Chapter 97: Temple of the Fallen Heretic (1)

“……”

Carl’s eyes snapped open.

When he had gripped the sword, he truly felt the tingling sensation flow right through his hands.

He immediately got up, dusted himself off, and walked over to find the sword he had just been holding.

“Ordinary.”

He slowly drew the sword and examined its entirety.

The straight blade had no patterns carved into it—plain and unadorned.

Its edge was ordinary, with no particular decorations, making it far less impressive compared to other treasured swords.

But Carl trusted his instincts.

So he began to slowly infuse the blade with the energy of the Primordial Unity Divine Art.

Vmmm—!

All his worries and concerns vanished with the sword’s low hum.

Once infused, the blade was dyed by the energy of the Primordial Unity Divine Art and instantly began radiating an overwhelming killing intent.

Even on its own, it had a sharpness that could be called nothing less than divine.

Carl stared blankly at the sword for a moment before a faint smile formed on his lips. He gently stroked the blade, now tinged with a gray hue.

“A sword that changes depending on who wields it.”

Was this its way of acknowledging him?

When he infused it with his energy, an engraving that had not been visible earlier appeared on the blade.

Heavenly Thunder—likely the name of this sword.

Judging from it, it must have been Justice’s taste.

‘Could it be that he was a martial artist of the Namgung Family?’

Step.

Having made his choice, Carl left the Sword Tomb without hesitation.

Meanwhile, Yulian and Laysis, who had been looking at other relics, were startled to see Carl emerging from the Sword Tomb much earlier than expected.

“You’ve already chosen?”

“You’re fine with that one?”

Both of them looked puzzled at the sight of the plain sword in Carl’s hand.

Carl understood, for he had felt the same before seeing the sword’s true nature.

That was why he smiled faintly and stroked the Heavenly Thunder Sword.

“This will do just fine.”

The rest were merely for show, after all.

His sudden trip to the Imperial Palace ended as abruptly as it began.

It felt almost like a dream that lasted only a single night.

He had seen the legacy of heroes, passed Justice’s test, and even acquired a sword.

But the moment Carl saw the Heavenly Thunder Sword leaning against the bed, he realized it had all been real.

“…In the end, I learned nothing.”

What Carl had wanted to know was why they had crossed over from the Central Plains to Artenia—

What they were supposed to do here—

And how they could return to the Central Plains.

But Justice, who had arrived here before him, had answered only by leaving him a sword.

Was it his way of telling him to carve his own path forward?

Carl didn’t know the meaning, but regardless, he decided to be satisfied with having obtained a divine sword.

Shing.

The moment he rose from bed, he drew the Heavenly Thunder Sword.

In its dormant state, it was nothing more than an ordinary iron sword.

It wasn’t particularly sharp, nor did it shine, and its presence was plain.

Hiding its fangs until it revealed them reminded him of his past self, giving it a strange sense of familiarity.

…And yet, its name was Heavenly Thunder.

Wasn’t that a bit too grand?

In any case, it was an amusing sword in many ways.

The Heavenly Thunder Sword wasn’t the only thing Carl had gained from the Imperial Palace.

There was also Yulian von Ribera.

The Crown Prince of the Empire—and a man destined to rise to the pinnacle of not just the Empire, but the entire continent, within decades.

Carl had not only formed ties with him but had also earned his favor by inheriting what Yulian believed to be a hero’s will.

Could there be a better connection?

He was now back at Bayern, resuming his studies.

NOX, too, had no major issues afterward—

Aside from strengthening security toward Dirsen and focusing on rooting out traitors.

Additionally, the recruits who had completed training in the Leipzig territory had finished a one-month acclimation process and finally arrived in the capital.

They were still only at the initial stage of White Label, but with more members, the burden was lighter.

Carl thought the semester would proceed normally from here on, but as soon as the second half of the first semester began, a new field exercise was announced.

“You all performed excellently in the Erendal Forest subjugation. This time, the format will be slightly different. Please refer to the notice for details. To summarize—”

Since the terrorism incident during the entrance exam, Bayern had significantly increased the proportion of practical training in its curriculum.

Originally, this was planned with more spacing between sessions, but because it was such a large-scale exercise, scheduling was tricky.

“This coming weekend, you will complete your assigned request. Before then, form your parties and submit your applications. That’s all.”

It was a field exercise scheduled immediately after the midterm evaluation of the first semester.

This time, the new twist was that they would receive requests through coordination with the Adventurers’ Guild.

“The weekend… so we have three days to form a party and apply for a mission?”

“That’s tight.”

“They say it’s because they have to coordinate with the guild. Still, it sounds fun.”

The Erendal subjugation had been dangerous in many ways from the start.

They had pushed through despite the risks, but this time, working with the guild meant that missions would be assigned according to each party’s skill level, providing both real combat experience and safety.

“One piece of advice—never trust other adventurers or mercenaries. Ever. Think of everyone except your fellow cadets as potential enemies.”

That lunchtime, on the day of the announcement, Brother Darius was eating with the same party members who had gone to Erendal.

He was giving them advice on taking guild requests, but Maximilian blinked in surprise at his rather extreme warning.

“Do we really have to go that far?”

“That’s the basic rule, Maxim. People like you—trusting and naive—are the easiest to exploit. You wouldn’t even realize you were being used until the day you died.”

“…Ugh.”

“Adventurers and mercenaries are the type you have to watch out for more than the request itself. Since this is in cooperation with the guild, most won’t lay a hand on cadets if they don’t want to end up blacklisted—but there are always lunatics who don’t care, so be careful.”

Darius frowned but spared no words in giving the cadets advice they could live—or die—by.

After finishing their meal, the cadets gathered in an empty classroom to form a party.

“They said a party must have at least eight members. The number here is exactly enough.”

Carl scanned the faces of those present.

Himself.

Maximilian, Gale, Pozers.

Amy, Lien, Laysis, Yuria.

This time, the field exercise would be conducted only among first-year cadets, without any seniors.

“Honestly, this is better balanced. We’ve already had one round of experience.”

“Yeah. I think now’s the perfect time.”

At Maximilian and Amy’s words, everyone nodded.

Since the general mood was in agreement, Carl also accepted and spoke.

“Then I’ll submit the party registration. Party leader, Miss Laysis?”

“Mm, I’d rather not. Why don’t you do it, Carl?”

“Me?”

“Yes.”

This time, Carl had achieved excellent grades in theory, practice, and practical exams, ranking 21st among all cadets.

Considering that his entrance score had barely put him at the tail end of 50th place, it was a significant improvement.

Of course, if he wanted, he could shoot straight up the rankings, but it was a pity that he had no such intention.

“Is there anyone who would like to be party leader? Honestly, there’s not much to do as one.”

“I think Carl would be good.”

“Agreed.”

Maximilian, who hated bothersome duties, gave his opinion, and Gale, who felt the same way, quickly agreed.

Half forced into it, Carl nodded.

“Alright, I’ll be the party leader. But I’ll choose the request myself, so I’ll ask for your understanding.”

With the party formed, the next step was to get a request assigned from the guild.

The guild’s requests reached all across the Empire.

Some were even in the vicinity of the capital, allowing them to complete the mission without leaving the city.

But in that case, the points earned would be lower.

Carl wanted the cadets to earn plenty of points.

So he chose a request in the northern part of the Empire, near the border, one with a fair level of difficulty.

“…Wait, Freiburg?”

“Yes, that Freiburg.”

The City of Wraiths, Freiburg.

Over two hundred years ago, the rampage of the Wraith Lord had turned the entire city into a land of the dead.

The aftermath lingered to this day, and the monsters in the area were almost entirely of the undead type.

“Oh? Isn’t Freiburg right next to your hometown, Bar, Carl?”

“That’s right. Freiburg and Leipzig were practically neighbors, weren’t they?”

“Yes. Just a stone’s throw away.”

“So that’s why you picked it. Clever.”

“Once the mission is over, we’ll have time, so I’ll host you.”

“At your house?”

“Yes. I’ve already informed them, so there’s no problem.”

Their youngest son, who had enrolled in the Academy that year, would be returning to the area after completing a mission—along with his friends.

Even if it was only for a few days, no parent would fail to welcome that.

“Leipzig was famous for its hot springs, right?”

“Well, it’s a cold region. Remember how we brought portable hot springs to Erendal Forest? That shows how serious we are about it.”

“Does it still snow there?”

“Sometimes, even in spring. But the warm weather makes it melt quickly.”

“I’ve always wanted to try a hot spring while it’s snowing.”

It seemed they were more interested in visiting the Leipzig territory afterward than the guild request itself.

“The Temple of the Fallen Heretic, huh. We’ll need holy tools or scripture-based devices for that. Or at least stock up on holy water.”

“No need to worry about holy tools or holy water. The family will provide them.”

At Carl’s words, everyone exclaimed in admiration.

“Since it’s the neighboring region, they’re well-prepared.”

“From time to time, the wraiths go on a rampage and cross into Leipzig’s territory. That’s why we prepare in advance.”

“Should we just hire a priest to come with us? It would make things much easier.”

For once, Gale offered a good idea.

Everyone seemed tempted, but Carl shook his head regretfully.

“The rules state we can’t use outside help besides cadets. Unfortunately, it’s not allowed.”

“I see. Well, rules are rules.”

It couldn’t be helped due to fairness concerns.

If a wealthy cadet’s party could hire strong outsiders, they could clear the mission in no time.

“Still, it doesn’t say we can’t get help with supplies or other preparations, so that’s fine.”

“Good. It’s been a while since I’ve fought skeletons. Should I bring a mace?”

“Blunt weapons are essential for smashing undead. Everyone should have one.”

As they all looked forward to the upcoming exercise—

Friday arrived, the day they would depart for the wraith city, Freiburg.

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