Chapter 100: Interlude

Nicotris Sept

Chapter 100: Interlude

"Thish ish shome weally gut fuud!" Tanni said as she stuffed her face with local delicacies.

"Don't talk with a mouth full of food, Tanni. It's gross and rude." Jezibel said, sighing as she wiped her sister's mouth with a napkin.

We were having lunch at the guest hall of the Sept family manor, and Jezibel's siblings were a lively bunch, giving these walls more warmth than it had seen from scheming guests in years.

The girl swallowed the food in her mouth, before looking straight to me.

"You promised to teach me how to fight, right?! When are we going to do that?!" she said in excitement.

I chuckled.

"When you're done eating, little one. We can go to the courtyard to start with some basics."

The girl dug into her dish with renewed vigor, eager to get to the promised training as quickly as possible.

***

After we finished eating, Jezibel, Tanni, and I left the rest of the Hiram siblings and made our way to the nearby open courtyard. It was a simple outdoor garden in the middle of the manor, where the walls of the surrounding building gave us privacy from prying eyes.

We stepped onto the grass as the sun shined overhead with a gentle light, the outside winds morphing into a gentle breeze as they fell from the building's roof.

"Alright, Tanni. Let's start with this: what kind of fighter would you like to be? A warrior? An archer? Maybe a mage?" I asked, curious to hear what she would choose.

"My brothers would want to get the biggest, shiniest swords they could get their hands on and throw themselves at the biggest threat, so I'd rather not do the same. It's embarrassing. I'd rather attack from a distance, where it's safe and comfortable." The 12-year-old shook her head, and Jezibel nodded sagely and hummed in agreement.

"That's fair enough. Being a front-line fighter is uniquely challenging since you'd be getting hurt a lot more than others would, with a greater risk of dying than them. It's not a bad choice to make. But consider this-" I said, entering a lecturing tone.

"-if you do choose to become an adventurer, a soldier, or any other profession that fights regularly, then it's only a matter of time when you have to get up close and personal with an opponent. Being prepared for it could mean the difference between life and death." I said, and Jezibel nodded sagely and hummed in agreement.

"Hmm, I can see what you mean. Still, I can't imagine myself regularly throwing myself at enemies like that – it just doesn't suit me. If I can learn a way to fight that can help me deal with the few occasions where enemies get close, then that would be great." Tanni said, and Jezibel nodded sagely and hummed in agree-

"Bel, can you say stop doing the same thing over and over and say something useful instead?!" Tanni yelled in an outburst, surprising me and making Jezibel laugh.

"Sorry, you were both making good points without anything for me to add. Why not become a tamer like me? I can fight up close or at range, and I can teach you some useful tricks while we're at it." Jezibel said.

Tanni hummed, deep in thought.

"That would be nice, but both you and just about everyone in our country is a tamer. I don't want to be doing the same thing and everybody else."

"You're a picky girl, aren't you?" Jezibel sighed.

"It's a good thing if you ask me. A fighting path you like will push you ahead; there's no need to rush. In any case, if you don't like the previous suggestions, how about throwing weapons? With a javelin or a throwing axe, you'll be able to-"

Before I could finish my sentence, an enormous mana pillar to the north rose to the sky, tearing apart the clouds as it raced upwards, far beyond the limits of my sight. A powerful gust of wind blew against our manor, flying over our heads and whistling as it pushed against the edges of the roof. With it, came a massive wave of mana that filled every corner of the estate.

We need to speak, my champion. Come to my altar without delay.

Lady Mett spoke to me, before her voice vanished.

"Jezibel, take your siblings and get inside. We'll talk later." I said, turning around and moving towards Lady Mett's altar on our manor.

I moved through door after door, passing by my panicked and confused retainers calming down as they watched my confident stride through the halls. As a noble, I could not afford to

demonstrate anything less than total confidence, or else I would be failing in my duties towards them.

Soon, I found an isolated door, decorated with an image of Lady Mett raising a scale in one hand and holding a sword in another. I respectfully opened the door and gently closed it behind me, where a marble statue of my Goddess stood on a pedestal in the same pose as the one on the door.

I took a knee before the alter and bowed my head and closed my eyes before putting my hands together in prayer. The statue of the Goddess glowed softly, and I was transported into the Garden of the Gods.

I presumed Lady Mett was in front of me, but I remained in the same posture all the same.

"Rise, my champion. We have much to speak of, and little time to go through it all." She said stoically, and I moved to obey her.

"I have summoned you to tell you of the cataclysm that has struck our continent. This information is strictly confidential, and I order you to share it only with your father, Duke Sept, and your most trusted aides."

I bowed my head.

"Your wish is my command, my lady."

"...May I speak, Lady Mett?" "You may."

***

"I understand that you have commanded me to stay away from any further battles, but I implore you to reconsider. While I may be crippled, I can still use my skills and incantations! I can activate Descent of the Goddess once m-"

"Nicotris, enough!" Lady Mett shouted, and I shrank back in shame.

"I had not stepped in your way when you undertook a dangerous expedition against the Assassin's Guild, since you were fulfilling your duties as both a noble and as my champion. Risking one's life in strife against evil is a sacred duty that deserves the highest honors, and even I have no right to intervene against it. However-" she said, her voice growing harsher, "-there is a difference between taking on a risk and committing suicide. Even if you sacrificed the life you've been granted once more, you won't be able to manifest me for so much as a second!" She scolded.

I went down to my hands and knees, with my head and nose thrown straight into the dirt.

"Lady Mett, forgive me, but I cannot stand by and watch while innocents die! Especially not when I may be able to trade the few years I have left for decades in exchange!" I pleaded, desperate for my God to grant me permission to fight.

Lady Mett sighed, then stepped forward and held my shoulders. I raised my head to meet hers.

"You have already done your duty, dear child. You've already traded away most of your life in protection of foreign, commoner people. How much time do you have left?" she asked.

I used [Appraisal] on myself to bring up my status. ...

Status Effects:

[Borrowed Time]

...

I used appraisal once more on the status effect, revealing its description. [Borrowed Time]

Unique Status Effect. You should have died, yet you haven't. And yet, you're not alive either. The process that brought you back took its toll on you, and it's only a matter of time before what should have been is going to be.

Status effect cannot be removed. All racial traits, class skills, evolutions, and class advancements are sealed. All attributes are reduced to a level 1, rank F creature of the afflicted's evolution line. Countdown to true death: 43,110:42:58.

"I have 43,110 hours left to live, Lady Mett." I said solemnly. "Almost a month short of five years." Lady Mett sighed.

She stood up and gently pulled me up by the shoulder.

"You have only one duty now, my champion, which can be more challenging than any you've held before; believe in me and everyone else who are searching for a way to ensure your survival. Believe in our ability to maintain order and uphold justice without having to rely on a crippled veteran who already gave her life in service of those very ideals." Lady Mett said kindly, and I felt shame at troubling her so welling up within me.

"In any case, I recommend that you go back to the courtyard before you go to make your report to the duke; I believe you'll find a surprise waiting for you." She said with a smile, as the garden began glowing, and my vision faded.

I found myself back at the altar.

I stood up and traced my steps back to the open courtyard, where I ended up seeing Jezibel.

"Nico? Your goddess asked me to come here. Do you know what this is about?" she asked.

I was about to shake my head when the sound of thunder striking right over our heads grabbed our attention. A winged boy had stopped above before descending to the ground next to us.

"Ati!" Jezibel yelled in surprise.

The boy nodded towards us.

"My greetings, Lady Sept, Jezibel. I decided to come here after seeing the mana pillar – I figured that you may know what is going on and what we should do about it." He said with a faint smile.

I sighed, then smiled back at him.

"Your timing is perfect. We've got a lot to do."