Sekai no Owari no Encore Volume 2 Interval

Interval: Sword Saint

Holy Land Canaan——

Among the five continents of the world, to the west of the vast ocean was Sierra Continent. More colloquially named “The Red Continent”, there was a flourishing metropolis along its coast.

This was an arid region entirely carpeted by reddish earth and sand.

Originally, people were searching for a certain tiny oasis in this dry landscape. For that purpose, they gradually built a city. And the origin of the said oasis traced back to (UNDINE)Ancestral Spirit of Water. Supposedly that was how Spirit-worship in Holy Land Canaan began.

Wild winds mixed with red sand raged across the Holy Land. In the center stood a huge temple. Deep inside was a grand holy chamber which ordinary people were forbidden from entering.

“The Room of Prayers”

It was a beautiful space embellished by stained-glass windows and brass candlesticks.

Standing in front of the altar——

“How long do you plan on sneaking around for?”

A young girl in a golden priest robe.

She appeared to be around fifteen years of age. Even an overestimate would only place her at sixteen or seventeen.
She had a lovely appearance, but her dark green eyes held a stern and sublime ambience. Sunlight showered upon her through the stained-glass window, projecting the colors on her hair, truly a sight which will leave quite an impression.

Saint Elies.

Elies Sia Rin Kale.

She was the Holy Maiden who embodied the Spirit-worship of Holy Land Canaan in its entirety. Her fame had spread far and wide. Suddenly, she turned away from the huge altar.

“Karei.”

“Ah, I’ve been discovered?”

The mischievous voice of a young girl.

At a corner of the Room of Prayers, the surrounding space suddenly began to ripple like a mirage. Then, without any noticeable signs, a young black-haired girl emerged next to the wall decorated with brass candlesticks.

She wore a specially designed robe which exposed her shoulders.

(ENCHANTER)Barrier Setter, Karei.

She was an important memberof “Melody of Spirits”, a party that bore the reputation of being the strongest in the modern age.
Much like how “Sword Saint” was only bestowed upon (MASTER)Knights of the highest level, Karei ranked the highest among (ENCHANTER)Barrier Setters and held the title of “Great Miko”.

She was a top-class spellcaster. Those who strived to become (ENCHANTER)Barrier Setters had all heard of her name.

“Did you obtain permission from the guards at the entrance?”

“You mean those hulking men? If that’s the case, then you better have them undergo more training. I passed right by them without being detected.”

The guards outside the Room of Prayers weren’t the only people she fooled.

Since she first entered the temple, not a single person detected her presence, even though she had passed by a “Sacred Vessel of Canaan Pilgrimage” gathering made up of several dozens of spellcasters.

Concealment barrier.

A barrier spellcraft which caused spatial interference. Light, sound, scent, and even breathing can be isolated from the outside of the barrier. But to cast this spellcraft with such level of mastery, the humans who can do it numbered no more than five.

“So? Where is that beloved leader of yours?”

“Shion said he’ll be a bit late. As for me, I came early to deliver that message. Sorry about that, not being able to make it on time.”

“No matter, it’s like this every time. Having this Sword Saint show up on schedule will only cause people to think too much.”

“On that, I agree.”

Karei gave an apologetic smile while shrugging her slender shoulders.

“We happened to stop by Valley of the Dragon on our way here to investigate some things which seemed to have caught his interest. Because of that he said he’ll come after he look around for a bit.”

“You went there? To Re Inferiel?”

An unexplored region known as “the Sanctuary of Dragons”.

It was a place full of mysteries, many of which remain unsolved to this day.
And the biggest enigma of them all: why did countless number of Dragons choose this place to inhabit?

The world was vast. With mindful searching, there shouldn’t be a shortage of more suitable places. And if they felt like it, they could quickly subjugate human cities and claim the lands as their own.

However, they did neither.

To the Dragon race, perhaps the unexplored region of Re Inferiel was a place of value. Many parties had been drawn by this mystery and attempted to challenge Valley of the Dragon, only to be miserably driven out. There had been rare cases in the past where Dragons permitted humans to pass through the valley, but no one knew under what circumstances.
At a place like this——

“What, exactly, are you investigating?”

“Ah, about that——

Karei hadn’t finished her sentence……

“The Spirits are afraid. Elies, haven’t you also been worried about that?”

Calm voices echoed gently in the room.

“Before I got here, I saw members of ‘Sacred Vessel of Canaan Pilgrimage’ at several ruins. Did you not dispatch people to places all over the world, to check up on the important Spirits?”

A blond swordsman stood at the entrance.

He was still rather young.

Saint Elies looked to be around fifteen years of age, and this swordsman looked no more than twenty-five.

His golden locks were elegant like silk, and his purple eyes left a deep impression.

His face gave off an unwavering aura mixed with a slight hint of femininity, he had a perfect smile which was mild and neutral. Only the twin swords on his back gave him the appearance of a swordsman.

His attire was also drastically different from the usual armor worn by other swordsmen. He wore a pale blue coat designed for travel.

——“Sword Saint” Shion.

He was an adventurer of numerous merits and achievements, leading the currently top-ranked “Melody of Spirits”and traveling all over the world. He had already conquered many unexplored regions. As a swordsman, he was nothing short of a prodigy, his skills were more than enough to challenge “Knight King” Zelblight of “Elmekia Dusk” for the title of the mightiest.

Sword Saint Shion smiled quietly, raising a hand:

“Yo, Elies. Long time no see, you look rather energetic, that’s good.”

“Not at all. The worship period only ended yesterday, I’ve been locked inside here for a week with no food, no drink, and no sleep or rest.”

“That is to be expected, for your responsibilities to be so important. After all, you are a Holy Maiden.”

Shion kept smiling without hesitation.

The young female leader of Holy Land Canaan sighed, hands on hips:

“…… By the way, going back to earlier, you also think the current situation with Spirits is strange, right? And you went to Valley of the Dragon to investigate, what’s going on?”

“Ah. But I’m saying this beforehand, I’m not like you, I can’t hear the Spirits. I only know faintly that they are in a strange situation. But to my knowledge, such phenomenon happened once in the past.”

“There had been such an event before with all the Spirits being terrified?”

“The war from three hundred years ago, to be exact.”

The Sword Saint’s words echoed through the beautiful Room of Prayers.

Apocalyptic War——

The war story brought into being by the legendary Brave Hero Eleline, and the Three Great Princesses who followed him.

No human knew the entirety of it.

In the historical records of that time period, only the events from that war got destroyed, as if someone had intentionally cut it out of this world’s timeline.

“And because of that, you went to the valley?”

“Right, even though I realize the futility of it. I just had a feeling that, among the Dragons who dwell there, there’s got to be one that knew about the war.”

The young swordsman nodded with a bland expression.

“I’ve journeyed around the world, investigating various places, doing some predictions on my own. But when it came down to it, there’s this thing I must ensure no matter what.”

“Encore, I assume?”

“Correct. The records left behind by Brave Hero Eleline. If my predictions serve me right, all speculations up till now can be proven as facts.”

“Speculations?”

“I’m not so sure myself, which is why I want to hear your opinion…… Karei.”

“Fine, fine.”

With a nod from the Sword Saint, the young female (ENCHANTER)Barrier Setter responded by shutting the door and locking it.

Immediately afterwards……

“I’m about to seal off this place, is that alright?”

Barrier spellcraft.

A magic circle appeared underneath Karei’s feet and expanded instantly, encircling the entire chamber.

——Absolute silence.

——A sealed, stagnate space. Not only sound, even airflow was stopped.

“Such tight security. Is it something not even my subordinates can hear?”

“That is up to your judgement. I’m only doing this because I don’t know if people of this world can remain calm after hearing what I’m about to say.”

“It can cause mass-panic?”

“…… I cannot deny that.”

Shion can only answer with a troubled grin.

The dual-wielding blond swordsman slowly shifted his gaze towards the atrium.

“Now, where should I start? Well, I suppose first up is the beginning of everything……”