༺ To My Dear Benefactor (2) ༻
Her pink hair was braided and twisted on both sides.
A female student in a school uniform with a white veil over her head strolled through the old academy grounds with an escort priest.
It was Bianca Anturaze, the Saintess of the Helize Church, and her escort, Sylon.
This was the old Märchen Academy campus, a place where only those registered through the Marks Treaty were allowed to roam freely.
It was the site of a major incident last semester when the legendary magic beast, the Thunderbird, was dominated by a demon.
The scenery was like ruins. Sylon felt a strange premonition, it was as if he was left in a doomed world with no one but the Saintess by his side.
Was it because no budget was allocated for maintenance? Crumbled buildings were seen here and there. Bianca ignored them and hastened her steps.
“Sylon, do you think there are traces of the Nameless Hero here?”
Bianca, with her eyes closed as if she were squinting, asked Sylon.
Her beautiful voice blended exquisitely well with her solemn tone.
“I’m sorry, I’m not sure.”
“I didn’t ask expecting you to know. I meant for you to give your opinion.”
“Yes, if that’s the case… I wonder if there might be something at the place where the Nameless Hero fought the Thunderbird. That building… seems to be the place. How about we go over there?”
Sylon pointed towards the top of a high hill.
A castle-shaped building, half of which was severely damaged, laid there in isolation.
The beautiful red castle, Carly Hall, which once symbolized Märchen Academy.
It was the place where Isaac fought against Vera the Summoner, her minions, and the Thunderbird.
“Alright. Let’s go there.”
Bianca and Sylon headed towards Carly Hall.
She was searching for traces of the Nameless Hero in order to track him down.
There was only one purpose for doing so, she wanted to become comrades with the Nameless Hero.
She was a human born with the light element, she was the Saintess of Helize Church serving the Lord Manhalla. That was why she enrolled in Märchen Academy, intending to personally exterminate demons.
After witnessing the Nameless Hero’s overwhelming power firsthand, she guessed that nothing could be done against him.
Thus, if she became an ally of the Nameless Hero, she would have the opportunity to kill demons as well.
Indeed, killing demons. Was that not the duty of a Saintess born with the element of light? It was about faithfully fulfilling the duty given by the Lord Manhalla.
With such intentions, Bianca was searched for the Nameless Hero.
Before long, the two reached the front of the hill.
“Holy Saintess, I will lift you up…”
“It’s okay. Let’s just walk.”
Just like that, the two climbed the hill and reached Carly Hall. Sylon panted heavily, but Bianca’s breathing was stable as if her stamina had not been affected at all.
Carly Hall. Upon closer inspection, it was even more devastated. Vines full of life were creeping upon the scene.
The completely shattered exterior and the crater allowed one to infer that something huge had fallen, smashing the building and embedding itself into the ground.
Bianca and Sylon realized that a fierce battle, far beyond their level, had taken place there.
Bianca momentarily thought that Carly Hall, once a symbol of the old Märchen Academy campus, should at least have been rebuilt.
However, she soon shook her head in understanding of the academy’s situation.
Last year, due to the emergence of various demons, many investors would have left.
Märchen Academy would not have had the financial means to restore Carly Hall in such a situation.
Only after the number of investors increased and a period of stability was reached would there finally be room to repair the old academy grounds.
…That was not an interesting story at all. Bianca decided to stop pondering such pointless thoughts.
She looked up at the half-destroyed part of the building. The top floor. A single altar was precariously perched on a section that remained intact.
“Did the Nameless Hero defeat the Thunderbird here…? Hmm?”
Bianca noticed something odd near the altar, on the wall.
Light elemental power, [Eyes of Light]. A unique ability possessed only by Bianca in this world.
No matter how difficult it was to detect, as long as it was within the realm that humans could perceive, she would be able to distinguish the shape of mana.
An astonishingly intricate spell was cast on the wall. It was a high-level spell that no one else could have noticed.
Although she could barely recognize the shape of the mana, she could not discern the true nature of the spell.
Bianca moved without hesitation.
“Will you lift me up there?”
“Understood.”
Bianca and Sylon ascended to the top of the half-destroyed building with wind magic.
The two landed in front of the altar.
Bianca gently swept her hand across the wall and abruptly stopped at the place where she felt a strange sensation.
Bianca tapped on the wall, and then, with a few knocks, a hollow sound was heard.
“Sylon. Inside this, it’s empty.”
“Yes…? Holy Saintess?!”
Bianca slightly infused divine power, and she began to be absorbed into the wall. Small ripples spread across the wall centered around her body.
As Bianca passed through the wall in an instant, Sylon, startled, hurriedly followed her.
“…!”
As if there was never anything there, Sylon’s body easily passed through the wall.
“Where… is this…?”
Suddenly, a musty smell assaulted their nostrils. A cramped and dilapidated secret library came into Sylon’s view.
Glowing lamps were hung on the walls, casting a soft light, allowing Bianca and Sylon to make out their surroundings.
Sylon looked around with a surprised expression. The swirling clusters of dust glowed yellow under the light of the fluorescent lamps.
As he carefully touched the book on the shelf, he could feel the dusty texture of the book.
“…”
“Holy Saintess…? Huh?”
Bianca followed up and touched the books placed on the shelf.
Her hand, imbued with divine power, naturally passed through the books. It was the divine power that revealed the books to be remnants of magic. This startled Sylon.
Without divine power, one’s senses would be deceived into feeling and reading the books, which would contain irrelevant information directly formed from the reader’s mind.
Bianca frowned. Should this be considered illusion magic? No, it was different.
Magic that had already far surpassed common sense. It was so exceptional that it brought into question whether it was something humans could use.
Bianca walked deeper into the library and looked down at a book placed on an old desk that seemed as though it would fall apart at any moment.
This one is definitely tangible.
“This book… It’s influenced by a power, not of this world. Time is distorted within it.”
Bianca’s eyes widened slightly, revealing her white, lightless irises.
She was visually impaired. Her physical eyes had already lost their function and she could not see.
It was Divine Power that had granted her mystical vision.
“Not of this world…?”
When Sylon asked in confusion, Bianca extended her hand toward the old book without answering.
When she used a 2-star light spell, [Purification], holy light flowed from her palm.
The dust on the book illuminated by the light vanished instantly.
“Even space-time has no meaning before this book. It’s not written in the same era as ours, at least. It’s from a place far, far away.”
In Bianca’s vision, the last moments of a woman who had dedicated the remainder of her life to writing this book faintly appeared.
Bianca did not know the identity of that woman.
Nor could she have known where that woman had gone.
Bianca picked up the book and examined its contents.
Pages stained with hardened blood.
Letters inscribed in a swirling manner alongside incomprehensible drawings.
“Sylon.”
“Yes.”
“Can you read these letters?”
Bianca held the book’s edge with both hands and showed it to Sylon.
“I’m sorry, I don’t know them… Could it be an ancient language?”
Bianca and Sylon could not read the characters inscribed in the book.
“…We must recover this book.”
“Would that be okay?”
“No matter how you look at it, this book is not ordinary. The Helize Church… No, it would be better if I kept it. There must be a holy reason why the Lord Manhalla has led me here.”
With a composed face, Bianca placed her index finger on her lips.
“So, I would like it if today’s events remained a secret.”
“…I will do as you command.”
Sylon bowed his head. Having vowed to serve only the Saintess, he would absolutely obey Bianca’s commands.
The book written in Hangul thus passed into the possession of Saintess Bianca Anturaze.
To my dear Benefactor.
I hope you have found this book.
I ask for your understanding that circumstances prevent me from assisting you as much as I would like.
Before I lose my sanity, I hope you will come to know every truth in this world.
After reading this book, immediately seek out the Tower Master of the Hegel Magic Tower, please.
She will surely become your ally.
──────── Sincerely.
“Senior Isaac, what are you looking at?”
As Isaac quietly watched the rain clouds outside the window, White, who was nibbling on a mana pudding bar, asked.
“Just, I noticed the rain had stopped.”
“Ah, must have been a shower.”
It was a trivial conversation.
The clouds gradually cleared. I decided to say goodbye to White and Merlin and leave the hospital room.
“I’ll be going. Make sure to review what you learned today. I’ll test you on it as soon as you’re discharged tomorrow.”
“All of it…?”
“Can’t do it?”
“Oh, no! I can do it!”
As White forced a laugh and shouted confidently, I smirked and left the hospital room.
Just before closing the door to the hospital room, I saw White’s face with tears welling up in her eyes, seemingly overwhelmed by when she would finish and memorize all the assignments I had given.
Ignoring it, I hastened my steps.
Upon leaving the academy hospital, a cluster of stars in the sky caught my eye.
It was time to prepare for Chapter 8 of ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱.
