I Was Mistaken for a Saint in a Dark Fantasy

A few hours later.

We were able to go up with the Head Butler, who had come down after being contacted.

"Head Butler. Could we stop by the Cathedral before we go?"

"Of course, Young Master. I will explain everything to the Master and Madam, so please take your time."

As expected of the Head Butler.

I wish I had such an excellent secretary.

On a whim, I glanced over at Erika.

Snore- phew.

She was even using my thigh as a footrest, sleeping without a care.

In what universe does she look like an assistant?

'Expecting Erika to become like the Head Butler... is probably too much to ask.'

The words Erika and finesse didn't seem like they could coexist.

I shook my head, brushing off the idle thoughts.

Before long, the car arrived in front of the Cathedral.

As soon as the black Limousine stopped in front of the Cathedral, a Holy Knight guarding the entrance asked politely.

"What brings you here, Brother?"

"My colleague is in a bad state because of a curse. Would it be possible to get him treated?"

"Understood. Please lay the patient here."

Apprentice Priests immediately placed Otto on a stretcher.

And we were guided to a High-ranking Priest's consultation room.

The guidance was premised on the assumption that I was a noble since I had arrived by car.

'Normally, seeing a High-ranking Priest should be by reservation only.'

But we were able to sit in the High-ranking Priest's consultation room right away, without any line or reservation.

It was a sad state of affairs, but even a religion that preached equality and love could not remain entirely aloof in the face of capital and power.

After laying the collapsed Otto on a bed,

I sat facing the High-ranking Healing Priest with a desk between us.

A dignified woman's voice came from behind a veil.

"Greetings, Young Master. What kind of curse has the patient been exposed to?"

"A Curse of Pus grazed him slightly."

To be precise, it was a breakthrough infection, but I fudged the details because explaining it would require explaining the concept of a vaccine first.

If I started by explaining vaccines, I might just get myself executed by burning.

"Fortunately, the patient's own resistance was high, so he avoided a direct hit. It ended with severe cold-like symptoms, muscle pain, and a high fever."

"Has any pus formed?"

"It hasn't been many hours since he was afflicted, so I believe not yet."

"I see."

After that, the priest continued with the patient interview.

"Did you check his urine?"

"His urine color was fine."

"And his breath sounds?"

"I didn't hear any wheezing or wet sounds."

"You've summarized the symptoms very well. Are you perhaps aspiring to be a healing priest?"

"Yes."

A doctor, to be precise.

"I understand. Based on what you've told me, Young Master, it seems no special exorcism magic will be necessary. Basic Healing Magic should be enough for a swift recovery."

"Thank you, Priest."

"Then let us move to the treatment room."

The High-ranking Priest, Otto on his stretcher, and I headed to the treatment room.

Creeak.

As the heavy door opened, a space so white it was blinding greeted us.

From the walls and ceiling to the marble tiles adorning the floor,

the room was decorated in perfect, immaculate white, without a single speck of dust or a tiny stain.

The faint scent of a nerve-calming oil tickled my nose.

"Please lay the patient here."

Beyond the altar the High-ranking Priest pointed to stood a towering, Y-shaped cross.

And a statue of a woman draped in thin cloth was suspended from the cross with her arms outstretched.

Clear water was flowing from the feet of the woman's statue.

A thin stream of water, starting from where the nails were driven, flowed over the instep, followed a groove, and gathered in the center of the magic circle on the floor.

'Mercy, sacrifice, purity, purification... and harmony.'

Every object and arrangement filling this room was tuned for the single, blind miracle of 'healing'.

'Indeed, Divine Magic is also a form of magic.'

Feng Shui is surprisingly important.

Especially in a world where you can't even see the sun.

With practiced movements, the High-ranking Priest laid Otto beneath the Y-shaped statue, then slowly clasped her hands and began to pray.

I took a step back so as not to interfere with the treatment.

"O, you who bore the fruit of suffering on the branch of mercy..."

As the divine power flowing from the priest's fingertips seeped into Otto's body, his ragged breathing began to noticeably subside.

Scratch, scratch.

I took out a notebook and pen from my coat and took notes on the priest's chants.

'Could I get some sort of inspiration from this?'

In the end, Divine Magic is also an extension of magic.

The only difference is that its resource is divine power; the fact that symbols and chants are important remains unchanged.

But strangely, magic that heals people doesn't exist in this world.

The miracles of healing people were instead concentrated in Divine Magic.

That's why I was studying the symbols of Divine Magic whenever I had a chance.

On the off chance that I could reproduce that miracle not with Divine Magic, but with pure magic.

Of course, there had been no progress for several years.

Scratch, scratch.

Just as the sound of a pen scratching on a notebook and the High-ranking Priest's prayers were filling the quiet treatment room,

"To try and confine a miracle within the frame of reason. What an audacious idea."

At the unfamiliar voice that suddenly came from behind me, I flinched my shoulders without realizing it.

'Fuck, that startled me.'

Fortunately, thanks to the acting I'd practiced since I was four, a curse didn't slip out reflexively.

I looked back.

An old man with a coat draped over his shoulders like a cape was looking down at me.

He was a dandy-looking old man with a large scar visible beyond the eyepatch covering his right eye.

His remaining left eye was fixed on my notebook.

I closed the notebook I was writing in and opened my mouth.

"Excuse me..."

"Shhh."

The old mage brought his index finger to my lips.

He gestured with his chin toward the space beneath the Y-shaped statue.

"The priest is in the middle of performing a miracle, is she not? Let us lower our voices so as not to disturb her."

I nodded.

And lowering my voice as much as possible, I whispered in a voice as small as a mosquito's.

"Are you perhaps here to see the priest?"

"Ah. I just stopped by to pick up some Holy Water. It's rare for a High-ranking Priest to be working at this hour. I didn't expect to find an earlier guest."

The old mage replied, also whispering in a hushed voice.

"Holy Water?"

"Yes. Like you, I have a great interest in Divine Magic. I have some use for it in my research."

I looked the old mage up and down.

For someone who came to buy Holy Water, his attire and aura seemed far removed from faith.

From his words 'like you', I could infer...

"Are you a Mage?"

"Hm? Don't people usually ask if one is a wizard first, not a mage?"

"There's a bloodstain on your sleeve. I thought you were someone who preferred the field over a laboratory, am I wrong?"

"Hoho. Not only audacious but a bright little wizard, I see."

The old mage's gaze fell on the notebook in my hand.

"In that case, I must apologize. Unaware you were a wizard, I committed the discourtesy of looking at your grimoire."

To a wizard, a grimoire is no different from their life.

Peeking into such a grimoire without permission was a rudeness that could easily lead to a life-and-death duel between wizards.

"As one who walks the same Path of Magic, I shall apologize."

"It's alright. It's not quite a grimoire."

I shook my head and opened the notebook again.

"If you wish to see it, you are more than welcome. It's nothing more than a memo for now."

"Hmm..."

The old mage rubbed the stubble on his chin.

After humming thoughtfully for a moment, he spoke again.

"Even if it's a draft, a grimoire is a grimoire. An idea itself is as precious as a discovery."

"Thank you for saying so."

"Allow me to apologize. As it happens, I am conducting research similar to yours. Would showing you my grimoire be a sufficient apology?"

Oh.

Such unexpected luck.

Faced with this sudden fortuitous encounter, I accepted without hesitation.

"Would you permit this foolish young wizard to have a brief glimpse of your wisdom, Elder?"

"Hoho. A wizard friend who is quite mature for his age. Very well. I will give you my grimoire."

He took a notebook from his pocket and handed it to me.

"This is..."

"Take it. It's a copy of my grimoire. It will disappear in a week, so be sure to copy it somewhere beforehand."

I rubbed the notebook the old mage had given me.

Only then did I feel a very faint magical power from my fingertips.

It meant the notebook was replicated with magic.

'Good heavens...'

I looked up at the old man with wide, astonished eyes.

Unless he was a peculiar person, it's unlikely he'd carry a copy of his grimoire around in advance, so I had to assume he had just replicated it.

The problem was that I hadn't noticed any chant or runic formula just now.

'Then...'

Goosebumps rose all over my body.

The old mage's Rank that I could sense now was Rank 1.

I had of course considered the possibility that his rank was higher than that, but it occurred to me that he might be vastly higher.

I couldn't hide my shock and froze on the spot.

At that, the old man gave a gentle smile and lightly stroked my hair.

"Don't be so surprised, Junior. It's just a little trick that comes with age."

"I'm learning a great deal, Elder."

"Good."

The old man, still stroking my hair, murmured.

"...You have good eyes. Befitting your name, they are as clear and deep as the night sky."

What?

I almost asked back without thinking.

The night sky?

In a world where you can't even see the sun, can the night sky be clear?

That metaphor seems a bit off.

Before that, I never told him my name?

Whether he knew what I was thinking or not,

the old man just wore a meaningful smile.

Our subtle tension ended along with the High-ranking Priest's prayer.

"...As the tears of the branch reach the root, so shall a new leaf sprout from the root."

The High-ranking Priest finished her final prayer and lowered her hands.

The faint white light that had filled the treatment room also faded.

I immediately checked Otto's condition.

His ragged breathing had become as even as a baby's.

"Huu..."

The High-ranking Priest, who had been praying beneath the statue, also let out a long breath.

She stood up from her spot and turned towards us.

She spotted the one-eyed old man standing behind me, flinched in surprise, and immediately bowed.

"Oh, Elder. It was your day to visit. Please wait just a moment."

Without a hint of displeasure, the High-ranking Priest welcomed the uninvited old man.

"I think I just need to pick up three vials of Holy Water today."

"Yes, I'll prepare them for you right away."

The High-ranking Priest began to collect Holy Water from the foot of the Y-shaped statue.

In the meantime, the old man took a few silver coins from his coat and placed them on the altar.

"A donation."

"Thank you as always, Elder. Ah, before that, let me just check on the patient and I'll be right with you."

"My apologies, I've interrupted."

Afterward, the High-ranking Priest informed me of the precautions for Otto.

To summarize, they were as follows.

— Roughly, if he starts to cough again at home, come back to the Cathedral immediately.

— For a few days, his magic won't work well because of the divine power remaining in his body, but don't worry, it will all evaporate in two days.

— On the way home, don't pick up and eat strange things, and don't pick up strange things like dolls either.

I took note of the priest's instructions and took Otto to the car.

Before leaving the treatment room, I met the old mage's eyes.

Wink.

The old man winked his left eye.

"Farewell. My name is written in the notebook. Let's hope for another connection in the future."

"Thank you, Elder."

I bowed my head to the old man and left the treatment room.

And just before getting back into the car, a certain fact suddenly came to mind.

'Huh? Come to think of it...'

During our conversation just now...

I couldn't remember seeing that mage open his mouth.

***

"Elder. What on earth were you discussing so cheerfully with that young master?"

"Hoho. That's a secret."

After Yulian left,

the two elders spoke, sitting opposite each other in the High-ranking Priest's consultation room.

The old mage, called Elder, crossed his legs and spoke.

"Head Priest—"

"I'm not the Head Priest anymore. It's been five years since I passed the position to my junior, how can you still call me that?"

"Hm? My apologies. When you get old, five years ago and yesterday feel pretty much the same."

Hoho.

The old mage let out a hearty laugh and continued.

"Anyway, Head Priest. How are the black magicians these days?"

"Their methods have changed. Instead of proselytizing like they used to, they're scattering their grimoires everywhere to make entering black magic easier."

"Are they hard to catch?"

"Even the order can't stop self-study."

"Hmm..."

"But because it's self-study, the quality is dropping compared to when it was an apprenticeship system."

"But the quantity is not something we can ignore. I ask you this. Please retrieve the black magicians' grimoires as much as you can."

"Understood, Elder."

The High-ranking Priest bowed her head deeply.

Then, a thought occurred to the old mage, and he added.

"Ah, and just in case, don't retrieve the grimoire of that child who just left."

"What? You mean the one you gave him, Elder?"

"Not that one. I mean the grimoire of that black magician you just said you needed to retrieve. My junior has one from a fellow that reeks of the smell of blood in his coat."

"...What?!"

The High-ranking Priest's eyes widened like saucers.

"Th-Then we must have the knights confiscate it immediately...! No, Elder, why did you let him go even though you knew? And to even give him your own Path of Magic on top of that!"

The old man burst into hearty laughter at the horrified High-ranking Priest.

"There's something I need to check. Trust me and leave him be for now."

"Elder..."

"This is my request. Don't worry. If it looks like the child is going astray, I'll stop him immediately."

The old mage turned his head and looked out the consultation room window.

Far in the distance,

a black Limousine could be seen heading up to Sanctum Hill.

"Youth is a fine thing. Watching those novel ideas is one of the joys of my remaining life, is it not?"

*

Meanwhile, at the same time. Inside the Limousine heading back to the mansion.

Yulian carefully opened the first page of the copied notebook given to him by the old mage, relying on the flickering light from the rattling car window.

'The name... Fitz? That's an unusual name.'

Yulian committed the name written in the notebook to memory.

'I doubt this is his real name, but oh well.'

According to the genre tropes, it didn't seem like this connection would be the end of it.

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