Even After Reincarnation, I'm Going to the Academy

Chapter 6

『 Translator – Divinity 』

"P-Priest."

"Yes?"

"Were you perhaps a paladin instead of a priest...?"

"No? I'm just a priest."

The people looking at me had expressions of disbelief.

Ignoring them, I applied more pressure to the foot pinning down the dark mage and asked,

"So, aren't you going to restrain him? Should I just kill him?"

Crunch!

As the sound of bones breaking echoed, the man who was called Reinhardt earlier hurriedly called for his servant.

"H-Hey! Bring a rope and magical restraints!"

Soon, even the knights came and bound the dark mage with restraints.

Not only that, but they also gagged him and completely crushed both of his hands.

It was a fatal injury and a suppression method mainly used on mages who formed contracts with familiars.

'But it would be a different story for someone with a high level of skill.'

An archmage, or a mage close to that level, can use magic even without chants or familiars.

This dark mage didn't seem to be at that level, though.

I squatted in front of the completely subdued dark mage, who was still unconscious.

"Priest! It's dangerous!"

"It's fine. If he moves, I'll just break a bone or two. Everyone, stay where you are and don't move. We need to check if there are any other dark mages."

After making everyone stay put, I examined him closely.

'He doesn't seem to be the one who cast the curse...'

He was too weak to be capable of casting such a curse.

His skill with weapons earlier was high-level, but as a mage?

'He seems capable of summoning skeletons and slightly above... but that's about it.'

His skill was far from enough to use a high-level curse that gradually eats away at one's life force.

There was another question.

'If he was discovered, he should have just run away. Why did he bother fighting when there was a priest, his natural enemy, present?'

Lost in thought, I stroked my chin when someone approached me from behind.

"...What is your identity?"

A voice I hadn't heard before.

I clearly told everyone to stay put?

Was it a noble?

With that question in mind, I turned around.

'Oh... a knight.'

A tall man in plate armor was looking down at me.

A knight! A symbol of strength and health!

However, I couldn't sense the typical fortitude or arrogance of a knight from him. Instead...

'Melancholy?'

Gloom, sadness, self-deprecation... all sorts of negative emotions swirled in his eyes.

He looked at me and spoke again.

"...How did you recognize the dark mage?"

"Just because."

"As expected... is it a difference in talent?"

"?"

Why was talent suddenly brought up?

"I... even though I was right next to him, even though I believe in God, I didn't notice him at all."

"That's only natural. You're not a paladin. Or are you a priest?"

"No... it's because my faith was lacking."

That didn't seem to be the case.

There's something called divine affinity.

It's about how well one's body can accept divinity. If your affinity is low, no matter how devout you are, you can't become a priest or a paladin.

'This man doesn't have it.'

His divine affinity was despairingly low.

No matter how much faith he held, his body couldn't contain divine power.

'Instead, he would be good at holding aura or mana.'

In other words, there was no need for him to despair.

It was a blessing to have talent in other areas and, as a knight, be able to hold aura or mana well.

"It's not about talent, but rather a difference in roles. I'm a priest, so I find the dark mage, and you're a knight, so you take care of him."

"But I couldn't even catch the dark mage."

"I was already fighting him. It couldn't be helped."

But the melancholy emanating from the knight didn't disappear.

'No, what is this?'

Was he a knight suffering from learned helplessness?

If this continued, I felt like I would lose my mind.

"For now, please have a seat over there. I need to examine you later. Oh, by any chance, do you know why the dark mage attacked me?"

"Huh?"

"Why do you think he tried to fight instead of running away?"

"Well... someone ignorant like me wouldn't know..."

"'Ignorant' asking 'ignorant,' so just think about it. I'm definitely not asking because I want a professional answer, so just say whatever comes to mind. Got it?"

At my words, the knight fell into thought for a moment, then slowly answered in his still listless voice.

"He might have underestimated you... or he might have been under a powerful spell, or ordered to fight if discovered... or maybe he was told to fight back even if it meant death if his identity was revealed? That way, his backer wouldn't be exposed."

Indeed.

If there isn't a priest present, a dark mage is someone who must be killed to be stopped.

It's rare to subdue them overwhelmingly like this instead of killing them.

If I didn't have divine power, I wouldn't have been able to knock him unconscious so easily.

'He has a backer...'

I glanced at the priest. That priest definitely possessed divine power, but he was weak.

He wouldn't be of any help in subduing a dark mage like this.

'Someone who would know that.'

Someone who planted a spy, or someone in that position themselves.

'For now, it seems like there's another dark mage inside.'

Just what did they do to not notice a dark mage in plain sight?

I stood up.

"...Was that helpful?"

I nodded at the knight's question.

"Yes, thanks to you, I think I know what to do now."

"As expected, you're on a different level."

"?"

"Even if I knew, I wouldn't have been able to do anything..."

Just how can he only say such disheartening things?

It's not like he's intentionally trying to provoke, he just seems to be speaking his mind...

'This is driving me crazy. Is he depressed?'

But he didn't seem like he was simply depressed.

'Or is it learned helplessness? A self-esteem issue?'

For now, it seemed like this knight needed some treatment.

I put on a smile that would make anyone think I was a devout believer and pulled out a piece of paper from inside my priest's robes.

"Try believing in this God."

"The God of War! She will help you overcome those who belittle or ignore you with force! All she asks for is your faith and a small offering! Wow! What a bargain!"

I made it out of boredom, but Arcana was horrified and burned them all, so this was the only one left.

"...What is this?"

"Try believing in this God."

"...I am a follower of the God of Light."

"You can always change Gods."

Of course, if I did that, lightning would probably strike me down.

"I'm giving you this, the only one I have."

"Why...?"

"Because you seem amazing? And if you keep saying such disheartening things, you'll lose your spirit before your opponent does. There are so many people who want to be a knight like you, so have some pride, have some pride."

I patted him on the shoulder and left.

I was worried that his gloom would spread to me if I stayed any longer.

'Thankfully, he's not following me.'

For now, I beckoned the priest who didn't recognize the dark mage right in front of him with my finger, and Niphella, who had quietly approached from behind, whispered,

"Priest. You seemed like a scammer just now."

"......"

That was a line I prepared diligently...

Seeing me visibly dejected, Niphella panicked and hurriedly changed his words.

"I meant that your speech was so eloquent that it sounded like a scam...!"

Isn't that still calling me a scammer?

Brrr.

As if agreeing with my thoughts, the bundle vibrated slightly.

– ⚔ ⚔ ⚔ –

The encampment was in chaos.

It was only natural.

They came to subjugate, but the target they were supposed to subjugate was hiding among them?

The honor that nobles valued so much was at stake.

With one mind, they shifted the blame to one person.

"Why didn't you recognize the dark mage even when he was right in front of you!"

To the priest, naturally.

One of the highest-paying professions on the continent was that of a priest.

A being capable of artificially performing miracles!

As such, priests were very territorial, and citizens without money or those with moderate wealth feared them.

Not only that.

Since paladins, whose main duty was to protect priests, also possessed considerable strength, it was not uncommon for them to behead people for insulting God.

But that was only if they were competent.

The priest who failed to recognize the dark mage, the continent's greatest enemy, right in front of him had proven his incompetence.

"Th-That's..."

"I'll have to report this directly to the Temple of Light."

"W-Wait...!"

"'A priest who couldn't even recognize a dark mage'... It seems I'll have to call another priest."

Marin's eyes wavered.

The profession of priest held influence and authority, but it wasn't eternal.

It was a kind of politics. If proven incompetent, a priest would have to leave the territory or return to the Temple of Light.

'My peaceful life...!'

Although not as grand as the capital, Karma territory was a fairly developed city, enough for him, who was from the capital, to live comfortably.

Thanks to this, Marin had lived a comfortable life, so to speak, 'freeloading' on prayers and healing offerings.

Honestly, if you can live comfortably, wouldn't you choose to?

He hadn't embezzled anything; he simply followed the manual sent from the Grand Temple, received money, and healed people as his superior taught him.

That's why, even though his skills weren't exceptional, he didn't worry too much when he participated in the dark mage subjugation in place of his superior.

'I thought it would be nothing much since they were only dealing with goblins...'

But to think there was a dark mage disguised as a servant, deceiving even his eyes, a priest, albeit a corrupt one?

This wasn't just about being expelled. If he was summoned to the Temple, he would surely be captured and 're-educated' by those fanatics.

No, before that, he would surely be caught and punished by the administrator and his superior who managed the temple.

'Th-That can't happen...!'

Unaware of his worries, Reinhardt, who didn't even know that his servant was actually a dark mage in disguise, coughed and further cornered him.

"I'll formally send a complaint about this matter. I would prefer it if that priest came. To subdue him single-handedly, isn't that a true priest!"

'These crazy bastards...'

Marin inwardly cursed at them for their nonsense.

'That priest was the strange one!'

Carrying a bundle on his back and all, to beat a dark mage unconscious with his bare hands?

That was something even a paladin couldn't do.

Furthermore, he didn't even chant a divine spell. All he used was a bit of divine power and physical ability!

'He didn't seem like a follower of the God of Light.'

There were various gods on the continent.

Among them, the God of Light, the most influential on the continent, was characterized by golden divine power.

But what he wielded was blood-red.

'Wait a minute. Blood-red?'

The training he received in the past came to mind.

—We need to respect and befriend followers of other gods.

—Is it to earn money?

—We need to make a living with people in the same industry. But don't mess with the followers of this god.

—?

—A priest of the God of War. If you mess with him, you'll lose your head.

—But he's a fellow believer...

—The last saintess lost her head because of that kind of naive thinking. Thankfully, she was resurrected.

—.........

—So, if you meet him, just prostrate yourself. Especially if he's fighting bare-handed, prostrate yourself even more and do as he says. Otherwise...

The priest in charge of training deliberately paused and made a gesture with his hand.

That priest was a former paladin who had dealt with all sorts of heinous criminals and dark mages, and he was incredibly strong.

The sight of such a powerful person speaking firmly and making a throat-cutting gesture was etched into Marin's mind.

Someone you should never mess with!

He was said to have disappeared around 200 years ago, but to think he would be here...!

Just then, Eugene walked over, pushing past the nobles.

Outwardly, he was a boy who had just turned 17, but to the priest who knew his identity, he looked like a demon.

"Follow me, brother."

He gave a gentle smile, but that was even more frightening.

Truly.

"And I'd like everyone to stay put. I need to check if you're a dark mage or not."

"...Alright. How much will it be?"

– ⚔ ⚔ ⚔ –

"...Alright. How much will it be?"

How much will it be? I was momentarily dumbfounded by his question.

'...Why would you charge money for this?'

Don't tell me, did they charge separately for everything like this?

I glanced at Niphella, and his expression was also serious.

'It must be true. Do they extort a lot?'

Whether they were dark mages or not, they might have been contaminated or become ill from exposure to magical power, so it was tricky to check or treat them.

But wasn't that something a priest should do as a matter of course?

'The benefits of not charging...'

There were none. There were plenty of people who mistook kindness for a right. Nobles were no different.

'I'll have to charge. How much do they usually charge?'

Should I ask?

I turned my gaze to the priest called Marin. The moment our eyes met, the priest flinched and prostrated himself.

"Hieeeek! I-I'm sorry!"

"?"

We just made eye contact?

"I haven't even hit you yet..."

"P-Please don't kill me!"

I swallowed the curse that was about to come out of my mouth.

'...Just what did they do to have such a terrible reputation!'