Only My Magic Levels Up - Chapter 147
Only Noblemtl
Episode 147 The Vatican (1)
Even Lilia, who suggested checking the face, did not think that she would be able to find out anything by looking at the contents of the helmet, even if they were intact and not crushed.
If he was part of the church’s information network, he would have been suspected from the beginning. The ability to spread plagues is not common, so it would be difficult to not identify him.
In short, it was pure curiosity. Since I had already dug it out of the mound, I wanted to see what would happen before I incinerated it.
I really never imagined it would turn out like this.
Even a protruding nose and a shovel-shaped chin were just some of the common physical features.
Combined with the green skin, upturned ears, and long canines protruding from the lower jaw, it could hardly be called human in appearance.
“…Okrogun, this is.”
Hamel let out a sigh.
Lilia’s eyebrows furrowed slightly. She spoke as she searched her memory.
“If it’s Orc… I think I read it in the Encyclopedia of Evil Species. It said it was an evil species that only lived in the Great Forest.”
“Is it a bad thing?”
Galen frowned.
“I even had a conversation with this guy. Does he speak evil?”
“Did you say something?”
“Yes. Besides, even if we ignore that, this guy was a wizard, right? He wasn’t some random person, he was a jewel.”
“That, that’s something I’m not sure about… The Pokedex only lists the appearance and the places it appears.”
Lilia looked at Hamel, trailing off. Galen also looked at Hamel.
He recognized Orc right away, and as the head of the Southwestern Archdiocese where the Great Forest is located, he would know more than them.
“I don’t know the details either. There isn’t much information about the ecology of orcs that has been revealed in the first place.”
Hamel shook his head.
“However, it is widely known among the highest echelons of the Church that they can speak human language and are intelligent enough to develop their own martial arts and magic.”
“Oh, then you can’t just tell me so carelessly, right?”
Hamel smiled faintly at Lilia, who asked with a bit of worry.
“What’s the point of me hiding it now? Bishop Lilia will soon rise above me, so whether you hear it then or now, it’s no different.”
“But my brother is listening too… Is that okay?”
“Anyway, I don’t think the two of you are that close… … .”
“Oh, no?! I have secrets that I have to keep!”
“I’m joking, I’m joking. If it’s Duke Galen, I don’t mind listening to him. He’s not the type to open his mouth carelessly.”
“Yes. My mouth is heavy.”
“I, I’m heavy too… … .”
“anyway.”
Galen, who had subdued Lilia, who was protesting timidly, asked Hamel.
“I don’t know if it’s because I don’t know much about it, but it doesn’t seem like it’s that big of a secret.”
“Honestly, I think similarly.”
Hamel answered with a bitter smile.
“Perhaps it was hidden to avoid creating unnecessary anxiety? After all, orcs rarely come out from deep within the forest.”
If there is no substance, it will be endlessly distorted. If there were a monster that spoke human language living deep in the forest, how terrified would the people living near the forest feel?
If you come into contact with orcs often, you would at least let them know as a precaution, but since there is almost nothing to see, rather than necessarily creating discomfort, wouldn’t they just quietly erase their very existence?
Galen nodded after hearing Hamel’s own reasoning.
“That makes sense. Except that the orc that was supposed to be stuck in there suddenly popped out and caused this huge incident.”
“That’s right. No matter how intelligent the evil spirit is, I never thought it would reach the level of a jewel. I hope it’s not a sign of something bigger… … .”
“Will the church prepare for it?”
“At least I won’t move leisurely. Orcs are the only evil species that receive special treatment even within the church. Your Majesty, I’m sure you’ll come up with some kind of countermeasure.”
Okay then.
The churches of this world are a million light years away from the incompetent and corrupt groups that are the common cliché, so they will handle it well.
“Do you need that body by any chance? As evidence to submit, perhaps?”
“It’s okay. It’s enough for the three of us to see this. Moving a corpse that’s rotting in the poison will only cause harm.”
“Then I’ll clean it up?”
“Please.”
“Step back a little, Lilia.”
“yes!”
Galen took a few steps back as Lilia led him, then lightly snapped his fingers.
The magic of the Vanity Flame enveloped the armored monster’s corpse and began to burn, along with the poison that was still flowing out.
“The polluted water can be evaporated… We just need to remove a bit more of the poison inside the mound. Bishop Hamel, you can go back now.”
“Is that okay?”
“Yes. We will also go back once we have roughly finished up. I know it will be difficult, but please maintain the area blockade for the time being.”
“I will do so.”
Hamel bowed his head and turned around to walk away.
While continuing to receive treatment from Lilia, Galen was able to control the spirits while also controlling the flames.
The water that had been surging around gathered towards the spirit. As it gulped down the water, its size gradually decreased. No matter how much it drank, it continued to flow endlessly somewhere.
“Is that okay? There’s poison in it.”
“They only drink pure water, so they’re fine. They don’t eat dirt if they soak in muddy water, or salt if they soak in seawater.”
“Aha. Then the water will drain away and only the poison will remain?”
And the poison thus extracted dispersed into the air and burst into flames as it burned.
Now that there was no one to really get in his way, Galen decided to use his magic more smartly.
After retrieving the spirit and moving some more distance away from the dirt tomb.
Wheeeeeeeeing!
The area surrounding the earthen tomb was filled with the magical power of the spiral circulation. The whirlwind spun violently, sucking in all the surrounding air.
Whoosh whoosh!
Add just a spoonful of Vanity Flame magic to it and you have a wonderful firestorm.
The spiral flow was not used in battle, so its magical power remained at full capacity, and the poison without the help of magic was simply extinguished by the flames.
Galen, who had been watching the fire with his mind clear, suddenly looked to the side.
It seemed as if things had become a little quieter, but Lilia’s expression wasn’t very bright.
“What’s going on?”
“Oh, no. It’s nothing.”
“You don’t look like you have no worries at all?”
Galen poked Lilia’s cheek with his finger and then stopped. It was an unintentional action, so he was slightly taken aback.
Lilia’s eyes, which had grown slightly larger, soon formed a crescent-shaped arc. The dark feeling that had been faintly hovering around her was no longer visible.
“I wasn’t really worried, I was just a little curious.”
“Uh, what is your question?”
Galen asked, slowly lowering his hand. Lilia smiled bashfully and answered with a slightly serious tone.
“I was wondering if there was some hidden story about orcs that we don’t know about. After all, fairies are fairies.”
“…aha.”
“Huh? Did you understand right away?”
“I did think about it, too.”
Galen shrugged as Lilia’s eyes widened.
“They can speak human language, and they can also use martial arts and magic. Why aren’t they considered a separate race like fairies?”
“Yes. Even if it’s a special-treatment evil species, what should I say… it feels like they’ve been forcibly lumped together even though it’s not an evil species?”
“If you just listen to the explanation, it seems a bit strange. That’s why I also found it strange.”
Evil creatures have intelligence but no intellect, so no matter how smart they are, they cannot escape the behavior patterns of beasts.
That strength also comes from pure physical strength. It is not something that lions or tigers become strong through training, but rather an extension of the fact that they are born as beasts.
Orcs, who had the intelligence to converse and could learn martial arts and magic to become stronger, clearly had some issues with being classified as just one of the evil races.
“But it doesn’t really matter, right?”
“yes?”
“The reason we attacked the armored man was not because he was evil, but because he did evil things. If he were human, would we have let him off?”
“No matter what his identity was, he should have died early.”
“So it doesn’t matter. If you meet a good orc later, you can think about it again then.”
“Oh, that’s the way.”
“And looking at the high-ranking people in the church that I’ve met, it doesn’t seem like the church erased the name Oak with bad intentions. I don’t think you need to worry too much about it.”
“You are right.”
A bright, innocent smile appeared on Lilia’s lips.
“As expected, my brother never says anything wrong.”
“I guess I should hope that there are only evil orcs in the world. If I’m not wrong.”
“Hey, that’s okay if it’s a little off. What’s important is persuasiveness. Your words always make me understand!”
Lilia smiled and responded to the whining Galen, then whispered softly.
“So, would you please continue to do so in the future?”
“I will do that.”
Galen answered with a smile.
* * *
After a while, the commotion in Cairo calmed down as the Knights arrived, having finished cleaning up the village.
Compared to the places where the plague, or more precisely the forest abyss, had swept through, the number of patients was very small and there were many priests, so it was not difficult to deal with them.
“That, Lilia? Would it be okay if you supported me a little more lightly… … .”
“Should I carry you? Or maybe I can hug you.”
“…I will just be supported like I am now.”
“Brother, you are sick! You should be lying in bed, but you were so stubborn that I gave you permission, so please follow me!”
“Yes, yep.”
Galen, who had burned away all the poison in the sealed area, also worked hard to eliminate the remaining poison outside the area under Lilia’s thorough nursing.
A spiral vortex with a weak intensity circulates the atmosphere in a certain area, collecting the remaining magical power of the heat wave and burning it.
“I’m ashamed of you two.”
Meanwhile, Diana, who had come running as soon as she heard the story from Hamel, bowed deeply to the two people.
“We are called the Knights Templar, but we have done nothing… I am embarrassed and have nothing to say.”
“I didn’t do anything. You have to remember that you guys continued to track down the culprit.”
Galen waved his hand nonchalantly.
“But in the end, you two were the ones who caught the culprit, and we had no—”
“It was a situation where I was supposed to stay behind from the beginning. Don’t worry about it, everything went according to plan, except that the culprit was stronger than expected. As a result, I had a good experience… and Lilia too, right?”
“yes!”
Lilia said brightly. Diana, who had already heard the whole story from Hamel, smiled bitterly.
Just as if you reach golden age in your twenties, you are a talent of all time, worthy of being engraved in the history of your family even from a prestigious family.
Diana was also a genius priest, having been ordained a bishop before she turned thirty.
I couldn’t help but be humble in front of Lilia.
Jealousy? That’s an emotion that can only be felt when there is a certain amount of difference. I thought he was great even when he was a high-ranking bishop, but now I feel nothing but awe.
“Anyway, we’re really fine, so you don’t need to apologize… Oh, by the way, I heard from Lilia. I heard that the Knights Templar also met some strange guys?”
“Yes. Although he is no match for the real culprit that Duke Galen was dealing with, the accomplice seems clear.”
“I heard he was a cross-eyed man.”
“Yes, but… … .”
“But I saw that guy too.”
“…yes?”
Diana was startled. Galen explained briefly.
“With a face that splits like a knife, a polite tone of speech on the outside, and a sword-shaped magic weapon that has a powerful destructive force. If they hadn’t blown away his upper body, it would have been possible to see if his face changed after he died, but that’s too bad.”
“Oh, no. That’s enough. Even though we haven’t been able to determine its exact identity, we know that it can exist on both sides at roughly the same time… … .”
There was more to write in the report. Diana, who exchanged additional information with Galen, expressed her gratitude once again.
As Diana, who had finished her duties as a paladin, headed to the patients to fulfill her duties as a priest, Lilia also grabbed Galen’s arm and pulled him towards her.
“Are you done, brother? You really should go and rest now! The fireworks are starting to die down!”
“It’ll be okay if I rest a little… but I’ll just keep resting.”
Galen followed her orders without hesitation, as Lilia seemed to be about to knock him unconscious if he held out any longer.
In fact, if you had gone this far, it would be giving you so much that it would seem excessive.
It took five full days for Galen to fully recover.
Of course, that doesn’t mean I was lying in bed for five days straight, but it was just the time it took for all the toxins in my body to be expelled.
Even though Lilia was still attached to it, it was still that bad, so I could guess just how dire the abyss of the condensed forest was.
Anyway, Galen recovered completely.
Another fortnight had passed since then.
A summons arrived for Lilia.
The seal on it was that of the Pope.