Chapter 157. Preparation for War (3)
‘I know that I’m not suited for close combat, but being at the 4th rank means I’m beyond human level…’
Despite countless attempts, to the point where counting them was pointless, I hadn’t scored a single effective hit.
I was outmatched in speed, skill, and strength. Of course, as a priest, engaging in close combat was something I should have avoided.
I had raised Gluttony to prepare for such situations, but being beaten so thoroughly left me with mixed feelings.
“Again.”
‘First of all, this person… doesn’t like me much.’
I sensed hatred directed more toward the priest of a Foreign God rather than at me personally. I could see this hatred in his eyes.
‘It doesn’t usually show, but when he attacks…!’
Estevan tackled me as I charged at him, then smoothly drove me into the ground. At that moment, I saw it.
‘As I thought, anger and hatred lingered in his eyes just now.’
I regenerated my body and stood up.
“Is it because anger is such a volatile emotion that it only lingers for a brief moment?”
“That’s part of it. The other is to prevent being consumed by the anger.”
As I got into position again, Estevan raised his hand, indicating that it was enough.
“Did you know? No matter how much anger a person feels, they unconsciously control their strength.”
Even when fighting in anger, there are rarely instances when someone punches with genuine intent to kill.
“It’s not easy to swing with full force, regardless of what happens to your body. Berserkers are powerful because they can do that.”
“I heard that they take drugs to deliberately lose rationality and rampage… Is it similar to using the intoxication from alcohol for such an effect?”
“No, alcohol is just for enjoyment.”
As expected, Estevan pulled out a bottle of wine and drank it again. Despite drinking quite a lot, he didn’t seem drunk at all.
“Have you ever had an experience where you swung with the power of anger?”
“I have.”
I immediately recalled the battle with Pleroma. It was the first battle where I wielded the Foreign God’s miracle, close to a disaster, without suppressing my own power.
“Using such intense emotions can make miracles or magic more potent. But it’s not as simple as it sounds.”
Estevan’s explanation finally began in earnest.
After contemplating the methodology he proposed, I reached a certain possibility in my mind.
‘This seems to utilize the decreased Mind stat for enhancement.’
It didn’t feel like simply hitting with emotions packed into my fists. It was a kind of art, not a miracle or combat technique. Although I could use it, there was an issue.
‘Control is difficult.’
It was like an RPG game where you added the damage from the decreased Mind stat.
The decreased mind wasn’t just empty; it was filled with negativity and fanaticism.
‘If my Mind stat is 80 and the current strength of Mind is 50…’
The remaining 30 would be composed of madness, fury, loss of rationality, and using it was this method.
However, without being able to control it myself, it would deplete my mind each time I used it.
Suppressing and using it to avoid danger would render it nearly ineffective.
“Unless you’re a Dionysus’ follower handling emotional release, this art is very difficult to use, isn’t it?”
“Right. It sounds appealing, but there’s a reason not everyone can do it.”
One had to almost perfectly control their emotions to use it.
Extracting and inflating negative emotions before explosively releasing them, then stopping precisely and sharply.
‘I already looked back on my feelings and inherent anger through previous training.’
I had clearly recognized, faced, and accepted it.
Having gone through such a process, I didn’t find utilizing this art particularly difficult.
“Please teach me once more.”
As I moved, I exploded with rage.
Adding speed to the charge and throwing a punch, painful memories surged back. Especially that priest’s face, maniacally grinning.
“You’ve got quite the killer instinct.”
Estevan blocked my attack effortlessly and nodded his head approvingly.
“I didn’t expect you to grasp it so quickly. Seems like Atra wasn’t exaggerating.”
“What did Atra say?”
“He said if I taught you, you wouldn’t be as unlikeable as I thought.”
Estevan released my clenched fist.
“When encountering other heroes in the future, it would be wise to be cautious. Atra and I are the calm type, but there are more who aren’t.”
“I see…”
“As long as you don’t provoke them initially and converse well, it won’t be too much trouble.”
I nodded understandingly.
“I suppose everyone holds a strong grudge against the forces of the Foreign Gods.”
“Of course. Even in my case, my family was slaughtered by those Foreign God cultists. They didn’t stop there, forcing me to manage the rotting corpses myself.”
He spoke of such tragedy so calmly that I lost my words for a moment. In reality, it wasn’t calmness.
It was endless fury and scars as clear as the wine he continuously drank.
He merely stored that anger and transformed it into strength when necessary.
“But there are those who’ve gone through worse. You should be particularly cautious if you encounter a priest of Aphrodite named ‘Fryane’.”
I recalled the notes Atra had left.
– Aphrodite’s priest, Fryane.
– The hero feared most by enemies ended up taking her own life in the end.
A rather ill-fitting description for a priestess of the Goddess of beauty.
“What kind of person is this Fryane, then?”
“Fryane… is a tragic woman.”
Estevan clicked his tongue.
“She lost her fiancé during the war and went completely mad with rage.”
Initially, she played a major role in boosting allies’ morale with miracles based on charm.
She often engaged in diplomatic affairs or served as a mediator.
However, after losing her fiancé, she became frenzied with rage, standing at the forefront.
Even though Aphrodite’s miracles were mostly unsuited for combat.
“Had it just been murder, it might have been bearable. But what I witnessed was so atrocious, it was almost reasonable to lose one’s mind. It was one of the most successful attempts to crumble our sanity.”
Estevan suggested getting details from Fryane herself and offered no more on the topic.
“Honestly, I don’t know how Atra managed to persuade Fryane to leave arrangements for you.”
Hearing that much, I wondered whether I should delay approaching Fryane for later.
‘I have other divine relics to consider too, so I’ll have to think further.’
“Well, that’s your decision to make. Now let me tell you about that grape seed.”
Dionysus’s divine relic was simply a grape seed. But naturally, it wasn’t an ordinary grape seed.
You plant it while wishing for something, and then cultivate it normally.
The wine made solely from the grapes of the tree that grows offers effects matching those wishes.
“If you wish for health, you get wine that heals diseases, like that.”
It can’t be entirely unreasonable, but the wines produced can rival elixirs.
“You must offer the first glass of the wine you make to Dionysus. No need to seek out a temple; just hold a simple feast to enjoy.”
If you say you’ve offered the first glass to Dionysus and leave it, the wine diminishes, leaving a single seed behind. No seeds come from any other grapes on that vine.
“Drinking carelessly without the gratitude would mean losing the divine relic.”
Dionysus’s relic seemed to embody his philosophy.
With explanations concluded on how to cultivate grapes well and make delicious wine, I finished my meditation.
* * *
“No, I can’t do it at all.”
I conveyed Estevan’s teaching to the four others training with me. Their reactions were uniform.
“Really… does it even work?”
I demonstrated by punching the rocks nearby with my bare fists.
A mere punch left cracks, but using the method I learned shattered them into pieces.
“I can’t tell the difference though.”
“Didn’t you just punch harder?”
They appeared completely baffled.
“By the way, that meditation of yours is really convenient. Can’t we do it too?”
“That’s impossible.”
Mary curtly dismissed Lyla’s suggestion.
When Lyla asked for a reason, Mary responded simply that if it couldn’t be done, it couldn’t be done.
Attempting to explain my true identity and these game-like abilities would indeed be extremely troublesome, so there was nothing more to say.
“Hm?”
As we readied ourselves to resume training, a familiar elderly figure approached.
Behind him, Ender and Ansandy stood together.
“Oh! Master!”
Lyla, startled, bowed deeply.
“I have many things to say to such a poor disciple…”
Cernun looked at me, chuckling incredulously.
“You continue to grow at an alarming pace.”
“It’s been a while. I’m constantly faced with turmoil, so growth is inevitable.”
In contrast, he frowned upon looking at Lyla.
“Lyla, you and I need a private conversation.”
“Master? I’ve already figured out the concerns I mentioned…”
“Is that so? Even so, a talk is unavoidable.”
Lyla was dragged along by Cernun.
“Well, I thought I’d take a break, but…”
Ender approached, wearing a troubled expression.
“How long have you been in the wildlands before causing such a stir?”
“It’s not like I wanted to stir things up. Did you meet your family?”
Ender shook his head with a wry smile.
“No, I was turned away at the door. Understandable, really, so don’t worry about it.”
Oh dear.
I handed Ender the grape seed and explained its nature as a divine relic. I then proposed training based on Estevan’s teachings.
“That sounds interesting. Alright, let’s try it together.”
“Oh, Delion. There’s something I have for you.”
As I was about to retrieve something for Delion, he hesitated and began to speak.
“Before that, there’s something we need to discuss…”
The atmosphere suggested it was difficult to bring up.
“What’s the matter? Has my identity been exposed?”
“No, it’s a bigger issue.”
Ansandy shook her head.
“Judging by your reaction, you have no idea, huh? I’m talking about what’s happening in the Empire.”
Ender rolled his eyes at Ansandy, who seemed to be silently reprimanding him for doubting.
She explained that it was just to confirm, though she believed in me. I was at a loss for words.
“Just curious… Did you start openly accepting believers or issue some kind of directive?”
“Uh, no? I haven’t done anything like that.”
Ender scratched his head and sighed.
“The religion you established… People claiming to be its believers have been proselytizing and attacking the temples of Hayat.”