Magic Academy Bans Harem

Chapter 402 The Saintess's Legacy

Perhaps it's because I've seen it once in a fairy tale.

Despite being a collector, Ritas felt little excitement when faced with one of the world's most famous antiques.

It's also possible that the Holy Lance in front of them is an undeniably genuine artifact, not a fake.
Ritas shook his head, quickly banishing the terrible thought from his mind.

The three of them together observed the "sealed" holy spear.

"Are these the legendary 'tears of the earth'?"

Eileen couldn't help but show a look of longing on her face.

The so-called tears of the earth are also part of the sacred weapon in the "Legend of the Saintess".

Simply put, there once was a fire demon that lived inside a volcano, frequently causing it to erupt and making life miserable for the people around it.

Then, the passing saintess killed the fire demon.

As a result, the fire demon's power erupted and spread after its death. The saintess, in a moment of quick thinking, used the tears of the earth to temporarily seal the spread of the demon's power, and then used her innate talent to bind and concentrate that power together, forging it into the holy spear, Lor.

Lor is, of course, the name of the fire demon.

The saintess named him this in the hope that, after becoming a weapon, Lor would be able to atone for his past evil deeds.

At first, when Eileen heard the part about the Holy Lance, she felt that the legends of the Holy Maiden were somewhat repetitive. This was because, of the five legends about sacred weapons, the one about the Holy Lance was the last one she heard.

Thus, Eileen had heard the pattern of "a calamity-like being wreaking havoc" - "a saintess or someone else sealing it away" - "making it into a weapon and taking it away" five times already.

Furthermore, Eileen often complained in her heart to those people around her who were constantly suffering: Why don't you just move away!
While moving away from one's hometown is a risky and costly undertaking even today, let alone in ancient times, the people who insist on living in the surrounding area despite volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, typhoons, and thunderstorms are truly incredibly resilient.

However, after seeing the actual object with her own eyes, Eileen was left with only the emotion of facing the legend head-on.

"So-called 'tears of the earth' are just mica."

Unlike the girls who were moved, Ritas simply observed the ore that sealed the flames of the Holy Lance before speaking.

"." "."

The girls, on the other hand, felt as if they had been doused with cold water, and their excitement subsided considerably.

"So, we're going to take this lance now?"

Viyn asked with a soft sigh.

She actually loved the romance interspersed in fairy tales and fantasy stories. But her dear brother had driven away all the romance in this space.

"Wouldn't it be inappropriate to take it? But if I don't take it?"

What exactly are we here for?
Eileen carefully left her sentence unfinished.

Although she is very likely the true successor of "Saint Marenu," the Holy Lance is, after all, placed in the ancestral land that the Elson family considers their home and has maintained for a long time. Strictly speaking, the Elson family has possessed the Holy Lance for far longer than the Saint herself. They simply don't know it themselves.

Moreover, although this is not the saint's tomb, taking things from here still feels somewhat like grave robbing.

"Let's try to see if we can find a way to move it."

After thinking for a moment, Ritas said.

Based on the scenes seen behind the other two doors, Marenu may have stored many more things in this space. However, most of them were taken away, leaving only the Holy Lance Lor.

Based on years of research, the conclusion is that if Saint Marenus really existed, her active period was probably around 700 years ago in the Western Regions.

Seven hundred years have passed.

No matter how well you defend yourself, the possibility of being hacked by others in various ways is not small.

Therefore, it's not so much that other things were taken away that's strange, but rather that the Holy Lance was left behind.

After signaling Eileen and Wayne to retreat to a safe position, Ritas used magic to create clones for mine detection.

The moment Ritas's clone touched the Holy Lance, there was a "whoosh." Before he could react, Ritas's clone had already been reduced to ashes.

The good news is that, although it has been sealed for a long time, the power within the Holy Lance remains.

The bad news is that, just as the legends say, the holy weapons created by the saintess herself can only be used by the "chosen ones".

"Professor, let me try!"

Seeing Ritas begin to frown, Eileen spoke up.

If it were anyone else, Irene might worry that their desire to touch the Holy Lance might lead to anger and an accident. But Ritas Irene was somewhat worried that he might come up with some wicked idea that could cause an accident with the Holy Lance.

“As you have seen, Cadet Eileen, blindly touching the Holy Lance is a very dangerous act. Just because you can wield the Holy Sword doesn't mean the Holy Lance can't harm you.”

Ritas advised.

Logically speaking, it would be natural for Irene, who could wield the Holy Sword, to also possess the Holy Lance, and this legendary weapon has even appeared in fairy tales.

However, what Ritas was always thinking about was "what to do when the so-called right and proper doesn't work" and "whether or not to gamble his own safety on what is actually taken for granted without any guarantee."

“It’s not blind faith, Professor. There are reasons why I dare to try.”

As Eileen spoke, illusory azure star patterns appeared on her chest.

As Ritas subconsciously shifted his gaze over, then subtly looked away, Eileen transformed her entire arm into azure flames.

"It's because I have a certain resistance to fire."

Having experienced the trials of the fairytale world, Ritas now suspects that Eileen's control over this star pattern might be even more proficient than that of the original, Melsie.

Seeing that his student wasn't blinded by unrealistic things like legends and traditions, Ritas nodded with a hint of relief and agreed to Eileen's attempt.

While the Holy Lance Lor slept.

Eileen, now fully armed with her own abilities and Ritas's magic, touched the ancient lance sealed by a large amount of mica with her hand, which looked as if it were burning fiercely.

And just as Eileen's hand touched the Holy Lance.

A strange sound, similar to a "bang" but not an explosion, rang out.

Because of her excessive caution, Eileen became extremely tense and quickly withdrew her hand. Meanwhile, at the other end of the room, Ritas also raised a protective barrier as if facing a formidable enemy.

An anomaly appeared in mid-air.

Floating slightly above the Holy Lance, a semi-transparent square screen unfolded. After emitting a few static noises, the upper body of a young woman clearly appeared on the screen.

"Congratulations, 'Successor' from who knows how many generations ago. You have found another fragment I left behind."

Before Ritas, Wayne, and Eileen could react, the silver-haired woman who suddenly appeared on the screen got straight to the point.

She was a woman with strikingly handsome features, dressed in light armor that seemed to prioritize aesthetics over defense. Her long, flowing hair cascaded over her shoulders, and her expression was gentle. Also appearing on screen was a cup of steaming black tea, its aroma wafting from the corner of the frame. Though only a small part of the scene, it added an air of elegance to the silver-haired woman.

Saintess Marenu.

Although the silver-haired woman did not introduce herself, the name came to mind for all three of them, given the current environment.

Eileen, whose face still retained a lot of youthful innocence, stared blankly at the elegant and graceful lady in the picture. With a resemblance of at least five points to herself, she couldn't help but think, "This is what my future will look like."

"Now that the time has come to gather those fragments once more, it seems that this land we inhabit has once again fallen into chaos."

"Hissing sound—"

Suddenly, a very loud neighing horse rang out, almost drowning out Marenu's voice.

Marenu first closed her eyes, then slightly tilted her chin up, and then...
"What are you yelling about! Didn't I just feed you? All you do all day is eat, eat, eat!"

Marenu's expression changed drastically, and she turned around and angrily shouted in the direction from which the horse's neighing came.

"Huh? Huh—?" "." "."

Amid the silence of the other two, Eileen, who had been fantasizing about her "future self," couldn't help but utter a sound of disbelief.

"Tsk, does this mean we have to re-record it? How do we do that again?"

After giving a shout, Marenu pressed her face almost against the screen and started fiddling with it.

It was at this moment that, through the gap at the edge of the screen, Eileen and the other two saw a white horse with a pair of wings baring its teeth and walking into Marenu's house.

then
"Ah, no, no! Stop eating! I only have a few left, please, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, okay? What do you want to eat? I'll go get it for you right now, okay? Hey!!!"

Pegasus's long face pushed Marenu away from the screen, and it opened its blood-red maw to devour the entire screen.

As Marenu pleaded for mercy, the screen went off with a hiss.

"." "." "."

Silence reigned before the Holy Lance.

"Teach, instruct."

Upon seeing someone who appeared to be her ancestor, Eileen, who had excitedly run to the front, turned back and helplessly called out to Ritas.

Ritas, on the other hand, had a rather ambiguous expression on his face.

If we ask him for help, what can he do? No matter how powerful he is, he can't travel back in time seven hundred years to change Saintess Marenu's personality, can he?

If it weren't for the unfamiliar voice, Ritas would have almost thought that the goddess of bathing had "awakened" from that chaotic scene.

Just as the three of them were pondering how to process this "accident," the screen lit up again with that strange "bang" sound.

This time, a young man with black hair and black eyes appeared on the screen.

The young man's eyes were devoid of any light, and his expression was stern and unsmiling, somewhat resembling Ritas in his demeanor. However, unlike Ritas, he didn't keep his eyes constantly open, like a madman.

"How's it going, Priest? Can you fix it?"

Behind the dark-haired youth known as Pris is Marenu's worried voice.

Priest, who was checking the recording equipment, glanced sideways and spoke in a calm, unhurried voice.

"I've told you many times, Lady Marenu. Don't feed the Pegasus strange things."

"It ate it itself!" *Hissing sound*

Because Priest's body was in the way, the three of them did not see it.

However, judging from the sound, Marenu and Pegasus behind him were probably fighting.

After fiddling with the recording device for a while, Priest's lips curled up slightly, his face, which had remained expressionless.

"We can come back and re-record now, Lady Marenu."

"Is it... fixed?"

"You can sit there, silently count to ten breaths, and then officially begin."

"."

Priesh never said whether he had actually fixed it or not.

Ritas and the others now understand why they were able to see that incredibly chaotic "extra" clip earlier.

"Huh—? Ten breaths!?"

Marenu, who had just finished fighting Pegasus, hurriedly sat back down in front of the screen and quickly tidied her somewhat disheveled clothes and hair at a speed almost imperceptible to the naked eye. She also took a deep breath.

Then, Marenu, who had returned to her original state, spoke again in a solemn yet gentle tone.
"Congratulations, 'Successor' from who knows how many generations ago. You have found another fragment I left behind."

"."

Now, the excitement, anticipation, and emotion that Eileen and the others felt when they first met Marenu have completely vanished.

"Now that the time has come to gather those fragments once again, it seems that the land we live on is once again facing a crisis of annihilation."

Continuing from her previous statement, Marenu relayed the information that the successor to the Holy Lance Lor had been found.

"Hehe, it can't be that I buried these inheritance sites too shallowly and someone accidentally dug them up."

Indeed, our ancestor.
Eileen sighed helplessly.

Although Marenu was probably trying to lighten the mood with a joke, Eileen didn't feel any relief; her face was full of bitterness.

"My successor, you are willing to take up these weapons again; I believe you have a heart that wants to save this world."

"But let's not forget that 'continuation' is our true mission."

"Therefore, if the time comes to the absolute worst, do not forget to reforge the seven weapons I left behind into 'keys.' Then, set sail the 'ark,' carrying the flame and hope, toward—"

"Zi-"

Because too much useless information was accidentally entered.

The recording device, which clearly had insufficient capacity, was shut down completely.

"Eh--!?"

Watching the saintess disappear before she could finish speaking, Eileen, overwhelmed with mixed feelings, could only utter a long, confused sound.

(End of this chapter)