243rd Episode
Artefact Operation Practice.
The 2nd-grade students had tipped off the 3rd-grade students that Artefact Operation Practice was a “difficult but fun subject.”
Anticipating they would get to experience various rare artefacts, the 3rd-grade students headed toward the outdoor training ground, which was also where they had taken their entrance exam.
As the students arrived at the external training grounds, two instructors who had arrived earlier welcomed them.
One was Saria, and the other was an instructor named Valkan.
Once Nelson, who had been leading the students, stepped back, the students aligned themselves in attention, all except for one person.
“…”
Not long after arriving at the training ground, Ray, who had been caught by Saria, was currently slumped in her arms.
Saria then lifted the slouched-over Ray and offered him to Valkan.
“He’s my nephew.”
“Ahh, yes… what a cute nephew you have…”
Valkan, familiar with what he had heard about Saria, readily played along.
Thus, the lesson began with Saria still holding Ray.
What kind of subject is Artefact Operation Practice, what do we learn, and why must it be completed?
Valkan explained this point by point to the students.
Saria occasionally interjected advice. Though her pacing was somewhat slow, she spoke clearly without disrupting the flow of her sentences.
“Combat artefacts, come in various types.”
Most people think of armor that generates protective barriers or swords that spew fire when they hear ‘combat artefacts.’
That perception wasn’t wrong; most combat artefacts available on the market indeed took such forms and functions.
However, the closer an artefact got to being top-tier, the more diverse and powerful its functions became.
Self-propulsion, enemy tracking and interception, active defense, disruption of magical formations, area bombardment, etc.
Artefacts imbued with varied and lethal functions could even turn the tide of battle.
But individuals, especially knights, couldn’t wield an infinite number of artefacts alone.
There were two reasons for this.
Firstly, there was the issue of power source.
When the energy stored in an artefact ran out, the user had to supply mana to keep it operational. However, the refined mana from one’s core was inefficient for operating artefacts, thus forcing knights to restrain their use of artefacts.
Secondly, controlling artefacts itself was difficult.
To efficiently control multiple artefacts simultaneously, one needed to possess “parallel thinking rotation.”
This parallel thinking rotation was extremely challenging and not something that improved easily through practice.
Talent was crucial in this field as well.
“I’ll show you a demonstration.”
Saria picked up five training artefacts that looked like ordinary sticks, then released them again.
After confirming that her spirit was linked to the five artefacts, Saria levitated them all at once.
Then Valkan gave the students an order.
“Spread out and form a circle, leaving a space in the middle.”
The students formed a circular formation as instructed.
The five artefacts floating in the air entered the circle created by the students and began moving in different directions, scraping the ground.
“…!”
Soon enough, everyone realized that the five artefacts were writing words on the ground.
Starting from the perimeter, each artefact was inscribing different characters, gradually converging towards the center.
Held in Saria’s arms, Ray muttered.
“Auntie, if you write anything like ‘cute nephew’ over there, I swear I’ll jump off the roof.”
“…”
Ray’s stern threat made Saria feel deflated.
In the end, Saria erased the half-written sentence about her nephew and started writing new characters with the artefacts.
Saria Alstein.
What Saria wrote on the ground with the artefacts was her first and last name.
“Wow…”
“Amazing…”
Everyone was impressed.
The five artefacts handled by Saria moved freely and converged from different directions to complete the characters with great precision.
Among the instructors affiliated with Izhise, none could handle multiple artefacts as skillfully as Saria.
Even Ray, held in Saria’s arms, marveled at her prowess.
Ray had previously attempted to handle multiple artefacts during battles but failed to properly control them.
Because Ray found it difficult to handle several artefacts simultaneously, he used them sequentially—one at a time.
In other words, Ray wasn’t using multiple artefacts at once but merely switching between them.
Using artefacts like Ray did made it hard to create synergy, even with many artefacts.
Snap!
Valkan snapped his fingers to gather the students’ attention and continued speaking.
“Not everyone can perform like Knight Saria Alstein, including myself.”
“…”
“There are artefacts that assist the user’s control or operate automatically based on pre-set values. But ultimately, to fully harness an artefact’s capabilities, the user’s ability must match.”
Valkan drew his sword and gestured toward Ray while continuing.
“Now, we will form groups of three to practice handling artefacts, but before that, I’ll demonstrate.”
Ray also had to participate in the demonstration.
The training method itself was simple.
While Ray exchanged light blows with Saria, he operated an additional artefact.
Valkan performed around five random basic movements—thrusting, slashing, blocking—all very fundamental actions.
Ray had to move the stick-shaped artefact in response to Valkan’s actions while engaging with Saria.
It was truly basic training.
Of course, it was harder than it looked, but Ray effortlessly synchronized with Saria and Valkan to successfully complete the demonstration.
After the demonstration ended, Saria lifted Ray up again.
“Our nephew did well.”
“Auntie, or should I say Instructor? Isn’t favoritism inappropriate…?”
Just as Ray said, the other students watched him with absolutely no envy.
Saria reluctantly let go of her rebellious nephew.
Afterward, the students formed groups of three and began the main training session.
Though it seemed easy when Ray demonstrated, it turned out to be incredibly difficult.
The stick-shaped artefacts distributed by the instructor lacked any function to assist or correct the user’s control. As a result, the slightest lapse in concentration caused the artefacts to spin wildly in the air.
The students were astonished anew by Saria’s ability to control five such artefacts simultaneously while writing.
On the side, Ray smiled awkwardly as he blocked Johanna’s sword.
“Why are you so tense?”
For several days now, Ray hadn’t seen Johanna smile.
Ray narrowed the distance with Johanna and spoke.
“Still upset about the other day? Don’t worry about me.”
“…”
Johanna felt irritated.
She was just annoyed, but since she couldn’t express it to Ray, her chest felt even more constricted.
Ray stopped trying to talk to Johanna and focused on blocking her sword.
As time passed, the first artefact operation training session concluded.
The students weren’t physically exhausted, but they complained of mental stress.
Since it was the first class, Valkan quickly wrapped things up and distributed one stick-shaped artefact to each student.
Practice for at least thirty minutes every day. That was the homework Valkan assigned.
Not everyone could become like Saria, but they should aim to freely handle at least one or two artefacts during combat.
That was the minimum goal.
As the lessons progressed, they would need to strive to perfectly control artefacts with more complex functions.
“Haa…”
Ray sighed, filled with complicated emotions, and flicked his finger in the air.
Aaron then placed a towel over Ray’s arm.
Wiping the sweat off with the towel, Ray asked Aaron.
“Is there another class next?”
Given how busy the students seemed, it didn’t seem like the schedule was over yet.
Aaron answered Ray’s question.
“There’s prayer education today. It’ll proceed right here.”
Although the course was called prayer education, it was actually a class on how templars and other cleric-type units fought.
Ray slowly realized that Izhise’s curriculum was getting serious.
The students would receive further combat doctrines for various military branches.
“…Aaron, are there any students from the South among our batch?”
Ray asked Aaron, taking the opportunity brought up by the mention of clerics.
Aaron nodded slightly, though feeling a bit awkward.
“A few.”
“Are there any issues between them?”
“Yeah, they’re all getting along fine.”
Ever since Ray had been causing chaos during the entrance exam, the initial group cohesion among the other students went smoothly, and everyone was too busy keeping up with the classes to cause problems.
Things might change as time went on, though.
Ray dismissed Aaron and sat alone in the indoor training hall, pondering for a moment.
“The South… The Marquis of the Border… The Demonic Realm, and the Order as well…”
Part of the Empire’s southern border touched the Demonic Realm.
One of the two Swordmasters of the Empire guarded this place.
Additionally, the heart of the Holy Order was located in the South.
The Pope and the Sacred Maiden both resided in the southern region.
“The Papal State has been striving for independence and autonomy since ancient times…”
Meaning, those who serve the deity don’t want to continue being controlled under the Empire’s influence.
“And the ambition of the Marquis of the Border… Independence of the South?”
It was rumored that the Marquis of the Border intended to separate the South from the Empire, promising the Order support in establishing an independent nation within the country in exchange for their backing…
Such were the speculations swirling around the Marquis of the Border.
Ray didn’t know exactly what desires or intentions this man harbored.
He could be someone deeply devout, supporting the Order’s independence, or someone driven by the ambition to establish his own state.
Perhaps, like anyone else, the Marquis of the Border also possessed complex desires.
At some point in the past, during the imperial succession, the southern nobles must have schemed, either left unchecked or covertly assisted by the Marquis.
However, the emperor at the time decided against escalating the situation for Crown Prince Poibos’ sake, and now the full details of the event have become irretrievable.
Ray had only one reason for dwelling on these matters so intently.
“Maybe… fleeing to the South with the Sacred Sword and Lea could be an option.”
Of course, it was a choice to be avoided until absolutely necessary.
Issues with the Dragon Heart existed, and the uncertainty was far too great.
“…”
Ray absentmindedly rubbed the bridge of his nose.
Thanks to Lea, even his twilight years wouldn’t be peaceful—a fact that irked him endlessly.
“In any case, I need to keep monitoring developments in the South.”
If internal conflicts arose within the Empire, it was highly likely that this would become a significant issue.
Having organized his thoughts, Ray was about to stand up when the entrance door slowly opened.
Looking toward the entrance, Ray bowed his head slightly.
“Hello. Trainee number 329, Ray.”
“…”
The person who entered was High Templar Anthonyus.
Anthonyus stared silently at Ray for a moment before speaking.
“Do you have the sacred relic?”
