Azimuth: The Elden Throne

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After a few minutes of many stories from the past, people he met, places he visited, and monsters he killed, Sarferato finally stopped talking with a light sigh as he touched the coffin of the Great Commander.

"..."

And with a serious expression, he reached out for his shirt, pulling something from within:

[Sarael's Ervih Promise (Luminous)]

"?!"

It was a small ornamented leather belt wrapped around and tied with a simple brown string.

It looked old, but not worn out, it was sturdy and somewhat sleek.

An item of great power, that's for sure.

"Before our fight with the Devil, do remember how I went to collect some Artifacts in case we needed their strength?"

"Although we didn't, which is good, after the fight ended, I went to return them as you were unconscious."

"There, I met Kuddan, who said that I could keep them, saying that the 'spirits' within them felt more at ease in my hands rather than on display beneath his house."

"And despite my greed telling me to bring all of them with me, we don't have many with the qualifications to wield them; But without a proper user, instead of tools, these become possible hazards to the people, as merely holding one could lead to their deaths."

"I just chose this one in the end because it felt right to me."

"I don't need it, and after what you've done, it's 'yours' by right." He said as Dale grabbed the Belt

"..."

"Though be aware we're more of borrowing it from the Karkavan than anything, it's just that… We'll be borrowing it for a while."

"... I see."

'I didn't expect there to be such rewards, how nice...'

'The Karkavan never gave us anything for helping them, but then again, it was a problem concerning the wellbeing of everyone that lived in and outside of the forest, I never expected any reward to begin within, their faith in me and the Reputation from defeating such a foe was enough to satisfy me.'

'There was a time when I would want their items, and I still want them but I can't say they're that necessary now.'

'I still have my reward chests to open and many Skills to master, I'm afraid that by the time I actually need them they won't be as much of use to me as my current Armor is.'

'But this belt… It's not for me, as much as I would want it to.'

Dale turned to Erile.

"Here, it's yours." He said as he handed her the belt

"W-W-What?! I-I'm not worth of it…" She said in an extremely flustered state as she swung her hands around

"... This is not an item meant for a warrior, it possesses the power of the Spirits, beings who are calm and pacific by nature." Dale said with a plain face as he started to lie

"It cannot stand blood… Coming from an unjust cause."

"Does that mean you're unjust? Or that you plan to be?" Sarferato asked with a chuckle on the side

"Ha... You could say I'm hypocritical, that wouldn't be wrong either." Dale replied as he inspected the belt

'The description remains the same, this means the Spirits haven't yet recognized me.'

'But through my Status page, I can tell they're watching me.'

'Maybe things will change once I receive their recognition, but for now, she is the best candidate.'

'Even if she kills someone, in her entire life, how many times would that happen? For the sacred saintess to be forced to such degree?'

'If there ever comes a time she's wielding a weapon and charging into a battlefield... This would mean that I failed to protect her as I said I would.'

'Besides, it's not like she is the Saint of the God of War and Blood…'

'If she was, then I wouldn't be offering her such a thing.'

'Though... Is there even such God? Maybe it's time for a theology class…'

"... You're not unjust." Erile mumbled in a low tone as she held the belt tightly

"Hm? Pardon, could you repeat that?" Dale asked as he turned his head

He obviously heard her, but he acted as if he had not.

He was flattered by her opinion of him, and because that caused him to be flustered as well, he ended up opting to feign ignorance...

"Eh? I, uh… Thanks… I'll take good care of it." She said as she turned her expression to the side.

/Smile/

Dale smiled, it was better like this.

Even if Erile didn't meet the requirements to fully use the item, over time, she would be able to fully activate it and grow considerably stronger.

He wasn't sure what a Saintess needed to become stronger, he expected the prayer of others and her faith to be the solution, but time would tell if that was the case.

"..."

/Smirk.../

Just when Dale felt this little interaction had ended, he saw David wink at him in approval... It almost caused him to berate the statue...

In the end, he controlled himself.

"Be mindful little girl, although the belt remains calm, you can never tell if it'll go berserk, it is a Karkavan Artifact after all." Sarferato added on the side

"I wouldn't recommend trying to wear it yet, as it would be best to focus on your training first before trying anything."

"It isn't a toy, its powers far transcend its appearance, never underestimate what it can do. I chose it because it felt the least overbearing of the Artifacts, but even such unimpressive power can be fatal for an ordinary person."

"And although you're not an ordinary person, I still wouldn't recommend seeking danger out of your own accord... If you feel anything wrong, make sure to call this lad over here." He said as he tapped Dale's shoulder

"Me?..."

'What can I even do though?'

"I understand, I'll take good care of it." She said with a smile as she placed the belt around David's head

And albeit he didn't react at all, Dale saw his eyes moving around for a moment to look at him before going back to normal.

'This guy sure likes to move around… He must've caused quite the degree of paranoia back in the Church he came from…'

"In any case, I still have something to talk about with Dale, could you wait outside for a little moment? We'll be done in a minute." He asked as he looked at her

"..."

/Nod/

Erile nodded sheepishly as she turned around, giving the two one last long before walking away to the door.

"... Before we start talking, can I ask how you brought her here and why? Not really trying to judge you or anything, but it's quite the…"

"Reckless action? You could say so, it was more due to chance."

"Although... You don't think there was a chance for anything to go wrong with me here do you?" He asked with a smirk as he looked at Dale

"..."

'He's grown quite... Enthusiastic since I met him last time.'

'Is this his younger personality resurfacing? Or was this how he always was? Something he suppressed as he grew older?'

"... I came here to Medidate because I felt it was necessary to face this past at least one last time before focusing on what I'm supposed to do ahead."

"..."

"You… You're not going to ask what that is?" He asked with a light smile as he patted his shoulder

"... Sigh, and that is?"

"Heh, training you to the bone of course!"

/Sparks!/

Red lightning sparks began to travel through the course of his skin, a looming foreshadowing of what Dale was about to go through.

"And the others too as well… My job has only started."

"It's about time I came out of retirement, I left my son alone doing all the heavy lifting for too long... No wonder I don't have a grandson yet with him all busy despite already having a partner."

"Hm... He's quite like you in that regard... Sigh."

"..."

"As for that young lady… I met her on my way here, she was all excited about going beyond the first floor… I couldn't refuse her, she's too sweet."

"She feels like the daughter I never had... Or granddaughter? Hum... Maybe I should push that son of mine a little more, he's pretty old already."

'Is it in our blood to have children at a late age? My father had me when he was in his 30's but my son...'

"Is she?" Dale asked as he scratched his head

'Last time when I spoke with her, she looked rather calm and collected, sometimes she would talk a lot but in a sense, I can see her being sweet like that.'

"Hooo… You don't expect a lady to act the same way to a boy her age as compared to an old fossil such as me, aye? Be more mindful if you wish to get a chance."

"... Fine, you have a point… In any case, was this what you wanted to talk about?"

"In part, yes."

"I'll be training you from now on together with the Witch and… Qrubin as well."

"!... So you know he's alive?" Dale asked in surprised

"Alive may be an overstatement of his current condition but yes, he is barely hanging on… That madman… He did something so utterly inconceivable... Convincing the Church to perform Dark Magic..."

"This only shows to prove they're also people in the end, that there's nothing someone won't break to achieve their goals..."

He looked at the ground for a moment before continuing.

"I met him yesterday, or better put, he pulled me in forcefully."

"He spoke with me about you and his plans for the future as well… And we reached a consensus about it all."

"From now on, you'll be receiving combat training from me while studying with Qrubin, the Witch will teach you in her own way so to speak."

"It doesn't look like I have a choice…"

"You do have one, I just thought you would be swimming in happiness for this opportunity," Sarferato said with a smile as he looked at Dale's expression

"... Tsk."

'Looks like I'll suffer even more than before.'

Dale would always accept a willing teacher. He needed them desperately after all.

"We still have to figure out the matter of a schedule, but I'm sure we'll figure it all out eventually."

"And you won't have to worry about your own either, I know you're busy trying to solve all kinds of problems around the Village as well, just make sure to call me if you ever need assistance with anything."

"Because even if I can't provide you with help, I can at least show you someone that can, don't forget the others, they're all elites that wouldn't lose to the standards of the Corps."

"If you leave them hanging, they'll get rusty or worse, bored, don't let their training and talents go to waste."

"But for now, however, you need to rest kid; It hasn't been very long since the fight and…"

"I'm fine, my body healed on the same day almost. By now I'm pretty much in my best condition." Dale said as he cut him off

"... Looks like the Ritual worked… But that doesn't change anything, I need to teach you some theory first, it won't last long anyway."

'A strong body that heals from such gruesome wounds within a day or two... We'll have to test its limits soon enough.'

"I thought that in your case, instead of jumping straight into combat, I should at least fill some gaps in your understanding so we'll be reading some books and the like."

"I've talked with your teacher as well, Testros, he told me quite a bit about you, but I need to see it all for myself."

'What I saw in the forest wasn't the real him, he was berserk at the time, I can't draw any conclusions from that experience.'

'Aside from the fact this boy is immeasurably strong for what he was supposed to be...'

"... There's much to discuss, we'll talk on the way back as we shouldn't make her wait long." He said as he walked past Dale

"..."

/Clench…/

Dale clenched his fists.

'It starts now.'

'I have two months before my trip to the South…'

'I'll finish everything until then.'

"Kid? Do you need some time or…"

"I'm going."

/Turn around… Echo…/

With silent steps echoing in the tomb of Heroes, Dale left to fulfill his own destiny.

/CLUNK!/

The large metallic doors of the hall were closed and sealed, and the Heroes of old resumed their slumber.

Thus… Time passed.

/Two Months Later…/

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Notes

Yay, I finally reached the place I wanted to.

There's a LOT left to be discussed, but I'll introduce those details as we go, I have most of them noted down anyway.

Quests and Items, you guessed it, that's about it anyway, see ya!

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