Chapter 31
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: Priestess of Light, Gloria (1)
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"Is this the place?"
Since my transfer to this other world, I hadn't set foot in a temple once after that first day when I wandered in clueless. So I asked around and finally found my way to the Temple of Light.
It was the classic image of a temple—a pristine white building emblazoned with a sun-like symbol that screamed, Yeah, this is definitely a temple, from a mile away.
People in priestly robes bustled about busily, while adventurers who looked like they were there for healing came and went in droves.
"What brings you here, brother?"
Whoa, brother? The priest at the clinic had just been politely formal. And the only other priest I'd met since was more like a rugged wolf beastman warrior than a holy man. Seeing this pious-looking one now really hit different.
"I've come to see Cleric Gloria."
"Do you have an appointment?"
"No, but I was referred by Advanced Adventurer Alensia. I have a letter of introduction."
"Would you mind waiting a moment?"
The cleric recognized Alensia's name right away, glanced over some papers, and replied with a warm smile.
"Conveniently, Cleric Gloria has an opening in her schedule. You can see her right away. Clara? Would you guide him, dear?"
"Yes! Follow me!"
With that, he handed me off to a girl who looked pretty young. Apprentice priestess? Errand girl? Her white robes suggested apprentice priestess.
A lively blonde girl in what seemed like priestess robes led the way, and I followed behind. The priests we passed along the way greeted Clara warmly—she must be pretty sociable.
Soon, Clara stopped in front of a door, flung it open with all her might, and announced,
"Mom! We have a guest!"
"????"
Mom?
"Oh? I wasn't expecting anyone today."
The woman who emerged from the room looked just like Clara—a blonde in priestess robes with perpetually squinted eyes. But... whoa. What a size. Was this the grandeur of motherhood?
Her robes were straining for dear life... Ah, snap out of it. Time to rein in the wandering eyes.
"H-Hello? Are you Cleric Gloria?"
"And you are?"
"I-I'm Ian. Alensia referred me."
"Oh?"
Maybe because Alensia had shared details about my skills, Gloria recognized my name and looked mildly surprised.
"Oh, you're that... Clara, sweetie, could you give us the room for a bit?"
"Okay!"
After shooing Clara out, Gloria offered me some tea and gestured to a seat. Better than standing there awkwardly, so I sat.
"I heard from A... Alensia. She said she met an adventurer with a skill that could heal mana circuits and got help from him. I naturally assumed he was a priest or something..."
"Didn't Alensia explain about me?"
"No. She said she couldn't share details without the person's permission—just that an adventurer named Ian had helped restore her mana circuits. I did hear he was a trainee she met during beginner adventurer training..."
"If I may ask... how did you know right away I'm not a priest?"
"I don't sense any divine power. And from your build and physique, you're no mage either... So you healed her without magic or divine power?"
She could tell at a glance? Alensia used to dungeon-dive with her back in the day—clearly no ordinary cleric.
"Oh, sorry. I know it's impolite to pry about skills."
Her expression screamed curiosity, but she held back out of consideration for me. That alone showed why Alensia trusted her so much.
"Still, I have to ask this much. Any side effects from your treatment?"
Even so, she goes there... Her worry for Alensia was palpable. Side effects, huh...
"To be honest, I don't really know."
"Oh...?"
"I'll explain my skill if you can promise not to tell anyone else. If so, I'll tell you."
"...In that case, I swear by my god. Without your permission, I shall not divulge information about your skill to others."
This wasn't just words—divine power flowed as she swore, faintly binding her in a visible glow.
"You know what it means for a cleric to swear by the god, right?"
...No clue. But probably some unbreakable vow. She seemed sensible, so I played along like I knew.
With the promise made, I explained [Heavenly Touch]. Skipping how I got it, I covered it as an advanced skill from Massage, with healing effects, detoxification, and the calibration bonus at [Massage Lv. Max].
"Massage...? I know master-level skills are on another plane, but I never imagined someone maxed out [Massage] and unlocked an advanced version."
"You know about advanced skills?"
"They're skills that evolve after maxing a base one and achieving some great feat, entering a unique realm. I've heard of swordsmen turning theirs into signature sword arts or mages developing original spells, but an advanced Massage skill...?"
That existed? Library books didn't cover others' skills much. I'd heard of signature sword arts, though—those must be advanced skills too.
"Anyway, I only got it recently, and I discovered it heals mana circuits by accident. So no, I don't know about side effects."
"...Yeah, makes sense. No precedent..."
Gloria pondered my words. Apparently, fixing broken mana circuits had only ever been done with divine blessings or elixirs before.
"Um, if it's not too much to ask... could I watch the treatment process next time?"
"...You mean the massage?"
"Yes! Observing might reveal potential side effects! Or even uncover the principle behind mana circuit healing!"
Her eyes sparkled with excitement, but my mind flashed to Alensia's outfit during last night's session... and groping her chest unknowingly on day one.
'..............Yeah, no.'
"I know it's rude to ask to see such a skill. But if something happened to Sia..."
Calling Alensia by her real name, Sia, said it all about their bond. Her god-sworn vow made her trustworthy.
Problem was... how to show it.
"......I'll discuss it with Alensia next time and let you know."
"Ah, of course. We should hear from Sia... Alensia too. She's a good person."
Probably not.
"A-Anyway, that's not the only reason I came. Could you check my mana circuit for any issues?"
I pivoted quickly to my actual goal.
"Oh? I heard you're a beginner adventurer, but you're already handling mana? And unaffiliated?"
"I-I have a skill that uses mana. No direct problem, but I wanted to confirm something."
Successfully redirected—Gloria shifted topics, approached, closed her eyes, and scanned my body with divine power.
"Hm? Hmm..."
"Something wrong?"
"This is extremely rare, but your mana circuit is slightly rigid right now."
"Rigid?"
"Yes. It usually happens when high-ranking mages infuse their own mana to awaken a disciple's mana sense. Not a big issue now, but repeating it short-term could damage the circuit. Though... it's similar to that, but feels a bit different."
High mages flood with massive mana to force mana awareness. Rare mages do it, only for direct disciples. I hadn't been flooded, but I'd felt something similar.
"Anyway, whatever skill it is, don't use it often. And not repeatedly in short bursts."
No issue. Sounded exactly like what happened with [Sensory Release] for mana awakening. Guess I'd have to skip daily rapid sessions. But her description confirmed my method worked.
Curious about my symptoms, Gloria asked if I knew a high mage. I brushed it off as skill-related, and she let it go.
"Anyway, thank you for treating A... Alensia. I'd like to offer something in return..."
"Pardon? No need. I'm getting compensated by Alensia."
"No. Part of why Alensia ended up like that is my fault. As her party priest during that Labyrinth poisoning, I failed to detox her properly."
Right—Alensia's mana circuit broke from forcing mana while poisoned.
"Really, it's fine. Even if I gained a lot short-term, I lack confidence to protect it, and taking money might invite questions about why. So I kept rewards low-profile."
"Oh. Hadn't thought of that. What did Alensia give you?"
"Some gold per massage, daily swordsmanship lessons, registered as my guild guarantor..."
"Mm-hmm."
"...and permission to stay at her mansion."
"Pardon?"
The moment she heard that, Gloria's warm tone turned icy cold.
"Are you living at Sia's house, by any chance?"
"Y-Yeah... ever since beginner training, somehow..."
No way Alensia hadn't mentioned that. Wait—living with a strange guy in a lone woman's house? Of course it'd sound off. Her name for Alensia switched to Sia instantly.
Before I could stammer an excuse, Gloria was already dressed for outdoors.
"Ian? Shall we go see Sia together?"
".....Yes."
The pressure was undeniable. I gave up excuses and left the temple with her toward the mansion.
Still... Alensia would explain, right? Nothing weird happened while living together.
Right?