Battle Race in the Fantasy World

Battle Race in the Fantasy World – 44

EP.44 God Whispered, “Do Some Exercise”

Time flowed on, and finally, the weekend arrived.

It had been a period of mixed anticipation and worry.

Anticipation due to the Saintess’s invitation, and worry due to the internal situation of the church.

‘Still, they should be better than the Saintess. Surely, there can’t be worse cases.’

Wasn’t it said that the path to hearing the voice of God was quite arduous?

Priests were known to endure any hardship.

Kyle thought that it was just because their Saintess was such a precious person.

“Are you all set, Brother Kyle?”

The Saintess’s face was adorned with a radiant smile.

The reason for her smile was her joy in bringing an esteemed guest to the church.

Honestly, Kyle himself was puzzled about being considered an esteemed guest.

But since the Saintess said so, he concluded it must be true.

“Yes, I’m all set. But are you sure it’s okay for me to come?”

“Don’t worry. We don’t reject people just because they aren’t part of the church.”

The Saintess seemed to have misunderstood Kyle’s concern.

She thought he was worried about not being a member or a believer.

But that wasn’t what Kyle was worried about.

It wasn’t about not being a church member or a believer.

His concern was that he was from ‘Jonathan.’

‘The academy is under the direct jurisdiction of the Imperial family, but it’s not where the Emperor actually resides, so it’s manageable. But the church the Saintess is talking about…’

The main headquarters of the church. There was only one such place.

It was unlikely that the Saintess would be at a branch, and the headquarters wasn’t far from the academy.

Who resides there? The Pope. The Cardinals. All the important figures of the church!

Bringing the second son of a family known for partially destroying the academy to such a place?

Even if he was guaranteed to be safe and was genuinely kind-hearted, he would still be a special surveillance target.

Honestly, it was fortunate he wasn’t already on a blacklist.

The church must have had some reservations.

But since the Saintess herself insisted on bringing him as a guest, they must have accepted.

Kyle thought this as he headed to where the carriage was waiting.

“But, Brother Kyle.”

“Yes, what is it, Saintess?”

“Are you really that strong?”

“Excuse me?”

“I sent a letter to the church informing them of your visit, Brother Kyle. And yesterday, I received a letter granting permission, but it included a few cautionary notes.”

With that, the Saintess handed Kyle the letter containing the cautionary notes.

What could be written there to suddenly bring up his strength?

First: Do not get excited under any circumstances.

Second: Do not break or damage anything out of displeasure.

Third: Refrain from running or any other vigorous activities.

Fourth: Avoid approaching fragile glass objects.

“…”

‘What am I, a beagle? Do they think my brain is made of muscle too?! Breaking and smashing things, really?! Do they think I’m going there to cause trouble? I’m going because I was invited. Invited!’

Kyle was so taken aback that he just stared at the letter, while the Saintess gave an awkward, sheepish smile.

“It’s a bit strange, isn’t it? I was also a bit taken aback when I saw it… I think the church members are just being overly cautious because of your family’s reputation and your recent duel.”

Kyle clicked his tongue in annoyance.

Honestly, even he had to admit that breaking a sword with his bare hands was a bit much.

But he had only broken the sword, not the person wielding it, so it shouldn’t have been such a big deal.

“I don’t consider myself that strong.”

“No way! Didn’t you spar with the Fifth Princess before?”

Was that really a spar? It felt more like a one-sided provocation.

“You know that the Fifth Princess, Yurika, is one of the Empire’s top ten fighters, right?”

“Of course… I knew that. Yes, I knew.”

Actually, she only found out that day, but she decided to let that slide.

“Since I’m somewhat close to the Fifth Princess, I met her that day. Usually, she always has a bored and sullen expression, but on the day she sparred with you, she had a different look. She seemed very satisfied and refreshed.”

“…”

Of course, she would. She got to attack as much as she wanted.

Meanwhile, I was busy blocking her attacks without knowing why and couldn’t even counterattack for fear of causing an incident!

“In my opinion, Saintess, it’s not because I’m strong, but because of my sister.”

“Why bring up your sister all of a sudden?”

“You know about the incident where my sister partially destroyed the academy, right?”

“And what does that have to do with you, Brother Kyle?”

“It has everything to do with me. After all, I’m also a Jonathan.”

At Kyle’s words, the Saintess let out a sigh of understanding.

Jonathan, the family that even dared to partially destroy the academy under the Emperor’s direct jurisdiction.

Would such a battle-crazed clan be cautious at the church headquarters? Unlikely.

That might be why the church members had shown a lukewarm reaction.

However, the Saintess soon tilted her head and slowly spoke.

“The church is different. We don’t attack our brothers and sisters without reason.”

The reason the Imperial family had overlooked Lea’s destruction of the academy.

It had been revealed that several madmen had been provoking her continuously.

Those who believed the reputation of Jonathan was exaggerated or mistook their recklessness for courage.

Among them was even the second son of the Grand Duke of Littorio.

They had ultimately committed an unforgivable taboo in the eyes of Jonathan.

The Emperor and the Imperial family had taken this into account and resolved the incident by only expelling Lea.

‘I think it wasn’t just the Emperor showing mercy.’

Jonathan was a place the Emperor had personally persuaded to join the Empire.

The Emperor had brought those madmen, who had fought the Empire single-handedly, into the Empire’s fold.

Jonathan’s integration was an achievement in territorial expansion that no one else had accomplished.

Moreover, Kyle believed the Emperor subtly kept the Grand Duke’s family in check.

That’s why, despite the second son of the Grand Duke being injured, they were told to let it go quietly.

As a result, the Grand Duke of Littorio remained silent even though one of his heirs was injured.

Anyway, the Saintess pointed out the difference between then and now.

The church members wouldn’t commit the same rudeness as the academy students did back then.

So, there would be no reason for Jonathan to act out like before.

“The church members will probably feel at ease once they meet you, Brother Kyle! Let’s go quickly!”

The Saintess eagerly grabbed Kyle’s hand and led him to the carriage.

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***

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“Lady Elga.”

Elga, who had gone out for a brief walk and was resting on a bench,

turned her head slightly at the sound of Leto’s voice calling her from behind.

“Yes, Leto. What is it?”

“Are you truly alright?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I wanted to ask if you intend to seriously compete for the heir position.”

At those words, Elga quietly stared at Leto.

“You already know my intentions.”

“I do. That’s why I’m concerned. If this leads to internal strife…”

“Why are you concerned about that? It’s something my brother and I should worry about.”

“Well…”

“You would say it’s dangerous. But if I give up the position of Grand Duke, does it become safe? It seems to me that being pushed out of the heir position is even more dangerous. Am I wrong?”

Leto had no response to Elga’s words. He remained silent.

In the past, Elga might have said, “Aren’t you my person?”

But now, she had given up. She had resigned herself. He was merely a subordinate.

He could not become something more, someone who would show her a new path.

“Let’s get up.”

Saying this to Leto, Elga stood up and began to walk.

The academy, on this weekend, had a very quiet atmosphere.

Some students used the weekend to visit their family homes, while others went to nearby towns.

Some went to the library to study, and others rested in their rooms.

This was the usual weekend at the academy. It had been noisy recently because of the Victory Day celebrations.

‘…Huh?’

Then, she suddenly noticed a familiar figure ahead.

‘That man… Kyle?’

The reason Elga tilted her head in curiosity was because Kyle was dressed in obvious going-out clothes.

Where could he be going on a weekend, when he seemed to always be exercising?

Thinking this, a sudden curiosity arose from deep within her.

There was someone with a hood pulled up standing next to Kyle, but it wasn’t Tisha.

The person was too short to be Tisha.

‘Who could it be?’

With this curiosity, her pace quickened without her realizing it.

Even when Leto called out to her from behind, Elga did not stop.

“Kyle.”

When she called his name, the person who turned his head was indeed Kyle.

His expression showed a bit of surprise, perhaps startled by Elga’s sudden appearance.

“Lady Elga?”

“Are you going out?”

“Yes. I have somewhere to go for a bit.”

“I see. And the person next to you is…”

Elga’s eyes widened in surprise.

Standing next to Kyle was someone she had never expected.

‘The Saintess? Why is she next to Kyle?’

She hadn’t even fully grasped the situation yet.

In the midst of this, Kyle pushed her further into shock.

“This is the Saintess. Actually, she invited me to visit the church.”

“You were… invited? To the church?”

When Kyle nodded, Elga unconsciously clenched her fists.

Tisha, well, no matter how close they seemed, it only sparked a bit of jealousy.

After all, if it came to a real contest over Kyle, she could predict her own victory.

But the church was different, the Saintess was different. She was a formidable opponent, even for Elga.

This wasn’t just simple jealousy. It was a sense of crisis. Yes, this was a sense of crisis.

‘Why, why?! Why is he going to the church with the Saintess?!’

Biting her lip, Elga glared at the innocent Saintess.