Chapter 77
Chapter 77
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: Digestion (6)
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Across both his past and present lives, Galen had never met anyone as cheerful as Lilia.
Of course, she would darken briefly in situations where cheer was inappropriate or due to various other reasons, but it never lasted.
Like a roly-poly toy, she snapped right back to her usual self in an instant. She was almost always optimistic and upbeat.
Thankfully, this time was no different.
When Galen returned to the backyard after seeing Daimus off, the worry had all but vanished from Lilia's face as she paced about.
"Has the archbishop gone?"
"Yes. He said he'll come back tomorrow morning. And for the time being after that."
Galen replied naturally, then paused to study Lilia. She tilted her head.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"You seem a bit better than before. I'm glad."
"I wasn't in a bad mood earlier!"
Lilia pouted at Galen's words.
"I just had a lot on my mind. It was a little unexpected."
"Unexpected?"
"Bishop Daimus seemed so humble and easygoing, right? Even though I haven't met him many times, that's just the vibe."
"He was."
"But his views on miracles are so... uncompromising. I thought he'd be a bit more lenient."
"Well, the two aren't mutually exclusive."
"They're not?"
"If you absolutely believe yourself to be right, wouldn't you boldly show your true self? And people call that unpretentiousness."
"Ah, you could see it that way. Still, I can't quite relate!"
"Honestly, me neither."
Galen shrugged.
"But since it's the word of someone on a higher plane than us, maybe it's just our cultivation that's lacking and we can't grasp it."
"That's why I'm aiming to become a perfect bishop first. I'll get it eventually!"
"Surely you will. Even if you doubled your age, you'd still be far below His Excellency, so don't rush it."
"Yes, sir!"
Lilia answered spiritedly, then grinned.
"It's still a ways off from sunset. You can keep going, right, Brother?"
"Of course I can. What about you, Lilia?"
"His Excellency only taught me the Radiant Blade basics, but you handled all the sparring!"
"So you've still got energy left. Got it. We used a lot of water earlier, so how about fire this time?"
"Won't the neighbors come running if they hear an explosion?"
"Just keep the blasts quiet."
"Then I'm counting on you!"
Galen smiled as Lilia briskly backed away.
"We'll wrap up around sunset."
"Because it's the first day?"
"We moved all the furniture in but forgot the most important thing. We have no dinner."
"Oh, that's serious. Let's go shopping later!"
"Sure. Up until then."
Galen fixed his gaze on Lilia as she stopped. Darkness crept into his vision.
The shadow traced an invisible maze only he could see, calculating paths of evasion.
Whoosh!
Phantasmal Explosion Flames erupted at Lilia's feet, engulfing her.
Flames began to whirl through the backyard, which had been filled with water just moments before.
Daimus arrived at the mansion the next morning, as promised.
And the day after that.
And the one after that.
For an entire month.
Even Lilia, who had been overjoyed enough to hug Galen upon learning she'd receive the archbishop's teachings, hadn't anticipated such a long stint.
"You don't have to go this far for us..."
Someone unfamiliar might scoff at "just a month," but...
After passing through the monk phase, where one absorbed all sorts of knowledge, the mentor-disciple dynamic among priests was rare to begin with.
Priests fundamentally emphasized self-cultivation and enlightenment.
And they rarely had much worth teaching others anyway.
A warrior might point out flawed stances in martial arts.
A mage might share various applications.
But priests, who all used the exact same miracles through prayer, had no particular aspects to critique—who was good or bad.
There were tips and tricks, of course, but those were just that: tips. Once learned, they became ingrained through personal effort, not something a master hovered over you for.
If anything, it was just a word or two of advice on immature areas during the learning process.
An archbishop didn't pin down a bishop for that.
High-ranking officials busy managing dioceses and archdioceses had no time for such trifles.
"There were never bishops on pilgrimages before. When else would I make time like this?"
Daimus chuckled at Lilia's apologetic expression.
"Besides, you took even trivial advice so well that it was fun teaching you."
Galen benefited by extension.
Daimus visited daily for a month, sparring with him every two or three days.
"You don't have to go this far..."
"Did you and Bishop Lilia rehearse this? You're both saying the same thing."
"Lilia's church folk. I'm not."
"That's why I'm surprised you're the one charging in so eagerly. And you're not even an alumnus."
The main reason other mages avoided spars was lack of trust first, fear of exposing weaknesses second.
Setting aside the common-sense judgment that a priest wouldn't pull dirty tricks, Daimus was strong enough to kill Galen outright—no need to wait for a spar.
The only weakness Galen saw in Water Flow Manipulation was its heavy reliance on the environment, but that was common to all water mages, nothing to hide. To someone with spirits, it was irrelevant.
Thus, Galen could challenge Daimus all-out without reservations.
"I've never fought a gold-rank water mage before, so I saw it as a rare chance and asked..."
"It means plenty to me too. Thank you for the opportunities."
"Glad to hear it."
It was no empty flattery—pure sincerity.
Except for the first spar, Daimus never used Selective Miracle, so it felt like fighting Lilia with boosted output.
But experience points mattered most.
For Galen, who needed to level up via self-study and spars without hunting, bouts with a master like Daimus were ideal.
A month passed that way.
"This should be enough."
Daimus called it quits.
"No advice left to give, and the Radiant Blade is solidly on track—just keep going straight and it'll be perfect. To think it reached this point in a month."
"Thank you!"
"Blessings even more so. You instinctively know when to focus and when not to. Frankly, your combat sense surpasses mine. Nothing left to teach. Just keep refining it."
After lavishing praise on Lilia, Daimus turned to Galen.
"Lord Galen."
"Yes."
"Through our spars, you've grasped what a priest wielding up to the seventh miracle looks like in perfect form. Do the same for Bishop Lilia—it'll help her immensely. I leave it to you."
"Understood."
One might cynically say he'd built Galen up just to spar with Lilia.
Galen had no complaints.
Levels had gone up, after all.
The result of clashing all-out with Daimus over ten times in a month.
Unthinkable if only sparring with Lilia.
'If that's the scheme, I can play along anytime. Even another month.'
A touch regrettable, but more than satisfying regardless. Thus ended Galen's month with Daimus.
Then began proper training for just Galen and Lilia.
Another month passed.
As the late-spring sun, now lingering far longer, prepared to dip below the western hills...
Thud thud thud!
Galen opened the gate to heavy knocks. The visitor was Daimus.
"What brings Your Excellency here?"
Galen greeted him with pleasant surprise.
"I wrapped up work early and thought I'd stop by. Sorry for the sudden visit."
"Not at all. Please, come in."
As he led Daimus inside, Galen asked,
"Have you eaten?"
"Not yet."
"Join us, then. We were just about to."
"Eating a bit early?"
"Stomach's hungrier than usual today. Must be to treat Your Excellency."
"Heh, I didn't come to mooch."
Daimus looked mildly embarrassed. He truly hadn't considered dinner.
But refusing a host's offer was rude, so he nodded.
A savory aroma wafted through the house.
"Ah, Archbishop! Hello!"
Lilia, carrying food from kitchen to dining room, greeted brightly. Galen said,
"Prepare a share for His Excellency too."
"Got it!"
Soon, meals for three were set.
Not prepped for guests, it was simple home cooking—exactly what Galen and Lilia ate daily.
"Thank you. I'll dig in."
Daimus knew this and, no fan of extravagance, took his spoon without complaint.
"...Hm?"
Unexpectedly, not just the smell—the taste was good too.
Objectively, a tad subtle for selling.
But for daily fare, it spoke to decent cooking skills.
Daimus eyed Lilia with faint surprise.
"Didn't know you had this talent."
"Pardon?"
"The cooking."
"Ah... I didn't make it."
"Hm?"
"Brother Galen did!"
"You?"
Daimus turned to Galen, even more astonished. Galen scratched his cheek.
"Well... mercenaries need basic cooking skills."
Actually, part of his squire training.
Not professionally trained, but he'd learned simple recipes for camping while serving.
Toss in past-life bachelor experience, and he could whip up edible meals.
At least compared to Lilia, far more familiar with dinner knives than real blades or Radiant Swords.
"Brother always cooks!"
"Not always..."
Like during the long winter camp in the Dawn Isles.
Or the two months here.
...Come to think, it was frequent. When did I do it so often?
Daimus laughed heartily at Galen's subtle expression.
"Not priestly virtue, but... Bishop Lilia, you should learn some knife work. Don't rely solely on Lord Galen."
"I've been picking it up lately. Feels bad always freeloading!"
"You're already better at chopping than me, thanks to physical differences. Problem is, that's all you're good at..."
"The rest'll improve soon!"
"R-Right... Well, glad you're getting along."
Daimus cleared his throat and changed topics.
"Anyway, I didn't come just to check on your life."
"Of course. We'd have visited if you'd sent word."
"Heard this afternoon. Not urgent for tomorrow, but wanted your take first."
"My take on...?"
"You stayed here to consolidate your magic insights, right?"
"Yes."
"Accomplished enough? Ready to move again?"
"Research is better the longer, but..."
Galen trailed off, glancing at his status window.
Galen finished with a faint smile.
"I think we're good to move now."