[Vol. 8] Chapter 96: The Divine Skill
Before his subordinate could finish speaking, the young Holy Knight raised his hand to stop him and shook his head.
“We don’t have time to waste. The unrest in the Holy Capital still hasn’t been settled, and most of the main Holy Knight forces are busy putting down the riots and keeping order. We’re the sharp edge of the blade, the ones sent to chase down the heretics. If we wait for the rest of the troops to arrive slowly, those false believers will be long gone. Everyone, step back.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Oh! Are you really going to use that!?”
At his command, the Holy Knights, who knew their captain’s strength well, nodded quickly. With eager and excited looks, they moved back to make space for him.
“Phew...”
Once everything was ready, Bowen looked again at the heavy, towering stone door in front of him and took a deep breath.
He didn’t draw the holy sword from his waist. Instead, he closed his eyes and focused deeply, reaching into the very depths of his soul.
Only he could see it, deep inside his being, a ball of golden light floated like a star, softly shining with a dreamlike holy glow. It was like a heart, endlessly pumping pure holy power through his entire body.
This light appeared inside him at the same time as a strange but incredibly real dream, the form of another Bowen Bernard.
That Bowen had died in the past, ambushed by another Holy Knight captain. But because of that, he was personally guided by the goddess and ascended to the divine realm, becoming a heroic spirit.
Even though Bowen’s death had been reversed by some great power, the trace of that past self didn’t disappear. Instead, it merged with the present Bowen, turning the two versions of him from different timelines into one powerful whole.
Before this, Bowen had only average talent. His ability to connect with holy light and use fighting skills was just okay. He had become a Holy Knight through hard work, but his future likely held nothing more than a small leadership role over a team of ten or so. He was nowhere near the level of truly gifted warriors.
But after the memories of that other life awakened, the glowing ball inside him began to shine like starlight. His connection with the holy light started growing in ways no one could explain. Using this power as a foundation, Bowen trained hard, stayed humble, and worked with determination. That’s how, in just over a year, he had reached his current level.
Bowen believed this was a gift from the goddess. Even as he rose in rank and power, he never forgot the blessing he had received in that vision. He remained true to his faith and stayed strong in his beliefs. He even...
Golden lights, as bright as stars, rose up around the young Holy Knight. The lights gathered and then slowly spread out, finally forming two glowing arms behind him, as if made of pure light. They floated in the air like the hands of a god’s messenger, shining brilliantly. The sight made all the watching Holy Knights show looks of awe and admiration.
“This must be that legendary divine magic. It’s my first time seeing it... How amazing... The captain is truly blessed by the goddess. If only I could…”
“If only what? We all read the Holy Book Revelation. Why do you think only the captain received divine favor? The goddess gives everyone the same chance. It just means your wish isn’t pure enough and your faith isn’t strong enough. Watch, learn, and work harder, kid.”
“Hah? You talk like a preacher, but you’re the one who hugs the [Revelation] all day and night, and you still haven’t figured out the secret of divine blessings!”
“Hey, kid! When the goddess came down and gave us her blessing earlier, I got way more benefits than you did! That’s the difference between true devotion and just going through the motions. Watch and learn!”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever you say.”
As the murmurs of the knights behind him reached his ears, Bowen’s deep concentration wavered slightly.
Just as he had said, the power he was now using wasn’t part of the Holy Empire’s normal holy magic. It was something completely new, a power directly gifted by the supreme goddess, different from all known types of magic in the world.
It had only been just over a year since the Pope, Her Holiness Edwina Cecilia, took the throne. Yet in that short time, the holy book she wrote and published, the [Revelation], had spread across the entire land, becoming a must-have sacred text for all believers.
The reason this book became so powerful and widespread so quickly was that it contained true divine knowledge directly from the goddess. It wasn’t just words, it held real secrets that could give actual help to faithful followers.
As the most powerful and all-knowing being in existence, everything the goddess says or does, even words passed down and written by others, carries a kind of mysterious and powerful force. Those who read the [Revelation] with a faithful heart can feel this divine will, which calms the mind, brings peace, and helps strengthen one’s spirit and beliefs.
Even the simplest, most basic copy of the [Revelation], when carried on one’s person, can drive away evil and frighten off dark forces. In this way, it's more useful than any charm or holy symbol.
And that’s not all. For the rare few believers who are deeply devoted and have the right qualities, careful study of the book can allow them to sense the true presence of the goddess. These people can receive her gift, a power known as Faith Magic.
Bowen Bernard was one of those rare “lucky ones.”
Though Faith Magic had the same name as an old type of magic that had long vanished from the world, Bowen clearly understood that the version he had learned through the [Revelation] was completely different. In fact, this may be the true form of Faith Magic, a real miracle granted by the goddess to her devoted followers.
The [Revelation] said, “The goddess’s blessings are never given freely. Spoiling others with rewards they didn’t earn leads only to disaster and betrayal.”
That means the goddess never gives her protection or gifts for no reason. Rather than simply giving someone a fish, she teaches them how to fish. Her gift of Faith Magic is just a tool and a path, not a final reward.
In other words, this Faith Magic is not that different from other kinds of magic created by humans. It’s still just a way to use the power you already have inside you, not some magical force that appears out of thin air.
If there’s any real difference, it’s this. This kind of magic was created by a god.
That’s its true nature of Divine Power.
The glowing hands made of light stretched forward. Under Bowen’s focused control, the fingers of the giant hands drove deep into the stone door made of Herc Stone, like steel drills biting into rock. Then they slowly began to pull.
The magical lock had already been broken, but the two heavy doors were still tightly stuck together as if they were one solid block. While it wasn’t as hard as ripping the super-dense stone in half, opening the sealed door without damaging the underground structure should have been impossible, even for a legendary warrior with great strength.
And yet...
“Crack... crack... crack...”
The huge stone door, which hadn’t moved at all no matter how much the knights had pushed or pulled, was now starting to shake slightly under the pull of those shining hands of light.