Let’s Block the Ruined Route in Advance Chapter 85

“Aire!”

 

All the seated Inquisitors rose from their seats as the hero appeared. With a light wave of his hand, Aire led them back to their seats and turned to face the old priest.

 

Eileen swallowed dryly and looked up at him. His near-white silver hair, ice-carved skin, and white eye patch over his eyes accentuated his mysterious aura.

 

The old priest asked in a trembling voice.

 

“You say she can’t be a saint…?”

 

“Literally. Those without the goddess’s sign and divine power can never become saints.”

 

“But what can explain that power, if not a miracle from the goddess!”

 

Aire stared down at the old priest wordlessly; he was dressed in his priestly robes, buttoned up to the collar, but his great height, comparable to that of a duke, and the outline of his muscles visible beneath the cloth, gave him an imposing appearance.

 

There was a moment of silence before he spoke again.

 

“It is the power of the Divine Beast.”

 

“What?!”

 

His voice was as flat as if he were describing the weather for the day, but the content was enough to baffle everyone in the room.

 

“Divine Beast?

 

“Chew?”

 

Even Eileen and Star exchanged puzzled glances. The old priest straightened his crooked hat and called out.

 

“It’s already been hundreds of years since the Divine Beast hasn’t made an appearance. Moreover, it’s unprecedented for it to reveal its power in the form of a spirit instead of an animal, so how can…”

 

“What a divine beast?”

 

The duke quickly whispered in Eileen’s ear, who was puzzled in a different sense than the investigators.

 

“If a saint is a person imbued with divine power, then a divine beast is an animal or plant imbued with divine power. The last time a divine beast appeared was more than three hundred years ago.”

 

At those words, Eileen looked down at Star. He didn’t look holy at all.

 

“Chew”

 

Now she didn’t know.

 

Her mind overloaded, she picked Star up with a dazed expression.

 

“This is me, the hero, proving it. The fact that I, a non-spiritist, can see her spirit with these eyes is proof.”

 

With that said, Aire held out his hand, and Star broke free of Eileen’s arms and ran to him as if he had been waiting for him.

 

“Star?!”

 

A panicked Eileen tried to grab him, but the overexcited Star only jumped into Aire’s arms and burrowed into his broad chest.

 

Unable to see the spirit directly, the investigators turned to Aru and Albert.

 

“Miss Eileen’s spirit is playing tricks on you, Aire.”

 

“It’s certainly not a normal spirit, not interested in humans who aren’t contractors.”

 

“Really, a new spirit, Star?

 

The duke gripped her shoulder firmly as Eileen was lost in the crowd, which was swirling in unexpected directions.

 

“If the child’s spirit is a divine beast, wouldn’t it be more fitting for her to learn about it properly, hone her skills, and live as a spiritist rather than be named a saint?”

 

Then a woman who appeared to be a paladin shouted.

 

“It is unheard of for a divine beast to have a master!”

 

Before the duke could open his mouth again, Albert spoke up and turned to her.

 

“But it’s true that she’s been practicing elementalism and controlling her powers, and unlike a saint, isn’t it customary in the case of a divine beast to stay out of the way and let it run its course?”

 

It was an old rule because when a divine beast, animal or plant, was moved or its behavior controlled, it was often unable to withstand the process and died.

 

“But…”

 

As the old priest trailed off in frustration at the temple’s self-imposed rules, Aire spoke up once more.

 

“The purpose of this meeting was to test Miss Eileen’s powers, and now that the source of her power has been proven to be the Divine Beast, it is only a matter of time before she is allowed to continue as a student of the Academy and complete her training in Elementalism.”

 

They could say nothing in the face of the hero who concluded as if he would not accept any other opinions. The imperial was quick to conclude.

 

“Understood, Miss Eileen, we look forward to the day when you obtain the rank of Imperially Authorized Elementalist.”

 

A sincere smile crossed Aru’s face, as it was good news for the imperial side to have Eileen become a regular Elementalist and not affiliated with a temple.

 

“That will be the day another first-ranked Elementalist is born.”

 

The Duke and Albert, who had narrowly avoided the worst possible future, silently patted their chests.

 

When the conclusion was reached, all the investigators left the room, with Aire leading the way. Eileen was caught off guard by the sight of Aire’s back as he turned without a word.

 

‘I need to ask you something!’

 

The dark eyes turned to Cordelia, the mysterious man who always appeared in times of trouble.

 

She wanted to run and grab him right then and there, but there were too many eyes to look at, and she could only bite her lower lip hard and wait for the next one.

 

 

***

 

 

“If you were going to come, I wish you would have told me in advance.”

 

Aire turned away from the fork in the road, pretending not to hear the old priest.

 

“I will return separately.”

 

His tone was as cold as ice, and the old priest couldn’t even catch him, much less keep his mouth shut.

 

Away from the crowd, Aire walked away from the students and down a small path behind the campus. The young priest who had accompanied him, Gavin, had a carriage waiting for him.

 

“Did you get what you wanted?”

 

Aire gave a small nod and climbed into the carriage. As the wheels rolled, he closed the window and pulled down the eye patch. His golden eyes, brilliant in their radiance, flashed with fury.

 

“Damned things.”

 

He grimaced, remembering those who had rushed to make Eileen a saint.

 

“No matter how much time passes, this place never changes.”

 

Some specialness resembles a curse.

 

The hero decided to take solace in the fact that the curse had not touched Eileen’s life. As he closed his eyes in exhaustion, a scene flashed across his blurry vision like paint.

 

 

***

 

 

“Look out!”

 

A packed wagon barely made it out of the alley. A girl walking along the side of the road looked back at the man who had pulled her shoulder to avoid a collision.

 

“Thank you. Ah, it must have been you.”

 

“Cordelia.”

 

The girl, Cordelia, recognized Aire’s face and blushed.

 

“What a coincidence that we should run into each other here.”

 

“I was just stepping out for a bit for work.”

 

“You’ve been slaying again?”

 

Cordelia said, looking him up and down with an upset expression.

 

“You’re not hurt, are you? I can’t believe you came back from the Slaying like that a few days ago.”

 

“I’m fine, I told you then, I don’t get hurt that easily, and you’re the only one who cares about the hero, Cordelia.”

 

When he gave her an exaggerated smile to emphasize that he was fine, Cordelia sighed, still looking upset.

 

“Just because you’re a hero doesn’t mean you’re not sick, and if I’m the only one who’s worried, then let me be worried.”

 

“Oh, I get it, don’t be mad at me, …I’m fine!”

 

He scratched at his reddened ears, trying to soothe Cordelia’s pouty expression. Seeing the look on her face, he reached into his arms and pulled out a silk handkerchief. When he untied it, he revealed a small, mysteriously colored comb.

 

“I wanted to give you this,” he said, “because we went to the beach this time, and the shells were so beautiful. This comb is made from a material called mother-of-pearl, which is processed from shells.”

 

“The sea…”

 

Cordelia murmured and took the comb. A dreamy color flashed before her eyes, like a daytime rainbow on the ocean at dawn.

 

“Yes, the sea, have you ever been to the sea?”

 

At his question, Cordelia slowly shook her head. Her sparkling eyes lost their luster for a moment, but he didn’t notice as he averted his eyes in embarrassment.

 

“No. I’ve never been there.”

 

At her answer, Aire exclaimed.

 

“Then come with me next time, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.”

 

The boy rolled his eyes and smiled. When they would be able to go was a promise neither of them could be sure of, but it was fun just to imagine the moment.

 

Cordelia let out a small laugh at the big boy’s innocent delight. The darkness in her eyes quickly vanished.

 

“Yes, I’ll come with you.”

 

As she said that, a ray of sunlight broke through the clouds and touched Cordelia’s smile. A sparkle formed in her lake-blue eyes, and waves of light hit her long platinum hair, which fell to her waist.

 

Aire forgot how to speak in that moment. The sight before him was too precious, too priceless, to dare open his mouth. It was the beauty of a single day, like a ruin made of ice, afraid to be broken.

 

 

***

 

 

“Asshole.”

 

The carriage stopped, and Aire opened his eyes. Without a light, the dark interior gaped open like a night sea.

 

Ignoring the darkness, he picked up his eye patch out of habit.