How a Former Pastor Lives in Another World

11

Duet (2)

The power Ray gained at the praise prayer meeting is simple.

When you sing praises, buffs are given.

The best example of utilizing this was the Solarien Choir, but the problem is that the power of praise presupposes a chorus.

In this era, praise means chorus by default.

Clergy with powers and regular choir members amplify the effect with one voice.

Of course, isn’t praise fundamentally a chorus? Due to this common sense, it’s rare to see praises sung alone.

Does this mean the power of praise is a useless ability if not performed in a chorus?

Not at all.

Firstly, the precondition is that the sound must resonate loudly, so using instruments is also allowed.

Twang~!

Ray plucked the strings of the prepared string instrument.

The lute, the precursor to the guitar, is an instrument commonly used by minstrels.

Ray skillfully plucked the lute, playing the prelude.

The power of praise has the downside of consuming divine energy and requiring individual experimentation for each hymn.

Ray, through daily singing, had discerned the effects of a few hymns.

Thus began Ray’s first praise.

“Cast away all your worries and fears. The Lord will protect you.”

“Abide under the wings of the Lord. He will guard you.”

“The Lord will keep you, anytime, anywhere.”

“The Lord will watch over you, always protecting you.”

With the resonance of the lute, Ray’s voice echoed through the space.

“Oh~ Brother Ray has a talent for instruments too.”

“He plays well. Our director also plays the organ occasionally.”

Clergy of this era are far from music.

Although choirs exist, unless they are groups focused on powers like the Solarien Choir, they are usually chorales formed with the support of believers.

A priest is, after all, a preacher who presides over the mass. It’s unheard of for a priest to raise their own voice.

However, in Korean Protestantism, that’s an absurd notion.

In Korean Protestantism, a pastor is an all-around entertainer.

If a pastor can’t play at least one instrument, it’s inevitable to hear whispers, “Other pastors play the saxophone and the guitar, but ours…”

“In the youth group, it’s the guitar; for the adults, the saxophone. Only then will the prayers truly be a hit.”

Comparisons are rife, but once you master one, the congregation will naturally warm up to you.

“Our pastor plays the saxophone so well.”

“Didn’t he also play the guitar for the youth group?”

“Thinking of joining the saxophone class after the weekend service?”

“Pastor Kim, the youth group’s guitar lesson slot is open. Could you take it?”

“Me? But I’m already in charge of the senior saxophone.”

“The times don’t overlap. Senior saxophone is at two on weekends. Youth guitar is at one on Saturday.”

“But still…”

“We’re counting on our young Pastor Kim.”

The more time the faithful spend at church and the more they feel a sense of belonging, the more they contribute not just to the weekend offerings, but also to tithes, church building funds, and overseas mission support!

You must sing hymns well, preach engagingly, play instruments, and have good social skills.

Perhaps the true entertainers of this era are Protestant pastors?

Anyway, after finishing the hymn, Ray confirmed that a buff had been applied.

“Defense power up!”

With an instrument accompanying the voice, what could only block a club now could block a blade at least once.

The effect was less than expected for something described as a power, but still, it was like gaining an extra life.

“Hmm? I feel weaker than expected?”

He considered singing a second hymn, but the spiritual energy consumption was greater than anticipated.

Was it slower to recover during solo practice?

Left with no choice, Ray stood before Sir Jake.

“I’m ready, Sir Jake.”

“Alright.”

Ray drew his dagger.

But against a holy knight like Sir Jake, such a small weapon seemed utterly insignificant.

Without proper armor, but with well-trained muscles and calluses, he seemed as impenetrable as a fortress.

“In a one-on-one fight, I’d obviously lose.”

Even bringing back Pastor Kim from a past life wouldn’t make it easy.

But Ray had a few advantages of his own.

“Sigh…!”

The dagger, held as if to be swung, was thrown in a flash.

It was a sophisticated surprise attack, and even the battle-hardened paladin had to widen his eyes and defend against the throw.

Clang!

Sir Jake deflected the dagger thrown by Ray with his wooden sword.

But while his vision was stolen by the dagger, Ray had closed the considerable distance in an instant.

Thud! A heavy strike hit Sir Jake’s wooden sword.

“Axe!”

The dagger was a feint. The real weapon was a hand axe.

“What strength…!”

More astonishing than the refined surprise attack was the overwhelming brute force.

Sir Jake is a paladin blessed by the sun.

The bright daylight, when the sun’s rays pour down, is when he is at his strongest.

But now, it is twilight, with the sunset gone and the moonlight shining down.

Naturally, this is when Sir Jake, the paladin, is at his weakest.

But the same goes for Ray.

Ray, too, is a holder of the sun’s blessing.

However, the sun’s blessing amplifies power in proportion to one’s inherent strength, so Sir Jake, lacking in basic physical strength, had waited until evening out of consideration for Ray.

But what of this monstrous strength?

Crash!

Sir Jake was pushed back by the axe swing wielded by Ray.

This terrifying brute force, not of a mere man, was similar to that of the paladin.

“To have such brute force even without the sun’s blessing?”

Bang!

Overwhelmed by the brute force, Sir Jake felt a sense of defeat.

Even a paladin with robust basic physical strength typically has only a 50% to 100% difference in power compared to an average adult male.

And yet, to have such a difference in power? Then, how much more would it be with the sun’s blessing?

“It’s monstrous. This is a monstrosity bestowed by Soltera.”

Sir Jake realized that not facing Ray during the day was not his own consideration but a reduction of Ray’s power.

Of course, this was Sir Jake’s misconception.

Sir Jake and Ray possess different understandings of the concept known as ‘sunlight.’

Moonlight is, after all, a reflection of sunlight.

Thus, the flexibility in interpreting moonlight as sunlight too created the difference.

Yet, despite being at least twice as weak, Sir Jake managed to withstand Ray’s axe blows.

‘He’s certainly seasoned.’

Although Ray has been away from real combat in his current life, he undeniably has experience fighting monsters.

Even compared to that, the knight was exceptional.

Clad in plate armor, wielding a longsword, and facing the evil breeds head-on, he is the strongest force of the Holy Nation.

That is the Paladin.

‘But…!’

Crack! The wooden sword split apart.

Unable to withstand the terrible force of the properly edged hand axe swung with dreadful power.

In desperation, Sir Jake kicked up his knee to the abdomen, but the protective barrier wrapped around his body with the power of hymns thwarted it.

“Argh!”

Sir Jake retreated to avoid the attack.

Looking at the tattered wooden sword, he regretted not bringing a real sword, evident in his expression.

‘Worth a try?’

Without giving a break, Ray, gripping the axe tightly, charged in.

Whoosh!

The sound of cutting through the air menacingly as he swung down towards Sir Jake.

Convinced that receiving it would shatter the wooden sword, Sir Jake’s muscles twitched as if pulsating.

Unlike previous sparring, his life felt genuinely threatened, and his reaction changed.

“Huff…!”

But the sudden intensification of movement left him breathless.

And what was maddening were the daggers thrown in between the axe strikes.

“Argh…!”

He reflexively caught the flying dagger. Had he not grabbed the handle, his palm would have been torn.

Ray’s eyes widened at the sight.

‘No way, he caught it with his hand.’

The trickery of exploiting openings is, after all, just trickery.

True masters are not easily fooled.

After all, unlike monsters like vampires or werewolves, humans can die from even trivial attacks.

That’s why they have an exceptional sense of crisis.

Isn’t that why they don armor and arm themselves thoroughly?

‘But I’m not wearing armor right now!’

The nature of a sparring match and the stance of an instructor facing a novice.

Sir Jake, who is without a wooden sword or even armor.

Ray, trusting in the protective barrier granted by the power of hymns, plunged in at once.

“Huh?!”

He quickly countered with the wooden sword, but it was just that—a wooden sword. Ray’s protective barrier shattered, neutralizing the wooden sword’s strike.

‘Wow…’

Ray was surprised in his own way.

He hadn’t expected the protective barrier that could fend off bladed attacks to be broken by a wooden sword.

It was the result of not just strength, but also skillful swordsmanship.

Indeed, a holy knight is a holy knight.

‘But I have won!’

Ray brandished his axe.

The axe that allowed an attack and then struck down.

A wound like this would heal quickly for a holy knight.

Without hesitation, Ray swung his axe down…

Clang!

“Eh?”

The axe was repelled.

Ray was momentarily stunned.

And then he realized.

Sir Jake had also received the buff of the hymn.

Oh no!

The power of hymns is a buff-type power.

The divine protection of Soltera’s sons and daughters.

In other words, all the believers present had received the blessing of the hymn Ray had called upon.

“I somehow felt a lot weaker than usual…”

Whoosh! The broken wooden sword swung and stopped just beneath Ray’s chin.

“Ah, I lost.”

“…”

Raising both hands, Ray looked around. Not just Sir Jake, but everyone in the hall was looking at him.

A torrent of surprise and astonishment was pouring towards Ray.

It was to be expected.

Ray, who had just become a trainee member, had been pushing back a holy knight throughout.

What was even more astonishing was the power of the hymn that Ray invoked.

A blessing given not only to himself and Sir Jake but to everyone.

The implications were significant.

‘Ray Anderson’s power of the hymn is much stronger than the typical one!’

‘To think he could bestow blessings on over a hundred people without a choir?’

‘Isn’t he practically a one-man choir?’

Are there others capable of such a feat?

“A saint…”

Gulp, someone swallowed their words, and the sound echoed.

Yet, no voice of denial was heard.

That’s how shocking the sparring between the holy knight and the trainee member had been today.

***

“Sir Jake.”

The man who stopped Sir Jake, who was heading to the headquarters of the Holy Knights of the Church Nation, was dressed in priestly robes.

“Priest Moro.”

Sir Jake nodded in greeting to Priest Moro.

“What brings an Inquisitor of the Eclipse to the headquarters of the Holy Knights?”

“I have a small task and came to request support.”

Support?

Sir Jake guessed what Priest Moro had come for.

“An inquisition?”

“There’s news of a witch sighting in the northern village of Sanhella. She’s been captured and is awaiting trial, but we need to ascertain the truth.”

“Witch…”

It’s a term that collectively refers to women who have made contracts with demons.

Like magicians, they are malevolent heretics who derive magical power from contracts with demons to cast spells.

Dealing with heresy has generally been the responsibility of the Eclipse Agency.

“There seems to be a lot of troubling news from the north lately.”

“It must be because there are many pagans who do not worship Lord Soltera.”

The north is naturally full of pagan barbarians and exiled criminals.

The closed-off nature of the northerners has contributed to this as well.

“If she’s already been captured, she can’t be that great of a witch.”

“Yes, so I’m thinking of taking a few trainees for practice.”

Speaking of trainees, Sir Jake thought of Ray Anderson, whom he had dueled today.

‘To think he’s a trainee… His martial prowess and judgment are unbelievable. Above all…’

He’s resolute.

So resolute that it’s chilling how he doesn’t hesitate.

Humans, by nature, are full of hesitation when it comes to cutting down another.

Becoming accustomed to that horrifying sensation takes nothing but time and experience.

But what about Ray Anderson?

His unbelievable strength and the power of his blessings are secondary issues.

He would have acted the same even before he gained his powers.

‘The moves he made were seasoned. Each one was a deadly assassin’s strike aimed to be fatal.’

Of course, Sir Jake, being a holy knight, had thought he wouldn’t be easily defeated, which is why he had initiated the duel, but if that determination were directed at heretics?

‘He broke the prisoner’s neck without hesitation.’

Indeed. He’s a born killer.

It’s fortunate that his zealotry is directed in the right way.

‘Or is it really fortunate? I’m not sure.’

Sir Jake began to worry about Ray’s path.

What would happen if that fanaticism were swayed in the wrong direction?

“Father Moro.”

“Yes?”

“How is Ray Anderson?”

Upon hearing that, Priest Moro nodded in agreement.

The tale of Ray Anderson was already famous even within Eclipse.

Above all, the report from the armed priest, Maxell, who was outside, was shocking.

“There was no hesitation in his hands. He’s slain the sorcerer and his minions who had unleashed a monster upon Obelo village.”

“Yes, it would be hard to find such qualities even if you searched the entire continent.”

He wasn’t a trained inquisitor or a paladin, yet he killed a sorcerer.

Even if the sorcerer wasn’t of the highest level, he was still a bona fide demon contractor.

“Ray Anderson’s qualities are special. Not only has he already begun speaking in tongues and composing hymns, but he has also received the Holy Spirit’s blessing. Such talent and quality were only found in saints.”

“Saints…!”

As the weight of that word sank in, Priest Moro’s eyes widened.

“The higher-ups have already taken notice of Ray Anderson. Mark my words. Whether he joins the knighthood or Eclipse, the next directorship will be his.”

“Sir Jake, a senior knight of the Paladin Order, holds him in such high regard?”

“This mission. Take Ray Anderson with you. Isn’t he the ‘youngest sorcerer hunter’? Who knows, maybe the title of ‘youngest witch hunter’ will come about too.”

The next day.

Ray was called to the inquisition office while training in the practice yard with Henry.