Chapter 360 Fervor And Vow

"Etara's…?"

"Apostle?"

"… Asher?"

All three people, the Countess, Count and Kiana were stunned with the sudden fervor that Priest Maleck suddenly showed to Asher.

They all did not know if they were hearing this correctly at first, but Priest Maleck was still on his knees with the most reverential look towards Asher.

And that wasn't even the end of it.

"I have served Etara all of my life and we have always searched for the truth and wisdom in everywhere, but now that she has finally given us an apostle ordained from herself, it is fully right that I must vow my life to Young Lord Asher as well."

It was an unexpected thing, but Priest Maleck suddenly drew out a dagger from his robes.

"A dagger?" Countess Lita was mildly shocked and drew a hand to her chest, looking at the Count and Kiana, but neither made a move all at once.

The idea that a priest would keep a weapon on their person wasn't exactly the most surprising thing to have realized.

Even if they were not from the Church of Duran, it made sense that a Priest would try to have a form of self-defense on them.

But this was also no ordinary dagger, but something akin to a ceremonial dagger as well. Priest Maleck held it up and quickly slashed his chest as blood quickly spurted out.

The wound was not deep, but it drew blood and it was something that Priest Maleck fervently dipped his fingers into and then dabbed across his forehead.

It was quite a submissive act that Lucius and everyone watched in silence, unable to say a single word.

"May this be a proof of my humble vow to Etara's apostle." Priest Maleck said.

Asher simply kept a placid expression on his face, but he knew what was happening completely and was not actually surprised with the results.

While Priest Maleck saw visions of holy light alongside Kiana, the Count and Countess, and even heard a special message from 'Etara' herself, it was all actually his own doing.

'I've expected there to be some fealty, faith and devotion but never to this extent. Then again, all religions tend to have this intense fervor, especially if they think that they are communing with the principal head of their religion.' Lucius thought silently.

The truth of the matter was that Lucius had taken some time in his bedroom to once again add the Veil of Terror into his spell slots when he felt that his soul space was ready for another weight added into it.

'Since I've made sure that Priest Maleck would be coming, it's something that I had to prepare to inspire loyalty to me. Of course, compared to what I have done to June, this was more or less customized to be at a milder and less threatening use of the Veil of Terror. I'm glad that it all worked out accordingly to what I have envisioned.'

The Veil of Terror was a complex spell.

Perhaps not as complex and as consuming as Soul Scry, but it was still something that many mages would have a hard time using, even more to manipulate and tweak its conditions enough to produce a slightly different effect from its usual purpose.

Lucius with all of his experience in his past world of using the Veil of Terror had done it with mild ease to not only Priest Maleck, the main subject of the spell but for the Count, Countess and Kiana to a certain degree.

One could only wonder what they were thinking of, but luckily for Lucius, it was still more or less easy to read.

Countess Lita's eyes sprang up with tears as she clasped her hand together and glanced immediately towards her husband.

'Something like this… this has never happened before, has it? A gift… Asher. And what is Priest Maleck saying about being Etara's apostle? It must be an incredible thing. Our son, he has a gift and was chosen by Etara herself! After all these years…'

Count Gabriel's expression was harder to distinguish, but there was a softer expression on his face. The lines on his face was less harsher than usual if you knew where to look.

'It was a miracle that Asher was able to survive the war against Gisir. It was already something that Etara has already given to our family, but to imagine that the goddess herself also selected him to be an apostle? I am not completely sure if that is truly great news, how it will affect him taking over the Inanis family and what Asher truly wants… but this is something completely unprecedented.'

On the otherhand, Kiana was a mixture of joy, surprise and awe, but she held back from making any overt expression and simply glanced in Asher's way as if she couldn't understand what had happened.

'Asher was chosen by Etara? I… why did she only reveal it to us now? I don't understand the ways of a goddess, but if that is truly her will then Asher has once again accomplished something outstanding.'

​ Within the silence of the room, after Priest Maleck's declaration, everyone held their breaths until Count Gabriel cleared his throat and asked.

"What exactly is Asher's gift, Priest Maleck? You mentioned him being an apostle of Etara as well, and that's something unheard of even for me."

"The Young Lord Asher's gift is from Etara herself and it is her will that made him into her one and only chosen disciple." Priest Maleck explained.

"That doesn't… what about its rank? Do you know what rank this gift is?" Count Gabriel asked. He knew that divine gifts were special, but there was also the possibility that they were similar to what you had previously before you entered the church.

It was no doubt different since Asher had been giftless before, so the Count was quite curious. The Countess and Kiana also paid attention well.

"Something as lowly as these appraisal crystals cannot bear to just 'check' something that was given by Etara herself, Count Inanis."