Only My Magic Levels Up - Chapter 135
Only Noblemtl
Episode 135 Traces (3)
Baljam was a city geographically located in the central south.
Although it was somewhat ambiguous to call it a large city in terms of its size alone, it was nevertheless a very important place politically.
This was because the Diocese of Balzam was where Archbishop Barga, the head of the Southern Archdiocese of the Church, resided.
“Wow.”
Lilia exclaimed as she got out of the carriage and looked up at the church building.
The church where the archbishop resides was already seen in Mezia in the northeast, but since the south was a relatively better place to live than the northeast, the population was larger and the church was naturally stronger.
Perhaps because of this, even though Messias was clearly larger than Balzam in terms of city size, the grandeur of the church building in Balzam was greater.
“It looks like a uselessly large building built in the countryside where land is cheap… Of course, this isn’t the countryside… … .”
“yes?”
“Oh, no. I was just talking to myself.”
Galen, who had briefly recalled his past life, mumbled. Lilia tilted her head, but soon forgot about it and went inside.
No matter how big it is, it seems that people in the same industry can see the pulse. Even without a single sign, Lilia found her way around just fine.
I submitted the summons I received from Solta Church to the church office.
“His Highness the Archbishop is currently out of town on business… … .”
“When will you be back?”
“He’ll be back soon.”
“Then can I take a look around for a bit?”
“Yes, of course.”
Since that was what they said, I decided to go and look around the site.
Although it is a bit old, the church has maintained its old-fashioned charm by using high-quality materials generously since its construction and by maintaining it well. I toured the church as if I was visiting a tourist attraction.
“It looks like a chapel over there.”
“Wasn’t the place I saw earlier a chapel?”
“I heard that large churches sometimes divide it up. You could say they have one for external events and one for internal events.”
As she entered the small chapel, talking nonsense, Lilia stopped.
Inside the chapel, a priest in white robes was praying with his eyes closed and his lips slightly moving.
Because the breathing is so quiet, there is almost no sound, and this is usually done in a small, private prayer room.
Lilia, who was comfortably engrossed in a conversation with Galen in a comfortable place, noticed the priest’s presence a little late. Galen knew, but he didn’t pay much attention.
Anyway, as a result, I ended up disturbing the person who was praying.
The priest, who had quietly opened his eyes, got up from his seat and looked this way.
She was a woman in her mid to late twenties with a sad expression. Judging by her appearance alone, she seemed to have chosen a good career. Her impression was good.
Of course, just because someone looks nice doesn’t mean you can treat them however you want. Lilia quickly apologized.
“Sorry! I didn’t know you were inside. We were too noisy, weren’t we?”
“It’s okay, sister. The church is not a place for silence, so what’s the problem with talking?”
The priestess smiled softly.
“But… Even though I’ve only been here a few days, it feels like this is the first time I’m meeting you.”
“Oh, you’re not a member of the Baljam Parish?”
“Yes.”
“Me too! My name is Lilia, Bishop of the Diocese of Abaca, Archdiocese of the East! I am on a pilgrimage right now!”
“… Bishop Lilia? Of Abaca?”
The woman’s eyes widened as she heard Lilia’s lively self-introduction. She clapped her hands together.
“I never thought such a coincidence would happen!”
“yes?”
“I was looking for you. I presume you came here because of a summons from the Archbishop?”
“Right, right?”
“The summons is because of me.”
“yes?”
“Let me formally greet you. My name is Bishop Diana, the Third Commander of the Holy See’s Knights Templar.”
“W-Who are you, the Knights Templar?!”
This time, Lilia was startled. Galen, who had been quietly listening, also had strange eyes.
The church is a huge organization that encompasses the entire world, but paradoxically, because it is so large, its local power is lacking.
Several city areas are grouped into a parish, which is managed by a bishop, who is equivalent to gold. In other words, there is only one gold for several cities.
It was certainly not enough, considering how many noble families that extended their influence over several cities had gold.
Even so, the reason why a prestigious family cannot help but ‘secretly’ betray the church rather than ‘openly’ is as follows.
In the worst case scenario, it would be the end if the Archbishop, who was worthy of the jewel, stepped in himself.
The existence of the Knights Templar was an equally huge burden.
Since there was no country to grant titles, the word ‘nobility’ was long ago replaced by ‘families of nobility’, and the word ‘knight’ appointed by nobles also became a dead word.
Almost the only place it was used was by the Knights Templar.
The sword and shield of the church.
A truly world-class military organization, made up of only priests specialized in combat.
“That order of knights that can destroy even a noble family in one night?!”
“Not to that extent, but… … .”
“… Oh, is that so?”
“It’s not impossible if you only consider power, but in reality, we don’t do it. We only exist through force. The blade of the church should be aimed at the devil, not humans.”
You can see how scary an organization it is from the fact that it’s not that they can’t do it, it’s that they don’t do it.
Of course, it was nothing more than a source of interest to Galen, who had recently set foot on Oceanus alone.
Lilia, who saw it from the special seat right next to her, was more curious than afraid.
Even among people in the same church, the Knights Templar seem a bit like celebrities.
“But why did the person who came out from there… …?”
“The Knights Templar invite promising priests from all over the world to supplement their personnel. I have heard of Bishop Lilia’s abilities. I heard you can already perform your seventh miracle?”
“Oh, yes.”
It’s been almost a year since I woke up while beating up the clay dolls in the Oklanne ruins, but it feels like it’s been a while to say ‘already’.
Even if you try to send a report to the central government, it takes several months because you have to go around the mountain range for a long time, so I guess that’s to be expected even if the news is slow.
“Even before, you have faithfully carried out tasks such as subduing pirates, subduing demons, and subduing evil spirits. Not only has your rank as a priest been proven, but you have also proven to be skilled in battle. Who else would be more suitable for the Knights Templar?”
“Uh, uh… … .”
“Therefore, we have unanimously decided to recommend Bishop Lilia’s admission and offer him the position of Vice-President!”
Diana, who had not yet been able to read Lilia’s flustered reaction, spoke passionately with her eyes sparkling.
“Bishop Lilia. Do you swear that you will faithfully carry out your duties as Vice-Captain of the Knights Templar?”
“Poem, I don’t like it… … ?”
Lilia replied with a trembling face.
“Thank you – yes?”
Diana, who had been responding reflexively, as if she had assumed he would accept it, paused.
“Are you… going to refuse?”
“Is it by any chance mandatory?”
“That’s not it―”
“Then I don’t like it.”
“Oh, why? Doesn’t Bishop Lilia know how glorious the Order of the Holy Knights is?”
Diana asked, bewildered by the sharp rejection. Lilia pouted.
“I am still on a pilgrimage.”
“I know. You started last fall. Isn’t that enough time to do it for over a year?”
“Why is it Bishop Diana who is judging that? I am not good enough!”
Diana was at a loss for words as Lilia persisted.
In fact, it was a bit odd to call it stubbornness in the first place, because the Knights Templar were not a place where you could be forced to do something.
There has never been anyone who has kicked out a position that others are desperately looking for just to be recommended.
Pilgrimage also did not have a set period of time, so it was up to the individual to decide how many years one could do it for.
If you do it for too long, you’ll start to notice it, but not for a year.
Galen belatedly entered Diana’s embarrassed eyes.
Almost simultaneously, information about Lilia’s pilgrimage surfaced.
“Brother, is your name Galen?”
“you’re right.”
“Are you close with Bishop Lilia?”
“yes.”
“Aren’t you being too confident?”
“You can’t say we’re not close.”
The attitude of Lilia, who was lightly teasing, and Galen, who was shrugging, was by no means an artificial intimacy.
Well, if you stick together for over a year, it’s bound to happen again.
Diana decided to take a stab at this.
“Brother, this is a great opportunity. I am not a rank-and-file member or a team leader, but a vice-captain. When the current captain steps down, the next captain has already been appointed.”
“I am not a church person. How high is the leader?”
“It’s right below the Archbishop. It’s directly under the Pope. It’s one of the top ten in the entire Church.”
“It’s very tall. But.”
Galen tilted his head.
“You said it was a great opportunity, but for that to be true, the environment would have to be better than it is now when Lilia chooses the Knights, right?”
“Oh, yes. That’s right.”
“But the fact that the dean is lower in rank than the archbishop means that he is not an archbishop. After all, at most, he is a high-ranking bishop.”
“…What’s the problem with that?”
“I am a jewel.”
“……yes?”
“Whether we fight together or spar, wouldn’t it be better to have him by my side to improve my skills?”
Diana’s brain stopped for a moment.
“Jewel… Jewel? Brother?”
“I guess you haven’t heard the news yet.”
Galen smiled softly.
At that moment, a deacon working at the church office happened to be looking for the two people and he arrived at the chapel after wandering around diligently.
“Your Excellency, His Eminence the Archbishop has returned. He said he would see you right away.”
“Yes. I will go right away.”
Galen bowed his head slightly and looked back at Diana.
“Would you like to go together? If you ask the Archbishop politely, he will be able to confirm quickly.”
“Go, I will go.”
Diana, who had barely come to her senses, nodded.
* * *
The archbishop of the South, Varga, was a gaunt old man with a gaunt appearance.
Perhaps because of that, he had no mercy in trampling on Diana’s hopes.
“That’s right.”
When asked if Galen was really a jewel, Varga nodded immediately.
“To be exact, it was just a rumor.”
“Shall I turn on the revised world for you?”
“Doesn’t that feel bad? It means I want to test you.”
“I guess it’s less bad than being constantly suspected.”
“I won’t refuse if you do it.”
“Can you find out?”
“If you are real.”
“If that’s the case.”
Galen, who spoke casually, raised the magical power of his water manipulation.
Chiiing―
The revised world, whose scope was adjusted to the size of the Archbishop’s office, encroached upon its surroundings.
Diana felt nothing. In fact, this was normal. Priests couldn’t sense magic.
But Lilia, who was born with an innate sense of humor, felt a faint sense of alienation.
“It’s true.”
A ferocious smile appeared on Varga’s lips.
Bullfight!
A strange vibration spread from the archbishop.
This was something that both Diana and Lilia could clearly feel.
The eighth miracle, selection.
The realm where the priest erases everything that he does not permit overlaps with the realm where the wizard exercises absolute control.
Tsk tsk tsk
There was even a phenomenon where the space itself seemed to be distorted. It was not an illusion, but reality.
“aha.”
The corners of Galen’s mouth slightly went up.
Damus had said before. He said that if he became a jewel wizard, he would be able to counter the miracle of selection that would turn magic back to nothing.
Now I understand what it means.
The Miracle of Selection greatly weakened the Reformed World, but did not completely destroy it. Because of this, the Jewels were able to use magic within it. Although it was much weaker than the intact Reformed World.
To use a metaphor, the miracle of selection is not about unconditionally reducing the opponent to 0, but rather hitting them with a big minus, and the revised world is about countering by making a plus greater than that minus.
This pretty much satisfies my curiosity.
“Would you like more?”
“That’s enough.”
Galen gained magical power. At the same time, Varga gained sacred power.
The office was as if nothing had happened. On the outside, it was like that. The atmosphere was different.
Diana swallowed dryly and looked cautious.
Lilia was quiet in another sense. Galen glanced to the side and laughed.
The stigmata sparkled and waved in her out-of-focus eyes. It was the look she showed when she was deep in thought.
Even though it was short, it was a clash between the Archbishop and the Gem Wizard, so it was a big event. It seemed like seeing that gave him some more inspiration.
Even Barga seemed to notice, as he let out a hollow laugh and lowered his voice.
“Thank you for your willing cooperation. To be honest, I was a little worried.”
“Are you worried?”
“The church tries its best not to touch worldly families, unless they commit an unforgivable offense.”
“I know.”
“And you, no matter what you think, are a fellow church member from the outside. As long as you two go together.”
Varga’s gaze briefly glanced at Lilia and then returned. Galen nodded.
“Are you saying that you are concerned that the church may misunderstand that you are trying to use me to interfere in the secular world? For example, by changing the successor to your liking?”
“That’s right. If such a misunderstanding spreads, it will be difficult for us and you will get tired. If you try to do anything, you will be suspected.”
“Don’t worry. This was a special case.”
“…Is that so?”
“It was just a family that was entangled with my personal grudge, so I needed to sort it out. Otherwise, why would I have interfered with the Aemun family’s events?”
Galen chuckled.
“I’m busy improving my skills, so why waste time on something like that?”
“… … It’s just as I heard from Damus. Although it’s not a growth rate that can be explained by a desire to improve alone.”
Varga smiled bitterly.
“If you keep that mindset, what is there to worry about? I hope we can continue to have a good relationship in the future.”
“I hope so too.”
Galen nodded slightly and said as if he suddenly remembered something.
“Yes, Your Eminence, Archbishop. This is a separate topic from what we have discussed so far.”
“Tell me.”
“This might sound a little odd, but could you take a look at this?”
Galen took a small bottle out of his bosom and held it out.
“I was wondering if you noticed anything strange in the contents.”
“What is this?”
Galen hesitated, thinking it was too much to say directly, “It’s the blood of the Oceanis family.” Despite his puzzlement, Varga accepted the bottle.
The tightly sealed lid opened, and Varga’s forehead furrowed slightly as he smelled blood.
Soon his eyes began to glow eerily.
“Where did you get this?”