“These are the ten divine spell tomes you may choose from.”
As the examiner finished speaking, the ten divine spell tomes were unveiled: three Silver rank divine spells and seven Bronze rank divine spells.
Leon’s gaze swept across the ten spells, and he selected a tome titled 【Radiance Perception】.
【Radiance Perception】 was a Silver rank perception-type divine spell. Among the ten available spells, its difficulty ranked second.
Leon’s reason for choosing it was simple.
He was still lacking a perception-type divine spell.
Among the priests present, only about twenty had chosen Silver rank divine spell tomes. Among them were five Silver rank priests and seventeen Bronze rank priests.
They were all the cream of the crop among the Apprentice Priests and Formal Priests, each possessing a significant reputation within their respective priest academies.
Unlike Leon, these Imperial Capital priests had been groomed to be priests from a young age. They received education from High Priests, Bishops, and even Archbishops in specialized academies, diligently studying divine spells.
If they performed well in their academies, they could be promoted directly to High Priest upon graduation and be assigned by the Holy See to serve in cathedrals across various city-states.
Leon, on the other hand, was different. He was initially trained to be a bloodline warrior, but due to a total lack of talent, he had only later transitioned to becoming a priest.
Despite being a late convert, because Leon’s surname was Douglas, his rate of promotion as a priest would actually be faster than these “academy students” who had been trained since childhood...
Once the spells were chosen, they quickly moved into the phase of silent comprehension.
Leon took the tome for 【Radiance Perception】 and began flipping through it.
The other priests did the same. They first performed a cursory read-through of the entire tome to gain a general concept of the spell's power and effects.
Then, they would combine their existing experience with similar divine spells, using analogy and transference to more precisely grasp the core content of the tome.
This methodology was taught by the Bishop-level instructors in the priest academies, and it could significantly shorten the time required to comprehend a divine spell tome.
As for Leon, he didn't understand any of those methodologies. He simply flipped through the divine spell tome until he reached the very last page.
Immediately following that, several streams of light flashed across his panel.
【Comprehending Divine Spell Book: Radiance Perception】
【Radiance Perception EXP +0】
【None → Radiance Perception Lv0 (0/1)】
The comprehension time had taken less than thirty seconds, and Leon... had already fully grasped it.
Leon used his peripheral vision to glance at the priests around him who were deep in study. Some hadn't even finished their first cursory read-through and were only about halfway through their tomes.
Seeing this, Leon lowered his head, pretending to have finished his initial read and acting as if he were re-studying the spell.
Comprehending a divine spell in thirty seconds was simply too shocking.
So, Leon decided:
He would wait for two and a half minutes before standing up to submit his results.
...
On the stands of the Great Sacred Light Square, several presiding priests watched the young faces below and began to converse.
“Sylvia chose the divine spell 【Radiant Integration】... The difficulty of that spell ranks first among the ten. As expected of the top priest of the Bemis Priest Academy, she is indeed very confident in herself.”
“Austin chose 【Radiance Perception】, which ranks second in difficulty. That’s also a strategy. Although the difficulty is slightly lower, if he can comprehend it faster than Sylvia, he might end up with a higher score.”
“Warren also chose 【Radiant Integration】...”
At that moment, one Bishop looked at Archbishop Charles, who had remained silent, and asked:
“Archbishop Charles, which priest do you favor the most?”
A warm smile spread across Archbishop Charles’s round face as he replied in a relaxed tone:
“I don't usually pay much attention to these young people from the academies, so I can't say I'm familiar with them. If I must choose one, I’ll pick that boy from the Douglas family, Leon.”
In truth, he wasn't particularly familiar with Leon either; he was just somewhat curious.
The name had appeared in the 《Imperial Truth》 newspaper, hailed as the “Hero who saved Solainem.”
That was when Charles first took note of Leon.
What truly deepened that impression, however, were the words of his junior fellow disciple, Bishop Miles.
Charles and Miles had attended the same priest academy, and the two were quite close during their studies.
After graduation, they had gone their separate ways according to the Holy See's arrangements.
One stayed to serve in the Imperial Capital’s cathedral, while the other went to Solainem to serve as a priest.
Over twenty years had passed; one had become an Archbishop of the Imperial Capital, while the other had been promoted to Bishop.
When they reunited yesterday, they had chatted about today’s assessment.
When Charles mentioned he would be presiding over the assessment for Apprentice and Formal Priests, Miles took the opportunity to mention Leon, saying that Leon would be participating.
Charles had initially thought Miles was asking him for some covert assistance and was quick to decline.
After all, for this assessment, His Holiness the Pope had already issued a strict order:
“Simplicity in form, rigor in substance.”
All prayers and choral ceremonies were omitted before the exam.
During the exam, no examiner was permitted to interfere with the fairness of the process. Any violation would result in the most severe punishment from the Holy See.
Seeing him decline, Miles had laughed and explained, “Senior, you’ve misunderstood. I only meant that you might want to pay more attention to Leon’s performance during the assessment. Perhaps you will see an unexpected surprise.”
Thus, even before the assessment began, Charles had been quietly observing Leon.
From what he had seen so far, the youth was exceptionally handsome, possessing quite a bit of the elegance he himself had in his younger days.
Other than that, there didn't seem to be anything particularly special about him.
However, Bishop Miles was not one for idle talk. Since he held Leon in such high regard, Charles naturally kept a close eye on him.
Now, when the other Bishops asked who he favored, Charles naturally spoke Leon’s name.
Hearing this answer, the other Bishops were somewhat curious.
While this Priest Leon was indeed a hero praised by the Sage King, his rank was only at the Bronze rank, and he was a priest who had transitioned from being a bloodline warrior.
Whether it was his understanding of the scriptures, his mastery of divine spells, or even a priest's most fundamental mental energy strength, he was inferior to the other academy-trained priests.
What extraordinary quality did he possess to earn the attention of an Archbishop like Charles?
Just as their gazes converged on Leon, Leon closed the divine spell tome in his hands and suddenly stood up.
“What are you doing...”
The High Priest responsible for maintaining order during the assessment saw someone stand up and thought it was another case like the Count’s son—someone who knew nothing about comprehending divine spells and was looking to cause trouble.
The High Priest was about to bark a reprimand when he suddenly saw that face with black eyes and black hair. He instantly recognized him as the “Hero who saved Solainem.”
In the next instant, the High Priest’s tone shifted abruptly, and he asked in a gentle voice:
“Priest Leon, is there a problem?”
Leon shook his head.
“Then you are...”
Leon said in a calm voice:
“I have already comprehended this 【Radiance Perception】 divine spell. Please verify it.”
“Ah?!”
For a moment, the High Priest thought he had misheard and let out a subconscious gasp.
It wasn't until he saw Leon’s serious expression that he reacted with disbelief.
He looked down at the oak-stone watch on his wrist.
From the start of the comprehension phase until now, only three minutes had passed!
Rate on N.U.
