Outside the holy light barrier, the priests were abuzz with discussion.
“Priest Austin truly lives up to his title as the chief of Belmont Academy! To think he could hold out for a full minute and a half against Priest Leon! What a terrifying display!”
“Indeed. Priest Sylvia could only last half a minute, Priest Siss lasted a minute, but Priest Austin actually managed to hold on for a minute and a half! It seems that among these three, Austin is the strongest!”
“Do you think it's possible that Silver rank priests aren't actually all that? Maybe we Bronze priests could beat them too?”
“...Did you drink too much low-grade potion and rot your brain?”
The nearby Bronze priests quickly distanced themselves from that comment, signaling that they wouldn't dare claim Silver priests were anything less than formidable.
Inside the barrier.
Having undergone holy light healing, Austin's injuries were gradually mending. He watched Leon’s retreating back as he walked out of the barrier, but he didn't feel any resentment, nor would he ever.
He simply sighed at the sight of his own battered and soot-covered state.
However, the thought that he had lasted thirty seconds longer than both Sylvia and Siss brought a small, quiet spark of joy to his heart.
“Excluding a monster like Leon, my strength in this assessment is actually quite extraordinary...”
Buoyed by this small victory, Austin stepped out of the barrier and found the young maid he had brought along.
“Go to the market and buy a pig. Remember, it must be a live one.”
“A live pig?” The young maid was completely bewildered, unable to fathom what kind of new eccentricity her young master was suffering from.
“You don't need to know why. Just buy it and keep it in the manor.”
Austin’s mood was a strange mix of sour and sweet. He offered no explanation, simply waving his hand and ordering the maid to act immediately.
...
On the other side.
Leon opened his divine spell panel.
【Divine Spell Performance Rating: Excellent】
【Hammer of Holy Light XP +17】
【Hand of Divine Spells XP +16】
【...】
【Holy Light Shield Lv1 (23/100) → Holy Light Shield Lv1 (40/100)】
“A massive haul!”
The lines of gilded text flashing across the panel filled Leon with immense satisfaction.
This single round of exchanges with the three Silver rank priests had yielded a total of nearly two hundred experience points!
While it wasn't two hundred points for a single spell, the total amount significantly accelerated the leveling speed of his entire repertoire.
Among them, the Lv1 spell with the fastest growth, 【Holy Light Shield】, had already reached 40 points.
One had to remember that Leon had only mastered 【Holy Light Shield】 three days ago!
Three days, 40 XP!
His level of mastery corresponding to that XP already exceeded that of most Gold rank priests who could cast 【Holy Light Shield】!
“The experience is going up, but to unleash the full power of these spells as my mastery increases, my current mental energy is becoming insufficient.”
In his battles against the three Silver priests, he had controlled every fight to end within two minutes.
This was partly because his divine spells could link together, and because he had the advantage of information, catching priests who had never seen such techniques off guard.
But it was also because casting divine spells that exceeded his own rank consumed a massive amount of mental energy. Leon had to be frugal, ensuring he defeated them all before his pool ran dry.
If not for that limitation, Leon certainly wouldn't have passed up such a prime opportunity to grind experience.
“Priest Leon.”
A voice interrupted Leon’s thoughts. It was the servant of Prince Aaron.
The group of servants approached Leon carrying a cushioned chair and said:
“Priest Leon, His Highness Aaron asked us to convey a message to you—”
“Ahahaha! Priest Leon, this Prince certainly didn't misjudge you!”
“Standing among that crowd of priests, your strength is like a crane among a flock of chickens!”
“Therefore, this Prince invites you to sit upon the stands. This is where you truly belong!”
The servant pinched his throat, mimicking Prince Aaron’s tone and voice so perfectly it was as if he had specifically trained in the art of ventriloquism and mimicry.
Leon turned his head toward the spectator stands.
The Bishops were all smiles, nodding frequently as they looked his way.
Archbishop Charles had begun using the 【Holy Light Creation】 spell to manifest paper and pen, and was busy writing.
On the other side of the stands, Prince Aaron was waving at him, inviting him up.
“He really is the notorious fun-seeker of the Imperial Capital...”
Looking at Aaron’s carefree demeanor, Leon couldn't help but recall the various anecdotes about this prince that circulated through the capital.
He had once tricked the ascetic monks of the Imperial Capital Monastery into visiting the Nightingale Tavern, having the ladies there 'help' them break their vows of celibacy...
He had also once posed as the daughter of a Count to write a love letter to a poor priest in the city, making the man believe he had been favored by a noble lady. The priest had rushed to the Count's manor in high spirits, only to be chased three blocks away by the servants...
Then there was the time when, after his childhood friend Sylvia had a fight with her mother, Aaron had dragged Sylvia along to run away from home. However, because he didn't know the way, they ended up fleeing straight into the warband camp commanded by Sylvia’s mother, where they were caught on the spot...
There was even an incident where, because his older brother the Crown Prince had said a few words against him to the Sage King, Aaron had been grounded for a week. Once he was released, Aaron immediately spiked the Crown Prince’s wine with sleeping pills and laxatives.
Since Aaron had poured the wine himself and even took a casual sip in front of everyone first, the Crown Prince had naturally been completely off-guard. He ended up bedridden, alternating between unconsciousness and diarrhea.
Aaron, however, had come prepared. He didn't even bother with a bed, choosing instead to stay in the bathroom, sleeping while he did his business and having a servant pull the flush mechanism from outside every now and then to clear the toilet...
In short, when it came to doing things that lacked any shred of propriety, this Prince Aaron was exceptionally experienced—a true chaos-seeker.
Leon thought for two seconds before ultimately deciding to accept Aaron’s invitation, following the servants up to the stands.
The High Priests nearby glanced over and then looked away. Generally, priests were not allowed on the stands during an assessment without a special reason.
Clearly, the High Priests knew that Leon now had a very special reason to be there.
It wasn't considered a violation.
“Priest Leon, you are simply too incredible!”
As Leon reached the stands, Aaron immediately gave him a thumbs-up.
“You are the only person I’ve ever seen who could beat Sylvia into such a state!”
“Your Highness overpraises me,” Leon said. “Thank you for your help, Your Highness. It allowed me to complete those three matches smoothly.”
If Aaron hadn't sent his servants to provoke Siss and block Austin from fleeing, Leon wouldn't have completed those three duels so easily.
And if his opponents hadn't been these Silver rank academy chiefs, the experience points he gained might have been significantly lower.
Aaron waved it off nonchalantly. For him, he hadn't stepped in to help Leon; he had done it to see the drama unfold.
After expressing his gratitude, Leon exchanged a few more pleasantries with Aaron before quickly getting to the point.
“During my spare time in Solainem, I designed a card game. I was wondering if it would be convenient to use Your Highness’s chamber of commerce to promote it?”
Although Aaron was a notorious 'fun-seeker' whose reputation made many noble daughters avoid him like the plague, the fact that he could stir up so much trouble proved he was actually incredibly sharp.
At the age of thirteen, on a whim, he had founded the “Guga Chamber of Commerce.”
The name was a bit eccentric, but under Aaron’s management, the chamber had leaped to become the largest trading firm in the Heron Empire within just two years. Its influence grew so vast that it eventually caught the attention of the Sage King.
It wasn't until the Sage King investigated that he discovered this Guga Chamber of Commerce was actually his own son's creation. Only then did he withdraw the heavy regulatory pressure he had intended to place on it.
He had simply ordered Aaron to split the chamber's business and prohibited him from involving himself in the salt and iron trade.
Later, the Guga Chamber of Commerce was split by Aaron into the “Gugu Chamber of Commerce” and the “Gaga Chamber of Commerce.”
The names were equally bizarre. The split chambers didn't dare touch the empire's vital industries, but their momentum among the common folk only increased, quickly becoming the two largest chambers of commerce second only to the Royal Chamber of Commerce.
The lollipops Alicia ate were produced by this “Gugu Chamber of Commerce.”
“A card game?” Aaron wasn't particularly interested in the promotion aspect, but he was very interested in a card game designed by Leon. He asked, “What kind of card game?”
Leon spoke up:
“I have given this card game a tentative name: 《Hearthstone Spire Slay》.”
Rate on N.U.
