Chapter 82

EP.82 Revelation-5

The atmosphere in the High Priest's office was quiet.

However, it did not feel solemn or sacred.

If it weren't for the absence of prayer tools like crosses or rosaries, it would have been difficult to imagine it as the High Priest's office.

"Would you like to take a seat?"

"Yes."

Ein sat on the sofa right in front.

"Is the sofa comfortable?"

"No. Both the sofa and the wooden chair would have been fine, but I chose the sofa because it was closer."

The explanation was long and complicated, but logically, it was a very common choice.

"...Was this an intentional action?"

"Yes."

Because he had thought about it all and acted with awareness, the High Priest delved deeply into his thoughts.

"Can I speak more casually?"

"Yes, High Priest."

It was not a refined voice. It sounded like a machine reproducing the sound of a sentence, devoid of emotion or feeling.

"Do you know why you are here today?"

"Yes, I understand that you have called me to decide on my punishment."

The High Priest, holding a teapot, smiled gently and said,

"On the surface, that's true."

"Internally, or implicitly, is it different?"

"It could vary depending on the interpretation."

"That's difficult."

"It's not an easy question."

The High Priest poured tea into two cups.

"Do you need sugar?"

"No, it's fine."

As the High Priest offered the cup, Ein took it. After the High Priest took a sip, Ein also drank the tea.

"How does it taste?"

"It tastes like black tea."

"Um... If I ask if it suits your taste?"

"I don't have a preference for food. If I receive mana from Leonardo, I don't need to eat."

He would have called him 'Father,' but due to Leonardo's earlier warning, Ein was careful with his address. However, this made him seem more like a mechanical being.

"Yet, you drank it."

"I'm sorry."

"It's not something to apologize for, and I didn't ask you to apologize."

The High Priest also drank the tea and put down the cup.

"Why did you drink the tea?"

According to Ein, he did not need nutrition or taste from food.

"I remembered what Leonardo said."

- 'If you don't mind, it might be good to try it.'

Leonardo said this to Ein, who had refused to eat, while making food for him.

- 'Why?'

- 'The information you get from books and the experiences you feel directly are different. They're not necessarily better or worse, but there is a difference.'

Ein thought it was a valid point and advice, and he adjusted his behavior accordingly.

"That's good advice. What kind of person is Leonardo?"

"He's hard to summarize."

"Everyone is like that. Just start with what comes to mind."

The second hand of the clock moved for a moment. After it moved about ten times, Ein answered.

"I think of him as... Father."

***

"Why did it turn out that way?"

Leo, who had been listening to the story, stopped the flow there. The direction itself had already taken a strange twist, so it didn't matter if he stopped.

"It happened while answering the questions. I'm sorry."

"It's not good to dampen a child's spirit! Ein, Dad!"

Ariasfil had already gone beyond the concept of a well-rounded person and had become a fool who only knew her daughter. Wrinkles formed on Leo's forehead, who was not even in his twenties.

"Stop it. So, what happened after that?"

"From the overall conversation, I concluded that the High Priest did not plan to eliminate me from the beginning."

That was a bit unexpected. Even if the High Priest was open-minded, Ein's existence was not exactly comfortable.

"Perhaps... because Ein is related to Ariasfil?"

Lumine, who had been maintaining her composure amidst the complex and difficult situation, shared her opinion.

"The High Priest is a representative chosen by the people, but the hero is closer to an incarnation of the god. Therefore, the High Priest cannot easily punish Ein, who has the blood of the hero."

Indeed, that was not a wrong point. Before the hero's honor was tarnished, the High Priest would not have judged the situation favorably.

If you think about it, it was a reaction that could be understood, but the sudden complexity of the situation made his head tense and rigid.

"So, what about the conversation so far?"

"Based on my guess... perhaps the High Priest wanted to understand what kind of being Ein is. It would also help to provide reasons to convince other opposing priests."

That made it even easier to understand. Understanding the other party through conversation and finding human qualities is a basic approach, whether you are a religious person or not.

"So, what will the High Priest do?"

"He said I should rest at the temple for now. He also said I cannot leave with Arias until I receive a revelation as a hero. So, the wedding and the ceremony will be postponed..."

"Alright, to sum up, we're decided to stay here for a few days, right? Isn't that so?"

Feeling the urge to bite his tongue out of shame, Leo summarized the story.

"That's how it is. So, when those few days are over, will we return to the mansion alone?"

At this question, both Leonardo and Ariasfil had a stiff expression, feeling their minds go numb.

'...If they know Ein is related to Arias...'

Regardless of the circumstances, Leonardo would be immediately executed or castrated on the spot. At least Arias would have to explain alongside him for Leonardo and his descendants to survive.

'...If Ein can't leave with us...'

He didn't know how many more years he would have to rot in this temple. He couldn't live a life of a goose father, unable to see his beloved daughter and husband (?) for an indefinite period.

"...We need to receive a revelation somehow...!"

"...We need to find a way somehow...!"

"Finally, your thoughts are in agreement. That's fortunate."

"...Is it really like that?"

Contrasting reactions followed as the night ended.

Finally, it was time to say it was a good morning. The problem was that it was only the time that said so.

***

The gazes of the holy knights and priests were piercing. If he hadn't overwhelmingly suppressed them when he challenged them, they would have surely started a quarrel or a direct fight. The intensity of their gazes was unparalleled.

Certainly, Ein's existence was part of the reason, but fundamentally, the relationship between mages and priests was not good.

Mages had no qualms about deceiving morals and violating ethics for the advancement of magic.

Priests, on the other hand, had no qualms about enforcing morals and imposing ethics for the advancement of religion.

Not everyone was like that, but the gap between mages and priests deepened to the point where they could not understand or accept the few exceptions.

'...But, am I really a mage?'

As a direct disciple of the sage and the one who defeated the Blue Tower Master alone, Leo thought so only to himself.

"What are you thinking so deeply about?"

At Arias' words, Leo managed to shift his gaze from his monologue to the conversation.

"Ah? Oh... I was just wondering how you spent your time at the temple."

"Hmm..."

At that moment,

Arias' mind was filled with the adulterous acts she had engaged in during her dreams while at the temple. She had even written them in her diary to avoid forgetting them, making it embarrassing to look at Leo's face.

"...I practiced hard with prayers and divine magic...! Ha ha...!"

"Your heart rate suddenly increased. Are you okay?"

And this was something she absolutely could not let Ein know. She would collapse from shame before becoming a mother.

"Ariasfil has really practiced hard. She is probably the strongest among the holy knights. Even in terms of divine magic."

Lumine's praise was not just empty words. Her talent and experience were of a different level compared to other holy knights.

Through the blood of the hero and the selection of the holy sword, Arias had also excelled in divinity.

"Oh, not that much."

Although she said that, she felt proud and satisfied with Lumine's endorsement.

It was a great joy to have learned divine magic well enough to be unashamed in front of Leonardo and to be able to pass it on to her beloved daughter.

"I heard that divine magic has a different structure from magic. Is the difference significant?"

"Of course, it's quite different."

Divine magic is, in simple terms, the process of refining one's belief in the god into mana and elevating it into a technique.

Theoretically, black magic can be used with negative emotions, so conversely, positive emotions can also produce magical results.

However, positive emotions are hard to evoke and maintain, making divine magic naturally a difficult concept.

By solidifying belief through prayer and rituals and gathering believers, the total divine power can be increased, allowing divine magic to maintain its current status.

"It's not easy."

"The direction is different from magic, but there are many advantages."

Against demons, the undead, and black mages, divine magic has an extremely favorable attribute.

In terms of immediate purification and healing, divine magic is far superior to regular magic.

"When divine power reaches its peak, it can even regrow a severed arm. It's not comparable to simple healing magic."

Lumine, the priestess beside him, was an example of this.

"It's difficult, but as Sir Leonardo said, it's possible."

Thanks to Lumine, who possessed almost a creation-like healing magic, she had received a lot of help even before the regression.

"I see. In some ways, it might be more difficult than magic or swordsmanship."

"That's true. It requires a lot of talent and the scope of effort is ambiguous."

Therefore, if the goal is simply power or knowledge, one would learn martial arts or magic.

Learning divine magic is only for those who are truly devoted to prayer, social service, or the eradication of demons.

"Then..."

"Sir Leonardo...!!"

At that moment, a priest ran up to Leonardo's group.

"Is something wrong?"

Lumine quickly calmed the priest who had run up and asked about the situation.

"There's a mage causing trouble at the temple entrance...!! He keeps saying to bring Sir Leonardo...!!"

"Me...?"

"He says you are the enemy of his parents...! We are also in a difficult situation...!"

Hearing the phrase 'enemy of his parents,' Leonardo sighed deeply. In the past four years, he hadn't killed anyone, let alone a parent, but he had a guess about who it might be.

"Well... I'll go and see. I'm really sorry for the trouble."

Leonardo bowed to his companions and said he would go alone.

"Enemy of his parents...? What happened at the Blue Tower?"

As Leonardo rushed out, the group was left standing there, unable to follow or stop him.

"It seems Platius Blanc has come."

Perhaps sensing the phrase 'enemy of his parents,' Ein shared his guess.

"...Platius Blanc? What happened between him and Leo?"

"Son of the Blue Tower Master, a daughter."

And the Blue Tower Master was defeated by Leonardo in a duel.

"Two years ago, she publicly confessed to my father and was rejected. Lord Rios advised me not to associate with her."

"...Where is she?"

A moment ago, she was said to be at the temple entrance, but Ariasfil's intelligence had dropped due to jealousy and anger.