Chapter 25 - Pulpit

The term "magic-monger" was quite famous. Wasn't it a word coined by vanguards who directly engage with enemies to disparage mages who just cast spells from behind? It was almost a taboo word in Wyheim, so Acel knew its origin and meaning very well.

Honestly, he didn't have much emotion towards the word itself. But hearing it directly to his face was indeed unpleasant. He quite liked magic, and all the people he had formed deep relationships with were mages. He couldn't think well of an expression that disparaged the field and people he liked.

Yes, to put it simply, it was “uncomfortable”.

"Ignorant meat shield."

So he responded with an equally disparaging expression. Although it was a longer expression than "magic-monger", judging by Grace's twitching brow, it seemed to have hit the mark. 

Acel raised the corner of his mouth and continued speaking, "You only know how to swing a sword ignorantly and you're disparaging mages? Do you think the continent's civilization would have developed this far without mages?"

It was true. Most of the tools for convenience that currently existed on the continent were designed by magical engineers and had circuits woven by mages. Without them, humanity would still be living a primitive life, roasting meat in front of fires. Many uncivilized warriors refuse to acknowledge this truth, but it was an undeniable fact.

Grace seemed to inwardly acknowledge this too, as she pouted and muttered, "...I never thought I'd have this kind of conversation with you. Is this the butterfly effect or something...? But I haven't done anything yet..."

"If you want to refute, speak up. I can't hear you," Acel said this and turned his head towards the ceiling.

The pain that had been constricting his chest had subsided by now. Thanks to the magical power in his core being more than half full. Now he had almost completely shaken off the symptoms of magical power depletion, and it seemed he could use magic without much problem. He raised his upper body and rotated his shoulders, but there was no creaking feeling anymore.

'Looks like I can move now.'

The reason he had fainted and the reason he had been lying quietly in bed was due to magical power depletion. Now that he had shaken it off, there was no reason to stay still. Acel immediately got up from the bed and stretched his arms and legs. This relieved his stiff body that had been lying down for a long time.

"A-are you going?"

"I can't just lie here taking up space when I'm fine."

"I-I want to go too!"

Grace said this and tried to get up, but after struggling for a while, all she managed was to raise her upper body. It seemed the injuries she received from Fernan were quite severe.

Did he push her harder because she's a fellow swordsman?

Acel glanced at the bandages tightly wrapped around her abdomen, then handed her the last potion remaining in his backpack.

"Drink this. It's a painkiller."

"...You're giving it to me?"

"There's no point in saving it, it'll just go back to storage. Might as well use it here."

"T-thank you..."

Grace reached out with trembling hands to receive the potion Acel was handing over. Acel noticed the bandages on her arm were slightly stained red, and sighed as he opened the lid for her instead.

"Tell me if it hurts."

"...I don't want to be a burden."

"...I'm not so twisted as to consider that a burden."

He let a bit of magical power flow into the potion to check its effect, then brought it directly to Grace's lips. Grace hesitated for a moment, rolling her eyes, but soon opened her mouth and drank the potion.

Gulp, gulp.

The sound of drinking the potion quietly echoed in the tent. Acel looked at her slightly flushed cheeks and raised magical power over his hand. The magical power played on his palm, freely changing form according to his will.

Fortunately, the nature of his magical power had returned from lightning to a fluid form. This was because he had consumed all the magical power absorbed through Lightning Absorption with high-level magic. Thanks to this, he could now use other types of magic again.

Although it wasn't that inconvenient, he had to get rid of all the lightning-natured magical power to use magic for convenience.

If I leave it as is, I might end up burning down the whole room just by using a cleaning spell.

Such accidents had to be avoided as much as possible. If only to avoid being murdered by Evelyn or Haley.

"I've finished drinking."

While he was lost in thought, Grace spoke up, licking the potion left on her lips. Acel closed the lid of the empty bottle and tucked it into his backpack.

Come to think of it, none of the cores he had put in his backpack were visible. Did they disappear automatically when leaving the exam site, or did the examiners collect them? He didn't know. It didn't matter anyway since he had finished researching the circuits.

"Then I'm going. See you at the entrance ceremony," Acel said with a faint smile as he put on his backpack.

Grace slightly bit her lip and was about to nod when suddenly, as if something occurred to her, she opened her eyes wide.

"Ah, right! Acel!"

"...?"

"By any chance, what's your ideal type?"

"...What this all of a sudden?"

Acel frowned at the unexpected question. 

Ideal type? Isn't this a question that doesn't fit the situation at all? 

It wasn’t a question that couldn't be asked, but it didn't seem like they had become that close yet. The sense of distance felt strange.

But Grace's expression was only serious. The most serious among all the expressions he had seen so far. So Acel, although he thought about ignoring it, gave a rough answer anyway.

"I've never really thought about it."

"But still! You must have some general idea!"

"...Haa. Someone with a generous heart?"

"You mean someone with big breasts, right?"

No, how did it become that?

Acel stared at Grace with a hollow laugh as if dumbfounded, but she lightly ignored his gaze and let out a sigh of relief. 

Then she gently looked down at her own chest and muttered, "This is still the same. Good."

"This is crazy," Acel muttered this and moved his steps towards the outside of the tent.

It seemed like nothing good would come out of continuing the conversation.

"Acel!" Grace shouted towards him as he was leaving. 

When he turned his head, he saw her waving her hand with a faint smile.

"See you next time."

"...Yeah."

Acel smiled slightly and waved back at her. Then he left the tent.

As soon as he came out, bright sunlight greeted him fiercely. It had been night before he fainted, but it seemed a day had already passed. The rain seemed to have stopped too, and the dark clouds had long since disappeared far away.

The location was... the entrance to the forest. He could recognize it immediately because it was a familiar place. It seemed they had been treating the injured here.

"Ah, Acel!"

While he was looking around, a familiar voice came from behind. When he turned his head, he saw Ellen and Elena with bandages on their bodies. Acel approached them with a small smile.

"Are you alright?"

"It was just magical power depletion, so I didn't need to linger so long."

"You're probably the only one who can talk about magical power depletion like that."

Ellen retorted in a voice that now seemed tired of it. Acel noticed the splint wrapped around her ankle and opened his mouth.

"Is it broken?"

"They said it's cracked. But well, ending up like this after fighting a Master is pretty good."

"Are you fine everywhere else?"

"Yeah, just simple bruises. Probably thanks to Fernan's control."

That was true. If Fernan had gone all out, the three of them, including Acel, would have fainted immediately before they could do anything. That was how vast the gap was between a Master and those who weren't. Even Acel being able to damage him with magic was only possible because Fernan had reduced the output of the aura covering his body.

There's still a long way to go.

Acel thought this and exhaled deeply, and Ellen opened her mouth with a smile.

"By the way Acel, do you know?"

"...What is it?"

"I asked a supervisor walking around after the exam ended how many cores were needed to pass the exam. They said five."

"What."

Elena, who was next to them, reacted first to Ellen's words. Acel furrowed his brow and asked back.

"...Five? But 50 would be needed to activate the device."

"That's right. But whether you pass the exam or not isn't determined by activating the device, but by whether you fill it with meaningful energy or not. Five is the minimum condition for that."

It was an unbelievable answer. 

So does that mean all their hard work until now was for nothing?

"If it was like that, we could have finished on the first day! Why didn't they tell us?"

"They said figuring out that minimum condition was also part of the exam."

"That's malicious!"

"I guess so," Ellen answered with a smile, and Elena snorted. 

Acel looked down at them and let out a small laugh.

It was already in the past, anyway. There was no point in getting angry and arguing about it now.

"Are you going to stay here?" Acel asked the two. 

Ellen nodded while tapping the splint on her leg.

"It's hard to walk, anyway. I decided to receive a bit more treatment and then go together when someone comes from my family."

"I'm also waiting until someone comes to pick me up. They contacted me saying they sent someone from the archduchy."

"Then I guess I'll have to go alone."

These were two people he had grown quite fond of after taking the exam and fighting together. He had wanted to go to the city together if possible, but it seemed he would have to go alone. It would be a lie to say he wasn't disappointed, but it wasn't something to worry about too much since they would have opportunities to meet in the future.

Acel smiled and nodded, then slowly got up from his seat.

"See you on the entrance ceremony day."

"Yeah! Take care, Acel! Don't pretend not to know us then!"

"Take care."

Acel waved his hand towards the two and turned around.

"Phew..."

He glanced at the medical staff busily moving around, then walked towards the shape of the city visible far in the forest.

He wasn't worried about getting into the academy. Since Fernan had said at the end that he had passed the standard, his admission was probably automatically confirmed. There was no need to hear additional answers. For the time being, he just needed to rest well, return to Wyheim, and wait until the entrance ceremony.

As he was moving his steps thinking this, he saw a group of clergy walking from the opposite direction. They seemed to be people called by the academy to deal with the injured.

Except for one, the rest didn't seem to have much connection with combat. However, it was clear that they all handled “holy power”.

It was his first time seeing clergy who handled holy power directly. The elderly nun who came for volunteer work during his slum days was just a devout believer. Those so openly connected to God like this tended to stay cooped up in their orders and refrain from external activities.

He had heard that there were clergy who mainly did missionary work, but since Wyheim worshipped magic rather than God, clergy couldn't come and go much. To begin with, even the entry procedures were complicated, so it wasn't a preferred country.

I'd like to see holy law once.

The “holy law” handled by clergy was a kind of technique that used holy power as its source. Its branches were very extensive, from the most basic healing techniques to barriers, buffs, and so on. There were quite a few high-ranking clergy who handled various holy techniques. They just weren't noticeable because they didn't come out of their orders.

Among the branches of holy law, healing techniques, which were the most widely known and used, were similar in nature to healing-type magic. Both could quickly regenerate even physical defects, and the amount of magical power and holy power consumed wasn't that much.

However, there was a difference in that holy law healed wounds without any price, while healing spells were accompanied by excruciating pain. It wasn’t for nothing that people went to clergy paying expensive fees instead of visiting healing mages.

This difference could never be bridged by talent or improvement of spell formulas. Magic and holy law had completely different origins and directions of development, so it was impossible to fix it just because their natures were similar. Still, he wanted to observe it roughly. Just knowing and not knowing made a huge difference in itself.

"Sister. Over there."

While he was lost in thought, the whispers of the approaching clergy were heard. Acel used hearing enhancement magic to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"Are you coming from where the injured are gathered?"

"Wow, he's handsome."

"...Sister?"

"...Ahem. Since he doesn't seem to be badly injured, let's approach and ask about the situation of the injured."

"Huh? Ah, yes!"

The small girl who had been talking with the purple-haired woman nodded and approached Acel with quick steps. Although he had overheard the entire conversation and knew the content, Acel tilted his head as if he didn't know and looked down at her.

"Who are you?"

"Nice to meet you, brother. I am Tina, a priestess from the order dispatched at the request of the academy."

"Ah, the order... Did you come because of the injured?"

"That's right. So I'd like to ask a few things, if that's alright with you?"

While Tina was speaking, the other clergy didn't move. Instead, they just looked at her with fond gazes.

As she was the youngest nun, do they want her to gain various experiences directly? Considering the rumors that clergy generally had excellent eloquence, it wasn't incomprehensible. It seemed she was trying to improve her communication skills by taking the lead in conversation.

As it wasn't unpleasant, he decided to go along with it willingly.

"Yes, that's fine."

"Ah, thank you. May God's blessing be with you."

Tina murmured as if praying with her hands folded, then looked up at Acel and asked, "Brother, is it correct that you were with the injured and just came out?"

"Yes. I came out first because my condition improved a bit."

"Ah, I'm glad you've gotten better. Still, just in case, would it be alright if I check your condition myself?"

"That's fine. I'd rather appreciate it."

Acel smiled and held out his arm. At that smile, Tina cleared her throat and took Acel's pulse.

"Ahem... Then I'll check."

She said this and slowly operated her holy power. Acel narrowed his eyes slightly and observed its movement.

Aura was used by containing it in the heart. Because it had a physical form, if the heart was destroyed, the vessel was destroyed along with it.

On the other hand, the magical core had no physical form. To be precise, it existed in the mage's mind. This couldn’t be physically destroyed, but it could be shaken by methods that impact the soul or mind. Or by interfering with the pathways through which magical power moved. If it was another mage, it was even possible to extract it through magical power.

Holy power had a nature closer to magical power between the two. Without a physical form, it operated holy law by drawing holy power from a well engraved in the soul. No spell formulas or complex calculations were needed in this process. It was just a matter of moving holy power according to will and recalling what was desired.

If you think about it, it's similar to praying through prayer.

If magic was implementing a kind of law, holy law was like wishing for what one desired from God. A miracle that was impossible to use without unconditional faith in God. It wasn't for nothing that those lacking in faith or who weren't devout couldn't awaken holy power.

It's a shame, but it seems difficult to use.

He grasped the structure at once. He could obtain all the information he wanted just by observing. But as expected, it was impossible to handle holy law. However, it seemed possible to create new magic by adjusting holy laws other than the healing techniques they used into a form of magic.

More things to research.

There was no time, but desires kept growing. Acel smiled bitterly and looked at Tina who was removing her hand from his arm.

"Is it finished?"

"Yes. As you said, there are no injuries. That's fortunate."

Instead of answering, Acel responded with a smile and glanced at the gathered clergy.

"By the way, I'm worried that I might be wasting the time of such important people. You should go see the injured quickly..."

"Ah, it's alright. I asked you directly, so there's no need to worry too much."

"Still, I can't help but feel concerned. Although it's not much of a substitute, if you have any questions, I'll answer them sincerely."

"Ah, then right away..."

As he was dealing with clergy, Acel also adopted a formal manner of speech. There was no reason to make a bad impression on them.

The conversation flowed smoothly. Tina asked Acel about the number and condition of the injured, and Acel explained in detail what he had seen. He also described the appearances of those who seemed to be in serious condition. Having received the answers she wanted, Tina smiled and gave a light bow.

"Thank you for your answers."

"Haha, this is nothing. By the way, would it be alright for me to go now? I'm a bit tired from taking the exam..."

"Ah, yes. I'm sorry, it seems I kept you for too long. May God's blessings be upon your future path, brother."

"Thank you," Acel answered with a smile, slightly bowed his head to Tina, and started to continue on his way.

When he glanced back, he saw the priest who seemed to be the eldest roughly ruffling Tina's hair. From what he could roughly hear, it seemed he was praising her for doing well. Acel let out a small laugh and was about to turn his head forward.

At that moment, his eyes met with the nun who had purple hair. She smiled wryly and waved her hand at Acel.

Acel also smiled and waved back. As he did so, he thought.

Somehow, I feel like I'll be seeing her often.

His intuition as a mage whispered this to him.