Chapter 88
Chapter 88
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 88
Chapter Title: The Beginning of Change (4)
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This was almost a reflexive reaction.
The current situation grated on me that much.
It wasn't the first time someone from a church other than Palao had come calling.
I'd been staying at Rashar's mansion for just over ten days, and this had happened for a full ten of those days.
The one day I missed was only because I wasn't around.
On top of that, they weren't even coming from just one place.
The ones from the Church of Agnotia of Purity had just arrived, but about twenty minutes ago, a priest from the Temoria Church had shown up.
They were waiting, even though I'd refused to meet them.
And they weren't the last ones, either. More were still on their way.
‘Today’ll make the full four-set again.’
Excluding Sinoa, Kallos, and Palao, representatives from the remaining four churches visited me every single day.
“Phew.”
I let out a deep sigh.
At first, I'd met with them to get a read on the situation, but not anymore.
Agreeing to see them now would just be a waste of time.
I'd already figured out what they wanted.
‘They’re trying to recruit me.’
I'd already chosen the Palao faction, but they kept coming, trying to persuade me to switch to theirs.
They promised to handle all the costs of defecting themselves.
They put on a dignified front, but up close, you could see the drool practically dripping from their mouths.
At first, I couldn't understand their attitude.
I didn't think my value was objectively that high.
Sure, I'd met the gods and helped connect the two worlds, but that was in the past.
‘There’s no real reason they need to keep me around.’
In the end, their recruitment drive must stem from some expectation of future gains.
And it didn't take much thought to figure out what that was.
‘The Mark of Alliance.’
The reward from Sinoa.
I couldn't shake the feeling that multiple churches had their eyes on me because of that trait.
‘A player who can use the authorities of other factions, in their own faction?’
That was definitely a gain, never a loss.
‘They probably heard about it through the gods.’
The other gods had been watching when Sinoa granted me that trait.
That line of thought led to another question.
How the hell did they even know I was here?
Of course, a face flashed through my mind the moment the doubt arose.
‘That guy might’ve talked.’
Hesserma Libel knew my name, appearance, actions, and now even my whereabouts.
‘It’s just suspicion, not certainty.’
I couldn’t say for sure that Hesserma was the only outsider who knew I’d gone to Rashar’s mansion.
‘But the timing is suspiciously perfect.’
Their visits had started before I’d even begun wandering around Habon Castle in the carriage.
“Tch.”
It had only been ten days since I arrived, and already I could reel off a list of unpleasant faces.
‘People are the same everywhere, huh.’
Meeting them once or twice to gauge the situation was one thing.
But I was fed up with the priests punching the clock every day despite my refusals.
Even without that, it was hard to soften my view of them.
Their one-sided visit requests and propositions were causing trouble for innocent people, too.
Every time they came as guests, the mansion staff tensed up, and Centler was dragged around like an errand boy.
‘The priests’ social status is too high.’
In a world where the Seven Gods were real and their doctrines propped up society, it was only natural that church authority outranked royal power.
That made the priests’ social standing something you couldn’t easily ignore.
That was why Centler got summoned every time guests arrived from the temple.
With Rashar away, he had the highest position in the mansion.
‘What a personality.’
Their unspoken intent to ignore anyone below their station just soured people’s moods.
Until now, I’d taken a passive stance as a guest.
My actions could affect Rashar and the Bennett family.
But I couldn’t just sit back and watch these one-sided visits continue.
After sorting my thoughts for a moment, I asked Centler,
“What about Temoria?”
“They’re still waiting in the drawing room.”
I’d clearly refused, but they were holding out.
“Is there no way to send them away?”
“Not for me, there isn’t.”
Meaning there was for me, since I was the guest.
Tap, tap-tap, tap.
I drummed my fingers on my knee, pondering options, then shifted my thinking.
‘They don’t know the local etiquette.’
A misstep could harm Rashar, to whom I owed a debt.
To prevent that, it was time to seek advice.
“What do you do here when an unwanted guest shows up?”
“You refuse the request, like you’ve done, Kay-nim. They usually leave then.”
A sensible answer. Though not the one I wanted.
“But if the requests persist anyway……”
The ‘solution’ I’d hoped for came after the common sense.
“There is a method: send a formal document requesting they refrain from visiting, then restrict their entry.”
“Oh.”
It was less about politely asking them not to come and more about using force to bar them.
I’d be lying if I said it didn’t tempt me.
Their visits were getting more annoying by the day.
But before biting, I needed one last check for caution’s sake.
“Is that really okay? It won’t cause trouble for Rashar……”
Centler gave a sly smile at my hesitant question.
“Fortunately, you’ve already declared your affiliation, Kay-nim.”
“Hm?”
“If you make your stance official, the young lady will have grounds to intervene decisively.”
“Ah.”
Just as Centler said, it was a good thing I’d joined the Palao Church.
‘Rashar’s like the head of the Habon branch in her church.’
In other words, managing foreign visitors in Habon fell under her purview.
If I said I didn’t want to see reps from other churches, she’d have every reason to block them.
‘No reason to hesitate, then.’
I spoke in a much lighter tone.
“From now on, I’ll refuse all guests. Especially from the other churches—no one from those four that keep showing up recently.”
“Understood.”
Centler retreated with a faint smile.
I knew refusing meetings wouldn’t be the end of it.
Human greed was bigger than you’d think.
People who justified misdeeds for immediate gain were everywhere.
‘I’ll need to stay cautious for a while.’
Who knew what they might pull behind my back.
Shaking my head, I refocused on training.
I had to somehow fix my stagnant Mana Operation proficiency.
This time, I decided to extend the duration, like a long-distance marathon.
After catching my breath, I began circulating mana—and it lasted over two hours without stopping.
I grunted away alone in the training grounds for a good while.
Then, a presence nearby disrupted my focus slightly.
But since I was pushing to maintain Mana Operation as long as possible, I ignored it.
No one in this mansion would harm me anyway.
They’d probably just leave if I didn’t react, unless it was urgent.
I tried to ignore the approaching presence.
But instead of leaving, it drew closer.
Should I stop training? As I debated, something snagged the mana ceaselessly circulating through my body by the scruff of its neck.
My mana started getting dragged along.
“Hup!”
I braced instinctively, then realized.
This wasn’t pulling—it was guiding.
I abandoned my brief resistance and followed the sudden intervention.
It led to my heart.
The guiding motion whispered to spread the mana evenly and thinly.
Gritting my teeth, I shaped it into gossamer-thin strands, like cotton candy.
Then, layer by layer from the inside, I began stacking it—stack upon stack.
The moment I did:
「Mana Operation attempts to evolve into Mana Control!」
I poured in every ounce of strength, no exaggeration.
One layer, another, and another on top.
Each stack made my breath hitch tighter.
It wasn’t the shortness from exertion.
It felt like I’d be trapped in this endless sensation forever.
The time flailing in that trap felt like an eternity.
When I finally couldn’t hold out and gave up:
「Evolution failed.」
“Heok!”
I gulped in air desperately.
I’d sweated so much the training ground floor was slick.
The aftertaste of the unfamiliar experience lingered.
As I caught my breath, I patted my chest just in case—nothing remained.
The mana I’d painstakingly thinned and stacked was gone.
Exhaustion left my body limp.
“Phew.”
Sighing deeply, I opened my eyes to a familiar face.
“……You’re back?”
“I’m back, Kay.”
Rashar had returned from the summons order.
She looked down at me sprawled on the floor.
I barely raised my trembling arm, and she gripped it firmly.
With her help, I sat up, and words of comfort, encouragement—or something in between—followed.
“You did well.”
“What was that just now?”
“The process of forming a core.”
A condition for becoming an advanced knight able to produce perfect sword aura: a mana core.
Bihar knights were generally divided into regular knights without cores and advanced ones with them.
“Did you help me form that core?”
“I only guided you.”
It turned out to be simple when I asked what she meant.
“Most people can’t even generate a core with this kind of guidance.”
Manifesting mana to become a regular knight was hard, but forming a core was on another level.
She called it a feat from another world entirely.
“A core requires effort, skill, mental fortitude, and a sufficient amount of mana all combined.”
As I listened to Rashar’s explanation, I tried recreating the phenomenon.
But she grabbed my shoulder and shook her head.
“I get the regret, but call it for today. Don’t forget rest is part of training.”
I’d been so absorbed the sky had gone dark.
Instead of arguing, I stood obediently.
My legs shook, so I needed her support.
And then another nosebleed.
“Aren’t you pushing too hard?”
“Recovery’s fast, so it’s fine.”
I wiped the blood casually at Rashar’s worried question.
“But……”
“I’m not in a position to play it safe and take it slow, weighing every little thing.”
I had no luxury to grow leisurely, with breaks.
If I ended up missing a chance later because I wasn’t ready?
I wouldn’t forgive myself.
Even without that, there were plenty of reasons to hurry.
‘The higher-level contaminated zones that haven’t opened yet.’
Problems I needed to tackle were piling up.
I couldn’t stay tangled in immediate issues forever.
‘Can’t be reckless, but I do need to hurry.’
Just because I couldn’t intervene didn’t mean the problems wouldn’t affect me.
‘The recent summons order proves it.’
Rashar had probably gone to a higher contaminated zone.
Players hadn’t grown enough to enter yet.
But that didn’t mean there were no problems there.
They were just excluded because players lacked the power to solve them.
I couldn’t let this repeat.
I refused to be swept along by the world without lifting a finger.
“Ahem!”
Then Rashar cleared her throat pointedly to get my attention.