Chapter 25: Marble Lies
...
The next day, I could be found on the training grounds, clashing swords with Simon, Kem, and another soldier at the same time.
*CLANK!*
*CLINK!*
I exchanged several blows with Simon, who narrowly avoided going face-first into my attack by backing away at the last second. I took the opening and thrust forward, certain I'd reach him, only for Kem to rush me from behind. Spotting him just in time, I spun around, dodged his strike, and kicked him from behind before using the distraction to put him on the defensive.
"KHAAA!" Kem tried to stand his ground, but I kept up the pressure before he left him open.
*CLANG!*
I knocked his sword away and ended it with a swift kick to the chest, sending the kid sliding on the ground, clutching his stomach. "I… I hate you so much sometimes." He struggled to say before going down.
I wasn't left any room to bask in my victory as the other soldier came in from my right, his sword already moving toward me, but I anticipated the attack and stepped ahead of it before striking him three times.
*STRIKE!*
*STRIKE!*
*STRIKE!*
elbow, stomach, and neck. He reeled and dropped to the ground, but it wasn't over yet. I could feel Simon dangerously close behind me, his sword coming straight for my back. I ducked beneath it and swept his legs out from under him, sending him to the ground before pressing my sword against his neck.
"I win," I stated before lowering my hand to help him.
"That was a well-thought-out plan of attack, Luka. Good job." Simon complimented me as he took my hand.
"Thanks, but I had to act fast because you were in my blind spot," I replied. "Glad it paid off, or I'd be the one on the ground right now." That earned a laugh from the older man.
"Hey, don't forget I'm still here. Let's go again." Kem got back up and readied his sword, his face showing no sign of being finished despite how he was breathing. Simon and I exchanged a glance before raising our swords again.
"You kids certainly got spunk. Wish I had that in my youth." The other soldier rubbed his neck before grabbing his weapon. "Welp, let's go."
We resumed training and continued like that for a couple of hours.
…
Eventually, we broke for water. I stood in the field shirtless alongside Kem. We'd been running drills nonstop, so all of us were caked in sweat. We were left to ourselves while Simon and the other soldier went to go get more water for the next round.
They were the only ones who had stayed behind to help in our extra training, with everyone else either headed home or went to help with the farming and whatnot.
I was in the middle of practicing sword motions while Kem did push-ups. "You sure are fired up today."
"Darn right, I am." He exhaled sharply as he kept going. "I know I'm not a big G like you. That's why I've got to work that much harder to catch up." As he said this, I heard him wince from the strain but pushed through it anyway.
"That'll be the day when pigs fly, guy." I teased, pretending to bring my sword down in an overhead strike.
My words only made Kem double his efforts. "So, I heard you talked to the village chief about participating in the village competition. Is that true?"
I stopped swinging. "Yeah. I want to make money by betting, and the prize money isn't too bad either. Plus, it'd be good to test myself against those people, especially the favorite to win."
"You mean Hugo?"
"That's supposed to be his name." I turned to him.
"Yeah, I've heard a lot about him before. He actually visited the village a few years back. Four years ago, I think. You know, that one guy with the green eyes? He was always around with those pretties everywhere he went."
I paused, trying to remember. "Oh, yeah. I think I know who you're talking about. He was that really big kid, wasn't he?"
"Same one. I'm surprised they could even make a kid like him. He was six feet tall and had a lot of muscle on him."
"Hugo, huh?" I thought back to the brief interaction the original Luka had with him. Calling it an interaction was generous. It had really just been a passing sighting.
"You know," Kem continued, "I heard the guy wields one of the church's magic swords and has all the best armor and equipment."
"Oh really. If that's true, he definitely won't be easy to beat. That's for sure." With all those privileges and connections, whoever was backing Hugo was clearly making one hell of a contender.
"So how do you think you'd fare if you met him?"
"I'd have to actually meet him and see his skills before I could answer, dingus," I snorted before quickly stepping back, dodging as Kem tried to sweep at my leg.
"That's not what I'm asking." He stopped his exercise and wiped the sweat from his forehead. "I'm asking how you think you'd do if you meet in the competition."
"If I had to guess, he's been trained by the church for years, so his skills should be around Simon's and my level. Add in the top-grade equipment he'll be wearing; because armor and magic swords are allowed, he'd probably have the advantage."
Unless I use Sun Boost.
"But would you lose?"
I blinked before giving him my best confident smile. "Nah. I'd win."
Kem's eyes widened. "Man, since when did you get so cool?"
"Same time you pulled that stick up your ass." I retorted, getting a punch to my side. "So why are you so interested in the competition? Don't tell me you're planning to participate too."
"Would I be training like a maniac if I weren't?" He clenched his fist. "I plan to ask the chief when I get the chance. Until then, I'm going to work my butt off so I can kick your ass. So you better get ready for me, genius."
I chuckled, loving the determination. "My sword skills might be impressive, Kem, but they're nothing compared to the real monsters in this world. I'd be lucky to survive against an elite monster, especially if she is a weapon specialist."
Kem nodded before making some space between us and then started doing squats. "You're right. There isn't a day I don't hear about heroes and their encounters with monsters. Some of them barely make it out alive, and those that don't are never heard from again."
'That's because they're getting their balls sucked dry by the gluck-gluck-five thousand. Or they are getting eaten by that hoe Cassandra. Hmm, I should definably deal with her asap. 'I thought to myself.
I didn't want to kill in this world, but I also didn't want to get eaten by that skank. I knew what she did to Luka in Paradox. I'll leave that as a future me problem.
"It's so not fair. How come monsters get super strong while we are stuck relying on our weapons? It sucks."
Another factor as to why monster girls and humans couldn't coexist well aside from Ilias was because monster girls had traits that made them physically better than humans and had magic to boot. Top that off with their pleasure attacks and they can enslave the whole world. It's this major power dynamic that left the common folks feeling afraid and spiteful towards monster girls.
His words told him not to become discouraged because humans had advantages too. It all depended on how we used them, though I understood why he was frustrated. Monster Girls came in all kinds of species, so they couldn't help being the way they are because that's how they were made. I advised him not to get too caught up in hating monster girls, stating that if he does, then he can't concentrate on fighting right if he ever encounters his first one. I said all this in an attempt to get him to be less hateful to the monster girl.
Kem nodded, letting my words sink in before suddenly asking, "So, did you hear about that one monster who uses a sword?"
That immediately caught my attention. "I haven't. Can you tell me?"
Kem began recounting the story. Apparently, there had been sightings of a dragon monster who travels from country to country, challenging heroes and monsters alike. People who had witnessed her battles described her swordsmanship as superb. According to some accounts, she once fought forty heroes at once and crushed all of them with ease.
I rubbed my chin. "That sounds an awful lot like Granberia." In the games, Granberia was what you'd call a battle junky. She always sought a good fight and only liked fighting strong people. It's one of the many reasons I was so into her in my past life. "So what happened to them?"
"They all lived," Kem answered. "But every one of them said they'd never want to fight her again. She handled them like they were kids. They couldn't even believe how weak they felt against her swordsmanship. Some even said she was beautiful."
"Can you believe that load of crap? A monster. Being beautiful? Those guys are nuts."
I had to fight back the urge to smile. 'Oh, you sweet summer child.'
Kem continued talking about how crazy it was that monsters were so much more dangerous than humans, especially when they picked up a sword. "That's just how they were made by the Monster Lord all those centuries ago. " I gave him a lazy shrug.
Humans like back on earth evolved naturally in this world, so they couldn't gain anything from Ilias to begin with, unlike the Monster Girl, who was the direct creation of Alipheese Fateburn, I, or Alice I for short.
"They're literally built different."
Kem blinked. "Built…different? What does that mean?"
'Oh. Right. Medieval times. Almost forgot about that.' Seeing no harm in it, I explained it to him.
"Oooooh, I get it now." He nodded slowly.
I gave a quick laugh before asking if he plans on giving up just because a Monster Girl could carry him around like a sack of potatoes.
"Hell no," the kid answered immediately. "Didn't you hear me? I won't stop until I wipe that grin off your face, and I sure as hell won't let some dumb, ugly monster girl beat me."
He gave me a challenging smirk, and I smiled and raised my hand. Kem slapped it, grabbed his practice sword, and asked for a spar. I shrugged and grabbed mine. It didn't take long for the both of us to rush into each other.
Simon and the other soldier soon returned with the water, stopping when they saw us duking it out, the latter hollering when he saw us already fighting again while Simon laughed and praised our determination.
As Kem and I sparred, several village girls passing by noticed us and immediately started squealing and fan-girling like crazy.
"Luka!"
"Look over here!"
"Luka!"
I sighed. "Why couldn't I have been this popular in my past life?"
…
After finishing training and having a proper lunch at home, I left the house and quietly made my way toward the Ilias Temple. Unlike the Monster Lord Castle located in the northern part of the world, Iliasville and the Ilias Temple were in the most south as far away as possible from each other. In the Ilias Continent, this structure was the focal point of the entire faith; countless people would travel to visit the temple and pay respects to the goddess, but no one was permitted inside.
As you might already know at this point, the doors to the temple were forever shut except for once a year, when the blonde bimbo would descend and bless humanity's chosen heroes. No one was permitted inside or outside of the people directly part of the ceremony, and despite standing for hundreds of years, the temple showed no signs of deterioration.
On the big day, the heroes would be led inside by the village chief, who acted as their guide before they met the goddess. The only people allowed to enter more than once were village chiefs and, in this village, their children who were expected to succeed them.
After the plague, the previous chief was replaced by Alabastor. He and his family took over the responsibility of guiding the heroes into the temple and leading the village. His son was currently studying abroad in San Ilias and was being prepared to take over once the old man eventually retired.
I stood in front of the temple and stared at it. The building was made entirely of white marble, and its size and appearance reminded me of the Lincoln Memorial from my previous life. From the outside, it looked like a pristine Greek temple, complete with smooth stone and elaborate carvings that made it seem like the perfect place of worship.
Only the closer you looked did things become unsettling.
The carvings on the doors and triangular facade depicted men and women violently attacking each other, beating one another and behaving like complete barbarians. At the very top stood a lone woman, gazing down at the scene below. Her posture and appearance were completely different from those fighting beneath her.
If I didn't know better, I'd say that's Ilias herself.
According to the history books, Ilias had personally created the temple during ancient times so she could communicate with humanity and deliver her commandments. If that was true, then she had deliberately created a shrine depicting humanity as a bunch of animals while placing herself at the center as the only reasonable figure.
Just what the hell was she trying to imply when she made this place?
"And people actually worship this bitch," I muttered angrily before shaking my head. There was no point in trying to understand her psychotic brain. Her ego was as big as she was powerful.
I walked around the outside, searching for some kind of hidden entrance, but I was having no luck. I considered breaking in with my light or simply punching my way through, but I would rather not alert Ilias to what I was doing. And destroying the place where she was worshipped, especially the location where she personally blessed heroes, sounded like a one-way ticket to divine punishment and getting ostracized.
That said, whenever I finally get the chance, I'm blowing this place to kingdom come.
Back to what I was doing, I went around and found no other door windows and returned to the front. The only doorway was at the front, and it was sealed shut. I tried forcing it open with all my strength only to end up with nothing.
Then I looked up at the roof, and a smile slowly appeared on my face. "Got it."
I crouched down and activated Sun Boost. Heat spread throughout my body like flowing magma as my right eye glowed with power. My strength multiplied almost instantly, filling me with overwhelming power.
I took a breath and deliberately dialed the power down to only what I needed before kicking off the ground.
And then, I launched myself into the air and landed on the temple's roof.
"Phew." I laughed quietly and looked back over the village before turning around to inspect the temple's rooftop.
At first, I saw nothing. Then I noticed something that looked slightly out of place. A skylight. It wasn't aligned with the corner stone like the rest of the structure, which immediately caught my attention. I walked over and confirmed that it really was a skylight.
Through it, I could see inside. I couldn't make out everything, but I could see what appeared to be a throne room with a large white-and-gold seat, elegantly crafted and sitting at the end of a white carpet.
I wanted to see more, but I couldn't find anything. Believing I've seen all that I can, I leave.
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..
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