Only My Magic Levels Up - Chapter 151
Only Noblemtl
Episode 151 The Vatican (5)
The jewels of this world… To be exact, I should say the ‘human world’. There are jewels even among the fairies, and this time, an orc jewel wizard has also appeared.
Anyway, let’s briefly summarize the tendencies of jewels in general.
The clergy are of course the church itself, with all of them being archbishops.
The wizards have all had a rocky relationship with the church. The only exception to this is Galen, who has been added this time.
The warriors were of various types. Some were as close to the church as wizards, while others actively stepped forward to help the church.
Internally, the church gave everyone a score. Those with higher scores were considered to be more pro-church.
“Uh, is it okay for me to know this information? It might be sensitive to some people.”
“Are you going to go around making a fuss?”
“That’s not it.”
“Then it doesn’t matter. If you ask Bishop Lilia, he’ll probably answer right away anyway.”
“Uh, um… … .”
“Don’t misunderstand, I’m not saying she’s a loose talker. I’m saying that it’s information that I can safely tell you. It’s not much different from the rumors that are spreading around.”
For that reason, Galen was able to access general information about the jewels.
Among them, the warrior with the highest score was Michael.
Judging from his actions, he had quite a few similarities to Galen.
It’s not that I’m always tied up with church work, but I do occasionally travel around the world on church commissions when I forget.
In short, can we say that he was a person who played the role of problem solver for the church for a long time before Galen appeared?
It’s not like its value has decreased just because it’s now. Warriors and magicians have different uses to begin with.
As a result, Galen began to feel a slight sense of intimacy with Michael. A kind of camaraderie, perhaps.
But I never thought that the first meeting I had been secretly looking forward to would turn out like this.
“… … .”
“… … .”
Neither Galen nor Michael wanted to ruin the situation by raising their voices any further. The two of them kept their mouths shut for the time being.
But it was only a temporary fix. Galen was displeased.
‘Have I only met such kind old people all this time?’
I thought so for a moment, but when I thought about it carefully, it wasn’t necessarily like that.
It is true that I have never had any particular friction with the elderly people I have met so far.
The elders I spoke with in depth were all priests, either loving Lilia or being forced to obey Galen by force. The former would be Archbishop Damus and Varga, and the latter would be the elders of Oceanus.
Michael, who was not a churchgoer but was also quite capable, was the type of old man I had never met before.
‘If the person closest to the church is like this, the jewels I meet in the future will be even worse. Yes, look down on them as much as you want. If you get hit once, you’ll change your mind.’
Normally, I wouldn’t have been this excited or depressed, but maybe it’s because I heard such harsh words on such a special day.
…maybe he just couldn’t stand hearing people put Lilia down.
Galen’s focus, which had been clouded for a moment while he was lost in thought, returned. Objects around him became clear again.
Even though Lilia isn’t visible up close, the discomfort I felt just before disappears just by looking at her from afar.
‘… I think that’s right.’
It might be quite serious. Galen smiled bitterly as he realized his emotions anew.
But now, it was not enough to just look at pretty things. Galen erased Michael from his mind and only looked at Lilia. His heart softened on its own.
The ordination ceremony, which proceeded smoothly, ended with a miracle of selection.
Bullfight!
The waves of sacred power that spread out gently caressed the chapel.
“Oh, oh… … .”
“It is truly a blessing… … .”
The soliloquies of the moved priests reached Galen’s ears.
There was no blasphemous priest present who thought that the archbishop ordained by the Pope himself was a fake.
It was natural to be purely curious, without any doubts.
In the long history of the church, this is the first time that an archbishop in his twenties has appeared. He is not even in his twenties, close to thirty, but has just turned twenty, and it is said that he reached the highest level when he was nineteen, so he practically became an archbishop in his teens.
The unprecedented genius proved his ability very simply. If you can’t feel the greatness of the miracle of selection, you should take off your clergy label.
“This concludes the ordination ceremony. The outdoor event will begin shortly, so please prepare accordingly.”
The outdoor event the host was referring to was a tour of the city.
The ordination ceremony held in this chapel was a closed ceremony open to only church officials, and Lilia had just been officially appointed archbishop.
Now that the internal formalities are complete, the next step is to tour the city and introduce the new archbishop’s face to the public.
The common people, who could not imagine life without the church from cradle to grave, were purely happy, but the noble families who were inevitably connected to the church in some way had to know the new archbishop, so they sent people from far and wide.
The church also knew about it and held a separate outdoor event. It was also a place to show off the church’s power that had grown stronger with the birth of a new archbishop.
However, that did not mean that everyone left the stage in a hurry. Only the main character, Lilia, came down from the stage.
She made her way slowly through the attendees toward the chapel’s entrance.
“Congratulations, Your Majesty!”
“May there always be light on the road ahead.”
“Thank you! Thank you!”
There were countless requests for handshakes from all sides… if not compliments and words of encouragement. Even a simple self-introduction and a few words of conversation took up a huge amount of time because there were so many people.
After a long struggle to get through the dozens of bishops who had come from all over the Central Archdiocese, Lilia finally arrived at the back of the line. They were not members of the church, but they were still related to it.
After exchanging greetings with a few people, it was Michael’s turn.
“My name is Michael of the Vandemons family.”
Fortunately for Galen, who was a little worried, Michael was not foolish enough to complain openly in public. If he had been, he would not have been called to church in the first place.
“Congratulations on your ordination, Archbishop Lilia.”
“Thank you, Brother Michael! I have heard a lot from you!”
Lilia answered brightly. She knew it, just as Galen had heard Michael’s information in advance.
“Maybe we’ll work together sometime in the future. Please take care of me then!”
“Please take good care of me.”
Their greetings were brief and uneventful.
The last one was Galen’s turn.
Lilia’s face was the brightest it had been since she entered the chapel. Galen introduced himself with a big smile on his face.
With no family to boast about, his identity was still that of a mercenary.
It’s already been two months since I stayed in this city, Chroma.
It was a time of great upgrading of the official status of ‘the silver of Niger and the gold of Abaca’.
“My name is Galen, a Jewel-grade mercenary from Chroma.”
“… … !”
Those who were up to date had already figured out the names on the list of participants, but those who were late were shocked to hear Galen’s true identity for the first time.
The mercenary guild of Chroma, like those in cities where the Church has strong influence, is directly influenced by the Vatican.
Although the authority of the Holy See was not directly linked to that of the mercenary guilds, it was at least one of the most trustworthy in the world.
The appearance of a jewel-grade mercenary there was virtually the same as the Church’s recognition of his skills.
“I sincerely congratulate you on your ordination as archbishop.”
“Thank you always, brother.”
Lilia smiled and spread her arms slightly. She swayed her body lightly from side to side as if dancing.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes. It’s the prettiest.”
Lilia smiled brightly at Galen’s honest sentiment. She took a stride and hugged Galen tightly, whispering softly in his ear.
“It’s the first time you’ve told me I’m pretty. You’ve told me many times that I look good on you.”
After saying that, Lilia took a step back, then turned around with a slightly embarrassed expression on her face and gave an elegant bow.
As she hurried out of the chapel, others began to leave one by one.
Whether it was because of the jewel-grade self-introduction or because of Lilia’s last actions that made it seem like she was someone no one knew, quite a few people’s eyes passed over Galen.
Galen remained calmly in his seat until everyone left.
“That’s why there was such a sharp reaction.”
Likewise, Michael, who had been waiting without going out, opened his mouth. Galen’s head turned in that direction.
“These days, young people are quite bold in expressing their affection. They exchange sweet words with so many eyes watching them.”
“The average person is not as perceptive as Sir Michael. That’s why it’s a secret.”
Galen responded calmly to the bickering Michael.
“Or, would you like to discuss maintaining the dignity of jewels?”
“At least if you are an archbishop, shouldn’t you appear to others to have some weight? People are creatures who are greatly influenced by what they see on the outside.”
“That’s true. So, Sir Michael doesn’t like Lilia because she seems too light.”
“Isn’t it true that there is no heaviness that comes with age?”
“Then, conversely, if someone were to say to Sir Michael, ‘When you’re old, stay home and take care of your grandchildren,’ what would you say?”
“…What?”
Michael’s eyebrows twitched. Galen continued in a flat voice.
“If you’re going to say ‘age is just a number’ then you should apply the same to the case of small numbers, right?”
Michael, who had nothing to say, closed his mouth with an uncomfortable expression. It had been so long since he had seen a young boy talking back to him so bluntly that he was momentarily confused as to how to deal with it.
“What are you two doing right now?”
At that moment, I heard the deep voice of a third party. It was clearly speaking softly from afar, but strangely enough, it entered my ears.
Julian was leisurely walking down from the stage.
The faces of the elderly people following them were also incredibly splendid.
Archbishop of the North-East and East, Damus.
Anton, Archbishop of the Southeast.
Archbishop of the South and South-West, Varga.
Archbishop of the West, Miriam.
Archbishop of the North-West and North, Ernst.
They had not arrived exactly on time today, but had arrived a few days earlier, so Galen had met them at least once before and was familiar with them all.
But whether they were familiar faces or not, the fact that all the top members of the church, who rarely gather together, were gathered together seemed to have a halo behind them. I could feel the force that made it seem like I could conquer the world.
“His Holiness.”
Michael immediately became calm and Galen also greeted him politely.
Julian nodded slightly and said.
“They were telling interesting stories.”
“I’m sorry. Did you hear that?”
Although they looked like the same old man, their actual age difference was greater than that of children, so Michael used the most honorific title. Julian laughed softly.
“Isn’t that what I told you to hear?”
The chapel is said to be large, but even a Jewel Warrior or an Archbishop would be able to hear it with their enhanced hearing. There was no way Michael wouldn’t know that.
Julian spoke quietly to Michael, who expressed his intention through silence.
“I know what you’re worried about. It’s better to have no colleagues than to have no friends.”
“… Yes.”
“But didn’t Duke Galen say that age is just a number? What matters is ability, and the easiest way to prove that is through performance. Just watch. Don’t make assumptions without seeing anything.”
“…All right.”
“Don’t feel bad, Duke Galen. Sir Michael didn’t mean anything bad by what he said.”
“yes.”
What should I say, it’s like when kids fight and the teacher steps in and says, ‘Okay, shake hands. Hug them. Say sorry. Now, let’s be friends again. Okay?’ and forces them to make up.
“I won’t force you to get along, but please don’t fight. It puts me in a difficult position.”
Julian laughed awkwardly and left the chapel alone.
The five archbishops acted differently, because they had different paths from the Pope from the beginning.
As Pope, Julian was supposed to accompany Lilia on her tour of the city and increase her authority.
The five archbishops deliberately did not participate in the outdoor event to avoid diverting attention.
Varga, Miriam, and Ernst just exchanged greetings and went about their business.
“Let’s talk for a moment, Michael.”
Anton, who was his closest friend, dragged Michael out.
“Oh, oh, oh.”
Damus remained with Galen, clicking his tongue softly as he comforted him.
“You must understand. He is a friend whose way of thinking is very closed. You and Archbishop Lilia are both so young that it will not be easy for them to accept his existence.”
“Well, Your Majesty has organized it well.”
Galen shrugged.
“If you don’t acknowledge us, we can just not get involved. Time will solve it. Even if it doesn’t work out, it doesn’t really matter.”
Damus smiled bitterly at that answer and changed the subject.
“Anyway, okay. Have you decided on your next move?”
“I heard that once the event here is over, we should stop by the East.”
“That’s right. It’s a long-standing tradition.”
“Why do you ask when you already know?”
“I thought we could go back together since our paths overlap. I’m getting old and it’s lonely to go alone.”
The central and eastern regions look close on the map, but they are blocked by the Great Mountain Range, so you have to go around via the northeast or southeast.
So, Damus suggested that we go back through the Northeast.
“Oh, are you also interested in crossing the Great Mountains?”
“…huh?”