The Saint of the Lantern
The conversation had barely ended when my Master’s reaction turned a bit strange. There was a subtle, lingering sense that he was wary of me.
"Hmm... Tell me, do you intend to release that paper to the public?"
"Of course not. I’m going to have it go through a Grade 1 review first."
It’s easy to overlook, but magic encompasses everything from pure scientific theory to the nature of military weaponry. There is no way I would release such magic to the public without discretion. That is why there is a system in place where all magical papers must voluntarily undergo a grade review by an ethics committee before submission.
"I plan to set the security clearance quite high. The potential for misuse is just too great."
The content of the paper is intended to demonstrate how much mages are currently exposed to lead and to prove the worst-case scenarios that can arise if they are left untreated. I’ll also be including information on what kind of treatment is needed to prevent it. However, since the potential for misuse by dark mages is significant, I had to be careful with the security clearance.
"I see. Well... I suppose you’ll handle it well enough on your own."
My Master accepted this with a somewhat bitter expression. The inexplicable, subtle wariness toward me was just an added bonus.
"Then, when do you think the paper will be completed? I assume it will be difficult to have it ready in time for this year's Olympiad, right?"
"It’s less than a month away, Master. Even for me, that’s impossible."
Even a paper-printing factory couldn't churn out a thesis in a month. Besides, my paper is intended to cover the entire empire in scope. Even if I mobilized the full power of the merchant guild, it would likely take at least two years.
"There’s no need to rush. It will take a long time for His Highness Edmund to establish the department, anyway."
"True. That brat certainly has more than one mountain to climb. I will handle the persuasion of the magical academic community, but he will have to deal with the House of Lords and the Church himself."
My Master rubbed his chin and nodded.
"Good. In the meantime, I should go talk to your seniors. Some of them still foam at the mouth the moment they hear the words 'dark magic'."
"Thank you, Master."
With that, my business for the day was concluded. After exchanging a few more words about our current affairs and answering some trivial questions, I stood up and grabbed my coat.
"Hah... You’ve grown quite tall now. It feels like just yesterday you only came up to my solar plexus."
"I’m eighteen now, Master."
"Right. You’re an adult now, aren't you. Perhaps I’ve lived too long; sometimes even a twenty-year-old looks like a baby to me."
I suppose that’s understandable by my Master’s standards.
"Come to think of it, how much have you prepared for the donation to the Olympiad this year?"
Ever since I first started making donations to the academic society in my Master’s name, our merchant guild has been consistently contributing every year. My Master always seemed happy, saying his research had become much more well-funded.
"Ah, I’ve increased it a bit more than usual this year."
"Is it because of that medicine?"
"Yes. It’s thanks to that medicine."
The miracle blue pill. Thanks to that medicine, the Merkur Merchant Guild is experiencing an unprecedented boom. Accordingly, the various donations and welfare projects carried out in the guild’s name were also set to increase.
"The donation for this year will be... this much."
I happened to have the donation certificate documents with me, so I handed them to my Master. He stared at the paper for a long time, completely speechless.
"...It looks like there’s an extra zero here? Did you write this incorrectly?"
"Didn't I tell you? It’s a heart medication I made to earn money. Of course, I didn't know it would take this kind of trajectory."
"..."
My Master couldn't take his eyes off the document for a long time.
After finishing my conversation with my Master, I returned to the mansion. As I entered the foyer, the butler was waiting for me.
"Young Master. You have returned."
"Yes. Please tell the kitchen that I will be a bit late for dinner tonight."
"Understood. Also, Young Master, a letter arrived while you were out."
The butler held out a silver tray. A single letter lay upon it.
'It must be from one of the scholarship students.'
Who could it be? I’m meeting Karl, Ellie, and Valeria tomorrow, so it wouldn't be them. And I had already sent letters to the other scholarship students just the other day to ask how they were doing. It was likely sent by one of them.
I took the letter from the tray and headed to my room. As I untied the worn string, a single dried flower fell from the envelope. The moment I saw it, I knew exactly who had sent it.
'Is it Ayla?'
Ayla. Valeria’s younger sister. She is currently enrolled in the high school division of the seminary and is a scholarship student who dreams of becoming a healing priest, admiring her mother. For reference, she is the same age as Freya.
'I guess she managed to bloom sunflowers again this year.'
Ayla always sent this flower whenever she wrote a letter. She kept sending them even after I thanked her. Thanks to that, a pile of sunflowers sent by this child had accumulated in one corner of my desk. I added the new sunflower to the pile and unfolded the letter.
The handwriting was round and bubbly. It was unmistakably Ayla’s.
— Director, hello! It’s Ayla.
— First, I wanted to say thank you so, so much for saving my sister.
— I was actually so scared when I heard the news, but I felt so relieved when I heard that you had safely rescued my sister from those bad dark mages.
— I’m so sorry that the only gift I can give you right now is this sunflower I grew and dried in the guild’s greenhouse.
It seemed she had written the letter because of the issue with Valeria. 'We’re meeting tomorrow anyway.' The scholarship students are currently recuperating in a safe house provided by the guild. Not only the students, but their families have also moved their residence there. Ayla must be with her sister, Valeria, right now. Since I had already notified them that I would be visiting to check on them starting tomorrow, she couldn't have been unaware of that fact. It was thoughtful of her to send a letter despite knowing that.
I continued reading the letter.
— And Director, something amazing happened to me. I awakened my holy power!
— I’ve been staying at the safe house the guild provided, but my sister kept having nightmares and was struggling. So I held her hand and prayed for her all night... and suddenly, a warm light erupted from my hands!
The handwriting in the letter was noticeably shaky in the middle. She must have been so excited that her hands were trembling. And I, just as excited as she was, almost let out a shout.
'She finally awakened her holy power.'
There had been signs of it from the beginning. Growing sunflowers in a place without a single ray of sunlight. That’s not something just anyone can do. There’s no need to even use genre tropes; this is a known method for selecting healing priests that has spread quietly in this world. Whether small animals are particularly drawn to them, or they rarely get sick from a young age—the greater the talent of a healing priest, the more likely they are to have one of these small, peculiar traits.
— If I can just pass the high school final exams and graduate, I think I can enter the Department of Healing as soon as I turn twenty!
— My mother is even more excited than I am. My mother awakened her power late, so she entered the Department of Healing late. She said it was really hard because of the age gap between her and her younger classmates, but she says it’s a huge relief that I awakened early.
Priests can be broadly divided into two categories. The general priests we know. These are ordinary people who purely serve the gods. It is the path taken by most theology students who graduate from the seminary. And then, there are the healing priests. These are priests among the general priesthood who have awakened their holy power and can wield holy magic. Students who were on the path to becoming priests transfer to this path once they awaken their holy power. Among them, there are late learners like Ayla’s mother, mentioned in the letter, who awaken their holy power late in life. Fortunately, Ayla didn't awaken late, so there was no need to worry about that part.
— Honestly, I don't even know why I suddenly developed holy power. The professors at the seminary didn't teach us the conditions for awakening holy power.
— Do you happen to know why that is, Director?
I don't know that part, either. Not just me, but my Master doesn't know, either. The conditions for awakening holy power are still unknown. Looking at how most general priests awaken, one might think faith is the condition, but there are cases where elderly people or even babies who have never prayed in their lives awaken, so that doesn't seem to be it. If you ask if altruistic or sacrificial people awaken, the human spectrum of healing priests is no different from the general public. It has been revealed that it has nothing to do with good or evil deeds, either. Opinions are still divided in many ways regarding the conditions for awakening holy power.
However, that wasn't what was important right now.
— I can help people now!!
— I can only do a 'Refresh' for now, but people really like it when I use it on them when they're tired!
— Like my mother, and like you, Director, I will definitely become a healer who heals sick people!
— Director, thank you so much. If you hadn't rescued my sister, I wouldn't have been able to awaken my power, either.
— I’ll give you a 'Refresh' myself when we meet next time! It’s a promise!
— From, Ayla
What’s important now is that the child I had bought at a low price has awakened her holy power. And it’s important that she is a child who carries the potential to be a saint.
'If things go well, we might have another saint of this generation.'
Just as there can be multiple heroes, there can be multiple saints or holy men in a single generation. Of course, not just anyone can become a saint. They must prove their overwhelming achievements and qualifications befitting the title. But I wasn't worried about that part. Ayla had already been standing out since her seminary days. Even if I just give her a slight push, she will be active like a sailboat catching a favorable wind.
Then, there is only one thing for me to do.
'I should just keep putting my name next to Ayla’s, like I always do.'
Why is Julian famous for dark magic and solving cold cases? It is precisely because of the title of "Charlotte’s rival." Since my first meeting with Charlotte, she has been promoting my name alongside hers whenever she solves a case.
— "This is a problem that would have been solved more simply if Young Master Nihilit had been here."
— "This is knowledge that Young Master Nihilit taught me."
Thanks to that, my reputation is rising even while I’m just doing research at home. Then, if I follow my father to his workplace once in a while and prove myself just once, people treat me as a genius on par with Charlotte. It is because of such feats that no one doubts the news that I played an active role in this dark mage kidnapping case.
Therefore, I intended to take a free ride with Ayla in a similar way.
'The Master who taught Ayla the mindset and basics of a healer.'
I intend to milk this one fact for all it’s worth. Then, the more active Ayla becomes, the higher the reputation of Director Shun will rise.
'Come to think of it, Ayla is seventeen, right?'
Seventeen. A year later than the time when nobles are in the middle of following their parents to make a name for themselves. Usually, reputable healing priests start making a name for themselves before this age with the help of their prestigious families or parents. However, Ayla’s mother has only just been promoted to an intermediate priest. It is a state where it is difficult to prepare a good stage for Ayla to make a name for herself.
Therefore, 'I have to help her.'
Just like the other scholarship students. It didn't seem like a bad idea to let her experience it as an internship concept. It wasn't a difficult task. It was my job to teach several residents, do research, and perform surgeries in my past life. Making one person a proper doctor... no, a healer, is not a difficult task.
'When I meet Ayla’s mother during my visit to see Valeria tomorrow, I’ll talk to her and take her around with me.'
Surely, her mother will be happy, too.