Chapter 15 : Another Beginning (7)

Chapter 15: Another Beginning (7)

“Sorry for calling you here so suddenly.”

With a small click, a teacup was placed in front of me.

Professor Shagas, who had brewed the tea with practiced ease, also set a cup down in front of Yuran, who sat beside him.

“No, it’s fine. More than that, the fragrance of this tea is wonderful.”

“That’s quite a pleasing thing to hear. It’s one of the few hobbies I have.”

Sitting down carefully, he spoke in a blunt tone that made it impossible to tell if he was joking or serious.

“I’ve never had anyone to share it with, so I had no one to brag to, either.”

“Haha…”

I was now in Professor Shagas’s private room.

He had said he wanted to have a talk, so I had followed them here.

“I heard you had something to say to me.”

“Mm, yes.”

Lifting his teacup to enjoy the aroma, Professor Shagas gave a small nod.

“Gwendil, I’m sure you’re busy, so let’s skip the preamble and get straight to the point.”

Setting his cup down, he suddenly bowed his head deeply toward me where he sat.

As I was startled by his sudden action, he opened his mouth.

“I wish to express my gratitude to you, Lian Gwendil.”

With his head still lowered, Professor Shagas continued in a calm voice.

“Originally, I should have sought you out long ago to thank you… This may sound like a shameful excuse, but I had urgent matters to deal with, and by prioritizing those, my thanks have been delayed. Still, I could not simply let such a meeting pass lightly… Before I knew it, I finally had the time to do this.”

As he finished speaking, he slowly raised his head and tapped his leg lightly.

“Also, proper etiquette would be to stand and thank you formally, but my body isn’t in a condition to do so. I hope you’ll understand.”

“Yes, I understand.”

As I tried to suppress my fluster, he glanced toward Yuran sitting beside him.

When Professor Shagas had bowed his head, she had bowed as well, and she still hadn’t raised it.

Looking at her with a complicated gaze, he spoke softly.

“Yuran, I heard that when you were in a very difficult situation, this young man stepped in and helped you. I’ll say it again—thank you, Gwendil. I truly owe you a great debt.”

In the middle of speaking, he let out a small sigh.

The scar on his face twitched faintly, almost as if it were alive.

“Pathetically, I never anticipated that something like that would happen.”

He muttered again, as if lamenting.

“Fifteen years have passed, and yet… To think there would be someone in such an important position who would act that way out of personal feelings.”

Another sigh escaped him.

This time, it was deeper and longer.

Professor Shagas pressed the space between his brows firmly with his fingers.

“More than anything, it was something brought about by none other than our own overreach…”

“It wasn’t Master’s fault.”

At that, Yuran finally lifted her head, showing a faint smile toward the self-reproaching Shagas.

“It’s true I was threatened. Solberique—Imperial people. The ones who attacked me were also Imperial people.”

Here, she glanced sideways at me.

“But the one who helped me was also Imperial. The one who worried for me was Imperial too.”

Having said that, Yuran gently lifted her teacup with both hands.

“I know that well. No need to worry. Master, sometimes you think of me too much like a child.”

“How could I not?”

Professor Shagas spoke to her in a tone much gentler than usual.

“I’ve said it many times, but I’m old enough that having a granddaughter your age wouldn’t be strange. More than that, I’m the one who brought you all the way here. If something were to happen to you, it would mean it’s my responsibility.”

At his words, Yuran sipped her tea curtly.

“Master, sometimes you use words too difficult. I don’t understand.”

“Heh.”

Letting out a short, dry laugh at her grumbling, Professor Shagas turned his gaze back to me.

“Our conversation went a bit off track. My apologies.”

Straightening his posture again, he spoke to me.

“In short, the matter is this—Yuran owes you a debt, and so do I. It’s only proper to repay such a debt. That is why I wished to speak with you quietly like this.”

Once again, he thanked me with a voice and demeanor that were exceedingly courteous.

I couldn’t help but feel bewildered by his attitude.

And it wasn’t just because things seemed likely to turn out far better than I’d expected.

Ras Sink Shagas.

The man known as the Hero of the Plains War.

A central figure in countless major battles such as the Dicleum Knights Rescue, the Raum Forest Breakthrough, and the High Embankment Road Engagement—a living legend.

Every battle he led had been preserved as a textbook case, and his name was inseparable from modern history.

When he announced his retirement, the whole nation had been in an uproar.

An old soldier who had refused to reverse his decision despite the Emperor’s earnest pleas.

And yet, he had suddenly broken over ten years of silence and begun to move again.

This time, as a professor at Arpentia Academy.

Naturally, such an unexpected turn in his career had stirred discussion for many reasons.

It was no surprise.

The name Ras Sink Shagas was one of the defining names of this era.

He’s probably one of the most influential people on the current continent.

A war hero who suddenly broke his seclusion and returned as a professor at the Academy.

And, as if that weren’t enough, at his side was a woman from Garusol—a people we’d fought a war against only a few years ago—serving as his disciple and assistant.

It was only natural that many were keeping a close eye on his intentions and on what might result from his actions.

…And I was probably one of the few people who actually knew why he had come here.

The Demon Hunter Shagas.

A title that, a few years from now, would spread across the continent—becoming even more famous than “war hero.”

True to that title, he hunted demons, demonic beings, and Cultists of the Evil God without mercy, always alongside Yuran.

The problem was that he hadn’t targeted only demons, demonic beings, and Cultists of the Evil God.

If there was even the slightest connection or suspicion, no one escaped his reach.

Whether they were innocent or not came only afterward.

For someone like that to be this friendly toward me…

Honestly, it felt more awkward than anything.

No—perhaps “tense” would be more accurate.

And more than that…

He was probably the very person who had once wanted Yuran to kill me.

I subtly shifted in my seat and lifted my teacup in a way that didn’t seem forced.

So then…

Originally, I had planned to slowly build my relationship with Yuran.

But now, it seemed there was no need—both Yuran and even Professor Shagas were looking at me with considerable goodwill.

Once I’d gathered my thoughts, I asked him casually,

“Before anything else, may I ask you something?”

“Is it about what Yuran said earlier—about the ‘Sky Guide’?”

When I nodded slowly, he set his teacup down.

At that moment, Yuran, who was sitting next to him, raised her hand slightly.

“Master. May I explain?”

“You?”

Yuran nodded.

“Lian Gwendil. The Sky Guide scent has grown strong. It’s entirely possible. But such change in short time—different. Very worrying.”

“Hmm.”

Professor Shagas nodded a couple of times as if she had a point.

“It seems Yuran is concerned about you. In truth, there’s no need for such worry… but as a follower of the Holy Sun Church, sensing the aura of a shaman can be a troublesome matter. And as she said, for such a large change to happen in such a short period is not normal. That’s probably why she wants to help you.”

Saying this, he gave an awkward smile.

“I think Yuran would like to borrow some of your time next. Is that all right?”

“Yes, of course.”

“When is good? This—simple explanation and resolution difficult. Need time.”

Yuran looked straight at me as she spoke.

“The sooner the better. But preparation needed.”

I met her gaze and nodded.

“You said you need preparation, right?”

“Mm. For Sky Guide, separate ritual needed. Ritual—not extremely, but a bit tricky.”

“Then how about we set a date once your preparations are done?”

“Mm!”

Yuran snorted in satisfaction and nodded.

I casually spoke to her then.

“By the way, Yuran, have you been well?”

At my question, she blinked a couple of times.

As if she hadn’t expected me to say that.

“Yes. And benefactor, have you been well?”

“I’ve been doing well. It’s good to see you looking healthy—that’s the most important thing. Honestly, you’ve seemed so busy that I hesitated a few times about whether to approach you.”

“Yes. Indeed, very busy. Wasn’t even this way back home.”

Yuran nodded vigorously.

Professor Shagas watched us like a grandfather looking at his granddaughter and her friend.

While Yuran and I caught up for a while—

Daaang!

The bell marking the hour rang out.

At that, Professor Shagas smiled faintly, almost sheepishly.

“This old man has held up young people far too long. My apologies.”

“Not at all, Professor. I had a great time. If anything, I feel bad that the conversation was mostly just between the two of us.”

“Haha, not at all.”

Without assistance, Professor Shagas rose from his seat, straightening his back before speaking to me.

“Truth be told, just watching from the side was quite enjoyable. I really must be getting old.”

“Haha…”

“And when I said I wished to repay your kindness, it wasn’t just politeness. If you ever have a request, don’t hesitate to come to me.”

He smiled silently, but his voice was as serious as ever.

“As long as it’s nothing against justice, duty, or the law, I’ll help you with anything. Not that I think you’d ever make such a request in the first place.”

“Thank you for thinking well of me, Professor.”

“No, no. I’m the one who’s grateful that you spend time with an old man like me. Yuran, see him out.”

“Oh, that’s all right.”

I stopped Yuran as she was about to stand.

“I was planning to go train right away anyway. The training hall is right next door, so it’s fine.”

“Training, hm? Very diligent.”

Shagas nodded approvingly and asked,

“Let’s see… you said you were from Crooks, correct? Then I suppose you must be honing your inner strength diligently these days.”

Smiling at his approving words, I nodded.

“Yes, something like that.”

“Ugh…!”

With a cry of pain, I collapsed to the floor.

The tip of Sister Roberta’s wooden sword had struck dead center in my abdomen.

If there was any improvement, it was that I hadn’t let go of the wooden sword I was holding.

“Sometimes people say that a strong will can control and even surpass the body. The so-called ‘power of spirit.’”

Unlike me, gasping for breath, Sister Roberta looked perfectly composed as she spoke.

“In fact, I’m not particularly opposed to such ideas.”

She shrugged her shoulders and looked down at me intently.

She told me that while I lacked in fundamentals, my quick thinking, sharp perception, and grasp of miscellaneous skills were enough to compensate for those shortcomings.

It took me a beat longer to realize that what she’d given me wasn’t praise or an objective assessment, but a death sentence.

“But that’s something that only works when you have at least a basic foundation to begin with. The body must be able to respond to that level of will and strength. No matter how noble the spirit that resides within, an untrained body can’t be the least bit threatening.”

In short, she was saying that more than anything else, building my fundamentals came first.

I had no complaint about her teaching style, since I agreed with her more than anyone else.

And it wasn’t as if she neglected other areas in the name of building fundamentals.

“Oh my… Did I use too much force?”

Seeing me struggle to get up, Sister Roberta muttered with a hint of awkwardness.

As if to push past her own embarrassment, she immediately began healing my injury.

Perhaps it was just my imagination, but the light from her hands felt far stronger than usual.

“Listen while lying down, Lian.”

She began with a musing ‘Now, where was I…’ before continuing her explanation.

“You remember what I mentioned before, right? Holy power, as I said earlier, is similar to mana but also fundamentally different in nature. This is… well, since you’ll be learning about it in greater detail and more professionally in a few days, let’s just skip it for now. Honestly, there are piles of papers written on the subject, so if you’re curious, it’ll be faster and more accurate to just visit the library.”

Nodding to herself as if it wasn’t an essential point, she continued.

“What I want to talk about today is the way to grow mana and holy power, and the differences between the two.”

Mage and priest.

Mana and holy power.

Similar yet opposite.

She spoke quietly, almost like a whisper.

“First of all, mana can be seen as a force widely spread throughout nature. External mana, spread throughout nature. And internal mana, stored within the body. Broadly speaking, it’s those two types. The simplest and surest way to grow mana is to absorb external mana and convert it into internal mana.”

Listening to her explanation, I muttered in a half-breathless voice,

“You seem to know quite a bit about magic as well.”

“Oh, Lian. I may not look it now, but in my younger days I made quite a name for myself as a traveler.”

Sister Roberta grinned, as if matching my tone.

“I traveled across the continent for many years, building all sorts of connections. Among them were many close mage friends, so I often heard their stories for fun. They made for excellent lullabies.”

At some point, the healing was done, and she pulled her hands back.

“In any case, there are countless ways to grow mana. Encountering a massive concentration of mana, consuming elixirs, receiving refined mana from someone else, training in a place rich in mana… There are many methods, but the basic principle of ‘taking external power into yourself and making it your own’ never changes. Of course, there are other methods, but this is the standard and most common.”

But holy power is different.

After a brief pause, she spoke again.

“The most standard method is prayer.”

“Prayer.”

“Yes, prayer.”

She clasped her hands, speaking in a reverent tone.

“Holy power is faith and trust itself—reflecting a fragment of the merciful Ilionel’s authority. That’s why it must be directed toward Ilionel, not toward myself, in order to become true power.”

I gave a small nod and asked,

“What other methods are there?”

“There are various methods. Different from how you build mana, though.”

She began listing them—some I knew, others I’d never heard before.

“Through resonance caused by chanting, it can be temporarily amplified. Sometimes, encountering a holy relic or the remains of a saint can cause one’s holy power to grow. In the past, there are recorded cases where offering tribute would increase holy power. And though extremely rare, there’s also the method of witnessing a great miracle.”

“A miracle, you say?”

“Yes.”

Sister Roberta took a quiet breath before continuing.

“You’ve heard the story of Saint Anastasia Mayblin, who was once a member of the knight order, performing the miracle of parting the sea, haven’t you?”

“Yes, of course. It’s impossible not to know.”

“Back then, among those who witnessed the saint performing her miracle up close, there were a rare few whose holy power grew beyond anything they’d ever had before.”

Here, she let out a soft laugh.

“Honestly, it’s a story we can’t verify the truth of. Unfortunately, there’s no one in the current age capable of such miracles. Parting the sea, turning back time… or—”

Bringing the dead back to life.

Her words made me suck in a small breath.

“Literally those kinds of miracles.”

But such miracles are hardly common.

After finishing her words, she kept laughing to herself as if the thought was absurd.

I couldn’t bring myself to laugh along with her.