A Righteous Doctrine Fosters Devout Faith, Part 3
"I already had my suspicions, but this confirms it," Annie said, her voice tight with anger.
"Well, it's not like it's anything new. We already had an idea," Yohan replied nonchalantly. Inwardly, however, his resentment toward the Central Church was flaring up just as fiercely as Annie's.
Indeed. It wasn't like they could live like rats in a corner forever. He had to land a solid blow on them eventually to satisfy his own temper.
Well, technically, inciting the citizens of the Holy City and stealing the Original Scriptures and Divine Weapons had already been quite a blow, but...
Regardless, since they had resolved to build the Church of the Unnamed Goddess into something grander and more magnificent than the Central Church, the Holy Kingdom was a mountain they would eventually have to cross—an enemy they had to defeat.
The problem was that they couldn't just recklessly charge at the Holy Kingdom. This world didn't have a save-and-load feature.
Some might say that adversity builds character, but for Yohan, failure meant immediate death.
You need a bit of capital before you can start gambling. Yohan clicked his tongue at the thought.
For now, he decided to look over the rest of the contents. Yohan thoroughly reviewed the notes he had received from Annie.
The prophecy about the split goddess becoming whole again was something he had already heard from Annie. The prophecy about the hero who would defeat the Demon King was likely about Teodoro IV.
"Oh, right. Hey, dummy."
"Hmm?"
Something had suddenly occurred to Yohan. "You said that guy, Teodoro IV or whatever, defeated the Demon King back in the day, right?"
"Indeed, I did."
"Seeing as he had 'the Fourth' attached to his name, that means there were three other Teodoros before him. Did they ever fight a Demon King before the Fourth stepped up?"
At Yohan's question, the Goddess tilted her head. Annie, also growing curious, listened in silence.
"Of course. As you know, 'Demon King' is merely a title bestowed upon an exceptionally powerful demon of a given era."
"That is also why the Holy Kingdom tracks demonic factions like Pandemonium," Annie added. "Since it is a gathering of high-level devils, a demon powerful enough to be called a Demon King could emerge from their ranks."
"I see. So the same goes for those called 'Heroes'?"
At Yohan's second question, the Goddess gave a light nod.
"Indeed. Thus, depending on the circumstances, even a half-wit like you could become a hero. Hehehe." She added with a snide smirk.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Let's just get back to work."
"Very well."
To establish the doctrine of the Church of the Unnamed Goddess, they first needed to fully grasp the contents of the Central Church's scriptures. Since the Goddess's lifespan was no longer an urgent issue thanks to the villagers joining as believers, Yohan decided to take his time rather than rush the process.
During the day, Yohan worked in the fields, and at night, he analyzed the Original Scriptures alongside the Goddess to draft the new church's doctrine.
Whenever he felt too restless, he would round up his companions to hunt down and beat up local wanted criminals. In the meantime, rumors of "lunatics claiming to be a knight order" had spread so widely that bandits and highwaymen had practically vanished from the Balifield area.
By the time several months had passed and winter had fully set in...
"What do you think? Doesn't it look much more legitimate now?"
Inside Billy's cabin, with the entire knight order gathered, Billy proudly presented his healing potion with a confident smile.
"It's certainly a massive improvement from looking like green dishwater."
"Yeah. At this rate, people would easily believe it's a High Potion sold in the cities."
Annie and Falco offered their honest impressions upon inspecting it.
"..."
Yohan, on the other hand, examined the new potion with a deadpan, serious expression. Inside the glass vial was a translucent, pale-blue liquid.
The very first batch they had brewed boasted a hideous appearance that, as Annie put it, was no different from green dishwater. Furthermore, despite its excellent healing properties, it caused an agonizing, burning pain the moment it touched a wound due to the sheer amount of impurities.
However, after purchasing proper brewing equipment, including a distiller, and undergoing extensive trial and error with various reference books, they had finally produced this highly convincing result.
Yohan silently held his hand out to Falco. Understanding his silent request, Falco drew a dagger from her waist and handed it to him.
He took the dagger and sliced his own palm. Blood immediately welled up from the fresh cut. Having done this several times already, it was nothing shocking to anyone present.
Yohan felt the sharp sting of the cut.
"Billy."
"Yes, Boss!"
Billy immediately poured the clear, sky-blue potion onto Yohan's palm. The moment the liquid made contact, the split flesh knit back together in the blink of an eye.
Falco quickly wiped away the remaining blood with a clean cloth.
"How... is it?"
"It feels cool, but there's no pain at all. And I think the healing speed is getting even faster."
At Yohan's feedback, Billy's face lit up with joy.
"Awesome!" Billy muttered, clenching his fists.
"Now, for the final step, let's go get it tested at a place like the Magic Tower."
"The Magic Tower?"
"Yeah. Even if we can't mass-produce and sell this right away, we should at least show a sample to the experts to see how the quality stacks up."
"Ah."
Yohan glanced out the window. Through the frost-covered glass, he could see snow falling gently.
"Since we're on the subject, should we head out right now?"
"Sure. Works for me."
Yohan corked the glass vial and slipped it into his coat pocket.
"Do you guys need anything while we're out?" Yohan asked, looking at Annie and Falco.
"I am fine," Annie replied.
"Meat. I need meat. I'm sick of eating wild game. I want beef—proper, ranch-raised beef." While Annie waved her hand in refusal, Falco's eyes sparkled as she rattled off her specific request.
"Beef, huh?" Normally, Yohan would have scolded her for talking nonsense, but this time, he took her request seriously.
And for good reason—they had recently brewed their own wine using grapes harvested from the village.
—A thick, pan-seared steak paired with red wine would surely be a divine delicacy. My mouth is watering already! the Goddess chimed in, her voice brimming with excitement inside his head.
Red wine and beef steak...
"Got it. Request received." It certainly sounded mouthwatering. Yohan gave Falco a thumbs-up, and she eagerly returned the gesture.
With the prototype healing potion in hand, Yohan and Billy teleported to the outskirts of a major city.
Whoosh—
"Brrr, it's freezing."
"Tell me about it. Somehow it feels even colder than the village."
Shivering in the cold, the two immediately scanned their surroundings. It would be a headache if anyone witnessed them teleporting. If there were any onlookers, Yohan was fully prepared to use his Authority to alter their memories.
Fortunately, there wasn't a soul in sight.
"Alright, let's review our roles one more time."
"Right. You're a reclusive, nameless apothecary. And I'm... your assistant and porter, an Orc."
"Yeah. I know you hate being called an Orc, but people in this world would find a half-troll way more bizarre."
"Sigh..." Yohan patted Billy on the back as he spoke.
The two set off down the dirt road, braving the biting winter wind. After walking briskly for about two hours without a single break, houses began to dot the landscape. Before long, a massive stone wall and the sprawling city beyond it came into view.
Westania, a small kingdom located in the southwestern part of the continent, was the nation that ruled over Balifield and the surrounding wilderness. The place they were visiting was Westania's Royal Capital.
Though it was somewhat shabby compared to the grand metropolises of the Holy Kingdom, it was home to incomparably more people than frontier towns like Balifield. Naturally, it also boasted a prominent Magic Tower—the local mages' guild.
Like the Holy City of the Holy Kingdom, the Royal Capital was a walled city, with a large population living outside the walls as well. It was, quite literally, the textbook definition of a standard fantasy city.
Furthermore, the guards didn't conduct particularly strict inspections at the gates, largely because they didn't have to worry about wasteland drifters causing trouble every other day like in Balifield.
At most, they would only stop and question someone who looked exceptionally suspicious. Since Yohan and Billy were posing as a human apothecary and an Orc porter, passing through the gates of the Royal Capital was a breeze.
"Let's head straight to the Magic Tower first. We can buy the other stuff once we're done."
"Understood."
In the Royal Capital, various organizations operated out of their own guild buildings. Prime examples included the Mercenary Guild, where bounty hunters gathered, and the Mage Guild, where wizards congregated to perform all sorts of eccentricities.
Among them, the Mage Guild building—commonly referred to as the Magic Tower—lived up to its name as the tallest structure in the capital, second only to the royal castle. Because of this, even first-time visitors could easily find it.
There was a rumor that the tower was built so unnecessarily high simply because mages loved showing off, which seemed highly plausible given the typical behavior of their kind.
Bang!
Sure enough, a small explosion erupted from one of the tower's countless windows. The two stepped inside the Magic Tower and requested a consultation with a mage specializing in potion brewing.
Paid consultations with specialists were one of the Magic Tower's primary services, and Yohan was lucky enough to be paired with a mage immediately without any waiting time. The two boarded a magically operated elevator and headed upstairs.
"Room 2317... Ah, there it is." Yohan quickly found the room he had been directed to. He knocked lightly on the door and pulled the handle. Instantly, a wave of air that was noticeably hotter and more humid than the hallway rushed out.
"We're here for the consultation."
"I just received the notification. Come on in."
Stepping through the doorway, they were greeted by a white-haired old man sitting alone. The personal workshop of this potion-brewing mage closely resembled a modern chemistry lab. Yohan did his best to act nonchalant, but Billy couldn't suppress his natural curiosity and kept glancing around.
"So, I hear you're a self-taught apothecary? Tell me, what is it you wish to know?"
Yohan reached into his coat, pulled out the prototype healing potion, and handed it over. A spark of intrigue flashed in the mage's eyes.
"It's nothing grand. Just a healing potion made from herbs grown in my backyard. I wanted an expert to verify its efficacy."
In truth, Billy was the one who had brewed the potion, not Yohan. However, there was no need to disclose that here. An Orc—or rather, a half-troll—smart enough to brew high-quality potions? The moment that got out, rumors would spread like wildfire.
"I see. Since it is a healing potion, you would need a patient to properly test its efficacy, which you couldn't easily do on your own."
Yohan nodded vigorously at the mage's words.
"Exactly. I can test small cuts on myself, but I can't exactly go chopping off my own limbs. If something goes wrong, I'm ruined."
"Indeed, similar accidents happen within this tower almost daily."
Yep, mages are all out of their minds. Both Yohan and Billy shook their heads in silent agreement.
"Let's see." The mage peered closely at the potion through an optical device resembling a microscope.
"Ah, made from red-root vines. A common herb, but exceptionally effective for external wounds. Usually, amateur brews turn a murky green... but this has almost no impurities."
"Yeah, well. The first batch literally looked like green sewage, and it stung like hell when applied to a cut."
"Haha. Since you've already tested it on minor wounds, shall we see how it performs on a major injury right here?"
"Sure, go ahead."
That was exactly why they had come. Yohan nodded in agreement.
Immediately after.
Slash!
"What the hell?!"
The old man had suddenly muttered a quick incantation and used a blade of wind to cleanly sever his own left arm.
"A-Are you insane?!"
Yohan cursed in sheer horror, but the mage didn't show even a hint of pain despite his arm being completely severed.
"Do not fret. It doesn't particularly hurt, and an injury of this caliber can be easily healed."
He even had the audacity to reassure Yohan. Yohan was utterly flabbergasted. This crazy old coot had just executed, without a single moment of hesitation, a stunt that Yohan had only dared to contemplate because he lacked the nerve.
"Now, come over here and hold my severed arm against the stump. And you, porter, pour the potion over the wound."
"Ugh..."
Even Yohan and Billy, who had seen their fair share of gruesome sights, couldn't help but feel completely repulsed by the mage's casual attitude.
"With the potions sold by the Magic Tower, an injury like this can be regenerated in no time, provided the severed limb is intact."
The mage continued his explanation even as Billy began pouring the potion onto the stump.
"T-Then what about a High Potion?"
"A High Potion can regrow a brand-new arm even if the original limb is completely incinerated or lost. Of course, we only produce High Potions in small quantities, and lately, our stock has been... Huh?!"
The mage suddenly trailed off, tilting his head in confusion.
Squelch! Crackle!
At that moment, a wet, grinding sound of bone and flesh knitting together erupted from the stump. It violently pushed away the severed arm Yohan was holding, and a brand-new arm sprouted and grew to full size in an instant.
"W-What in the..."
"No way..."
All three of them stared at the sight, their eyes wide with absolute shock.