Free Web NovelChapter 53: Training in the temple of the goddess
"I understand, Priest," said Victor, getting up from the bench. "I thank you for sharing what you know with me."
Priest Eadric stood up too, but otherwise looked a little confused. "Is that all you wanted to know?"
"Actually, no. I had intended to try to convince you that the appearance of Blights in Evergreen Forest is one of many signs that the seal of the sealed demon is breaking, but, as you said, there is no concrete evidence of this. I also understand that it is impossible for an official member of the Church of the Dawn, such as you Priest, to propose and distribute resources from the church itself for a mission to hunt down a demon without proof that this is actually taking place." Victor explained.
Eadric smiled, pleased that Victor had understood his points.
"It’s important to keep an open mind to all possibilities, hunter Victor, but we can’t let ourselves be carried away by legends alone either. I’m glad you understand my position and yours."
"Thank you once again, Priest. It’s been a pleasure talking to you and learning more about the history of this region. See you later."
Eadric followed Victor with his eyes as he turned and after the hunter had taken a step to leave, the Priest called out softly: "Wait a moment, please."
Victor stopped and turned to look at the Priest, curious as to what he might want. However, before Victor could ask anything, Eadric seemed to hesitate for a moment, as if struggling with an internal decision.
"Sorry about that," said the Priest, suddenly changing his mind. "It’s nothing important. Have a good journey back to the village."
Victor’s confused expression dissipated as he accepted the Priest’s excuse. "Don’t worry, Priest. See you later."
Priest Eadric watched Victor walk away, lost in thought as the hunter’s figure slowly disappeared down the hill where the small church stood.
There was something about that old hunter that stirred a vague memory in Eadric, a fleeting sense of familiarity that he couldn’t explain.
Shaking his head to dispel these intrusive thoughts, the Priest returned to his office at the back of the church.
Sitting at his solid wood desk, Eadric picked up an old dusty book. It was his diary from over thirty years ago.
A specific memory suddenly came to him when he saw this diary, a memory from when he was just an altar boy.
Eadric found himself back in the time when he lived in one of the many temples dedicated to the Goddess Aela scattered throughout the Athina Kingdom, where he had the opportunity to see the heroes summoned from another world in person for the first time.
At the time, Eadric was a very busy young adult and because he lived in a temple he had various obligations, such as religious studies and his chores to repay for the roof over his head and the food.
However, one day Eadric was given a last-minute task to clean one of the corridors on the second floor of the east area.
When Eadric arrived to clean the corridor carrying a mop with an expression of boredom, he heard loud noises like wooden swords clashing.
Eadric became curious and then approached the windows, where he had a view of one of the courtyards where the heroes used to train.
That morning, a trio of heroes were practicing.
Eadric watched the heroes train for a few seconds with his jaw dropped. He knew they were only thirteen each, but they were truly incredible and very talented, of course, each in their own way.
"They’re very good, aren’t they?" Suddenly someone to Eadric’s left asked, which made the young acolyte wince.
When Eadric turned around, he saw the respected Roy, a green-haired boy only two years older than Eadric himself and who hadn’t become a Priest yet because he didn’t want to. freeωebnovēl.c૦m
"Oh, Deacon Roy, I wasn’t..."
"Don’t worry, I come here to watch you sometimes too," said Roy, seemingly unperturbed by the fact that Eadric was supposed to be cleaning that corridor.
Roy then approached the window and began to observe the heroes’ training with Eadric.
"Do you know their names?" Roy asked.
Eadric immediately denied it, because although he knew the heroes were in the temple and had seen them a few times from afar, any acolyte’s contact with the heroes was strictly forbidden.
"That blonde-haired girl who looks even more offensive than the men is called Aria and the one fighting her is Philipe," explained Roy. "The other one sitting drinking water from the canteen is Rufie. And if you ask me, it’s Philipe who will win this fight."
Eadric then joined Roy to go back to watching the young heroes train.
Aria, with her blonde hair in a braid, was very agile, very agile. She used a pair of small swords and even Philipe, a tall, dark-haired boy with piercing eyes and a confident stance, had to be a little defensive.
"Aria, watch your defense! Don’t advance too much and don’t leave gaps for counter-attacks," shouted Rufie, the third member of the group, who was watching the training while hydrating. His voice was calm, but carried a natural eloquence.
"I know... very well... that!" She continued to attack quickly and with everything she had.
Despite his colleague’s efforts, Philipe maintained a calm expression and he waited patiently for an opening, studying Aria’s attack patterns. When he finally saw an opportunity, he moved his sword so that one of Aria’s swords flew away, dodged the blow that followed and countered with a shoulder strike to Aria’s wide-open guard.
Aria fell to the dirt floor, holding only one of her short swords, and her other sword finally fell a few meters away, clattering to the ground.
"You’re getting better, Aria, but you still need to work on that anxiety," commented Philipe, offering a hand to help Aria up.
Aria frowned and although she had her own pride, she accepted Philipe’s hand. "But it’s not over yet!" She said as she walked towards the sword she had lost.
For the next three attempts, she redoubled her efforts, trying to find a gap in Philipe’s defense. Her movements were impressive and very fast, but perhaps Aria’s fighting style wasn’t the best fit for her personality, because she was certainly very proactive, too much so at times, and her fighting style didn’t help her control that.
For Eadric, it was fascinating to see how each of the heroes had their own unique fighting styles and techniques.
"Aria is talented, but Philipe has an advantage in technique and emotion," Roy observed and turned his face towards Eadric.
The acolyte realized only a few seconds later that Roy seemed to want to know his view of what he had seen, so Eadric immediately agreed. "Of course, he’s more skilled."
In truth, Eadric couldn’t even tell who was better and who was worse between Philipe and Aria. He had never seen such intense and exciting training before, so he wasn’t paying much attention to who was winning or losing.
Roy smiled and turned his attention back to the training ground.
"It’s interesting to see how they develop with each training session. One day these positions were already invested in. Aria was the best, but Philipe overtook her because he has remarkable control over his technique. If I hadn’t caught him trying to snoop in the girls’ bathroom one night, I might have thought he was a man trapped in a boy’s body, because sometimes he seems like an experienced warrior to me. He learns from his mistakes," commented Roy.
At the same time, the fight between Aria and Philipe reached its climax again.
Aria was attacking with intensity and the sounds of swords clashing echoed loudly again, but once again Philipe was prepared. With one fluid movement, he took advantage of Aria’s momentum to deliver a low blow to her feet with his right foot.
Aria fell hard to the ground again and stayed there for a few seconds, panting and sweating. She looked at Philipe with admiration, recognizing his skill.
"You’ve won again, Philipe," Aria admitted with a smile. "But I’ll keep training until I can beat you."
Philipe smiled, showing a twinkle in his eye. "I can’t wait for that day, Aria."
Just then a black-haired boy appeared on the training field. He carried a wooden sword in one hand and walked with a lazy manner.
"Hi, guys," said the boy after yawning.
Philipe frowned, put his sword down and used it as a support. "Victor, you’re late. We’re done here. This is serious training, not a place for jokes. If you’re not interested, you shouldn’t even come."
"Ah, excuse me, sword master. I didn’t know you took it so seriously. I promise this mistake won’t happen again."
Aria looked from Philipe to Victor, clearly uncomfortable with the tension in the air.
Eadric, for his part, looked at Roy for an explanation.
"Who is that boy?" Eadric asked Roy.
Roy sighed. "One of the heroes, his name is Victor. He’s a talented young man, but he has a... peculiar way of showing it."
Philipe then picked up his sword and pointed it at Victor. "I’ve already told you that training must be done at the right times!"
"Really? When Rufie invited me, he said it would be free training and, well, look around, there aren’t any instructors here." Victor replied.
"You’re always late, even for official training sessions. Does that mean you’re so confident with your current skill level that you think you’re better than us? If so, I challenge you to a duel!"
"Eh, you’ve really got the hang of dueling in this world, haven’t you? So, hypothetically, if I accept the duel, what will I get out of it?"
Aria raised her hands and stood in the middle of the boys. "Guys, isn’t this a bit of an exaggeration?"
Philipe thought about his answer for a few seconds, then finally answered:
"For a month, you’ll have all my desserts! But if I win, you’ll wake up early every day and show up for training on time!"
"I don’t care about your dessert, but if this duel is going to make you stop screaming, then I accept."
