CHAPTER 58
Just kill me. I’d rather die and resurrect.
Today marked my second week of visiting the Holy Church.
I woke up with an expression that looked half-dead.
“Harua, are you okay?”
I turned my dazed face towards Aranseol at her question.
Her eyes were filled with worry.
I had been undergoing Paladin training every day for the past two weeks.
Of course my body wouldn't be in good shape.
But.
“I’m fine.”

I’m fine. My body was, sadly, perfectly fine.
The reason my body was in such good condition was simple.
Aigis, the Captain of the Paladin Order, had personally healed me.
My self-healing ability still fell short of the Paladin Order’s average.
「Sir Harua, your Seed is much larger than others. Therefore, your growth rate is bound to be much slower. Instead, your growth potential is incomparably higher than others.」
High growth potential meant it would take a long time to reach my peak. So, Aigis directly injected Holy energy into my body to force its recovery.
「What I am using now is pure Holy energy, so you have nothing to worry about. However, since I too have entrusted my body to the Embrace of Holy Light, it can’t be helped that your affinity for Divine Power will increase! Now, drink up the Holy energy I have produced to your heart's content!」
Aigis always spoke with her eyes sparkling excessively, which was terrifying. But it was clear she was genuinely training me.
My stamina had increased significantly compared to two weeks ago. Now, I barely even get winded after a decent run.
I may not have a heart, but my lungs, at least, have been trained splendidly.
On top of that, now that I had built up a solid foundation of physical fitness, she had recently started teaching me the Paladin Order’s exclusive hand-to-hand combat techniques.
「You’re a klutz. But that’s alright! The body, in the end, cannot overcome its survival instincts!」
Survival instincts are a scary thing.
Even I, who had no combat ability whatsoever, began to throw sharper punches than before.
「Sir Harua, you have absolutely no talent for weapons. To be precise, you don’t quite perceive a sword as an extension of your own body. I don’t know the reason, but it seems your body instinctively distrusts weapons.」
My body distrusts weapons.
Is it because I have Resurrection magic?
Or is my body just naturally like that?
I wasn't sure, but it was true that hand-to-hand combat suited me better than a sword.
「Our Paladin Order’s hand-to-hand combat begins with the destructive power that comes from a supremely powerful body. The human body holds far greater potential than one might think. For example, the muscles are always controlled so as not to exert enough force to break the bones!」
Aigis demonstrated the combat technique right in front of me.
Immediately, an immense amount of Divine Power was infused into her arm.
Simultaneously, a sound like shattering bone echoed through the air.
It was the result of the Divine Power drawing out the muscle’s strength too forcefully.
But Aigis’s face still held only a bright smile.
「A punch that a normal person could only throw once.」
CRACK!
The moment Aigis’s fist met the empty air, a shockwave erupted, knocking me onto my butt.
The swords that had been set up nearby were all swept away, and the training ground walls shook.
「But for us, it is possible to use it an infinite number of times.」
Aigis’s arm was already back to normal.
The self-regeneration ability of Holy energy had restored her arm to its original state.
What would happen if I had to fight Aigis as an enemy?
I decided not to think about it too deeply.
「The only ones in the world who can rule over evil with just their fists.」
Although in Aigis’s case, she could wield weapons freely as well.
「That is who we Paladins are.」
I was only made to realize anew just how fearsome a group the Paladins were.
And so, I was visiting the Holy Church every day to learn their combat techniques.
My body was definitely fine, thanks to my Holy Magic and Aigis’s power.
But there was nothing I could do about the mental fatigue.
“You’re going again today, right?”
“Yeah. Lady Aigis said she has to return to the Holy Land soon, so I want to learn as much as I can before then.”
Apparently, Aigis had received some orders from the Holy Land.
The details seemed to be an internal matter of the Holy Church, so I didn't ask.
「Fufufu, if you are curious, I can tell you. However, for that to happen, you would have to belong to the Holy Church, Sir Harua!」
Aigis seemed dead set on getting me to join the Holy Church.

Being a 1st Grade Holy Mage must be really valuable.
In any case, I had to learn as much as I could for even one more day before Aigis left.
As I was getting ready to leave, Aranseol came over and straightened my clothes.
“You can’t help how you look when you come back, but you should at least leave looking neat.”
“There’s no one to see me.”
“But I’m here to see you.”
After fixing my clothes, Aranseol nodded with a satisfied expression.
“There, you look handsome.”
It was the first time in my life someone had called me handsome.
Aranseol probably didn't mean anything by it.
“By the way, isn’t it about time for the Designated Merchant to arrive?”
“Has it been that long already?”
“Yeah, I think it’s today.”
While I had lost track of time, Aranseol had kept track for me.
I was grateful to her for that.
The Designated Merchant’s elixirs were the real deal.
Training was important, but the elixirs that could help me grow were more important than anything.
“I guess I should head to the market first.”
The Designated Merchant appears in the morning, stays until night, and then vanishes.
So, to find the merchant, I stopped by the Adventurer’s Guild to grab my money first.
“Aranseol, still no word from Lord Soun, right?”
“Right. It seems the situation is very hectic.”
Soun was pursuing Black Dawn and the Red Flame Lord.
I couldn’t rush him.
I need to use the murderer's finger I cut off soon.
Somehow, the situation isn’t going smoothly.
There was still no news from Bulldog either.
I occasionally visited his house, but seeing it empty meant he wasn’t back yet.
Maybe it was because these were all situations where I had no choice but to wait.
There was a certain sense of frustration.
Still, it’s best to handle what I can first.
“Ah, H-Harua-ssi.”
As I was leaving the Adventurer’s Guild, I heard a familiar voice.
Horizon was standing there, holding a bundle of groceries.
“Horizon, are you on your way back from shopping?”
“Y-Yes. The innkeeper said I could use the kitchen. For some reason, he said he’s grateful to me.”
It was probably Horizon who beat up the thugs causing a ruckus at the inn.
The image of the innkeepers cowering in fear whenever they saw Horizon was still vivid in my mind.
“U-Um, when are we going to the 2nd World next?”
Horizon is an adventurer.
She had earned quite a bit of money last time, so she shouldn't be broke yet, but she had an antsy look on her face.
“I’ve been going to the Holy Church recently. The person teaching me is leaving for the Holy Land soon, so let’s go after that.”
“Ah, okay, I understand!”
Horizon nodded eagerly.
She was still the small and precious Horizon.
As I saw her off, Aranseol popped her head up beside me.
“Harua, we haven’t seen Babiyen lately, have we?”
“I was just thinking the same thing.”
Babiyen had vanished ever since she introduced us to the Holy Church.
I had left her alone, thinking she’d show up eventually, but she showed no signs of appearing.
I remembered the somber expression Babiyen had on her face when she left last.
It seemed that incident had made her truly realize she had been abandoned by the Barony.
“After we go to the Designated Merchant, I’ll go look for her. You can head to the Holy Church, Harua.”
“Will you be okay?”
To be honest, Babiyen and Aranseol still weren't on good terms.
To be precise, Babiyen was jealous of Aranseol, so Aranseol didn’t particularly like Babiyen either.
“Yeah. We need to get along eventually anyway.”
She’s like a natural-born businesswoman.
“Alright, I’m counting on you.”
Besides, there were probably things she could talk about more comfortably with another woman.
I decided to leave this to Aranseol.
If I went, we’d just end up bickering with each other anyway.
After that, Aranseol and I went straight to the market where the Designated Merchant appears.
After passing by a few spots where the merchant often showed up, we soon found a place crowded with people.
I was sure of it.
The Designated Merchant had arrived.
I didn’t need to push my way through the crowd.
The moment Aranseol appeared, the love-struck men naturally parted to make way for her.
This unwavering lookism.
For today, at least, I was thankful for it.
Just like last time, we cut straight through the crowd and soon reached the center.
However, what we encountered there was not the Designated Merchant.
People completely unrelated to the Designated Merchant were standing there.
“Huh.”

As I let out an involuntary sound, a man who had been facing a wall with his sunglasses down turned his gaze.

"Hm?"
He reacted as soon as he saw me.
“You’re Lady Rapiel’s…”
“Lieutenant General Inferno?”
Lieutenant General Inferno.
He was standing right where the Designated Merchant was supposed to be.
Furthermore, he and a group of Regular Army soldiers were gathered, conducting some kind of investigation.
So people weren't gathered because the Designated Merchant was here, but because some incident had occurred.
I came at a bad time.
“The Designated Merchant… I hear he was murdered.”
Just then, I overheard the voices of the people around us.
“They say he was found dead here this morning.”
Hearing their whispers, my head shot up.
I saw a scene just like one from Earth: an outline marked with white tape.
It was in the shape of a person.
The Designated Merchant had been murdered.
Hearing those words, my head felt like it was ringing.
"No..."
Aranseol let out a gasp. She looked just as shocked, having awakened her attribute thanks to a potion from him.
But the one most shocked was, without a doubt, me.
After all the trouble I went through to buy a potion from him today, to be met with news of his death…
As we both stood there in shock, Inferno approached, scratching his head.
“Perfect timing. I was just about to look for you to have a chat.”
His words snapped me back to my senses.
"With me?"
What could Inferno possibly have to talk to me about?
As I showed my confusion, Inferno leaned in and spoke in a voice too low for others to hear.
“The No-Named Killer. I have some questions about that."
…………… How did he find out?
Then again, I'd left quite a trail.
There was Arshel's and Cain's testimony, and the Regular Army must have its own investigative capabilities.
No wonder there hadn't been any news about the No-Named Killer's death. The Regular Army had been investigating it secretly.
They aren't fools. Seeing the killer's appearance must have given them a lot to think about.
Perhaps because I'd already considered this possibility, I felt like the inevitable had finally arrived.
My original plan was to tell Soun first and rely on him, but… I didn't expect the Regular Army to make the first move.
My eyes met Inferno's.
Is Inferno someone I can trust?
He had released me from prison without much fuss, taking into account that I was Rapiel's disciple. He also didn't hold me responsible for the rampage Babiyen went on. At the very least, it was clear he was favorable toward me. It was also clear he had sharp instincts.
His position as a Lieutenant General in the Regular Army and his personal combat strength. He was the most suitable candidate for the connections I was considering.
“Yes, I understand.”
Trying to back out now would only mean getting caught later.
Let's see if he's a man I can trust. And I still need to figure out what to do about the Designated Merchant.
My potion!

・ A Word from the Author
With a corpse