“Young Master, a letter from the Imperial Capital has arrived.”
The next morning, Old Hunter found Leon, holding a letter sealed with the Imperial Capital’s wax stamp.
Leon took the letter and read it through.
The letter was jointly issued by the Sacred Light Church and the Imperial Court Affairs Department.
The gist of it was to reward Leon for his merit in successfully repairing the barrier within the gray mist. The Emperor and the Pope had specifically co-signed an invitation for him to come to the Imperial Capital to receive formal recognition and attend a conferment ceremony.
Furthermore, because the Holy Light Cathedral in Solainem had been destroyed, it was no longer possible to hold the priest qualification assessment there.
Consequently, Leon was required to depart the next day for the Imperial Capital to participate in the assessment at the Holy See.
At the same time, all other priests in Solainem would also be heading to the Imperial Capital in batches to complete their respective assessment procedures.
“Meeting His Majesty at the Royal Palace in the Imperial Capital to receive rewards...”
Leon read the contents of the letter, then turned to Old Hunter and asked, “Was Bishop Miles also invited to the Imperial Capital?”
“Yes, Young Master,” Old Hunter replied. “Just like you, Bishop Miles has received an invitation from His Majesty and His Holiness the Pope to receive rewards in the Imperial Capital as a hero who saved Solainem.”
Old Hunter’s tone held a note of admiration.
“Word is spreading that Bishop Miles turned the tide in the gray mist. It is very likely that His Majesty will order His Holiness the Pope to grant him an exceptional promotion to Archbishop.”
“Our current Sovereign truly deserves the title of ‘Sage King.’ He is actually able to break the shackles of bloodline and status to promote a common-born priest like Bishop Miles to the rank of Archbishop.”
“The title of Sage King...” Hearing this praise, Leon once again thought of the Heron Emperor’s methods.
A man who could orchestrate the Solainem Tragedy with one hand and yet emerge completely untainted—that was the “Sage King.”
Leon neither agreed nor disagreed with Old Hunter’s words; he simply asked, “Where is Alicia?”
“Miss Alicia is in the library.”
“The library?”
Alicia was reading books?
Wait, Alicia was indeed a bit dazed at times, but she was literate.
However, her literacy hadn't been acquired at the town orphanage; she was already literate when she was first sent there.
It likely had something to do with her missing childhood memories...
Leon had intended to help Alicia find her family and learn about her past, but even after instructing Old Hunter to send people to the townspeople to investigate her background, they had still come up empty-handed.
“I’ll go to the library to find her. You don’t need to follow.”
“Understood.”
...
The manor library.
Alicia was slumped over a Jintan wood table, her head tilted as she stared at a book titled 《Comprehensive Guide to Lower Second-Tier Rogue Techniques》.
“Why are the words moving?”
The more Alicia looked, the more the text seemed like crawling insects, squirming and twisting, making it very difficult to read.
When the distortion reached its limit, Alicia suddenly snapped to her senses, realizing she had just been daydreaming.
She quickly patted her cheeks and sat up straight, once again reading the guide. She was trying to learn how other rogues used their techniques, how they developed different applications, and how they increased the power of those skills.
In the past, whenever she learned rogue techniques, she only had to sleep and dream, and then that kind old grandfather would tell her new ones.
Alicia remembered that when she first started dreaming of the kind old man, he told her she needed to practice diligently in the physical world to master the techniques.
Alicia had listened, but after she woke up, she barely practiced at all and could naturally perform the techniques the old man had taught her in the dream.
On the contrary, the more she practiced, the more awkward she felt for some reason, and the power of the techniques she performed would even decrease with practice.
After she told the old man about this, he simply let out a sudden, loud laugh. He told her she didn't need to practice anymore and only needed to use the techniques based on her intuition and instinct.
The old man said her intuition was the best practice, and her instinct was the most powerful technique.
So, from then on, Alicia had always relied on her instincts to perform rogue techniques.
Until recently.
Alicia thought of little Juliet in the catacombs, the Black and White Hand she encountered in the gray mist, the Silver rank Baron Sori, and Granny Taylor who perished in the cathedral explosion...
Alicia also thought of Priest Leon.
Priest Leon was a very kind person. He had repaired the Gray Mist Barrier and protected the people of Solainem.
Yet, despite having achieved so much, he still looked hurried and rushed, as if what he had done was far from enough, carrying a great deal of pressure.
Alicia felt that as Priest Leon’s friend—she should count as a friend—she wanted to share some of that pressure for him.
Therefore, she needed to become stronger, strong enough to protect Priest Leon and share his burdens.
Creak—
The library door was pushed open, and a figure walked in.
Alicia looked up and saw it was Priest Leon.
“I’m leaving Solainem,” Leon told her.
Alicia put down her book and looked at Leon, but she didn't speak.
“I’m heading to the Imperial Capital,” Leon said. “To receive rewards and complete the priest assessment.”
“After the assessment is over, I won't stay in the Imperial Capital for long. I will set out for other towns to serve as a priest in a local church.”
Alicia nodded, indicating she had heard him. She asked, “Then... will you... return... to Solainem?”
Leon shook his head. “No.”
No... Alicia thought. Did that mean they would never see each other again?
“So,” Leon continued, “I want to formally invite you to be my bodyguard and accompany me to the Imperial Capital. I trust your abilities completely. During this time, I will pay you a corresponding salary, cover your room and board, and I will never make any demands that would make things difficult for you...”
Before Leon could finish, Alicia said, “I... will go... with you.”
Leon was slightly stunned. He hadn't expected Alicia to agree so readily.
By normal logic, shouldn't there be repeated invitations and polite refusals before she was moved by his sincerity and said something like, “My Lord has shown me great kindness; I, Alicia, am willing to repay it with all my strength”?
How did she agree all at once?
Seeing Leon dazed, Alicia thought he hadn't heard her clearly, so she raised her voice and said again, “I... will follow... Priest Leon... you... to the Imperial Capital.”
“Good.” Leon snapped back to his senses. He didn't give Alicia a chance to change her mind and said quickly, “I’ll have Old Hunter pack your luggage later. We’ll set off first thing tomorrow morning.”
...
Walking out of the library, Leon closed the door and pumped his fist.
Yes!
He had successfully made off with Alicia!
The reason he wanted to bring Alicia was twofold. First, Leon didn't feel comfortable leaving her alone in Solainem; she was so spacey that the hundreds of gold coins he gave her would probably be swindled away in an instant.
Second, it was because he wanted to farm Alicia!
With a God-Chosen like Alicia by his side, the rating of every divine spell he cast would increase significantly, and his experience points would skyrocket.
Alicia was practically a walking experience pack—did anyone else get that!
Moreover, by bringing a God-Chosen with such high growth potential to his side as a bodyguard, his own life would be much easier.
After all, he wouldn't feel quite right with anyone else as his guard.
But for the simple-minded Alicia, who had already faced the gray mist with him twice and had even saved his life, Leon could trust her implicitly.
Inside the library.
Watching the library door close, Alicia breathed a soft sigh of relief.
Even though Priest Leon was very capable, she always had a faint feeling that he was prone to falling into danger.
Just like the stray puppy she had wandered with back in the small town; with the slightest lapse in care, a life could vanish in an instant.
Alicia had very few friends. The stray puppy in town was one, Juliet was one, and Priest Leon was also one.
But now, the stray puppy had long since frozen to death in the cold winter, and Juliet had left...
Therefore, to prevent Priest Leon from suddenly disappearing like them, she decided it was better to follow and protect him.
And... Priest Leon had also promised to cover her room and board.
Rate on N.U.
