Chapter 32

Humans are fragile. Demons, on the other hand, with their innately robust bodily structure and heightened physical capabilities, possess formidable, mysterious magical power. There is no point in comparing the two. That is why since time immemorial, humans have harnessed the power of the gods who watch over this world from on high—or the elemental spirits that inhabit it—in order to somehow survive in this frenetic maelstrom. Humanity builds temples and offers up tributes and prayers to these gods responsible for blessing a hero with their divine protection. These deities and the various elemental spirits are equally essential. Their very existence bears the same important meaning as Naotsugu Toudou, the hero summoned from another world, bestowed with vast divine protection and innate talents and fated to defeat the Demon Lord. The trials and tribulations that awaited Holy Warrior Naotsugu Toudou and her party in Golem Valley eclipsed even those they had faced in Yutith’s Tomb. The valley’s golem inhabitants possess the highest life force among all monsters in the Kingdom of Ruxe, the governing body that has summoned the Holy Warrior. The Kingdom’s royal knights also use this area as their official training grounds against the powerful golems. Toudou has been hurrying along in her journey with the goal of restoring peace to the Kingdom as quickly as possible. She battled the golems with the intention of leveling up, and at her initial low level, they proved to be truly formidable foes. Although Toudou and her party felt severely overwhelmed, fate appeared to guide them to the half giant Wurtz Beld, a valiant monk with the Church of Ahz Gried, and Carina Capp, a saintly woman who has kept watch over Golem Valley for decades. Under their tutelage, the party learned how to harness the power that lay dormant within them. The party saw their talents quickly blossom with the help of their innate abilities and strict hands-on training. At last they were able to drive back the scores of golems that stood in their way along their path to the far reaches of Golem Valley. It is here where Toudou’s party first met a skilled priest and elementalist named Stephenne Veronide. The daughter of a cardinal, Stephenne thoroughly observed Toudou’s party’s battle tactics and offered a bit of counsel. “You must head to Cloudburst, the water capital, and enter a covenant with a grand elemental spirit. It will prove to be a strong asset in your quest to defeat the Demon Lord.” Acting as the voice of God, Stephenne’s counsel does not go unheeded, and the party—Naotsugu Toudou, Holy Warrior; Limis Al Friedia, elementalist; Aria Rizas, sword master; Glacia, glacial plant dragon—decides to head for the water capital, Cloudburst. Their goal is to enter a covenant with the grand water elemental spirit—a supreme being and essentially a part of nature itself. To accomplish such a feat is a significant achievement even for a typical mage; for Toudou’s party, on their quest to defeat the Demon Lord, it is a path they cannot evade.