Priests in the Temple

"You met that naga assassin?"

Jasper was startled. Leaning back in his chair, he stared wide-eyed at Roy.

"Yeah!"

He leaned forward and stared at the Linen Bandage wrapped around Roy's body.

"Let me see your injuries."

Only after seeing the dried hemostatic ointment and scabs on Roy's back did Jasper begin to panic a little.

An awkward look appeared on his face.

"Roy, well... I have a private purification job tonight, so I need to save some Holy Light Power. You know how difficult it's become to gather Holy Light during prayers lately, so... I'm not trying to brush you off. I really need to keep some Holy Light."

Jasper slapped his forehead and continued.

"Let's go get Abbott. That guy has been praying day and night lately. Maybe he's gained something from it."

Roy had not expected Jasper to have picked up a private job. In that case, they could only go find Abbott.

"I saw Abbott in the gatehouse. I'll go find him now."

Perhaps because he felt bad about turning Roy down, Jasper volunteered, "I'll come with you..."

The two left the Study Room and stood in the dormitory corridor. Roy asked Jasper, "Jasper, are you going to treat someone tonight?"

After closing the door, Jasper turned and headed downstairs with Roy, speaking as they walked.

"Treatment jobs are generally hard to come by. Ordinary Healing Potions only cost fifty Kole at the Potion Shop. If the injured person is a Silver Moon Elf, there's even less need for us. They can receive Tree of Life Sap from the Moon Goddess, and the priests at the Moon God Temple have healing divine spells too. They simply wouldn't come looking for us."

Before Roy could ask another question, Jasper continued, "We're going to purify ghosts on a ship."

Several Great Sea Ships were docked at the harbor. Roy knew that much.

Jasper did not hide anything from him. He already regarded Roy as one of his own.

He said to Roy, "Sea ships often put into port. While they're sailing, some crew members die aboard due to all sorts of accidents. Their souls often cannot cross the Nether River and become wandering spirits on the ship. That's when priests like us use Holy Light to purify them."

Roy had heard the stories about the Nether River and its ferryman countless times.

It was said that beyond the Nether River lay a place called Despair Plain, a plain covered in Yellow Springs Flowers—Other Shore Flowers.

All souls unable to enter God Country after death had to go there...

Roy was also very curious about those wandering ghosts.

It was said that only souls filled with immense resentment after death, or souls that had not been guided onward, remained in this world as lost undead. Those undead would either be purified, or wait for their Soul Fire to burn out before dispersing into the wind.

Clearly, Jasper's private job was to purify those lost undead.

Roy hesitated for a moment before carefully making a request. "Jasper, can you take me with you tonight?"

Jasper had not expected Roy to make such a request...

"You want to go have a look?"

Roy nodded. "Yeah, I'm a little curious."

Jasper hesitated slightly.

But on second thought, since Roy was already a Novice Priest in the temple, he would naturally encounter such things sooner or later.

"All right. Once you learn purification in the future, you can join us completely. Of course, you can also work alone. As long as you're in Castleton Harbour, you won't have to worry about finding business," Jasper said frankly to Roy.

The two passed by the well and entered the courtyard in front of the temple.

Priest Anderson, who had been sitting beside the pool, was no longer there. Roy looked back toward the temple's main hall, but it was quiet there as well.

The entire temple was very quiet whenever there was no gathering. No one ran around, and no one shouted or made a racket.

Jasper looked at the statue of the Goddess of Freedom in the center of the pool. His steps suddenly slowed, and his gaze settled on the stone-carved Holy Prayer in her hands as he asked Roy, "Roy, what's your dream?"

Roy slowed down with Jasper and replied casually, "I want to understand this world as much as I can, to see whether this world is connected to other worlds..."

"Of course it is. There are quite a few, actually!"

Jasper gave Roy an answer without hesitation, then said evenly, "But... we don't call them other worlds. We usually call them planes. As far as I know, we've discovered at least a thousand planes of all sizes so far. Some are extremely rich, while others suffer endless disasters. And even when we discover new planes, we usually don't easily alter their environments. At most, we transplant a Tree of Life there."

Following behind Jasper, Roy could not help asking, "Jasper, then do you know where I can learn about these planes?"

Jasper shook his head and patted Roy's shoulder reassuringly.

"Those are things only high-ranking elves from the upper class get to encounter. Half-Elves like you and me won't find it easy to enter that circle. And even if we did, learning about every plane wouldn't be realistic. Information about each plane is extremely valuable, and those Elven Nobles aren't willing to share it with others."

"I see!"

It was the first time someone had talked to Roy about such things, and it all felt very new to him.

Jasper arrived at the gatehouse by the temple entrance. Abbott was still inside, praying earnestly.

Jasper knocked on the open door.

Abbott opened his eyes and saw Jasper, a puzzled look appearing in them.

"Jasper, did those people change their minds? Isn't the appointment tonight anymore?"

"The arrangement over there hasn't changed." Jasper walked in and said, "Abbott, I need a favor. Roy got a minor injury this morning. You know my current situation, so I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you this time..."

"Oh, why didn't you just tell me earlier? Is my Minor Healing somehow worse than Jasper's?"

Abbott did not refuse. Instead, he smiled and teased Roy directly.

Standing at the doorway, Roy explained awkwardly, "I saw you praying in the gatehouse earlier, so I didn't want to disturb you..."

Abbott had Roy sit inside the gatehouse.

The cramped space could not fit all three of them, so Jasper could only stand outside.

Abbott picked up the prayer book beside him and examined Roy's injuries as he complained, "Ah, Holy Light has become harder and harder to gather lately. No matter how I pray, there's no effect at all. Roy, how did you manage to advance under these circumstances..."

Roy felt that even if he told the truth again, neither of them would believe him.

Even if someone did believe him, they would most likely regard him as an outsider...

Whether humans or elves, everyone liked finding companions who had things in common with them. They were used to rejecting those who were different.

Roy answered vaguely, "I just felt the Holy Light Particles around me constantly merging into my body, and then I advanced without even realizing it."

Abbott slammed his palm hard against the table and said loudly, "It really is just as I guessed! Roy advanced entirely because Holy Light Power naturally merged into his body. This can only happen to low-level Novice Priests. If the two of us wanted to advance that way, it would probably take decades..."

Jasper was dumbfounded as well. "It can't be that exaggerated, can it?"

"Why can't it?" Abbott said again, filled with despair. "I originally thought that perhaps some of the Goddess's Holy Radiance had slipped through and shone upon the Elf Continent. I never expected it all to be my imagination."

Seeing Abbott's low spirits, Jasper hurriedly reminded him, "Hey, be careful. Failure is the greatest waste."

Abbott patted the prayer book and said confidently, "With this... how could I possibly fail?"

As the three chatted in the narrow gatehouse at the temple entrance, Abbott finished treating Roy.

When Minor Healing fell upon Roy, he clearly felt his scabbed wounds begin to heal rapidly once more.

Just as Roy stood up and tried moving his body, Jasper said to him, "Roy, try not to ask High Priest Reed and the others to handle this sort of thing in the future..."

Roy looked at Jasper in confusion.

Jasper said, "If you go to High Priest Reed, I'd guess he probably won't refuse. But at next week's temple gathering, we still need him to pour Holy Light Power into the pool to maintain the basic effects of the holy water..."

Abbott sat back down in the gatehouse and lowered his voice. "Has Priest Anderson's Holy Light still not recovered?"

Jasper was Priest Anderson's student in name, so he knew more about Priest Anderson's situation. A trace of worry appeared on his face as he said, "Teacher's mood has been a little off lately. I feel like he looks at everyone as if they might be the thief who stole the Holy Grail..."

Abbott sighed too and muttered quietly, "If the Holy Grail were still here, life wouldn't be this difficult, would it?"

Roy suddenly remembered that there were three priests in the temple and asked, "What about Priest Theodore?"

Abbott chuckled and said casually, "He's the temple's golden signboard now. Whenever the elven nobles in the city have needs in that regard, he's almost always the one who handles them. So Teacher is outside nearly all day. And even if you do run into him in the temple, he'll most likely refuse. Even when I begged him, it didn't work. He won't easily waste Holy Light Power. A few days ago, he even argued with Teacher Anderson over this."

Jasper put an arm around Roy's shoulders, waved to Abbott, and headed toward the rear courtyard with Roy as he said, "So you're right to come to us for this kind of thing. If we can help, we definitely will. Of course, it would be best if you learned Minor Healing yourself. Basic divine spells aren't difficult. Just practice more in your spare time."