The Two Great Powers
The world is ruled by two primary forces: Mana and Holy Power. Mana is an innate power that everyone is born with. People use it to operate the products of magical engineering in daily life, while some learn spells and others infuse it into their blades, converting it into the form of Sword Qi.
Of course, there are individual differences. The amount of mana. The color of mana. The quality of mana. Talent is decided by these three factors. The so-called archmages are those who vastly surpass others in all three.
Anyway, the point is that mana is a power everyone possesses and anyone can use.
But what about Holy Power? It is an acquired force. It emerges through deepening one's faith, studying theology, and rigorous training. That said, it isn't always the case. Some are born with it. People who possess Holy Power from the moment they draw their first breath. The Pope, cardinals, and Saintesses are the prime examples.
And ironically... I had it too.
It wasn't as if I possessed deep faith. During theology lessons I would sleep or slack off. Yet for some reason, this body was infused with Holy Power. I could use it. It worked the same way as using mana. I could heal wounds just like a priest.
I could use mana. I could use Holy Power. In my seventy-plus years of life, I had never seen anyone capable of wielding both simultaneously.
Since I could use it, I did.
I approached the man collapsed on the ground. His name was Arold. He had taken a savage wound to the abdomen; blood was pouring out in streams. It was a miracle he hadn't died from shock.
Not wanting to get blood on myself, I rolled up my sleeves.
"Excuse me for a moment."
I placed my hand on his stomach and recited the prayer used by priests when treating patients.
"O God, lend the power of salvation to your daughter."
A warm energy radiated outward. Golden rays of light rose gently and soaked into the man's body. The wound closed in an instant.
They never granted power if I called myself a son.
The injury sealed shut. New flesh bloomed cleanly, leaving no scar behind.
Truly fascinating. This level of healing rivaled that of a high-ranking cleric.
The treatment ended in moments. I dusted off my hands and rose.
"A Saintess...?"
The boy who had bravely tried to confront the giant wolf stared at me with eyes as round as saucers.
"No." I shook my head. "I am a knight."
Even if my flesh had changed, the spirit of a knight was carved deep into my soul.
"A k-knight? From the Imperial Army?"
"Not yet."
I was still too young to enlist even if I wanted to.
"You're injured, aren't you? Excuse me for a moment."
I healed the boy with Holy Power as well. It really was all-purpose. No matter the injury, using it seemed to fix everything. This would be incredibly useful on the battlefield. Get hurt, heal instantly, and keep fighting. True infinite energy. The legendary berserker wasn't just a myth.
For now, I needed to relearn my old swordsmanship with this body first. I could research Holy Power slowly afterward.
"This one won't be getting back up." I tapped the severed head of the giant wolf. "Sorry. I should have made sure to finish it properly."
"No, you saved my life. Thank you."
The boy bowed gratefully.
"Can I leave the rest to you now?"
"Sure. Our party will handle dismantling the beast. What about the reward? A monster of this caliber would probably earn a hefty bounty from the alliance itself."
I waved my hand dismissively.
"I don't need it."
"But..."
"Take all the rewards for yourselves."
It was truly time to return. My body felt heavy with exhaustion. I could have dropped to the ground and started snoring on the spot. I usually grew sleepy around nine o'clock anyway... and it was definitely past that now. Recklessly burning both mana and Holy Power had drained me.
"I'll be going then."
I gave a polite bow and turned away.
"W-wait!"
Heh. This fellow just wouldn't let me leave. I only turned my head and glanced back.
"Could you... tell me your name?"
Hmm. It wouldn't hurt to tell him, but it felt like it would only create more hassle. Since I was currently living under the convent's care, causing any trouble would be problematic.
"El."
I gave a rough answer using the first name that came to mind, then finally made my way back to the convent.
The next day.
I was enjoying another peaceful routine.
"Yaaawn..."
I had just finished lunch and was about to sneak a nap inside the confessional when—
Knock knock.
Someone rapped on the door.
"Elia! Elia!"
It was Millie's voice. I cracked the door open and poked my head out.
"What is it?"
"Did you hear?"
"Hear what?"
"Adventurers supposedly defeated a monster in the forest yesterday."
Millie had run an errand to the village that morning and must have picked up the news there.
"Oh... is that so?"
Since it was already over, I felt no particular interest. I simply reminisced for a moment. It was fun yesterday. Moving my body after so long had felt refreshing. Being able to grip a sword again after such a long time was even better. Maybe I should have asked for one while I was at it.
"They say more than ten wolf monsters were living in the forest. There was even a mother wolf with a danger rating of four. To think three people subjugated something that terrifying... I wonder how strong those adventurers must have been?"
They were just ordinary Silver Rank adventurers. They had passed out before I could even gauge their true skill. Still, at least one of them had passion. That was pleasant to see. I rather like passionate young people. He reminded me of the hero, Louis. The boy had carried the exact same aura when I first met him—eyes burning with the desire to grow stronger and the courage to raise his sword against any threat.
I wonder if he's doing well? Well, I wasn't exactly in a position to worry about others.
"Now that you mention it, you went into the forest last night too, didn't you?"
"Yeah."
"Whoa... then you could have run into a monster!"
"Seems that way."
I had gone looking for them on purpose. And smashed one's head open.
"Just imagining it is horrible!"
Millie let out a high-pitched squeal. I gave appropriate responses to match her excitement.
"Right. Did you hear about this too?"
What trivial gossip would it be this time? It was nice of her to share information, but most of Millie's stories held zero interest for me—aside from the forest monster tale. Usually it was village scandals: who was cheating with whom, who had a crush on whom, or that the chief's dog had given birth to five puppies. All very age-appropriate, girlish topics.
Sure enough, today's story was similar.
"I heard they're holding a martial arts tournament in Brizra Town."
"What... what?"
My drowsy mind snapped awake instantly.
"What kind of tournament? Martial arts?"
"Yes."
"Tell me everything."
"There's not much more to tell. Participants compete to prove their skill. It's a tournament bracket, and the winner receives prize money and gifts. The prize is... Oh! The Growth Elixir!"
The Growth Elixir? A name I hadn't heard in a long time. It was a potion developed by an alchemist I knew. Originally created to prevent hair loss, it had been a failure that only affected physical growth. I had never tried it myself, but those who had claimed the body grew dramatically—height shooting upward, muscles swelling firm and strong. This is exactly what this frail body needs!
"When is it?"
"In one month."
"Registration?"
"The village chief said you can register anytime before the event starts on the day itself."
I wanted to participate. I wanted to participate. I wanted to participate.
Even without the Growth Elixir, the martial arts tournament itself was a godsend. Nothing was better for measuring one's own skill than real combat. The participants would surely be people with genuine ability.
The problem was... how to reach Brizra Town. The carriage ride alone took over two hours. Walking would take more than twice that. Running with mana would get me there fairly quickly, but leaving the convent of my own accord was impossible. Even if I sneaked out, the tournament wouldn't end in an hour or two. I'd have to skip an entire day.
Sleeping through prayer was tolerated, but skipping it entirely was not. I had done so once and received a severe scolding. The humiliation of being laid across Sister Bertina's lap and spanked still lingered. Five reflection essays and a week of bathroom cleaning on top of that. It might seem like harsh corporal punishment, but I understood. For clergy, there was no time more sacred than prayer.
Hmm... wasn't there a good solution?
"Ah!"
One idea came to me. The proper way to go to Brizra Town. I would approach Sister Bertina directly and ask her permission. Of course, the current me would never be allowed to go.