Leon stepped out of the palace's main hall and let out a long, slow breath.
His back was completely drenched in cold sweat. The Sage King's gaze, which seemed to peer directly into his soul, had put him under immense pressure.
It was like a caster from the Paradise seeing a boss with prefixes like "Mage-Slayer," "Overlord-class Entity," or "Kukulin White-Night"—that kind of primal dread and overwhelming sense of oppression.
Fortunately, after the Sage King saw through the fact that Leon had deduced his role in orchestrating the Solainem Tragedy, he didn't move to silence him.
Leon reflected on the question he had posed.
He hadn't questioned why the Sage King orchestrated the tragedy in Solainem, nor had he asked why the king used it as a pretext for war.
Leon knew that those were merely symptoms. The true crux of the matter was:
Why was the Sage King in such a hurry?
The Solainem Tragedy was simply a byproduct of whatever urgency was driving the Sage King.
However, despite his promise to answer, the Sage King had ultimately withheld the specific details, merely stating, "Your level is too low; you are not qualified to hear the answer."
This undoubtedly left Leon feeling confused once again.
Given the Sage King's status, he wouldn't be the type to make a face-to-face promise and then retract it a second later. Therefore, the reason he refused to answer likely truly was because Leon's "level was too low."
Yet, what kind of words could be so heavy that someone with insufficient strength couldn't bear to hear them?
The gods of this world were not like Cthulhu; chanting their names or spreading their faith did not cause mental pollution.
If even gods didn't follow the rule of "to speak of them is to know them," then what could be so sensitive that even the Sage King was reluctant to discuss it?
"The waters of this world run deep..."
Leon sighed. As the Sage King said, his current strength was indeed too low.
On the bright side, he had managed to squeeze something out of the king—the token that granted entry into the Royal Library.
Leon had heard of the Cassius Royal Library's great fame.
It was known as the Knowledge Lighthouse of the continent of Ommissiah, housing a vast collection of nearly extinct lore, ancient texts, and inheritances of magic and divine spells.
With this token, Leon could enter the library and borrow a book to quickly improve his strength...
"Maybe I can peek at a few more... Psh! How can a scholar's business be considered stealing?"
Borrowing. It was called borrowing!
After all, the Sage King hadn't specified how long he could stay. He could simply walk in and stay there until he had "borrowed" every top-tier divine spell in the collection.
Others might not be able to digest so many divine spells at once, but he was different—he had the divine spell panel!
As long as he got his hands on the original texts, he could just use a one-click copy to add them all to his panel!
The plan is flawless, isn't it?
"Priest Leon."
A voice suddenly called out from beside him as he exited the palace grounds.
Leon turned his head, his expression showing a hint of surprise. "Bishop Miles, you haven't left yet?"
Miles replied, "I was waiting for you so we could go to the Holy See together."
Only then did Leon remember that after seeing the Sage King, he still had to pay his respects to His Holiness the Pope of the Sacred Light Church.
"The Holy See's carriage has been waiting for quite some time," Miles said, pointing to a canvas carriage not far away, embroidered with the emblem of the Holy See.
"Then let's hurry."
Leon and Miles boarded the carriage together.
...
On the way to the Holy See, Leon asked:
"Bishop Miles, have you heard of the Royal Library?"
Miles nodded. "I am well aware of the Royal Library's reputation."
"It houses many powerful divine spell codices and many journals left behind by famous priests throughout history. I have long admired those journals."
"Unfortunately, obtaining the qualification to enter the Royal Library... is incredibly difficult."
Hearing this, Leon asked with some confusion:
"But why are the journals of priests and divine spell codices kept in the Royal Library? Shouldn't they be stored within the Holy See?"
Miles smiled and didn't explain directly. Instead, he asked a question of his own:
"Priest Leon, do you think the Holy See and the Pope came first, or did priests who believe in the God of Sacred Light come first?"
"The priests came first, naturally... I see."
Leon realized the point.
First, there were priests who believed in the God of Sacred Light, and then the Sacred Light Church was formed by those priests.
But outside the Church, were other priests who believed in the God of Sacred Light not also priests?
Of course they were!
"So, the priests of the Holy See are just part of an organization. Priests within that organization do have significant power, but if they use that power to act like they aren't human..."
Leon recalled the "Pope's Downfall Incident," where a Pope, later cursed by descendants for "defiling the faith of the Sacred Light," had acted despicably by choosing his own cronies as God-Chosen candidates.
In the end, not a single one of those so-called candidates was chosen by the God of Sacred Light.
On the contrary, among the priests of the Church who had been excluded, and even among priests who believed in the Sacred Light but had never joined the Church, some were selected and personally appointed by the God of Sacred Light as the God-Chosen.
Ultimately, that Pope was overthrown by the priests under him and banished to the Abyss Cage.
In a world where true gods exist, trying to use an organizational structure like the Holy See to do whatever one wants is simply a sign of being drunk on power, showing a complete lack of respect for the divine.
The same applied to the Royal Library's collection of divine spells and journals.
Priests belong to the God of Sacred Light, not the Holy See. They could store their spells and journals wherever they pleased, and the Holy See had absolutely no authority to interfere.
Having cleared his confusion, Leon asked for more information regarding the Royal Library.
Leon asked:
"His Majesty gave me this token to enter the Royal Library and borrow a book. I wonder if Bishop Miles could give me some advice? For instance, which divine spell codices in the library are most worth borrowing?"
"It doesn't matter if the rank of the spell is high; I can exchange for it now and practice it slowly later. What I value more is the actual power and utility of the spell..."
Miles nodded and offered his suggestions:
"The Gold rank divine spell, 【Armor of Bemis】. This spell can generate a form-fitting suit of holy light armor with excellent defensive capabilities..."
"The Gold rank divine spell, 【Storm of the God of Sacred Light】. This is an incredibly powerful offensive spell..."
"【Triple Saint Power】, a Diamond rank enhancement spell..."
"..."
...
"Gentlemen, we have arrived."
A voice came from outside the carriage. Miles stopped his explanation and said, "The powerful spells I know of are basically those I've mentioned."
"Thank you, Bishop Miles. This information is very helpful to me," Leon thanked him.
Miles waved it off dismissively and stepped out of the carriage with Leon.
The subsequent process at the Pope's Palace was similar to the earlier one at the Royal Palace.
The kindly-faced Pope praised their actions in Solainem, particularly affirming their contributions to saving the local believers and promoting the faith of the Sacred Light.
Afterward, they received the "Heart of Holy Light" medals awarded by the Holy See and were politely escorted out.
The two went in different directions. Miles went to a church in the capital to rest, while Leon headed back to the Duke's manor. They parted ways in front of the Holy See.
Back on the street in front of the Duke's manor, before he even stepped into the estate, Leon saw a figure waiting there.
He stepped forward quickly and asked, "Where's Old Hunter? Why did he leave you outside the manor?"
Alicia shook her head. "It, has, nothing, to do, with, Butler, Hunter. I, wanted, to, wait, for, you, here."
Rate on N.U.
