Chapter 125
Chapter 125
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 125
Chapter Title: The Bishop's True Identity
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They also looked incredibly exhausted.
And yet.
“Loan, get behind me!”
Nikos yanked Loan by the wrist, pulling him close, while Belle instantly took Loan’s place.
“God’s Wrath!”
She threw a punch at the corrupted monk who had raised his mace with a shameless cry.
A blue flash lit up the darkness.
*Crack—!*
The boy who, until recently, was Oz.
The junior who had come all the way to Scion, only to be mistreated and struggle as a member of the Union.
As if stepping forward was the only thing they could do for him.
Nikos and Belle took turns spreading their arms wide to protect Loan, felling the approaching monks.
The sight of them, treated as unbelievers, desperately blocking the path to the chapel to protect their junior.
*Perhaps they saw the disappointment on my face.*
He felt sorry for his seniors, who were struggling with ragged breaths, but their thoughtfulness touched him once more.
And a thought naturally came to mind.
*'What is the best I can do?'*
*How can I turn this situation, which seems unfortunate and has weighed everyone down, into an opportunity?*
*What is the best way to repay my seniors' kindness?*
Various scenarios branched out in Loan’s mind.
When a path led to a dead end, he would return to the beginning, assume a new situation, and set new variables.
The conclusion he reached.
Loan gently lowered Belle’s outstretched arms and took a step in front of her.
“Loan?”
He placed a hand on Nikos’s heaving shoulder, gently pulling him back, and then calmly positioned himself in front of his two seniors.
Then, he expanded his Convection, gently enveloping the three of them.
For a moment, Nikos and Belle felt a sense of comfort and tilted their heads in confusion.
Loan said.
“Rest for a moment.”
At the same time, twelve Shevilles rose from Loan’s waist and vanished into the darkness.
Soon, the Shevilles began to leave scratches on the bodies of the corrupted monks.
The widely spread fog.
The monks scattered within it staggered, swinging their maces, and moved toward Loan as if being chased by a swarm of bees.
The monks, instinctively recognizing the master of the Shevilles, raised their maces and shouted chaotically.
“Seal of Sin!”
“God’s Judgment!”
“Judgment of the Soul!”
But their weapons merely dropped limply to the ground.
The Shevilles had severed their wrists, but Loan didn’t stop there. He created vortices of Convection at their feet, planting them in the ground.
This improvised magic, which he named [Vortex Prison], literally served to immobilize its targets.
Thanks to this, the corrupted monks were being overlapped and clumped together, forming a wall.
He had tuned the flow of the Convection binding their feet to use the mana they emitted as a power source, meaning they were restraining themselves with their own breath.
Trapping their monstrous screams was an additional effect.
“Loan, what is all this…”
Using his bewildered seniors’ voices as background noise, Loan soon gathered all the monks from the fog before him.
Lining them up in a row.
An act performed to realize, practice, and understand something new.
In the context of Loan’s life, it was a ritual with a long-standing tradition.
Of course, this time, his purpose was less about gaining enlightenment by observing his opponents and more about the dark mana they were emitting.
Loan explained his actions to his seniors, who had no idea what was going on.
“Killing them would solve the situation easily, but it would probably make it harder to enter the chapel. I thought about what would be more advantageous in this situation.”
“I don't understand. What are you trying to do?”
Just as Nikos tilted his head in confusion, Belle interjected.
“Could it be… just like you purified the ghouls, you’re trying to do the same to the corrupted monks…”
Belle covered her own mouth in awe.
This was the boy who had managed to turn even ghouls, thought to be a lost cause, back into humans.
There were even people who whispered that he was the incarnation of a saint because of his noble and profound heart for humanity.
Belle suddenly felt ashamed.
Nikos felt the same.
“We were just focused on defeating them. Are you trying to find another way?”
It was a misunderstanding.
Loan hesitated for a moment before deciding to be honest.
“No. Purifying those who willingly took in the power of evil feels like forgiving their transgressions. And I don’t have the authority to do that.”
“Then why.”
“As you may have felt, unlike ghouls, these guys emit dark mana. The Union is looking for ways to overcome dark mana from various angles, so I thought I might be able to find a clue.”
The two, who had been nodding and trying to understand Loan’s story, suddenly looked at each other.
Nikos asked.
“Does that mean… you’re going to conduct research in this situation?”
Strictly speaking, it was also for training, but Loan simply nodded in response.
The reason Loan could remain unaffected by dark mana was largely due to the role of his Circles, which created a convection that allowed him to purify himself.
The current atmosphere, with its higher mana concentration than usual, was also a good opportunity to forge a path for circulation.
The word "research" was also correct.
The current situation was no different from a reenactment of the forgotten wheat fields of Rhodes.
Though the concentration was low, it was a good environment to figure out how others could also avoid being affected by dark mana.
“Yes. Since they’ve set the stage, I figured I should make the most of it.”
“I thought Oz didn’t suit you, but now even Runner seems inadequate. You seek and find on your own, don’t you?”
Belle nodded in agreement, looking at the ever-impressed Nikos.
“But what are you two doing here? Were you on a resident mission?”
Feeling a bit embarrassed, Loan changed the subject.
He also needed to relieve his seniors’ fatigue and tension first.
Nikos answered.
“It’s nothing grand. It’s a routine mission where we come to offer a representative prayer at the temple as part of an exchange between the Stability Division and the Orthodox Church.”
Belle continued.
“We checked the missive on our way back. It was too late to go to the Monastery of Reception, so we were planning to stay the night at the chapel. We also had a feeling you might be heading this way, Loan.”
“So neither of you has ever met Bishop Matthias?”
“No. He hasn't done anything particularly noteworthy until now, so the Union hasn't paid him much attention. But your report, Loan, was something we couldn't ignore from a priest’s perspective.”
Belle elaborated on Nikos’s words.
“Making such claims is unbecoming of a clergyman. The abbot’s faith must have shifted from worshiping the Goddess Era to following Bishop Matthias. Of course, now that we’re here, it seems even stranger.”
Loan was glad that Nikos and Belle had accurately pinpointed what he had felt.
“The entry ban on you two must have been Bishop Matthias’s order, right?”
“Yes. It seems so. But we couldn’t just get into a physical altercation with the priests over entering.”
“We were in this state because we had no choice when the corrupted monks swarmed us. I’m sorry you had to see us like this, Loan.”
Nikos and Belle answered in turn, both wearing the same bitter smile.
Loan shook his head.
“Why would you be sorry to me? In any case, I now know this isn't about faith anymore.”
Loan stared intently at the Chapel of Tribulation for a moment.
Like a fortress prepared for a siege, it was surrounded by ditches and sharp fences.
The building itself was studded with sharp metal spikes.
In front of the firmly shut doors, people were pressed close, looking toward Loan.
A familiar picture.
He could guess what the Monastery of Reception had learned from.
“Are there no other members in Scion, then?”
“The Commander and most of the Liberty Division are here in the north to deal with Norfolk, but they’re quite far from the temple. To be honest, we haven't bothered dispatching members to Scion. We tend to send necessary personnel elsewhere.”
It was because the clergy there wielded enough power that the Union didn’t need to worry about it.
Although the recent situation painted a slightly different picture.
In any case, unless they were going to retake the fortress by force, they had no choice but to wait for morning like this.
Confirming that his two seniors’ breathing had returned to a stable rhythm, Loan got to the point.
He planned to open the path of mana circulation as intended. And he thought he would try teaching it to his seniors as well.
“Nikos, Belle. You were breathing in a peculiar way earlier. Was there a reason for that?”
Nikos replied.
“As you know, the power of God has three stages. Feeling, manifesting, and purifying. We are currently at the stage of manifestation. Naturally, we can feel the evil energy that permeates the air. We can also feel that you are blocking it, Loan, though we don't know how.”
Loan said with a smile.
“So you were doing that to avoid being consumed by that energy.”
“Yes. To let in as little as possible. And to be mindful of expelling what did get inside. We referred to the ghoul purification ritual.”
The reason Loan had specifically asked was that he had felt a subtle circulation in their breathing.
So he asked.
“You two have also practiced mana cultivation, haven’t you?”
“Of course. We gained our power through faith, but using mana is essential to do our part as members of the Union.”
He said it was consistently practiced in the Stability Division as well. Their method of mana cultivation was a combination of prayer and training, where one sat in a proper posture, recited doctrine, and controlled their breathing and mind.
The pure and dense mana both seniors had acquired was the result of a very honest cultivation method.
Loan gestured for his two seniors to sit and said.
“Would you like to try cultivating now? You must have long held the feeling of accumulating mana in your dantian with deep breaths, but this time, try to think of exhaling even more deeply so that the mana doesn't linger.”
“Exhaling?”
“Yes. While visualizing that it becomes a single cycle, constantly circulating mana within your body.”
“What a unique cultivation method.”
Belle, showing curiosity, soon closed her eyes and began to recite the doctrine. After finishing a passage, she would take a deep breath in and then slowly exhale.
Watching them faithfully follow his words.
*Just as I thought. The process of creating Circle Magic. Systematically organizing what I’ve been doing since I was young is the beginning.*
Because the Stability Division couldn't see mana, but they could at least feel it.
He had hoped they might understand what he was asking for faster than others, and fortunately, his prediction was correct.
Before long, the two seniors were deeply immersed in Loan’s style of mana cultivation.
Beads of sweat formed on their brows even in the cool night breeze.
Loan was pleased to see them drawing in small amounts of dark mana without being affected.
He peeled back the layers of Convection surrounding them one by one, enhancing the results of their training.
*Now, it's my turn.*
Loan also began to refine his own path of mana circulation.
Rather than widening the path, he focused on connecting the beginning and the end, even if it was just a narrow, thin line.
He concentrated with a relaxed and serious mind.
With the silently twitching corrupted monks standing behind them like guards or a curtain.
The three of them soon fell into a deep silence.
It was a bizarre scene.
And finally, morning came.
The three were busy marveling at the results of their training from the previous night.
Loan had finally managed to connect the horizontal circulation path that started at his navel and passed through his sides and back.
It was still more like a paper-thin crack than a path, but he was greatly satisfied with having achieved what he had planned.
The two seniors were amazed that they could breathe deeply without being affected by the dark mana.
Of course, the concentration of dark mana he had let flow toward them wasn't high, but this was still a significant achievement.
Their progress was fast because they had been practicing mana cultivation for over 20 years, or close to it.
Loan was also pleased, feeling he had seen its potential.
“Well, I suppose we should clean this up now.”
Loan simultaneously exterminated the corrupted monks who had served their purpose, then called Aul to let it have its fill.
Watching this with dumbfounded expressions, the two seniors spoke in turn.
“Now we must go into the chapel and settle this. It’s our turn to act like seniors.”
“Yes. Stay comfortably behind us now.”
The pilgrims who had been kept outside all night had already entered the chapel through the now-open doors.
Nikos and Belle, as if the indignation from the previous night had resurfaced, confronted the knight guarding the entrance.
“Are we still not allowed in today?”
“No. You two are fine, as you’ve shown the power of God, but…”
The knight trailed off, glancing at Loan.
Nikos raised his voice.
“He is not some unbeliever, but a Runner of the Union. I, who have even received ordination as a head priest, vouch for him. Are you still saying no?”
Belle’s veins popped as well.
“Did you not see us fighting those evil things outside all night? What has happened to the Orthodox Church? Should those who claim to be servants of the Great Mother Goddess be so ashamed of themselves?”
But the knights were adamant. They could only say that it was policy, and the two Union members only raised their voices higher.
Was it because of the commotion?
A moment later, a priest ran out from inside the chapel and bowed to the three of them.
“The Bishop has requested that all three of you come inside.”
The two Runners from the Stability Division, having finally achieved their goal, gave their junior a smug smile and led the way.
They were guided to the bishop’s reception room.
The Union Runners sat in a proper posture, circulating their mana to soothe their minds and bodies.
It was a short while later that Bishop Matthias appeared.
“Greetings. The shining future of the Union, Sir Loan.”
The man spoke, addressing Loan specifically, as if Nikos and Belle weren't even there.
He was a lanky man, withered like a dead tree.
His cheekbones were overly prominent and his eyes were sunken, giving him the impression of a skull.
Contrary to what he might have expected, he possessed an incredibly pure, clear, and dense mana.
And the quality of the mana felt strangely familiar.
*Ah…*
As he stared blankly, an image naturally came to mind.
It felt like he was looking at Aul after it had used enough magical power to grow in size.
“You, you were a demon.”
At Loan’s words, Matthias broke into a bright smile.