CHAPTER 56
After sleeping soundly for a full day, I immediately went to find Bulldog.
And his response was rather unexpected.
“I’ll go get Elena’s body back myself.”
He was already dressed and ready to leave.
Despite having just come back to life the day before yesterday, his face was filled with determination.
The thought of being able to see his wife again seemed to have breathed new life into him.
“But it’s the Radiance Faith. Will you be alright?”
“Harua, the Radiance Faith isn’t actually that dangerous.”
To be precise, for the people of this world who weren't part of the cult, the Radiance Faith was nothing more than a heretical group.
He said it was accessible enough that locals who had been harmed by Transferees might wander into it without a second thought.
“Their main cathedral is dangerous since it’s full of fanatics, but the outer branches are more like regular churches. It’s more of a support group for victims. Elena’s body isn’t enshrined in the main cathedral, so I can handle it on my own.”
Bulldog clapped me on the shoulder.
“And despite what you might think, I’m not particularly valuable to them. The same goes for Elena. With the Bishop dead, they have no reason to waste energy bothering with me.”
He had a point.
Rather than complicating things with more people, it was better for Bulldog, who already knew the inner workings of the Radiance Faith, to go alone.
I accepted his reasoning.
“Be careful.”
“I will. I’ll be back soon. Within a week.”
“You know where my inn is, right? Contact me as soon as you get back. I’ll come to revive your wife.”
“Thank you.”
With those final words, Bulldog departed.
Aranseol then came up beside me and nudged my arm with her shoulder.
“Harua, he’ll be back without any trouble.”
“Yeah. That old man might be a bit of a blockhead, but he’s a professional when it comes to getting things done.”
I decided to trust Bulldog.
After returning to the inn, I took a break for the first time in a while.
To be more specific, I threw myself into studying Holy Magic.
I had more than enough money saved up.
I had also set aside a generous amount to purchase items from the Designated Merchant.
There was no better environment for studying.
I supplied more mana to the Seed that had sprouted, nurturing its growth.
I reinforced the fundamentals of Holy Magic that Rapiel had taught me and learned new spells.
Through that process, I managed to master a few additional spells.
Seraphic Aura.
A spell that converted the restorative properties of Holy Magic into a physical enhancement.
Seraph Guardian.
A spell that enveloped the body in a translucent, golden defensive barrier.
Both were basic Holy Magic, but their effectiveness varied depending on the user's skill.
I felt a sense of relief that I had finally graduated from being a mere heal-bot.
Now I didn’t just dispense heals, I dispensed buffs too.
But I still felt this wasn't enough.
No matter how much Holy Magic I learned, I was still in a position where I couldn't even protect myself.
The Sacred Weapon spell Rapiel taught me was something I only used occasionally, depending on the situation.
It was safe to say it had virtually no practical application in combat.
So, I asked the person closest to me for help.
“You want me to teach you the sword?”
“To be precise, I want to learn how to protect myself.”
“But I can just protect you, Harua.”
She says the sweetest things so casually.
“Sometimes, I should be able to protect you too, Aranseol.”
“You say the sweetest things so casually.”
Is she reading my mind?
“Alright. I’ll teach you.”
As requested, Aranseol taught me the sword.
And today, I was once again forced to realize something.
“...This is pathetic.”
Just as Aranseol assessed, my swordsmanship was pathetic.
Far from swinging the sword properly, I just stumbled and rolled around, overwhelmed by its weight.
“Do you think I’ll get better if I practice?”
I asked hopefully, but Aranseol remained quietly silent.
Sohan had once said that Aranseol herself had no particular talent for the sword.
The fact that even she was looking at me with such pity gave me a good idea of just how talentless I was.
“Harua, wouldn’t it be better to just focus on mastering Holy Magic?”
“Well, that’s the obvious answer, but…”
Was I always this much of a klutz?
Considering I worked as an adventurer, I couldn’t be completely useless physically.
Even I was sighing at my own incompetence.
“What are you two doing?”
Just then, a familiar voice called out.
It was Babiyen, who had just entered the adventurer training ground.
“Babiyen.”
“Ugh, don’t come near me. You’re covered in dust.”
I’m going to run over and hug you right now.
As I charged at her, Babiyen shrieked and ran away.

She just can’t stand to see me happy.
“You want to get stronger?”
Afterward, I explained to Babiyen why we were training like this.
Babiyen glanced at Aranseol for a moment before turning back to me.
“Is there a reason you have to get stronger specifically with a sword?”
“The sword is a basic, isn’t it?”
Among adventurers, the most commonly used weapon was, by far, the sword.
It was easy to carry and useful anywhere.
For a profession like an adventurer, where you never know what restrictions you might face in a natural environment, the sword was the preferred choice.
“That’s true, but you have Holy Magic, don’t you, Harua?”
“So you’re saying I should just stick to Holy Magic?”
It was the same thing Aranseol had said.
“No. It’s just that there are already combat specialists who use Holy Magic.”
Combat specialists who use Holy Magic.
Rapiel had explained this to me once.
“Paladins?”
A group of maniacs who use Holy Magic to heal themselves and charge into battle with immortal stamina.
“Yes. When there’s such a perfect model to follow, is there any reason to go down a different path?”
“But from what I’ve heard, the Paladins’ fighting style is horrifying. It’s not something a human should do.”
“…”
“…”

For some reason, Aranseol and Babiyen just stared at me.
I had no idea why they were looking at me like that.
“Besides, isn’t it strange that someone with your talent for Holy Magic has never once visited the Holy Church? If it were me, I would have gone a long time ago.”
Holy Mages and the Church.
There was a subtle difference between them.
The magic used by Holy Mages is called Holy Magic.
The power used by the followers of the Holy Church is packaged as Divine Power.
In truth, they share the same root.
Both involve drawing mana from the Seed and converting it into holy energy.
The only difference is that the Church’s power is infused with the power of a Transcendent.
This is where the distinction between Holy Magic and Divine Power arises.
Because of this, those who trained in the most basic Holy Magic became Holy Mages and established the Grace Magic Tower.
On the other hand, those who obtained Divine Power based on the strength of a Transcendent established the Holy Church.
“I’ve had my own experiences with a psycho cult, so I haven’t gone anywhere near them.”
I was the one who’d been torn limb from limb.
Of course I hadn’t set foot near anything resembling a religion.
“I understand, but the Grace Magic Tower and the Holy Church have always had a mutually beneficial relationship. From the Holy Church’s perspective, the Holy Mages from the Grace Magic Tower were always potential recruits who could join their fold at any time.”
“So the Holy Church has a good opinion of Holy Mages?”
“That’s about right. Is there any reason for them to be hostile?”
I thought they’d treat them as heretics for not joining their order. This was unexpected.
Have I been neglecting the Holy Church too much because of what happened with the Radiance Faith?
I felt like I was only now realizing what I didn’t know, and had never tried to know.
“Why don’t you take this opportunity to pay them a visit?”
So she was saying I should learn from an expert in a compatible field.
“Harua, I think that’s a good idea too.”
With even Aranseol agreeing, I made my decision.
Alright, let’s pay a visit to the Holy Church.

The Holy Church. The Transcendent they worshipped was the Embrace of Holy Light.
According to the Holy Church, the Embrace of Holy Light is incredibly benevolent and bestows endless grace.
Those who chose the path of evil are purified and guided back to the path of good. If the world becomes tainted by evil, the Transcendent sheds tears to cleanse it.
It was a Transcendent associated with many such divine tales.
People said that among the Transcendents, this one was at least equipped with some love for humanity.
That was why the Holy Church was the only religion officially recognized by various nations.
I visited such a Holy Church.
It was a massive building of intermingled white and silver, exuding a religious atmosphere.
“I suddenly feel like I’m going to throw up.”
“You’ll be smitten by divine punishment if you keep talking like that.”
Babiyen, who had trotted along beside us, commented.
“By the way, Babiyen, don’t you have anything better to do?”
I asked Babiyen, who had insisted on following us from the training ground. She placed her hands on her hips with an air of confidence.
“It seems Harua knows one thing but is ignorant of two.”
“Do I really need to know?”
“Yes. If this one tells you the truth, you’ll be crying and clinging to my legs.”
Seeing her act so smug, she must have something up her sleeve.
“It’s a bit much for this one to say it herself, but the Barony of Asteria has a lot of money. Naturally, we’ve donated generously to the Church every year. Thanks to that, the Church is inclined to listen to whatever an Asteria asks.”
I see why she was so smug. There was a good reason for it.
But separate from that, my expression turned strange.
Has this girl forgotten that she was kicked out of the Barony of Asteria?
The current Babiyen wasn't the daughter of a Baron or anything else; she was just a ditz of a mage with her head in the clouds.
It seemed Babiyen still hadn't come down from cloud nine.
Aranseol seemed to be thinking the same thing, as she looked at Babiyen with a slightly pitying gaze.
“Alright, then. Well.”
I beckoned with my finger.
“Prove it.”
Babiyen strode confidently inside to prove herself.
Suppressing the revulsion that kept welling up inside me, I followed her. Once inside the cathedral, I saw several people offering prayers.
Passing them, I saw Babiyen speaking with a man dressed in what looked like a bishop’s robes.
“It sounds like she’s asking for instruction from the Paladins.”
Aranseol, with her sharp hearing, overheard the conversation.
A moment later, a flustered expression appeared on Babiyen’s face.
She looked back at us, then back to the bishop, and tried to speak a few more times. But the bishop soon shook his head, indicating his refusal.
“B-Bishop, I told you, this one is the daughter of the Barony of Asteria!”
“My apologies, Lady Babiyen. The Baron of Asteria himself has declared that you are no longer a member of the Barony of Asteria. I’m afraid it will be difficult to grant your request.”
“That can’t be!”
This time, even I could hear it.
Babiyen stood there, her face a mask of dumbfounded shock.
Today, too, was a sad day for Babiyen.
Finally, unable to watch any longer, I stepped forward.
“Good day.”
“Ah, yes, hello.”
The bespectacled bishop smiled with a friendly face.
Despite what had just happened with Babiyen, he hadn’t lost his smile.
“My name is Harua, a Holy Mage. I had Babiyen ask on my behalf, but I’m interested in the Paladins.”
“Oh, is that so?”
Truthfully, I still had my reservations, but seeing how the world was, this was no time to be picky about my methods.
When I spoke politely, the bishop showed a surprising amount of interest.
Apparently, Babiyen hadn’t even mentioned that I was a Holy Mage.
“If I may ask, what is your Grade?”
“1st Grade.”
“Ooooh!”

The bishop’s eyes changed in an instant.
Separate from that, Babiyen’s face grew even more somber.
“Welcome to the Holy Church! I will immediately contact the Paladin Order and inform them that we have a trial candidate.”
I placed a hand on Babiyen’s shoulder.
Ah, Babiyen, you fought valiantly. It’s just that the person named me was more amazing.
“………………Don’t you make that fucking face at me.”
Young lady Babiyen’s mouth had gotten much fouler.