Chapter 77: Chapter 77: Rules Are Made to Be Broken

"How does it feel?"

Jon stood up and waved Reya over.

"Having power in your own hands... it feels pretty good, doesn’t it?"

"Mhm!"

Reya blinked, snapping out of her slight daze. She then excitedly pumped her fists twice, and faint, star-like motes of light left a trail in the air with her movements.

"I feel like I’ve gotten stronger!"

She hadn’t, however.

Players who became an Apprentice Priest would gain two points each to their Constitution and Spirit Attributes. It was the same for the natives of the world of Yino; the only difference was the exact values.

So, the reason Reya felt stronger was an illusion brought on by her enhanced Constitution and more active blood flow.

But of course, Jon wasn’t going to point this out right now.

The girl had just released a wave of pent-up emotions. Now that she was embarking on the path of a Professional, he might as well let her be happy and relax for a bit.

Standing beside Jon, Ingram watched Reya’s cheerful, lively display with a gratified smile.

"Child, welcome to the path of following our Lord’s glory."

As he spoke, he took a step forward, unfastened a Sun Scripture from his waist—a book edged in gold with a cover that radiated a gentle light—and placed it in the red-haired girl’s hands.

"This was a reward I received when I was studying in the Religious Country. I’m giving it to you now."

Reya instinctively took the Scripture. But when Ingram let go, its sheer weight made her arms drop. Startled, she had to quickly use more of her strength just to hold it steady. When she felt the dense Saint Power emanating from it, she shook her head repeatedly.

"Grandpa Ingram? This... this book is too valuable! I can’t—"

But before she could finish, the Elder Priest raised a hand, cutting off her refusal.

"You may be one blessed by our Lord, but you have only just set foot on this path. There is much to learn. Reading this book will be of great help to you."

"Besides..."

As he said this, the old man tilted his head imperceptibly in Jon’s direction and gave Reya a wink.

"Given your current situation, you certainly don’t have time to come to the Church to study every day, do you?"

"Consider this book a temporary loan. When you’ve learned everything inside and no longer need it, you can just return it to me."

Reya froze.

With him putting it that way, she had no reason to refuse.

With her father not around, this display of elder-like care from Ingram made the tears she had fought so hard to hold back threaten to spill over again.

However, after a glance at Jon’s faint smile, the girl suppressed the emotional surge in her heart and gave the Elder Priest a serious bow.

"Yes! Thank you, Grandpa Ingram!"

"There is no need for such formalities among us believers in the Sun. Please, be at ease."

Ingram helped Reya up, then patted his lower back and gave a light cough.

"Well then, this old man is going to get some rest. At my age, I can’t handle the fatigue of standing for so long..."

With that, he picked up the crown he had placed on a nearby bench and walked out, slightly hunched over.

Seeing this, Jon couldn’t help but roll his eyes internally.

’He’s just putting on an act! Such a forced one, too!’

An Official Level Priest had a base Constitution of at least 30 points. A veteran like Ingram, who could even reach the Advanced Level in the future, probably had a Constitution score approaching the 150-point mark—several times higher than his, a Warrior Apprentice who put all his points into Constitution!

However, as this thought crossed his mind, an idea sparked within Jon.

He remembered that a Sun Church of Birch Town’s size, in addition to the Priest managing daily affairs, would also typically maintain an armed force of 20 to 30 guards, led by one or two Official Level Saint Professionals.

’Wait a minute... knowing the Blood Eye Association’s methods, even if their spy didn’t report back, they definitely won’t just give up. They might even launch an attack on our way back...’

’Could I ask Ingram to send someone to escort us?’

He decided to act on the thought. With the reputation bonus from his [Po Ao’s Gaze], it should be possible to negotiate.

"Priest, please wait a moment."

"Hm?"

The old man turned to look at Jon.

"Mr. Jon, is there something else?"

"It’s like this..."

Under Reya’s somewhat anxious gaze, Jon explained her plan for the day to Ingram, concluding with his most crucial request.

"Although we’ve made ample preparations, when it comes to safety, you can never be too prepared."

"Could I ask you to dispatch some people to protect Reya?"

"This..."

Ingram’s brow furrowed, and he was clearly lost in thought.

After a moment, he glanced at the calm Jon, then at Reya, who was clearly starting to get nervous, and spoke slowly.

"This is not a simple request to grant."

"From a personal standpoint, I am willing to help Reya through this difficulty. But you may not be aware of the current situation."

Saying this, the Elder Priest put his crown back on and sighed softly.

"I suppose this can’t be kept secret for much longer anyway, so I’ll tell you."

Of course, Jon already knew what the current situation was, but Reya didn’t. It would be better for her to learn of it from Ingram.

So he pressed on.

"The current situation? Please, go on."

"It’s like this. Because the Harvia Empire has a policy against allowing new faiths, some sects from the Matia Religious Country can no longer tolerate being unable to spread their beliefs to this land. They have started creating friction at the border between the two nations."

"As a result, the relationship between the Church and the Harvia Empire has become very delicate recently."

At this point, Reya also began to understand the implications.

"So... the Church has to consider the political impact and can’t get involved in the internal affairs of the Harvia Empire?"

"Precisely."

Ingram nodded, looking at the red-haired girl clutching the Sun Scripture with a hint of regret on his face.

"Reya, what belongs to faith belongs to faith, and what belongs to the mortal world belongs to the mortal world."

"Inside the Church, you are a believer in the Sun. But outside the Church, you are the daughter of Viscount Yed Xavier, a member of the Empire’s nobility."

"Just as the Noble Council cannot interfere with our judgment of that Jeffrey Newman for attempting to spy within the Church, we have no grounds to openly help you if you encounter danger in the outside world."

"Such an action would be ’overstepping’ and would only further escalate the current tense situation..."

Reya lowered her head in disappointment.

As the daughter of a noble, although she had never been involved in such matters before, she had heard enough to be well aware of these unwritten rules.

Jon, however, was completely unfazed.

The situation was what it was, and it was normal for Ingram to need to maintain the tacit understanding between the Church and the Empire’s nobility. But that didn’t mean there was no room to maneuver.

He patted the girl’s shoulder, startling her out of her dejection, and then said with a smile.

"As I recall, the Sun Church has a tradition of veterans training new recruits, right?"

"If that’s the case, then surely it’s acceptable for our new Miss Saint Professional to request a teacher to instruct her for a while, isn’t it?"

At these words, realization dawned on Reya, and Ingram smiled.

The Elder Priest nodded slowly, his eyes full of approval.

"Of course, that is acceptable."

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