A paralyzed man came to Him, kneeling and saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” Then Luke reached out his hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be clean!” And immediately his paralysis was cleansed by the fire of the Holy Spirit.
The Gospel of Aurelia, Chapter 8, Verses 2-3
—
So there we were, the four of us with nothing on the agenda, heading to a nearby café to chat.
Swoosh!
Next to me, Sunny was sucking down her drink, her cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk. Adorable!
“I can’t believe a first-year could beat Dia! And so easily! She was like this insurmountable wall in the Academy entrance exam.”
Speaking of entrance exams, Amy’s a commoner too—she must’ve taken the exam with Dia.
“Right? You’re a Pulsreino, and you smashed Professor Cronia’s golem! Who knew my friends were such monsters!”
I was super curious about Dia’s entrance exam.
In Deus Ex Machina, they didn’t show the entrance exam properly. What was it like, and how did Dia act?
“I wanna know about that exam, Amy. Can you tell me what happened? And how did Dia end up as the top of her class?”
“Oh, really? You’re that curious about Dia’s story? Dia, Prince Luke wants to know about your story!”
“No, Amy, don’t!”
Thwack!
Dia blushed crimson again and smacked Amy on the back.
“Gah!”
Uh… Amy, are you okay?
“Ugh… I get it. I’ll stop, Dia. I went too far. Sorry!”
Despite taking that hit again, Amy kept her cool. Her endurance is impressive. If this were Deus Ex Machina, she’d be a solid tank, no doubt.
“So, about that entrance exam. I met Dia in the second entrance exam. Though, I only saw her from afar; we didn’t really know each other until we came to the Academy.”
The entrance exam for commoners has a first round where everyone competes regionally, and then the top candidates are brought together for a second exam to determine the final applicants.
I think the first exam focused on intellectual abilities while the second was more about physical prowess…
“The second entrance exam was a duel against a professor.”
A duel against a professor? That sounds both simple yet utterly terrifying.
Well, if it’s a combat-related professor at the Academy, they can handle a bunch of newcomers without breaking a sweat, so it might make sense.
It’s bizarre that Seiren can take them all on at once. The professors could easily earn high ranks with sheer power outside the Academy.
To control high-flying Academy students, such strengths are naturally required.
“I didn’t think the professors would be that strong. I can’t remember their names, but they didn’t get a single scratch while facing tons of exam takers!”
That makes sense for a combat professor. Calandra Academy is known for its excessive focus on strength compared to other academies. How could I forget the name of a professor from a duel? How did Amy pass the first exam?
“But Dia managed to gain the upper hand against that professor.”
Gained the upper hand against a combat professor? She’s not even a real Academy student yet!
“In the end, she unfortunately lost, but Dia was amazing! If she were a guy, I might’ve fallen for her! Oh wait, that’d mean she couldn’t meet the prince. Oops, I’ll stop now!”
For a brief moment, I sensed Dia’s combat prowess and ability to utilize her powers effectively, but could she really be that good?
If so, there’s no way the other students would ignore her just because I won. Of course, the noble students might have a different story.
But if Dia is that skilled, I wonder how much longer it would’ve taken me to win if I hadn’t used that artifact.
“However, I seriously didn’t expect I could easily overpower Dia without even using fire! I heard when facing Professor Cronia’s golem, she utilized fire? Speaking of which, Luke, what abilities do you have? Are you a wizard?”
Oh… they probably assume I’m a wizard. While I’m not, it feels a little awkward to deny it.
I can’t just say it’s all thanks to the artifact either.
“That’s… a no comment.”
“Aww, c’mon! Are we not close enough for you to share?”
“Not like that, no.”
“Well, we’ve only known each other for a few days now, so it would be weird if you told me about your powers. Still, I’ll definitely find out later when we’re closer!”
Hmm… well, maybe I could share once we get closer. Then again, I’d feel embarrassed if I said I’m using the artifact because I’m powerless.
Squeeze!
At that moment, I felt someone pinch my arm.
“Luke, you’re not telling me either.”
It was Sunny.
“I’m Luke’s friend. So why don’t you tell me? I didn’t even know Luke could use fire!”
Well, I tried to keep the existence of the spirits a secret from those who knew me.
Even those who’d seen me use fire were just thieves or monsters I met during sneaky outings.
“Sunny… so, that’s…”
“Luke, I’m disappointed. Was I just a playmate to you?”
That’s a weird way to put it!
“No, Sunny! I think of you as a friend too! The thing is… it felt awkward to talk about my fire abilities. Honestly, I don’t fully understand them myself. I promise to tell you when the time is right!”
“…You’ve got to promise me.”
“Of course!”
I hooked my pinky with Sunny’s in a pledge.
“Dia… you better step up your game! You’ve already got competition.”
“…Obviously, with a guy like that. I’m prepared.”
—
Two days passed by riding a carriage near the Galilee region, and Simon, Iako, and I arrived at the city of Capernaum in the neighboring territory belonging to the Nova Empire.
Before entering the city, we encountered soldiers conducting inspections, but I couldn’t use my identity as Luke Pulsreino.
Not only couldn’t I reveal my identity in front of Simon and Iako, but I also didn’t want to disclose the status of this avatar.
Besides, bribing them would look bad. I mean, I’m trying to have some dignity here, and bribing makes me look lame.
So, I decided to use a temporary invisibility artifact.
“Whoa! Those soldiers can’t see us!”
“That’s because… well, it’s the teacher’s ability! Teacher, you’re amazing! You can make not only yourself but us invisible too!”
In Deus Ex Machina, this item was used when random encounter battles became bothersome, but seeing it actually work in reality was simply overpowered.
I can’t believe I can make my whole party invisible, even if for just a moment.
Of course, this isn’t actual invisibility like an assassin’s ‘stealth ’—it’s merely optical. Smells, warmth, and other cues remain, so any strong opponent would easily spot us.
It would be impossible to use this method if a knight were on duty at the city gate, but in a small city like Capernaum, they wouldn’t have the means to post knights at the gates regularly. Not during peacetime, at least.
Knights guarding the gates full-time would likely only happen in a capital like Orias.
In any case, with Iako marveling and Simon expressing his amazement, we quietly passed through the gate and into the city.
Now the problem is… where to find that guy…
I know he’s currently working in Capernaum, but since I’m not familiar with this city’s geography, I have zero clue where he might be.
If I keep walking around confused, Simon and Iako will start to look at me strangely, so I keep going. But I can’t just walk around aimlessly forever. At this rate, I might end up leaving the city through the opposite gate!
“Oof…”
As I walked along, I noticed some paralyzed individuals sitting by the roadside.
Patients with Paralysis Disease.
The plague known as Red Death, which terrified this continent, had nearly vanished thanks to a medicine spread over a decade ago. Following it, the next disease causing great trouble was Paralysis Disease.
In Deus Ex Machina, this was just a “paralysis” status ailment—a common affliction in games—but it has now turned into a deadly disease in reality.
Once you’re infected, your body gradually stiffens, rendering it impossible to move as you wish.
You need to bask in warmth and receive treatment with a considerable amount of divine energy for a real recovery. In Deus Ex Machina, only companions using flame-based divine spells could treat paralysis in battle.
However, most of the continent’s people can’t afford that treatment. Since most sects charge a hefty fee for divine healing, unless you’re a noble or a wealthy merchant, it’s a disease you’d live with for life.
For average folks, Paralysis Disease is a horrific, dreaded disease.
And here before me were those paralyzed individuals, their bodies stiffening and waiting for death.
Since Paralysis Disease can’t be cured by spreading a medicine like Red Death, all I can do is… wait, what?
Hang on.
Warmth and divine energy…
Could using Ignis’s power cure them?
“Summon, Ignis.”
Whoosh!
A portal opened next to me, and a fiery adult lady emerged.
“Yikes! Fire in the air!”
“W-Where did that fire come from?!”
Simon and Iako jumped, startled.
In their situation, a fire suddenly appearing must seem shocking. It’s certainly unexpected.
I have to think inwardly about Ignis, so no one catches us talking.
Ignis, can you treat that person sitting there? Make sure it doesn’t harm them!
-Treat? Ah, dirty poison is infesting their body? Okay… let’s torch it once!
Whoosh!
A fireball shot from Ignis and landed on the paralytic patient.
Then… the sick man who had been sitting there with a bored expression suddenly panicked, watching the flames erupt around him.
“Ow! Hot!”
He sprang up!
“Hot! …Oh? It’s not hot anymore?”
“Did that… patient just stand up? Could it be the teacher?!”
“A priest from a major church usually takes hours to cure paralysis, and you did it so easily? Teacher… what did you even do…!”
Simon and Iako, who had witnessed the fireball go to the patient, were astonished.
“This is insane! Evra has stood up! Evra, who was afflicted by paralysis!”
“That guy did this! He cured Evra’s paralysis and made him stand!”
And then everyone around also stared silently at the strange scene unfolding.
So this actually worked.
I thought it would be a fun experiment… but what have I just done?
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