Chapter 189

In Duga’s movements this time, even the red holy power unique to the Jelsroin cult was gathered.

— It’s Duga’s Blood-Red Charge!

— For Duga to use holy power!

‘…What do they think that guy is?’

To think they were so surprised that a novice priest used holy power when he only had two charge skills.

Roan clicked his tongue, thinking that the Jelsroin cult was not much different from Akerandir.

In any case, Yusina would lightly dodge with spatial holy magic this time too and then attack.

If even this technique was blocked, Duga’s will to fight would break, and he would surrender on his own.

Flash—

— The Saintess used spatial holy magic again!

— Just how overflowing is her holy power!

Just as Roan expected, Yusina dodged with spatial holy magic.

However,

“Huh? Oops!”

all of a sudden, didn’t Yusina trip over a stone and fall straight down.

Roan’s brow furrowed deeply.

When using spatial holy magic, a mistake of that level was common.

However, in Yusina’s case this time, it was different.

‘She fell too deliberately!’

Roan clearly saw her use spatial holy magic, instantly scan her surroundings, and then fall on purpose.

— D-Didn’t she just fall on purpose?

— It seems so…

It was so obvious that even the Paladin Merchant Guild members, who would believe Yusina even if she said she was making meju out of red beans, reacted with doubt.

“…?”

Duga also hesitated for a moment, not knowing what this was about.

— Duga! It’s cowardly, but we have to win first!

— Yes, if we lose this time too, we are finished!

For now, at the Jelsroin followers’ calls, he hesitantly raised his fist.

“Uwah~ If I get hit by that fist, I’ll die~ Professor, I want to surrender~”

Yusina declared surrender in a tone that was obviously acting to Roan’s ears.

To force a loss after winning overwhelmingly until now!

“Second duel, Duga’s victory.”

Tirmy calmly declared Jelsroin’s victory.

“Wow~ That was a close call, right, Roan?”

“…You lost on purpose.”

“Gasp! What do you mean by that! Didn’t you see how hard I used spatial holy magic?”

Yusina pretended to look hurt, as if asking how he could say such a harsh thing.

“Yes, Roan. It is common for mistakes to occur in spatial holy magic. Yusina is weak in close combat, so she had to surrender.”

Espard also scolded Roan slightly and sided with Yusina.

Roan had a gut feeling.

‘Those two conspired!’

It was hair-raising to think when on earth this Saint and Saintess had coordinated their words.

What?

Yusina is weak in close combat?

Among nameds of the same class, she certainly would be, but if Yusina used her blessing in earnest, she could blow away a novice priest like that with a single fist.

Or at least, if reverse blessing holy magic or punishment holy magic came out, she would have made that rugged Duga cry out loud and surrender.

Perhaps they were confident that Roan wouldn’t lose, just from the energy felt from the novice priest Pan, Roan’s opponent.

‘D-Did the Saintess really make a mistake? What a waste…’

Of course, Sion, who was completely unaware of such circumstances, sincerely felt sorry for Yusina’s defeat.

Once the atmosphere returned completely to her favor, Yusina put her mouth to Roan’s ear and whispered.

“If I win, Roan loses the chance to show his skills~ And I’m sure it will be helpful in the future too? Hehe.”

‘Does the Empire select the Saintess by face… No, that’s not it.’

As could be glimpsed from this duel, Yusina could never be slandered in terms of skill.

Rather, one would have to criticize whether they selected her without looking at her personality.

In any case, Roan shuddered at Yusina’s outrageous behavior.

…In fact, as much as Roan placing himself third was also because he didn’t want to get unnecessary attention, his move was completely read by Yusina this time.

He should have anticipated that Yusina and Espard could act like this!

He understood their trust in him and their intention to help, but he preferred things not becoming troublesome.

Roan clicked his tongue, withdrew his gaze from Yusina, and looked at Tirmy.

He didn’t know if even Tirmy had joined in on this plan.

“Third duel, prepare.”

Tirmy spoke calmly and briefly as always.

***

The Jelsroin novice priest Pan, whom Roan had to face.

Pan had still not taken off the hood of his robe, unlike the other followers.

Although he looked like a boy of small build at first glance,

for some reason the Jelsroin followers’ reactions were unusual.

— It-It’s Pan…

— Is this okay? No matter how much we have to take the Holy Spirit’s emblem…

— If Darc dies, duel or not, all of our necks will be cut off…

The followers, despite being on the same side, feared the novice priest named Pan extremely!

Roan also tilted his head, wondering why those people were acting like that.

‘Is it a fuss?’

Indeed, considering how the Akerandir people acted toward him, the novice priest named Pan might rather be the most normal person among them.

Although the energy felt was certainly stronger compared to the previous two, Roan had a gut feeling.

That he wouldn’t lose.

Meanwhile, Espard also asked Fidellto, as if he was quite curious about that situation.

“What kind of fellow is that Pan that the followers act like that?”

Fidellto replied with a smirk.

“Pan can be said to be our Jelsroin cult’s secret weapon.”

“Secret weapon?”

“A child born amidst the stench of blood on a battlefield, a child who stabs his own skin to prove his faith and envies the wounds of others.”

“Hey, that—”

Espard cut off Fidellto’s words with a grim expression.

Forcing asceticism to the point of causing abnormalities in a minor’s emotional state was illegal; if that was truly the case, duel or not, he intended to step in directly.

‘…Why doesn’t Atoga arrest them?’

Roan made a nitpick internally.

At any rate, Fidellto, who had been speaking sinisterly, waved his hands in a hurry and said,

“Ah, of course, it is not kidnapping, but raising an orphan from the war! We didn’t force the asceticism either. It is strictly Pan’s choice. We never do anything illegal.”

Believing in Jelsroin was illegal in the first place, but Espard withdrew his uncomfortable feeling for now.

“Anyway, the important thing is that the object of the child Pan’s love is none other than Lady Jelsroin herself. And Lady Jelsroin also treasures Pan.”

Jelsroin, the Goddess of Blood and Deep Love.

She loved Harden from the bottom of her heart, but she wasn’t so heartless as to reject love directed at herself.

Jelsroin willingly accepted Pan’s love and bestowed great power upon him.

“Pan will probably succeed me. Perhaps he might even rise to a higher position.”

Fidellto looked at Pan with affectionate eyes.

Hearing his story, Espard and Yusina’s expressions became slightly serious.

“The Goddess’s favor… There was a reason he was placed last.”

“Will Roan be okay?”

Even if designated as heresy, that was a story between humans.

They could not directly affect the Goddess’s divinity.

It seemed clear that Pan was an expert on a different level from Els and Duga from before.

Fling—

At that moment, Pan flung off the robe covering his lean body.

Inside, there was a skinny upper body where his bones were almost visible, and scars that practically covered his skin.

— P-Pan took off his clothes!

— It’s his resolve to win no matter what!

In addition, a rough gaze and a gloomy, dangerous impression revealed on his face which was likewise devoid of cheek fat.

Espard glared at Fidellto again.

“You bastard, forcing such a young fellow!”

“I-It is truly a misunderstanding! We always try to feed Pan well, but he insists on fasting prayers… Please believe me!”

Fidellto was about to protest, ‘Isn’t Darc just as bad?’ but barely held back.

At any rate, Roan also slightly frowned at the holy power starting to boil within Pan after he took off his robe.

‘Can you feel it?’

Hummmm—

Yes, it is indeed considerable.

False Divinity also recognized Pan as a young talent.

But Roan did not fall behind such heretics at least in terms of impression.

Glare—

When Roan glared at Pan without yielding in the slightest, the Jelsroin followers were also startled.

— Gasp! Darc is not inferior to Pan either!

— Even though Darc didn’t even put on the makeup of love!

An amazing showdown, as if Akerandir’s Roan and Jelsroin’s Roan had met!

While the tight staring contest continued,

“! Uggggh…!”

Pan’s eyes suddenly rolled back, and before long his entire body began to convulse.

— Oh!

— It’s a divine possession by Lady Jelsroin!

Possession, where the talent of god and human directly touch.

Dark red holy power surged from Pan’s body, and Pan muttered something while his face distorted in pain.

“Child who does not know fear, child who yearns for blood and love more than anyone else…”

Surprisingly, the voice was not that of a boy, but the fascinating tone of a mature woman.

A mysterious sensation, as if the air itself was trembling rather than Pan’s mouth.

It was indeed an appearance imbued with the power of god.

“Child who fights for me, child who wishes for the enemy’s death, I bestow a portion of my power upon you, so do not fear, love and clash, for even if you die, I, Jelsroin, will gather you…”

The muttering, trembling voice resounded like a whisper not only to Pan and Roan but to everyone in this area.

The Jelsroin followers cheered at the proof of the deity, and the Paladin caravan members trembled in fear.

“C-Can Darc win?”

Sion also wrapped her arms around her trembling body and asked anxiously.

Espard shrugged.

“Those who have undergone possession have their skills multiply by several times compared to usual. I trust Roan, but… it might become troublesome.”

“Should I go out even now? How can a freshman beat a fellow like that!”

Yusina was also completely different from usual, looking urgent.

To think Jelsroin was hiding such a trump card.

Yusina was terribly regretting the choice that brought the duel to the very end without imagining such a thing would happen.

‘I just wanted to make Roan the protagonist.’

Because if he dueled with heretics on his first off-campus volunteering and became the main contributor of the victory, it would certainly be of great help to Roan’s future path.

However,

“The duel continues.”

Tirmy spoke in a solemn voice to Yusina.

The processes and conditions of the duel already set cannot be changed.

Only by the result shall we receive God’s will.

Yusina’s actions would also eventually be held responsible through the result of the duel.

Leap—

Pan, who had been writhing on the ground with his entire body, stood upright like a lie.

Oooooo—!!

Around his body, an ominous dark red energy surged.

It was an appearance like a scene from a horror movie.

While it could be said that everyone was trembling in fear,

‘It’s my first time seeing possession in person, and he’s nothing short of a madman.’

only Roan wore a cold smile.

Hummmm—!

A shallow trick like possession is far from enough!

The same went for False Divinity.

Thump—

A-Are both of you crazy? How can you beat a madman like that?!

Ludiac’s thoughts seemed slightly different, but anyway.

“Third duel, start.”

Tirmy declared the start of the duel after confirming both sides were ready.

Swoosh—

Pan’s body dissolved into blood-red fog and approached Roan rapidly.

It was much faster and more sinister due to the effect of possession, but the essence was one.

‘Fog of Divine Blood.’

Roan immediately grasped that holy magic.

Fog of Divine Blood was a movement technique and at the same time an attack technique that bound the opponent and dealt continuous damage.

In that state, physical attacks like blood fragments or the Blood Spear of the Abyss would not work.

‘It’s my first time using this on someone else. Toughening Cobweb of the Abyss.’

Roan deployed the barrier he used when researching black magic in his private room.

A barrier dense like a cobweb deployed from above the blood-red fog.

The Toughening Cobweb of the Abyss prevents the energy inside the barrier from coming outside.

Soon, the fog and the barrier collided.