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[Translator - Pot ]
[Proofreader - Kawaii ]
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Chapter 11: Sparring (2)
The ability Ray gained during the hymn prayer meeting was simple.
Singing hymns granted buffs.
The best example of utilizing this was the Solaryon Choir, but the problem was that hymn abilities fundamentally required choral singing.
In this era, hymns were inherently choral.
The effects were amplified when sung in unison by clergy with the ability and ordinary choir members.
Of course, hymns are meant to be sung together, right?
Because of this common belief, solo hymn performances were rarely seen.
But did that mean hymn abilities were useless unless performed in chorus?
Not exactly.
Since the primary condition was for the sound to resonate loudly, the use of instruments was also permitted.
Twang~!
Ray plucked the strings of the stringed instrument he had prepared.
It was a lute, the precursor to the guitar, an instrument often used by minstrels.
Ray skillfully strummed the lute, playing a prelude.
The hymn ability had its drawbacks. It consumed holy power, and each hymn required individual experimentation to determine its effects.
Ray had spent every day singing hymns to identify the effects of a few select songs.
And so, Ray’s first hymn began.
"Do not worry or fear~, for the Lord will protect you."
"Beneath His wings~ take refuge, the Lord will protect you~"
"The~ Lord will protect you~ anytime~ anywhere~"
"The~ Lord will pro~tect you~~ He will guard you~ always."
Ray’s voice echoed through the space, accompanied by the resonant tones of the lute.
"Oh~ Brother Ray has quite the talent for music."
"He’s good. Our abbot used to play the organ occasionally too."
In this era, clergy were far removed from music.
While choirs existed, unless they were groups like the Solaryon Choir centered around abilities.
They were usually volunteer choirs formed by congregants.
A priest was, above all, a preacher presiding over Mass. It was rare for a priest to raise their voice in song.
But in Korean Protestantism, such a notion was unthinkable.
In Korean Protestantism, a pastor was a versatile all-round entertainer.
If a pastor couldn’t play at least one instrument, whispers would spread:
"The pastor at the other church plays the saxophone and the guitar, but ours is just..."
"For the youth group, guitar; for the adult group, saxophone. At least this much is needed to make prayers engaging."
Though people often compared pastors, mastering just one instrument was enough to earn the congregation’s admiration.
"Our pastor plays the saxophone so beautifully."
"I heard he also played guitar for the youth group?"
"He’s giving saxophone lessons after the weekend service. Should we join?"
"Pastor Kim, the youth group’s guitar lesson slot is open. Can you take it?"
"Huh? But I’m already handling the senior saxophone class..."
"The times don’t overlap. Senior saxophone is at 2 PM on weekends, youth guitar is at 1 PM on Saturdays."
"Well, still..."
"We’re counting on you, our young Pastor Kim."
The more time congregants spent at church and the stronger their sense of belonging, the more willingly they gave, not just weekend offerings, but tithes, church construction funds, and overseas mission support!
A pastor had to sing hymns well, deliver engaging sermons, play instruments, and possess excellent social skills.
Couldn’t it be said that the true all-round entertainers of this era were Protestant pastors?
At any rate, as Ray finished the hymn, he confirmed the buff had taken effect.
'Defensive boost!'
Unlike singing a cappella, adding the lute’s accompaniment elevated the buff from blocking blunt strikes to withstanding a blade, at least once.
For an ability, the effect was modest, but an extra layer of protection was nothing to scoff at.
'Hmm? My energy’s draining faster than I thought...'
He considered singing a second hymn, but the holy power consumption was unexpectedly high.
During solo practice, it hadn’t been this taxing. Was his recovery rate slower?
With no other choice, Ray stepped before Sir Jake.
"I’m ready, Sir Jake."
"...Very well."
Ray held a dagger.
But such a small weapon seemed pitifully inadequate against a holy knight like Sir Jake.
Though unarmored, Jake’s trained muscles and calluses made him as formidable as a fortress.
'In a straight fight, I’d obviously lose.'
Even if he brought his past life’s skills as Pastor Kim into this, victory wouldn’t come easily.
But Ray had a few advantages.
"Hup...!"
The dagger, raised as if to slash, was suddenly hurled instead.
It was a polished feint, forcing even the battle-hardened holy knight to widen his eyes and block.
Clang!
Sir Jake deflected the thrown dagger with his wooden sword.
But in that split second of distraction, Ray closed the distance in a flash.
Thud! A heavy strike landed on Sir Jake’s wooden sword.
'An axe!'
The dagger was a decoy. His real weapon was the hand axe.
'What kind of strength...!'
More shocking than the seamless feint was the overwhelming force behind the blow.
Sir Jake was a holy knight under the 〈Sun's Blessing〉.
Daylight was when he was at his strongest.
Now, however, the sun had set, and moonlight bathed the twilight.
This was naturally when a holy knight like Sir Jake was at his weakest.
But the same applied to Ray.
Ray, too, possessed the 〈Sun's Blessing〉.
However, the ability amplified one’s base strength, and Sir Jake had waited until evening out of consideration for Ray, assuming his physical prowess would be lacking.
So what was this monstrous strength?
Crash!
The force of Ray’s axe strike sent Sir Jake staggering back.
The inhuman strength was on par with that of a holy knight.
'He has this much power even without the 〈Sun's Blessing〉?'
CRASH!
Sir Jake felt a pang of frustration at the overwhelming strength he was facing.
Even for a holy knight with a robust physique, the difference in raw power compared to an average adult man was typically around 50% to 100%.
But this? If the gap was this wide even now, how much greater would it be under the 〈Sun's Blessing〉?
'This is absurd. This is a miracle bestowed by Sol Invictus Himself.'
Sir Jake realized that sparing Ray until evening wasn’t for his sake.
It was to nerf Ray’s strength.
Of course, this was a misunderstanding.
Sir Jake and Ray had fundamentally different interpretations of what constituted ‘sunlight.’
Moonlight was, after all, reflected sunlight.
Ray’s flexible interpretation that moonlight was sunlight created this disparity.
Yet, despite the twofold difference in strength, Sir Jake managed to block Ray’s axe strikes.
'He’s definitely seasoned.'
Though Ray in this life had been distant from real combat, he still had experience fighting supernatural beings.
Even compared to that, a holy knight was on another level.
Clad in plate armor, wielding a greatsword, and standing firm against abominations, the mightiest force of the Theocracy.
That was a holy knight.
'But...!'
CRACK!
The wooden sword split apart.
The hand axe, a proper bladed weapon, was swung with terrifying force, and the training weapon couldn’t withstand it.
In desperation, Sir Jake drove his knee into Ray’s abdomen, but the protective barrier from the hymn’s ability absorbed the blow.
"Tch!"
Sir Jake retreated to avoid further attacks, his expression clearly regretting not bringing a real sword as he stared at the splintered remains of his wooden one.
'This might actually work.'
Ray gave no quarter, gripping his axe tightly and charging forward.
WHOOSH!
The sound of splitting air roared menacingly as the axe descended toward Sir Jake.
Certain that blocking it would shatter his weapon, Sir Jake’s muscles tensed like coiled springs.
This was no longer a spar; his life was genuinely at stake, and his reflexes sharpened accordingly.
"Hah...!"
But his sudden, explosive movements left him breathless.
To make matters worse, daggers were intermittently hurled between axe swings.
"Guh—!"
Instinctively, Sir Jake caught one of the flying blades. Had he not grabbed the hilt, his palm would have been sliced open.
Ray’s eyes widened at the sight.
'He caught it. With his bare hand.'
Tricks and feints were just that, tricks.
Against a true master, they rarely worked.
Then again, unlike vampires or werewolves, humans were fragile. Even minor attacks could be lethal.
That was why their instincts were honed to a razor’s edge.
Hence the armor, the weapons, the meticulous preparation.
'But he’s not wearing armor now!'
This was a spar, and Sir Jake was an instructor facing a rookie.
He carried only a wooden sword and wore no protective gear.
Trusting in the hymn’s protective barrier, Ray closed the distance in a flash.
"Huh?!"
Sir Jake reacted swiftly, striking with the wooden sword but it was still just wood. The barrier shattered under the blow, but the attack itself was negated.
'Wow...'
Ray was stunned.
The barrier, which could deflect bladed attacks, had broken against a wooden sword.
This was the result of not just strength, but skill.
A holy knight was still a holy knight.
'But I’ve got this!'
Ray raised his axe high.
He took the hit to deliver his own.
A holy knight could heal from an injury like this in no time.
Without hesitation, Ray brought the axe down.
CLANG!
"Huh?"
The axe was deflected.
Ray froze for a moment, then realized,
Sir Jake had also received the hymn’s buff.
Oh, crap!
The hymn’s ability was a buff-type power.
A blessing of holy power granted to Sol Invictus’s children.
In other words, everyone present had received the effects of Ray’s hymn.
"No wonder my energy drained so fast..."
SWISH!
The broken wooden sword swung up and stopped just under Ray’s chin.
"Ah, I lose."
"......"
Ray raised his hands in surrender. As he did, everyone in the training grounds.
Sir Jake also stared at him.
A mix of awe and disbelief was directed squarely at Ray.
And for good reason.
A rookie candidate had just pushed a holy knight to the brink.
Even more shocking was the power of Ray’s hymn.
A blessing that extended not just to himself and Sir Jake, but to everyone present.
The implications were enormous.
'Ray Anderson’s hymn ability is far stronger than the standard version!'
'Without a choir, he buffed over a hundred people at once?'
'He’s practically a one-man choir all by himself!'
Was something like that even possible?
"A Saint...?"
A loud gulp echoed as someone muttered those words.
Yet no one denied it.
The spar between the holy knight and the rookie candidate had been that shocking.
"Sir Jake."
The one who called out to Sir Jake as he headed toward the headquarters of the Holy Knights Order was a man clad in priestly robes.
"Father Moro."
Sir Jake gave a curt nod in greeting.
"What brings an inquisitor of Eclipse to the Holy Knights' headquarters?"
"A minor matter. I came to request reinforcements."
Reinforcements?
Sir Jake had a good idea of what Father Moro was after.
"A heresy interrogation?"
"Reports of a witch appearing in a northern city called Sanghela. She’s already been captured and awaits trial, but we must verify the truth of the matter."
"A witch..."
The term referred to women who made pacts with demons.
Like warlocks, they were heretics who wielded dark magic through contracts with the infernal.
Dealing with such heretics usually fell to Eclipse.
"There’s been troubling news from the north lately."
"A consequence of the many heathens who refuse to serve Our Lord Sol Invictus, no doubt."
The north was rife with pagan barbarians and exiled criminals, hardly surprising.
The insular nature of its people didn’t help either.
"If she’s already been captured, she can’t be much of a threat."
"True. That’s why I thought about taking a few of the rookie candidates for training purposes."
At the mention of rookies, Sir Jake recalled Ray Anderson from today’s spar.
'Unbelievable skill and judgment for a rookie. And above all...'
Decisiveness.
No, it went beyond decisiveness; there was a chilling lack of hesitation.
Most people faltered when it came to spilling blood.
Only time and experience could numb that visceral revulsion.
But Ray Anderson?
His monstrous strength and hymn ability were secondary.
Even before gaining his powers, he would have acted the same.
'Every move was calculated, each strike aimed to kill.'
Of course, Sir Jake had held back, knowing a holy knight wouldn’t fall so easily. But if that decisiveness were turned against a heretic?
'They say he snapped the warlock’s neck without a second thought.'
Truly, a born killer.
At least his fanaticism was directed toward the righteous path.
'...Or is that really a blessing?'
Sir Jake began to worry about Ray’s future.
What if that zeal were ever twisted in the wrong direction?
"Father Moro."
"Yes?"
"What are your thoughts on Ray Anderson?"
Father Moro nodded knowingly.
Ray’s reputation had already spread even within Eclipse.
Above all, the report from Father Maxcel, the armed priest stationed in Obello, had been shocking.
"A brother with no hesitation in his hands. He slaughtered the warlock who plagued Obello and his lackeys."
"Indeed. You’d be hard-pressed to find such talent anywhere on the continent."
An untrained rookie, neither an inquisitor nor a holy knight yet he killed a warlock.
Even if the warlock hadn’t been particularly powerful, he was still a demon contractor.
"Ray Anderson’s gifts are extraordinary. He’s already spoken in tongues, composed hymns, and received the Holy Spirit’s blessing. Such talent is only seen in Saints."
"Saints...!"
The weight of that word made Father Moro’s eyes widen.
"The higher-ups already have their eyes on him. Mark my words whether he joins the Knights or Eclipse, he’ll be leading an order someday."
"For you, a senior knight of the Holy Knight Order, to say that..."
"Take him on this mission. He’s already the ‘Youngest Warlock Hunter,’ isn’t he? Might as well add ‘Youngest Witch Hunter’ to his titles."
The next day.
Ray, in the middle of training with Henry in the courtyard, was summoned to the Inquisition.
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[Translator - Pot ]
[Proofreader - Kawaii ]
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