Chapter 236

A standard method is not called standard for nothing.

It was the most efficient way found through countless trials, errors, and research.

‘But that also means its ceiling is low. A standard method is just standard.’

For a character with a talent stat of Sion’s level, a prayer that touched(?) the god’s heartstrings worked much better.

To use a gamer’s analogy, a prayer was a push-and-pull with the god.

It was about accurately grasping one’s own abilities and situation, and meticulously planning a strategy of whether to approach the god more aggressively or with humility.

The standard prayer was too safe for Sion, which actually made it less efficient.

Roan recited a prayer completely different from Sion’s.

“I know. The wind calms the storm, crumbles the mountains, and churns the sea. Even the grandest boulder, before the blowing wind…”

Listening quietly to it, Sion was startled.

‘Wh-What on earth is that?’

It certainly seemed like a prayer to Sowidrin, but it was an unfamiliar phrase she had never heard before.

In fact, it was only natural that she had never heard it.

Because it was a prayer from the 7th Volume of the Scriptures of Sowidrin, which was currently known to be lost!

Had Sowidrin’s priests heard this, they might have wept and tried to worship Roan, just like the Order of Yorus did.

Having finished reciting the prayer, Roan smiled and said to Sion.

“Did you memorize it all?”

“Ah, ah! Y-Yes.”

Sion didn’t know what was going on, but she diligently memorized the prayer Roan taught her.

Since she had memorized the scriptures of Yorus after hearing them just once over someone’s shoulder, her memorization skills were exceptional.

Rafia, who was listening nearby, asked.

“But Roan, where did you read a prayer like that? It’s my first time hearing it.”

Roan answered nonchalantly.

“It’s the 7th Volume of the Scriptures of Sowidrin.”

“Ah, I should look for it later too.”

“Sure, if you can find it.”

“??”

Because Roan spoke so casually, Rafia just let it go without thinking.

‘Wh-Where on earth did he find Sowidrin Volume 7?! Wasn’t that lost?!’

However, Sion was shocked to the point of falling over.

As far as she knew, that scripture was definitely lost!

‘Is it stored in the Holy Emperor’s Palace? I guess that’s possible… No, wait, did he just casually tell me such precious information…?’

Sion was so moved that tears were about to burst from her eyes.

While Roan was helping her with all his might like this, she had been tailing him and harboring useless misunderstandings…

Reaching that point in her thoughts, Sion could no longer remain still.

‘O Sowidrin, please always watch over poor Roan. So that he may always walk the right path…’

Sion prayed for his sincere protection alongside the prayer Roan had taught her.

*Swoosh—*

Then, a gentle breeze blew in from somewhere, wrapping around Sion and her surrounding friends before vanishing.

“Achoo! Did a window open somewhere?”

Although Demona and the other friends thought lightly of it, Roan noticed that a very faint trace of the god’s holy power was contained in the wind.

…In fact, to Roan, a black mage, a god’s wind was practically a highly dangerous weapon.

‘As expected, her talent is outstanding… but she should have done it up front. I’ll have to be careful later.’

At any rate, seeing that she could draw out this kind of reaction even without an Attribute Stone, Sion shouldn’t have much trouble getting a perfect score on the pop quiz.

Had he known this was the result of Sion praying for Sowidrin’s protection to dwell upon him, he would have been even more upset.

Praying for a god’s protection over a black mage was practically equivalent to ordering a hit.

“Wow, Sion is already good at it, but she works so hard… She really is a Saintess candidate.”

“Hehe, it’s nothing.”

The other friends merely admired Sion, thinking her academic enthusiasm was amazing.

Feeling embarrassed by the praise, Sion twirled a few strands of her pink hair.

Roan spoke in a slightly grumpy voice.

“I will teach you guys the prayers as well. Everyone gather around.”

“Huh? Really? Us too?”

“Thank you so much!”

Naturally, the friends gathered around, brightening up.

Because they thought a prayer taught directly by Roan would be highly effective.

“The prayer to Belund, the God of Fire…”

After teaching Rafia and Riel their prayers, Roan asked Hector.

“Hector, which attribute are you planning to choose?”

“From what I heard just now, it seems there is a Sacred Combat attribute.”

“Stop talking nonsense and speak properly.”

“Ah, okay.”

As Roan’s gaze turned ominous, Hector pondered for a moment and named a different attribute.

From experience, whenever Roan made that look, he would soon cast a punitive holy art.

“…Wind?”

“Earth is better for you. Choose earth.”

“Then why did you even ask…!”

“The prayer to Deprua…”

Hector looked a bit aggrieved, but there was nothing he could do as Roan ignored him and recited the prayer.

In that way, the three of them ended up memorizing the prayers Roan deemed most suitable for their levels.

The only one left was Demona.

“Demona, which attribute will you choose?”

“Teach me the prayer to Lord Yorus!”

Demona demanded very confidently.

Roan persuaded her kindly.

“Do you not have eyes? Choose one of the four attributes over there.”

“Heeing, but…”

“Tsk, forget it. What wealth and glory would I even enjoy by teaching a prayer to someone like you.”

“I—I was wrong, Roan!”

“Get lost.”

Demona looked as if she were ready to grab Roan’s pant legs belatedly, but the train had already left the station.

Coincidentally, the exams for the students ahead ended, and it was turn for Roan’s friends to go forward.

Up until now, the pass rate had been around the 30% Roan predicted.

“Student Pabilto?”

“Yes, here I am!”

At Anne’s call, Hector stepped forward confidently.

He placed his hand on the earth Attribute Stone and recited the prayer Roan taught him.

*Rumble—!*

A thick layer of rock coated his hand placed on the Attribute Stone.

“Excellent, student Pabilto. You pass. It seems the earth attribute suits you well.”

“Thank you!”

“By the way, where did you hear that prayer?”

“Pardon? Ah, Roan taught me.”

“Ah…? I see. Yes, you may step down.”

An easy pass.

*Splash—*

“Student Heilick passes as well. …But you recited a prayer, not a spell, right?”

“Corr…”

“Ah, yes, yes… By any chance, did student Darc teach you as well?”

“Yes, Roan did…”

“As expected…”

There was a slight misunderstanding(?), but Riel also passed the water attribute test without difficulty.

*Whoosh—!!!*

“Uwah! A-Am I passed?”

“Yes, student Kedan passes as well. Truly excellent.”

Rafia, having conjured a fire so fierce that she had subconsciously worried about whether she would pass, was startled.

‘Her growth itself seems to be within the expected range… was her fire-attribute sensitivity set higher than I thought?’

In *God and Devil*, characters’ stats were randomly determined within a certain range each playthrough, so that was possible.

“Thank you!”

Having received her passing evaluation, Rafia bowed politely and prepared to return to her seat.

At that moment, Anne stopped Rafia.

“…But did student Darc teach student Kedan the prayer as well?”

Setting aside Riel, who hadn’t really understood what was being said anyway, the prayers Hector and Rafia recited were not something a normal freshman would know.

Because they were prayers of a level that only long-time researchers or priests of the Order would know.

Rafia tilted her head and said.

“Yes, Roan taught me too.”

“Pardon?”

“Uh… is there a problem?”

Rafia seemed quite flustered seeing Anne look so dumbfounded.

Had something gone wrong with Roan’s prayer?

—Darc taught them the prayer?

—They said the Darc family has a secret scripture research center…

—Eh? There was such a thing? When was it made?

—A little while ago!

The students’ whispering only heightened Rafia’s anxiety.

‘C-Could it be a heretical prayer?! No way…’

Rafia’s pupils trembled.

No wonder the prayer’s effect had been so good!

Seeing the innocent Rafia grow anxious, Anne smiled immediately to reassure her.

“No, it’s not that. I just asked because it’s not a commonly known prayer. Student Darc really taught you?”

“Ah, yes! It’s probably because Roan goes to the library often and studies hard.”

Rafia praised Roan purely with a clean expression.

Feeling good as if Roan had been acknowledged, she even turned back to look at him.

Of course, Roan was only watching her with his usual expression.

‘As expected of Roan!’

Rafia felt proud, thinking she had chosen a great friend.

Indeed, since he had known from their first meeting that she had appeared in a magazine as a child, it wasn’t too surprising that he knew such a prayer.

Meanwhile, Anne’s mind was incredibly complicated.

‘How on earth does student Darc memorize ancient scriptures?’

As someone on the level of Eucherim’s incarnation, Anne could at least recognize the sources of those prayers.

Memorizing such ancient phrases just by going to the library often and studying hard?

If that were truly possible, anyone would do it.

‘The problem is that they can’t!’

Anne, who was staring in surprise at Roan’s gloomy face, even harbored such thoughts.

‘…Should I ask him to go to the library together sometime?’

Anne also frequently visited the Great Library during her time as an assistant in Acherandir, but one never knew.

There might be a secret bookshelf that only Roan knew about.

Had Roan heard these thoughts, he would have planned a desperate escape.

For that secret bookshelf was filled with black magic books and suspicious items.

In any case, the kind Anne decided to think positively.

‘Sharing such knowledge so generously with his friends, student Darc really is amazing!’

Sharing knowledge was something emphasized by many gods, but since it was rarely practiced in reality, Anne, who had always found that regrettable, welcomed it even more.

Even after Rafia returned, the exam continued.

Before long, it was Sion’s turn.

“Student Beatrice?”

“Yes, Assistant.”

Sion stepped forward reverently, knelt down, and placed her hand on the wind Attribute Stone.

Then, she began to recite the prayer Roan had taught her, engraving it deeply in her heart.

“I know. The wind calms the storm, crumbles the mountains…”

Then, an amazing thing happened.

*Fwuuu—*

It started as a very small breeze.

—Eh? Did a window open somewhere?

To the point where the idle students felt a slight sense of mismatch.

Had it been only that, it would have been a mere draft, but the fact that everyone in the waiting room felt the same breeze at the same time was a clear omen.

“…!”

Anne, who was right next to Sion, realized the meaning of that omen and snapped her head around.

*Huuuummmmm—*

The resonance of the holy relics that always created the sacred atmosphere of the Great Temple of Nerchiora.

The holy humming gradually escalated, and then.

*Click— Whoosh—!*

The doors of the waiting room burst open, and a strong wind whipped in from all directions.

—Ugh?!

—What is it? What’s going on?

The students covered their eyes with their arms in the face of the unexpected strong wind.

The wind rushed in not only through the doors but also through the windows leading outside.

All of those winds were heading toward one place.

Right to the Saintess candidate kneeling at the very front of the waiting room, Sion Beatrice.

The winds blowing from north, south, east, and west had traveled all that way at this very moment just to meet Sion.