’t memorize all of it. However… she still knew a part of it.

She lowered her gaze.

Velbrok’s tooth, the sacrificial magic circle, and the apostles that were full of conviction just moments ago. Lucy saw all of it, but it didn’t have any particular meaning to her.

The atheist, Lucy Mayreel.

She only said a brief word with her dazed voice.

“Arrogance.”

Who was the person that stood before them? If all eight apostles were to gather, that would be their best chance at taking down that once-in-a-lifetime archmage. However, only six of them had come, and two of them were defeated the moment she arrived.

Magic power began to grow, filling the entirety of the chapel.