———I've been sick this week, so updates will be later than usual. Next week should be back to normal. Also, now that the new book is out, I hope everyone will spread the word, click, and recommend it. Thanks.
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Benjamin glanced at Lucian and walked at his characteristically elegant pace toward the ruins of the Witch's cottage, his voice low and measured: "Evil wizards always enjoy toying with the hearts and senses of good people, especially on a night bathed in the silver moon's light. It's just that this particular Witch hasn't yet obtained truly terrifying dark power—her magic can usually only affect one or two people at most."
Lucian had been listening in a daze, and only after Benjamin finished did he understand that the man was explaining why only he had heard the crying while the nearby residents remained fast asleep, and why even after being woken up and listening carefully, they had heard nothing.
Before Lucian had a chance to speak, Benjamin extended his hands—sheathed in pristine white gloves—and continued: "As for myself and the four church guards, we have the Lord's blessing, which is why we can hear this sinister sound."
The four guards walking ahead and behind heard this and immediately drew crosses over their chests, crying out in unison:
"Truth alone endures."
With that proclamation, their spirits grew slightly elevated.
The slum residents watching from a distance murmured their own prayers in low voices: "Truth alone endures."
Then they whispered among themselves: "This is the power of the divine. Truly worthy of a noble priest."
Amid the faint praise drifting over, Benjamin's face—with its distinctive angular features—grew ever more solemn and dignified. He slowly opened his gloved hands and uttered a strange, clipped syllable in a low voice:
"Passo."
The moment that brief, sharp syllable ended, a faint white glow settled over the entire ruins of the cottage, as though the silver moon overhead were shedding waves of radiance.
Within that white luminescence, along a broken wall connecting the ruins to Lucian's house, an eerie blood-red hue surfaced in the shape of a doorway.
Shocked by this mysterious incantation and the power of the Divine Arts, Lucian felt much the same as the surrounding slum folk—his emotions surging and churning. The difference was that they felt mostly wonder and reverence, while Lucian's awe was laced with a deep longing.
Benjamin withdrew his hands and issued an order to the guard before him: "Gary, that is the hidden door. There are no magical traps. Open it."
Gary puffed out his chest, the chainmail across his body clinking with the sharp ring of metal plates: "Yes, sir. Benjamin."
As Gary and another guard walked past, Lucian—who had sharp ears—caught Benjamin muttering a curse under his breath: "Those arrogant fools at the Tribunal—they know nothing but 'Detect Magical Trap.' Couldn't they be bothered to learn 'Detect Hidden Door'? Hmph. Just because the target was a Magic Apprentice, they couldn't be bothered?"
With the Divine Arts to guide him, Gary displayed his impressive muscles and brought the broken wall down in two or three strikes.
Then another guard drew his longsword, roared, and struck downward with devastating force, smashing a mechanism apart and revealing the true black opening at the base of the wall.
The opening was small—just large enough for one person to pass through. Wind blew through it, carrying with it a foul stench. Benjamin furrowed his brow slightly and covered his nose and mouth with his right gloved hand, while Lucian nearly retched and involuntarily took two steps back.
Gary peered carefully inside the opening, then ran back: "Benjamin, sir—this passage leads to the sewer."
Benjamin looked at Gary with his golden eyebrows knitted, his nose and mouth seeming slightly pinched out of shape, his voice muffled: "You're certain?"
"Yes, sir. Looking diagonally downward, you can see the sewer line itself." Gary answered with certainty.
Benjamin said nothing. As a noble, refined priest—and as a member of the prestigious Lafati family, heirs to a legacy spanning generations—the mere thought of the filth and stench inside the sewer made his entire body recoil. Among the few Divine Arts whose structure he had mastered and whose imprint model he had constructed within his soul, there was no "Purification." Casting it would require incantation, hand gestures, and material components working in concert. And nobody knew where in the sewer the hidden chamber lay—how many purification spells would be needed along the way.
*He's just a Magic Apprentice. As long as he carries the Emblem of Truth, there won't be any problem.* Benjamin thought this without much concern. Then he looked at Lucian, relaxed his right hand, and let his voice return to its authoritative gentleness: "You consorted with a Witch, so your body must be tainted with evil. You must atone before you can be cleansed. However, your devotion to the Lord has moved me. I will lend you my Emblem. Once you manage to purify the power left behind by the evil Witch, you shall regain the Lord's blessing. Go, Lucian. Serve the Lord, and His gaze shall be upon you."
After successfully running to the church and leading Benjamin, Gary, and the others back, Lucian had felt considerably more at ease. With a priest and guards present, dealing with a resentful spirit or a ghost shouldn't be difficult. And no matter how dangerous it was, it wouldn't be up to an ordinary man who had only just recovered his health. So now, hearing Benjamin's words, Lucian's mind buzzed with alarm: *He actually wants me to go purify a resentful spirit?! I—I'm just an ordinary man!*
Seeing the shock and refusal written all over Lucian's face, Benjamin asked with calm affability: "You… are unwilling?"
There was not a trace of malice in his tone, yet Lucian shuddered and came to his senses. If he said he was unwilling, he might very well become a corpse right then and there. But if he agreed, from the sound of it, Benjamin intended to lend him the Emblem, and at least two or three guards would likely accompany him. Dealing with the incomplete resentful spirit of what Benjamin clearly considered an unimportant Magic Apprentice—the danger shouldn't be too great.
Whether Benjamin truly found the sewer too filthy to descend into, or simply had his own reasons, botching what appeared to be a simple task would do him no favors.
Suppressing the hatred churning inside him, Lucian forced a stiff smile: "I am willing to serve the Lord."
Benjamin paid no attention to Lucian's stiffness. He removed the Emblem pendant from around his neck with his right hand and passed it to Lucian: "This is the Emblem of Truth. In a moment I will cast a 'Blessing' upon you. With it, you will be able to focus your mind much more easily. Combine that with the incantation and use your spirit and fingers to channel contact with the Emblem through friction, and you will activate the power of the Lord contained within."
Once Lucian had reined in his emotions, curiosity about this Emblem—capable of channeling Divine Arts—filled him.
The Emblem had a golden base, engraved with a white cross that emitted a faint glow. Around the cross, within the deep gold, were painted numerous lines running in every direction along with circles, triangles, squares, and rectangles. They were connected in strange configurations, framing the cross and lending it an air of mystery and solemnity.
Holding the Emblem in his hands, Lucian immediately felt a warm, gentle power flowing through him, permeating his entire body. Even against the cold night wind, he felt as warm and comfortable as if he were basking in sunlight.
"Inside the Emblem there are two cantrips—Light and Minor Healing—each usable three times per day. And there are three first-tier Divine Arts: Sacred Light Shield, Sword of Radiance, and Sacred Light Strike—each usable only once per day. Now, listen carefully to their incantations."
Lucian had no way out; he had to go. Which meant the power of Divine Arts was vitally important to him, and he focused intently on the incantations Benjamin was teaching.
They were all short-syllable words, but the tonal shifts were extremely awkward to pronounce. It took considerable effort, but Lucian managed to recite them without major errors.
Benjamin gave an almost imperceptible nod and extended his right hand.
This time there was no incantation. A beam of pure white light enveloped Lucian and slowly dissipated, leaving him feeling full of strength, healthier than he had ever been in his life. At the same time, his mind grew focused and sharp—he could hear distant voices with perfect clarity.
"The priest actually sent Lucian down there? And gave him the Emblem?"
"Didn't you hear? It's the priest's mercy, letting Lucian go down to cleanse his sins."
"Praise the Lord. Praise the priest."