Chapter 60
Chapter 60
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter Title: 060. Bedside Visit
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Tear of the Sun.
Its effects: recovery from all status ailments and health restoration, plus a permanent increase in ability scores.
Gulp.
The moment the sip hit my mouth, a scorching energy wrapped around my entire body. True to its name, the Tear of the Sun, an overwhelming surge of yang energy swept through me. It felt similar to the sensation of channeling holy power that Elise had described, but far denser.
For someone who had always trusted modern medicine, this was an utterly fascinating experience.
Just by downing one vial, not only had the gash on my shoulder blade fully mended, but the pain had vanished completely.
“Huh...”
It was profoundly surprising.
This was fantasy.
“Feeling better now?”
Ciris smiled with her eyes, clearly pleased by my reaction.
“Yes. Thanks to you, I'm perfectly fine.”
My condition had definitely improved.
It felt like every part of me had been swapped out with brand-new components—my body was so light it seemed like I might float away.
The ability score boost, though... honestly, I had no idea. There was no game-like stat screen popping up, and my muscles weren't suddenly bulging like some comic book hero. No way to check.
“I'm glad to hear that. The Tear of the Sun is a royal treasure. It's a precious elixir produced only about once a year.”
“Was it really okay to give two vials of something so rare to me? Wouldn't it have been better for your guard knight...?”
“The Tear of the Sun doesn't mean much to experts who've reached a certain level anyway. Besides, Tris already took one a few years ago. More than anything, I believe you deserve an elixir like this.”
“...Mm.”
Still, it would've been better for Isolde or Elise.
But Ciris insisted, so there was nothing I could do.
Fine. I'd treat it like stumbling on a wild ginseng root.
Ciris turned as if that wrapped up her business. But before gripping the doorknob to leave the sickroom, she glanced back at me.
“Oh, right. One more thing I should mention.”
Her lips were hidden behind her fan.
But those violet eyes sparkled with a mischievous girl's playfulness.
“Tris and I will be staying at a villa near the academy for about a month.”
“...”
“I'd love to see you more often.”
I'd rather not.
That afternoon, I checked out of the sickroom. Having drunk the Tear of the Sun, my body was fully healed—no need for further rest.
The academy was quiet with summer break in full swing, but my chapel was an exception.
“Priest, shall we start lessons today?”
First up, Elise. She was no longer affiliated with the grand cathedral. Using that as an excuse, she showed up every day like clockwork, forcing holy magic lessons on me.
Not that I minded. After the grand cathedral incident, I knew I needed at least enough skill to protect myself.
“I'll be back, Master.”
Next, Sophia. She was boarding at my chapel for the break.
That said, she didn't spend much time with me. She'd head out at sunrise and return at sunset.
She was training in swordsmanship under her guard knight, Beatrice Ludenfeldt. It was astonishing. The ferocious Sophia, who wanted to bite everything in sight, was wagging her tail for Beatrice.
When I asked why she was so enthusiastic...
“I-I'm going to get way stronger than I am now... so I can protect you, Master.”
That was her answer.
Well, having some drive was a good thing.
Sophia was currently my strongest ally. Time to power her up.
Anyway.
I continued lessons with Elise in my spare time. And today, I asked the question I'd been secretly hoping for.
“Sister. Has there... been any change in my constitution?”
“A change?”
“Yes. The truth is...”
I explained how I'd received and consumed the Tear of the Sun from Ciris.
“So, I was wondering if maybe my body can now store holy power.”
“Oh, I see. Let me check.”
At my request, Elise placed her hand on my chest.
“Um... Elise?”
“Yes? Is something wrong?”
“Aren't you... a bit too close?”
Elise was practically clinging to me. And with her thin clothes, the soft, yielding sensation of her chest pressed against my stomach.
Elise just smiled slyly.
“Priest, you perv. I'm just peering into your body's interior.”
“...If you say so.”
If she insisted.
Thank goodness Sophia was off training with Beatrice. She'd have drawn the Ink Sword on the spot if she saw this.
After a while, Elise pulled back.
“No... It's the same. It leaks out like water from a bottomless jar.”
“Ugh.”
So even pricey elixirs couldn't fix a total blockhead.
I'd drunk that precious Tear of the Sun and still couldn't escape being chaff.
What a waste.
It would've been dozens of times more effective on Elise.
Ciris had basically thrown away an expensive elixir.
Maybe my disappointment showed, because Elise hurriedly added comfort.
“B-But, Priest! Don't be discouraged. Holy power isn't everything, right?”
“Mm...”
“You surely have talents no one else can match. Oh, right! Your insight is amazing. Almost like precognition. If you leverage that eye for detail, you won't even need to fight directly...”
Insight, my foot. It was just original story knowledge.
Not a real talent of mine.
Still, her consolation sparked another idea.
Other talents...
The Tear of the Sun permanently boosted all ability scores.
If holy magic didn't work, maybe regular magic? Maybe my body stored mana instead of holy power.
Magic was notoriously hard to learn. The insular mage society made it inaccessible to commoners. I'd only pursued holy magic because Elise was my teacher—if not for her, I wouldn't have dreamed of it.
But now, I was acquainted with top-tier mages.
“Elise, I'll step out for a bit.”
I straightened my disheveled clothes from her embrace.
Elise tilted her head.
“Hm? Do you have business?”
“Yes. Need to meet someone.”
“Someone? Who...”
“Isolde.”
Elise's expression hardened.
Truth be told, approaching Isolde gave me pause.
Isolde the Grand Witch. One of the protagonists of Throne of the Academy.
I worried that getting too close might derail the original plot.
Whatever.
Sophia and Elise were already precedents. The plot was derailed long ago.
Asking Isolde for advice shouldn't be a big deal.
Better than begging Professor Everett from the magic department.
“Alright. Time to find Isolde.”
Resolved, I headed to the magic department.
Of course, I wasn't shameless enough to barge in and beg for magic lessons. We weren't that close.
But I knew someone who could connect us.
“...Teacher?”
A black-haired girl with wide, sparkling dark eyes, as if seeing a hallucination.
Otilie Kete von Ihen Dorp.
“I have a favor to ask, Otilie.”
“What is it?”
“I'd like to meet Isolde. I heard you take supplementary lessons together. Could you pass along a message?”
Her face had lit up at first, but her eyes narrowed.
“...What business does Teacher have with her?”
“Well... to be honest...”
I explained how I'd decided to learn magic.
Then Otilie's subtle expression turned even stiffer.
“...Teacher, I'm a mage too.”
“Yes, you are, Otilie.”
“...”
Yeah.
I knew.
The puppet misunderstanding had blown up big time.
But Otilie was a manipulation mage, heavily influenced by her family's bloodline. Isolde, a commoner, had risen purely on talent and effort—a true genius.
So Isolde was perfect for teaching a commoner like me.
“You know I don't have fancy bloodlines or family secret arts. I'm cut from a different cloth than you, Otilie.”
“Umm...”
In the end, faced with logic, Otilie reluctantly led me to the lab annex where supplementary lessons were held.
Isolde happened to be lounging there.
“Ah, you're Muse, right?”
“Muse?”
“Otilie calls you that, Priest.”
Isolde flashed an innocent smile. Her chestnut hair glowed orange in the sunlight, and her gray eyes peered sharply through horn-rimmed glasses.
Just as beautiful as ever.
Isolde was consistent—in the original story and this twisted world alike.
The one reliable constant amid all this distortion.
I smiled warmly and got to the point.
“Could you check my constitution? See if I have any talent as a mage.”
“...A priest learning magic?”
Isolde tilted her head. Fair enough—a holy power user eyeing mana was unusual.
“I'm a total dud with holy power.”
“A dud at holy power... But why become a priest then...?”
“Circumstances.”
Try getting dumped alone in an orphanage.
You eat whatever you can.
“Well, if cute Otilie's Muse is asking, no reason to refuse. Come here for a sec?”
Luckily, Isolde agreed readily. She placed her index finger on my solar plexus.
I tilted my head.
“You can check with just that?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean... like, do you need to embrace me or something to...”
Isolde gave me a strange look.
Otilie too. She alternated glances between Isolde's ample chest and my face, grinding her teeth.
“...My mistake. Forget I said that.”
The frosty reaction confirmed it.
Elise, you tricked me.
No need for that level of contact to check someone's state.
I'd fallen for Elise's prank. As I swallowed my anger, Isolde removed her finger.
“To put it bluntly, you have zero talent as a mage.”
“...I see.”
After Elise's verdict, it didn't hit too hard.
This damn body had no talents whatsoever.
That thought didn't last. Isolde frowned and continued.
“But there's something odd.”
“Yes?”
“Your spirit affinity is high. Way higher than a commoner's—better than most spirit mages.”
“Spirit affinity? What's that?”
“Exactly what it sounds like: how much spirits like you. Mages with high affinity can contract powerful spirits.”
My eyes widened.
Spirit arts.
I had a talent after all.