Chapter 198: To the Church of Light (3)
Chapter 198: To the Church of Light (3)
“So… are you asking me to teach you how to seduce another woman?”
After being tormented by Iona for a good while, I sought Elisha out for advice, only to be met with this sharp response.
“No, how did you even jump to that? I’m just asking how I should clear up the misunderstandings between Priestess Helena and me.”
“Is there really much to call a ‘misunderstanding’? It’s all true, isn’t it?”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
Asking for a nun’s habit for cosplay sex, having secret trysts on campus, and now gaslighting a slave so thoroughly she can’t escape.
It’s all mostly true, but still…!
“Even so, I can’t just leave things like this.”
“I don’t know. I think things are quite fine as they are.”
“…I look like a total scumbag to anyone watching, though?”
“And yet, you receive a thicker blessing than anyone else. If you didn’t have at least this many flaws, she’d probably be stuck to you like glue, worshipping you by now.”
“That’s… actually possible!”
In a world where gods actually exist, most clergy members are fanatics. And the followers of the Righteous Light are a collection of people who are even more unhinged than the rest.
And then, a person who looks exactly like a (provisional) Apostle of the god they serve suddenly appears before them?
I’m not even lying—if I set my mind to it, I could swallow the Church of the Righteous Light whole right now.
If I were to accept the position of Apostle, I could even ascend to the seat of the Pope.
At least, that’s how it worked in the game.
“Still, I can’t let it stay like this.”
“Hmph. Well, helping you isn’t exactly difficult, but before that… you know the drill, right?”
“Of course.”
Smooch.
I gave Elisha a light kiss on the lips.
But for some reason, Elisha’s expression turned subtle.
“…Was that not it?”
“I was going to say it’s my turn to learn from you. I have many things to ask you as well, Yandel.”
“…….”
Elisha never slacked on her training, but she had become even more fervent since I reached the rank of Intermediate Magician.
She especially asked a lot about the sensations or mental images when first using Intermediate Magic… but how was I supposed to explain that the effects were just vividly burned into my mind because I’d seen them a thousand times in H&A?
In the end, I could only give abstract answers, and because of that, Elisha calling me over to pick my brain whenever she had a spare moment had become a daily routine.
“Ahem. I knew that. I just did it because I wanted to.”
“Oh? If you say so, let’s go with that.”
Elisha giggled, hiding her mouth behind her fan.
As I scratched the back of my head in awkwardness, Elisha’s blue eyes curved softly.
“So? Which one shall we start with?”
“Hmm… let’s go in order, starting with chant shortening.”
“Very well.”
Elisha patted the spot on the bed next to where she was sitting.
Carla was currently with Iona, working on some ‘Yandel Growth Plan’ or whatever, and Iris was debating the intersection of enchantment and alchemy with Fay.
Helena was busy maintaining her mace, and her skill was so proficient she looked like a veteran mercenary who had spent years on the battlefield.
Is this really a member of the clergy…?
Anyway, because of that, it was only natural that Elisha and I were left to ourselves.
Whether she realized this or not, Elisha tucked away the notebook she had been scribbling in and let out a small chuckle.
“By the way, I forgot to say it. Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For being considerate and making time for us to be together. Even if chant shortening is my specialty, I’m still no match for Master or Professor Iona.”
“Hmm. You’re mistaken about one thing.”
“Eh?”
I reached out toward Elisha as she tilted her head in confusion.
I felt the delicate texture of her nape beneath my fingertips. Lightly pressing down on the Slave Imprint engraved in the center, I continued.
“Sure, Iris and Iona would probably be much better at teaching. But their methods are different from the path you’re pursuing, aren’t they?”
“Well… I suppose so?”
Elisha nodded, her posture a bit stiff since I was holding her by the throat.
“Carla would prefer increasing the power by lengthening the chant rather than shortening it.”
“Yeah. Most of what I learn from Carla is how to increase firepower.”
“Master prefers the orthodox method of chant shortening. Things like engraving the Shadow of Elements of the Elementus Core more deeply, or carving a clear image through repeated use.”
“It’s orthodox by Elf standards, at least.”
“Professor Iona’s method… is only possible because she’s a vampire. She sacrifices power to omit the chant, but then amplifies it again with blood magic.”
“Being a vampire is practically a cheat code for combat power, so that goes without saying.”
“But I…”
Perhaps she wasn’t confident enough to say it herself yet; when it came to her turn, Elisha lowered her head and hesitated.
I slid my fingers from her neck up to her chin and tilted her face up.
Forcing her to meet my eyes, I said the words Elisha should have said.
“You’re pursuing a path unlike anyone else, Elisha. You’re pushing the linkage between spells to the absolute limit. Chant shortening is just an intermediate step for you.”
“You… how did you…?”
Elisha’s eyes went wide.
It was only natural, really. I already knew what Elisha’s completed form looked like.
Of course I did. She was the title magician of H&A; how could I forget?
“Elemental magic is intuitive. It’s only natural, since it deals with the elements that make up the world. And this world is always in a state of circulation.”
The four seasons. Day and night. Life, aging, sickness, and death. The rise and fall of nations. The water cycle.
Countless other things circulate endlessly.
Elisha believed that if elemental magic dealt with the components of the world, it should also be able to handle the cycles of nature.
“Like new life blooming from the ashes of a fire, like the wind blowing through the thin branches grown from that life, like the wind bringing dark clouds to pour down rain.”
And like how all of these become one under the name of the world.
“No beginning and no end. Just a massive, perfect cycle. Magic that most resembles nature. Therefore, the most Elven magic of all.”
A fully leveled-up Elisha was a walking natural disaster.
She could summon a storm in a single breath, cause earthquakes with every step, and conjure pillars of fire just by looking.
Long ago, back when Elves still lived alongside spirits.
How many times had I marveled at her, looking as if she had gathered the four great Spirit Kings—the pinnacles of that era—into one person?
The great Archmage who continued forward even after the Magic Tower fell and she lost her master, finally grasping her long-cherished wish.
“If that is what lies at the end of this path… I guarantee that your chant shortening will become a vision more valuable than anyone else’s.”
Of course, it would be impossible for me, who lacks an Elementus Core, to fully master Elisha’s vision.
However, it was still an enlightenment that led to the rank of Archmage. Even if it was incomplete right now, it could never be ignored.
“So, this isn’t about being considerate or anything. I’m just putting the right person in the right place to exploit them.”
“…….”
I slung an arm over the shoulder of the stunned Elisha and pulled my lips into a smirk.
“As long as you’re my slave, your body, your heart, and even your enlightenment belong to me. So stop talking and hurry up and teach me what you’ve researched so far— mmmph?!”
My lips were cut off mid-sentence.
The soft sensation and the scent of wood. I realized what was happening the moment a supple sensation invaded my mouth.
Elisha had suddenly kissed me. And a very deep one at that.
I was flustered for a moment by her tongue dancing around in a way that felt like freedom, justice, and destiny all at once.
Just as I was starting to lose my breath, Elisha pulled back, her head dropping slightly before she flashed her characteristic confident smile.
“Ohohoho! Since you evaluate me so highly, Yandel, I suppose I have no choice! Now, let us begin immediately. Shall we start by checking what I taught you yesterday?”
“Uh, yeah.”
I was momentarily taken aback by her sudden spike in energy, but since Elisha seemed motivated, I did as I was told and demonstrated what I had learned so far.
After that, we spent a long time talking, experimenting with various things together, and I answered Elisha’s questions about the sensation of using Intermediate Magic.
.
.
.
.
.
The training with Elisha only ended when the sun began to set and it was time to look for a suitable place to stop the carriage.
Perhaps because she had talked so much, Elisha drank several cups of the Elven tea I poured for her to quench her thirst, letting out a cute sigh of relief.
“Ah, right. I almost forgot. You said you wanted to clear up Priestess Helena’s misunderstanding, Yandel?”
“Yeah. I did.”
“And you also mentioned there’s a relatively easy dungeon on the way.”
“I… did?”
As my eyes widened at the thought, Elisha nodded with an elegant smile, confirming my suspicion.
“Then it’s simple. You just need to show her your cool side there.”
“…Will that really be enough?”
It felt like a bit too simple of an idea.
But Elisha affirmed it with a voice full of conviction.
“My, isn’t it obvious? Priestess Helena is a priestess of the Righteous Light, and you are the person closest to the Sun, aren’t you?”
“Ah.”
That… actually makes sense!