Episode 21. Divine Power Training (1)
The magic lessons, which I anticipated to be difficult, ended up proceeding steadily and effectively.
Thanks to my past life knowledge, learning magic was not overly challenging. Every day, my teacher, amazed by my skills, kept showing me new and tougher spells, so my progress was swift.
“Has he already learned this?! This, this time, try this!”
“This phenomenon approached like this… Ingenious!”
“I wouldn’t know about this kind of magic… What? How did you do that?!”
Although Teacher tends to make a fuss and talks highly of themselves, they were indeed passionate about teaching me. Given how they purely enjoy teaching without jealousy or selfishness, they might even have a calling for teaching at the Academy.
I should casually ask them sometime when we get to the Academy if they’re interested in teaching there.
“Stop calling me ‘Teacher’ and just call me Rahel. And you can call me Rab casually if you like.”
So now, Rahel, not Teacher, became my instructor, and the formalities between us loosened.
Teacher found it awkward to be called that way, but as it didn’t harm me in any way, I decided to follow her casual approach.
I prefer less rigid and more comfortable relationships, as they feel stable and suit me better.
“young Master, please call me by my name—Ria instead of Cecilia.”
While Rahel and I had relaxed our relationship, Cecilia approached with a request to be called by a more endearing nickname.
It seems the relaxed way Rahel and I spoke to each other stimulated something in her, though she never had many friends before.
At first, I hesitated, but eventually agreed to call her Ria.
It’s definitely not because her gaze towards me was scary—no, that’s irrelevant.
“Rab… Can you make your fiancée stop coming? Her gaze makes me tremble…”
It seems Rahel was especially afraid of Cecilia.
Was it a clash in their chemistry?
It’s strange that someone as kind and gentle as Cecilia intimidates her—she might just be weak from adapting to a new environment. I should bring her some medicinal soup later.
Though it’s not that I’m worried about Ria’s dimmed eyes or anything. Nah, it’s not that.
*
Today, it’s time for training.
However, it’s not my magic training this time.
It’s the previously agreed-upon divine power enhancement training for Ria.
But there’s one problem:
“There are no injured people available for healing.”
“…I’m sorry.”
“Why are you apologizing, Ria? It’s better that there are no injured people around.”
Although I don’t know much about enhancing divine power, it probably follows a similar logic to magic.
A clear understanding of one’s power and reinforcing it through multiple uses seem fundamental to enhancing divine power.
For the former, studying medicine-related books can help, but the latter is a problem because there are no injured people around, leaving no opportunities to use her divine power.
“If there’s no other way, I’ll try making some cuts on my body—”
“I’ll be angry.”
“Understood.”
I half-joked, but seeing Cecilia’s expression, I immediately retracted my proposal.
I’ve never seen Ria so seriously addressing me before. I guess such jokes are off-limits now.
“Then how about I introduce you to a place I know?”
“Yikes!”
“Gee!”
At that moment, a familiar voice called out from behind us.
Startled, Ria and I quickly turned around and saw Bell, Ria’s personal maid, beaming at us from behind.
“So… Bell, was it?”
“Yes, Young Master. I am Bell, assigned to Miss Ria by your orders.”
“…How much do you know?”
“I know that Miss Ria has awakened her divine healing power and is struggling to find a place to practice it.”
“You know everything, then?”
Ria’s awakening as the Saint was supposed to be a secret between the two of us, but how did Bell find out?
And her sudden appearance without warning was already suspicious.
“I deeply regret that I came to know about your situation which was supposed to be kept secret. It was purely by accident while cleaning her room one day—I dozed off in an unused room and happened to overhear your conversation. Please don’t worry! I genuinely want to be of help to both of you!”
“Isn’t it strange that someone casually admits to having slacked off and napped during work hours—especially in front of their employer?”
Bell is Ria’s deeply trusted maid.
I only assigned Bell to her without much thought, as Bell was the first to bond with Ria, but unexpectedly she turned out to be diligent and well-liked by everyone in the mansion.
Even after becoming a personal maid, she hasn’t grown arrogant or lazy. Instead, she remains humble towards the other maids, and that wins her respect.
Moreover, Ria, who had no close friends in the mansion, trusts Bell like an older sister. It feels awkward to punish her for accidentally overhearing our conversation.
Even though Bell claims she just happened to overhear during a nap, it’s likely she has some other way of gathering information, which we don’t know about.
If I punish her and she loses her position as personal maid, Ria might become anxious.
“So… since it was an accident, there’s nothing much to be done about it. The fault partially lies with us for not concealing it well enough.”
“Thank you.”
When I decided to be lenient with Bell, Ria’s worried face immediately brightened up.
Despite my unease, Bell’s loyalty to Ria, as far as I’ve observed, seems real.
Even if she may have ulterior motives, she clearly values and cares for Ria like a younger sibling.
Alright… looking at Ria’s happy expression, I guess it will work out.
“Alright, Bell. So, what did you mean by introducing us to a place you know?”
“Yes, I personally know a mercenary group.”
“A mercenary group?”
Indeed, mercenaries regularly engage in battles, so it’d be a suitable place to use power. Every day, they likely have many injured individuals.
However, this would mean Ria stepping into a den of rough and violent mercenaries… hmm.
“No, wait. How do you even know about mercenaries? Our family doesn’t often scrutinize the candidates’ pasts, but still…”
“I’ve never been part of a mercenary group, sir. My half-brother is the leader of this particular group.”
“Half-brother?”
She seems to have a rather complicated family background. It would be rude to pry any further.
“‘Red Scorpion’ Mercenary Group. Though it’s officially a mercenary group, my brother places great emphasis on ethics and chivalry, so it might resemble a private knights’ order. Of course, we’ll tell the members that it involves some specialized medical skills.”
“Still, I’m concerned…”
“Red Scorpion”, huh?
Though not entirely free of stereotypical toughness in its name, creating such a dramatic name is not uncommon among mercenary groups.
Since this specific mercenary group hasn’t been mentioned in the original story, it’s probably a minor faction and won’t entangle us with any major antagonists or secondary characters.
“How does Ria feel about it?”
“Me?!”
“Yes. All of this is for Ria’s divine power training after all. Ria’s opinion is most important here. If you’re against it, I’ll reject the offer.”
“…”
Hearing me out, Ria seemed deep in serious thought.
Though she’s become slightly more stable mentally since living here, she is still a child. It’s natural to be worried about sending her into a place full of strangers and rough-looking mercenaries.
“…I’ll do it.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I’m not entirely sure, but my power is certainly needed, isn’t it? You’re also studying magic these days because you’ll need it eventually, right?”
Did she notice…?
I’m not great at hiding my emotions, and it seems my expressions gave away what I was thinking.
Even if she doesn’t fully understand the specifics about the Evil God or their followers, she’s likely realized that I’m preparing for some sort of fight.
“To be honest, I’m afraid… I’m very anxious. Even meeting my father terrifies me, so how could meeting mercenaries be easy?”
“Ria…”
“But still… for the one who took me away from there, and for you, Young Master, who has always protected me… I want to try and be brave!”
Decidedly, with an unwavering expression, Ria’s words shone brighter than ever.
Though she might not fully realize it, this is the moment she chose her own future.
The small, fearful Ria, trapped in the past, taking this step to fight alongside me marks a significant, albeit small, leap forward.
“Yes. If that’s what Ria wishes.”
With her showing such determination, I too must resolve myself as well.
“Bell. Reach out to your brother. Let him know we want to meet in secrecy. Oh, and make sure there’s plenty of injured people available—tell the members to keep things busy before we arrive.”
“Yes, understood!”
