Chapter 40

Ch.40 Apostle of the Goddess of War

“Sir Garfenn has passed this troublesome task onto me.”

The Elf, Marquisin, grumbled as he tended to the forest.

The sunlight filtering through the leaves, illuminating the high elf, was a scene like a painted masterpiece.

That aside.

Sion felt slightly flustered.

‘Why do I get the feeling that both my master and Sir Marquisin are avoiding teaching me?’

Sion’s senses were sharp. His guess was accurate. Clearly, they were both reluctant.

To further analyze their complicated circumstances—

“Let me clarify so you don’t misunderstand. It’s not that I’m bothered, but rather that it’s an extremely difficult task. My sharp reaction just now, unintentionally displayed… please kindly ignore it, Sir Sion.”

“Kindly ignore it? That’s an amusing joke.”

Marquisin smiled as he gently wiped a newly sprouted leaf.

Around him, many such young sprouts were beginning to emerge.

The power of the Goddess of Wildflowers was this evident.

In just a few weeks, a small forest had become lush and verdant.

“So Elf humor is indeed entertaining to humans as well.”

Did he believe it was sincere? Sion had nothing particular to say and remained silent.

Marquisin briefly closed his mouth awkwardly, then opened it again.

“Would you like to sit here? I’ll roughly explain how to handle divine power.”

“Yes.”

Sion followed Marquisin to a spot and sat down. The tree roots formed a shape convenient for sitting, like a chair.

Marquisin sat in front of Sion. He asked Sion to extend his hand, then gently placed his own hand on top.

‘…!’

At that moment, Sion was startled and flinched.

Why? Because Marquisin’s divine power had flowed into Sion.

It was a very faint amount, but it definitely existed.

Last time, it had been completely empty.

“I told you. As you can see, I pray daily and cultivate myself in the Goddess’s garden. In a hundred years, I’ll recover the divine power I originally had.”

“A h-hundred years…”

An Elf with a different sense of time smiled brightly at Sion. Indeed, his skin looked slightly younger than when Sion first saw him in Elim. He looked more elf-like now.

The power of innate bloodline was this great. It was the dignity of a race shaped by the Goddess of Light himself.

“Now, close your eyes. I want you to fully feel my divine power.”

Sion gave a slight nod and closed his eyes. He focused all his attention on his own divine power.

‘I can feel it. Something like a thread.’

He began forming an image in his mind.

From his fingers throughout his entire body.

And the pure elven magic sweeping across his entire body.

If you traced the path it followed, soon Sion’s body would be complete.

At this moment, Marquisin spoke.

“Now, how is it?”

“One full circle. The divine power traveled through my body.”

Marquisin wore a smile as thin as a flower petal. Then, with pure admiration, he praised Sion.

“You’re extraordinary, Sir Sion. Truly astonishing.”

“What?”

“I’ve never seen a human, not an Elf, perceive it so delicately before.”

“Really?”

To a high elf, Sion appeared naturally gifted. Marquisin was certain that even among elves, his talent would shine just as brightly.

“Yes. I think you’ll quickly understand and master what I say. I’m even gaining motivation I didn’t have before. It’s interesting.”

“I’m glad. Thank you.”

Sion became happy too. Marquisin’s attitude turning proactive was good news.

“Now.”

Marquisin closed his eyes again and gently said,

“This time, it will move differently. Please describe the image that comes to mind.”

“Yes, I understand.”

A smile of joy in learning appeared at the corner of Sion’s mouth. Marquisin’s thread-like divine power began swimming through his entire body.

It wasn’t particularly pleasant, but simply feeling the pure divine power of an elf seemed helpful for gaining enlightenment.

Marquisin’s divine power swept through Sion’s body at a speed entirely different from before, appearing to dart around chaotically.

‘I can feel it.’

Clearly, it was drawing a picture.

Straight lines became curves, spiraling around the heart, knotting at certain points.

Overall, it seemed to be drawing some kind of pattern.

Sion’s head accelerated and grew hot.

The problem Marquisin posed stretched out in twists and turns, and Sion’s understanding swam after it equally.

‘I got it.’

Sion finally opened his eyes.

A different Sion stood there from a moment ago.

The blond boy, gathering enlightenment, spoke.

“…It’s a path.”

Sion’s face was illuminated by the sunlight’s halo. Marquisin smiled.

“A path?”

“Yes. The path divine power travels. It’s not just about accumulating it in the heart and moving it to the arm or sword. There’s something much more complex and profound…”

Marquisin’s heart pounded.

It was hard to suppress his excitement.

Searching through history books, was there ever such a genius?

“I’m amazed. Truly amazed. You’ve grasped the exact concept, without any explanation.”

Marquisin softly clapped his hands. To him, Sion existed on a higher plane than any human he’d ever seen.

“Am I understanding it correctly?”

“Yes. It’s a path. Creating and refining the ‘path’ through which divine power flows in one’s body is a kind of manipulation method.”

Marquisin explained as simply as possible.

“The way divine power is accumulated, the form in which it’s output, its power—all vary greatly. Ring shapes, large spheres, complex patterns engraved on clothes or accessories, and so on. If you carefully observe demons, you’ll understand better.”

“I see.”

If you properly create and refine the path of divine power to suit your body, the efficiency and purity of accumulation become optimal, and the effect multiplies when outputting.

Even the form and effect can change by passing through specific paths—this was the principle of magic.

“Humans are still in the stage of researching systematization, and magic kingdoms are deeply focused on analyzing and applying this concept. You understood it instantly, just from what I showed you.”

“When you put it that way, it does sound impressive…”

Sion murmured quietly.

People who do nothing but eat and research this barely grasp it, yet he understood it instantly—this was a hundred times correct.

“If you carefully observe Sir Garfenn’s divine power, you’ll find such a path. Probably… humans still can’t create paths as complex and neat as elves can.”

“So that’s why explaining it is so difficult.”

“Exactly. Even if you explain and demonstrate it, almost no one can understand it.”

This enlightenment was possible only for Sion.

Sion understood that his master’s laziness was a misunderstanding.

On the contrary, sending him to Marquisin was the best and highest teaching Garfenn could offer.

‘It’s just like the War Cult’s way.’

Sion smiled wryly and asked,

“Is there a trick to refining the path?”

“Hmm. This is also extremely difficult. After all, you don’t even have enough divine power yet to create a path.”

At this answer, Sion’s mouth fell open.

“Even after receiving Sir Marquisin’s divine power?”

“If you had fully received my divine power, it would’ve been sufficient, but since I gave you incompatible divine power after exhausting my own, by my standards, it’s still insufficient.”

It was a cold, rational explanation.

“Hmm…”

Sion crossed his arms and groaned.

Nothing came easily. Even though his growth speed was already sufficient, his ambition and worries never ceased.

“Still, please help me.”

Sion’s earnest plea showed his righteous nature. He wasn’t seeking strength for selfish desires, but truly out of a desire to uphold his beliefs.

Elves can see through human nature. In that sense, Marquisin liked Sion.

“Alright. What is your goal?”

Sion answered with sharp intensity.

“The demon I met last time. I will cut off her head.”

“Then you’ll have to become stronger than me.”

Sion silently nodded. In a way, it was an arrogant statement.

Trying to surpass an Elf who’s lived for centuries within a human lifespan.

Marquisin rose, his clothes fluttering like soft flower petals.

“I think I understand why Sir Garfenn sent you to me.”

“What is it?”

“He said not to send you back until you’ve reached a certain level.”

Sion couldn’t refute it.

“Follow me.”

***

Marquisin’s footsteps on the dirt path felt ghost-like, with no sense of mass.

They were completely silent, as if gliding. He was visible, yet no presence could be felt.

‘I’ve heard you should never fight an Elf in the forest.’

It was a proverb he’d heard somewhere before.

Whoever said it, Sion imagined being utterly defeated to the bone by an Elf in the forest.

“Now, here we are.”

The place Marquisin led him to was a small clearing. Around it, newly planted wildflowers were sprouting.

“Sit in the center, Sion.”

Sion did as instructed, sitting down with his buttocks on the dirt. The fragrant scent of grass filled the air.

“I’ll give you a task.”

“A task?”

“Yes. If you succeed, I’ll reward you. The Wildflower Cult’s secret medicine. It’s a medicine that can refresh and restore your tired body once.”

Secret medicine. It would be useful in tough battles.

The kind of thing that made Sion’s ears perk up.

If Sion were an elf, his ears would have pointed sharply.

“Sit there, close your eyes, and detect my presence.”

“…!”

It was an absurd request.

How could he detect Marquisin’s presence with his eyes closed, when he couldn’t even follow him while watching?

But Marquisin added no hints or explanations about this problem.

“Begin.”

He simply disappeared.

Like a phantom butterfly, he vanished without a trace.

This too was part of the training.

Sion first closed his eyes and concentrated.

Using all five senses as usual, he struggled to detect Marquisin’s presence.

‘Is he gone?’

Even such a futile thought arose. Had he just left, abandoning Sion as a joke?

…He couldn’t feel anything.

He only felt as if Sion were the sole living creature in the newly formed forest.

His vision was blocked.

His ears heard only the rustling of grass in the wind.

His nose smelled flowers and grass.

His tongue tasted sweet honey.

His skin felt only the movement of ants.

Sion had never felt such sensations before. A pervasive sense of detachment from the world enveloped him.

So he opened his mouth.

“…Um, are you there?”

“Right behind you. Haha.”

Thud—Marquisin’s hand landed on his shoulder.

Goosebumps ran from Sion’s lower back up to his shoulders.

He never dreamed Marquisin was right behind him.

“Now, let’s really begin.”

As soon as the words ended, Sion lost Marquisin’s position again. It seemed impossible to find him if Marquisin was determined.

Sion wanted to immediately stand up and run away from this absurd challenge.

‘No. He wouldn’t give me an impossible task.’

And there was no reason for him to suddenly give such training. He had to extract a hint from their recent conversation.

‘I have to use divine power.’

Sion quickly narrowed down the clue to solving the problem. If he couldn’t move and couldn’t detect it with his senses, there was only one method.

‘Spread the divine power.’

He realized that detecting Marquisin was a kind of divine power manipulation training.

***

After giving Sion the task, Marquisin did his chores not far away.

Checking if the leaves were growing well, dealing with pests—small, mundane tasks.

For some reason, he felt more at ease inside the War Cult than he did at the Wildflower Cult’s original site.

Perhaps it was because he had a place to rely on and wasn’t alone.

In the past, at the Holy Land of the Round Goddess, he was newly surprised every day at how fast the plants grew.

But above all, the most astonishing thing was undoubtedly Sion’s existence.

His genius would be unparalleled even among elves.

‘I wonder how long it will take. How long until he detects my presence.’

It usually took days to grasp the essence of the training, and even longer to comprehend and implement it.

Even if one could do all that, detecting Marquisin’s presence wasn’t as easy as it sounded.

‘No. Even for Sir Sion, a few weeks is too short. At best, a few months? I can sense Sir Garfenn’s intention in not wanting to send Sion back.’

That was when it happened.

“You were here.”

An invisible energy gently tapped his shoulder.

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