Chapter 102
Opened is Opened?
When Eivass met Bishop Mathers again, he couldn’t help but be taken aback by his youthful appearance.
Today, Bishop Mathers was not wearing his red bishop’s robes, but a cream-colored thick woolen shirt with elbow pads.
His dark curly hair, amber eyes, and vibrant, confident gaze and smile made him look like a successful young man in his early thirties, no matter how you looked at him.
Eivass paused for a moment before remembering that this was Bishop Mathers’ true appearance, revealed to him after he taught Eivass Fire Worship Magic.
However, the “old bishop” who looked extremely decrepit when they first met had left too deep an impression on Eivass. He had even forgotten that the decrepit appearance was deliberately created by Bishop Mathers to demonstrate Fire Worship Magic to Eivass. Whenever he thought of Mathers, he would unconsciously associate him with “that old bishop.”
Recalling Madam Maya’s appearance, Eivass realized that Bishop Mathers and Madam Maya were indeed siblings. Their features were quite similar.
Bishop Mathers was already forty-six years old this year, so Madam Maya couldn’t be very young either.
The moment he opened the door and saw Eivass, Bishop Mathers was visibly stunned. He had clearly sensed the depth of Eivass’s Path.
“…It’s really Second Tier.”
Bishop Mathers’ eyes widened, and after a long, hesitant appraisal, he finally sighed in a low voice.
He had taught Eivass four Sacred Skills last week and personally witnessed him step onto the Path of Devotion.
While advancing to Second Tier in a week was terrifying, the efficiency was still understandable.
After all, Eivass’s talent was exceptional, and he mastered the art of “Fire Worship” instantly. All he needed was a little practice and a clear understanding of “Blessing” to advance to Second Tier.
However, the previous Ascension Ritual had taken place only the day after Bishop Mathers taught him the Sacred Skills.
This meant Eivass had completed the Advancement in just one day.
Considering the materials and procedures for the Advancement Ritual, which required prior preparation, Eivass had likely spent even less time.
“Unbelievable, truly unbelievable…”
“I can only say I have extraordinary talent.”
Eivass said with a smile.
Mathers shook his head repeatedly, unable to speak.
When he saw the newspaper article earlier, Mathers immediately recognized the “Red-Hilted Sword.” His first thought was to suspect whether Eivass had already embarked on the Path of the Extraordinary and acquired a sufficient fire-attribute Mana Pool through other professions. This would have given him the Mana to wield that key and use the “Sacred Sword Technique” sealed within.
Bishop Mathers had lent Eivass the chapel key simply to provide him with a means of self-defense through its “Flame Infusion” effect – a flaming blade could be ignited with minimal Mana and looked quite intimidating. He hadn’t even explained the Sacred Sword Technique, which could only be used once a month, to Eivass.
Because a First Tier priest would never be able to use the Sacred Sword Technique.
So, after reading the news, Mathers’ first reaction was to suspect he had been deceived… and he was even a little angry. He had intended to ask Eivass for an explanation today.
But upon seeing Eivass in person, he realized he had misunderstood him.
… Fortunately, he hadn’t yet explained his anger to Sherlock or Mina. He had planned to question Eivass in front of them once he arrived… Thankfully, he had acted with enough composure to avoid making a fool of himself.
Otherwise, if this got back to his family, his father, mother, and Maya would all laugh at him.
But Mathers still found it somewhat incomprehensible.
—How could anyone in this world advance in just one day?
“…You kid.”
With a complex swirl of emotions caught in his throat, which he couldn’t express or swallow, Mathers could only sigh helplessly: “You were actually pretending not to have learned Blessing, weren’t you?”
“Yes, Bishop Mathers.”
Eivass knew what Mathers was thinking.
He didn’t expose it, but merely smiled and said softly, “The first time I came into contact with Extraordinary Power, I immediately learned the church’s four Sacred Skills – that would be too astonishing if it got out, and it might attract unnecessary trouble.
“You taught me the Sacred Skills in advance because trouble was already coming my way. Since that was the goal, I wanted to minimize other troubles… When I first learned ‘Fire Worship,’ your reaction made me realize I was abnormal – so I deliberately hid my Blessing. But in fact, I had already learned it then.”
Yes, I opened it – referring to the cheat. His talent was strong, but it didn’t reach the level of learning Fire Worship instantly. It was a miracle achieved by the power of “experience.”
But opened is opened?
Wasn’t the experience earned by myself?!
Oh, I stole the kill. Nothing to see here then.
“…You were correct, Eivass.”
Mathers sighed and led Lily and Eivass towards the living room. “If someone had told me before that someone could learn Blessing in a day, I would have thought he was sleepwalking.
“Did you know that your speed in mastering Blessing is even faster than the Eternal Pope’s? If you had shown such talent that day, I might have sent you directly to the Church… because your whereabouts would have been beyond my authority to decide. The Pope might have personally written to Her Majesty to request you.”
Fire Worship was one thing, but Blessing was the most difficult of the Sacred Skills. Many apprentice priests got stuck at this stage. They might not even master it in four years of university, failing to advance to Second Tier and thus unable to join the church and receive the Episcopal Crown.
Mathers himself had taken a week to master Blessing, which was the fastest among the priests he knew.
It was laughable. He had once thought himself a genius, but now he realized he had been ignorant of the wider world.
“No wonder those Demon Scholars came to capture you.”
Mathers couldn’t help but sigh. “Your talent has reached this level, it’s abnormal. I suspect you might have been blessed by one of the Candlemaster’s Apostles… The commotion of that ritual was huge, as if a higher-level Demon was summoned, and the Inspection Bureau couldn’t find that Demon in the end – looking back now, it must have been that Deformed Demon who attacked you.
“I was puzzled at the time… you weren’t a voluntary sacrifice. Why could such a powerful Demon be summoned if you were forcibly taken to be sacrificed? But now, it all makes perfect sense.”
Mathers could only earnestly warn, “Be careful, Eivass. Advancing too quickly isn’t always a good thing.
“The higher the Energy Level, the stronger the call from the Path, and the more obsessive a person becomes.
“We must indeed walk the Path of Devotion, but I actually feel… we still need to maintain our original intentions. We should always leave some leeway and not push ourselves to the limit for Ascension – that way, we might have enough energy to resist the influence of the Path itself.”
This young priest with dark curly hair said somewhat helplessly, “This was originally something I intended to tell you when you reached Third Tier, and have you postpone your advancement to Fourth Tier. Consolidate your realm a bit more and make more preparations.
“Partly because the difficulty of the third Ascension Ritual begins to increase, and partly because you need to prepare for an Advancement Profession from Fourth Tier onwards. Moreover, from Fourth Tier onwards, the Nine Great Paths begin to exert a noticeable influence on one’s mind.”
“Bishop Mathers,” Eivass asked curiously, “are you a Fifth Tier Extraordinary?”
“I am currently only a Fourth Tier ‘Sacred Tomb Guardian’, but I reached the limit of Fourth Tier before I was thirty. That’s why the Church entrusted the Great Cathedral of the Candle Holder to me… At that time, your biological father was one of my students.”
Mathers paused slightly at this point before continuing.
“I actually have a viewpoint. Of course, you don’t have to listen,” Mathers said softly. “As is well known, if your will to practice your Path is not pure enough, you cannot advance to Fifth Tier. But I think… if your will becomes too pure, are you still the original you?
“In the beginning, when we first embarked on the Path of the Extraordinary, we were just passionate young people, weren’t we? Could we have ever imagined that we would become like this in the future? Since no matter how far we go on the Path of Devotion, we can help others… what significance is there in going too far?
“I was called a genius back then. I also thought I was truly that powerful, that capable.
“I even fell out with my parents because I thought I was right – I had completed in a shorter time, even without much effort, a path that they couldn’t complete in a lifetime. And they said my understanding of the Path of Devotion was flawed, that I had strayed onto the Path of Love. Why would I believe them?
Mathers sighed slowly. “But even that outstanding me couldn’t save your parents.”
Upon hearing this, Eivass’s spirit perked up.
Although he had witnessed another version of events in the Ascension Ritual, the “alternative possibility of history” in the Dream Realm ritual was ultimately not the true past, but merely a stage play written by the Nine Pillar Gods based on historical references.
—But Mathers was a true participant.
