Chapter 7
Chapter 7
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: Late Blooming Peaks
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Whirr, whirr, whirr.
"It's not working well."
A faint aura of holy power rippled from Kallias von Jerban's body.
His holy power had reached 4th grade.
Both the quantity and purity were unrecognizably improved from before.
In this world, holy power meant strength.
And the applications of holy power were endless.
Concentrate holy power in the eyes?
'Vision improves.'
He could see quite far.
Channel it into the ears?
Hearing sharpened.
So what if he circulated holy power evenly throughout his body?
The answer was simple.
"Temporary boost to physical abilities."
「Kallias von Jerban」
「Occupation」 – Pilgrim
「Holy Power Grade」 – 4th
「Holy Power」 – 2971/3251
「Talent」 – [Bard’s Blessing - Supreme]
「Traits」 – [Corpse Grace] [Noble’s Duty] [Count Family Wastrel] [Death-Time Insight] [Church’s Black Sheep] [Big Eater]
[Stats]
Strength – 19+(10)+10
Agility – 15+(10)+10
Technique – 7
Vitality – 15+(10)+10
Faith – 20
As shown, his base 4th-grade holy power purity granted +10 to physical stats, but enveloping his entire body in holy power added another +10 on top.
Strength, agility, and vitality.
A full extra 10 points—nothing to scoff at.
"Look at how fast the holy power's draining."
But he couldn't maintain it forever.
Holy Power – 2442/3251.
It was depleting at a rapid rate.
At this pace, it'd last about 15 minutes in combat before most of his holy power ran dry.
"Not practical for real fights yet."
That's why he was training.
He walked the road while channeling holy power through his entire body, circulating it within while gathering it in one spot.
Holy power was fundamentally faith in the divine.
A loan from the gods in exchange for devotion.
Thus, it was the gods' power.
It was his strength yet not truly his own.
It dwelled in his body, but felt foreign all the same.
To put it simply:
"Like it's around my skin but not touching it."
Circulating and drawing holy power into his body was no easy task.
It was akin to breathing exercises—inhaling air and exhaling it.
Inhale holy power, then exhale it. The expelled power weakened and became unusable.
It needed time to recover.
Thus.
Kallias was now training to store holy power within himself.
To keep the influx from leaking out again. To hold it fast.
A form of storage.
Wouldn't it be more efficient to nurture holy power in his body than to constantly draw from the atmosphere to activate his cells?
Not baseless, of course.
'A trait should unlock soon.'
It had been over three years since he started.
Finally, a speck of holy power was taking root in his lower abdomen, bit by bit.
Almost there.
Just a little more, and the holy power would settle fully, unlocking a new trait.
To pilgrims of this era, holy power was merely borrowed strength.
Few among them attempted what Kallias did.
"Maybe paladins at best."
Only those who'd found their swords and received the church's blessing.
Only they had the experience and insight for such training.
Discipleship was rare here, and even then, masters held back their deepest secrets. A hallmark of the religiously bound.
"True meaning comes from self-realization."
Thus, few pursued training like Kallias.
Moreover, his method was.
'A unique-grade technique.'
[Late Blooming Peak Six]
Grade – Unique
-The six buds that bloom in late season.
A technique that forms buds within the body using holy power to maximize efficiency.
In mastery, the six buds bloom all at once, sending petal-shaped sword aura rippling from the practitioner's blade tip.
It comprised forming six buds, blooming them one by one into six flowers, culminating in the Twelve Peak Blossoms divine art.
Late Blooming Peak Six.
Created by Stella the Saintess, an unparalleled genius and high paladin who vanished centuries ago.
Her hidden divine art had been inherited three years prior.
The moment Kallias received his new life here, he sought it out first: Stella's Late Blooming Peak Six.
As the saying went, the darkest place was under the lamp—the technique hid near the Valterus Church's flower garden.
Of course, since he'd authored that very setup, finding Late Blooming Peak Six made him truly feel this world was the game come alive.
"Still not clicking, though."
He could gather it, but shaping it into buds proved tricky.
Perhaps too advanced for him now; it refused to take hold.
He'd created and hidden the technique in his mind, yet couldn't master it himself—infuriating.
Three years already.
He hadn't even formed the first bud.
Yet Kallias held onto hope.
Before, his aptitude was lacking, but now things differed.
Stats honed by quests.
A constitution changed by Big Eater.
And the elevated quality of his holy power.
These offered a ray of hope to Kallias, whose talents were pathetically mediocre.
'Almost there.'
Threads of holy power gathered in his dantian, one by two, coiling into a sphere.
The speck in his dantian had grown to pea-sized.
Sweat beaded and trickled from Kallias's forehead.
It ran down his cheek, gathered at his chin, and plopped to the ground.
And right then.
"Ah."
Kallias halted.
The silver glow around him faded as he panted heavily.
"That's enough for today."
[Holy Power – 353/3251]
He'd expended most of his reserves.
The road ahead was long, the forest path fraught with unknown perils.
He'd immersed himself and burned through his holy power, but pushing further was unwise.
In these times, variables abounded.
Like.
"Bandits, or monsters."
Or even pilgrims.
With such dangers, he couldn't exhaust his holy power solely on training.
Moreover.
'Oliorro fell to the rebels, right?'
The story progressed faster than expected.
At this rate, Traitor Luteon's heresy and the heretics' pressure would intensify.
No more leisure.
He needed to move quickly.
"First to Trista."
Trista, Carpe Kingdom's infamous den of vice.
There, he'd head to the famed Trisi Auction House to gather the rest of the holy water ingredients.
The pilgrim's path grew ever more war-torn, heretics appearing frequently.
This sparked church schisms and turned the kingdom into chaos.
The north busied itself with monster incursions, giving the Empire its chance to devour Carpe.
Danger lurked everywhere.
No safe havens within or without.
Better to craft holy water, a means to safeguard himself.
"Only much later can I wrest the Thunder Essence Sword from that damn old coot."
Muttering to himself, Kallias resumed walking.
Destination: Trista.
Carpe's greatest pleasure city.
* * *
Within the Valterus Church.
Moderate faction leader Albatou Bishop had summoned one pilgrim separately.
"Pilgrim Esther Sol Silia greets Bishop Albatou."
"Ah, Esther. Come in."
Pilgrim Esther Sol Silia.
She bore hair the brilliant hue of sunlight on water.
Her crystal-clear blue eyes sparkled so intensely they seemed perpetually teary—hence her moniker, Crying Esther.
A nickname from those gleaming orbs, but she loathed it.
Those who'd called her Crying Esther mostly ended up toothless or nose-broken by her fists.
Albatou Bishop smiled fondly, reminiscing briefly.
"Yes, I called you because there's a task only you can handle."
"What is it?"
Esther replied with an emotionless face, seeming almost inhuman.
Albatou gave a wry smile at her statue-like poise.
"You must go to Trista."
"Trista..."
"As you know, apostates are multiplying, and the kingdom's situation worsens."
Amid this.
"A pilgrim suspected of possessing a sacred relic has surfaced. Someone you know well."
Albatou handed her a document.
The name written there was none other than.
"Kallias von Jerban..."
Her impassive brows furrowed for an instant.
"Radical faction's Bishop Milliman sent a heretic inquisitor. But it's Iron Heretic Inquisitor Raibun. He's Bishop Milliman's man."
If.
Kallias truly held a sacred relic and it fell into Raibun's hands.
"We cannot let Bishop Milliman have the relic."
Radical faction leader Bishop Milliman.
He seemed prudent as befitted his station, but reckless regarding heretics.
Likely rooted in seeds of vengeance from his past, yet his goals now endangered both kingdom and church.
"Provoking the Empire gains us nothing. We must bide our time and build strength."
Thus, he summoned her.
Esther Sol Silia, the church's fastest-rising sword genius.
Her talent and piety even positioned her as a potential successor saintess.
Perfect for this mission.
"Understood."
"I've prepared everything. Just depart. Trista holds ties for you, so no troubles expected. Who knows—perhaps the Trisi Auction House will have what you seek this time."
Nodding, Albatou Bishop interlaced his fingers and straightened his back.
"Bishop Albatou."
"Yes, a question?"
"Yes. If Pilgrim Kallias has no sacred relic, what then?"
If he lacked one?
Hmm.
"No relic and no direct or indirect ties to heretics means he's innocent."
No relic, no heresy links—guiltless.
Just return...
"I could challenge him to a duel of swords, right?"
"Hm? Well... that'd be fine."
"Understood. I'll depart at once."
Clack.
Esther's footsteps seemed oddly light as she closed the door behind her.
A duel of swords.
"Does she harbor ill will toward Kallias? Hadn't realized."
For one as stoic as Esther to react so.
Albatou Bishop gave a wry smile.
With a relic, he'd die a criminal's death; without, by Esther's blade.
Death either way.