When the plot-skips players into the game world

Today's afternoon class was one of the few specialized courses that freshmen at the Theological Seminary could access.

Therefore, Aiwass and Lily did not wear the usual blue and white school uniform, but instead donned the Seminary's distinct uniform. It was the white robe set that looked and functioned almost exactly like the priest's attire, except for the absence of holy ranks.

— Because this class was called "Prayer Studies."

It mainly taught the etiquette and procedures for issuing different prayers to the Nine Pillar Gods, using different materials on different occasions based on various purposes and needs.

Scriptures, prayers, offerings, rites, taboos...

This class had no difficulty whatsoever; the only challenge was the massive amount of memorization. Because there was so much to memorize, it took from the first semester of freshman year to the third semester of sophomore year to cover all the content.

At the time, Bishop Mathers had not taught Aiwass the "pray" Divine Art, simply because it was not teachable. The main purpose of the Theological Seminary was to focus two years on teaching these prospective priests how to pray to the Nine Pillar Gods—aside from the effect of recovering mana, some ritualistic Divine Arts also had to be used through prayer.

Although priests were mainly affiliated with the Candle Master, they were ultimately priests serving all Nine Pillar Gods. In other words, they also needed to understand and manage the faith, heritage, and rites of the other eight Pillar Gods. During festivals related to the other gods, priests would change into their garments and hold corresponding ceremonies.

Thus, priests were among the first professions in the nine Paths to have in-depth contact with knowledge from other Paths.

And the lecturer for this class, "Miss Maya," seemed quite young.

She had deep chestnut-colored curly hair tied into a ponytail that rested on one shoulder. She wore a red bishop's robe identical to Bishop Mathers', her pupils a gentle, watery light blue.

Although she asked the students to call her "Miss," she looked to be only in her twenties. Her lively and cheerful disposition was not only well-liked by the students, but also made her appear much younger.

Even compared to Lily, who was always serene and gently smiling like an elder sister, Miss Maya seemed even younger.

The students also liked this lecturer, who, nominally, was a teacher but acted more like an upperclassman.

But only Aiwass knew... unless there was a surprise, this must be the youthful effect brought by the Fire Rite Skill.

She must truly be a "Miss," a woman who was married and possibly had children. It was the Rite of Fire that allowed her body to regenerate to its prime state, healing the pains and aging she had endured. It brought her back to the youthful body of her girlhood... and with her physical rejuvenation, her mental state and character were likewise revived.

"...Huh?"

When Miss Maya first saw Lily pushing Aiwass into the classroom, she paused momentarily, looking at him in surprise.

A blue-haired girl who passed by Aiwass laughed and explained, "This is Aiwass, Miss Maya. Did you see the 'Glass Staircase Daily' the day before yesterday? He's the big Detective of that day~"

"Mr. Aiwass's legs are not very good, so he needs to use a wheelchair. Why not... give him a diagnosis?"

"That shouldn't be necessary, Angela..."

Miss Maya shook her head: "You go to your seat first."

— Why would he need my diagnosis? If it could really be healed, he can just use the Rite of Fire himself, can't he?

Maya looked at Aiwass again with a peculiar curiosity, performing a strange gesture respectfully: Maya extended her hand and lightly tapped above her head and above each shoulder, forming a triangle in the air.

Aiwass, in turn, just smiled warmly, brought his hands together with thumbs crossed, bowed his head, and closed his eyes to pray.

Seeing this, Maya's attitude towards Aiwass noticeably improved.

— This gesture was specially taught to Aiwass by Bishop Mathers after discovering his rapid mastery of the Fire Rite Skill and his encounter with the Path of Devotion, allowing him to perform a progression ceremony and reach the second Energy Level.

Transcendents of the same Path could sense the Path aura and the approximate intensity of others in their proximity. This meant that all Transcendents of the Path of Devotion in the school could detect that Aiwass had stepped into Transcendence and had completed a progression ceremony to reach the second Energy Level.

This was essentially the graduation standard.

And the gesture taught to Aiwass by Mathers was a secret sign of identity confirmation among the clergy of the Nine Pillars Divine Church. It was to ensure that Aiwass would not be treated differently upon returning to the school.

Maya's gesture meant that she served the Church and held the rank of a bishop with a mitre.

It was her querying Aiwass: who guided you on the Path of Devotion to obtain this?

After all, not all priests came from the Theological Seminary.

How many people could graduate from the Theological Seminary each year… Many township churches followed a mentorship system. They taught hands-on from a very young age, and upon learning, they would automatically join the Church. As long as one was a "Bishop," they had the authority to evangelize and teach those with the qualifications for the Path of Devotion the Sacred Arts.

There was another possibility: that no one taught them. They could have become proficient by studying the mystical texts of theology on their own, and after grasping the Mystical Skills of the Path of Devotion, embarked on this path. In such a case, his profession might not even be "Priest." Miss Maya's attitude towards Aiwass might then not be so friendly.

Because that would mean acquiring the supernatural powers corresponding to that Path and enjoying its social status without fulfilling the duties or following the rules.