The New Gate

Volume 17 Side Story Part 1

After being freed from the demons’ control and fighting alongside Shin to defeat Scoruas and Adara, Milt started living with the church.

The assault on the Summit Faction had succeeded thanks to her ability in battle, earning her a degree of credibility from the knights of the church.

In order to atone for the guilt of participating in the kidnapping of the Holy Woman, Milt’s next goal was to earn the trust of those who worked for the church but not through her skills on the battlefield.

“So, why should I dress like that?”

Milt asked the female elf next to her, while looking at the robe supplied to her. The elf was Lilishila, a priestess who helped Shin during the Holy Woman rescue mission.

“Miss Milt, you will be helping the church’s activities for the community. I understand that you have not become a believer, but we will attract unwanted attention if you participate in our sisters’ and apprentices’ services with an outfit different from them. We live every day upholding our faith above all else, but even so, sometimes malicious thoughts are born even in our hearts. Frankly, I do not know how effective this measure will be, though.”

Few people were aware of Milt’s reasons for helping the church’s activities, but there was always a chance the information could leak. Lilishila concluded by saying that the less attention she attracted, the better.

There were some in the church who, while they were aware of Milt’s exploits in battle, doubted she would act properly in other situations.

“We are indebted to Lord Shin and his companions in many ways. They say that you are not a bad person, so please do not betray their trust. Am I clear?”

“Egh…yes.”

Milt couldn’t refuse if Lilishila explained it that way. She didn’t want to imagine what would have happened if her mind control wasn’t broken.

To suffer defeat after fighting head-on with a strong warrior was perfectly acceptable, but to be manipulated and bent to someone’s will was the worst possible situation for Milt.

“Well, what kind of work should I help with?”

“Chores such as cleaning the sanctuary and preparing meals for our believers and workers, personal training, and various other things. Normally we would assign you a sister as an instructor, but considering your circumstances, you will have to learn the basics by yourself.”

“W-well, that’s a mouthful…”

The list of jobs assigned to the sisters seemed to be endless, so Milt started wondering if they were all Chosen Ones. Since Lilishila also mentioned training, it was clear that they did not only do community service.

“Why do sisters train too? They don’t go into battle, do they?”

Milt looked at the sisters they saw in passing while they went to Lilishila’s room. It didn’t look like they had any skills useful in battle.

“Sisters mainly learn healing arts. Once they become skilled enough, they are sent to churches across the continent. In some places, healing potions are a rare commodity, so they learn the skills necessary to help as many people as possible.”

Some sisters aimed to become church knights, so they also learned battle arts and underwent training for actual fighting.

“Miss Milt, you will join the church knight apprentices for training. Even in the church, there are few people with your level of battle prowess, so I am sure you will be an excellent stimulus for them.”

“It feels like the more you explain, the more my workload increases…”

Milt couldn’t help but think that it would have been so much easier to fight monsters or Summit Faction members with the other church knights.

“This concludes my explanation. If you don’t have any questions, I would like you to start right away.”

“Oh, excuse me, it’s not an actual question, but can I ask just one thing?”

Lilishila seemed puzzled by Milt’s choice of words, and the latter continued while pinching her robe.

“It’s too tight on the chest area, could I have a larger size?”

“…we will have to order a special size for you.”

Lilishila looked at the tight robe, which seemed ready to burst at any moment, with a tense expression.

◆◆◆◆

Milt had been fighting monsters day in, day out for a long time, so life in the church was a whole new experience.

Things didn’t go too well in the beginning, but thanks to her high stats and her efforts, she became able to handle three sisters’ share of work by herself every day.

One day, Milt was told by Lilishila to come to the training grounds, having recalled being told that training was part of her job too.

The church had a large number of believers and many people visited it every day. Milt first took the chores lightly but was surprised by how many things there were to do.

“I was so busy that I completely forgot about training, I tell you.”

“Normally, training begins at a later stage. It would take a toll on the body if one isn’t used to the lifestyle here, but you have more energy than the average apprentice, Miss Milt. Please mind your speech, though.”

For a woman to have physical skills surpassing men was one of the advantages of being a Chosen One. Though there still were people to be respected even if you were stronger than them physically.

In Milt’s case, that person was Lilishila.

“I will be more careful. By the way, I don’t have to wear the usual robe, do I?”

Milt was wearing her 『Oriental Battle Garb』 and the rest of her usual equipment.

Milt was told her opponent was a knight chosen among the civilians. They were going to train for battle, but if she wore Legendary-grade gear it wouldn’t be much of a training session for them.

“You will fight against one of the church’s Chosen Ones; to show the soldiers how strong a Chosen One can be is also part of our job. Please do control your strength carefully.”

“Ooh, I see, so I have to play the monster role.”

No matter how much one might read and hear about something, there were many things that could be truly understood only by witnessing them directly.

The danger and strength of a high-level monster were taught by using a Chosen One with powers on the same level.

The training grounds were the same as Milt remembered when Shin showed them to her.

Lilishila and Milt used teleportation to go to an underground facility of the training area. It was a room surrounded by solid walls, so those who didn’t belong to the guild could also use it.

There were about 50 people in the training area, all wearing similar equipment. The only differences probably depended on their various specialties.

Armored knights had maces and large shields, so they were easy to tell.

The other soldiers had similar armor but different weapons: bow and arrow, greatswords, spear, etc. Their roles were clearly expressed.

All soldiers present looked at Lilishila and Milt when they entered. Most of them seemed to wonder why a child had been brought to the grounds, however.

They looked puzzled probably because they had talked to her before or at least noticed her doing chores with the other sisters.

Milt couldn’t help but notice something, however.

Regardless of the emotions projected towards her, many of the gazes were pointed not at her face, but lower than that.

It was likely because most of the soldiers on the grounds were male.

The robe she usually wore had been made especially for Milt, so it kept her physical features hidden.

Instead, the 『Oriental Battle Garb』 showed her physical assets clearly, so even the knights that were already familiar with her to a degree couldn’t help but look.

“I see some of you know Miss Milt already. She will be your virtual enemy today. She is a very powerful Chosen One, so do not underestimate her because of her looks.”

Many of the knights were surprised by Lilishila’s words. Some of those who weren’t probably perceived Milt’s strength already.

“The rest is up to you, Miss Milt.”

Milt nodded and materialized her 『Breogand』.

Again, the knights were shocked by the sudden appearance of the giant weapon. It was longer than Milt was tall, after all.

Milt lightly spun 『Breogand』 to signal the knight in charge of supervising the training that she was ready to go. The knight replied that she could start whenever she wanted, so Milt’s lips curved into a feral smile.

The knights’ opponent was a creature much more powerful than them, an enemy they couldn’t afford taking their eyes off for one second. She was going to pound this teaching into their bodies.