With her eyes closed, Faivy was reciting the incantations of divine magic, surrounded by countless magic circles drawn around her. The perfection of each magic circle enveloping her surpassed that of ordinary clergy handling a single spell.
There was no need to explain just how monstrous Faivy was for being able to maintain all those.
As Johan quietly observed the scene, he noticed a tremor at the edges of several magic circles and slowly opened his mouth.
“Saint. Let’s stop for today.”
“Bishop. I’m not done yet.”
“Continuing beyond this will only hinder tomorrow’s practice.”
At Johan’s firm voice, Faivy let out a long sigh and opened her eyes. The divine energy enveloping her scattered and settled onto the ground with a bright light.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
“No, I hardly did anything.”
Faivy wiped her sweat and expressed humility, but Johan shook his head at her modesty.
“Excessive humility can be detrimental. The growth you’re showing is significant enough for someone like me, who has seen many, to notice.”
“Is that so?”
“Do I look like someone who would joke around?”
Johan had been working at the Church of the Divine for decades since just leaving his family.
From his perspective, having seen countless clergy, Faivy's growth was truly astonishing.
Faivy was not someone who had just stepped onto the path of a priest.
She was already a clergyman skilled enough to be called a saint.
It is common sense that as one’s level rises, it becomes harder to go further up, but the growth Faivy was showing was directly contradicting that common sense.
It was astonishing that someone who had reached such a level was displaying rapid growth as if they had no foundation at all.
“Haha. It seems that the training method the young lady taught you has been a great help.”
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“Certainly, the training method she taught was excellent.”
The training method given by the one favored by the Divine was unlike any other methods Johan had known.
It was a crude approach, like the mindless exercises used by knights to build muscle, a method that no one in the Church of the Divine would use.
“It was enough to let an old man waiting for death know the joy of growth.”
However, Johan believed in Lucy Alrn more than the Church of the Divine, and as a result, he succeeded in achieving much faster growth than before.
“However, about the saint’s...”
Johan, who was unconsciously voicing his thoughts, stopped midway when he saw Faivy tilting her head in confusion.
What he was about to say was that Faivy's rapid growth was not simply due to a change in training methods.
The scope of Faivy’s growth was too great to be attributed only to a change in training.
It was as if she had gained some enlightenment while reproducing miracles in the Barrow territory.
He didn’t say it all because Johan roughly suspected the reason for this growth.
This was something that had to be felt and realized by oneself. Realizing it through someone else’s explanation would only diminish its meaning.
“Bishop?”
“Ah, I’m sorry. I was just wondering why you keep calling Lady Alrn 'young lady.'”
So Johan shifted the conversation to another topic, hoping that Faivy would come to realize this fact on her own someday.
“...Yes?”
“I was curious why you call Lady Alrn 'young lady' while referring to the other young ladies just as 'young lady.'”
Since it was something he had often wondered about, Johan continued without a hint of hesitation.
However, one thing Johan did not expect was that every time he spoke, Faivy’s cheeks gradually turned red.
“Saint?”
“T-That’s... um...”
“Is there a reason you can’t say it?”
“No! It’s not that. Um. When everyone else calls her 'young lady' and I alone call her 'young lady,' it stands out. You know...?”
With her voice growing fainter as she spoke, Johan finally couldn’t hold back his laughter.
He wondered what the reason could be for her to struggle with her words, and it turned out she wanted to stand out in front of Lady Alrn!
“Don’t laugh! I told you not to laugh!”
“No, it’s just that thinking about how much you must have struggled to decide on that title makes me smile.”
“Bishop!”
With her face flushed and at a loss for what to do, Faivy looked at Johan with a teasing smile.
Thinking back, the reason she had asked for his teachings was also to win against Lady Alrn in a bet.
She must want to be seen as special by someone she holds dear.
How refreshing.
“If Lady Alrn finds out, she’ll surely find it very amusing.”
“...You must absolutely not tell her?!”
“Let’s see what you do in the future, Saint.”
“Ugh. If I had known this would happen, I should have just kept my mouth shut.”
What had happened to the dignity of a saint? With her voice raised and arms waving, Faivy asked Johan to keep her secret as she exited his room.
If she was acting like this when I asked, I wonder how she would react if Lady Alrn directly asked her later.
It would be nice if she could ask in a place where I could see it directly. That would be entertaining.
“Did you hear that, Karia? The saint is asking us to keep a secret.”
How long had it been since Faivy left? When her footsteps faded, Johan spoke up, and the door opened to reveal Karia.
“Don’t worry. I’m not the type to be so malicious as to spill something like that.”
“Then that’s a relief.”
As soon as the door closed, Johan stood up and headed toward the pantry.
“How about the ring I gave you?”
“I lost it. It seems I dropped it somewhere along the road, but I couldn’t find it.”
“I see.”
As they exchanged a prearranged code, the relaxed expression on Johan’s face vanished, replaced by a strict demeanor.
“You came to hear about the church’s movements, right?”
“Exactly. I have a general understanding, but it’s best to cross-verify with you, Bishop.”
“I understand. First of all, I must tell you that the Church of the Divine is still searching for the one who saved the Barrow territory.”
The inquisitor who visited the Barrow territory had engraved the divine essence of the Divine on the entire territory.
Therefore, even though the apostle of the Arts Academy claimed to have saved this place, they did not trust that story.
Officially, they praised the achievements of the apostle of the Arts Academy while secretly digging to find out who truly saved the Barrow territory.
“However, it seems they haven’t obtained any plausible clues.”
When the people from the Church of the Divine visited the Barrow territory through official routes, Lucy and her companions' traces had already been erased.
No matter how powerful the authority of the Church was, creating something out of nothing was impossible.
Even if those affiliated with the Church desperately searched for the savior, they wouldn’t find anything substantial.
“So it seems they’re looking around based on suspicion, but the results aren’t very promising.”
“Are you and the saint under suspicion?”
“Since we’re staying in the Artea territory due to matters related to Lady Alrn's mace, it’s all accounted for. Besides, the Church still doesn’t know what kind of existence Lady Alrn is, so you don’t have to worry.”
“It seems it’s not much different from what I’ve gathered. That’s a relief.”
“Should we really consider that a relief? It’s concerning that someone favored by the Divine has to hide their identity.”
While riding in the carriage, Johan felt a bitter taste and pulled out a container filled with sugar cubes from the pantry.
“Do you like sweets?”
“It’s alright.”
“Then I’ll put in two.”
“Yes, that sounds good.”
Faivy’s heated face finally returned to its original pale state when she reached near Soul Academy.
Haah. I should have just kept my mouth shut. I unconsciously let it slip thinking of the old, stern Bishop Johan.
...He wouldn’t speak of it, would he? Surely he wouldn’t tell Lady Alrn, right?
If Lady Alrn knew about my desire to be regarded as special, I would die from embarrassment!
“Saint!”
“...Huh?!”
In the midst of her wandering thoughts, Faivy instinctively answered someone’s question, making a foolish sound.
“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to interrupt when you were thinking about something!”
“No, it’s fine. What is it, then?”
“Did you see the notice that went up in the plaza?”
“No. I was out because I had something to do today.”
As Faivy shook her head, the girl’s face visibly brightened.
“They said this dungeon studies exam will be conducted with the same dungeon for all grades!”
“...Really?”
“Yes! If you go to the plaza, you’ll find more details!”
After thanking the girl, Faivy moved towards the plaza.
Despite the early winter night approaching, many people had gathered in the plaza to check the notices.
If I get caught up in them, it would be troublesome, so let’s enhance my vision to check the contents.
The notice hung in the middle of the plaza stated the following:
The dungeon studies exam would last throughout the final exam period. The number of attempts is unlimited.
The party composition could be done freely.
Although the foundation of the dungeon is the same, there will be different aspects depending on the grade.
Additionally, many other points were written there, but the most striking part was regarding the rewards for conquering the dungeon.
“...An accessory personally crafted by the apostle of the Arts Academy?”
Faivy roughly knew how much the accessories made and blessed by the Arts Academy were worth.
Items crafted by bishops would typically command a hefty price, so if the item were crafted by the apostle of the Arts Academy...
This is a serious matter.
The apostle of the Arts Academy, who wouldn’t hand over their accessories to anyone unless they recognized them, provided their accessory as a reward for the dungeon, which surely means Lady Alrn had requested it.
Otherwise, the apostle of the Arts Academy wouldn’t have allowed their accessories to be tied to something like this.
This means Lady Alrn judged that the dungeon she created was difficult enough that the reward should be an accessory made directly by the apostle.
The fact that Lady Alrn, who holds different standards from ordinary people, made such a judgment means the completed dungeon must be of a level that no one could pass.
...
I need to go meet the people who decided to conquer the dungeon together.
I need to discuss this quickly.
They must be practicing their coordination at the training ground, right?
Faivy’s guess was correct.
Arthur, Joy, and Faivy. The three of them were in their usual spot at the training ground.
However, the one thing that was different from usual was the presence of an uninvited guest there.
“Brother.”
Cecile Soladine.
The Second Prince of the Soladine Kingdom was looking down at Arthur.