132-126 What Luciel wants

Estia and the others were to be taken by Mr. Granhardt, and we parted in front of the magic elevator.　

Catherine-san was followed by me, Lionel and the others, and the former slaves, in that order, and we arrived in front of the Pope's room.

After Catherine knocked on the door, I told her my business.

''Pope-sama, it's Catherine, I'm here to show you that the S-class healer, Luciel-sama, has returned.

I didn't know why I had been called by Catherine to address her, but before I could hear it, I heard the Pope's voice.

'Enter.'

As usual, Catherine opened the door to the Pope's private chambers when she heard a dignified voice.

'Excuse me,'

Excuse me.

I entered the room after Catherine, and Lionel and the others entered in silence.

The inside of the Pope's room didn't look any different than before, and a blindfolded partition was still in place so that my face couldn't be seen from the center.

I decided to wait for the Pope to call out to me while I took my vassal's courtesy.

''Luciel, it's been a long time. Just thinking about how much you've done for the Church over the past year, I can't thank you enough.

'What a shame, sir. I managed to get over it with my followers behind me, left and right.

Your humility has not changed, has it? What would you like to reward me for rebuilding the Healers' Guild in Yenis and making it strong?

This time I went to the church headquarters as a report, and I had reported almost every single time to the Pope.

That's why I personally came here just to ask for a reward.

And what I wanted to ask for was already decided.

But whether this would go through or not was up to the Pope's mood.

''........Then I will feel free to tell you. I would like to go to the aerial city, the magical independent state city of Nerdal, once.''

...Why?

It has something to do with my previous voyage through the maze, sir.

I can't say that the dragon seal has anything to do with spirits, except for the Pope and Catherine-san.

Apart from that, it includes my desire to learn magic other than the holy attribute, which enables me to attack from a distance.

''........It's not possible right away, but is it still okay?''

Yes, sir. I don't want to rush you, but I'd appreciate it if you could arrange for me to get into the country as soon as possible.

''Is it related to the fact that the labyrinth of Yenis is becoming more and more active, etc.?

'Yes, sir. I would like to go to Meratni once and train myself back to the beginning. When that is done, I will go to the dwarven lands once more to collect the armor of my followers, and if permission is granted, I will go to Nerdal, or if not, to the Labyrinth State City.

'I see. If we can make arrangements to move to Nerdal, then we can move out of the Holy City.

''Well the way you put it, you can only go to Nerdal from the Holy City?''

You can only move to the major cities in each country, but as with all job changes, it will take time to be approved.

The other day, I was reminded of this when I changed my job, and my healer's rank became X. I was wondering if it was possible to ask for a job promotion this time. If it's possible, would you be able to ask me to promote my job this time?

'Oh! You are indeed Luciel. You have elevated a healer to such a high standard. Everyone's stuff can go down. Can you and Luciel leave me alone now? Catherine and the maidservants bowed their heads and walked out of the room.

Lionel and the others looked at me and nodded, and then exited as well.

As the door closed, the Pope descended from his throne and made his way towards us.

He is still beautiful, but I think he looks like Lord Leinster somehow, and I call out to him.

'It is a pleasure to see your face, Your Highness. It's a pleasure to meet you.

'You look more mature now than you did a year ago. As for the Yenis thing, you've been a real help to me in protecting Rockford.

There's a squire down there too, sir.

I chuckle and ask for a lecture about the promotion.

'Do I have to do anything to help with the promotion?'

Not really. If I had to choose, I'd say you have to choose from several options.

If I choose another job, will the healing spell work just fine?

"...there's a risk that it depends on the job. It can make you weaker than you are now. But it doesn't necessarily mean you have to choose another profession, so you don't have to be so prepared.

'I see. In that case, please.

Then sit down and meditate.

Yes, sir.

I do as the Pope tells me and wait for the moment to come, sitting in zazen.

The Pope puts his hand on my head and spins a chant, but the words don't make any sense to me at all.

''You may open your eyes now.''

I was approached in about a minute's time, even if I had a physical feeling.

'So what was there in the profession that could be promoted?'

........Spirit Knight was the only choice. I'm sorry, but can you let me put the promotion of my profession on hold for the time being?

Normally speaking, I would have thought that a spirit knight would be happy to be a rare position, but the Pope wasn't as energetic as he was earlier.

I decided to ask her firmly if that was the case even if it wasn't, I decided to ask her firmly.

''........You mean that when you become a spirit knight, you can't use holy attribute magic?''

''Since holy attributes don't exist for spirits, that's true. It's very disappointing, as I was expecting a sage, but I hope you'll give up your profession's promotion.

''........As expected, it's painful to lose the ability to use recovery magic, so for my part, I'd like to ask you to keep it the way it is.

''I see. Maybe the spirit blessings are getting in the way, but I've heard it said that in the past, wise men were automatically promoted to the rank of wise man. There must be some conditions.

I might be able to become a sage if I unleash the dragon and receive blessings from all the spirits... but that wouldn't be enough, no matter how many lives I have.

More importantly, with the future where I can't use recovery magic passing through my head for a moment, shouldn't I be thinking about countermeasures to prepare for such a future when it comes?

Vaguely, but I was beginning to think so.

'If you're in Meratni, you'll only need to put in regular reports once a month. That's when we'll talk about the progress of the negotiations with Nerdal and so on.

Okay. Ah, that's right. As for the five former slaves we've started interviewing, since the Irimasia Empire is involved, if you can corroborate anything, please contact us as well.

Hmm. All right. Don't get yourself worked up.

'Ha. I will continue to work hard for the church, with the goal of aging out.

''Luciel, I'm really sorry for putting a burden on you. You can indulge me if you can, okay?

'Thank you. We don't plan to take that much flashy action in the future, but if you need help, I'll be the first to ask for it.

You are in charge.

We smiled at each other and, unusually, we shook hands and left the room.

The Pope's hand was very comfortable to touch, but it was rude to hold it all the time, so I decided to thank him and leave the Emperor's private room.

I sighed as I opened the door and walked out, trying to distract myself from my nerves, but the feeling was still there.

'I'm nervous~, what's wrong with you, Catherine?'

A funny composition of Catherine, who was bowing her head as if pleading to Lionel, had been created.

It wasn't Catherine-san who opened her mouth to the phenomenon in front of her, but Lionel.

''Luciel-sama, may I accept a mock battle with the Holy Knights?''

I was in over my head, as I had completely forgotten that Catherine was a battle freak and that she was a battle freak.

But I couldn't refuse the offer, so I had to give my permission.

But I had no choice but to give my permission because she was serious about it.

I wouldn't die, I wouldn't let her die, and I had no choice but to allow the mock battle on this condition.