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Liber inwardly rejoiced.
'A theory class.'
The fourth-year magic department's common classes consist only of theory.
This means.
'This subject is mine for the taking!'
It meant that this was the most advantageous subject for Liber.
Liber raised his hand high.
"It is where the priests who believe in the god Deus reside!"
"That's an answer even a little kid in the neighborhood would know."
Professor Omar Bichir hurt Liber's pride.
The pride of Liber Specula, the third son of a family with the continent's top intelligence agency.
"The sects that believe in the god Deus are divided into two. The Merlin sect, which believes in prophecy and revelation, and the Carlton sect, which believes that one must devote oneself solely to God. The two sects despise each other so much that it's hard to believe they worship the same god."
Only then did Professor Omar Bichir begin to nod slightly.
"Continue."
"So the two sects also use separate cathedrals. They also receive separate believers. As time passed, they gradually became alienated from the people. Oh, but that's not important. Anyway, there is only one place where priests of both sects exist together, and that is the Grand Cathedral."
Liber diligently explained what he knew about the Grand Cathedral, mixing in his own thoughts.
"I heard that the Grand Cathedral is very crowded because people can worship the god Deus there regardless of their sect."
"That's right. That is the Grand Cathedral that the High Priest, who was once respected by everyone, managed to complete just before his death. Only within it must everyone worship the god Deus together, regardless of sect."
Some of the students whispered among themselves.
"Isn't this a magic department class?"
"Why suddenly the Grand Cathedral?"
Finally.
One student raised his hand and asked.
"What does the Grand Cathedral have to do with our magic department theory class?"
Professor Omar Bichir pointed at the student who asked the question.
"That's a good question. But it seems you don't know the fourth-year academic schedule properly?"
"That's..."
"Every student at Elton Academy goes on a field trip to the Grand Cathedral in the first semester of their fourth year. And I am the guiding professor for this year's Grand Cathedral field trip. Since we're going on a field trip anyway, wouldn't it be better to learn something beforehand rather than just going there and saying, 'Wow, the building is big and pretty...'? Especially you."
The student who asked the question flinched and hunched his shoulders.
"Judging from the fact that you don't even know the academic schedule, I don't think you have any interest in the history of our kingdom either."
Student cafeteria.
Bonita asked.
"I heard other kids talking, there's a professor in the magic department who can't use magic?"
"Professor Omar Bichir? Well, his assigned subject is theory class. And it's not like he can't use magic at all, right?"
Karin smirked.
"Is flicking a spark from the tip of your finger magic?"
"Magic is magic. He created something from nothing."
Bonita nodded.
"That's amazing. We're upperclassmen now, but it's amazing that a person who can't use magic is a professor in the magic department. There aren't any professors like that in the swordsmanship department."
"That's because practical training is much more important in swordsmanship than in magic."
Bellum interjected.
"Hey, Chatterbox. But I heard that professor is our guiding professor for the Grand Cathedral field trip? Usually, capable professors go on external activities with us, right?"
Nuves, who was tearing apart meat with a large bone in his hand, answered instead.
His mouth was full of meat.
"It's just going to the Grand Cathedral. Where is there a safer place than the Grand Cathedral protected by the god Deus?"
"Is that so?"
Liber clapped his hands.
"I think it's good, actually? Professor Omar Bichir, I think he knows a lot. That's why he became a professor at our academy even though his mana affinity is in the single digits, right?"
Bonita asked with a surprised expression.
"Single digits? Really?"
"Yeah. The professor said so himself."
"Then he's just a regular person?"
"But he's said to have the most extensive knowledge of magic on the continent. I'm really looking forward to this field trip. I think I'll learn a lot. Not just about theology."
Latia asked.
"Liber, those two sects. Why are they so eager to devour each other? And what's that prophecy?"
"Latia, you're not interested in religion either?"
"Because I'm an atheist."
"Well, there are many atheists in our continent. But it wasn't always like this. In ancient times, most of the continent's people were believers in the god Deus. You can tell just by looking at the number of churches now, right? Not many people go to church, but there's a church in almost every city."
"That's true. It was amazing."
"There are several claims as to why this happened, but as Latia asked, the most popular theory is that it's because of the fight between the two sects."
"Believers left because they didn't like the two sects of the same religion fighting too much?"
Liber nodded.
"It's been happening for a long time, so it's not certain, but that's the most likely possibility."
Karin interjected.
It was now quite natural for Karin to join in the conversations with her friends.
"I learned about it when I was in the royal palace too. The Merlin sect is too obsessed with prophecy, so they are persecuted by the Carlton sect?"
"If the Merlin sect is obsessed with prophecy, what is the Carlton sect obsessed with?"
"Devotion to God, I guess. Praying every day and reading the doctrines? I don't know much beyond that. I haven't been to church."
Latia looked at Liber again.
"Then what is that prophecy?"
"Uh... a prophecy about the end of our continent."
"The end?"
"Yeah. The content is very long, but to summarize it briefly with my Liber Specula's innate ability, it's like this."
All the friends looked at Liber.
Liber, who swallowed once and secured time to attract everyone's attention, opened his mouth again.
"The Pax Continent will face its end at the hands of a man who is neither human nor god. It says he will appear with an unbelievably large sword, but that's probably some kind of metaphor. For example, God's judgment? Well, that's the leading theory."
"A man who is neither human nor god?"
"This is also a metaphor. There are many interpretations, but anyway, that's what the Merlin sect does. They interpret prophecies and narrow down their meaning. You can think of them as people who are half-crazy about it."
Bonita scoffed.
"They spent all those years interpreting a prophecy about the end that may never come? No wonder they lost believers. If I were them, I'd swing my sword one more time."
"Well, everyone has different values."
Bellum pointed at Liber with two index fingers alternately.
"Ooh, Chatterbox. You sound quite knowledgeable at times like this?"
Latia asked again.
"If the Merlin sect spends its time interpreting prophecies, causing all the believers to leave, shouldn't the Carlton sect just kick the Merlin sect out of the church?"
Liber, who had a smile on his face full of Bellum's praise, answered lightly.
"That's also not possible. The prophecy is real. So the Carlton sect can't completely kick out the Merlin sect."
"It's complicated."
"Anyway, I've always wanted to go to the Grand Cathedral once. I'm already excited that we're going on a field trip."
"Well, it'll be interesting since you've never been there before."
Nuves, who had gnawed all the flesh off the bones without leaving a single piece, patted his stomach with a proud expression.
"I went to the Grand Cathedral when I was little. I don't go, but my mother was a believer. She said I had to go to the Grand Cathedral once, so I went when I was little. I went without knowing anything and was caught and almost dragged into a theology camp or something. Ugh, I hate those kinds of camps. There are many kids who cut ties with their families and become priests after going to that camp."
Bellum asked in surprise.
"Right after going to the camp?"
"Yeah. To become a priest who serves the god Deus, you have to cut off all ties with your family. They don't even tell their families which church in the continent they'll be assigned to after becoming a priest."
Bellum hugged Nuves's thick arms tightly.
"So our Nuves almost became a priest after going there? Then we wouldn't have met? Oh, that would have been terrible."
While the other friends frowned without realizing it.
Nuves laughed heartily and answered.
"I'm not interested in that at all. I didn't even want to go to the camp, so I ran away from my mom. Would I have said I'd become a priest if I went there?"
Bellum pinched Nuves's cheeks.
"Good job, our Nuves."
Liber nudged Bonita's side.
"Hey, aren't they better off when they were secretly dating and didn't know we all noticed?"
Bonita, who had unconsciously put her hand on the hilt of her sword, nodded.
"I can't stand it, really."
While the friends were chattering about the Grand Cathedral field trip.
Davian recalled his third playthrough.
'The order with the demon wave has changed, but the Grand Cathedral quest seems to be proceeding as is.'
The terrible quest that took place during the third playthrough's Grand Cathedral field trip.
'Professor Omar Bichir was the guiding professor last time too. It's the same situation.'
As Davian's skills improved and his relationships changed, the order of the quests was also reversed.
Some appeared much earlier than in the third playthrough, and some proceeded as scheduled according to the academy schedule.
This Grand Cathedral-related quest is triggered as a fourth-year student, according to the academic schedule.
"Guys."
The quick-witted Liber realized that Davian's voice was unusual.
"Davian, why? What's wrong again? No, what's going to happen?"
Davian made an 'O' shape with his mouth.
"Amazing, Liber. As expected of the Davian Alliance's strategist."
"What's wrong? Don't tell me, at the Grand Cathedral?"
The day of the Grand Cathedral field trip.
All 138 fourth-year students of Elton Academy headed to the academy's shared space, the warp room.
Davian's classmates, who were 168 at the beginning of their third year, had decreased to 138 by their fourth year.
A number that was neither too many nor too few compared to other classes.
A number that was halved in the first year in the first playthrough and halved again in the third year in the second playthrough.
"Okay, this way. This is a magic circle connected to a warp terminal not far from the Grand Cathedral. Line up in order, ten at a time. There will be an assistant on the other side. Follow the assistant's instructions and move immediately."
Professor Omar Bichir, who was leading the students to the warp magic circle, urged once again.
"You haven't forgotten the precautions I told you, have you? When you enter the Grand Cathedral, never mention sects in front of the priests. There are many areas in the Grand Cathedral where the general public is prohibited from entering, so don't wander around as you please and be sure to follow the assistant's instructions. Okay, Group 1, depart."
The students moved to Sachelt City, where the Grand Cathedral was located, through the warp circle in groups of twenty.
Due to the large number of people, the field trip was conducted in groups, with each group consisting of 10 people.
Yesterday, Davian visited Professor Omar Bichir and requested that he be assigned to the same group as his friends.
"If you form groups of 10, one group will have 8 people anyway. Please put me and my friends there."
Professor Omar Bichir initially thought, "What a brazen fellow," but then he remembered that the other professors had unanimously told him to accommodate Davian as much as possible, so he formed the groups as requested.
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