"Let's go back to the Holy City right now and live together in the Cathedral from now on!"
"""----WHAT?"""
I could see the air cracking.
The voices of my master, Yuritia, and Atori were menacing, and even though they weren't directed at me, I felt a primal chill and my spine tensed.
Yet, Anze's loving smile remained unwavering. This immense pressure, so powerful it seemed as if it were nothing more than a gentle breeze,
"The cathedral is the safest place in this world. Let's heal our wounds there slowly."
"Ah... Anze, that's..."
"Please rest assured, I will not allow anyone to harm Lady Wolka in any way. I will support Lady Wolka with all my might. Please, leave everything to me..."how many peopleNanpitoHoly ChurchKriscles
Hmm, such a huge emotion.
About Sister Anze, who has a heart bigger than the heavens and bigger than the sea.
If my unreliable knowledge of the original work is correct, she is not a character from the original. Surely, if such a memorable character had appeared, I think I would have remembered her, even if she was just a background character. The fact that I don't recall her at all suggests that it's reasonable to assume she never appeared in the original work.
From what I've read, the city of "Holy City" in the original work is only hinted at.
There are two reasons.
First, the protagonist of the original story deliberately avoided the two major cities of the Holy City and the Royal Capital. Because the protagonist didn't go near them, they weren't depicted in the story. That makes perfect sense.
For the protagonist, a berserker determined to completely eradicate monsters, the royal capital and the holy city were objects of hatred, as they possessed immense military power but failed to save them. As far as I remember, it wasn't until quite a few volumes of the manga were released that he reluctantly began to interact with the characters from the royal capital. From there, I think the focus was supposed to gradually shift to the holy city as well, but updates became slower in the later years, and more importantly, I myself passed away, so I never found out.
And the second possibility, though this is just my speculation, is that the author intentionally withheld information about the Holy City, which is the setting for the latter half of the story.
I believe there were four saints in the holy city— or was it? By any measure, they were the type of force that would make a grand entrance in the latter half of the story, which explains why they were only hinted at.So・re・is・hair・in・king・capital・all・body・of・war・force・of・above・times・the law of nature・cormorant・ru・
However, it seems he has completely forgotten the crucial details of the allusion...
Therefore, when it came to anything related to the Holy City, my meager knowledge of the original story was practically useless.
Let's get back to Anze.
She is a nun belonging to the Cathedral, the central institution of the Holy Church, and like other nuns, she is modestly clad in a chaste black nun's habit. Her long hair covers her back, and her eyes seem to absorb light and shine, and her skin is so pure that she hardly seems like the same species as me. I feel like if I carelessly touched her with my bare hands, I would be punished by God—she even exudes such divinity.platinum colorPlatinum Blondejade colorCobalt Green
Just as her dignified appearance is reflected in her character, it is as pure and clear as a sacred spring. She always wears a benevolent smile, faces others with a pure heart at all times, and acts with genuine goodwill. Her demeanor, devoid of any negative emotions such as anger or jealousy, is truly befitting of a servant of God.
And perhaps as a consequence of her pure heart, everything Anze says and does is on a grand scale. While many words could be applied to describe her—broad-minded, generous, magnanimous, open-hearted, grand-minded—I would personally prefer the expression "her goodwill is enormous."
It truly feels as if the entire world is shining with the blessings of God.
For example, earlier I confidently said something that could easily be misunderstood as "Let's live together in the cathedral"—and it actually is being misunderstood—but if we translate that to our standards, it would probably mean something like "Please recuperate in the cathedral."
To be honest, I didn't really like Anze that much.
In my previous life , I was a pure-blooded Japanese person raised in faith, so I tend to become wary of this "believe in God and you will be saved" kind of thing. It just inevitably gives me the image of a dubious religion. It's not Anze's fault, so I'm trying my best to get used to it, but...YaoyorozuYaoyorozuNaturallydifference
However, aside from her excessively generous nature, she's a perfectly normal girl. I think she's the same age as Atori. She's shorter than Atori, and perhaps because she's not involved in any rough situations, her figure is soft and full of warmth and compassion.
Above all, her heart is just as big as her big heart—no, I'll stop there. It's just plain rude to look at her that way.
However, my mentor had previously been devastated by the inequality in society, saying, "What do you have to eat to end up like that...?"Cut off・cliff・Absolute・wall・
Perhaps because of that, my mentor still strangely sees Anze as a rival.
"Hey, little girl."
It felt like the cracks that had appeared in the space of the rehabilitation room were rapidly spreading to an irreparable extent.
My master jumped down from Atori's lap and stood right next to Anze, with me in between.
"You bastard, do you seriously think you're going to take Walka with you? Walka is my—um, our precious friend. Don't say such foolish things."
My master, who is already quick to pick a fight, is about 30% more dangerous than usual when dealing with Anze. Magical energy unconsciously leaks from his body, making his silver hair rustle like some kind of eerie creature.
Perhaps I misinterpreted Anze's statement as an attempt to pull me out of the party. Don't worry, Master, I have absolutely no interest in < >. For now, please calm your magic power, my stomach is churning.Holy KnightsChris Knights
I was hoping Yuritia and the others would calm me down, but Yuritia was muttering with eyes as dark as dark matter, "Senpai's going to be taken away... I have to protect him..." Hmm, maybe I should just pretend I didn't see that. It's just plain scary, I can't look her in the eye.
Meanwhile, Atli remains calm as usual... no, that's not right, she's always ready to deactivate the <>—the magic that transforms her equipment into small accessories for portability—and pull out her halberd. What on earth are you all trying to do? Old Sister is trembling with her eyes bulging out.OrthoticsAccessorize
Well, I guess I have no choice but to stop them.
"Master"
"Wolka, be quiet."
"Y-yes..."
My mentor is terrifying... I wasn't allowed to say anything. Anze's mental fortitude is on another level, being able to remain completely unfazed even when faced with such a menacing expression.
Oh... Anze made a thoughtful gesture.
"Is that not acceptable? Considering Lord Wolka's health, I think it would be best to leave it to the Cathedral..."
"it is..."
The master was grimacing,
"...I can't deny that. Ah, it's frustrating, but I can't deny it. From your perspective...we, who couldn't protect Wolka, are absolutely unforgivable, aren't we?"
"No, Lady Rizelarte. That's not correct."
Anze immediately shook her head. With a look of care and affection, she took her master's small hand, and also glanced over at Yuritia and Atori behind her.
"I know very well how much you all care for Lady Wolka. I can only imagine how much pain you are going through..."
"Oh, okay...?"
"How could I possibly blame you all when I knew nothing and wasn't even there...?"
This is it. The reason I'm a little uncomfortable around Anze—she has absolutely no ill intentions. Too few, in fact.
Even if she disagrees with someone, it's always a 100% well-intentioned thought, and she's utterly pure and genuine. In short, you just can't help but lose your composure when you're talking to her.
My master was completely discouraged right from the start.
"I-I see... N-No! But still!"
It had been a while since we'd seen the mentor exuding the aura of the eldest member, but it seems he was swayed by Anze's kindness and couldn't maintain his authority any further.
He puffed out his cheeks in anger and began stomping his feet in frustration.
"Then what about what you just said...! What you just said! What does it mean to live together?! It's immoral! It's immoral! I'll never allow that!!"
It's not like that, Master. The charisma of the senior members that was just starting to recover has plummeted.
Well, it's better than having a tense atmosphere continue, I guess. But this feeling is like a balloon that was about to burst suddenly deflating.
"Wolka is my... um... my disciple! My precious disciple! I'm not letting you have her, you big-breasted girl!"
"Master, calm down."
It's because of resentment stemming from a society with inequality. Don't say things like that so directly in front of a man like me. It's disrespectful to Anze.
However, even this was accepted calmly by Anze with a gentle smile.
"Hehe. It seems that Lady Rizelarte really does cherish Lady Wolka very much."
"Of course!"
"Now, let me rephrase that a little. Everyone, please—"
"Please wait a moment."
At this point, the elderly nun, who had seemingly reactivated, interrupted. Her serene demeanor of old age was nowhere to be seen; her face was pale and she looked at her master with an incredulous expression, and she pressed him for an answer.
"Oh, you, who do you know this person is...?"
Anze giggled.
"It's alright. Please don't worry about it."
"but--"
" , "circle・Ta・Ku・death・teeth・now・Structure・stomach・Ma・height・yeah・and・words・stomach・Ma・death・Ta・Yo・
The elderly nun swallowed the words that were about to come out of her throat and fell silent. ...Wait, is Anze so powerful that she can silence even senior nuns with a single word? As expected of an elite nun belonging to the cathedral...
"Let's get back to the topic. Yes, I fully understand that Lady Wolka is a very important member of your team. Therefore—"
Anze clasped her hands together in front of her chest, as if light were pouring down from the heavens .Declarationnotama
"Why don't you all come and live with us in the cathedral? That way, we can all take care of Lord Wolka together!"
This guy is an enemy...! An assassin from the church who is trying to sabotage my reintegration into society with 100% good intentions...!
"As I mentioned earlier, the cathedral is the safest place in the world. There is no need to worry about external threats, and in the unlikely event of an emergency, I can heal you immediately. The cathedral promises to provide you with daily meals, personal supplies, a better prosthetic leg, and all other necessary support!"
"""...I see..."""
That's not quite right.
"Besides, the knights are always keeping an eye on us...hehe, there's no need to worry about losing sight of Lord Wolka at any moment."police officerKeira
That's strange, it sounds like you're saying you're going to confine me to the cathedral.
"This would allow Lady Wolka to heal slowly, and everyone else could focus on nursing her... What do you think? I think it's an excellent idea..."
"..."
Hey, stop worrying. Don't look at me with that "I hadn't thought of that..." look. My stomach and my pride can't handle living like that.
"Anze"
"Yes, what is it?"
Anze turned around, her eyes sparkling. I was a little intimidated by her pure and innocent radiance,
"I appreciate the offer, but it's not something you need to go to such lengths for."
"Please don't worry, Lady Wolka. Rather, I feel terrible about my own powerlessness, that this is all I can do. While you were suffering, I was in the Holy City, unaware of anything—oh, if only I could heal you with all of myself..."
That's an incredibly huge act of kindness...
But I can't let myself be pushed through here. I want to reintegrate into society. It would be wrong, as a friend, to take the feelings of my mentors who care about me for granted and live a carefree life without even making the effort to stand on my own two feet.
"My body may have become like this... but I'm not so weak that I'd give up just because of that."
"But..."
"I'll get used to the prosthetic leg soon and be able to walk. I won't need the Cathedral's help."
As a prerequisite, I will return to the Holy City. That's a certainty. I have a room I'm still renting, and there are acquaintances I need to report my safety to.
And if I can make it back to the Holy City with this prosthetic leg, that would mean I've already taken the first step towards reintegrating into society, and I believe I'll be able to live a normal life without causing trouble at the cathedral.
Fortunately, Anze's good nature is an inherent part of her personality, and she doesn't harbor any complicated feelings of guilt like her mentors. So I thought that if I simply refused, she would understand—but that wasn't the case.
"Is that so? I suppose I'm not much help to Lord Wolka after all."
...Hmm? Wait a minute? It seems like she's more genuinely shocked than I expected. Anze's smile, which had been unfazed even when her masters glared at her, suddenly clouded over...
"I'm so sorry, I must have been a nuisance... I really am powerless... "
"Ugh..."
Wait a minute, you've remained completely unfazed no matter what was said until now, but now you're seriously depressed...!? Even I can tell from that smile that you're genuinely hurt inside...!
My masters are looking at me with eyes that say, "You don't have to go that far..." But you guys were about to attack Anze just a moment ago. Don't switch sides in an instant.
What do you think, old nun? -- Ah, she averted her eyes in an instant. Looks like she's completely given up on me.
Oh, I see. Now that I think about it, Anze rushed all the way from the Holy City to this town out of concern for me...that's really something to be grateful for. It would be really wrong to just dismiss her offer, wouldn't it...?
"S-Sorry, Anze. It's not a bother at all."
But even so, I can't let my emotions get the better of me here. I've already explained why.
I didn't risk my life for something like that.
"I trust you. That's precisely why I think I shouldn't take you for granted. ...I think there will be a lot of difficulties when we return to the Holy City. I'll talk to you about it then, so please let me try a little harder."
"..."
Anze pursed her lips slightly. It was like regret, or... disappointment in herself.EmbarrassmentZanki
"If there is anything I can do to help, please tell me. My heart will always be with you, Lord Wolka."
"Ah, ah..."
...Perhaps I don't really understand this girl, Anze.
She doesn't have the same kind of time she spent building relationships with her mentors as they did. Their first encounter was a bodyguard assignment she received shortly after <> established their base in the Holy City. However, there were several other parties involved, and she doesn't recall having any particularly close conversations beyond small talk.Silver-gray journeySilvery Gray
Yet, is her devotion, which seems to bless everything she sees, truly coming from her heart, or is she merely following her duties as a nun?
—That's right. It would take a little more time for me to get to know the girl named Anze .Thoughts・stomach・Out・vinegar・
/
—Though he doesn't remember it, Anze actually met Walka once during his childhood and they were acquainted.
We spoke for a very short time, and I introduced myself to him. In fact, the nickname "Anze" was given to me by Wolka at that time.
People might think I'm heartless for giving someone a nickname and then forgetting about it.
But it couldn't be helped. Back then, Anze hid her face, didn't have long hair yet, and was rather timid. It would be strange to remember the grown-up Anze as the child she was back then.
Furthermore, this nickname was simply given to Anze because her real name was too long and it was easier to pronounce; it doesn't have any special meaning beyond that.
And back then, Wolka was surely struggling to survive each day, battling through immense hardship.
It's only natural that a helpless little girl like her would be forgotten.
This happened about eight years ago. At the time, Anze was being taken on a pilgrimage to learn about the real world outside the Holy City, in order to gain the knowledge and experience befitting her future. Along the way, in a small village whose distance from the Holy City was unknown, Anze met a certain boy.
The boy was being assaulted by the man.
At least, that's how it appeared to Anze. It was a small, shabby house, practically a shack, a far cry from the standard of living in the holy city. In the overgrown grounds, which could hardly be called a garden, the boy was being unilaterally attacked by an old man wielding a wooden sword.
"What's wrong, Wolka?! What are you doing?! Are you just going to get beaten up without doing anything?! Can't you even return a single blow?! Is that all your willpower amounts to?!"
The old man's furious roar, like a raging fire, was enough to make your whole body tremble just hearing it from the shadows in the distance.
"Huh? Wh-what is that?"
Before starting this pilgrimage, Anze had been raised in the cathedral like a sheltered child, with everyone doting on her. She naturally assumed that adults were people who would cherish and care for children like her.
It was the first time Anze had ever witnessed such a horrifying sight—an adult inflicting violence on a child—and all she could do was hide in the shadows and tremble.
The old man's sword slammed into the boy's side, sending him flying with great force.
The boy's body rolled across the ground as if by magic, finally coming to a halt when he hit his back against a tree not far from Anze.
I thought I heard the boy's cry of agony.
"H--"
Anze instinctively averted her eyes. The moment a person's body was kicked and sent flying like a pebble was something that young Anze could not possibly bear to watch.repellentteeth
It was so terrifying that I couldn't help but think that the boy might be about to be killed.
I can hear the old man's dejected voice.
"...This is pointless. Do you really intend to become strong? If so, you will never reach the level of swordsmanship you aspire to."
Anze couldn't understand what the old man was saying. It sounded like a foreign language she had never heard before.
"We'll take a fifteen-minute break. Heal your wounds to the limit. If you can't heal them completely, we'll start the next training session."
Anze cautiously raised her head and was confronted with an unbelievable sight.
The scene of an old man leaving the collapsed boy behind and returning home alone.
"--..."
I felt as if the world I had built up within myself—that adults are beings who love and cherish children—was being shattered from its very foundations.
The old man disappeared beyond the door, leaving behind only the wounded boy lying limply on the ground, unable to move a single finger. I wanted to rush to his side immediately, but the thought of being seen by the old man frightened me, and I couldn't move.
"--Hahaha"
If the boy hadn't coughed after regaining consciousness, Anze would have remained trembling in that spot.
I rushed over. I kept my voice down so the old man wouldn't notice me, touched the boy's shoulder, and called out to him with all my might.
"Are you alright...? Please hang in there...!"
By all appearances, the boy was not unharmed.
Her left eye was swollen, her lip was cut, blood was oozing from various places on her forehead and arms, and her clothes were torn, revealing painful bruises. These weren't injuries that could have occurred in a single day. It was clear that she had been subjected to violence like this many times, at least before Anze arrived in this village.
The boy didn't seem to hear Anze's call, and with vacant eyes he muttered incoherently,
"Ahhh...damn, I completely blacked out...ouch,ouch,ouch...I'm definitely going to kill that damn old man someday..."
I don't understand anything anymore. Adults who are violent towards children and then abandon them. And children who spit out "I'll kill you" at the adults.
She doesn't know. Anze doesn't know this kind of world.
Because the 'adults' Anze knew, the many 'adults' Anze had seen at the cathedral, even if they weren't family, had a deep affection for children, and even when they got angry, there was surely love behind it—
"Why...how..."
"Huh? Who is it...?"
It was then that Anze's image finally appeared in the boy's hazy eyes.
At that time, Anze was still a timid child and had no experience talking to boys his own age. He ran up to him on his own, only to find his mind completely blank. Yet, he couldn't turn a blind eye to what he had been taught at church and pretend not to see the pain he was experiencing.
"Um, well... I'm a pilgrim... a nun in training."
With all our might,
"P-please let me treat your wounds... I'm still inexperienced, but I can use sacred magic...!"
She might have looked suspicious. As she was on her journey, Anze was wearing a comfortable robe, with the hood pulled low and a thin veil covering her eyes to hide her face as much as possible. She had been taught by adults that nameless sisters on pilgrimages dressed like that.
The boy looked a little taken aback and thought for a moment.
"Um... let's move away for a bit."
Enduring the pain throughout my body, I stood up and began to walk, dragging my feet.
"It would be troublesome if we were found out."
This encounter with the scarred boy—Wolka—was a turning point.
For young Anze, who had only ever known a world filled with love and had taken it for granted, this experience had an immeasurable impact, even changing her destiny.
Tips 'Wolka (childhood)':
The protagonist before he met Rizel. When he asked his grandfather to train him in swordsmanship, it turned out to be a brutally strict, Spartan training regimen that would make even the most passionate sports drama blush. However, he sees it as an advantage in mastering swordsmanship and is desperately clinging on.
Tips 'Anze (childhood)':
A girl on a pilgrimage with the adults of the church. Perhaps due to being raised in a sheltered and pampered environment, she sees Wolka's training as nothing more than assault/abuse and has become very serious about it.