An ordinary profession creates the world's strongest

She called out in a faint voice that no one could hear, like a prayer.

Meredy and the others were instantly transported to the harbor. They boarded Oscar's small boat, the Second, and leaned against Natsu, who then transported them and the boat. As soon as the boat landed in the center of the ocean, Natsu immediately took a magic potion and waited until his magic power was restored before continuing the transfer.

Taking advantage of the moment to reply, Oscar asked Meredith as if to confirm:

"The Knights of White Light...Miletti, you've investigated the church headquarters before, right? That incident where you said you were being hunted by the apostles and barely escaped. Have you ever actually seen the Knights?"

"I've fought them before. They were just a small group out to hunt heretics, but... they were strong, there's no doubt about that."

The Kingdom of God's fighting power can be broadly divided into two groups. One is the Divine Army, the equivalent of other nations' national armies; the other is the Knights Templar. This group of fighters is directly affiliated with the Church, and each member of this group possesses a combat power equivalent to at least five soldiers in the Divine Army. Each captain-level member possesses the strength to take on an entire squadron.

And there are even higher-level beings in the Knights Temple.

That is the strongest force of the Kingdom of God, directly under the Pope, known as the "Knights of the Three Lights".

One is the "Light Guard Knights"—also known as the Royal Guard Knights, tasked with protecting the Pope. Each of them can defeat a thousand enemies. Although the smallest group, they possess special and powerful innate magic that rivals even the magic of the Age of Gods.

The other is the Beastlight Knights—a knightly order capable of manipulating incredibly powerful sacred beasts, responsible for the training, deployment, and management of the Three Lights' mounts. While said to be the weakest of the Three Lights in terms of combat power, they possess a high degree of versatility.

Finally, there is the White Light Knights, the strongest combat group in terms of external combat power.

The leader is a miracle of God—a user of Age of Gods magic. All members are "God's followers" who possess inherent magic, forming a combat force with extraordinary strength.

If they summoned all the members, they would be able to gather nearly three hundred "God's followers".

If the White Light Knights were to take action, it would be equivalent to the arrival of God's will.

They are the embodiment of divine punishment and the embodiment of "killing the enemies of God."

"Since the White Light Knights rarely attack in full force, we don't know how many troops they'll send. If it's a large group, Mei-san will be fine; with us here, even a brigade-sized force can handle it. If it's larger... we might not be able to defend everyone."

The Knights of the Three Lights' troop numbers are unusual. Due to the immense individual combat power of their troops, their numbers are significantly smaller than normal. A squad consists of approximately four to six men, a squadron of twelve, a battalion of twenty-five, a brigade of fifty, a division of one hundred, and a full army of three hundred.

Meredi usually doesn't pray, but now she looks like she is praying. This alone makes people deeply realize the power of the White Light Knights.

Just as a burning anxiety filled his heart, Natsu's magic power finally recovered, and this time he could transfer back to Funajima in one go.

"Xiao Nai, for safety's sake, please move to the sky."

To be on the safe side, it's best to go to a place where you can overlook the scenery below.

Natsu nodded in response to Meredi.

"Understood. Are you two ready?"

Seeing the two nod in response, Natsu immediately grabbed them and moved them away.

Afterwards, the three of them looked down.

What they saw was the island of ships burning fiercely and gradually collapsing.

Members of the pirate group lying on the ground.

Members of the Knights who surrounded and pressed upon the weak.

A man, wearing a white robe partially armored, held a staff about the length of a man's height. In front of him, Mei, covered in wounds, knelt on the ground.

"--ah."

The image of her sister covered in blood flashed through Meredith's mind, and the two were separated forever.

“—! The Church, ahh ...

Her rationality was gone.

Several days had passed since Meredith and the others left the island of the Melkine pirate group.

Although Ship Island is still bustling, it feels like something is missing.

This phenomenon is particularly evident in children.

The older sister who played with the children on an equal footing is gone, the older brother with glasses who kept bringing out new props is gone, and the tall brother who could help them move around in an instant is gone.

It feels like something is really missing.

At dusk, children were swimming listlessly at the beach. Unfortunately, the weather was overcast, the sky thick with dark clouds, and a storm looked imminent, as if reflecting the children's mood.

"It's really frustrating. They've only been here for a month, but they're already being treated like family."

Chris held his cheek by the side of the boat, looked at the children and said with a wry smile.

Beside him was Mei, who was also gazing at the children. She smiled softly as usual and replied, "Yes."

Her answer was not particularly emotional, just a simple agreement.

But for Chris, who had known her for a long time, it was easy for him to see through Mel's inner thoughts.

"You dote on your little sister quite a bit, too."

"Yeah, Mi-chan is cute."

"She's just like a younger sister, isn't she?"

"..."

Whenever the situation was unfavorable, Mei'er would immediately keep quiet and try to get away with it with a smile.

Chris could only smile bitterly at this bad habit that Mel had had since she was a child.

"It seems they've mistaken Mei for someone else. Her name is Berta, right? But what's even more surprising is that the little girl is actually 'that Lassen'."

"Chris, you were in the Empire a long time ago, right? I heard that Count Lesin's family didn't seem to have any feelings, but you were afraid of Xiao Mi for a while."

"Please, please forgive me. This is a dark history for me."

Chris originally served in the Imperial Army, but that was nearly thirty years ago.

Unable to accept the pressure on his faith, Chris abandoned his job and fled. He wandered the mainland and settled in Andika about twenty years ago.

Therefore, his impression of the executioner clan has always been fixed on the word "terrible".

Little did they know that not only was the House of Leysen destroyed by the youngest daughter of the family, but that girl is now the leader of a heretic organization...

Even though Chris had felt something was amiss ever since Meredith introduced herself, after hearing the details of her past, even the normally frivolous Chris felt a wave of trepidation around her. Of course, he was also teased for a long time.

Chris coughed, pulled himself together, and changed the subject.

"You should have noticed, right? They went to Andica because they haven't given up on trying to convince you. No, they haven't given up on trying to convince us."

"My answer won't change."

"The little sisters' answers might change."

"...Do you think they'll find it?"

"They'll definitely find it. The secret treasure Captain Mei of the Melkine Pirates wants."

Mei'er imagined it for a moment.

What kind of conversation will happen between "She" and Meredith when they meet?

One is the most important "girl" to him, and the other is the person he has treated as a younger sister over the past month and even opened his heart to her to an extent that even he was surprised.

Meredith treated her like a sister and respected her.

She has an innocent personality and always expresses her joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness with all her heart. She is always upright in front of others and is a straightforward girl who makes people feel refreshed.

Even though their time together was brief, Mei remembers her mother's love. Though she doesn't know her father, she has someone who could replace him. The women of the slums are all second mothers and sisters to her. She has many siblings and playmates who grew up with her.

When Meredith was the same age as himself, he was executing criminals.

She desperately tried to maintain her breaking heart and hide her true feelings.

However, she had a miraculous encounter, someone taught her to understand the warmth of human beings...

But that miracle was cruelly trampled upon. The one who stepped on the miracle was none other than her real family.

So she decided on her own path. She even fought against her own family, and then chose the path of war against the world.

——Please take my hand to change the world.

On the day when they talked to each other until late at night, Meredith said this and then extended her hand to Mel.

Mei'er naturally rejected her.

Even so, Meredith just smiled and said, "I see."

But Mei'er discovered that there was a hint of loneliness in her expression, and the brilliance in her eyes declared that she had not given up. Mei'er still cannot forget her expression and eyes at that time.

According to Oscar, he was probably "bewitched".

"How about you just tell them the truth and ask for their help? All three of them are users of Age of Gods magic."

Chris's voice brought Mel back from the vortex of memories, but she shook her head.

"What are you talking about? They're the 'Liberators', right?"

She couldn't ask an organization that would go to war with the church in the future to help them seize Andica. Although Meier offered Andica as a condition for joining, even if they did offer Andica, Meier would claim that she had "taken it back" herself.

Reclaim the free city of Antika from the hands of the heretic organization—Mei'er aims to become the leader through this achievement.

Whether it was for the safety of her companions or for a promise to an important person, she could not be seen as collaborating with heretics to recapture the item, so she could not cooperate with the liberators.

"Xiao Mi and the others will never cross the path we take."

"...Is that so? This world is truly harsh."

Mei'er stopped talking, as if refusing to continue the conversation.

Chris didn't know what to say, so he could only look embarrassed and sigh.

At this moment, the subordinate in charge of surveillance on the watchtower shouted:

"Captain! There seems to be something in the eastern sky! What is that? It's huge!"

If it was on the sea, I'd understand, but in the sky? — Mei tilted her head in confusion. If it was a flying monster, the pirates would have seen it so many times that they would have just called it a monster.

Chris, however, seemed to have a sudden realization. He instantly strengthened his body and leaped vertically up the mast. This was a skill only possible due to his superior balance and powerful body-strengthening magic.

Chris ran to the observation deck in a flash and looked in the direction his subordinates pointed.

“…Oh no.”

The subordinates were shocked when they saw Chris, because the second-in-command who was always cheerful and talkative was now pale and sweating profusely.

Just as I was about to ask what was going on, I heard Chris yelling.

"Mei'er!! It's the church!!"

With just this one sentence, Meier understood that the church's faith and madness were now about to fall upon them.

Mei'er immediately manipulated the water flow, condensing the sea water in the air and then causing it to explode violently.

The sea water fell with the sound of the explosion, and the members of the Melkine Pirate Group immediately became alert.

"Everyone, prepare for battle! The enemy is coming!"

Mei'er's usual gentle smile vanished, and a sharp voice echoed around.

This was the most indisputable evidence of the urgency of the situation, and all members of the pirate group quickly took action.

"Mel! The only troops capable of using airships are the Knights of the Three Lights! We need to let the non-combatants escape!"

"I know! Chris! You lead the combatants and buy time!"

"You sound so easy about facing the Church's strongest force!"

Chris forced a proud smile and began to give orders.

The next moment, the waves hit the pirate group.

That's not a wave.

Colored ripples like the dark night passed through the air, passing through Mei'er and others in an instant.

The impact seemed to shake the backbone of the body and swayed the consciousness.

"——!"

The unexpected attack caused Mei'er to stagger, but she quickly regained her balance.

What was that ripple just now? Before she could ponder this question, Mei'er saw many pirate group members, especially the non-combatants, all fall to the ground.

“!——『Absolute Elephant』!!”

This time, ripples spread out like the morning glow. Using range regeneration magic without water as a medium would consume a significant amount of magic power. However, forcing it paid off, and the people who had fainted immediately woke up.

"Move!"