"Nice to meet you, Lady Saint."
Trevor's laboratory.
As soon as they opened the door and entered, Renee was greeted with the same old title she had been hearing these past few days.
Renee trembled upon hearing those words, then lowered her head slightly in the direction she heard the voice from.
"Hello."
“It is an honor to meet you here. You're here for the divine art training, aren't you?”
"Yes."
"You must have had a hard time coming here from far away. My name is Trevor, who will guide Lady Saint as of today."
"Oh, I’m Renee. I've heard a lot from theKnight. That… You are quite unique!"
"Did Sir Vera tell you about me? Ayy, this is embarrassing."
A lively voice. Renee could sense that Trevor was a rather cheerful person based on the tone of voice that was transmitted. However, in the meantime, there was a question that occurred to her.
‘Why is his presence so weak?’
Despite speaking so enthusiastically, it wasn’t easy to sense Trevor's presence.
Vera also had thought the same when he first met him.
Renee thought that she might not have been able to recognize Trevor's existence if it wasn't for his voice, and following Vera's guidance, she slowly went to the table in the middle of the laboratory and sat down.
Vera helped Renee sit down in her chair and frowned at Trevor. Then Trevor, who had been smiling until then, shivered and averted his gaze. As he did that, Vera conveyed something to him with an icy glare.
The glare directed towards him suggested that he mustn’t do anything stupid.
In response, Trevor, who had been beaten up by Vera two days ago till the point that even his eyes were bruised, trembled and nodded with an awkward smile.
"Well, then, the Saint has a busy schedule, so let's get straight to the point, shall we?"
"Ah yes."
"You don't have to be nervous. What I'm going to tell you is a just brief introduction, so it shouldn't be too difficult."
Renee heard that reassuring remark. Nevertheless, she nodded her head without being relieved because she thought, ‘What if I don't do well?’
Furthermore, additional concerns also existed.
"Well, I'm not too old to learn divine arts, am I?"
One day, a middle-aged man in the village said that wizards are all top-tier elites who are gifted and start receiving education before they even turn five.
Renee, who thought that divine arts was a study similar to that, asked Trevor. After hearing her question, Trevor replied.
"It's never too late. Well, in order to explain this, I must first tell you something about divinity."
"I'm sorry. I haven't learned anything about this...."
"There is nothing to be sorry about, Lady Saint. No one knows everything from the beginning, right?"
Hehe. Renee laughed awkwardly upon hearing Trevor’s words and nodded her head.
Trevor looked at Renee and then continued talking in a gentle tone.
“How much do you know about divinity and mana?”
"Ugh... Mana is the energy harnessed from nature, and divinity is the power received from Gods?"
She answered with a weak voice because she wasn’t sure. Since Renee had no opportunity to encounter mana or divinity in her life, it was given that such concepts would be unfamiliar to her.
"Well, you’re correct and incorrect at the same time."
"Heh… Is that so?"
A shy expression appeared on Renee's face. Trevor saw her face and laughed again, continuing his explanation.
“For one, you were right about mana. Mana is an intangible source of energy that permeates throughout the atmosphere.”
"Ah, I'm glad I got it right."
"Yes, this was right. And the wrong part is about divinity. Divinity is not a power you receive from the Gods."
"Yes?"
Renee tilted her head upon hearing those words.
If it’s not the power received from the Gods, then what is divinity?
As questions appeared on Renee's face due to the dilemma that came to her mind, Trevor quietly explained.
"Simply put, divinity is a type of evolved mana. The mana contained in the body has evolved and obtained the property of 'divinity'."
It was quite a puzzling theory.
“Then why do you call it divinity?”
"Because its evolved nature harbors the power of the Divine Realm. That's why it's called divinity."
"Uh..."
“It's not a popular theory. The study of divinity has not been actively conducted yet. Well, to tell you a little bit more about that, because of this nature of divinity, there are quite a few people who don't become priests even when they possess this power. The healers of the Empire are a prime example of this.”
"Ah, that's something I know."
"Yes, those who dismiss divinity as mere evolved mana don’t associate it with the reverence of the Gods. Furthermore, the Holy Kingdom does not sanction those people."
Renee knew about the Imperial healers because they were so famous. Of course, it was only today that she found out that they had such a background.
"Is it all right? There may be people who abuse their divinity."
"It's not something we, from the Holy Kingdom, should be concerned about. We are the ones who worship the Gods, rather than those who manage divinity. What right do we have to take responsibility for the power that has been given to them?"
Renee felt a little strange upon hearing that notion.
He was right if they looked at the essence of it, but the reason she felt strange despite that was because she heard those words from the mouth of the priest.
It was also due to preconceived notions about the Holy Kingdom that Renee felt strange. The Holy Kingdom that Rene knew of was a closed and secretive country, so she assumed that they would also put restrictions on such matters.
Trevor nodded his head slightly and looked at Renee, who seemed convinced, and then continued speaking with a smile on his face.
"This conversation has gone on for long. So, going back to the original topic, divinity is not a discipline that requires systematic education like magic because its properties are different from mana. Once you understand that, it’s quite an easy subject to learn."
"That's fortunate…."
Phew. Renee heaved a sigh of relief.
"You don't have to be afraid. Even Sir Vera first started learning the divine arts at the same age as the Saint, so you will be able to learn it as well."
"Ah, I see…."
I think I've heard that before.
Upon hearing Trevor’s words, Rene turned her head in the direction where she felt Vera's presence.
"Then, at my age, will I be able to handle the divinity like the Knight?"
Thump Thump. Her heart naturally started beating a little faster when she thought of the phrase, ‘Like Vera.’
However, the response she got immediately calmed her thumping heart.
Trevor answered Renee in a rather awkward tone.
"Well, like Sir Vera… it might be a bit hard."
"…Yes?"
"Sir Vera..."
Trevor's eyes turned to Vera. Meanwhile, Vera responded to his gaze with a glare of his own. Seeing that expression, Trevor continued speaking.
"…It might actually be too hard. He's very talented."
Trevor didn't like the possibility of despair sown by hope. So he had to say it.
Vera was a monster. He had no choice but to say he was talented. On the first day, he came to the lab and asked him about divine arts, he managed to create his own divine art with a few introductory books he took that day.
How surprised he was when he found out about that. Such a thing was impossible even for him, who had been nominated to be the next Magic Tower Master.
Of course, in the field of academics, he was much more skilled, but in terms of his ability to use simple divine battle arts, Vera was a human who would be second to only the Holy Emperor, even if he took into account all the people living in the Holy Kingdom.
“I-Is that so….”
Renee's voice subsided, a little sullen. Vera glared daggers at Trevor.
Why is he killing Renee's spirit with such nonsense? I guess I didn't beat him enough.
When Vera glared strongly while thinking like that, Trevor flinched as his shoulders drooped.
Vera heaved a deep sigh at that sight and then spoke to Renee in a calm tone.
“You don't have to control divinity like me. There are things that only the Saint can do, so don't worry too much.”
“Bu-But still....”
“Aren't I here to do things that the Saint can't do? I will always be with the Saint, so that the Saint will never be inadequate, so don’t worry.”
Thump….
Renee felt her heart beat wildly upon hearing those words.
Always together.
It was in response to that phrase.
Another unknown reaction occurred. Renee, feeling the heat rising all over her body, felt her dizzy and nodded awkwardly.
"Ye–Yes… !"
Maybe her throat is sore, that’s why she stammered.
Trevor had a blank look on his face as he opened his mouth with a ‘Heh’ while witnessing the scene unfolding in front of his eyes.
Something like that... I didn't know that Vera could be like that.
The Vera that Trevor knew was not a person like that.
Of course, the notion that Vera in front of him might be fake occurred to him. He suspected that the real Vera might have left for a dispatch after beating him up two days ago.
If so, who is this Vera?
When Trevor examined him with such a thought that in mind, Vera's expression turned serious as he glared at Trevor.
Vera's lips changed shape as he conveyed the following words without making a sound.
"Lower your gaze."
Trevor lowered his gaze. Trevor was a man who learned through experience. He was a man who also knew that ignoring those words would lead to terrifying thrashing.
An awkward atmosphere descended on the opposite side of the table.
It was Vera's words that broke the tense atmosphere.
"Well, let's continue the lesson. Sir Trevor."
"Ah, yes."
"Go on."
Trevor nodded his head.
“That… Cough, let's continue the class. Shall we start with a simple lesson on manipulation of divinity?”
"Yes!"
The class continued.
However, the atmosphere was awkward.
****
"Then, Lady Saint. I'll see you tomorrow. Have a peaceful night."
"Ah yes. Please return carefully."
In front of Renee's accommodation, Renee greeted Vera, who was waiting for her and returned. She then took Hela’s hand.
"You have worked hard."
An unusual accent every time she heard it.
Renee nodded to her, recalling that Hela didn’t know what kind of mental state she was in before coming all the way here.
"Well then, shall we go in?"
"Yes."
Renee's cane struck the ground and there was a 'Tap'sound.
Thump. Thump. Her heart was still pounding.
Renee took Hela’s hand and when still wasn’t able to calm down, she blurted out a question to Hela.
"Hey, Hela?"
“Yes, please ask.”
"Well... since I came to the Holy Kingdom… No, I've been feeling weird ever since I left my hometown…."
“What are you feeling?”
"My heart keeps pounding strangely even though I have no worries, and I feel feverish every time it happens…."
Unceasing words. However, Renee’s words, which didn’t convey the fact that they occurred while ‘being by Vera’s side' were akin to symptoms of a disease.
Of course, Renee didn't know.
Hela tilted her head upon hearing Renee’s continued explanation and examined her complexion. The shade of red was quite strong.
"I think you are not feeling well because of the change of seasons. You've worked hard, so you deserve some rest."
“It-it must be that.”
“Yes, there might be something wrong with your body, so I will call the priest tomorrow.”
“Ah, please, then I’ll leave it to you.”
Renee laughed, while thinking, 'I was overreacting as expected.'
In fact, Renee's reaction was blatant enough to show that it was not a symptom of a disease if one examined closely, but Hela was not aware of such a reaction.
Unfortunately, Hela didn't inherit the sharpness of her father, Norn.