Chapter: 49
What the heck?! What is happening?!
What on earth is going on right now?!
Baptism isn’t supposed to be like this.
When I got baptized in the game, it was just a simple effect, and that was it. Did something change when it became reality?
Feeling a little anxious, I glanced at Phoebe’s gaze beyond the magical threshold.
Her eyes were wide open. Just seeing that told me this wasn’t a normal situation.
What is that useless deity doing now?!
Do you have any idea what happens if your apostle gets exposed?!
Or were you really planning to assassinate me?!
“Lady Allen, could you please close your eyes?”
Phoebe, despite clearly being flustered, spoke as if it were no big deal.
I could feel her professionalism in how she calmly moved forward, separate from her emotions.
…For now, let’s just quickly proceed with the baptism as instructed.
After all, unless I say something, the fact that I’m Armadi’s apostle won’t be revealed.
I could just pretend to be oblivious.
As I closed my eyes and took a prayer position, Phoebe began reciting the baptism prayer.
As her words went in one ear and out the other, a ding sound rang out.
A message?
Curious, I peeped open one eye, and a window appeared right in front of me.
[Quest Clear]
[Due to your baptism, you have become an apostle of Armadi.]
[Armadi is watching you.]
[Your existence is elevated as Armadi’s apostle.]
[Rewards will be granted.]
[You can now use the ‘Quest’ function.]
“Huh?”
Quest function?
“Lady Allen, is something wrong?”
‘No! It’s nothing!’
“You really don’t need to worry about it, you useless saintess.”
“…Understood. Then let’s continue.”
Questions swirled in my mind.
I was already aware of becoming Armadi’s apostle, so that was whatever, but what the heck is this quest function?
Could it be what I think it is?
Muttering the word ‘quest’ in my mind summoned the familiar window that greeted me every morning.
Yep, it’s the quest window from Soul Academy.
“Phew.”
So many thoughts popped into my head.
From the moment I received messages, something felt off.
Sure, messages could come up saying something like eyes meeting or blessings being conveyed. I could buy that.
But receiving a message directly? That seemed weird.
Typically, divine revelations would be communicated like Ruel’s, not through messages.
I mean, messages are just game functionality.
At that moment, I’d been too hurried to think, but seeing this quest window unlocked brought it all back.
Armadi. Just what kind of being are you to manipulate game features?
Could it possibly be related to how I was dragged into this game world?
Well, I knew even if I asked, there wouldn’t be any answer, so let’s change the subject.
If you can manipulate game features, why don’t you give me something more useful?
What’s up with this quest window? Seriously?
There’s so much more cool stuff like status windows, emotion features, skill lists, maps… and you give me a quest window?!
You’re just trying to mess with me, aren’t you? Right?!
Countless questions swarmed in my brain.
But answers didn’t make their way back to me.
Damn useless deity kept silent.
It’s obvious you know exactly what I’m thinking, yet you say nothing.
“Now you stand beneath Armadi.”
As Phoebe finished her declaration, the divine energies surrounding me seeped into my being.
It was an indescribably tingly sensation drifting through my veins and spreading from my heart.
It was bizarre.
Something inside me was shifting.
Just like when I consumed the elixir before.
But this time, unlike before, I felt no pain.
When the energies stirring within calmed, Phoebe pronounced,
“With this, the baptism is complete.”
*
[You’ve stepped onto the path of the Holy Knight.]
When I left the church and recounted my experience during the baptism to the old man, he responded with this.
[Becoming a knight of the deity brings forth a transformation in one’s flesh. What you experienced was part of that process.]
So, I naturally leveled up to a new class through baptism, huh?
A holy knight, huh.
Not too shabby.
If I think about the stats and skills I was raising, it’s pretty optimal.
I was already aiming for that holy knight path anyway.
But then, why do I feel so uneasy about all this?
Is it because everything seems to be following the whims of that damn useless deity?
[Typically, becoming a holy knight requires undergoing numerous trials, but it seems Armadi has taken quite an interest in you.]
‘For real.’
I never asked for that kind of interest, though.
sigh Why am I overthinking it?
In the end, things were going as I wished.
So I should start thinking about what to do next. That’s way more beneficial.
‘Grandpa, can you tell me about the various techniques a holy knight uses?’
[Of course!]
‘I’m counting on you from now on.’
Now that I’m Armadi’s apostle, Agra will become even more obsessed with my existence.
She’d try to erase me from this world no matter what.
So I needed to get stronger.
To be able to find a way out no matter what trials came my way.
Returning to my room at the lodging, I pulled out the Keta’s crystal sphere I’d acquired from Soul Academy.
Thinking about feeling the pain like when I took the elixir sent a wave of anxiety and fear through my mind, but soon enough, that too was erased by sheer determination.
I took a deep breath and then shattered the crystal sphere.
And then, I writhed in pain until I lost consciousness.
I never imagined it would hurt even more than taking the elixir.
Really.
*
A few days later, upon returning to the territory, Benedict made the biggest fuss I had ever seen about me the moment he laid eyes on me.
Even though we had daily communications through magic since the incident in the dungeon, it was still like this.
Or should I think that the only reason he’s managed to stay calm is because of that communication magic?
If that magic hadn’t been there, I can only imagine the ruckus he would have caused.
I can imagine his face, tearfully swearing to destroy Soul Academy the day the accident happened.
I wouldn’t have been surprised if he stormed into Soul Academy before I even came back.
On the day I returned to the territory, I had no choice but to spend an entire day being held captive by Benedict.
For this time, saying I didn’t like it or it was disgusting had no effect at all.
I had to endure a longer mental struggle than when I met the alchemist the previous time.
The next morning, I stepped outside early.
Normally, I’d spend some joyful training hours with Porcel, but there was something I had to do first.
“What new achievements have you made?”
Meeting the bishop of the Church of the Lord, Johan, after several months, greeted me with his usual bright smile.
‘You might not know this…’
“The quirky bishop may not know, but I just got baptized at this rather unbelievable church and became a member.”
“I’m aware. I heard the saintess herself officiated the baptism.”
Has news spread that far already?
What’s so great about me for news to travel so fast?
Well, at least it’s a good thing. If he knows, I don’t need to explain it all.
‘Please help me learn sacred magic.’
“Quirky bishop. Please help me find some sacred magic training.”
I might have become imbued with sacredness during my baptism, but I still couldn’t use sacred magic.
That’s because to use sacred magic, one has to learn from the church.
This was why I sought out Johan, whom I found difficult to speak to.
To learn sacred magic before enrolling at Soul Academy, I needed to gain some proficiency.
Upon hearing my request, Johan raised one eyebrow and replied,
“Lady, sacred magic cannot simply be learned by merely being baptized as an apostle of Armadi. One must first prove their faith for a long time before receiving teaching from a priest.”
Johan presented several reasons as he refused my request, but I knew that all of those were just excuses.
Sure, there is magic that can only be learned after amassing a certain amount of sacred power.
But there are also spells that don’t have such a requirement!
What are you rambling about, saying I can’t learn anything?
It’s obvious you just don’t like me.
You old schemer.
I anticipated this kind of response but didn’t expect him to be so direct about it.
I listened to Johan’s complaints with half an ear while pulling out a glass vial from my pocket and placing it on the desk.
“What is this?”
‘A potion of magic enhancement.’
“A potion of magic enhancement? You, like a regular lowlife, probably won’t see one of these in your lifetime, huh?”
“…Is that true?”
‘I swear it on Armadi.’
“Fine! I’ll swear on the damn useless deity! This is truly a potion, isn’t it?”
Although he didn’t change his expression when I insulted him, Johan’s lips formed a straight line when I referred to Armadi as a useless deity.
His reaction was quite expected. He is a sly old man but also a devout clergyman at the same time.
It’s not surprising to hear harsh words when speaking of a god in front of a believer.
Yet, Johan remained stoic and silent about it.
The potion of magic enhancement was that alluring.
Once consumed, it boosts your abilities instantly.
No matter if your stats are bottomed out or reaching a peak,
the potion is always more appealing the higher your stats are.
While it may not be too hard to increase low stats, higher ones require far greater effort for every little bit in improvement.
Johan, sitting in front of me, as a clergyman, has reached the pinnacle of his abilities.
Boosting his magic capability is practically impossible. From here on out, the only way to grow stronger is to stack up proficiency with skills.
For someone like him, this potion is irresistible.
Given that Johan still hasn’t given up on reaching greater heights, it’s even more enticing for him.
‘If you help me learn…’
“I’ll give you this potion if you swear that you’ll help.”
You couldn’t escape the temptation of potions back in the game.
I doubt it’ll be any different now.
As I expected, Johan stared at the potion in silence, took a long breath, and nodded.
“What would you like to learn?”
Ha-ha! As I thought.
No matter how noble you act, when faced with a tantalizing item, it’s only normal to crumble!
What a pathetic clergyman.
I smiled slyly, and Johan chewed on his lips.
[Is this really what an apostle of Armadi should be doing?]
The old man watching me seduce Johan spoke up as he observed his surrender to temptation.
‘What does that matter? I didn’t become one just because I wanted to.’
[Hoo! Just what is Armadi thinking?]
‘For real.’
If I could ask, I’d ask so many questions!
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