Maxwell was stunned by the Sage King's words. The problem of the Twilight Sea was not yet resolved?
“If even that Excellency cannot resolve the problem of the Twilight Sea, can Leon do it by going to Eldenburg?” Maxwell asked, confused.
The Sage King said: “Godrick went to the abyss of the Twilight Sea, but he did not find a new Abyss Lord being born. However, the abyss energy fluctuations detected by the Ministry of Magic cannot be wrong.”
“If it wasn't the birth of a new Abyss Lord, then something must have changed within the abyss—a disturbance we are unaware of.”
“The fact that even Godrick could not detect the disturbance suggests that perceiving it requires not strength, but a different kind of ability.”
Maxwell frowned. Even that white-haired old man couldn't perceive the abyss disturbance?
“Does Leon have such an ability?” Maxwell asked.
“I believe he does,” the Sage King whispered. “The abyss disturbance remains unsettled, and now the Merman Court has undergone a sudden change.”
“The son of the Merman King suddenly rebelled, killing his father to usurp the throne. But as a new king, he lacks prestige and finds it difficult to subdue the entire race.”
“Chaos is now widespread within the merman tribes. Even if Godrick went there, he could not subdue the entire race by force alone.”
“Mermen without a king to restrain them will have a significant impact on the southern coast of the empire.”
“Stabilizing the situation on the southern coast and dealing with these merman tribes that attempt to raid the land requires someone who possesses both wisdom and resourcefulness.”
Maxwell asked, “You believe... Leon can do it?”
The Sage King stood up and looked at the night sky through the glass window of the royal bedchamber. Instead of answering Maxwell's doubt, he asked: “Are you aware of Leon's deeds in Solainem?”
“Of course I am,” Maxwell said. “He persuaded Bishop Miles, broke into the Gray Mist Barrier, dealt with the rebel nobles around him, and used St. Elias's skull to repair the barrier... He is a very courageous young man.”
Hearing this, the Sage King shook his head. “I am not referring to those deeds.”
“Rather... it is the fact that he mastered the Wish spell and prayed for the God of Sacred Light to descend upon Solainem to bless its people.”
Maxwell's gaze suddenly sharpened, and he was struck with terror. Wish? Leon was only a Bronze rank priest; how could he have already mastered Wish?
He even used it to summon the God of Sacred Light to Solainem?!
Maxwell's expression turned serious. “I did indeed hear that a miracle of the God of Sacred Light descended upon Solainem, but... that was Leon's doing?”
“Maxwell, you have become negligent,” the Sage King said in a flat tone. “A miracle of the God of Sacred Light descended, and yet you, the Pope of the Sacred Light Church, do not even know the reason for its arrival.”
Maxwell's face immediately flushed with embarrassment. He opened his mouth to speak but didn't know what to say.
The Sage King was right. As the Pope, it was truly unacceptable for him to be unaware of the reason behind a miracle of the God of Sacred Light.
But... Maxwell felt it wasn't entirely his fault.
Since ascending to the papacy, he could simply consult the Sage King for any matter, so he rarely had to think too much for himself.
After all, the fate of the Sacred Light Church was tied to the empire, and the Sage King would never do anything to harm the church.
Over time, Maxwell had gradually abandoned the use of his own brain. In any case, following the Sage King's lead was never wrong.
The Sage King glanced at the embarrassed Maxwell, withdrew his gaze, and said: “Go and make the change. Change Leon's assignment to the cathedral in Eldenburg.”
“And dispatch a powerful Bishop to Stormveil to assist Leon.”
“...Understood.” Maxwell bowed and withdrew from the royal bedchamber.
...
The next day.
Leon stepped out of the Duke's Manor and boarded an ox-steed carriage, which set off toward the Holy See.
“Look! Is that the Douglas family crest? In that direction... are they going to the Holy See?”
“Then the person sitting in that ox-steed carriage must be that once-in-a-century divine spell genius, Leon Douglas?”
“Once-in-a-century? More like once-in-a-millennium! I heard from my uncle's colleague's brother's son that Priest Leon broke multiple assessment records in one go. His talent is said to be the best since the founding of the Sacred Light Church!”
“Yes, yes! I also heard that the reason Priest Leon could break so many records is that he's loved eating lollipops from the Gugu Chamber of Commerce since he was a child!”
“Bullshit! Can eating lollipops really improve your divine spell talent? That's just nonsense to trick kids!”
“Hey, don't believe it if you don't want to! My kid told me that Priest Leon was eating a Gugu Chamber of Commerce lollipop during the assessment, and the more he ate, the more powerful he became. Anyway, I've already bought lollipops for my kid. If you don't believe it, don't buy them.”
“Heh! Who says I can't buy them just because I don't believe it? I'm going to buy some right now!”
As the ox-steed carriage traveled through the streets, the sounds of the Imperial Capital's citizens discussing him reached Leon from outside.
Leon's performance in the Priest Assessment had spread throughout the entire Imperial Capital in just three days.
The people of the Imperial Capital knew that there was a priest named Leon. He was of noble birth, the second son of Prime Minister William, and had been praised by His Majesty as the “Hero who saved Solainem.”
And this hero had come to the Imperial Capital to take the Apprentice and Formal Priest assessments, ultimately taking first place with an indisputable performance.
His divine spell talent was world-shaking. A Silver-rank divine spell that an ordinary priest couldn't comprehend in three hours, Leon could master with just a glance.
And his mastery of divine spells was like that of an old priest who had spent decades immersed in divine spell cultivation; he could easily crush Silver-rank priests while only at the Bronze rank.
During the assessment, even the presiding Archbishop, upon seeing Leon's performance, promised to nominate him as a God-Chosen candidate and publicly proclaimed, “With this child's talent, he will surely be the next crowned Pope of the Holy See!”
In short, the tales of Priest Leon's deeds had become incredibly exaggerated in the Imperial Capital, with some even claiming that Priest Leon was the mortal incarnation of the God of Sacred Light.
Listening to the discussions outside the carriage, Leon had a thought, and a Light Prayer orb glowing with warm light manifested atop the ox-steed carriage.
The warm light of the Light Prayer orb shone upon the pedestrians along the street, carrying a power that relieved fatigue and healed lingering ailments.
【Divine Spell Performance Rating: Good】
【Light Prayer XP +12】
【Healing XP +12】
【...】
“As expected, fame can increase audience feedback and improve the panel's rating.”
Being able to obtain a 【Good】 rating while casting Light Prayer under the bright sun was only possible because the feedback provided by the audience was substantial.
But could an average audience provide such feedback?
Clearly not.
Only when the audience knew Leon and was aware of his identity and status could they provide decent feedback.
It was like celebrity worship. If an ordinary person made a few noises, it was just a cow's lowing; but if a star or idol made a few noises, it was hailed as a heavenly voice.
Amidst the observation of the Imperial Capital's citizens, Leon arrived at the gates of the Holy See and stepped down from the ox-steed carriage.
Just as he was about to enter the Holy See, a court maid dressed in elegant palace attire stepped forward to greet him.
The court maid gave a dignified bow and said:
“Lord Leon, His Majesty wishes to speak with you. Please remain at the Holy See after the commendation ceremony.”
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