Saint Marigold

15.

Heal exists.

Until now, none of the sublime Clerics, Bishops, or Archbishops I’ve met could even mimic anything close to White magic, but from this moment on, Heal exists.

Lancel hastily tried to recall what White magic was like.

Without complicating things, the classification of White magic was broadly threefold.

First, there was the most basic Recovery magic, Heal. I’ve already confirmed this with my own eyes, so pass.

Second was the ‘Blessing series,’ which increased the target’s stats.

“Hec, hec, how long do I have to do this?”

“Keep running.”

“Ughhh!”

On one side, he had Hesti running in circles around the mansion’s garden, and on the other, he had Marigold offering prayers.

“May Hesti’s stamina improve… May Hesti’s stamina improve…”

Even Lancel thought it was a simple and ignorant experiment, but what could he do?

Hesti, dressed in sportswear, was almost exhausted after passing 20 laps around the garden.

“Hechec, hehiiic!”

She looked like she would collapse at any moment.

“Huh?”

A change appeared on Hesti’s face. Her trembling legs regained strength. Her swaying posture straightened. She began to run energetically around the garden once more.

It was different from a simple runner’s high. And for good reason.

“Effect?”

Lancel witnessed glittering lights following Hesti, who was running again after recovering her stamina.

‘It’s a Blessing!’

He turned his eyes to Marigold, who was sitting next to him. She was still clasping her hands together, muttering the prayer Lancel had requested.

“I pray that Hesti becomes stronger… I pray that Hesti runs 100 laps… I pray that Hesti bakes honey bread today… Hesti…”

It was questionable whether it could even be called a prayer, but the effect was certain. Hesti, who had used up all her stamina at 20 laps, quickly reached 40 laps.

“Young Master, a god has descended upon me! I’m shining right now!”

“What’s amazing is that you’re actually shining.”

Hesti, running with glittering lights, eventually collapsed after completing 80 laps. She received a three-day vacation starting the next day.

There was also ‘Enhancement magic’ in magic, so it was a bit less distinctive, but it did have its own unique points.

‘It’s the effect, after all.’

Recalling the light flowing from Hesti’s body, Lancel thought that the holy-looking effect was probably the characteristic of White magic. In the end, everything boils down to looking good, doesn’t it?

Next.

The third was the ‘Attack series’ within White magic.

Fzzzt!

“Ooh!”

“Something came out! Something flashed, Young Master!”

Baron Ibil Shen and Hesti held each other’s hands and exclaimed in admiration.

The light that appeared from Marigold’s palm instantly burned a leaf. He saw the ashes scattering into dust.

‘It would sting quite a bit if you got hit.’

The magic seemed terrible in terms of attack power alone. It could be blocked with just a quilted garment, resulting in a third-degree burn at best.

He remembered that it worked well against Undead, ghosts, and demons, but Marigold would not be dealing with such things, at least not in this playthrough.

In any case, what mattered was that it was also possible.

==========

—Marigold has begun her ‘initiation’ into White magic! Her skills are still terrible!

==========

Marigold finally mastered all three areas of White magic.

—Heal exists!

Yes. White magic exists.

Incredibly, it was possible.

Only Marigold, just one person in this world, could do it.

“What else shall we do, Saintess? Just tell me! I’ll do anything.”

Marigold was puffing out her cheeks like someone whose need for recognition had been satisfied by the repeated reactions.

Remembering Marigold, who had been facing a dead-end as a freeloader until recently, this was a remarkable development.

“If there’s anyone who’s sick, bring them all to me. I’ll heal them all! Just trust me from now on.”

Lancel stroked his chin as he watched Marigold confidently shouting around the mansion.

‘Marigold can use White magic, huh?’

Saintess Church branch number 200.

I’ll achieve it soon, won’t I?

.

.

.

“The Saintess Church’s approval will soon be revoked.”

Lancel couldn’t ignore what the man in the pure white hood was saying.

==========

—Encounter event occurred. The ‘Fourth Prince Cerild Olivia Phrygia’ has visited the Church of Marigold.

==========

“Because the Martyrdom Church is still more useful to the Empire.”

The lips visible beneath the hood curved into a subtle arc. The sickly Fourth Prince Cerild, Lancel met him at the Saintess Church.

16.

That day.

Lancel, attending Marigold’s dawn prayer for the first time, felt like he was about to be overwhelmed by shock.

“Were there this many people?”

“It’s increasing day by day. We need to expand the building as soon as possible. At this rate, I won’t even have a place to sit, you know?”

As Baron Ibil Shen said, there was no room to set foot. Hundreds of people were sitting and looking at the platform installed in the center.

Soon, Marigold appeared with her eyes covered.

“Today, I offer a prayer.”

Many people were quietly listening to the prayer that Marigold was muttering.

‘She’s become a local specialty of the Imperial Capital.’

In the dark space, Marigold, bathed in the light pouring from the ceiling, certainly looked pious. Even if he didn’t know much, it seemed that those who were crazy about religion would brave the dawn wind and rush over.

Looking at the believers gathered outside the building, eavesdropping on the sound, was a bit daunting. Marigold might be the most famous Cleric in this Imperial Capital right now.

“So, Lancel Dante. Evacuate Priestess Mary out of the Imperial Capital.”

And Lancel met the Fourth Prince there.

“If you revoke an already approved religious order, there will be a huge backlash. Wouldn’t the nobles who gather every day to see Priestess Mary stay still?”

“The Empire can do even more than that if the Imperial Family themselves deem it necessary.”

The Fourth Prince looked at Marigold, clasped his hands neatly, and continued to speak.

“The Martyrdom Church is a tool used to prevent this Empire from being divided into pieces. That’s the difference between it and other religious orders. But the Saintess Church is different. The owner here is Priestess Mary. Some may find that fact a little uncomfortable.”

Lancel felt how deeply the Fourth Prince was stabbing in his words.

“…I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You don’t need to understand everything.”

It was something that ordinary people wouldn’t even understand. The Empire being divided into pieces.

But Lancel knew what it meant.

He was someone who had devoted decades to unifying this Empire. Memories of a time when he thought that was his only mission.

“If we don’t rule over a religious order, there’s no need to leave it big. Just keep in mind that’s what the Imperial Palace thinks.”

Lancel was silent for a moment.

Only the voice of Marigold reciting the prayer echoed.

“If you need help, tell me. I will assist you.”

The Fourth Prince’s words seemed sincere. He was just a bit weak, but among the reckless Princes, he was one of the more normal ones.

Moreover, it seemed that it wasn’t just a day or two since he had come to the Saintess Church, as he wore a rosary with the Saintess’s image carved on his neck.

Lancel pondered.

‘I have to create 200 branches no matter what.’

He didn’t care about what would happen next. He would just run away and live in a moderately quiet place, and when the 10th year came, that would be it.

And judging by Marigold’s momentum, 200 branches was no longer a difficult task.

Wouldn’t it be enough to just speed things up a bit?

“I’ve heard you well. I’ll tell you then when I need help. Your Highness.”

“……”

At Lancel’s words, the Fourth Prince opened his mouth blankly for a moment.

“Since when did you notice… No, never mind.”

He shook his head with a surprised face.

“Please take good care of Priestess Mary.”

The Fourth Prince left with those words.

==========

—Fame Event: The 148th church has been established!

※Marigold’s Karma decreases by 1 point.

==========

On the day Marigold’s Karma was halved again, the streets of the Imperial Capital were bustling with a heated atmosphere.

Just one day remained until the final match of the long Imperial Knight Tournament.

The match was between Lancel Dante and the knight of the Martyrdom Church, known as ‘Black Armor.’

No one knew anything about his identity.

It was only known that he had appeared from the middle of the tournament and quickly made it to the finals.

[Final Match Odds: Lancel Dante 1.4x vs Black Armor 2.6x]

The heat of the Knight Tournament, which had been heating up the Imperial Capital’s Rodniss, was reaching its peak.

17.

“Mary.”

“Yes, Saint.”

Mary answered, stroking Lancel’s hair.

Every time her small hands combed through his hair, he felt a strangely languid sensation.

“After the tournament, shall we go on a trip somewhere? A bit far away. Like a vacation.”

“Y-Yes?”

For some reason, Mary’s body stiffened.

“I-Is that really okay?”

“……?”

Lancel looked at her with puzzled eyes, surprised by her unexpected reaction.

What on earth did she understand from just a story about going on a trip?

“W-Would someone like me be okay, Saint Lancel… you’re a noble.”

“……? What does being a noble have to do with it.”

“Haa, hoo, haa, hoooo!”

“What’s wrong?”

“Deep breaths, deep breaths…”

Her expression changed a dozen times in a short period, and then Marigold clasped the comb in her hand as if in prayer.

Marigold’s eyes were somehow welling up with tears.

“I-I like it too.”

She was clearly misunderstanding something, though he didn’t know what. But Lancel didn’t bother to correct her.

He didn’t think he had said anything that could be misunderstood in the first place. She looked happy, so he thought it was right to leave it as it was.

“But where are we going?”

“Well, I’d like to go somewhere near the sea. I’ve lived inland, so I haven’t had a chance to see seafood.”

“Seafood? Is that something you eat?”

“If you go around the archipelago…”

Lancel told Marigold about his wandering experiences until late in the evening.

She listened to his words one by one with a face full of elation.

“Mary. I’ll open your eyes.”

“……Yes?”

Only Marigold, tilting her head at Lancel’s casually thrown voice, was the last memory of that day.

==========

—Fame Event: The 150th church has been established!

※Marigold’s Karma decreases by 1 point.

==========

Only 50 Karma points left.

Lancel was planning to see the end of it in this final match. He didn’t care what the Imperial Family did to the Saintess Church. Even if they made a fuss late, they had already deducted all 200 points, so what could they do?

Lancel would be satisfied if he could open Marigold’s eyes. He didn’t need anything more than that. At least not in this playthrough.

He was planning to drive the wedge completely in this final match. And then run away with Marigold. Could there be a more perfect plan than this?

“Lancel Dante enters!”

A roar that shook the ground erupted. Lancel walked along the dark passage to the center of the arena.

“Lancel Dante! Lancel Dante! Lancel Dante!”

“If you lose, we won’t let you off!”

As he emerged from the passage, the cheers of the people filling the arena struck his ears. His eardrums were numb.

“His opponent is!”

Lancel looked at the person walking out of the opposite passage.

A man in Black Armor approached him, making the clanging sound of metal interlocking.

His walking posture, the aura he exuded, the condensed Magic Power, the unusual atmosphere. Lancel was getting a somehow familiar feeling from him.

“Black Armor…!”

The man in armor slowly removed his helmet.

Lancel burst into a hollow laugh.

It was a face he was too familiar with.

“Bess Wayne!”

The reaction of the arena audience, horrified by that name, erupted.

Bess Wayne.

The strongest knight in this Empire.

The man who was known to have disappeared and gone into seclusion.

“I heard you defeated my disciple in one blow.”

The sword that protects the First Princess.

“Let’s see how great your skills are.”

He was Lancel Dante’s master.

‘Can I… win this?’

This is a bit tough.