The day passed and the night of the second arrived. The location was a floor of the Church Leonidas had never been to.

The truth was when Leonidas became a Clergyman, his walk through those narrow passageways wasn’t a coincidence. His unconventional entry was a path toward a hidden and less frequently visited part of the Church and could be considered an underground space for the ‘help’ that worked to manage things.

It could be said that until this moment, Leonidas had never stepped into the true Church.

One would have thought that a Church would be a place of worship, and in some ways it was. However, it was mostly a place to gather, assert dominance, and plan.

Those that were present today had most definitely leaned into the gathering purpose.

Violet Water’s Sub-Shrine had a total of ten Apostles and one Deacon. Beyond this, there were about double the number of Paladins and about 50 Knights.

Everyone of this almost 100 number would be present at this gathering. In fact, many of them were already were.

One would expect that in a gathering of so many people, there would be a lively atmosphere or at least one filled with conversation. But, instead, it felt as though it was quite the opposite. Though conversation was indeed occurring, it was happening in such hushed whispers that nothing but murmurs filled the space.

A sort of heaviness hung in the air. Unlike other positions one might have the right to celebrate, the promotion of an Apostle always coincided with the death of another. And, unfortunately for Leonidas, the Level 3 Missionary who had died had not only been one of the very strongest among them, but he had also had many strong connections.

Yet… Somehow… Before his death had even reached their ears, he had been replaced.

The room was split into numerous dining tables, separating those present by status. Unsurprisingly, the dining room table that took center state had ten individuals present already, all clothed in black tunics, with a wooden pin to their lapels.

At the helm of this table, a middle-aged man sat, his eyes partially closed, his hands folded over his lap, and a peaceful expression on his face.

Though he was clearly getting on in years, he had a youthful vibrance to him, even when his baldness was taken into account. Whatever hair his head didn’t have was made up for in spades with his perfectly trimmed, greying beard.

One could feel even as a third-party observer that it was the demeanor of this very middle-aged man who indirectly made the atmosphere as heavy as it was.

At that moment, the door to the dining hall suddenly opened, revealing the appearance of a man of exceptionally tall stature.

Leonidas entered the room, his crimson eyes radiating with a steady light.

His voluminous red hair fell down his neck and shoulders almost like the mane of a lion, his tail hovering in the air with a slight swish.

His features were handsome and sharp, his black tunic wrapping around his broad shoulders and back with a tightness that exposed his physique.

Despite so many eyes converging on him at once, their pressure reaching a point of suffocation, Leonidas’ expression didn’t change.

He took a step forward, the heavy weight of his frame imprinting onto the minds of all those around.

There was something particularly bestial about Leonidas’ presence. Whether it was his wild hair, his heavy steps, or his swinging tail… it all gave off the aura of a raging tiger ready to snap his chain.

This was the first time many were seeing this new Apostle, and though through process of elimination they had already guessed that this would be a person they had never seen or heard of, the process of realizing that this was indeed true hit home.

However, just because most didn’t recognize Leonidas, that didn’t mean that all of them didn’t.

In a corner of the room, Gauteron’s pupils constricted into pinholes. No matter how he racked his brain, Leonidas was the last person he would ever guess to be here.

That said, there was another who was probably more surprised than even him.

Sitting on the end of the table of Apostles, across from the only empty seat, Lady Eve sat in silence. In the beginning, her demeanor hardly fluctuated despite being keenly aware that her very own brother sat at the head and she had killed his son not long ago.

But, the moment she saw Leonidas enter, her pupils, too, constricted. Compared to Gauteron who had simply never thought that Leonidas would reach such a stage, to her, it was as though she was watching a living, breathing corpse.

She was certain that she had run her sword through Leonidas’ heart. Even if he had a rare genetic quirk and his heart was inclined to the right, that wound alone would have been enough to cause him to die from blood loss. It simply didn’t make any sense that Leonidas was standing here right here and now. And yet… he was.

Leonidas made it to the dining table of Apostles, his expression placid as he gazed toward Deacon Bruthers who still had his eyes partially closed.

“Please forgive me.” Leonidas spoke evenly. “I was born a commoner and am not familiar with certain customs. Next time, I will arrive early just like everyone else.”

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With a light bow and greeting, Leonidas took his seat in silence.

Whether this was appropriate or not, Leonidas didn’t know, nor did he care. This wasn’t because he was being reckless, but rather because he had already made his stance clear.

Doing something like then potentially waiting for permission to sit when it was unnecessary would make him look weak, something he had gone to great lengths to ensure wouldn’t happen.

Weeks ago, Leonidas had read a book on the importance of image and perception. Whether he was weak or not didn’t matter, at least for now, as long as he put up a front that he wasn’t.

This aside, Leonidas was indeed on time. However, he hadn’t been aware of the custom of arriving early. This was simply the difference between a true noble and a nouveau riche. He just wouldn’t make the same mistake again, but he also wouldn’t beg and plead for forgiveness.

Leonidas’ deep, resonating voice circulated throughout the room. At that moment, even the murmuring conversations came to a close as the hall fell into complete silence.

Leonidas didn’t say another word, facing across from Lady Eve. The distance between them was barely a meter and a half. At such a distance, with Eve’s strength, she could easily kill him. Yet, at this moment, she could only stare deeply at his face.

At that moment, Deacon Bruthers’ partially shut eyes slowly opened, a light smile spreading across his face as he gazed toward Leonidas.

“There is no need to apologize for something so small. You are already five minutes early, it’s us who were too eager to meet you.”

Leonidas turned his attention toward Deacon Bruthers. He wasn’t very familiar with political chess like this, so he could only nod in acknowledgment.

Deacon Bruthers’ expression didn’t falter at Leonidas’ reserved response as he looked away.

“Everyone, now that our guest of honor is here, we can finally begin to truly enjoy the night.”

He rose his cup into the air, the sparkling wine shimmering with crimson beneath the somber lights.

Everyone raised their cups in unison.

“To a new brother.”

“To a new brother.”

The ceremony seemed almost robotic, but at that moment, Deacon Bruthers rose from his seat.

“I know that everyone won’t be able to relax with me here, so I’ll pass on hosting duties to my eldest.” Deacon Bruthers chuckled. “Jowell, be sure to help Leonidas feel welcome. I will be taking my leave.”

“Yes, father!”

A young man who looked a lot like Manfroi with a far more chiseled jaw stood and saluted.

Deacon Bruthers gracefully bowed out, his heavy presence vanishing the moment he stepped out of the dining hall. Surprisingly to Leonidas, two individuals rose from the Apostles’ dining table and left without a word as well. However, he didn’t linger on this for too long outside of noting their appearances.

When Deacon Bruthers left, Leonidas felt as though a weight on his heart vanished, a slight trickle of cold sweat beading down his back. If it wasn’t for him casting Scholar’s Eye on himself before entering, he really wasn’t sure if he would have been able to keep his composure.

Jowell smiled brightly toward everyone.

“Since the old man is gone, we can let loose a bit everyone. Don’t be afraid, I promise I won’t tell on you.”

Light laughter filled the room. Not long later, it became clear that Jowell’s words were effective, allowing the atmosphere to become far livelier.

However… This only worked to isolate the table of Apostles from everyone else all the more. At that moment, the attention of nine powerful individuals all converged on Leonidas, each observing him with questioning eyes.

Once again, it was Jowell who stepped in, his smile amicable.

“Come on, everyone. We’re all Apostles here. If we have questions for Leonidas, we can use our words, there’s no need to scare him.”

Most of the Apostles smiled toward this, but Leonidas distinctly noticed three that didn’t. One made sense, because it was Lady Eve. But, the other two were individuals that Leonidas didn’t recognize, and how could he? This was his first time stepping into high-class life.

Of these two individuals, one was an older man and the second was a middle-aged woman. If Leonidas had to guess, he wouldn’t be surprised if both shared a relationship or were even from the same family as the Level 3 Missionary that lost his life to Lady Eve…

If Leonidas was correct, there were probably two main opposing factions in Violet Waters, the Bruthers family and the Rardin family. These had always been names that he heard looming over his life as he grew up, but he never thought that he could ever be so close to them.

All Apostles should come from one of these two families, so Leonidas deduced they must be Rardins.

“So Leonidas, tell us. What Class are you?”

Jowell looked toward Leonidas with an almost innocent, childish curiosity.

This singular question seemed to catch all of their attention. Even if it was Eve and the other two, this was an answer they wanted to know as well.

Leonidas didn’t hold back, this was nothing to hide anyway.

“I am a Mage.”

The table fell into silence.

The Apostles looked toward Leonidas in shock, and for good reason at that.

Among their group, there wasn’t a single Mage. They had eight Fighters and two Healers, but this was the very first Mage this town had probably ever had.

Much like all Gods, Yves had a particular Class she leaned toward. And, considering her Half-Beast origins, it wasn’t surprising that the Fighter Class gained great benefits from her and was, as such, very popular.

That said, Yves’ strongest Blessings were among Healers. She had reserved a Special Class for Healers who reached a certain Level. Special Classes or Unique Classes were Classes exclusive to a specific God that gave special Blessings other Gods couldn’t bestow.

It could be said, then, that among the three Base Professions, Yves lacked Mages the most. Not only because they were rare to begin with, but also because the advancement paths and Blessings she had for the other two Classes were so much better, as well. That, compiled with the difficulty of becoming and succeeding as a Mage, led to this ultimate result.

After this initial shock came skepticism. Anyone could ‘choose’ to be a Mage, but whether it was the correct choice or not was unknown. How many of them had hoped to become Mages as youths but were forced to change their minds once they grew older?

Of course, it wasn’t just pure logic that forced them to change their minds. All of them were from noble families of this small town and the Apostle title was usually kept under their control. Likewise, this meant that all the pertinent knowledge was hoarded by them as well.

In their view, Leonidas picked the ‘cool’ title, not knowing how scaling would work in the future. It was even likely that Leonidas’ selection of Blessings to start with was exceptionally small to begin with.

The various reactions when matters reached this point were varied. But, it almost universally centered around disdain. The only question was just to what degree they were willing to reveal what was hidden within their hearts.

This reaction was expected by Leonidas, he could deduce their thoughts without much issue. However, he didn’t say a word to this, his expression calm and unbothered as it always had been. When it came to matters of human psychology, Leonidas had read a few books. Antagonism in the incorrect setting could be seen as weakness. And, even in the case Leonidas proved his opposition to be in the wrong, it would only sour their relationship. The best approach was to let them change their minds on their own without his explicit involvement.

Unfortunately, sometimes an enemy wouldn’t allow you to take this approach.

“To think that we lost one of our own only for him to be replaced by such useless trash.”