Temple

The Goddess of Freedom Temple in Castleton City stood on the eastern end of Brown Street near the harbour in the Lower District, built against a cliff's Rock Wall.

Limited by its location, the Goddess of Freedom Temple was not very large. Yet the fact that it could spread the teachings of the Goddess of Freedom in the Elven World, where the Moon God Temple prevailed, was proof enough of the outstanding diplomatic skills of His Excellency Felix Mitchell, High Priest of the Goddess of Freedom Temple.

However, the reason this foreign faith had been able to gain a foothold in the Elven Kingdom was also partly due to the Moon God Temple itself.

As the largest religious order in the Elven Kingdom, the Moon God Temple accepted only the worship of elves. It had always shut its doors to Half-Elves, mixed-blood elves, and members of other races who came to the Elven Kingdom.

The Lower District of Castleton City lay right beside the harbour.

Although it was merely a fishing port, ships from the Wood Elf Kingdom and the Dark Moon Elf Kingdom still docked there. This was the fundamental reason why the residents of the Lower District near Castleton Harbour came from such a mixture of races.

Everyone had grown accustomed to this mixed way of life, and such an area naturally became a place for the Goddess of Freedom Temple to spread its teachings.

After all, the people living here also sought faith...

The usual worshippers of this Goddess of Freedom Temple were the mixed-blood elves and Half-Elves of the Lower District.

Ms. Belinda, a Silver Moon Elf, was a devout follower of the Moon God Temple, so Roy had hardly ever set foot inside this temple.

Roy passed by the entrance of this temple almost every day and often saw the statue of the Goddess of Freedom at the center of the front courtyard. As he stepped through the temple gates, he found that the courtyard was not large. Aside from the Goddess's statue in the middle, neatly trimmed low hedges formed a ring around it.

The courtyard floor was laid with polished stone slabs, their gaps filled with mortar. At the entrance to the Main Hall stood two statues of Priests. One held a two-handed staff, while the other brandished a flail and cradled a bronze-bound book with a half-meter chain attached to it.

The Priest on the right, holding the staff, wore robes, while the Priest on the left, holding the flail, wore heavy armor. Both looked imposing.

Perhaps because something had been stolen yesterday, a Priest now stood at the entrance to the temple's Main Hall.

When he saw Roy enter through the gates and pause briefly in the courtyard before climbing the steps to the Main Hall, he immediately came forward to meet him.

"Sorry, there's no gathering today. The temple is temporarily closed to visitors!"

The Priest in dark red robes said this to Roy.

"I came here... because I wanted to ask one of the temple's Priests to determine whether I possess divine magic."

Roy explained to him.

The Priest looked Roy over from head to toe, paused, then said, "Then please follow me."

Rather than taking Roy into the temple's Main Hall, he led him around it along a stone path to the back courtyard.

Many cypress trees had been planted around the Main Hall. They stood packed tightly together, more like a wall of trees.

The temple's Main Hall rose far above those cypresses, and its outline could be clearly seen from outside. That was why Roy had never paid much attention to this row of cypress trees before.

Only after Roy followed the Priest through the dense cypress wall did he discover that there was a three-story bell tower beside the Main Hall. Hidden behind the thick foliage, it looked like an annex of the Main Hall. Only upon getting closer did he realize that the two buildings were actually separate.

There was also a well beneath the bell tower, though Roy had no idea whether it contained fresh water.

To the left of the bell tower, behind the Main Hall and against the surrounding wall, stood a row of two-story buildings connected to the Main Hall. A covered corridor linked the outer sides of the small buildings together.

They appeared to be the Priests' living quarters.

The Priest led Roy to the third room in the row of residences, knocked on the door from outside, and, after hearing a response from within, immediately said:

"Priest Reid, someone outside wants to test for divinity."

The Wooden Door before them was pushed open from inside.

A Priest in a dark red robe trimmed with silver stepped out. He wore a silver crown on his head and held a scepter topped with a gemstone.

Priest Reid stood before Roy. There were no wrinkles on his face, and Roy could not tell how old he was...

Priest Reid was actually human, which made Roy feel unexpectedly close to him.

Living in a city filled with elves, Roy often felt like an outsider.

Although Ms. Belinda had repeatedly emphasized that Roy was a Half-Elf, Roy felt that he was human.

When Priest Reid looked at Roy, his gaze was gentle. He noticed Roy's ears, which differed from those of an elf.

"Come with me."

His voice was calm yet cool. He turned and walked toward the end of the corridor, then climbed the stairs to the second floor.

Roy hurried after him.

The Priest who had received Roy then left.

Roy followed Priest Reid into a room that looked like a confessional. It was not large. There was a speaking hatch in one wall, with a table and two chairs beside it.

Priest Reid had Roy sit across from him.

Roy sat in the chair and casually looked around the dim room...

Priest Reid placed one hand on the table, then took out a Magic Crystal, a square sand tray, and a glass hourglass framed in bronze.

"Our tests generally consist of three steps. First, we use a Magic Crystal to check whether you possess divinity. Even if you do not, there is no need to worry. I can use hypnosis to send you into a dream and see whether you have received a revelation from the Goddess. Even if you have received no revelation at all, I can teach you a few simple prayers. As long as you can recite them fluently before the sand runs out and gain even a trace of Holy Light Power, you will have the potential to become a Novice Priest."

"Because a devout heart will gradually allow you to master these divine spells. The Goddess will not abandon any believer. Your identity and race have little to do with it."

Priest Reid carefully explained the testing procedure to Roy...

Roy sat at the table, rubbing his hands together as he explained to Priest Reid, "Actually, this is what happened... The appraiser at the Magic Guild told me to come here and give it a try."

After saying that, Roy ignored Priest Reid's awkward expression and laid his right hand flat on the table. With only a slight focus of his mind, a flame the size of a firefly appeared in his palm.

Priest Reid stared at the Holy Light in Roy's palm in surprise. Then, he gathered a candle-sized ball of light at his own fingertip and moved his finger closer. With a gentle push, the two lights merged together with remarkable harmony.

"This truly is Holy Light. It means you have the ability to learn divine spells. Very good. This light is very pure."

Priest Reid's eyes brightened as he looked at Roy.

His voice grew somewhat excited as well.

"Um, what's your name?"

"Roy."

"Roy, are you willing to learn divine spells from me?" Priest Reid asked sincerely.

If a devout believer had heard Priest Reid ask that, they would surely have agreed without hesitation.

But Roy was not one. He had merely come to identify what the ball of light in his palm was so that he could choose a more suitable field of study when he entered Elf Academy.

"Um... may I ask what benefits there are to learning divine spells? Do I have to join the temple? Does the temple have any rules?" Roy asked hesitantly.

Priest Reid was somewhat surprised. He had not expected the young man before him to refrain from eagerly agreeing at once and instead ask several questions in succession.

Those who could usually gather Holy Light had almost all accumulated Holy Light Power through reciting prayers every day.

They already had a certain foundation and were believers in the Goddess of Freedom.

Clearly, Roy was not like that. Holy Light Power had appeared within his body, and only then had he come to have it identified...

Once Priest Reid sorted out the situation, he calmed down.

"Let me answer your first question first... Isn't learning itself a benefit?"

Reid asked Roy in return.

Roy drew his neck in slightly and muttered inwardly, It is a good thing, but I'm about to start school. I can't study both at once...

Seeing Roy lower his gaze and stare silently at the tabletop, Priest Reid knew that his words had failed to move him.

"To learn divine spells, you do indeed need to join our Goddess of Freedom Temple. Then you will become a Novice Priest of the temple," Priest Reid continued.

There were currently only three Priests and two Novice Priests in the temple, so Priest Reid was eager to recruit new Novice Priests...

He continued, "Once you become a Novice Priest, you will need to follow the temple's rules and regulations. However, those rules are quite lenient and will not affect your daily life."

He paused, then added, "Also, after becoming a Novice Priest, you can enjoy many conveniences provided by the temple."

He had expected this to spark Roy's interest, but Roy merely raised his head and looked at Priest Reid, as though quietly waiting to hear more.

"For example, you can freely enter our library," Priest Reid said.

Roy could only complain inwardly: Elf Academy's library is twice as big as the Main Hall of the Goddess of Freedom Temple. What's so special about a library...

"Learning divine spells can increase your own strength," Priest Reid added.

Feeling that this was not vivid enough, he raised the scepter in his hand and recited a prayer toward Roy. A pillar of light then descended upon Roy.

Roy felt a wave of freshness wash over his entire body. It felt like having just taken a bath and lying on a terrace at night while the sea breeze swept over him in gusts...

Was this divine magic? Once he became proficient, should he open a bathhouse in the Upper District of Castleton? Roy felt rather lost and thought there was truly no need to waste time here.

"So... will you consider it? Since you possess Holy Light, it means you were born to be a Priest."

Priest Reid sat across from Roy and spoke proudly.