Cheating Is Cheating?

When Iver saw Bishop Mathers again, he was taken aback by his youth.

Bishop Mathers was not wearing his red bishop's robes today, but rather a thick, off-white wool shirt with elbow pads.

With his dark brown curly hair, amber eyes, and a vibrant, confident gaze and smile, he looked every bit the successful young man in his thirties.

Iver paused for a moment before realizing that this was the true appearance that Bishop Mathers had shown him after teaching Iver Sacrificial Fire Method.

However, the extremely aged "old bishop" had left a very deep impression on Iver during their first meeting... He even forgot that the aged appearance was deliberately created by Bishop Mathers to demonstrate Sacrificial Fire Method to Iver. Whenever Mathers was mentioned, he would unconsciously think of "that old bishop".

Recalling Ms. Maya's appearance, Iver realized that Bishop Mathers and Ms. Maya were indeed siblings. They did look somewhat alike.

Bishop Mathers is already forty-six years old this year, so Ms. Maya must be getting on in years too...

Upon opening the door and seeing Iver, Bishop Mathers was visibly taken aback. He had clearly sensed the depth of Iver's cultivation.

"... It really is the Second Level."

Bishop Mathers opened his eyes wide, hesitated for a long time, and finally sighed in a low voice.

Last week, he imparted four Sacred Art to Iver and witnessed him embark on the Dedication Path.

While advancing to the Second Level in a week is indeed frightening, this efficiency is actually understandable.

After all, Iver was exceptionally talented, mastering the "Fire Sacrifice" technique instantly. If he went back and practiced a little, and then figured out the "Blessing," he could advance to the Second Level.

But the last Promotion Ritual took place just the day after Bishop Mathers imparted the Sacred Art to him.

In other words, Iver completed the advancement in just one day.

Considering the materials and procedures for the advancement ceremony, which require advance preparation, Iver may need to use much less time.

"Unbelievable, absolutely unbelievable..."

"I can only say that I have extraordinary talent."

Iver laughed.

Mathers shook his head repeatedly, unable to speak.

When Mathers saw the news in the newspaper, he immediately recognized the "Red Hilt Sword." His first thought was that Iver might have already embarked on the path of the extraordinary and obtained a sufficient pool of Fire Attribute mana through other professions. That would explain why he had the mana to activate the key and use the "Holy Sword Art" sealed within.

Bishop Mathers lent the chapel key to Iver only so that Iver could use its "Flame Infusion" effect for self-defense—it only required a minimal amount of magic to unleash a flaming blade, and it still looked quite intimidating. He didn't even explain this effect of the Holy Sword Art, which could only be used once a month, to Iver.

Because a First Level priest could never use Holy Sword Art.

Upon seeing the news, Mathers ' first reaction was to suspect he had been deceived... he was even a little angry. He was planning to confront Iver today to demand an explanation.

But after seeing Iver in person, he realized that he had indeed misunderstood him.

... Luckily, he hadn't explained to Sherlock or Mina why he was angry. He had originally planned to ask them in front of them after Iver arrived... Fortunately, he was composed enough to avoid making a fool of himself.

Otherwise, if word gets back home, my parents and Meiya will laugh at me.

But Mathers still found it somewhat incomprehensible.

"How can someone in this world really advance in just one day?" "... You little brat."

A multitude of complex emotions swirled on his lips, but Mathers couldn't express them or swallow them down. In the end, he could only sigh helplessly, "You were actually pretending not to have learned the Blessing Art back then, weren't you?"

"Yes, Bishop Mathers."

Iver certainly knew what Mathers was thinking.

He didn't expose him, but just smiled and said softly, "To learn the Church's four Sacred Art on your first encounter with supernatural power—that would be too shocking if word got out, and might cause unnecessary trouble."

"You taught me Sacred Art ahead of time because I was in trouble. Since it was for this goal, I wanted to avoid causing as much trouble as possible... When I first learned 'Fire Worship,' your reaction made me realize that I was abnormal—so I deliberately didn't show my Blessing Art later. But actually, I had already learned it by then."

Yes, I used a cheat code. He was very talented, but he wasn't at the level to learn fire worship instantly. That was a miracle achieved through the power of "experience."

But just because it's open doesn't mean it's open! Didn't I earn the experience points myself?!

Oh, I stole the kill. Never mind then.

"... You are right, Iver."

Mathers sighed and led Lily and Iver toward the living room, "If someone had told me before that someone could learn the Blessing Art in a day, I would have thought they were dreaming."

"Do you know that you've mastered the Blessing Art faster than the Eternal Pope? If you had displayed that talent that day, I probably would have transferred you directly to the Theocracy... because your fate is no longer something I can decide. The Pope might personally write to His Majesty to demand your return."

Offering fire is one thing, but blessing is the most difficult of the Sacred Art. Many apprentice pastors get stuck on this. Even four years of university may not be enough to fully understand it and advance to the Second Level, which is why they cannot enter the church and receive a papal crown.

Mathers also took a week to master the Blessing Art, which was the fastest he had ever seen among the priests he knew.

How ridiculous. He once thought he was a genius, but now it seems he was nothing more than a frog in a well with a limited view of the sky.

"No wonder those Demon Scholar came specifically to capture you."

Mathers couldn't help but exclaim, "Your talent has reached an abnormal level. I feel you may have been blessed by one of the Candlelight Apostles... That ritual was very large, like it summoned a high-ranking demon, and in the end Bureau of Supervision couldn't find that demon—looking back now, it should be the same Deformed Limb Demon that attacked you this time."

"I was wondering at the time... you weren't a willing sacrifice. If you were forcibly taken away and sacrificed, how could you summon a demon of this caliber? But now it all makes perfect sense."

Mathers could only earnestly remind him, "Be careful, Iver. Advancing too quickly isn't necessarily a good thing."

"The higher the energy level, the stronger the call from the path, and the more fanatical a person becomes."

"We should indeed follow the Path of Dedication, but I actually think... we should still stay true to ourselves. We should always leave some room for maneuver and not try our best to force ourselves to advance—otherwise, we might not have enough energy to fight against the influence of the path itself."

The young priest with dark brown curly hair said somewhat helplessly, "This was originally what I planned to tell you when you reached the Third Level, so that you could advance to the Fourth Level later, consolidate your realm, and make more preparations."

"On the one hand, the difficulty of the third Promotion Ritual has increased, and on the other hand, it is necessary to prepare for the advancement of professions starting from the Fourth Level. Moreover, starting from the Fourth Level, the Nine Great Paths begin to have a significant impact on the mind."

"Bishop Mathers," Iver asked curiously, "Are you Fifth Level transcendent?"

"Actually, I am only Fourth Level ' Holy Sepulcher Guardian ' right now, but I had already reached the limit of the Fourth Level before I was thirty. That's why the Theocracy entrusted the Candle Holder Cathedral to me... At that time, your biological father was one of my students."

Mathers paused slightly before continuing.

"I've always had this opinion. Of course, you don't necessarily have to listen," Mathers said softly. "It's common knowledge that if your will to follow the path isn't pure enough, you can't advance to the Fifth Level. But I think... if your will becomes too pure, are you still the same person you were at the beginning?"

"In the beginning, when we first embarked on the path of the extraordinary, weren't we just some hot-blooded teenagers? Could we have really imagined that the future would turn out like this? Since no matter how far we go on the Dedication Path, it can help others... then what is the point of going so far? I was called a genius back then. I also thought I was really that powerful, that amazing."

"I even had a falling out with my parents at the time because I felt I was right—I had completed in a shorter time, and with less effort, the journey they couldn't finish in their entire lives. But they said my understanding of the Dedication Path was flawed, that I had strayed onto the Path of Love. How could I believe them?"

Mathers sighed softly, "But even someone as outstanding as me couldn't save your parents."

Upon hearing this, Iver perked up.

Although he had personally witnessed another version during the advancement ceremony, the "alternative possibility of history" in the Dream Realm ceremony was ultimately not the real past, but merely Stage Play written by the Nine Pillar Gods based on history.

But Mathers was a true eyewitness.