The First-Rank Holy Mage
The back of a girl with a somewhat frail air came into view.
The girl with blue hair was named Shishiroka.
She was the one who had let me inside after I argued with the gardener.
I filed away that pathetic look on the gardener's face in the photo album of my heart for safekeeping.
Right now, she was guiding me.
Fortunately, she could read and had understood the contents of the letter of recommendation.
This is why people need to study.
While walking, I casually asked and learned that she was also a holy mage.
Since she had no surname, she probably wasn't a noble.
Her mannerisms were quite refined.
Following her, I saw a luxurious corridor.
A pleasant carpet covered the floor, and not a speck of dust could be seen on the windows or anywhere nearby.
The servants must clean every day.
How much money would one need to live in a mansion like this?
It was a world apart from my own, where I shared a cheap inn room with cockroaches every night.
“We've arrived.”
While I was taking in the mansion, Shishiroka stopped and turned to me.
“This is Lady Rapheal's office.”
Shishiroka raised her small hand and knocked on the door.
A voice from inside told us to enter.
When the door opened, a woman came into view.
She wore a women's suit.
Unusually, feathers adorned the area above her ears.
Her peach-colored hair stood out as she quietly stared at me.
Sharp eyes visible above her work glasses.
Rapheal Baniolla.
She was the holy mage teacher Bulldog had introduced.
Shishiroka approached her and held out the letter of recommendation.
“It's a letter from Sir Bulldog.”
The moment the name Bulldog was mentioned, Rapheal's eyebrows twitched.
I got a bad feeling.
Wanting to avoid unnecessary attention, I quietly slipped into the shadow of the wall.
Meanwhile, Rapheal slowly read the letter.
“Haaaaah.”
Soon after, a sigh full of irritation escaped from Rapheal.
That woman clearly had some bad history with Bulldog.
Rapheal's eyes turned toward me.
Her fierce gaze was downright savage.
If Bulldog was literally a bulldog, then she was a Doberman.
“The name written here is Harua. Is that you?”
“Yes, I'm Harua.”
“So that mangy mutt actually had the nerve to send you.”
As expected, they had bad blood.
Rapheal frowned as if she couldn't stand the sight of the letter.
“Bulldog isn't a mangy mutt.”
Rapheal's eyes returned to me once more.
“To me, he's the one who taught me how to survive in this world.
At the very least, he's a good person who wrote a letter of recommendation for someone with no connections.”
The reason I was here was because of Bulldog's letter of recommendation.
This was purely his goodwill toward me.
Even if Bulldog had done something shameless to her, he still recommended me despite that.
I wasn't about to quietly listen to him being insulted.
“Ha.”
Rapheal laughed in disbelief.
“That mutt slept with me and ran away.”
“Damn, what a son of a bitch!”
No wonder his name was Bulldog!
A beast with its dick for a brain!
Watching me rage, Rapheal laughed as if she found it absurd.
Shishiroka, standing beside us, had turned bright red, apparently unaccustomed to such stories.
“Well, I was the one who followed him around saying I liked him, and I was the one who clung to him crying and begging when he tried to leave. In the end, he didn't choose me.”
She revealed a wistful look, as if it were a complicated past.
So Rapheal had loved Bulldog, but his heart belonged to another woman.
In the end, Rapheal had even used her body as a last resort, but Bulldog's feelings never turned toward her.
That's how he ended up marrying his current wife.
There was quite a story there.
In conclusion, only Bulldog had come out ahead.
More than that, sending me to a woman who had one-sided feelings for him took some serious nerve.
Rapheal had every right to say what she did.
“So after all this time with no contact, that guy sends you with a letter of recommendation.”
She waved the letter and stared at me intently.
“That means you're no ordinary talent. Isn't that right?”
“He did say I had excellent aptitude.”
“We'll see about that directly.”
Rapheal approached me.
Up close, her long legs stood out.
She was quite tall.
Bulldog must have saved a country in his past life.
“Up close, your skin is even paler. Have you never seen sunlight?”
“I've been rolling around like a dog every day.”
“Then it's natural. How interesting.”
She looked me up and down with curious eyes.
She seemed to covet my porcelain skin.
Honestly, even I didn't know why I was so pale.
I'd just become unusually white after crossing into this world.
“Lend me your shoulder.”
Since I was a bit taller than her, I lowered my posture, and Rapheal placed her hand on my shoulder.
Her eyes behind the glasses closed.
After some time passed, she slowly opened her eyelids and widened her eyes.
“Huh. Bulldog, that guy really could send someone like you. It's light attribute, grade one.”
“Grade one?”
Even Shishiroka behind me showed a surprised reaction.
As for me, I just blinked.
Though I'd followed Bulldog around, I was completely ignorant about magic.
I only knew that magic exploded everywhere and that it was complicated—nothing more.
That's why I'd wanted to learn from Bulldog.
“You know magic attributes are divided into seven types, right?”
“Yes, I know that much.”
Fire, wind, lightning, earth, water, darkness, light.
Thus, magic attributes were divided into seven types.
“Each attribute is given a total of ten grades. From grade one to grade ten.”
Usually, those with talent for magic were said to be grade five.
“If you have a grade-five attribute, you can generally handle other attributes as well. Other attributes also average around grade five.”
On the other hand, the higher the grade above four, the lower the grades of other attributes became.
This was because the better one attribute was, the worse its compatibility with other attributes.
“Since you have light attribute grade one, your other attributes are grade ten.”
Now I understood why Bulldog had said I wouldn't be able to learn other attribute magic.
“Is that a good thing?”
“What more is there to say? Besides you, there are only two people in this world with light attribute grade one.
Even they are the current highest elder holy mage of the Grace Magic Tower and the Saintess of the Holy Church.”
Hearing this, it really was an insane talent.
Hmm, living as a holy mage might not be so bad after all.
Suddenly, resurrection magic started looking a little appealing.
“Looks like someone who's going to make history has appeared. It'll be worth teaching.”
Rapheal's eyes sparkled.
Apparently, my talent had caught her fancy.
“Lady Rapheal, can holy mages fight as well?”
But more than holy magic, I needed a way to protect myself.
In this uncivilized world, a means to defend myself was essential for survival.
“What? Puhahahaha!”
At that moment, Rapheal burst into laughter.
“Do you know why the temple's holy knights are feared?”
“Because they're strong?”
“That's part of it, but they're also an immortal legion that doesn't die.”
Rapheal raised a finger.
Then a beam of light gathered at her fingertip, sharpened like a blade.
Rapheal casually sliced her own skin with the blade of light.
But the moment her skin split, it healed.
“See? Once holy magic reaches a certain level, it constantly activates inside the body like this and heals you.”
I hadn't known that.
No.
Correction.
This was something I'd already experienced.
My ability, resurrection magic.
Resurrection magic wasn't originally meant to revive me.
Since it could save others, it had applied to my body as well, allowing me to resurrect.
Only now did I understand the principle behind resurrection magic.
“Thanks to that, as long as it's not instant death, holy mages don't suffer much damage.
Of course, my recovery rate isn't as high as theirs. But automatic recovery is plenty useful in combat.”
Holy knights actively used this advantage in battle.
An immortal legion that charged forward without hesitation even when wounded.
I could feel why they were feared.
From the cultists onward, I'd already sensed that the religions of this world weren't sane.
“I don't know what you're trying to fight, but the answer is yes. Holy mages can fight more than well enough.”
That was enough.
I clenched both fists tightly.
“I'll study holy magic diligently! Please take me as your disciple!”
“I'm more than happy to. Grade-one light attribute is rare, after all.”
Today, I gained a new teacher.
* * *
Afterward, I decided to stay at Lady Rapheal's mansion.
From now on, I had to study diligently as her disciple.
It wasn't possible to come and go from outside while learning.
So, excited, I quickly packed my things and came to the mansion.
Of course I'd live in a noble mansion from now on.
I said my final goodbye to my cockroach buddy.
It was nice meeting you—let's never see each other again.
When I arrived at the mansion carrying my luggage, the gardener I'd argued with at the entrance had a face like he'd bitten into something sour.
But he had no choice but to bow his head carefully to me.
Kyah, the true taste of social climbing.
Nothing could be this enjoyable.
While being guided to my room, I asked a female attendant and learned that Rapheal was an even more impressive person than I'd thought.
She was the daughter of the Grace Magic Tower Master, the center of holy magic.
Good grief. Bulldog, who had spent just one night with Rapheal and then left without regret to chase love, was truly something else.
Anyway, I had become the disciple of the Grace Magic Tower Master's daughter.
The Tower Master had been granted the title of viscount by the empire's recognition.
Therefore, Rapheal, the Tower Master's daughter, was also a noble.
Since I was her disciple, I could more or less consider myself a noble now too.
With this, I had taken one more step away from the uncivilized natives of this world.
No, wait. We were originally different species to begin with.
While I was feeling very satisfied in my spacious, clean room, I heard a knock.
“Come in.”
“Ah, yes.”
The one who entered with the knock was Shishiroka.
She looked at me curiously for a moment before fixing her expression.
“Lady Rapheal says she'll begin instructing you right away, so please follow me.”
“Got it.”
Shishiroka made a face like she'd seen something strange.
“Ah, Shishiroka is Lady Rapheal's first disciple.”
So Shishiroka was also Rapheal's disciple.
I'd had a feeling.
“That means Shishiroka is Harua's senior.”
Shishiroka slightly straightened her back and looked smug.
“Got it?”
“Yes, Senior.”
“Good, good.”
Shishiroka seemed a bit flustered, as if she hadn't expected me to call her senior so readily.
She'd probably been trying to establish some authority in her own way.
A senior deserved senior treatment.
“Senior, your legs must be tired from walking on those magnificent legs of yours. I'll become your legs.”
“H-Huh?”
I charged straight at Shishiroka and lifted her up in one swift motion.
“Kyaa!? W-What are you doing!”
“I can't bear to watch Senior walk on her own two legs! I must announce Senior's majesty to the entire world!”
Shishiroka was light, as expected of her small size.
Thanks to that, I could lift her up with ease, like a cat.
“Now, let's go!”
“Kyaaaaah! P-Put me down! Put Shishiroka down!”
“Behold, world! This is Senior Shishiroka!”
“I-I don't want to be senior anymore! Shishiroka doesn't want to be senior!”
Whether Shishiroka screamed or not, I ran with all my might.
It was my firm resolve to announce Shishiroka's majesty to the whole world.
“What are you two doing?”
Then we got caught by Rapheal and I received a smack on the head.
“Shishiroka has a weak constitution, so don't torment her.”
“I was merely trying to announce Senior's majesty.”
“You're not quite right in the head either.”
The world didn't understand me.
I thought Shishiroka would understand my intentions and looked at her.
She flinched in surprise and ran away.
Ah, how lonely.
“More importantly, prepare yourself.”
“For what?”
I was at the training ground with Rapheal.
“Do you know the easiest way to learn holy magic?”
For some reason, Rapheal had brought along a menacing club.
“It's getting wounded and then pouring holy magic into the injury.”
“What kind of crazy talk is that?”
“You're light attribute grade one. It's faster to get a feel for it and learn through experience than to study theory one by one.”
Damn, a crazy teacher.
“You said you wanted to get stronger, right?”
Rapheal wore a menacing smile.
She was a witch. Definitely a witch.
“Work hard to grow stronger.”
I decided to curse Bulldog for all eternity for introducing me to Rapheal.