The dimly lit room was filled with the rich scent of herbal remedies mingled with heavy incense. The combined aroma was dizzying.
On a bed draped with exquisite silk brocade, an elderly scholar had finally reached the last stage of his life.
The atmosphere in the room was deathly silent, interrupted only by occasional soft sobs that were quickly stifled.
Leilin stood among the attendees in a black formal suit, his expression blank as he gazed at the old man lying on the bed.
The youthful naivety on his face was completely gone, replaced by a maturity that made him a handsome young man.
The old man on the bed was none other than
As an ordinary person, the scholar had long shown signs of declining life force. That he had held on until now was already beyond Leilin's expectations.
However, Leilin had come here not merely to fulfill his duty as a student seeing off his teacher, but also to accomplish something far more important.
At that moment, Anthony's body suddenly convulsed, his throat heaving, and a flush of color appeared on his face—a clear sign of a final rally before death.
"Priest! Quickly, call a priest!"
His wife screamed, and the children nearby burst into tears.
"The deity watches over you from the divine kingdom!"
The crowd parted on both sides, revealing the compassionate face of Bishop Tabris.
"Thank you! Thank you, Your Grace!" Anthony's wife wept. As a bishop of the God of Knowledge, Tabris held a prominent position on Faolan Island. His presence here to guide Anthony's soul was a tremendous honor. Though Leilin suspected this was largely due to the Faolan family's influence, it was still a good thing regardless.
"My life... began on Sicily..."
Tabris waved his hand, scattering a wave of holy light that stabilized Anthony's condition. Then the old man began his final prayer—or perhaps his final reminiscence.
"Leilin, my student, I hope to see the day you succeed. Even in the divine kingdom, I will silently bless you!"
"I understand, Master!" Leilin stepped forward quickly, the Chip's detection capabilities pushed to their maximum.
That Anthony could still mention Leilin in his final words touched Tabris. It seemed the old man truly cared for this student, and his investment in him had not been in vain.
"I... see the light of the deity..."
Anthony made one last effort, reaching his hand forward, but the light in his eyes faded, and his arm fell limply to the edge of the bed.
"Wailing... Anthony... dear Anthony..." A chorus of cries erupted.
Tabris's expression grew even more compassionate as he delivered the eulogy: "...He was a wise scholar and a kind soul who helped others. As a follower of the God of Knowledge, Anthony Brandon lived his life by the deity's teachings. And after his death, the gates of the divine kingdom shall surely open for him..."
"It appeared!"
A flash of excitement crossed Leilin's eyes. Through his extraordinary perception, he saw a golden gate of light.
The gate slowly opened, and divine radiance shone down. Within that holy light, Anthony's soul rose involuntarily from his body, took one final look at the mortal world, and resolutely entered the divine kingdom.
"The deity's divine kingdom... a higher plane of existence above the material world..." Leilin sighed inwardly.
"Furthermore, ordinary believers' souls must first descend to the netherworld. Only after being judged by the God of
Leilin pondered thoughtfully.
Once a believer's soul arrived in the divine kingdom, it theoretically became a petitioner, freed from the cycle of birth, aging, sickness, and death. As long as the deity did not fall and the divine kingdom was not destroyed, they could exist alongside their deity forever.
In a sense, this was a form of immortality, though it offered no protection against external forces.
"In the legends, high-ranking petitioners can even undergo a soul-level transcendence, becoming Holy Spirits... Every such Holy Spirit is a deity's most precious asset, though their numbers are..."
In Leilin's view, Holy Spirits—existences that were immortal in soul form—closely resembled materialized souls.
Meaning the soul of every Holy Spirit was theoretically comparable to the true spirit of a sixth-rank Solar
"Although the formation of Holy Spirits relies entirely on external power, they benefit from their deity's protection and have no worries about lifespan. Accumulated over time, the defensive power within the divine kingdom must be terrifying..."
The endless petitioners, Holy Spirits, and the supreme authority of the space made a deity virtually invincible within its own divine kingdom.
Even a Greater Deity entering a Lesser Deity's divine kingdom to kill its occupant would likely suffer unbearable costs.
And the fate of wizards who recklessly invaded divine kingdoms needed no further explanation from Leilin.
"Clearly, Master Anthony's soul is far from meeting the standard for ascension to Holy Spirit, and the great God of Knowledge, Oghma, would certainly not make an exception for him..."
Once the divine light receded and the pulling force vanished, Leilin quietly relaxed the tension he had been holding.
"However, with a bishop opening the back door for him, his situation should be much better than that of ordinary petitioners..."
"Leilin!"
At this moment, Bishop Tabris, having completed the ceremony, approached him.
"Your Grace!" Leilin bowed respectfully. After all, he was still nominally a follower of the God of Knowledge.
"Anthony was a devout believer. He will certainly be well taken care of in the deity's divine kingdom. You need not worry about him..." Tabris said comfortingly, and it seemed there was more to come.
Leilin and Tabris left the room and walked into the garden, where the other attendees automatically gave them space.
"If I remember correctly! Your coming-of-age ceremony has been held. From now on, you are a true man!"
Bishop Tabris shifted the conversation to Leilin.
"Yes, it was held just last month..." Leilin replied modestly. According to the customs of this world, a boy of fifteen could be considered an adult and was eligible to marry and have children.
"The last time I saw you, you were just a tiny baby in swaddling clothes. I never expected you to grow up so quickly..."
Tabris smiled, lost in reminiscence. As a tenth-rank priest, time had left no marks on his face. In fact, he was considerably older than Anthony.
"It's just... at our temple's celebrations, I seem to have rarely seen you. Baron Jonas may be busy with affairs, but Lady Sarah is a devout follower..."
A hint of dissatisfaction crept into Tabris's voice.
"Oh! My sincerest apologies, Your Grace! I often conduct spell experiments with Mentor
Leilin quickly apologized, while an expression of helplessness appeared on Bishop Tabris's face.
Wizards were always the least devout among the faithful. Many were merely nominal followers. Tabris had long anticipated this outcome.
In truth, while the entire Faolan family were followers of the God of Knowledge, they had never fully aligned themselves with the church.
In many parts of the continent, the secular power represented by the nobility and the theocratic authority were locked in constant struggle. Baron Jonas had even, after the Knowledge Church entered his territory, brought in the new God of Suffering, Ilmater, and was looking to build a Temple of Wealth to attract other deities to dilute the God of Knowledge's following—for nobility, this was pure instinct.
Tabris could not accept this. Winning over the Faolan family's next patriarch was part of his plan.
Unfortunately, this wizard Leilin seemed much like his father—never forgetting donations and offerings to the temple, yet rarely participating in fervent religious ceremonies.
Moreover, the young man was a wizard with a mentor's backing... Tabris's gaze deepened.
"I apologize for my earlier discourtesy, Bishop Tabris! Please allow me to donate ten gold coins to the church as penance. Furthermore, please be sure to notify me when the next celebration and cultural salon are held!"
On the matter of religion, Leilin had long decided to play the part of a casual observer, but since Tabris had brought it up, he could only play along.
After all, he had already planned to occasionally attend church celebrations and pretend to be a devout follower.
"That is excellent! The 'Sacred Baptism' seven days from now commemorates the God of Knowledge's great feat of converting the demon Angamani. Our temple will hold a grand celebration on that day, and I look forward to seeing you there..."
"It would be my honor. I will certainly attend!"
Since it was a personal invitation from Tabris, Leilin readily agreed.
"Very good!" Tabris nodded, then was promptly led away by the anxious people who had been waiting—one by-one, they needed his help with the arrangements for Anthony's funeral.
After the bishop departed, Leilin lingered in the garden, gazing at a white rose behind the wooden railing, a contemplative expression on his face.
"Wanting me to attend personally? What does that represent? A warning?"
In truth, with the shield of his noble status, the church's intimidating power was not as great as one might imagine. If Tabris dared to do anything excessive, he would face the collective resistance of the entire Danbless nobility.