How to Survive at the Academy
chapter-126

Joint Combat Training 2 (12)

To discuss the chronicles of Adel, one must inevitably begin with the commercial city of Oldack.

The earliest memory was the sky above the harbor where seagulls soared.

As she gripped her mother’s hand and disembarked from the ship, Adel’s vision was filled with the bustling port. Only then did she realize she had set foot in a foreign land far from home.

Her parents, war refugees who had fled their homeland amidst a raging conquest war on the Western Continent, were of such modest status that their faces were now unrememberable to Adel.

After settling in Oldack and living in the slums for several months, Adel’s parents never fully adapted to the transactional culture of Oldack.

No matter what they attempted, they were backstabbed, exploited, and entangled in scams, leading swiftly to the accumulation of debt.

When they came to their senses, there was no place left for them in Oldack. The pressure from creditors, the struggle to secure a mere morsel of bread, and the poverty that mirrored their earlier life as war refugees were all too familiar.

Adel matured too quickly. She had always believed that this life, too, would eventually reach its limits. Therefore, she was mentally prepared that morning.

By the waterfront, where grand trading houses stood in rows, Adel’s father took her to sit on a bench at one side of the port.

He was holding foodstuffs that were usually a spectacle just to observe.

He handed Adel a sandwich laden with warm bacon, sheep milk with fruit syrup, and chocolate cookies more expensive than a month’s food allowance… and watched as Adel savored the food.

After observing Adel for a while, he slowly stood up to speak. He said he had to go somewhere briefly on an errand and asked her to wait.

Patting his trousers a few times, he looked at Adel for a while longer before starting to walk away.

Adel, with her head bowed, nibbling on her sandwich, softly told her departing father, “You’ve had it tough.”

At those words, Adel’s father flinched but soon resumed moving and disappeared into the crowd.

After heartily finishing her meal, Adel rose from the bench and headed to the cathedral in Oldack where she and her parents often prayed. She prayed there all day.

After praying for a long while, she did not get up from her seat even as the day’s last service ended. She boldly spoke after the High Priest Verdios, who had delivered the final sermon, walked past her.

“I’ve become an orphan.”

From then on, everything unfolded swiftly.

Adel lived and worked at the Deldros Orphanage, which received support from the Telos Order. She washed bedding, swept the hallways, fetched drinking water, and read books at night.

The first time she ever played the lute was during this period. She found a lute with its strings broken near the port, only to restring and tune it herself. She played hymns from the church and even created her own compositions while plucking the strings.

During her time at the Deldros Orphanage, Adel lived a faithful life as a servant of God, but as most lives go, not everything proceeded smoothly.

One day, Adel saw the future.

It was a scene where High Priest Verdios of the Oldack Cathedral accidentally knocked over a candlestick while descending from the pulpit. The fire from the candlestick caught on to a decorative cabinet, causing mayhem in the chapel.

Initially, Adel thought it was a dream but decided to prepare nonetheless, standing by the candlestick just in case. Sure enough, when Verdios knocked it over, Adel quickly doused the flames with water she had set aside beforehand, nipping the potential fire in the bud.

From that moment, Adel caught Verdios’ attention.

Though she would see scenes from the future once or twice a month without warning, her uncontrolled clairvoyance did not significantly alter her life.

Moreover, the futures she saw mostly related to others, not herself. It was a curiosity, certainly, but that was all.

However, Verdios took special interest in Adel’s abilities. Eventually, as Verdios was appointed as the Archpriest of the Holy City of Seongwangdo, Adel, recognized for her potential to become the next saint, accompanied him to Seongwangdo.

The grand buildings of Seongwangdo. The habit made from expensive fabrics. The servants numbering more than ten. The luxurious meals. The admiration of high-ranking clergy.

All of these things came into Adel’s life overnight. Of course, it wasn’t all easy.

She had to pray daily, receive etiquette training, and reduce sleep to study. However, this was incomparable to her days as a war refugee or a pauper.

As discussions on Adel’s suitability as a saint went back and forth among the bishops and as a consensus started to form in line with the decisions of the Saint and the Archpriest, the process for her to formally receive the title of saint began.

She was baptized thrice by the Saint, the Archpriest, and the Supreme Apostle, received the protection of sacred laws, and most of the official documents announcing her elevation to sainthood had been prepared.

With each baptism and blessing, Adel’s divine power grew stronger. She had no talent in sacred magic itself, but as a vessel for divine power, she was exceptional. And as her divine power became immense, the futures she saw became clearer.

After completing all the rites except for the Stigma Baptism, Adel could finally glimpse her own future…

And as mentioned earlier, she decided to renounce becoming a saint.

Archpriest Verdios stormed into the saint’s chamber.

The pinnacle where the saint resided was a place even the Saint hesitated to enter. However, strictly speaking, Adel was not yet a saint.

Verdios questioned Adel, raising his voice, asking what she meant by giving up on sainthood.

Citing various reasons—uncertainty, loneliness, feelings of inadequacy—Adel expressed her desire to serve the divine Telos in ways other than as a saint.

After over an hour of argument, Verdios ran his hand through his hair and left the saint’s chamber. Adel could tell.

Verdios had surmised… Adel had seen the future and renounced becoming a saint.

Once that had happened, convincing Adel would be impossible. Trying to elevate her to sainthood had been a mistake.

Thus, Adel chose her role within Seongwangdo—not as a saint of the Telos Order but as a caretaker of the holy flame.

Throughout the years caring for the holy flame, Adel agonized over the future she had seen.

A chapel in flames. A great celestial dragon visible through the shattered stained glass. Archpriest Verdios declaring from the pulpit that, to calm the celestial dragon of creation that sought to devour gods, a saint of immense divine power must be sacrificed.

This vision would haunt Adel, causing her to jerk awake in the night.

And so, time flowed on.

Adel managed the holy flame and strummed her lute, gazing at the sky, or eavesdropped on the higher clergy’s conversations and gathered rumors within Seongwangdo at night.

As time passed, Seongwangdo’s finances deteriorated. With no need to suppress the northern tribes and no war, the people gradually turned away from the gods during this peaceful era under the wise rule of Emperor Cloel.

The authority of the Saint, once enough to bring emperors to their knees, had waned, and people now showed their reverence towards Emperor Cloel, the one who brought about this era of peace.

Archpriest Verdios, both clergyman and businessman.

If gods do not perform miracles, people will not believe in them. Without an increase in followers, Seongwangdo cannot sustain. To restore its grandeur, divine miracles must be performed.

Yet, a lot needed to be prepared to manifest those miracles.

Years later, Clarice, with divine power compared to Adel’s, ascended to the top of the pinnacle of Seongwangdo.

Adel, playing her lute at the top, always watched over Clarice.

Though Clarice could not interfere with time’s flow with her divine power as Adel could, the inherent magnitude of her divine power was unmatched by any clergy.

With manners as dignified as her absorption abilities, she seemed born to be a saint.

She appeared to be the perfect fit for the pinnacle of Seongwangdo, but a gnawing guilt lingered in Adel’s heart.

By right, Adel herself should have faced death by the celestial dragon. Having escaped that future, someone had to fill that place.

Undoubtedly, that person would be Clarice.

Sitting by the window in Clarice’s room, playing her lute, talking with her, and spending time together, they grew close. Much to Adel’s surprise, Clarice was as beautiful in heart as in appearance.

The deeper their relationship, the more Adel’s guilt grew.

Adel could not bring herself to say, “I ran because I didn’t want to die. It was my struggle to live that has led to your death. Saint.” Such words… just couldn’t escape her lips.

To Clarice, who always listened to her lute-playing with sparkling eyes at the window, Adel didn’t want to be hated or reveal her darkness.

So, she sang of freedom’s romance.

She urged her not to be content with Seongwangdo’s colorless life, but to wander the vast world in pursuit of freedom.

She incited Clarice to feel disenchanted with her current life and to seek a new one.

Adel herself had lived in Oldack’s slums, shoving hard bread into her mouth, yet she sang as if she knew well of the world’s romantic vastness. She whispered into Clarice’s ear the contents of books read in the dingy corner of a bug-infested orphanage room as if they were her own firsthand experiences.

She had never seen the stunning rock formations of the Ramel Mountains, the expansive grasslands of Pulan, or the desolate horizon of the Drestea Desert. All she knew were the bleak brick floors laid out before her and the sight of a few rats scurrying in Oldack’s back alleys.

Yet, Clarice faithfully dreamed upon hearing Adel’s songs.

She envisioned soaking up the world’s beautiful landscapes and someday, at the end of her journey, finding her destined companion. That dream took root in Clarice’s heart.

Regardless of its origin from a weathered, phony troubadour shaped by life’s cruelties, the romance imbued within that dream was untainted. Adel found solace in this alone.

But Adel could no longer remain in Seongwangdo. Her heart would not allow it. Her continued presence beside Clarice was nothing but a deception.

Eventually, her life took another path.

From the war-ridden west to the commercial city of Oldack, from Oldack to the holy city of Carpea, and from Carpea, her last stop was… the southernmost island of the Empire, Akenseom.

Before dawn, as the sun was about to rise. Packing her belongings and slinging her lute, she slipped out of the pinnacle.

There was no particular destination in mind. No ties to speak of in the world, the fate of her parents unknown.

She simply wanted to go wherever she wished. Perhaps visit the alchemical lands of Crete or admire the grand streets of the imperial capital Cloelron, wander the Rameleon Mountain Region, marvel at the expansive mountainous beauty, or learn some magic at a place like the Sylvenia Academy.

In any case, her past years…

The money she had saved up over time had amounted to a decent sum, and she was fairly confident in her abilities to play music and sing, feeling she could take care of herself. As she silently left at dawn, the towering grandeur of Sungwang City remained as imposing as ever. The vast outer walls that represented the divine aura of a god enveloped its spires like a prison.

Breath misted in the cold dawn air of late fall. Turning around, the road leading to the city stretched endlessly into the distance.

And so, the girl finally became a wandering minstrel.

* * *

“Ugh, khugh…”

Though she moved to stay as inconspicuous as possible, she inevitably had to enter the streets as she drew nearer to the academy’s cathedral.

People looked at Adel, blood dripping down, some asking if she was alright. But Adel did not respond and kept staggering towards the cathedral.

She arrived quite early. Initially, she wasn’t sure of the timing of Saint Long’s resurrection, but now she could almost predict everything with her eyes closed. She had a good estimate of what might be happening inside the cathedral at the moment.

The following events were all too familiar to her. It wasn’t difficult for Adel to imagine.

She’d force her uncooperative body through the cathedral doors. Then, the Apostle of Telos, the Third Seat Tadarek would tell her that entry was forbidden to outsiders. As he tries to prevent her entry, she’d roll up her sleeve to reveal the ‘Blessing of the Holy Law’ engraved on her arm.

Taking advantage of Tadarek’s momentary confusion, she’d slip inside, and soon enough, there would be the grand chapel.

On the pulpit of the grand chapel would be ‘Belbrock’s Wisdom Tooth Necklace,’ a relic left by ‘The original Blademaster’ Luden in a luxurious box, which resonated with Saint Long Belbrock and awakened his spirits.

Throughout the chapel, ready for battle, would stand the Apostles of Telos, brought directly from Sungwang City.

Next to the pulpit would be the Archbishop Verdio and the Saint Eldain, finalizing their plans on how to confront Saint Long upon his revival. They had been doing their last inspection before retrieving Claris, the forthcoming saintess from the Trixcia Abbey.

Irrespective, to burst in and say anything wouldn’t mean anything. Adel had tried everything before.

The Apostles of Telos, in number greater than five, possessed a might formidable enough to withstand thousands upon thousands in battle, but before Saint Long, they were merely sacrificial lambs.

Why presume to think that a calamity as described only in ancient tomes could be countered by human strength?

Yet, trapped between arrogance and desperation, the high priests would not listen. It was pointless to contest.

The ‘unexpected variable’ they had not accounted for was that Saint Long would be summoned much sooner than the clergy had anticipated. The seal of the Archsage Silvenia had, over the long years, become more unstable than anyone had thought.

The overwhelming presence and might of Saint Long, far beyond imagination, would render them all motionless—none would have even dreamed that the disaster dragon from the books would wreak such havoc.

What they’d seek too late was a saintess to save their arrogant selves—a saintess whose sacrifice and immense divine power were necessary to quell the great disaster.

The sacrificial saintess Claris they had not even been able to bring from Trixcia Abbey in preparation for this moment.

Adel looked upon the ‘Circle of Sacrifice’ painted in the center of the chapel. Claris should have been the one to kneel there, praying and offering up her divine power and her life, as only a blessed saintess could quell Belbrock.

As she pondered upon her lifeline, it was time to let go of the guilt that had accumulated towards Claris.

Death was frightening, but more terrifying was a life of such torment that death seemed preferable.

She wandered the world in pursuit of romance, yet she couldn’t let go of the guilt that lingered deep in her heart.

That is why, even after hearing that Claris had enrolled, she did not go to meet her for a long time.

Because she believed she wasn’t worthy of meeting Claris.

Now, it was time to end everything.

She’d push her way out from among the Apostles and kneel in that circle, raising her prayers. A bloody magic would emanate from Belbrock’s Wisdom Tooth Necklace. It was a palpable intent to kill.

Despite feeling the destruction of her life force by the vile, thick magic, Adel faced an unexpected reality… her divine power was grand enough to touch the sacred authority. Her divine power, which could distort even time’s flow, reached a domain none had before.

Clad in the Blessing of the Holy Law, her divine power would be mobilized by any means necessary to preserve her life.

Even as Belbrock’s magic tried to envelop her, the divine power engraved in her body was used to rewind the very fabric of time.

Entering a realm forbidden in magic—a domain no other saintess touched before—was only possible because it was Adel who had reached that sacred realm, reversing time.

However, reversing time wasn’t a solution—it only delayed the inevitable.

“Cough… Cough…”

Adel coughed blood-tinged phlegm as she walked slowly inside.

Unable to come up with a conclusion for the story was due to the surplus of her vast innate divine power.

She only had to deplete all of her inherent divine power so that it could no longer transform into magic. Even Adel, born with abilities surpassing any saintess of the past, would eventually exhaust the Blessing’s activation if it was repeated dozens, hundreds of times.

Her vision began to blur, bleeding worsened. The Blessing of the Holy Law could no longer wield its full power as there was hardly any divine force left to muster from Adel’s body.

The end was near now.

Realizing that the seemingly endless repetition was nearing its conclusion relieved her in some way.

It had been a fleeting life, but not without impact. Even if it was a mere illusion, Claris had after all attentively basked in the light of her songs. Adel stumbled out, faintly smiling despite everything.

“Just… A time or two… Or maybe… Three times more… And then… it will end…”

Previously, Claris had burst into the cathedral at a faster time than expected.

But the end was near. There was almost no divine power left in her body.

With that in mind, Adel continued to head towards the cathedral. Thinking about it now, her life wasn’t as bad as she had anticipated up to its conclusion.

Yet, life’s events rarely flow as anticipated or planned.

Adel had been naïve all along. The constant death must have blurred her consciousness.

The variables she failed to catch on to and Claris’ actions through the time loop… those should have been gauged by now.

“What…”

Halfway up the stairs, Adel’s eyes landed onView Input Historyon a large, neatly parked saintess’ carriage beside the cathedral.

―Thud.

At the moment of realization, she felt a sensation as if someone had snatched her nape.

“Uh… Ahh…”

Dragged along, Adel collapses onto a nearby wooden bench, the force overpowering her.

The person who yanked her by the neck and forcibly seated her was completely unexpected.

“Do you prefer orange juice, or just cold water?”

“…What… Eh…?”

“I like plain water, so you have the orange juice.”

Beverages sold in mugs at the student canteen, ice cubes floating, ready to quench the thirst.

The man before her―Ed Lostayler―pushed a drink into her lap as if it were the most natural thing, having just seated her.

Grasping the mug with bloodied hands, Adel gave Ed a confused look.

Without a word, Ed took a seat beside her, looking up at the cathedral for a long while.

“This is… this is…”

For a long stretch of time, Adel sat bewildered before she finally began to speak, only to be cut off by Ed preemptively.

“You’re about to die.”

Familiar with those words for some reason, Adel held the mug tight before responding.

“…I know.”

“…Right.”

Again, for a long time, there were no further words. Despite the impending arrival of Saint Long and the ensuing chaos, the cathedral and its surroundings remained tranquil. The sight of the cathedral’s cross seemed to praise this era of great peace.

“Is that it?”

“…Eh?”

“Is that all you have? Don’t you have anything else to say?”

Finally, Ed pressed the question once more, leaving Adel confused about how to reply.

She never expected Ed to be there, to grab and confront her. She hadn’t paid any attention to the variable named Ed.

But for Adel, Ed’s existence represented the only variable she’d missed.

Amid the repeated cycles, Ed had searched for solutions in his own way each time.

That there was an Ed beside Claris was unfathomable for Adel.

And she didn’t understand the intent behind his questions.

Abruptly appearing and ignoring the rules of the recurring time loop, this was what he had to say.

Adel was well aware she was going to die. Her intermittent visions of her future confirmed it, as did the constants in the repeating realm of time.

How Ed knew about it was beyond Adel’s comprehension.

Adel’s response was determined. Of course, she had nothing more to say.

Rather, she had a multitude of questions she’d like to start with…

But before she could get a chance to explore them – the bench she was sitting on began to feel extraordinarily large.

Looking around, now she’s in the back alleys of the commerce city Oldack.

In her hand, a bacon sandwich steamed with warmth. The man walking away in the distance was Adel’s father. Words wanted to form but hesitated, and in the end, she barely managed to utter a word of thanks.

It reminded her of the time at the pinnacle of Sungwang City’s turret.

She felt like she had tried to say something in front of Claris, who shone her bright eyes upon her.

But in the end, the only words that spilled out of her were praises of freedom captured in song.

“I’m scared.”

Adel gazed at the mug in her hand, shivering. A choked gasp broke through the silence. Her quivering voice barely made it past her throat.

“I don’t want to die.”

With that, Adel hung her head and wept for a long time.

Ed sat quietly beside her, gazing up at the majestic cross of the cathedral.

“Right.”

Leaning back, arms resting on the bench, Ed looked up at the sky, ever so high above.

“It’s hard to utter the most obvious thing.”

The extent of the tumultuous times Adel and Claris had shared was unknown to the current Ed.

To them, it must have sounded like a very exasperating story.

Now’s about the time, to meet the end.

“Spill everything you know. Let’s finish this.”