The Heretic of Cleric Academy-Chapter 119

"Please have this before you go, Cult Leader."

Kang Ji-ah stopped me as I was about to leave for school. What she handed me was pitch-black water. It had a bitter smell, but it wasn’t coffee.

Above the unfathomably dark water, brown and purple-tinged light was floating on the surface.

"What is this? Poison?"

No matter how I looked at it, it didn’t seem like something safe to drink. Kang Ji-ah shook the cup to stir up the sediment at the bottom, then handed the cup to me again and opened her mouth.

"It’s water brewed from the medicinal herbs left over after offering them as tributes. I referenced Voodoo medicinal techniques."

"Ah. So it wasn’t an assassination attempt."

"Huh? What do you mean..."

"Oh? You’re flustered. I thought so, something felt fishy from the beginning."

Kang Ji-ah stared at me with wide, shocked eyes. It was meant as a joke, but her reaction was so serious that I felt a bit flustered.

I hurriedly smiled and took the cup Kang Ji-ah offered.

"Just kidding, I’ll drink it well. By the way, are you studying medicinal techniques these days too?"

"There isn’t much material available, so I can’t really call it studying, but I’m trying to learn."

"Wow... That’s impressive."

I spoke half-heartedly and downed the water Kang Ji-ah had brewed in one gulp.

At first, it had no taste at all. It was even slightly sweet. However, just as the water was about to go down my esophagus to my stomach, a bitter taste suddenly began to rise.

It wasn’t just bitter. It was incredibly bitter. A sour taste remained on my tongue, and a strange smell was creeping up through my throat and coming out through my nose.

Tears were forming in my squinting eyes without me realizing it.

"Cough, cough...! This really is poison!"

"It will taste a bit unpleasant. Medicine that’s good for the body is naturally bitter to the mouth. Please bear with it a little..."

"No, even so, this is... You really are trying to assassinate me..."

Even while speaking, the bitter taste continued to linger on my tongue.

However, as I spoke, the strange smell rising through my throat gradually faded, and the initial sweetness and fragrance began to circulate subtly.

Before long, I felt a tingling sensation as if blood was flowing through my body. It was similar to the feeling when using Bosu’s power.

"Oh."

"Is the medicinal effect starting to work?"

"It seems like it. What are the medicine’s effects?"

"It says ’blood circulation speeds up and eyes become clear.’ Additionally, it slightly improves physical abilities and sharpens the sense of touch."

[It’s medicine that Baron Samedi likes.]

Legba suddenly interjected.

Medicine that Baron Samedi likes? That was hard to understand. Baron Samedi wouldn’t bleed a drop even if stabbed. Because as a Loa, his body has no blood.

Therefore, the blood circulation effect would be meaningless to him, and the eye-clearing effect wouldn’t be very useful either. He could see everything even without eyes.

"Does Baron Samedi need to drink this?"

[Well, I don’t think he drinks it himself? I’m not really sure.]

There was mischief in Legba’s tone. What exactly does Baron Samedi do in his daily life... He really was an incomprehensible person, no, Loa.

* * *

"From today, departmental classes will run quite intensively. Even if your grades were a bit lacking until now, if you work hard from today you can catch up to everything, so work hard. Well then!"

With cheerful words of encouragement, Ha Ye-jin left the classroom. At the same time, bustling noise began to rise among the students.

Some students hurriedly left the classroom with clearly nervous expressions, while others leisurely chatted with friends, showing off their composure.

"What’s your next class?"

Jeong In-ah, who had approached at some point, asked with a bright smile.

Today was the day departmental classes officially began. Classes that had previously been conducted by homeroom were now conducted by department, so even students in the same homeroom might have different classes if their departments were different.

"It was a minor subject class. Basic swordsmanship, I think? They said it would be at the Divine Training Ground."

"Minor subject means... Holy Warrior? Then are you taking the class with Gu Jun-hyeok?"

"What, why me?"

Gu Jun-hyeok, who had been sleeping from morning self-study time through homeroom, woke up like a ghost when his name was called.

The red bloodshot veins in his eyes as he approached us were particularly prominent. Dark shadows were cast beneath them. He looked much more haggard than usual. He seemed quite tired.

"Gu Jun-hyeok, you’re Holy Warrior department, right?"

"No? Ah, no, that’s right! I’m sleepy so I can’t think straight, ah."

Gu Jun-hyeok answered frantically to Jeong In-ah’s question. Jeong In-ah stared at Gu Jun-hyeok dumbfoundedly, then let out a hollow laugh and opened her mouth.

"Even if you’re sleepy, still... Anyway, what’s your next class?"

"Next? What was it, it was theory class...? I only remember them saying it would be in the multipurpose room."

"Huh? What, Charity Woo says it’s basic swordsmanship?"

"Hey, I told you not to call me that several times..."

"You’re both the same department but have different classes? What’s that about?"

Jeong In-ah looked back and forth between me and Gu Jun-hyeok with puzzled, frowning eyes.

Even if she asked why, I couldn’t know the reason. The teachers, not I, made the timetables. The teachers would have arranged them properly to avoid overlapping classes or scheduling conflicts.

"Wait, you said your next class is swordsmanship?"

Then, Gu Jun-hyeok made a fuss with wide, surprised eyes.

"Why are you making a fuss?"

"You mean the one at the Divine Training Ground? The Patience class Holy Warrior department kids also have swordsmanship next period?"

"Don’t tell such obvious lies."

"It’s true though? Good luck~ You’ll probably get matched with Kim Jin-seo as a sparring partner."

Gu Jun-hyeok said mockingly with a weak smile.

So Do-jin’s swordsmanship class was supposedly aimed at "building practical sense through sparring-centered training."

He said that sparring directly with crossed sword tips was the fastest way to improve skills, rather than learning theory.

"Surely they won’t have sparring from the first day."

"They do it from the first day? From what other kids said, they spar non-stop throughout the class..."

Gu Jun-hyeok continued.

According to students who had previously taken So Do-jin’s basic swordsmanship class, the proportion and intensity of sparring was significantly higher compared to other classes.

It was so intense that students sometimes fainted during sparring and had to go to the infirmary. When sparring injuries occurred during homeroom classes, the class would be suspended, but departmental classes didn’t have such considerations... For some unknown reason, So Do-jin’s eyes were apparently filled with venom, that was the kind of content.

"And usually they match kids of similar skill levels. You’ll probably go against Kim Jin-seo? She’s the Holy Name of Patience, and you’re the Holy Name of Charity."

"That won’t happen..."

I tried to deny it. I had never sparred against Kim Jin-seo even once. You have to try to know, but even so, I couldn’t imagine being able to beat her.

As I hung my head in pessimism, Jeong In-ah, who had been listening to our conversation with a sullen face, suddenly interjected.

"Hey! You’re not the type to get beaten up anywhere. You’ll win anyway after all this. Don’t worry unnecessarily."

"She’s... not someone who common sense applies to. Thinking about getting beaten for 3 straight minutes when she went to the gym... Ugh, my head..."

Gu Jun-hyeok frowned while pressing his forehead with exaggerated gestures. Jeong In-ah forced a smile and approached me, lightly tapping my shoulder with her loosely clenched fist in encouragement.

"Don’t listen to that guy. If you do get beaten up, I’ll scold her for you."

"Who’s scolding whom? You scolding Kim Jin-seo? You might die doing that."

Before I could answer, Gu Jun-hyeok interrupted. She probably wouldn’t kill, but I thought serious injury was possible.

"...No, is she that bad?"

"Ah, that’s what I’m telling you."

Gu Jun-hyeok raised his voice as if frustrated, and I quietly nodded beside him. I suddenly remembered Ha Ye-jin’s words of encouragement from homeroom.

"Even if your grades were a bit lacking until now, if you work hard from today you can catch up to everything, so work hard."

In other words, even if your grades were good until now, if you don’t work hard from today you might get caught up to.

But from the first day, it was a minor subject class, sparring-centered, and the sparring partner might even be Kim Jin-seo. It was hopeless.

[It’s likely just a rumor to scare students. Don’t worry too much about it.]

Legba comforted me. Come to think of it, they wouldn’t have sparring from the first day. It was probably just an exaggerated rumor spread through students’ mouths. Thinking that way made me feel a bit better.

* * *

"As you all probably know, we’re going to spar today."

So Do-jin said matter-of-factly as soon as class started.

For me, it was like a bolt from the blue.

He picked up a sword from the floor and showed it to us while continuing.

"The sword you’ll use for sparring is this. It’s not the silver sword that Holy Warriors typically use, but an old-style iron sword. Now, here’s the question. Why use an old-style iron sword that’s rarely used nowadays, instead of the silver sword used in actual combat? Anyone want to answer?"

"...Money?"

"Correct. Silver swords are expensive, so they’re difficult to supply for training. When you become Holy Warriors later, earn lots of money and buy them with your own money."

It was a very practical reason. Right after, So Do-jin brought his finger to the blade and began moving the sword up and down like sawing.

Even so, not a drop of blood came from So Do-jin’s finger.

"And this sword is very dull. On top of that, we’ll put sponges on the blade part right before sparring. So there’s hardly any chance of getting hurt. Well... it still hurts if you get hit hard. I know because I’ve been hit."

So Do-jin, who had finished his rough explanation, pressed his lips together and looked down at the sparring sword in his hand.

After staring at the sword seriously for quite a while, he finally took his stance. Then he gazed intently at empty air.

Whoosh!

And he swung.

No, did he thrust? I couldn’t tell. So Do-jin’s movement was too fast for my eyes to follow.

After launching one attack at an invisible enemy, So Do-jin exhaled lightly and opened his mouth.

"As you all know, demon species and magical beasts are vulnerable to attacks from silver weapons, so it’s better to attack with the blessed silver parts when possible."

Clatter.

So Do-jin continued as he put the sword down on the floor almost throwing it.

"When you become apprentice Holy Warriors in the future, you’ll receive iron swords with only the tip coated in silver. The only technique that can deal effective damage to demon species or magical beasts with such crude swords is thrusting."

Iron swords were heavy and crude, but cheaper compared to silver swords. So weapons supplied to newly appointed apprentice Holy Warriors were usually iron swords.

"Therefore, today’s sparring goal is to master thrusting that can subdue an opponent in one strike. So the victory condition for sparring is landing thrust attacks on your sparring partner twice. Blessing usage is free. That’s all, I’ll take questions."

Students murmured at So Do-jin’s offer to take questions.

Until now, So Do-jin had always avoided taking questions, citing tiredness or annoyance. So Do-jin showed an unprecedented gentle smile and opened his mouth.

"I’m not tired today, so ask comfortably. I slept well yesterday."

"I have a question."

Then, someone raised their hand as if they’d been waiting. It was Kim Jin-seo.

"If the opponent loses consciousness before landing two successful attacks, how is it judged?"

"In that case, the unconscious side will be judged as defeated. If you can subdue your opponent before meeting the stated victory conditions, that’s also an ability."

Kim Jin-seo’s question had a somehow chilling atmosphere. It sounded like she was confident she could subdue her opponent before meeting the victory conditions. It seemed actually possible for her.

Seeing several students’ expressions harden with the same thought as me, So Do-jin let out a snickering laugh and continued.

"Of course, there have been no such cases so far. As you can see, this isn’t a sword you can use to subdue someone. Unless you thrust quite hard, there won’t be any loss of consciousness."

"Phew..."

A sigh of relief came from somewhere. With the blade being dull to begin with and sponges added, there would hardly be any chance of losing consciousness.

I too was inwardly relieved, though I didn’t sigh openly.

So Do-jin picked up two swords from the floor and began putting sponges on the blade parts while opening his mouth.

"For the first sparring, as an example, let’s match the two most skilled people. The two students I call should take swords and go up to the sparring arena."

However, there was no time to feel relieved.

"Do Seon-woo, Kim Jin-seo."

* * *

Going up to the sparring arena, I first tried holding the sword. Even after my overall strength had improved through the Blessing of Superhuman Strength, it was quite heavy. I wondered if I could even swing it, let alone thrust.

Embarrassingly contradicting such worries, Kim Jin-seo was lightly holding that heavy sword like a toy while warming up.

"Hoo."

I sighed to drive away tension, but it had no effect.

When I raised my head, Kim Jin-seo standing opposite me was looking at me softly with sleepy, drowsy eyes.

When our eyes met, she smiled slightly. Unlike me, her face was full of composure.

In the silence, So Do-jin lifted the whistle hanging around his neck.

"I’ll start right away without delay."

Tweet!

The whistle sounded and sparring began.

Kim Jin-seo took her stance. I also took a somewhat awkward stance.

Each other’s sword tips were pointing at each other. Though they were just dull iron swords with sponges, the sword in Kim Jin-seo’s hand looked as threatening as a real blade.

Conversely, the sword in my hand was truly no different from a toy.

No, don’t be nervous. If I get scared before starting, I’ll lose even winnable fights. I maintained calm and watched Kim Jin-seo’s movements.

Flinch, her shoulder trembled slightly.

Thud!

And in the blink of an eye, she was right in front of my nose.

I barely managed to block the sword strike swung from top to bottom. Beyond where our swords met, Kim Jin-seo’s sharp gaze was staring at me.

Thanks to the Blessing of Superhuman Strength, our strength was equal, but I was losing in speed and sword-handling skill.

"...I have something to ask."

While we were precariously facing off with swords crossed, Kim Jin-seo spoke in a small voice.

It seemed she had leisure to talk to me even in this situation. I felt somewhat hurt in my pride, thinking she might be going easy on me.

Kim Jin-seo continued speaking while roughly pressing me with her sword.

"Are you close with a girl named Seo Ha-rin?"

I was deflated by the unexpected question from her mouth.

I gathered strength in my legs with the Blessing of Superhuman Strength and lowered my center of gravity, then immediately shifted the strength to my upper body. Using the flow of moving strength as is, I swung my sword and deflected Kim Jin-seo’s sword.

Scrape!

The sponges rubbed against each other making a sharp sound. Having succeeded in creating distance, I had passed the first hurdle.

I smiled slightly and stared at Kim Jin-seo’s face.

"Who knows?"

It was my answer to the unexpected question Kim Jin-seo had asked while we were facing off with crossed swords.

I didn’t have the leisure to answer immediately, but I was also thinking of provoking her to make her lose composure and then gain advantageous ground in the sparring.

"...’Who knows’?"

Then, the composure disappeared from Kim Jin-seo’s face. Right after, she raised her sword with movements as natural as flowing water.

It seemed she was going to attempt a second attack. Compared to before, her movements were large and simple. The provocation seemed to have worked.

"..."

I prepared to defend while simultaneously preparing to attack. I couldn’t beat her in speed and skill.

The only thing that was equal, namely strength, was the only way to compete. After using Bosu’s power, if I could create a situation where we faced off with crossed swords like before and press her down with strength, it seemed possible.

I began to think I might actually be able to win.

"Bosu..."

Poke.

"Gugh...!"

Before I could even call Bosu’s name, something long penetrated my solar plexus. Along with intense pain, my consciousness was cut off.