Chapter 123: She’s Such a Cutie
“This is the essence of the Pope Knight and also the essence of the Abyss. And I… I hope that in the upcoming lessons, you will find your own path and walk it straight. No matter what happens from now on, don’t regret it, and definitely don’t look back.”
Theresa finished her speech.
Her words, delivered in a soft tone, lacked any distinct emotional fluctuations and didn’t seem to carry a heavy weight.
But the meaning was crystal clear.
As I glanced around, I noticed several students quietly bowing their heads. The fervor in their eyes had dimmed considerably.
It wasn’t that I was trying to crush their spirits or scare them into giving up on unrealistic fantasies. Teacher Theresa merely wanted to inform them that if they didn’t have enough awareness, they shouldn’t fantasize about walking that attention-grabbing path; it’s not as easy as it sounds and it definitely comes with heaps of dead enemies and comrades.
But if you’ve made up your mind, then you mustn’t ever waver.
I think I finally understood why I felt her eyes resembled Carlos’s—it’s not just because they were the same shade of blue, but because… they both possessed something that ordinary folks don’t have.
That something is called “faith.”
Thinking about this made me reach for my neck… only to remember that my Iris badge was left back at my quaint little bedroom in the manor.
…Oh well, no biggie.
I just felt an urge to touch it.
After a moment of silence, Theresa decided not to elaborate on her previous remarks. Instead, she instructed us to open our textbooks, and she began explaining today’s lesson.
Today’s topic was a beginner’s guide to the Abyss.
As she mentioned earlier, the first Abyss appeared during the winter of 845 A.D., suddenly rising in the southern region of Cartelgarin.
It was said to be a massive creature filled with deathly energy, akin to a giant, and was the most recorded life-absorbing Abyss to date—it turned Cartelgarin, which was larger than the Valen Empire, into a barren wasteland that remains lifeless even now.
Compared to the scorched earth of the Valen Crisis, that was just child’s play.
And because it had devoured too many lives, this Abyss became astonishingly powerful, growing to an extent that future Abysses would never compare. The Church dubbed it the “Destruction Abyss.” It was a monster that couldn’t be dealt with by just a handful of Pope Knights; back in the day, Angelica led an army of ten thousand knights, gathering the peak combat strength of both the Church and humanity.
Even then, in the final showdown, if it hadn’t been for those two Divine Reliquaries, perhaps everyone wouldn’t have made it out alive.
The book stated: “Boswell” protected the knights from Abyss Mud, while “Ancient Deity’s Blessing” rendered the Destruction Abyss entirely visible.
Now, I was a bit puzzled… wasn’t “Boswell” just the shell of the Royal City? Does that mean this thing can block the Abyss?
But if that’s the case, how did I even get in here… Or maybe as long as I have that silver badge, even the Abyss can waltz right in?
Or maybe my current appearance doesn’t get “identified” as an Abyss by the shell?
Who knows.
I continued to listen.
The Iris-wielding Angelica dealt a fatal blow to the Destruction Abyss, causing its massive body to topple and turn to ash scattered across the sky. To honor her achievements, the Pope at that time decided to bestow upon her the unprecedented title of “Pope Knight,” prefixing it with “Pope,” and granted her the power to be “the Church’s representative among the people.”
Angelica, who was originally just the head of the Church Knights, gladly accepted the title, while the Church still scratched its head trying to figure out what that terrifying creature actually was.
Five years passed, and a new Abyss appeared.
Despite its different appearance, it still had the familiar sludge and massive size. In addition, this new Abyss had added a new ability: teleportation. But this slight change wasn’t enough to break through Boswell’s barrier, and it was eventually exterminated by Angelica, with the fortunate advantage of prior warning, leading to minimal casualties.
Then, roughly every five years, a new Abyss would show up, each time with varied abilities, but never enough to leave humanity feeling hopeless. During this time, three more individuals were appointed as Pope Knights.
However, things took a shocking turn during the fifth Abyss’s arrival.
The Church named it the “d*ath Abyss.”
Compared to previous Abysses, the d*ath Abyss was considerably smaller, only about four meters tall, yet it had two abilities: Thunderfire Order and Dead Smoke.
The unexpected Power of Order manifested in this monster, echoing Angelica’s Thunderfire Order, which stripped her of her strongest offensive move. But the more terrifying aspect was its other ability: the black smoke known as “Dead Smoke”—which could turn any life it touched into ash, carrying away their souls.
It seemed the monsters from the Abyss were evolving with a target in mind.
The d*ath Abyss was ultimately slain by the knights, but humanity’s strongest warrior—Angelica of the Iris—fell in that epic battle. Her funeral was said to be more extravagant than any Pope’s, as countless citizens traveled miles to pay their respects.
After that, the Pope designated the Iris as the symbolic flower of the Pope Knights.
For quite some time, new Pope Knights kept appearing and then perishing, and the frequency of Abyss arrivals escalated. From once every five years, it turned into one to two times every year, with the timing and location becoming increasingly unpredictable.
“So far, the traits of the Abysses have become almost fixed,” Theresa observed. “First, nearly every Abyss that has appeared in the past hundred years possesses the ability of Dead Smoke. Besides that, each Abyss also has another entirely different ability… For instance, the Endless Abyss that showed up last time in Silgaya, aside from Dead Smoke, seemed to possess the ability to ‘mimic,’ creating kn*fe-like blades that could cut through iron, and even spawning countless eerie creatures that could act on their own.”
“My personal view is that the Abysses are still purposely evolving. They seem to be continually testing something. And this evolution, in due time, will bring about unimaginable disasters to the world… Fortunately, our knights are still putting in their best effort.”
“The Endless Abyss was ultimately slain by the new Pope Knight, Miss Silvya, who is said to be the youngest Pope Knight ever. Though I haven’t seen her in person, I know she is younger than all of you here; she’s only sixteen.”
As soon as those words hit the air, the students erupted in chatter.
“Heavens, sixteen… I can’t even imagine…”
“I saw that on the Church’s bulletin! I thought it was a prank…”
“My little sister just turned sixteen this year… and she’s always throwing tantrums at home… killing an Abyss…”
At that moment, Sarah gently nudged my arm: “Sixteen… that’s the same age as you, Peilo…”
“Yeah, she’s impressive.”
I stared ahead, my expression unchanged.
“She’s just such a cutie.”
