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When I was young, my life had already been predetermined.
Holy power typically manifests around adulthood.
As a result, when a person reaches adulthood and receives their government-issued ID card, they are typically also examined for their holy power at the behest of a subordinate priest.
In addition, once the holy strength is measured during the test, they will be automatically registered by the temple. Among them, those with outstanding abilities obtain priesthood qualification.
In the Empire, being a priest brought immense fortune and prestige. As a result, everyone was eager to take the holy exam and have hopes of changing their life.
I did, however, acquire my holy power at the age of seven years old. In a rather fairly dramatic predicament, too.
I was helping in the kitchen when a low-level evil spirit appeared in the orphanage, which was located in a quite remote location. I threw a kitchen knife at it and ran away. The evil spirit was vanquished, and all that was left was a tiny jewel.
“This…”
When he saw the evil spirit’s split heart and the tiny emerald that was left of it, the orphanage director’s eyes narrowed.
“…This will be quite expensive.”
He did not refer to the emerald as being expensive. He was referring to me, who was still quivering in the place where the evil spirit had disappeared.
Tragically, the orphanage I was in was a facility wherein usable children were being given away, and it had a covert affiliation with the dark organization, “Ace.”
The following month, when the servant of Ace arrived to ‘collect’ suitable children, the head of the orphanage straightened his shoulders and showed a proud expression as he held out the two children.
“These two will be fine. They are both seven years old. This child is Vincent, and this is Eloise.”
“Hmm”
We were standing right in front of the director when the henchmen turned to look at me and the boy.
“On the surface, it doesn’t seem that your corruption has any benefits. Do you have any more valuable children?”
“Even if you scour through the whole empire, there would be no one more valuable than any of these children.”
The manager raised his chin and made a haughty expression.
“First of all, this boy, Vincent, is a genius. Look at the weapon this kid made, and he’s only seven years old.”
The henchmen looked at the toy bow held by the skinny boy. The henchmen who were scrutinizing, frowned and asked Vincent.
“… This, this boy made it by himself?”
“Here’s the drawing.”
Vincent held out a scruffy piece of paper from his pocket with no expression on his face. The henchmen, who looked closely, smiled with a surprised expression.
“It’s definitely a thing. I will pay you two million kergos [1].”
“Well, that’s good.”
The director answered impartially. He did not think the negotiations would be fruitful immediately away, and the henchmen looked a little anxious. This is because price discussions typically take a lengthy time.
The director grinned and placed his hand on my shoulders. This was the actual negotiation intent.
“However, the appropriate price must be paid for this child.”
“… What is this child?”
The director showed the henchmen the clean, mutilated demon heart and the emerald.
And said with a grin.
“She’s got a lot of holy power. A mutant.”
The henchmen’s face hardened immediately. I just rolled my eyes, as I knew nothing who was wearing ragged clothes.
“If that’s true, I think we should check this out.”
The director shrugged his should and answered calmly.
“Try it.”
***
As soon as Lardin, the leader at the pinnacle of ‘Ace’, saw me, he grabbed me and ended up throwing me into an area in which low-level demons frequently appeared around midnight.
A low-level demon then turned up a few nights later, and I unintentionally threw my kitchen knife at it and eradicating it once again.
“A great mutant.”
Lardin, who witnessed this scene, grinned with contentment. I was so terrified of being abandoned with the demon’s body for several days in a dark wilderness that I was practically convulsing with tears at that moment.
“I don’t want to hear any whining, but this is wonderful otherwise.”
Then he raised his chin and added eerily.
“Stop being scared. You won’t be able to speak anymore the more you cry.”
As a result, I was sold for three billion kergos. I later learned that the orphanage director quit and moved to a foreign country to begin a new life.
My life was radically changed since then. I joined “Ace” when I was just seven years old.
“Ah, I’ve heard that this is a very rare case.”
For my future training and management, I was assigned to a professional named Barbara, a woman in her 40s.
Barbara could not become a priest due to lack of talent, but she was a member of the organization with a history of professionally researching theology at a university.
She explained with a smile to me, who was trembling, as if she were a product of such emotions.
“I was informed that you possess a huge amount of holy power at birth. When your life is in danger, regardless of age, you can instantly obtain this divine power in advance. Even so, the situation itself is extremely rare, as you must have a weapon as a medium for holy power.”
Holy power was a rare power in the entire empire.
However, it was even more uncommon for a child with such a rare power to be exposed to evil spirits while holding a weapon, all without a guardian.
In a way, I was pretty unlucky.
I was skinny, not strong, and I wasn’t talented. If I hadn’t manifested my holy spirit in advance, I probably wouldn’t have been sold to ‘Ace’.
If only an evil spirit had not appeared at that time, I would have suffered a little at the orphanage, but I would have become an adult, naturally manifesting my holy power, and eventually becoming a priest.
But fate likes to twist my life to the extreme.
“Eloise?”
Lardin smile bitterly and stroked my hair, who was no longer crying.
“You should be worth 3 billion kergos.”
From the next day onwards, they made me workout every day. Lardin had no intention of making me catch a low-level demon.
The higher the grade, the bigger the jewel, and if the highest level of evil spirit was eradicated, the great treasure called the ‘Time Stone’ can be obtained.
“The ‘Time Stone’ is a literal treasure that can control time.”
Barbara explained, reflecting on what she had studied in university.
“The ‘Time Stone’ comes in a variety of types. There are stones that can move an item back in time, and there are stones that would let you briefly travel back in time. In any case, it’s a miracle of time, and so it is worth a fortune. Even the High Priest has difficulty eliminating the best evil spirit since they emerge quickly and are formidable.”
Lardin’s greed and excitement increased as I continued to listen to Barbara’s explanation.
“According to official documents, it is said that Johannes Noavik had eradicated a powerful evil spirit for the very first time in 300 years when he was only eight years old.”
I can’t believe it controls time. How much more can you accomplish if you can use your present-day memories to travel back in time? Even a seven-year-old could have guessed that.
“You can do it, Eloise. Why can’t you execute the same deed as that eight-year-old Johannes Noavik?”
Following Lardin’s greed, I was raised as a human weapon.
Nevertheless, I was born with a small stature and a lack of muscular strength.
Swords or arrows are typically used by the priest to banish evil spirits. However, despite how much I train, I was unable to wield most of the weapons proficiently.
“You.”
The child who’d been called at that moment was Vincent. He was a prodigy in weapon production and had been auctioned in the same orphanage as me.
“Invent a weapon that is ideal for this child. She should have a decent gear if her physical attributes are insufficient.”
As such, the long gun Vincent had made was a weapon I had been carrying ever since the age of 10.
Fortunately, or unfortunately, the rifle was a perfect fit for me as a weapon. My shooting skill gradually improved because of my own inherent talent and consistent practice.
From the age of 12, I was able to easily exterminate evil spirits from afar. As years passed by, I was groomed as a sniper with excellent skills.
In “Ace,” I never received humane treatment while growing up. Other than shooting and combating evil spirits, I didn’t acquire any fundamental skills.
I was offered a delectable lunch and a comfortable bed during nights when I swiftly dispelled an evil spirit.
Although I had to spend another several days in the old warehouse eating only a piece of tough bread if I unintentionally missed an evil spirit or if the evil spirit was exorcised by a priest who arrived earlier.
I felt miserable and powerless for a long period of time. As a mere individual within the organization, there was nothing I could do.
My power did zero harm to humans, not even with my excellent sniper skills. A gun without ammunition won’t protect me from any wicked.
It was a clear fact that I had no combat capabilities. Everybody was aware that if I attempted to flee, I would be apprehended before I even reached the front gates of “Ace’s” main building.
Eventually, whenever I was thrown along with the members of the organization who surveyed the place in which evil spirits frequently appeared, I had no option but to do my best to exterminate evil spirits for instant meals and a pleasant sleep.
It was a weapon’s life, not one as a person. When I gazed at my weapon, I reasoned that, in the end, there was no distinction between this gun and myself.
Although it is known that when you exorcise evil spirits, jewels fall. I had never personally examined the jewels myself. This is due to the fact that a different member was in charge of collecting the jewels.
I had the sensation that I was merely moving through an interminable darkness. Life was disappointing and there was no freedom as a human being.
My heart has been throbbing since I was young, and it even increased in frequency over time, but I was unable to see a medical professional.
Then a not so miracle, a miracle happened in the spring of 24.
“I made a new gun. I’ve increased the range a bit. Would you like to try it?”
Vincent, who had always made custom weapons for me, brought me a new gun as usual. Of course, Barbara accompanied him as a watchman.
“I see. How much did you increase it?”
“A lot. Enough to go from the window of your room to the main building.”
Barbara wasn’t interested in weapon, so she was just doing her nails with a sneer. Vincent handed me the gun and started explaining.
“But the grip is a little different… like this…”
At that moment, a rustling note passed from Vincent’s hand to mine.
[1] A type of currency.