Chapter 139 – The Virgin
000
The boy rescued from the Valley of the Dragon was moved to Elesia, an adventurer’s periphery city, along with Lesia and Lutios, and lived there in a dilapidated but small house.
He was a boy who barely managed to escape from his hometown, which was considered like a prison, but in his head, when he closed his eyes, the sight of the burning town and people’s screams echoed in his ears, so he could not fall Asleep, wrapped in a blanket and shivering. It is difficult to spend daily life on the body.
Slowly, gradually. One day, feeling the spring of the dry spirit. And he was spending another day in the dark.
He himself is saved By the brave Lesia who appeared wrapped in golden starlight.
However, the fact that he was the only one saved came as a very difficult reality for a boy who was still 10 years old.
Lecia and Rutios worry about Cleon when she refuses to eat or drink and stays awake because she just can’t fall asleep. And their companions took turns looking for Cleon.
“This guy won’t work.”
The man’s harsh voice clicked his tongue without even thinking about lifting the boy’s blanket.
“You’re safe now, so there’s no need to hide in a place like that.”
The intelligent female voice tried to reassure Cleon by telling the truth.
“Eh… Wouldn’t it make you feel better if you flew in the sky?”
The cheerful girl’s voice tried to erase the boy’s anxiety in her own way, but was stopped.
“Painful heart. I understand. The place I lived in was also burned down by the Imperial Army, and I was the only one who survived.”
The friendly voice understood his situation and recounted the same experience.
All that kindness was torture for the boy.
She doesn’t deserve that kind of kindness herself. All he could do was hold his breath, hiding in a tower where people didn’t look back.
Even if it was a life without family and friends, the same clan and the same village disappeared all overnight.
Clearly, he was also destined to do so. You will pay the price for escaping that fate.
Only such baseless guilt weighed heavily on him.
The last thing that came to him was a woman with a compassionate voice.
“I heard a story from Lesia. In the village of the Dark Demon clan… He was the only boy I could have saved.”
She is quiet but clear. She spoke as if chewing on each letter.
“It must be painful. It must be sad. And, it must be anxious. Why did he survive? Why did he survive alone?
She stroked the boy covered in the blanket from above.
That touch was like a mother’s touch that even the boy couldn’t remember.
A touch that was kind and washed away all anxiety.
She was different from the three who spread hope by fighting, spreading knowledge, and wielding a holy sword. She cared for people and shed her words, hands, and tears for the sake of people.
Little Miracle Angel. After the war, Esca temporarily separated from her party and traveled around the continent to help innocent people engulfed in the flames of war, growing even more as a priest and as a human being.
That growth was to show off his ability to his fullest, and lighten the boy’s heart, which had been pushed out mentally.
“But. Surviving is absolutely not a bad thing. Thanks to you surviving, the dark horse clan did not end. Your existence is a great hope for Lesia and Rutios, who headed there, to be saved. Thank you, for surviving.”
Little by little, the boy’s trembling body stopped. Sensing it with the touch of her hand, Esca carefully removed the blanket the boy was covering.
There, a handsome, pale-skinned boy with tangled black hair and dark eyes with shadows under his eyes lifted his face.
“…Really, is there any meaning to my survival…?”
The boy asked the nun in front of him like that.
The nun nodded her head with a small smile, and took her boy’s hand her.
“Of course. There is no such thing as meaningless work in this world. Lesia’s work will change the world to a slightly more hopeful place. Of course, your world too.”
Then he put his hand on Cleon’s head her and-
“If it’s okay. Please become Lesia’s strength her. If it’s you, it will be possible.”
That was the first meeting between Saint Esca and Cleon, later called the Holy Mother.
001
“After that, Cleon started living with us. The reason he started learning swordsmanship from Mr. Talchek was to help Lesia and build up his strength her.”
“…At that time, I was indebted to you. Esca-san.”
As Cleon quietly lowered her head, Esca smiled and put a hand to her face her.
Although Cleon, now in her twenties, looks older than Esca, no matter how you look at it, the atmosphere felt from Esca was that of an adult that was unimaginable from her teenage appearance.
Quon listened to Esca’s story with interest, took her reactions to her, and then carefully opened her mouth.
“That’s why only Esca-sama is given her honorific title to her.”
“As you know, Talchek is a muscle gorilla… Lutios didn’t feel like an adult no matter how old he was… Sophia had to help me with my daily life. The only adult I could trust in everyday life was Esca. “
“Then, Lesia-san…?”
“Lesia…”
“Lesia…Is the same as Lutios. She was of course great as a warrior, but she was usually a person who helped the villagers with their work and played with the children.”
Cleon remembers Lesia with a wry smile. As for Esca, did she think of her appearance? She smiled bitterly like Cleon, but she continued to spit it out like a joke.
“Speaking of it. It feels like Lutios and Lesia are the older sisters. I’m the mother. Sophia is the younger sister.”
“All four of you are older than me, but… Wait, what about Talcheck?”
“He Looks like the uncle next door…”
It was as if I could hear the teacher from hell snorting and laughing.
The laughter of Esca, Cleon, and Quon quietly resonated on the spot.
But at the same time, Quon has questions. Why did Cleon, who had such a harmonious life, become alone again?
Can I ask them right here?
“Looking at that expression, you seem to be curious about what happened after that, Miss Quon.”
Esca looked at Quon’s face for a bit, then she asked. Quon, who was asked that question, was surprised to the point that she flinched and shuddered, but she soon responded with a puzzled look on her face.
“Ah… That… Yes. Did it show up like that?”
“Yes. Well, it’s a natural question. If any of them had stuck with Cleon. Cleon would have had a brighter childhood…”
Esca took a deep breath as if recalling her old days of her, and continued her words of her.
“It’s embarrassing. With Lesia gone, our group lost their focal point. To all of us, Lesia was a precious person. It was her bond with her that connected us.”
002
“… We each decided to find Lesia in our own way. So, I think she will have to leave Elesia.”
Sofia spoke while looking at Cleon sitting in front of them.
Cleon quietly listened to the story with his head bowed in front of Talchek, Sofia, and Esca.
Luti was once arrested after his identity was revealed to the high-ranking members of the kingdom due to an accusation by an informant.
Originally, it would have been appropriate to be expelled from the human world, but it was decided that he would take the place of guild master by signing a contract to protect Elesia, a part of the kingdom’s territory.
However, as a condition, it was to keep a distance from Cleon, a clan of dark horses like the Demon Sword Emperor.
Twenty years have passed since the end of the war, but the humans in the kingdom still seemed to feel the nightmare potential of the empire’s revival.
“… Therefore?”
Cleon looked at Sofia, who was talking about it, with a little cold eyes. Right after Lecia disappeared, Cleon was brooding over his powerlessness.
“…So. One of us is going to take you.”
Sophia said so and brought Cleon and her to eye level.
“You are our family too. I cannot leave you here.”
“Hmm. Well, it’s because I’m afraid to leave you behind. Even if you’re an ugly disciple.”
When Talchek said that, Cleon quietly looked at the three of them.
“Well. It goes without saying, but if you go with me, you’ll be traveling all over the place, especially around the ancient ruins scattered here and there. I think the trip itself will be fun. Yes, you’ll be exploring places full of knowledge that you don’t even know about. If I teach you, your magic skills will always be there.”
As Sophia says, she shows a map with the locations of the ruins to be explored.
“Well. If you don’t like being homeless, going with me is another option. I can keep watching you swordsmanship, and above all, it’s an intelligence agency. It might not be too bad to receive.”
Talchek thought about Cleon’s future more seriously than ever before and made his proposal his.
“I… Have to go back to the church because of the pilgrimage. As Cleon knows, the current pope is a great person, such as being a member of the dark horse family or a magician. If it’s good, I want to stay with Cleon. If we part like this, you never know how long it will take until we meet again.”
Esca spoke with her sad face and her hand on her chest.
If Cleon were to follow someone at this time, his future would have changed greatly.
It was also possible to become a disciple of a sage and uncover the secrets of the world.
It was also possible to become a disciple of the Sword Saint and become a knight protecting the kingdom.
He could become a disciple of a saint and become a crusader who protects humanity from demons.
However. Cleon shook his head. It was a great pain for the boy to part with them, but he couldn’t live with relying on them forever.
After their protection is gone, he was already prepared for his situation to deteriorate in this city where discrimination against the empire still remains.
You may not be able to endure the solitude of being alone again.
Rather, the day may come when you will regret that it would have been better to follow them.
“I’m going to pursue Lesia while living in this city she tried to protect. One day, if I find this clue, I might leave this city… But there’s also Rutios.”
“…Cleon, that’s definitely a great attitude, but Lutios can’t stay with Cleon until he quits being a guild master. Besides, since you’re still a child, you need to be protected by an adult-“
Sofia said so, but Talchek put his hand on Sophia’s shoulder her.
He silently looked Tal Chek in the eyes, closed his mouth, and then—
“…Heh. Little boy. The man has determined eyes.”
He said that and turned around.
“Give up this idiot. Whoever comes will not move.”
“Uncheck…But.”
“You guys, don’t dismiss the man’s resolve so easily. He… Has decided to stay here no matter what happens. Alone.”
With that said, Talcheq left the room. What I could feel from his back was a bit of disappointment, as well as the expectation for Cleon.
Esca held Cleon’s hand her with a sad face, then she quietly nodded her head and told him she respected his choice her, then she left the room.
“No~!! I want to go with Cleon! Without Cleon, I can’t even do laundry~!!”
Only Sophia rolled and rolled on the ground, but Cleon had to sigh and calm Sofia.
That’s all Esca knows.
After this, it was said through Cleon’s mouth her.
A few days later, they split up to find Lecia in their own way, as they had said.
As expected, Cleon, who had no protector, had people wary of the dark horse clan.
He decided to become an adventurer in order to stay in Ellesia alone and make a living, and to find even a little bit of clues about Lesia.
In the end, through his bone-chilling training his, he perfected the swordsmanship he learned from Tal Chek into his own form.
At the age of 16, he started his adventures as a solo adventurer.
Behind it is a story that Quon knows too.
A year later, a boy and a girl approached him.
After breaking up with the Escars, even if she occasionally runs into Ruti in the guild, she is unable to talk friendly like before.
Cleon, who had been alone for a long time, was able to feel a connection with people once again during the trip with them.
Perhaps, he thought that he would have friends like Lesia’s warrior party and her family.
‘Cleon. You are out.`
Until that day.
003
“Albein…”
Quon looked at Cleon for a moment, clenching her fists. Her guilt for Cleon still lingered on her. Although Cleon usually treats me casually, I almost erase it from my mind sometimes. It may have been from then that the nib of the true story of the two began to move.
“…I heard the story. The fact that the hero of the holy sword ran amok and threatened Cleon. It was all over when the story reached my side.”
“It’s not a very good story. Besides, it’s already over.”
Cleon shook his head as if it didn’t matter and held Quon’s hand. Then, changing her expression to a serious one, she spoke to Esca.
“Ms. Esca. I’m still looking for Lecia.”
“It’s the same for me… Even with the power of the Church, it’s still hard to catch traces of her. I’m sure you’ll be able to find Lecia.”
At Esca’s words, Cleon nods her head.
“…Yeah. Slowly, the time will come.”
At that time, an armored woman who was standing in an unsteady position behind Esca approached and spoke to Esca in a low voice.
“…Really. Why do happy times go by so quickly?”
Esca made a really troubled face, and she stood up from her seat with a wry smile.
“Then, Cleon. Come over for tea sometime.”
“Even if I came to have tea with the pope, I don’t think he would let me in.”
At Cleon’s answer her, Esca covered her mouth and let out a laugh, then turned her body around.
“Hey, over there! Esca-sama!”
Quon called Esca to his feet her with a trembling voice.
In her hand was a rosary, a holy relic that had just been completed.
“Oh my, could you give it to me?”
“Yes, yes… Sure, it may be an insignificant talisman for Esca-sama, but… I hope you accept it.”
Esca shook her head and grabbed Quon’s hand her.
“…That’s not true. Miss Quon is a priest and a saint at the same time. Also, she’s a colleague of Cleon. I’m sure this holy relic will protect me. Thank you, Miss Quon.”
“…I did a terrible thing to Cleon. Originally, it was unforgivable…”
Quon, in her quivering voice her, she revealed her own heart her to her escar her as if in her confession her. Esca quietly looks at Quon with her kind face of her.
“But. Cleon… Forgave me and allowed me to stay by his side his… I will make sure to stand by Cleon and protect him. So, don’t worry!”
“Yes. I’ll believe you. Miss Quon.”
Esca nodded and took the rosary that Quon had handed to her.
“Oops. It’s an unusual knot.”
“Ah, that… That’s a tradition of our hometown…”
When the rosary tied in a knot shaped like a butterfly’s wings passed through Esca’s wrist her, a faint light of divine magic appeared and spread a small protective shield around her body her.
“It’s kind of magic.”
Having said that, Esca turned around and headed towards the doorway of the chapel with her leisurely steps.
The armored woman who quietly followed him turned her head and met Cleon’s eyes in her.
The gaze between the plate helmet covering her face seemed to be glare at Cleon somewhere.
However, as if nothing happened, she follows Esca and leaves the chapel.
“…It’s good that you came today, Cleon.”
“Yes. I never thought I would meet Mr. Esca.”
Cleon squeezed the hand that quietly held the warmth of Esca’s touch her that still remained. He pictured in her mind her the day he would meet Lesia with her.
Certainly, that day will come.
Cleon had no doubts.
004
Pope’s office. A huge room in the innermost part of the Great War of Astera. All sounds that pass through the barrier are one-way and only come from the outside to the inside.
As soon as Esca entered the room, she closed the door and sighed deeply.
“Verastor.”
“Yes. Yeha.”
As Esca calls her own escort’s name her, she draws closer to her her Esca her.
OK-
Booung! There was a sound, and a fist imbued with divine power plunged into the stomach of Verastol’s hard plate armor.
Kwaz that is! There was an improbable sound as her plate armor distorted her and a powerful shock slammed into her belly.
“Heuk…!”
She rolls on her floor, unable to control her body properly from her sudden shock her.
As she fell to the ground, her helm her fell off her head, and her pink hair cascaded down, revealing her hidden beautiful face her.
Esca sighs once more as she looks down at Vera Stoll, who struggles to the point that saliva drips from the corner of her mouth her, feeling the pain of what she has done.
“You glared at Cleon at the end… Why? Is it discrimination against the dark horse clan? Or… Jealousy?”
“I’m sorry… I’m sorry Yeha…♡”
No. It wasn’t just her pain that she felt. Somewhere, she must have been feeling sexual arousal.
She received a powerful blow to the point where her breathing was difficult, and she was looking up at her escar her with her face reddened.
“Ah… That’s embarrassing. The sow doesn’t know the subject… To Cleon… You dare…!”
As Esca grabbed Vera Stoll by the collar and was about to lift her up, she saw a rosary swaying across her wrist.
The look in Esca’s eyes was so cold in her that she didn’t think she was the same person she used to be when she was with Cleon.
“…Tsk…”
Kicking her tongue, Esca forcibly pulled it apart.
The beads of her rosary fell to the ground, and she hurled the portion of her rosary in her hand into her trash bin.
“There are so many bugs that cling to Cleon and don’t even know what they are… He’s Lesia and my child… I don’t intend to hand him over to anyone… “
While muttering, Esca stepped on Verastol’s back her. A shadow fell over her face, and she had her eyes wide open, her pupils black and dull.
“Lesia…Where are you? Please come back soon… I’m trying so hard to create a world that Lesia will like her… Fufufu…!”
“Ah ♡ yes, ha… I’m sorry ♡”
As Esca stepped on Vera Stoll, her feet suddenly stopped moving.
“Investigate everything about that bug called Quon. From origin to history, even family ties if necessary.”
“Yes, yes… I see, yes… As for the headquarters… That’s it. A little more… Ah ♡ Heugeuuuuu ♡”
In the Pope’s office, sound never flows from inside to outside.
And dare. Who will knock on that door?
No one in the Oval Office imagined this happening.
