MAEPG: Episode 29

Episode 29 Heinrich (2)

Holy power was different in nature from other powers based on mana, the energy of nature.

Warriors absorbed mana and refined it into aura within their bodies, while dark mages contaminated it through unholy rituals and turned it into dark magic power.

The vampires’ blood magic power was also created by transforming the mana and life force contained in blood into a bloodsucking factor through the act of bloodsucking.

But holy power was a power bestowed entirely by God.

Because its origin was different, once you accepted holy power, you could no longer handle other magic power.

That’s why the baptism process was so strict and required complex conditions.

It was the process of swearing allegiance to the Main God and creating a path to receive his power.

And what determined whether that path would be a thin straw or a thick pipeline…

‘Was faith in God.’

Heinrich continued to pray, feeling the holy power overflowing from his body.

This was the reason I chose holy power as Heinrich’s path.

I had been using “Mind Hub” only to restrict emotions and stimuli, but I realized that it could also be used in the opposite way.

After experimenting with various things, I was able to join the Main God Church with confidence.

I used “Mind Hub” and “Clear Mind” to empty Heinrich’s mind and turn it into a blank slate.

And I injected only one emotion, ‘faith’, through “Persona” and amplified it with “Mind Hub”.

‘In other words, the current Heinrich is literally the embodiment of fanaticism.’

I stopped all other avatars and poured their resources into Heinrich.

The original body, Hans, Heinz the Second, and even the new avatar I could summon again recently.

Using the baptism ceremony, it wasn’t difficult to focus the direction of faith towards the Main God.

And I poured all my mental power into strengthening the path to God.

《The unique skill grows and unlocks its potential. The avatar’s potential increases, and the mental power of each individual can be shared more efficiently.》

The growth of the “Avatar” skill in the process was an unexpected gain.

Thanks to that, I was able to focus on the task more easily.

“Oh my, such holy power from the first baptism.”

“Who is he? A holy warrior candidate? I would believe it even if you said he had trained as a monk for decades.”

“Uh… that guy, it hasn’t even been a few months since he entered, saying he wanted to become a holy knight…”

The surrounding priests and those waiting to be baptized started buzzing.

The high priest who was conducting his baptism also seemed flustered, but he didn’t stop and continued the ceremony.

‘It’s almost done.’

I gathered all my mental power and poured holy power into my body.

If faith determined the thickness of the path, it was mental power that drew holy power through it.

I couldn’t lack either.

《The individual meets the conditions and unlocks its potential. You have acquired the special skill “Holy Baptism”.》

‘Is this my limit for now…’

Theoretically, holy power had no limits because it was a power received from God.

It meant that I could use as much as I could draw as long as I had enough mental power.

But even though it was God who gave the power, it was a lowly mortal who used it, so the more I used it recklessly, the greater the burden on my body and mind.

If I used excessive power that didn’t match my abilities, I would become bedridden, and in severe cases, I could even die.

‘I have enough faith and mental power, but my body isn’t ready to accept more holy power yet.’

I used all sorts of tricks, but it couldn’t be helped that it was my first time encountering this power.

My body needed time to adapt to the new power to accept stronger holy power.

I slowly calmed down the holy power and returned my mind.

The path of faith also naturally narrowed, but I could restore it whenever I wanted.

‘Like a rubber band that has been stretched once, it will be easier to use next time.’

“You said your name was Heinrich, right?”

As I got up with the help of the surrounding priests, the high priest who had conducted the ceremony spoke to me.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Hmm, I’m flustered because I’ve never seen anything like this before. Anyway, you have strong faith, which is very good. You can become a good priest. Keep striving.”

He smiled contentedly, patted me on the shoulder, and gave me words of encouragement.

I was aiming to be a holy knight, not a priest, but there was no need to mention it.

I bowed my head, expressed my gratitude, and moved to another spot.

The ceremony was still ongoing in the chapel, but I could feel occasional glances directed at me.

I tried to ignore them and sat down in a designated resting area, closing my eyes and starting to meditate.

All these tricks were possible because the Main God of Auterica wasn’t a personal god.

Heinz the Second first learned about the Main God Church, Heinrich entered the Church and learned theology, and…

I was convinced through this baptism ceremony.

‘He’s not a being with personal emotions like the gods of Greek and Roman mythology. He’s closer to a grand concept or a system.’

Something that existed naturally in the world, like a law of nature.

That was the Main God of Auterica.

‘Well, it seems like he has a will… but it’s not something that can be judged by human standards.’

When Heinrich connected with the Main God through baptism, I could feel a fragment of that transcendental being.

It was a phenomenon I hadn’t heard of during the preliminary education, perhaps because I was baptized in an abnormal way.

If I had to express the something I vaguely felt at that time in human emotions…

Yes, it was ‘interest’.

‘I’m glad he doesn’t consider it blasphemy…’

It could also be that he simply didn’t intervene because it was a trivial matter to him, but it didn’t matter now.

My attempt had already succeeded.
___________________

A few days after the ceremony.

The newly born holy warriors and novice priests who had been baptized were receiving training in their respective ways.

They fostered their faith through prayer and doctrinal studies, and the priests focused on mental training to strengthen their mental power…

“One more!”

“Ugh~!”

“More! More, more, more!

“Gah!”

Groans of those dying echoed throughout the training ground.

It was the sound of new recruits pushing themselves under the guidance of senior holy warriors.

“Whew, huff! Huff!”

‘I thought I worked out pretty hard. But that was nothing. These guys are really…’

I scoffed inwardly, alternately lifting the dumbbells in my hands.

Clank, clank—

The chains connected to the dumbbells pressed against my entire body.

Training equipment that was comparable to modern ones was installed throughout the training ground.

The difference was… they were bigger and more sinister-looking, and there was no safety whatsoever?

They were designed solely to push the body to its limits more efficiently.

The more you used them, the more your muscles tore, and your bones gradually broke, and your ligaments ruptured.

‘There’s a limit to overloading the body. What kind of perverted idea is this…’

It was a training method that literally pushed the body beyond its limits.

Of course, there was no way such overtraining wouldn’t have any problems.

“Aagh!”

A scream erupted from one side of the training ground.

A new recruit, lying on the floor, convulsing.

He was clutching his arm and crying, as if something had gone wrong during training.

Normally, he would have been immediately transported to the infirmary, but the senior standing in front of him just yelled.

“You lost focus! You must never stop praying while training! Come on, use your holy power again!”

“Ugh! Oh, Main God—!”

A faint light arose with the prayer, enveloping the fallen one.

His groans gradually subsided.

After a while, he staggered to his feet.

“You’re still lacking! Keep praying while training! Restore your body before it’s completely destroyed! If you repeat this, you will receive a high-level blessing!”

“Yes! I’m sorry—!”

“You work on your lower body until your arm is completely healed! And don’t stop praying!”

“Yes! I understand!”

A truly simple and brutal sight.

But surprisingly, this was a long-standing tradition of the Church and an efficient training method.

Prayer assisted in the use of holy power.

For holy warriors who fought on the front lines, it was their lifeline.

Creating extreme situations artificially and continuing to pray was also a part of training to use holy power without panicking in real battles.

‘And repeated prayer in extreme situations strengthens faith through self-hypnosis, which in turn leads to the strengthening of holy power.’

Holy power manipulation training, physical training, increased holy power through faith enhancement, and mental strength enhancement through hardship.

It was a damn efficient method.

And I was a highly regarded talent in that group of perverts.

“Oh… As expected of this batch’s rising star. To be able to handle this much weight already.”

“He’s also skilled at using holy power, and even considering that, his recovery speed is no joke. His recovery ability alone is already greater than most holy knights.”

Senior holy warriors gathered on one side, observing and evaluating me.

Thanks to my past training, “Martial Bones”, and “Super Recovery”, I was able to easily follow their guidance from the beginning.

And there was also the status enhancement effect from the Karma Shop.

And as I got used to “Holy Baptism”, which converted the mana in my body into holy power and enhanced it, I started to stand out even more.

“That’s it for afternoon training! Put away the equipment and enter the shower room in order! Gather in the lecture hall in two hours. Dismissed!”

““Dismissed!””

At the senior’s shout, the holy warriors put away the equipment and were able to take a short break, washing their bodies in turn.

I went to the shower room and poured cold water on my body, which was so hot that it was steaming.

Splash—

As I mechanically washed and pressed my muscles, they twitched and showed off themselves, having been pushed to their limits.

‘The effect is definitely good.’

It had been a few days since the baptism, and although it was a perverted training method, I could clearly feel its effect.

My abused body and the holy power that spread to every corner of it to heal it.

The more I repeated this, the more I felt every single cell of my body adapting to the holy power.

“Ugh…”

“Ugh… I, I’m dying.”

Groans could be heard from all over the shower room.

I smiled wryly as I dried myself with a towel.

‘It’s definitely excessive. I was able to remove the pain thanks to “Mind Hub”, but they had to endure it with their willpower alone.’

They said that the pain also helped increase their faith and mental strength, but I wanted to decline it since I didn’t need it.

I would just cheer for their faith.

“As servants of the Main God, we must become shepherds who lead his lambs, always guiding them to the bright path…”

A lecture on doctrines, also serving as mental education, was held in the lecture hall after training.

The holy warriors had to fight against drowsiness, dragging their exhausted bodies.

Of course, I was no exception, as I had to be both physically and mentally strong to become a holy knight.

About two months passed like that.

While Heinrich was struggling to become a holy knight, the Immortal King subjugation force was facing a major obstacle.

_________________

“Sigh… This is frustrating. Where did he disappear to?”

Archbishop Latiaus, the leader of the Immortal King subjugation force, sighed and rubbed his forehead.

They had dispatched search parties several times and chased after ‘Hans’, but they couldn’t find any trace of him.

They hadn’t even seen his shadow for months since their first encounter, so he couldn’t even look up.

The Saintess had also done her best to locate him, but tracking was impossible except for a few brief moments.

And even then, they had to return empty-handed because they couldn’t find any trace of him in the location they had identified…

Knock, knock—

“Archbishop Latiaus, it’s Tuskin.”

“Ah, Sir Tuskin. Come in.”

With Latiaus’s permission, the door to his office opened, and Paladin Tuskin entered and bowed.

His face was also filled with fatigue, just like the Archbishop.

“So, how did it go?”

“…It seems unlikely. Those damn vampires must have done something.”

“Sigh…”

To make matters worse, the political pressure from the Talia Kingdom was also intensifying.

The subjugation force, organized to catch the Immortal King’s descendant, was making little progress, and they were starting to lose ground in terms of justification.

“If he’s not here after all this searching, doesn’t it mean he’s already left the Talia Kingdom?”

Latiaus sighed again and closed his eyes tightly at Tuskin’s cautious words.

They had done their best to find ‘Hans’.

They had even clashed with ‘Oath of Heaven’s Defiance’, who were hiding in the shadows, to the extent that it caused friction with both the Church and the vampire clan.

In the process, Oath of Heaven’s Defiance suffered heavy losses from being attacked by both sides, cut their losses, and went into hiding, but the conflict with the ‘Brokoslack Clan’ continued.

“…At this point, we can assume he’s hiding somewhere else. I’ll disband the subjugation force at the Talia Temple and return to the headquarters.”

“Then I’ll prepare accordingly.”

Tuskin bowed his head lightly and left the office.

Most of the subjugation force, except for the high-ranking members, were personnel from the Talia Temple, so there was a lot to do before disbanding.

Once those dispatched from the headquarters returned, they would be stationed throughout the kingdom and return to their usual duties.

And the moment the Church’s surveillance network, spread across the entire continent, detected his whereabouts, a subjugation force would be assembled again in that region.

‘Come to think of it, there was a holy warrior who stood out.’

Tuskin, who was walking, suddenly thought of someone and frowned.

A holy knight aspirant who awakened high priest-level holy power at the baptism ceremony.

He had been keeping an eye on him because he had also shown great talent in training since then.

‘It’s a waste to leave such a talent in this backwater…’

His superior physical abilities and recovery ability that were incomparable to other new holy warriors, reaching the level of a holy knight.

His talent for quickly absorbing teachings and his potential for continuous growth.

Even without considering his holy power, he was a talent they couldn’t afford to lose.

He didn’t mean to belittle the Talia diocese, but the reality was that it seemed too lacking for a warrior of that caliber to blossom.

No matter how well they treated him, would it be the same as the support he could receive directly from the headquarters?

‘Hmm… Was his name Heinrich? I want to take him with me and raise him personally if possible. I should at least mention it.’

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