EP.230 Trial of the Holy Grail (4)
What the Holy Grail trials bring about is a strong person who has reached the ideal imagined by the challenger.
Each person has their own ideals. Since each person has a different ideal, it is normal for the image of a strong person to be different as well.
Although that is normal…
“Belnoir, are you also Professor Rania?”
“If you think about Professor Rania’s identity, it’s hard to find someone like her around you…”
Who is the ideal powerhouse?
To that question, Belnoir and Lark gave the same answer. In fact, it was inevitable.
‘What is Professor Rania’s identity?’
This is the gray wizard, Raniel Van Trias.
He is called a wise man and has accomplished numerous feats together with the warrior… This means he is like a living legend.
‘A human who can deal with disaster.’
In the end, the appearance of the strong who have reached their limit is bound to be somewhat similar. Moreover, for Lark and Belnoa, who witnessed that strength with their own eyes, it was not easy to imagine someone stronger than Rania.
The appearance of a superhuman, a sword demon, tearing apart an extreme technique with his bare hands.
The image of me burning my own body against disaster, embracing the brilliant starlight.
It was around this time that Lark and Belnoa were recalling the images they each saw of Rania. She muttered, and Rania, who had been pressing her eyebrows, opened her mouth.
“You guys are there.”
Rania tapped the table.
“Can you give me a shot?”
Again, this is a question I don’t understand.
Belnoa blinked and then asked again.
“Are we going to conduct it like the last practice test?”
“No, based on the me you just mentioned.”
If that’s what you just said.
“Well, when you were dealing with the apostates…?”
“huh. Just one shot. A valid blow.”
Rania nodded.
“Think about it seriously.”
No, even if you think about it seriously, it’s a bit much.
Still, since you asked, Belnoir seriously pictured the situation in his head.
‘Professor Rania, who embraces the starlight.’
A wizard who reached disaster by burning his life.
Against that wizard, can you land a blow? Belnoa ponders the answer to that question.
‘A favorable environment, all kinds of tricks and tricks… and even assuming that everything is offered as an offering…’
I can’t see the answer.
Belnoir muttered, rubbing his chin.
“…If I close my eyes and open them, it feels like my neck will fall off.”
These were not empty words.
It is no exaggeration to say that there is a difference between the Rania I saw in the city at night and the Belnoa of today as much as heaven and earth.
The moment you face it, you die.
Without even having time to lift a finger.
“Lark, well, if you come up with a strategy, I think it will be worth it within three years… but the problem is you.”
Rania sighed.
“What should I do with this…?”
“Huh, Professor?”
Belnoa, unable to bear the question, raised his hand and asked a question.
“The intention of asking this question earlier…”
“Because it is an ordeal that you must overcome.”
Rania answered briefly.
“It’s an ordeal you have to overcome if you want to move on.”
She placed the chalice on the table.
Lark and Belnoa’s eyes widened as they looked at the Holy Grail. Although they haven’t reached that level, they are both wizards who have learned circuitry.
‘Incomprehensible circuitry.’
Even at first glance, it is not an ordinary item.
Rania continued speaking, pointing at it.
“You told me.”
She pointed to Belnoa.
“Belnoir, you said you wanted to grow, right? “If she wants to protect Chloe, if she wants to be by her side, she doesn’t have enough right now.”
Belnoir nodded slowly.
It was true.
When Chloe was kidnapped, Belnoir felt helpless. The strength he had honed was so helpless in front of them.
‘···To stand next to Chloe, who will later become a hero, and protect her.’
I had to become much stronger than I am now.
Belnoa’s goal was to reach the level of those called superhumans in the world.
“And so did you, Lark.”
Rania’s finger pointed towards Lark.
“I heard it from your father, the Grand Duke of the North. The era in which you ascended to the position of grand duke was an era in which the lights went out. In order to cross that dark era…”
To get through those difficult times.
——————
faqwiki.us
Join our Discord for new chapter updates!
https://discord.com/invite/xr7SxG5T6V
——————
“You must reach the level of superhumanity. Only then can you achieve what you want to achieve. The Grand Duke said so. What do you think?”
“It’s the same.”
Lark nodded loudly.
“The Grand Duke of the North has a duty to protect the northern lands and all who live there. “It is a mission that has been handed down since the beginning of the Grace family.”
so that.
“In order to fulfill the duty that our ancestors have carried out for hundreds of years, I must become stronger than I am now. “We must see more, learn more… and grow.”
The same goes for both Belnoa and Lark.
They both have a reason to become stronger than they are now. There is enough desire and motivation to be strong.
Because Rania also knows that.
“That’s why I chose you guys first.”
The two were selected as the next targets.
“It’s complicated to explain, but this Holy Grail…”
She explained lightly about the Holy Grail.
It may be hard to believe, but Lark and Belnoa, who listen to her explanation, do not doubt Rania’s words.
‘I’m not the type of person who lies about things like this.’
The trust built up over the time spent is strong.
“so.”
After finishing her explanation, Rania tapped the chalice.
“Do you want to try it?”
The ultimate goal of every warrior.
The limit that the human body can reach.
Superhuman.
If you set that as your destination, where are you now and how far do you have to go in the future?
This is your chance to see it with your own eyes.
The moment I heard her explanation, the answer was already decided. Lark and Belnoir nodded at the same time, without worrying about who went first.
“I will take on the challenge.”
2.
Forest near Aplia.
When I arrived at the place where Kalt conducted the ordeal, I took out the Holy Grail. With Belnoa and Lark watching me, I lightly shook the chalice.
Ugh, wow.
The Holy Grail begins to resonate.
The resonance was much weaker than that of Kalt, but I could feel the faint resonance through my fingertips.
Lark in the snowy mountains of the north.
Belnoir in the city of night.
Although it was only for a short time, the two had the experience of facing an inner wall. That is why the Holy Grail responds to both.
‘One, two, three···.’
I opened my mouth while counting in my mind.
“Today we’re just getting a taste. “It happens about three times a year, so let’s just experience it lightly for now.”
It’s impossible to wake up right away anyway.
Although Lark and Belnoir are talented children, their talents have not fully blossomed yet.
‘It is impossible to challenge the level of superhuman right now.’
This was literally an experience.
An experience to clarify my direction and to see if I would really emerge from the ordeal of the Holy Grail.
“Is the great Professor Rania appearing? “Even if it happens like never before, I’m a little scared…”
“They say warriors don’t feel fear.”
“It’s about overcoming feelings of fear. But, how should I face an insurmountable nightmare…”
Belnoa and Lark are chatting.
I let out a long sigh while glaring at Lark, who still didn’t miss the word ‘great’.
“···Lark, you are better off.”
Sighing, I pointed to Belnoa.
“The problem is you, Belnoa.”
According to Belnoa’s words, what appears in Belnoa’s trials is my appearance during the battle to defeat the apostates.
‘I am in a state where I brought starlight to life.’
If I were in that state.
If I am determined to annihilate the ‘enemy’ in front of me, even if it means losing my life.
‘How will I come across to someone I perceive as my enemy?’
It wasn’t difficult to think of the answer.
“Huh, Belnoa?”
“yes?”
“Once you enter, there will be a flash of light, right? Don’t close your eyes just because it’s dazzling, watch it until the end. “If I’m not careful, I think you might leave without even being able to check.”
“···A flash of light? Oh, are you talking about the high-level spell Light Explosion?”
I quietly shook my head.
“That is blinding. What I will use will be my signature spell. “It destroys the whole area with its heat.”
I looked at Belnoa with pity.
“cheer up. really.”
That’s the point where I’ve said that.
The thirty-seventh sound rang in my hand, and I lightly tilted the chalice. At the same time, two puddles were created on the floor.
There are two trials that can be made at once.
I said, pointing to the two puddles that had been created.
“Once you step into that puddle, your ordeal begins. It won’t take long, so come on. “I’ll be waiting.”
Lark held the sack tightly.
Belnoa wore shadow armor on his hands.
Although the two were nervous, they jumped into the puddle.
That was the moment when the group of lights swallowed the two.
———Guung.
For a moment, the Holy Grail in my hand shook violently.
It’s a harsh sound that makes your fingers go numb. I lifted the chalice with a frown. The Holy Grail was shaking noisily.
“···what?”
I heard that up to two are possible?
Something was strange. The moment I wrapped my hands around the shaking chalice to suppress the shaking…
Damn it.
There was gold in the Holy Grail.
As if it contains something that cannot be contained.
3.
A memory engraved in the soul of the challenger. Numerous records of humans engraved in the starlight that circulates around the world. The moment memories and records overlap, the Holy Grail’s ordeal is complete.
What we need to pay attention to here is the challenger’s memory.
Not just a memory, but a memory engraved in the soul.
The things that remain most strongly in memory are usually those that the challenger directly experienced. Things I see with my eyes, feel with my hands, and experience with my body.
However, there are always exceptions.
Memories engraved in the soul.
A memory planted by some kind of means.
It is not easy to engrave something into the soul, and it is a taboo area… but it is not impossible. People who believe in infinitely low possibilities and challenge the realm of the impossible have existed in every era.
There are shamans who put their memories into their spells in the hope that someone will remember that era so that the spell can continue through the ages.
There is someone who carved his soul into his sword for his one and only disciple.
Human persistence to achieve a long-cherished dream sometimes reaches places that even the stars do not expect.
* * *
“Welcome, boy.”
A vast desert.
Belnoa looks at the man standing in front of him. A man standing on a desolate desert smiles cheekily.
A man I have never met or seen.
The man talks to Belnoa.
“Are you the shaman who continues my lineage?”
The ordeal of the Holy Grail is nothing more than a recreated personality.
He is a human imitated from memories and records.
Therefore, it is a non-existent entity.
“It’s closer to a doll with no ego. “It can’t think, it’s just a being that moves according to the battle habits of the time it was recorded.”
Before the ordeal, Raniel clearly said that.
Belnoir clearly remembers those words. However, the man in front of me is talking to me with a clear ego.
“···Is it possible to talk?”
“When words come back and forth, that’s conversation. Did you need anything special? “It seems like times have changed a lot.”
Belnoa gulped and swallowed dry saliva.
The mana flowing from around the man is unusual. The man was just standing there, but Belnoir felt his breathing becoming heavier due to the intimidating feeling emanating from him.
“···name.”
Belnoa slowly opened his mouth.
“What’s your name?”
A man answers a question.
“Shaman of the Shadow Dragon.”
A shadow rises from the man’s arm.
“Belial.”
The shadow that rose had the shape of a dragon.
* * *
Lark looked around.
The terrain resembled a canyon, and sword hilts were stuck here and there. There are long marks on the floor that look like they were cut with a knife.
It was a terrain with quite a unique landscape… Lark had seen this place before.
Not through my eyes, but from history books.
‘The sacred place of the sword, Galatric.’
The place has now become an inaccessible magical place.
Lark seemed to have seen that the scenery there was similar to what it is now.
‘Why this place?’
A place I only briefly saw as a picture in a history book.
Why is that place unfolding before my eyes?
This is the moment when Lark questioned that fact.
Gradually.
The sound of armor clanging is heard from somewhere. The clanking, clanking sound got closer little by little. Lark held the ax tightly and looked towards the direction from which the sound was coming.
Crash.
Eventually the sound stops.
Standing there is a knight holding a huge greatsword.
Sreung.
He slowly raises his sword.
At first glance, the huge greatsword appears to be a sword for cutting and pressing with its weight, but from the moment it is held in the knight’s hand, it feels like nothing more than a sharp sword.
“What is your name?”
Lark answers the article’s question.
“Lark Van Grace.”
“It’s Grace’s child.”
The driver nods lightly.
Then, he aims his sword at Lark.
“Take up arms.”
An extremely chilling voice.
When it comes to swords and battles, the knight who has lived a more immersed life than anyone else reveals his name.
“My name is Ganicalt van Galatric.”
Commander of the Knights of Arcadia.
The first sword saint.
A sword that protects humanity.
There are countless nicknames given to him, but he never revealed any fancy nicknames when introducing himself. He simply put only one word into his mouth.
“I’m a prosecutor.”
A person who talks about life with a sword.
Under the softly shining starlight, Ganicalt’s sword shined brightly.
A word from the author (author review)
Just because there is a Holy Grail, I do not intend to lightly describe the process of becoming a superhuman. If we do that, it feels like the lives of superhumans who appeared early on are being ignored.
The illustrations were created by the artist with the typo 😀
