Chapter 163
Anna had become the Saint of Purification.
At those words, Simon felt the blood in his body turn cold.
He hadn't even fully escaped the nightmare of Plema, and now his mother had become something like that? He was so shocked he couldn't close his mouth.
"...Even so, when Teacher Anna used the Saint's power, she looked like she was in a lot of pain."
Lete, who sat beside him, snapped out.
Richard nodded calmly and opened his mouth.
"It's impossible for a human body to accept two types of Essence of the Saint at once. Anna was originally the Saint of Miracles, and even though the essence was removed, the residue still remains in her body. But now that a new essence has entered, it's causing a backlash."
At the age of eleven, Anna had become the youngest Saint ever, which proved her natural talent and high essence compatibility. So the Essence of Purification, which had been seeking its next host, choosing her again even though she had become a regular person wasn't all that strange.
In the end, the two essences were causing a violent backlash in Anna's body, and she was slowly dying without being able to awaken fully as either kind of Saint.
Simon, listening to the explanation, asked anxiously,
"Then what's going to happen to Mom?"
"..."
Richard's lips parted slightly. He was also doing everything he could to stay composed in front of the children.
"At this rate, her body won't hold. Even if we try to suppress the power this way, at most she has three months left."
Faced with such a cruel reality, Simon lowered his head. He couldn't lose her like this.
"But, it's not like there's no way."
At Richard's words, both of them immediately lifted their heads.
"The 'Essence Removal Surgery' Anna received when she returned to being a regular person. We just need to perform that again. If we can somehow remove the Essence of Purification, the remaining residue won't cause such a strong backlash."
Simon sprang to his feet.
"Who can perform it?"
"The benefactor who first performed the surgery on Anna has already passed away, but I observed the whole operation from start to finish. I remember it all 100% perfectly."
Richard tapped his forehead as he continued.
"The surgery is possible. But we need a material that can't be obtained from the Dark Alliance."
"Is it in the Holy Federation?"
"Yes. The Federation's sacred relic, the Tree of Life."
Richard subtly shifted his eyes toward Lete.
"We need the white leaf that only grows on that tree."
Bang!
Lete jumped up and rushed out before he could finish speaking. Richard quietly let out a sigh as he watched her run off.
A little while later, Lete hurried back home.
"Two weeks!"
She spoke, panting for breath.
"The broker said he'll adjust the schedule so we can cross into the Holy Federation in two weeks. I'll go and retrieve the material."
Richard shook his head.
"No, this is a family matter. We can't impose on you any more than we already have..."
"Oh please, you said all that so I'd hear it, and now you're backing out?"
Lete strode into the master bedroom. She quietly stared at Anna, who was breathing heavily, wrapped in Darkness Bandages.
"..."
A deep resolve filled her eyes.
"I don't care what you all say. I'm going for Teacher's sake and hers alone."
"I'll go too, Lete."
Simon got up and spoke.
Lete looked incredulous.
"Are you crazy? A necromancer going to the Holy Federation?"
"You're in the Dark Alliance right now too. So why can't I go the other way?"
Simon clenched his fists tightly.
"This is about Mom's life. I can't just sit still here."
Lete crossed her arms.
"Your devotion is admirable, but do you even know what the Federation is like right now? After the Witch of Death incident, they've issued their highest level of alert. Heretics are burning villages and killing people everywhere. Because of them, Inquisitors with bloodshot eyes are guarding every part of the Federation. If they catch a necromancer, it's execution on the spot. And me? I'm from Efnelle. They'll hang me before they even ask questions."
She pointed a finger at Simon.
"When the Inquisitors come, how will you prove you're not a necromancer?"
Richard nodded in agreement.
"She's right. Your intentions are noble, but the Federation is in a worse state than here. Security is even tighter."
"I won't get caught."
Simon opened his palm.
"I should've said this earlier."
"?"
What happened next left Lete and Richard gasping and stepping back in shock.
A white light bloomed from Simon's left hand. Without a doubt, it was that power.
"Actually, I can use Holiness."
The whole house was turned upside down.
* * *
Lete contacted the broker again using the communication crystal, asking if he could secure a false identity for a teenage boy or someone in their early twenties.
If the answer had been no, she would've gone alone without regret, but luckily the broker said there was exactly one apprentice priest ID left. An apprentice priest was a rookie priest who had just awakened their Holiness.
And the most decisive factor was Anna's words.
When Anna briefly regained consciousness, Simon told her that he could use Holiness and was going to the Holy Federation.
She expressed concern and worry about Simon going to the Federation, but joy at hearing he could use Holiness.
—Because half of Simon is made from his mother. I hope Simon takes an interest in the place where his mother was born and lived.
After much deliberation, Lete had no choice but to allow Simon to accompany her.
'I'm sorry, Goddess.'
Even if it was to save a benefactor, bringing an impure being into sacred ground was unforgivable.
Once she returned to Efnelle, she'd have to add three months of fasting to her penance.
To play the part of an apprentice priest with a false identity, Simon agreed to take lessons from Lete for two weeks.
The two of them climbed a small hill behind the burned house where Simon often went. It was quiet and spacious, perfect for conducting lessons.
'Hmm.'
Lete stopped walking and admired the scenery.
A lush green field filled with colorful, beautiful wildflowers, and a gentle breeze carried the scent of flowers.
She had been taught that everything in the Dark Alliance was cursed—nothing grew, and a vile stench filled the air—but the view here differed somewhat from what she had learned in Efnelle.
Even in the Holy Federation, there weren't many places that preserved natural scenery this well.
"I'll be in your care."
Simon said with a smile. Lete glared at him with disapproval and let out a deep sigh.
Teaching white magic to a Necromancer? How did it come to this?
"Fine, let's begin."
Lete knelt politely in front of Simon.
'?'
Simon stood there confused, so she scowled and pointed down.
"What, you just gonna stand there and watch? Kneel, dumbass!"
At that, Simon awkwardly got down on his knees. Lete swept her hair back in annoyance.
"Explaining every little thing is such a pain, tsk. From now on, for all our lessons, we'll do this. A reverent posture brings a reverent heart."
"Does a reverent heart have something to do with using Holiness?"
"Of course it does! Holiness comes from faith in the Goddess. No more talking. Let's begin. Mutual greeting."
While kneeling, she placed her hands together and lowered them to her navel, bowing her head politely.
Though she was usually rough and tomboyish, her posture radiated elegance and dignity.
Simon, slightly surprised, followed her movements by instinct.
Then Lete began to recite a prayer. Simon clasped his hands and quietly listened to the content of the prayer.
With the pre-lesson ritual complete, she opened her eyes with a satisfied expression.
"Now, do you feel like you've gained a reverent heart before the great Goddess?"
"Not at all."
His legs were just going numb like crazy. As Simon shifted his legs in discomfort, Lete shrieked.
"Don't move! If you twitch so much as a toe during prayer in Efnelle, they'll slap a boulder on your knees. You never move. Got it?"
"Y-Yeah, got it."
This was tough.
Having grown up in the Dark Alliance, Simon couldn't understand these ceremonies at all, but since it was their culture, he decided to respect it.
"Alright."
Lete crossed her arms.
"Show me that Holiness you used earlier."
Simon nodded and opened his left hand. Then, focusing his energy, he concentrated.
'Come out, come out, come out.'
But maybe it was because Lete was watching him so closely from up front, he was nervous. Suddenly, the Holiness wouldn't come out.
"Well, of course it wouldn't."
She let out a mocking laugh.
"I still can't control Holiness at will. What's the problem?"
"Faith."
She answered instantly.
"Only faith in the Great Goddess is the source that can evoke Holiness."
"But I used Holiness earlier even without faith in the Goddess, didn't I?"
"Ah! Then you probably just got lucky! You can't do it now, can you?"
She shouted and then pointed her index finger at him sharply.
"From now on, don't rely on luck. Follow Efnelle's way. This is the formula, the foundation, the truth."
Lete took out a scripture from her backpack. She said that first, he needed to develop faith in the Goddess, and began explaining in a stream of words.
In the beginning, when there was only chaos, the Great Goddess existed. She created light and darkness, formed the continent, and made the animals that lived there. Lastly, she created humans.
Humans flourished. But those who didn't believe in the Goddess were given cruel punishments, and only those who believed in her were saved.
That sort of tale.
Lete recited the opening parts of the scripture for over two hours, all while kneeling, and then smiled at Simon.
"Now, do you feel the greatness of the Goddess deep in your heart?"
"..."
Not at all.
He couldn't feel it at all.
No matter how many verses from the scripture he heard, none of it resonated with him. It felt more like a narrative, a myth, rather than anything grand.
If someone told Simon to think about the Goddess, only one thing came to mind.
—Because the Great Goddess commanded it so.
That was the reason Plema committed the terror attack against Keyzen.
It only filled him with vague hostility.
"Sorry, but I really don't feel anything like that."
"Haaaah."
Lete held her forehead and let out a deep, soul-crushing sigh.
'What am I even doing? This is like preaching to a deaf cow.'
She felt so pathetic, sitting a necromancer down and reading scripture to him.
"Keep this in mind."
She spoke in a voice sharp with frost.
"If you don't show the level of results I want in two weeks, I'll go to the Holy Federation alone. I'd rather die than suffer for your sake."
"I understand."
Simon stared at his palm and fell into calm thought.
"...Holiness comes from faith in the Goddess."
"That's correct."
"Faith."
Come to think of it, 'will' was important in the use of Darkness.
Maybe faith and will were, in a way, just two sides of the same coin.
Simon focused all his attention.
Faith.
'I…'
Not faith in the Goddess, but—
'I will save my mother. I will invoke Holiness. I will go to the Holy Federation. And I—'
Absolute belief in himself.
'I can do anything!'
Fwoooooosh!
Lete let out a startled cry. She was usually strict about posture, but now her legs gave out, and she fell backward.
A large, dazzling Holiness had erupted from Simon's left hand.
"Is that good enough for you now?"
Simon said with a broad grin.
The one and only on the entire continent.
A necromancer who could use Holiness had appeared.