Only My Magic Levels Up - Chapter 242
Only Noblemtl
Episode 242: The Demon Sect (1)
It took only two days to leave the plateau, heading south-southeast from the northern end of the plateau.
It was faster than when I was moving with Shamita. The reason was simple: Shamita was not there.
That doesn’t mean she’s slow, it just means she doesn’t pour all her power into moving.
In fact, it was a natural way of thinking for a wizard. What if you were to be attacked unexpectedly while you were wasting your magic power? Of course, you should have some magic reserves. There was no rush. That’s why you didn’t fly around all day.
But Galen was not. Of course, he had the habit of always keeping reserves of magical power, but he had a lot of it. Too much.
If you create fusion magic with the Star Tree Staff and then mix it with the power of the stars, of course the total amount of magic of the nine attributes is different, so even though it is based on the Sky Liberation standard which has the lowest amount of magic, the amount of magic consumed will be reduced by 1/18.
It wasn’t for nothing that Lilia said she could fly around the world. She could fly all day and fly again the next day, so her movement speed had to be faster.
However, once we got out of the plateau, we stopped traveling the sky road.
Although it wasn’t spring yet, it was almost here, and it was definitely less cold than the highlands, so it was somewhat possible to travel by carriage.
“I’ve been to the plateau many times, so it’s okay if I skip a bit, but this is my first time here! I think it would be rude to Archbishop Ernst if I suddenly showed up.”
“Lilia, do whatever you want.”
“You must be comfortable, brother! It was thanks to you that I was able to fly.”
“I thought it was part of my training. I guess it doesn’t matter.”
“Oh, then should I have just kept flying?”
“You can practice on land.”
It’s been five days since I changed to a carriage like that.
The last evening of late winter.
The two men arrived at their destination, Sarvete, a city located in the southeast of the North-Western Archdiocese and also the seat of the Archbishop.
As usual, they checked into an inn, had a quick meal, and then went to the church in Sarvete.
After the sun went down, the church was quiet as the public service was over. Only the dormitory wing where the clergy stayed had lights on.
Among them, Ernst lived alone in the largest and best accommodation that had the feel of a single-family home and even a small garden.
“Come in quickly.”
An old man whose face I remembered from seeing him once at Lilia’s ordination ceremony brought the two of them inside.
When they changed from the sky route to the land route, Ernst was able to welcome them calmly because he had contacted them in advance through the local church.
“Considering the carriage’s speed, I thought it would arrive today, and it turned out to be just right.”
“I’m sorry for coming so late at night.”
“I think it’s a bit odd that you didn’t let me know right away when you arrived… … .”
“It doesn’t matter. If you came during the day, it would have interfered with your work. It would be better to come now while you’re resting.”
Ernst responded nonchalantly to the two people who were feeling sorry.
“Would you like a cup of tea?”
“Thank you… No. Your Majesty, is it okay if I treat you?”
“hmm?”
“I have some really good tea leaves.”
“The picture seems to be the opposite. The host should treat the guest well.”
“It’s not that difficult, so what’s the big deal? Just think of it as a gift.”
“This is a really delicious tea!”
“Uhm, in that case… may I ask you a favor?”
Ernst, who had become curious as even Lilia actively intervened, eventually nodded.
Immediately afterwards, the old man’s eyes opened wide.
Thinking back, neither of them were carrying anything like a bag, and it seemed strange that they were carrying tea leaves in their bosoms. I was wondering how they were going to serve tea.
Suddenly, a small cylinder popped out of thin air.
“no?!”
Ernst was so surprised that he couldn’t even remember the last time he had been so surprised.
The Archbishop’s senses, which were on a par with those of the Jewel Warrior, were too sharp to suspect that he was seeing things. It was clearly an empty space where there had been nothing until just before.
Fortunately, Galen and Lilia were so calm that I knew it wasn’t anything unusual and tried to calm myself down.
“What is this… what is this?”
“It’s a gift from the sky fairy. It’s a kind of transparent bag, you could say.”
It is not possible to use the star tree storage for convenience without being seen by others, but if it is completely open, it can cause unnecessary greed. It is not possible to call it a couple accessory like a star crumb bracelet that is not noticeable on the outside.
So Galen consulted with the sky fairies and decided to package it appropriately. Excluding the mention of being able to store magical power, he made it look like a small bag rather than a large warehouse.
Of course, it was a desirable item just for its minor inventory function, but at least someone of the archbishop’s level wouldn’t be blinded by greed.
As expected, Ernst showed interest, but stopped there.
“There are all sorts of things. I’ve never heard of them before, so they must be valuable items.”
“Well, I guess only a few sky fairies have it.”
Padin, Shamita, and Shilpa. There were only three jewels and a few top-tier golds, so I wasn’t wrong.
“If you are to receive such a treasure as a gift, then the Sky Fairies must think highly of you. Well, that must be why they invited you to their territory.”
“Everyone treated me very well! I became really close with them after staying for about two weeks.”
“It’s good to be close. It’s much better than not being close.”
“Oh, Archbishop. The sky fairy I met recently might come to the church later and ask to see me.”
“Hoo.”
“Could you please not treat me badly then?”
“Don’t worry. I will guide you well. I will not treat lightly anyone who mentions the Archbishop’s name, whether they are fairies or humans.”
While Lilia was talking to Ernst, Galen naturally took out a teapot and teacups.
Open the cylinder containing the tea leaves in small portions, pour the tea leaves into the teapot, and fill it with water.
[Deterioration: Heat: Control]
[Superheated Flames]
The magic of the flame was transformed into heat without a flame, heating the kettle. The temperature at which the tea is brewed best was found empirically and maintained evenly.
Ernst, who had been watching the whole process, spoke with a voice that was half admiration and half bewilderment.
“I’ve heard a lot about it, but it’s really amazing to see it in person. Tea doesn’t come out so easily.”
“I told you it wasn’t difficult.”
“It must not be difficult for you. Where in the world can a wizard make tea with magic? Anyway, the scent is definitely good… … .”
The old man’s eyes lit up as he carefully moistened his mouth with tea.
The first scent was refreshing and pleasant, and the taste was also clean and refreshing. With just one sip, I felt like my head was completely clear.
“… Huh, there was a car like this.”
“Right? It’s delicious, right?”
“It’s not enough to say it’s delicious. This is no exaggeration, it’s by far the best tea I’ve ever had in my seventy years of life.”
“I heard that even the Sky Fairies consider these rare tea leaves to be of the highest quality. Would you like some for me?”
“That… is not it.”
Ernst, who almost forgot his dignity as an archbishop, desperately resisted the temptation. It was because realistic concerns came to mind.
“It would be better not to do that, because you might end up not being able to drink other teas. It’s hard to even get the fairy tea leaves themselves.”
“Actually, I’m a little worried too. I’m worried that I won’t be able to adapt.”
Galen agreed with a smile. From the perspective of someone who had been drinking it for a few days, it wasn’t a joke. The quality was really good, but the quantity was limited, so he only intended to use it for entertaining guests. If he drank it on a regular basis, his taste would become too sophisticated, and he might experience withdrawal symptoms.
Anyway, thanks to the destructive power of the tea, the atmosphere became much more relaxed. It wasn’t as stiff as before drinking, but the subtle awkwardness that I felt when meeting people I wasn’t close with had all melted away.
Ernst also lightly overlooked the incidents on the plateau that Lilia had taken the lead in resolving.
“To be honest, I don’t consider myself lazy, but I don’t consider myself diligent either.”
Ernst closed his eyes for a moment and savored the scent of the tea before continuing.
“You can make all sorts of excuses. We were busy managing the Northern Archdiocese as well. There are fewer priests than in the Southern Archdioceses.”
“Isn’t that true? It’s not an excuse, is it… ?”
“That’s an excuse. If I had been truly diligent, I would have kept a close eye on Gowon’s movements even under those conditions. But I didn’t.”
You could say it’s a kind of bureaucratic tendency. Being faithful only to the tasks given to you.
Of course, that doesn’t mean it’s wrong. It’s a hundred times better than being negligent and not even doing your assigned tasks faithfully.
But when a major incident almost broke out in an area you weren’t paying attention to, someone else stopped it.
Ernst wasn’t shameless enough to say, “Why are you installing this in my area?”
“I like the way you handled it anyway, so what is there to point out?”
“Is that so?”
“It would have been nice if I had blown up the protein by adding the crime of contempt. But if one prestigious family disappears, the area will be in chaos, and this time, the sky fairy is involved too. Then, my desk would have been bursting with paperwork.”
The saying that you do your work faithfully means, in other words, that you will become distressed if the amount of work given to you increases.
If Lilia had just thrown the document bomb and disappeared, this place would never have been as cozy as it is now. Even if they couldn’t openly criticize each other as archbishops, they would have at least expressed their discomfort.
“I would have tried to handle it in a similar way, and I can’t guarantee that I would have handled it as cleanly as you guys. You did a great job.”
“Thank you!”
“What’s the thank you for? You did my work for me. I should be the one thanking you.”
Lilia, who had been slightly worried about what it would be like to meet in person even though she had said it was okay in the letter, finally shook off her worries completely and smiled brightly. Ernst also smiled warmly when he saw that.
“Actually, I was a little worried because Archbishop Lilia was young. I was worried for a moment. I’m sure His Majesty will be pleased when he hears about this.”
“yes?”
“Doesn’t that mean you already know how to control the prestigious families? That means it’s okay to leave the archdiocese to them.”
“I don’t appreciate that! Could you please not report it?”
“The report left a long time ago? It should have arrived at the Vatican by now.”
“I, I didn’t do it alone, my brother helped me with most of it… … .”
“Then I guess I can ask you for help in the future too.”
The identity of the warm smile was not that of a hard-working slave… but rather the happiness of a senior who was happy to see a new employee. Lilia’s face turned into a sad expression as she realized the truth she didn’t want to know.
“Eek… … .”
“Well, it’s better to be evaluated as competent than incompetent. It’s not something you can avoid anyway.”
Galen said with a bitter smile.
“But the appointment letter won’t arrive tomorrow, right?”
“That’s a given!”
“Oh, it did fly.”
“What?! Cough, cough!”
Lilia, who was just sipping tea to calm her mind, suddenly stopped drinking. Galen quickly patted her on the back.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I was just joking.”
Ernst apologized with an awkward expression and added:
“It’s not that the appointment letter has arrived, but His Holiness has personally contacted you. It’s time to return to the Vatican.”
“When did you get the call?”
“Two days ago. It was after I got word that you were coming here.”
“What’s going on?”
Lilia asked, her eyes slightly teary from the aftermath of the incident.
“You two would know better than I do. You’ve experienced it firsthand.”
“yes?”
“In the southeast. You remember the incident with the Spirius family, right?”
Galen and Lilia’s expressions turned serious for a moment. Ernst spoke softly.
“I think I found the devil.”