Chapter 18
Lily hadn’t attended training for several days.
The commander expressed concern, saying, “Perhaps her holy power hasn’t fully recovered yet?”—but in reality, her energy had returned by the next morning.
The reason Lily refused to join the training was simple: she realized that now wasn’t the time to be swinging swords or running laps on walking trails.
‘I have to learn to use my holy power efficiently.’
A vivid blue light shimmered in Lily’s palm. She trusted her holy power. It was the one and only reason she had been held captive in the temple, and it was also what had enabled her to escape from it.
She didn’t want to believe that the only value she had was something so trivial.
Closing her eyes, Lily recalled the first time she had laid eyes on the Master of the Magic Tower—the ominous aura that enveloped his entire body. Where had that energy felt strongest?
“…It was the heart.”
That was why she had aimed her holy power at his chest. But…
“My aim was off.”
She slowly traced her heart with her index finger. Back then, her holy power hadn’t pierced directly into the heart—it had merely hovered around it.
To drive it in, she had brute-forced it with sheer volume. That only resulted in a pathetic outcome—she had exhausted her energy.
“I need to be able to pierce it…”
The image of the broken sword blade lodged in Brandley’s chest came to her mind. That sharp fragment had pierced flesh with ease. Lily bit her lower lip.
‘I need to sharpen my power like a blade…’
She tried releasing a small amount of holy power into her palm and shaping it like a sword, but it was not easy. In fact, it was far easier to mold it into a bluebird by swirling the power around.
She began to doubt whether it was even possible to sharpen holy power.
“Well, it’s not something you can master overnight, is it?”
Stepping out to the terrace for a breath of fresh air, she noticed a commotion near the training ground. Curious, she leaned over the railing to see what was going on.
For a moment, a figure in a fluttering violet robe appeared inside the training ground—then disappeared.
“Are they sparring?”
Lily stood on her tiptoes and leaned further against the railing. If they were sparring with mages, she wanted to see it. She had rarely witnessed magic before.
“Even the young master only uses a sword…”
“He can use magic too. Want me to show you?”
“Wha—ahhh!”
Muttering to herself while leaning over the railing, Lily was startled by a familiar voice from behind and nearly fell into the garden. Luckily, Stewart caught her just in time and let out a long sigh.
“That was dangerous.”
“Thank you! I almost broke my nose…”
After exchanging concern and gratitude, they burst into laughter the moment their eyes met midair.
Their soft chuckles, like flower buds blooming, lingered for a while before they stood up straight and began to talk properly.
“Are you still feeling unwell? I was going to send for a physician, but I heard you refused.”
“I’m really fine. I was fully recovered by the next morning!”
“Then why have you been skipping training…?”
“I just don’t think it’s time for me to be practicing swordsmanship right now.”
Maybe Stewart would understand. Without realizing it, Lily grabbed the hem of his sleeve.
He looked at her seriously, without a hint of confusion.
“Young master, it’d be a good thing for you too if my holy power becomes more useful, wouldn’t it?”
Since he was sure to agree, Lily decided she’d ask him for help. She had no doubt Stewart would say yes—because he was kind and gentle.
“What’s good for me isn’t your holy power getting stronger,”
But instead, Stewart said,
“It’s for Lily to be happy. Of course, your safety is the top priority.”
It was nothing like what she had expected to hear.
Startled, Lily’s mouth dropped open. Didn’t he say he brought her along because of her holy power when he sparred with Brandley?
“Have you been worrying about your holy power?”
“Ah, yes. I was wondering if there’s a more efficient way to use it.”
Lily, snapping back to her senses after his words, poured out all the thoughts she’d been having.
Though her mind was still somewhat scattered and her explanation was a bit jumbled, Stewart nodded as if he understood everything.
“If there was someone good at using holy power, we could ask them for advice… But I honestly think no one on this continent has stronger holy power than you.”
“It’s embarrassing, but… I think so too.”
The high priest had kept Lily’s holy power stored in a jar, using it bit by bit on himself as needed. Because of that, he could never use a large amount at once.
To Lily, his usage had been frustratingly slow and inefficient, yet people called him a “man of supreme holy power.”
“Holy power… it’s different from magic, right? The properties are almost opposite.”
Stewart muttered while thinking deeply.
“With magic, condensing it makes it easier to sharpen. But I don’t know about holy power.”
“…Condense it?”
“Yeah. It’ll make more sense if I show you.”
He summoned red mana into his palm. As he layered it again and again, it grew denser and denser, eventually turning as red as his irises.
“Once it’s like this, it’s easier to control. Like this.”
The orb of mana floating above his palm remained perfectly round. He tapped it with a finger—
And the finger was instantly cut, blood trickling down.
“Whoa!”
It was just a round sphere, yet it sliced his skin. Shocked, Lily looked at him, and he slowly explained.
“Mana is formless energy. Whether you sharpen or dull it, its appearance doesn’t change.”
“Then how do you sharpen it?”
“That depends on your control. You’re the source of your holy power, after all.”
Lily pouted and looked up at him. Nobles always explained things this way. It reminded her of the theology classes she’d rather forget. She lightly kicked the ground in frustration.
“Have you given it any thought?”
Stewart asked after dissipating the magic. Lily nodded eagerly. Just as she opened her mouth, Stewart stopped her.
“I can’t let you go somewhere dangerous.”
“Is the Magic Tower dangerous?”
Lily had been thinking about going there herself to heal the mages. It was partly out of pity for their suffering, but that wasn’t the only reason.
She wanted to learn how to use her power more efficiently. It seemed better to practice in real-time rather than alone.
And if she healed the mages, the ducal house would benefit, and Lily would grow stronger. It was a win-win.
“How can you trust people who drank mana enhancers without even knowing it was dragon’s curse?”
Still, Stewart seemed reluctant to let her go. Lily tilted her head in confusion. Hadn’t he brought her here for this exact reason? Why was he stopping her?
Was he saying she should only heal Northerners and ignore everyone else? That didn’t seem like him.
“The Duke…”
“My parents were offended too. Almost killing a child and then trying to cover it with money—who wouldn’t be upset?”
If they had just asked for help because they had no one else, Lily would’ve helped willingly, without expecting anything in return.
The Duke of Yvonne had plenty of wealth, and the Duchess was deeply empathetic to others’ pain. Lily had never hesitated to use her holy power for the suffering.
“I’m not a child. I’m twenty-two.”
“You’re only twenty-two. Still just a baby.”
“From what I know… you’re a year younger than me.”
“I’m fully grown, though.”
“What kind of logic is that? It’s not like you secretly lived a few extra years.”
Lily shot him a playful glare.
But Stewart froze for a moment, then forced a small, awkward smile.
Oblivious to the fleeting awkwardness, Lily released her holy power into her palm. Even without condensing it, it gleamed with a deep blue light.
Stewart cautiously reached out to touch the light.
“It’s… incredibly pure.”
Beyond impressive—it was awe-inspiring. When Lily focused once, the energy hardened instantly. When she focused again, the power seemed to writhe as if alive.
“Ugh. I can do it up to this point…”
Lily frowned. She could feel it pulsing in her hand. Sharpening it felt like it would hurt. She felt sorry for it.
“Hm. I don’t think you need to condense it further. It’s already dense enough.”
“Oh, really?”
As she reabsorbed it into her body, the faintly breathing energy in her palm slowly returned, heating her blood as it went.
“Remember—it’s formless energy. The shape depends on how you draw it.”
Lily looked down at her power. When she imagined it sharp, she kept picturing a sword. So naturally, her holy power tried to form that shape. But it couldn’t replicate the blade’s sharpness.
“Would you like to watch the duel between the dark mages and the knights? They’re sparring right now at the training ground.”
“Yes, I want to see!”
Whether it was mana or holy power, both were shapeless forces within the body. Seeing more examples would definitely help.
