Chapter 24

It had been a while—though not that long—since I had gone to the dungeon and defeated a boss, and as I looked up at the cathedral, I felt a sense of nostalgia. Yes, the cathedral is beautiful today, too.

“I come to pray every day… but I haven’t seen it.”

“That’s a shame. The sight is indescribable in words…”

…Huh? While listening to the voices of those who had come to pray, I tilted my head, wondering if something was up.

“Because she was wearing a hood with cat ears, you’ll recognize her if you see her again…”

“Yes, that’s true…”

--Eek!

Upon listening more closely, I realized they were talking about me. That’s right. When I changed my job to Healer, the light had drawn quite a bit of attention… It seems some people want to see that divine light again.

I was hit with a wave of anxiety about whether it was okay to enter the cathedral, but it seems the attention was on the ‘Cat Robe’… It should be fine, right? The robe I’m wearing now is the ‘Robe of Mercy.’ I quietly stepped into the cathedral.

“I hope there’s a clue for the job change quest…”

While walking down the corridor of the cathedral, I took out the relief fragment—the ‘Memory of the Ancient Cathedral.’ I have no idea what to do, but I want to believe it’s not irrelevant because the item name includes the word ‘cathedral.’

…Will it react to something?

In the game, I could walk around the cathedral quite freely, but now that it’s the real world, that’s difficult. If I enter a place where only authorized personnel are allowed, I’ll probably be kicked out.

“But the most likely place is the statue of the goddess Flodia, right?”

The statue where I offered my prayer for the job change and the one that responded to my words. I don’t know the logic, but I think that statue is connected to the goddess Flodia.

While thinking, I arrived at the ‘Chapel of Prayer.’ However, the relief fragment I held didn’t react. I even touched the statue of the goddess, but there was no change.

…Disappointing. It seems it wasn’t the right place.

The time for my meeting was approaching, so I decided to quickly deliver the ‘Gem of Lament.’ If I tell a priest or priestess at the entrance, they should help me with the delivery. Just as I was about to turn and leave the chapel, someone was standing there.

“Are you here to pray?”

“--!”

I was startled and involuntarily held my breath. It was the bishop who had been staring at me with a piercing gaze. His black hair gave me a sense of familiarity, but his purple eyes seemed to see through everything, making me uneasy.

…Oh no, the person I didn’t want to see!

I forced a smile and nodded.

“I’ve finished my prayer, so I’ll be on my way.”

“I see… May the goddess Flodia’s blessing be with you.”

“…Thank you.”

I lightly pinched the hem of my robe and elegantly bowed before leaving the chapel.

---

Why am I sitting in front of this man again?

I had just parted ways with him and was feeling relieved… After leaving the chapel, I told the priestess at the reception that I was there for a guild request. I was led to a reception room where the bishop who had made the request was waiting, and it turned out to be the same man.

After the priestess left to prepare tea, the man sitting across from me spoke.

“My name is Lyle. Thank you for accepting the request.”

“I’m the adventurer Sharon.”

After a brief greeting, Lyle prompted me to show him the item. Wanting to finish quickly, I nodded and placed the ‘Gem of Lament’ on the table. The gem, which was about the size of a baseball, had a slight glow and was so transparent that it could be a decorative object.

Lyle inhaled sharply and picked up the ‘Gem of Lament.’

“This is… very beautiful.”

After examining the ‘Gem of Lament’ carefully, Lyle nodded. “I confirm the delivery.” This completed the delivery. All I had to do was report to the guild to complete the request, which I could do later.

“Then, I’ll be on my way…”

“You’re not wearing cat ears today.”

“--!”

Just as I was thinking it would be best to leave quickly, I was hit with a direct question. He knew I was the one who had prayed in the ‘Cat Robe’! Well, I had been introduced and my face had been seen clearly, so it couldn’t be helped.

“I changed my equipment because my level has increased. …I’m a Healer now.”

I couldn’t keep using equipment that prioritized speed. From now on, I would support with enhanced healing power.

“…When I first saw you, I was very surprised that you didn’t seem to resemble the goddess Flodia. Not only were you truly a Healer, but you also invoked such a blessing of light through your prayer. If you don’t mind, I would like to hear more about you.”

“I’m sorry, but I have an appointment and need to leave the city soon.”

I had already spoken with the guild leader, and the meeting time was less than an hour away. Even if I had the time, I didn’t want to talk to him.

“I see… It wouldn’t be right to detain you when you have an appointment. I look forward to seeing you again.”

“If we have the chance, I will.”

I declined his offer to see me off and hurriedly left the reception room. I wanted to leave as quickly as possible because Lyle’s gaze was making me uncomfortable.

…Who is this guy!?

I didn’t feel that he was looking at me with kindness, but I couldn’t say he had any hostility either. His gaze was sharp, but I didn’t sense any enmity. What bothered me was that I couldn’t tell what he was thinking.

As I passed a corner in the corridor, my pace naturally slowed.

“Phew…”

Feeling my tense body relax, I took out the relief fragment that I had kept in my pocket. I was disappointed that I hadn’t found any clues. But then—I noticed the relief fragment was faintly glowing.

“Eh!?”

I gasped but quickly covered my mouth. A few passing priestesses gave me a look, as if to say, “Be quiet.”

…Calm down. Deep breaths. Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale.

After taking deep breaths in my mind, I checked the information on the relief fragment—the ‘Memory of the Ancient Cathedral.’

[Quest] Job Change to Unique Class

Not only the holy maiden laments the collapse. Help someone who worries about the light of young hope find a solution.

“When did it change? I didn’t notice at all.”

Should I regret not noticing, or should I be relieved that the relief fragment didn’t suddenly glow in front of someone? When I checked the information, the light from the relief fragment disappeared.

…The quest changed to helping someone, right?

“The target… ‘someone who worries about the light of young hope’… The quest progressed because I went near them?”

When I checked at the statue of the goddess, it wasn’t glowing. That means I met the target person afterward.

“……”

I held back a sigh.

—It can only be Lyle!

Of course, there’s a possibility it could be someone else. But for a unique class job change quest, it’s unlikely that a random NPC would be the main character. Lyle’s position as a bishop and his presence… My intuition tells me I’m right.

When he said he wanted to talk to me, it might have been a quest flag.

When I return from Ketsi’s village, I’ll visit Lyle again. I made this decision and left the cathedral.

After reading the comments, I realized that I hadn’t leveled up after defeating the ‘Phantom of Elngoa’! Thank you for pointing that out.

I leveled up 5 times after defeating the ‘Phantom of Elngoa’! (Maximum level up at once)