Chapter 13:

Chapter 13:

Gebel was even more surprised to hear that Isaac was going to be taught miracles.

Priests could perform a variety of miracles, from simply illuminating darkness or lighting candles to subduing enemies. However, such training typically started at the very least at the stage of a trainee priest.

The abbot’s proposal was almost equivalent to considering Isaac for priesthood.

Considering the difficulty of becoming a formal priest, this seemed premature for a 14-year-old. Not many among the monks ultimately donned the priest’s robes. However, if the abbot personally taught and recommended a student, becoming a priest would be straightforward.

“Is that okay? Isaac is only 14, as you said.”

“If the right heart and a sincere desire to praise God come together, it’s not impossible. Don’t worry. The Codex of Light will guide everything according to its principles.”

***

After breakfast, Isaac, as usual, headed to the backyard to help Gebel. However, the person waiting there wasn’t Gebel but someone else.

“Isaac.”

“Hello, Abbot Evhar.”

It was Abbot Evhar, a tall man with a lean figure, who examined Isaac while fiddling with a rosary. Isaac, however, met his gaze without any hint of anxiety, having overheard his conversation with Gebel the night before.

‘I could be the target of a witch hunt at any moment. I must be cautious until I’m certain of their trust.’

Especially now, as he was just beginning to show his potential, he couldn’t afford to relax. And today, he needed to be particularly careful.

‘If I can earn Abbot Evhar’s trust... I might learn the basics of being a Paladin, the miracles.’

Isaac met his eyes directly, determined to show confidence and integrity. However, Evhar noticed something unexpected in Isaac’s face.

‘Well... if not properly guided, he’ll break quite a few hearts.’UpTodated novels at novelhall.com

Recently, due to the effects of consumption, Isaac had grown remarkably. His once dull skin had begun to glow, and his skinny limbs filled out, leading to an astonishing transformation in his appearance.

Evhar, noticing this, coughed awkwardly.

Ordinary children usually found Evhar’s somber expression intimidating. However, Isaac seemed neither fearful nor expectant of what he might say.

‘Is this what they mean when they say a child grows up suddenly?’

Maybe Gebel’s claim about Isaac being a Holy Body was true.

Isaac, meanwhile, was thinking something entirely different.

‘What a grim face.’

He quickly brushed aside that thought, fearing it might be deemed disrespectful.

“I heard you have a talent for swordsmanship, Isaac.”

“Oh, yes. I am trying my best, though I lack a lot.”

The Codex of Light doesn’t forbid priests from wielding a sword. In fact, it often encourages it.

Travelling in a rough world without a weapon during pilgrimages is foolish. Especially if one risks being killed by the Immortal Order, it’s essential for a priest traveling east to be self-sufficient in defense.

“How many prayers have you memorized?”

“The prayer before meals and the morning prayer...”

“How much of the scriptures have you memorized? Do you know the Dawn Psalms, chapter 4, verse 8?”

“...I’m not sure.”

Isaac struggled to respond, but it was an unfair situation for him.

Most orphans of this era are fortunate just to survive to adulthood without starving. Learning enough skills to make a living is considered a success, so studying letters is a luxury. The monastery also provides ‘opportunities to learn letters’ but does not insist on memorizing the content of scriptures.

In essence, Evhar was making an unreasonable demand of Isaac, who had only been at the monastery for a few months.

“Can you discern whom to protect and whom to strike down if you train your sword without fully opening your eyes? I worry you’re seeking achievements too hastily.”

‘I suppose I need to memorize some scripture to become a Paladin, but starting studies already is a bit much.’

Isaac grumbled inwardly but didn’t complain. He realized Evhar’s visit and words meant an opportunity.

‘If they exempt me from needless labor and allow me to memorize or transcribe scriptures during that time, it could be beneficial.’

Isaac was dumbfounded by this absurd realization.

He thought he had to force himself to believe in the Codex of Light, but in fact, he had always been a follower, as modern physics was as fundamental to him as the air he breathed.

“Isaac.”

Just then, Evhar suddenly leaned in close to Isaac, causing him to startle and step back.

“You seemed to be lost in thought during my teaching.”

“...I was just reflecting on your words, Abbot.”

“Is that so? Then you should understand the bonfire analogy.”

The bonfire on the snowy mountain is the same as that in the desert.

The scripture interprets this as the Codex of Light’s power shining equally on all things, good or evil, and preaching the deity’s benevolence.

But the content had nothing to do with kindness or equality.

“Hot things are hot everywhere, and cold things are cold everywhere.”

It was an oversimplified explanation, but enough for people of this world to understand. Yet Evhar twitched at Isaac’s words.

Instead of getting angry, Evhar responded thoughtfully.

“What about the story of the closed room?”

“Everything in an isolated space keeps changing form, but nothing disappears or emerges anew.”

“And the tale of the ash?”

“High things go low, hot things cool down, and clustered things scatter.”

“Hah...”

Evhar looked at Isaac wide-eyed, constantly touching his face as he responded fluently. Isaac’s words could easily be misconstrued as heretical.

However, Evhar, who had studied scripture for decades, instinctively felt the ‘essence’ of the Codex of Light’s teachings in his words.

The scripture of Luadin had been revered as divine words, but over centuries, it was translated and scribed with interpretations by priests.

Versions filled with pleasant and moralistic content emerged.

But Isaac’s words stripped away those interpretations, getting closer to the honest essence.

‘Like Luadin, who transcribed the words of the Codex of Light?’

This realization struck Evhar like lightning.

Gebel had said Isaac was a Holy Body, chosen by the deity, a bearer of miracles.

Evhar had been skeptical, but Isaac’s words were testing enough.

‘If that’s true, am I daring to test someone chosen by the deity?’

Evhar could now somewhat comprehend the shock Gebel had felt.

Was this what being a Holy Body meant?

Yet Isaac was different from other Holy Bodies Evhar had encountered. He was a destabilizing presence, unsettling in a way.

‘If Isaac is indeed a Holy Body, he might have a world-changing mission.’

Feeling the heavy gaze, Isaac wondered if he had made a mistake.

‘I thought I answered quite well. Should I have simplified it more?’

To Isaac, Evhar’s stern face seemed either like ‘I can’t believe such a fool is in my monastery’ or ‘There’s a devil in front of me.’ But Isaac was confident that his grasp of the Codex of Light’s essence was correct.

‘Of course, I can’t decipher it into formulas.’

Isaac knew only the concept, and that too in a highly summarized form.

But this allowed him to at least pretend to understand in front of Evhar.

After a long silence, Evhar finally spoke.

“Remarkable, Isaac.”