【Divine Spell Performance Rating: Normal】
【Hand of Divine Spells EXP +6】
【Hand of Divine Spells Lv1 (4/100) → Hand of Divine Spells Lv1 (10/100)】
...
【Light Prayer Lv2 (19/300) → Light Prayer Lv2 (26/300)】
【Healing Lv1 (19/100) → Healing Lv1 (25/100)】
...
【Hammer of Holy Light Lv1 (75/100) → Hammer of Holy Light Lv1 (80/100)】
The sparring session with Alicia had earned him a total of 25 experience points, bringing a smile to Leon's face.
Furthermore, his experience in Hammer of Holy Light had reached 80 points. He only needed 20 more to level it up and gain a new enhancement trait.
Leon looked at Alicia and said, “Since you lost, you must accept a punishment.”
Had they agreed on a punishment for losing?
Alicia's emerald eyes were filled with confusion, but she still nodded. She was a graceful loser... even if there hadn't been a bet.
“And the punishment I’m giving you is... while I restore my mental energy, you will act as my guard,” Leon said.
The Hand of Divine Spells was indeed a Silver rank spell; simply manifesting it once had consumed a third of his mental energy.
Coupled with the consecutive casts of Light Prayer and Hammer of Holy Light, his mental energy was nearly depleted.
Leon could only sigh. At this stage, even though he had mastered four or five divine spells, he was still a novice. Casting each spell once was enough to drain him completely.
He would have to rely on Holy Light Meditation to slowly increase his total capacity.
“Guard? Okay!” Alicia nodded. It was just guard duty, not having turtles drawn all over her face.
She didn't find this punishment scary at all.
“The process of restoring my mental energy takes a long time. Can you stay on guard the whole time and keep your focus on me? If not, we can change the punishment...”
“I... absolutely... can!” Alicia said defiantly upon hearing Leon's words.
“Very well, then I'll leave it to you.”
Satisfied, Leon sat down on the spot and began practicing Holy Light Meditation.
Strands of pure white light bloomed from his body before slowly receding back into him.
Alicia watched her surroundings with vigilant eyes.
She would never fail at something as simple as being a guard.
...
Four hours passed in the blink of an eye.
During these four hours, Leon had been continuously practicing Holy Light Meditation.
He had long since fully restored his mental energy and was now using the meditation to expand his mental energy pool to accommodate even more power.
Alicia, meanwhile, took her duties as a guard seriously, never relaxing for a moment.
Old Hunter appeared on the open plaza, holding an envelope he wanted to report to Leon.
However, as he approached, Alicia blocked his path.
Alicia said with a serious expression, “Priest... Leon... is... meditating. You... cannot... disturb him.”
Old Hunter's eyes, which weren't large to begin with, instantly bulged as wide as saucers.
Was he some kind of outsider?
Was he some ill-intentioned person?
He was the young master's butler!
He had even helped Alicia straighten her collar this morning!
And yet, Alicia was blocking him, refusing to let him get near the young master?!
This was mutiny! Pure mutiny!
In all his time by Leon's side, this was the first time Old Hunter had encountered such a situation!
However, no matter how much he tried to reason with her, Alicia refused to yield a single step.
Old Hunter initially wanted to force his way through, but seeing Alicia's earnest face, he eventually backed down.
Though they had only known each other for two days, Old Hunter was already well-acquainted with Alicia's dazed air and stubbornness.
If he tried to force his way in, Alicia might actually try to physically stop him...
And so, the number of guards standing watch for Leon went from one to two.
It wasn't until another hour had passed that Leon finally emerged from his deep state of Holy Light Meditation.
【Divine Spell Performance Rating: Normal】
【Holy Light Meditation EXP +5】
【Holy Light Meditation Lv1 (67/100) → Holy Light Meditation Lv1 (72/100)】
“Excellent!”
Leon was invigorated. Even Holy Light Meditation, the hardest spell to level up, could gain +5 experience by farming experience from Alicia.
At this rate, his goal of reaching Level 2 in Holy Light Meditation to expand his mental energy pool faster and promote to the Silver rank was just around the corner!
Closing the divine spell panel, Leon collected himself and turned around.
He saw Alicia and Old Hunter staring each other down... Or rather, Old Hunter was huffing and puffing with indignation at Alicia, while she seemed completely oblivious, remaining vigilant.
Only when she saw Leon finish his meditation did Alicia finally relax.
“Are you going to stop blocking me now?” Old Hunter asked with a heavy huff.
Alicia shook her head and asked Leon, “Priest... Leon... are... you... finished?”
“The meditation is over,” Leon said.
Alicia turned back to Old Hunter. “You... can... go now.”
Even though Old Hunter had been professionally trained as a noble's butler, Alicia's obstinacy made him roll his eyes.
“What happened?” Leon asked curiously, rarely seeing Old Hunter in such a state.
Old Hunter twitched his mustache and didn't answer directly, only saying, “Young Master, you should ask Miss Alicia yourself!”
Immediately after, Old Hunter began reporting on official business:
“Young Master, news has arrived from the Holy See in the Imperial Capital. The official appointment document for your promotion to Formal Priest has been issued and is currently being sent to Solainem.”
“However, the Holy See has not yet made a specific arrangement regarding which church you will be assigned to. It stated that assignments will be handled collectively with other priests after the Priest Assessment is concluded.”
Leon nodded.
To him, being posted to a church wasn't an urgent matter; the priority was to raise the levels of his divine spells.
Old Hunter continued:
“Furthermore, word has come from your father. He has dispatched bloodline warriors from the family to Solainem specifically to guard your safety.”
“It seems the previous encounter in the gray mist gave the master a scare, which is why he urgently mobilized guards to protect you.”
Hearing this, Leon recalled that the reason he hadn't had guards before was because the town had been safe.
Additionally, the family had spoken with the City Lord of Solainem, who was supposed to provide extra care.
But then, who could have predicted that the gray mist would expand like that?
“I understand. Is there any other news?” Leon asked.
Old Hunter hesitated for a moment before saying:
“That Baron Sori has sent you another invitation, this time for a birthday banquet...”
“Decline it,” Leon stated. “In the future, don't bother me with such matters. Decline them all on my behalf.”
Inviting him a second time after being rejected once—this Baron was a bit lacking in manners.
Was he that desperate to cling to the Douglas family's prestige?
Leon added, “If Baron Sori makes a nuisance of himself again, report the situation directly to Viscount Clyde.”
“Yes, sir.”
Old Hunter finished his report and withdrew.
Leon then walked over to Alicia and asked, “What happened just now? Why did Old Hunter look so aggrieved?”
Alicia was first confused that Old Hunter was angry, then she explained how she had blocked him.
Leon couldn't help but chuckle. After a moment, he said, “In the future, when you're guarding me, you don't need to block Old Hunter.”
“No... I won't.”
“Won't what?” Leon was puzzled.
“I won't... lose again.”
Alicia spoke seriously. While she had been on guard, she had been reflecting on her performance in the battle.
She wouldn't make the same mistakes again; she would win the next fight.
Alicia wanted to show Leon that she wasn't bragging when she said she was good at combat.
“Oh, you were talking about that...” Leon said with a smile. He continued:
“I wasn't talking about you guarding me as a punishment for losing a fight, but rather...”
“For example, if I request you to guard me while I meditate.”
“In that case, you don't need to block Old Hunter.”
Alicia turned her head, her emerald eyes looking at Leon. “Priest... Leon... would... request... me?”
“Of course. After all, you said you're very strong in combat. I might have times when I need your help—not just for guarding.”
Hearing Leon's words, especially his acknowledgment of her combat strength, Alicia instantly broke into a smile.
“Okay!”
Rate on N.U.
