Chapter: 301
With her eyes closed, Phoebe recited the incantations of Sacred Magic, surrounded by countless magic circles.
The mastery of each magic circle was superior to what most priests could manage with a single spell.
It goes without saying how monstrous Phoebe was for maintaining all of that.
As Johan quietly observed the scene, he noticed a quivering at the ends of some magic circles and slowly opened his mouth.
“Saintess, let’s call it a day.”
“Bishop, I’m not finished yet.”
“Continuing any longer will only interfere with tomorrow’s practice.”
At Johan’s firm voice, Phoebe let out a long sigh and opened her eyes. The divine aura enveloping her dispersed, settling into a bright light on the floor.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
“No, it was nothing really.”
Phoebe wiped away her sweat, showing modesty, but Johan shook his head in response to her humility.
“Excessive modesty can actually be harmful. Your growth is noticeable even from my point of view, having seen many people.”
“Is that… so?”
“Do I seem like the kind of person who jokes around?”
Johan had worked at the Church of the God for dozens of years since barely escaping the family’s grasp.
From his standpoint of having seen countless priests, Phoebe’s growth was indeed astounding.
She wasn’t just someone who had recently taken her first steps as a priest.
She had already accumulated enough skill to be called a saintess.
It’s common sense that as you rise in level, it becomes harder to go even higher, but the growth Phoebe was displaying was in direct defiance of that logic.
It was astonishing to see someone of such a high level exhibit rapid growth as if they were a novice.
“Phew. It seems the training methods that Young Lady Alrn shared were of great help.”
“Indeed, the methods she showed me were excellent.”
The training techniques shared by someone favored by the God were far removed from the various methods Johan was used to.
It’s not something anyone from the Church would use, unlike the brute-force workouts knights do to bulk up.
“After all, it taught an old man eager for death the joy of growing.”
However, Johan had placed his faith more in Lucy Alrn than in the Church and saw significantly faster growth as a result.
“However, regarding the Saintess…”
Unconsciously speaking, Johan was interrupted by Phoebe tilting her head in confusion.
What he was about to say was that Phoebe’s sudden growth could not be explained solely by a change in training methods.
The scale of Phoebe’s growth was too considerable for it to be attributed merely to a change in training.
It was as if she had realized something through her miracles generated in the Burrow territory.
The fact that he didn’t articulate everything he was thinking stemmed from his assumption about the reasons behind her growth.
This was something she needed to feel and realize on her own; having it explained would only dilute its significance.
“Bishop?”
“Ah, sorry. I was just curious about why you keep calling Young Lady Alrn ‘Young Lady’ instead of just ‘Lady’.”
So, Johan changed the subject, hoping that one day Phoebe would come to realize this herself.
“…Huh?”
“I was just wondering why you refer to Young Lady Alrn with ‘Young Lady’ while calling other Young Ladies simply ‘Lady’.”
Since this was something he had been puzzled about, Johan continued speaking without hesitation.
However, what he hadn’t anticipated was that with each word he spoke, Phoebe’s cheeks gradually turned redder.
“Saintess?”
“The… that, um…”
“Is there a reason you can’t say it?”
“No! That’s not it! Um, when everyone else calls them ‘Lady’ and I call Young Lady ‘Young Lady’, it stands out, you know…”
As her voice began to fade, Johan couldn’t contain his laughter anymore.
It seemed that the reason she was struggling to speak was because she wanted to catch Young Lady Alrn’s attention!
“Don’t laugh! I told you not to laugh!”
“No, it’s just… but thinking about how much you must have pondered over that title makes me smile inadvertently.”
“Bishop!”
Seeing Phoebe’s face turn crimson and flail about in embarrassment, Johan couldn’t help but chuckle.
Come to think of it, the reason she sought his teachings was likely to win against Young Lady Alrn.
Wanting to be regarded as special by someone she holds dear—how youthful.
“If Young Lady Alrn knew, she’d surely find it amusing.”
“…You absolutely can’t tell her?!”
“Well, depending on how the Saintess behaves in the future, I might consider it.”
“Ugh… If I had known this would happen, I should have just kept my mouth shut.”
What happened to her dignity as a saintess? Shouting and waving her arms as Phoebe left with a final plea for Johan to keep the secret.
I wonder what her reaction would be if Young Lady Alrn directly asked her later on.
I hope she has the chance to do it in person. That would be hilarious!
“Did you hear that, Karia? The Saintess asked me to keep it a secret.”
After Phoebe departed, not long after her footsteps faded, Johan spoke up as the door opened and Karia appeared.
“Don’t worry. She’s not the type to let something like that slip out on purpose.”
“Glad to hear it.”
As soon as the door closed, Johan stood up and headed toward the cupboard.
“How about the ring I gave you?”
“I lost it. I think I dropped it somewhere on the street, but I just can’t find it.”
“Is that so?”
As they exchanged their prearranged code, the laid-back expression on Johan’s face vanished, replaced by a sternness.
“You came to hear about the Church’s movements, right?”
“Exactly. I have a general idea, but verifying it with you, Bishop, should ensure accuracy.”
“Understood. The first thing you should know is that the Church is still seeking the savior of the Burrow territory.”
At that time, the inquisitor who visited the Burrow territory had etched the divine aura of the God over the entire area.
Because of that, even though it was said that an apostle from the Art Guild saved the place, they didn’t believe it.
They praised the feats attributed to the apostle from the Art Guild officially while secretly trying to figure out who truly rescued the Burrow territory.
“However, it seems they haven’t been able to find any plausible clues.”
By the time the Church’s representatives visited the Burrow territory through the official route, the traces of Lucy and her party had already been erased.
No matter how powerful the Church’s authority is, creating something out of nothing is impossible.
Even if those associated with the area desperately search for the savior, they wouldn’t be able to find anything credible.
“That’s why they seem to be gathering leads through mere suspicion, but it’s not yielding much.”
“Are you and the Saintess under suspicion?”
“Officially, it’s said that we were in the Artea territory to address matters related to Young Lady Alrn’s mace. Besides, don’t worry as the Church still knows very little about who Young Lady Alrn truly is.”
“That’s largely consistent with what I’ve gathered. Glad to hear it.”
“Should we really consider it fortunate? The one favored by the God is having to hide who he is…”
As Johan sipped his tea, he realized it tasted bitter and pulled a jar of sugar cubes from the cupboard.
“Do you like it sweet?”
“Not too much, but I don’t mind.”
“Then I’ll just put in two cubes.”
“Yes, that sounds good.”
*
Phoebe’s flushed face didn’t return to its original pale state until she reached near the Soul Academy.
Ahh… I really should have just kept my mouth shut. Memories of the former stern Bishop Johan slipped out carelessly.
…He won’t spill the beans to Young Lady, right?
Could it be that if the Young Lady learned about my desire for her regard, I’d die from sheer embarrassment?
“Saintess!”
“…Huh?!”
In the midst of her convoluted thoughts, Phoebe instinctively responded to someone’s question, uttering a foolish sound.
“I’m sorry! Saintess, I didn’t mean to interrupt you while deep in thought!”
“No, it’s fine. So, what’s going on?”
“Did you see the announcement that came up in the plaza?”
“No, I just returned from being out all day.”
As Phoebe shook her head, the girl’s face brightened noticeably.
“It’s that the entire academy will be taking the Dungeon Studies exam in the same dungeon!”
“…Really?”
“Yes! You can find more details if you check the plaza!”
Phoebe thanked the girl before making her way toward the plaza.
Despite it being just before the early winter night, many people had gathered to check the notice.
If I push through those people, I might be causing trouble, so let me enhance my vision to check the details.
The notice hanging in the center of the plaza conveyed the following:
The Dungeon Studies exam would take place throughout the final exam period. The number of attempts would be unlimited.
The composition of parties could be made autonomously.
Although the dungeon’s framework was the same, there would be different sections based on the year.
In addition to several other points listed, the most notable part was regarding the rewards for conquering the dungeon.
“…Charms crafted directly by the apostle from the Art Guild?”
Phoebe roughly knew how much blessed accessories produced by the Art Guild circulated for a price.
Things created by an archbishop were already deemed priceless, so if an apostle from the Art Guild made something,
It would be a big deal.
This is a huge problem.
If the apostle from the Art Guild doesn’t hand over accessories to anyone but those they recognize, it clearly meant that Young Lady must have requested it.
Otherwise, the apostle from the Art Guild wouldn’t allow their belongings to be involved in something like this.
In other words, this meant Young Lady judged that the dungeon she herself made deserved to have accessories crafted by the apostle as rewards.
If Young Lady made such a judgment, then it meant the completed dungeon would be a Magic Dungeon to the point where no ordinary person could pass it.
…
I need to meet up with the people I decided to tackle the dungeon with.
I need to discuss this promptly.
They’re probably practicing their coordination at the training grounds right now, right?
Phoebe’s guess was correct.
Arthur, Joy, and Phoebe—these three had occupied a space at the training grounds as usual.
However, there was one thing that was different from usual; an unexpected guest was in their midst.
“Brother.”
Cecil Soladin.
The second prince of Soladin Kingdom looked down at Arthur.
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