CH 193

Chapter 193

Those Who Take Each Other's Hands : Act 1 Summary

Translated by KaiesV

Edited by KaiesV

（Alfiris’ Allies）

Alfiris was born with such power that she was shunned for her existence. Raised to hide for a long time, she sets out on a journey to see a world she hasn’t yet seen upon the death of her master. What she has come to think about doing is described at the end of Act 1, and for that reason, there will be hardships awaiting her yet unseen in the future.

Alfiris : The protagonist of this work. She is a magic swordswoman mercenary. She has sealed her vast magical power with a Curse Mark.

Miranda : Sister of the Church Of Arnelia. A close friend of Alfiris. She has an immortal body and has already lived 300 years.

Lisa : A sensor who travels with Alfiris in exchange for Miliazar.

Nia : She is a soldier of Gruzald, but accompanies Alfiris for her military training.

Fenna : A Seeker (Dark Elf) royalty. She has been missing since their fight with Lifeless.

Kazas : A young genius who became a professor at the age of 14. He has been missing since their battle with Lifeless.

Euthy : She is a water fairy, but she is more mundane than human and very talkative. She aspires to be a Higher Spirit.

Aerial : The caretaker of the Prairie. She will leave the Prairie for Alfiris and follow her.

Kaede : Miranda’s bodyguard in the dark side of the Arnelian religion, sent by Miliazar.

Lanna : A Sister of Darkness with the blood of a succubus, raised by the White Witch Fairtuse.

Gwendolf : A legendary True Dragon, he is the one who watches over Alfiris.

Ilmatar : Although she has been a True Dragon since her birth, she adores Alfiris as her mother.

（Arnelia Church）

It’s an organization that has existed on the continent for nearly 800 years under the banner of charity and salvation. Its influence has reached so many countries that there is virtually no nation that can ignore the existence of the Arnelian religion. Although statues of Saint Arnelia are placed in each church, Arnellia is only an idol, a reminder for those on the border to govern their own behavior. By no means do they worship Arnelia as a god.

They’re an organization created by the current head of the church, Miliazar, and she has played a number of human beings until now while changing her appearance. Of course, she’s not human, but the last of an extinct species of fiends that died out long ago.

Most of the Arnelia officials are sisters, priests, and other non-combatants, but they have their own fighting force, the Templar Knights, to hunt fiends. The『Pilgrims』or those who have been selected only for their abilities, are also at the disposal of Miliazar, who also has a dark organization known as the『Mouthless.』

Miliazar : Church Of Arnelia’s Master Bishop. Her true identity is a fiend who lives for nearly 1,000 years.

Kuchinashi (Yuko) : A woman who is the head of the「Mouthless,」the dark section of the Arnelian Church. She usually serves Miliazar as a female courtesan.

Albert : He’s the top knight of the Church Of Arnelia. He is said to be one of the best swordsman on the continent.

Rafferty : Brother of Albert. He is a temple knight and a married man.

Beliace : A mermaid picked up by the Arnelian Church. She is also Rafferty’s wife.

Mordæd : Albert and Rafferty’s father, also a Templar Knight.

Manadil : One of the Church Of Arnelia’s Archbishops.

Dryd : One of the Church Of Arnelia’s Archbishops.

Minar : One of the Church Of Arnelia’s Archbishops.

Roxanne : Elven swordswoman. She is a guard of the Deep Green Palace. A close friend of Beliace.

Jake : He was raised by Lisa and is also her fiancé. He is training to become a full-fledged knight in the Arnelian Religion.

Elsa : A Sister specialized in combat, with a pilgrimage mission in the Arnelian Religion.

Eliza : Albert’s cousin. A Templar Knight who works with Elsa.

（The Black Magicians）

These are the mages encountered by Alfiris and her allies in the course of their journey. There is much that is unknown about their purpose. Many hypotheses can be made, but no one has yet reached a point of certainty. It is possible, however, that no one but their head, Aurangzebul, knows about their purpose.

It seems that they are planning something by mass producing Archfiends. Furthermore, there is a possibility that the individual is a Great Archfiend-class user.

It will be interesting to see how they will get involved in the world and in Alfiris.

Aurangzebul : He is the leader of the Black Magicians and one of the legendary Five Sages. He is of High Elven origin.

Hidden : He is a kind of secretary to Aurangzebul. He is called「Dearest Brother」by everyone.

Lifeless : Graham, the Heroic King in history. He is a character who likes to fight.

Doom : An evil spirit and a human quarter. He is cruel and shows interest in Lisa.

Anomaly : One who manages the workshop where Archfiends are made. A hedonist.

Silence : He is a mage who goes by the nickname「The Puppet Master.」

Dragleo : He is known as the「Beast Master.」He excels at hand-to-hand combat. He is also known as “The Idiot.”

Bloody Maria : At first glance, she looks very young, but she’s one or two of their best. Usually, she’s playing cat.

Titania : The Sword Emperor herself in history. She is called the greatest swordsman in human history.

Calamity : A woman handling insects. She seems to be undercover somewhere.

??? : The boy’s name has not been revealed, but he’s extremely talented. He seems to know everything…?

（The Magic Association）

The organization is said to have been founded by people who were given knowledge by a True Dragon in the primordial age. Although it has a very long history from its predecessor, it is only in the last few hundred years that it has entered the current system as an organization. Rather than having some clear purpose, it is more significant as a gathering place for those who study magic. Of course, they sometimes lends their assistance in times of human emergencies, such as the defeat of the Great Archfiends.

The organization is made up of many factions, and there is no unified chain of command. Because of this, even the head of the group may not be able to fully grasp their behavior, and sometimes people appear to run amok.

It’s their duty to protect talented people as early as possible by using astrology and other methods, and to guide them correctly by providing them with the appropriate education. However, Alfiris was somehow omitted from their protection, and a conquering force was sent in to conquer the area in an unorthodox manner.

For this reason, there is a faction that still considers Alfiris, who had defeated their conquering force, to be in danger.

Tetrastin : He is the current head of the Magic Association. Although he looks like a boy, he has remained in shape for 60 years.

Rishi : Tetrastin’s secretary and bodyguard. She is also said to haven’t changed her appearance at all for 60 years.

（Touma Kyoukai）

It’s an organization that exists on the eastern continent, which is different from the continent where Alfiris and her group are located. It is a group that specializes in combat, and although there aren’t that many of them, they are all elite.

The four families that have been successful in defeating demons in the East were in charge, but for the first time in recent years, a person other than one of the four families has become the head of the organization. Since then, they have been defeating demons at breakneck speed, and their influence cannot be ignored in the countries of the eastern continent.

And what will they target next…?

Jōgi Hakuraku : The head of Touma Kyoukai. He is arrogant and quite capable. He is also a man of intrigue and ambition.

Kyojō Shino : She is the first head of the Kyojō family, a prominent family in the Touma Kyoukai. She is a priestess of tremendous power, but is quite natural and screwed up.

Shinonome Ouka : A samurai in service to Shino.

Miyagi Shikibu : A warrior priestess in service to Shino.

（Vandal Valthus Blackhawk）

They’re a mercenary group that is said to be the strongest on the continent. Alfiris had fought a battle with the 3rd Squad, but was beaten unilaterally at that time. Each one of them is a brave warrior who has fought many battles in the past, especially Valthus, the leader of the group, who is said to be the best swordsman on the continent.

The group’s activities are mainly in the western part of the war-torn continent, and these days they are mainly hunting Archfiends. Incidentally, Alfiris is acquainted with the second and third squadrons, and once had a victory party for the battle of the Archfiends at Zeldes’ restaurant, who was the captain of the fourth squadron.

Valthus : Commander of the Blackhawks, the continent’s most powerful mercenary group. His nickname is「The Mad Beast.」

Betts : The second-in-command of Blackhawks. His nickname is「The Monster.」Originally from a prominent samurai family.

Max : Captain of the 1st Squad. His nickname is「The Snake Eyes.」He is always accompanied by his subordinates called Lovers.

Rui : Captain of the 2nd Squad. He is a former military man and his nickname is「Iceblade.」She is fond of Alfiris.

Lexus : He is the deputy captain of the 2nd Squad. His nickname is「The Grim Reaper.」At first glance, he appears to be an oddball, but he is very skilled.

Zelver : Captain of the 3rd Squad. Formerly a soldier, his nickname is「Hard Sword.」

Zeldos : Captain of the 4th Squad. During his retirement, he ran a tavern in Mysia. His nickname is「Ironbroker.」

Rascha : He is the deputy captain of the 4th Squad. His nickname is「Blink Kill.」He is reasonably intelligent for a beastman.

Gelgeda : Captain of the 5th Squad. His nickname is「The Outlier.」He has a very cruel personality.

Fantaine : Captain of the 6th Squad. Her nickname is「The Trainer.」She is a beautiful woman, but has a rather frightening personality.

（Central Plains）

War has risen in the central part of the continent, which was supposed to be peaceful. This section introduces the people who are active in the midst of it.

Rhine : Mercenary companion of Alfiris. Formerly a knight. He is always joking around, but he is quite sharp.

Dance Slave : A magical sword that serves Rhine. Also takes the form of a humanoid woman. A cynic.

Rayfan : Princess of the Duchy of Krumus. Her existence has not been widely publicized. She is friendly for a royalty.

Rusty : Rayfan’s bodyguard. He is a hard-nosed person.

Musuta : The third prince of the Duchy of Krumus. He is said to have taken real power by killing his two elder brothers. A rare fool.

（Others）

We will introduce you to the people in the story at various locations. We can’t introduce them all, so we will include a little digest each time they appear again.

Aldreus : The one who gave Alfiris a Curse Mark and raised her. Her master. Deceased.

Phalanx : Aerial’s foster parent and Guardian of the Prairie. Died in battle with Dragleo.

Winthia : A Higher Spirit living in the prairie, and Euthy’s foster parent. She was chased out of her home by the horde of Archfiends.

Fairtuse : The White Witch of the swamp. Raised Lanna. In love with Serpent.

Serpent : One of the true dragons, Gwendolf’s younger brother. Although he is a dragon, he fell in love with a human, Fairtuse.

Rouge : Daughter of a Fire Dragon that Serpent saved. She is already dead.

Hero Zemus : Someone who have been recognized by the guilds and nations for his achievements and certified as a Hero. But behind the scenes…?

Four Sisters of Sophias : Those who appeared on the Prairie. They seem to be quite handy, but who are they?

Rohha : He’s one of the 12 Beast Generals of Gruzald. He is also known as『Godspeed.』He is calm, but when he loses his temper, he is out of control.

Vargo : He is one of the 12 Beast Generals of Gruzald. He is also known as『Rigid Breaker.』He is short-tempered and has a soft-spoken nature.

Dryan : King of Gruzald. His fighting ability is said to be the strongest on the continent.