Chapter 56 : Even the Arrogant Magician Had to Call Him “Teacher”
Chapter 56: Even the Arrogant Magician Had to Call Him “Teacher”
Taylor’s jaw nearly dropped to the ground.
The last shred of arrogance he had been desperately clinging to was crushed to dust in an instant!
Regrowing limbs, curing diseases…
This—this…
It completely transcended the realm of magic!
Even the Grand Mentors of the Imperial Magic Academy didn’t possess such power!
This was simply the strength of a god!
“Th-this… this is impossible…”
The young magician beside Taylor wore a vacant expression, as if his entire worldview had just collapsed.
In the midst of that fervent uproar—
The two sacred relics that shone with golden radiance and crimson brilliance gradually dimmed, their light receding as they returned to their ancient, unadorned forms.
Colin’s face revealed the exhaustion that came from casting divine arts.
After consecutively performing two sustained Divine Arts, his frail second-tier body was nearly drained dry.
Fortunately, he had managed to endure for a full fifteen seconds—
Long enough for every sick and injured person to be completely healed under the waves of radiant light.
Colin raised his hand and gently pressed downward.
The once-deafening noise across the square quieted in perfect unison, leaving only heavy breathing and suppressed excitement.
Colin spoke again, his tone calm yet resolute: “My fellow brethren, please rise.”
“There is no need to kneel before me, Colin.”
He turned around, facing the distant direction of the Mistwood, where Holy Light Town stood.
Then he bowed deeply, his gesture filled with utmost reverence.
“Today’s miracle originates from the Holy Light!”
“From that merciful and boundless Angel who reigns high above the clouds!”
“I, Colin Gilbert, am but an insignificant servant—a believer who carries forth His radiance!”
“All glory belongs to the Sanctuary!”
“All hope springs from faith!”
His voice echoed clearly within everyone’s hearts.
The fervor that had reached its peak because of the miracle was now deftly redirected—
Transformed into reverence for the supreme divinity.
The number of believers devoted to the Angel surged explosively at that very moment.
Following the ceremony, Colin began to preach the mysteries of the Holy Light and the essence of faith.
There were no tedious dogmas or rigid recitations.
Using the simplest yet most powerful words, Colin described faith as a source of strength—
A light that shone from within—
A beacon guiding souls through despair and darkness.
He spoke of the goodness and steadfastness within human hearts.
Of the meaning behind supporting one another in times of hardship.
Of the conviction to protect one’s homeland.
His tone carried a strange and compelling force—
So much so that the square fell utterly silent.
The wealthy forgot their calculations of profit.
Mercenaries forgot the blood on their blades.
Commoners forgot the hardship of their lives.
Everyone was entranced by the beautiful world Colin painted—
A world illuminated by the light of faith.
Even the magicians who had initially been stunned and later doubtful began to change their expressions as they listened.
“What he said—‘Faith is the beginning of power’…”
A middle-aged magician furrowed his brows, whispering to Taylor, “It sounds quite similar to our school’s theory of ‘Mental Guidance in Elemental Convergence,’ doesn’t it?”
“And that line, ‘Light is born of darkness, yet it can break through the dark’…”
Another old magician rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
“Isn’t that almost like a simplified version of our arcane law on ‘Energy Transformation and Annihilation’…”
Taylor’s heart quaked violently!
Some of Colin’s seemingly simple words—
Struck him like divine revelation, breaking through a key bottleneck in his years-long research on elemental fusion models!
Those tangled energy circuits and conflicting spell structures—
Suddenly became crystal clear before this straightforward explanation!
“So that’s it!”
“So this is how it works…”
Taylor’s eyes widened, his understanding deepened, his power advancing half a step further!
Even more astonishingly, his colleague beside him—
A female second-tier magician—
A surge of uncontrollable magical auras of different colors burst forth from her body.
That was the elemental power within her rampaging instinctively under the rush of excitement!
Boom!
A wave of energy, several times stronger than before, exploded from her body!
“Miss Avril?!”
The attendants and colleagues around her cried out in shock.
Yet Avril seemed deaf to them.
She stared blankly at Colin on the stage, her eyes brimming with the wild joy of breaking free from her shackles—and an awe so deep it bordered on reverence.
The third-tier barrier that had plagued her for years—
Was shattered in that very instant, by just a few words from Colin!
How inconceivable!
How earth-shattering!
She immediately rose from her seat, ignoring her noble status.
With quick steps, she approached the edge of the stage and bowed deeply toward Colin above.
“Priest Colin!”
“Hearing your words surpasses my ten years of arduous study!”
“Teacher above, please accept this disciple’s bow!”
Avril’s gesture was unmistakably one of a student paying homage to her master!
The crowd erupted once more.
The strongest second-tier peak magician of Oak Town had broken through to the third tier!
And she even bowed to Colin, addressing him as “teacher”?!
Even the proud and lofty noble magician lady had completely submitted!
The shock this caused—
In a sense—was even greater than the miracle itself!
“No way… even Lady Avril admits defeat.”
A young mercenary gaped in disbelief; he had always admired Avril.
“This Priest Colin’s Holy Light… it’s truly extraordinary!”
A wealthy merchant’s eyes gleamed with excitement.
“The Angel is truly magnificent!”
An old woman wiped her tears, feeling that witnessing such a miracle in her twilight years left her with no regrets in life.
The balance of faith—
In the hearts of tens of thousands of Oak Town’s residents—had now tilted entirely toward the unseen yet undeniably real Angel who had wrought miracles!
……
Old John stood in a corner, his handkerchief so soaked with sweat it could be wrung dry.
He had originally thought Colin was merely a capable priest—
A pawn who could help him eliminate the undead threat and perhaps bring him to power.
But now, seeing all this, good heavens!
Was this a pawn?
No—this was clearly a man holding divine authority!
With just a few words and one grand display, he had practically swayed the hearts of the entire town!
Old John swallowed hard.
The little sense of territorial pride within him was completely extinguished.
Forget it, forget it.
As long as he could survive and become a count, what did it matter who Oak Town belonged to?
Besides, being tied to Holy Light Town wasn’t such a bad thing.
After all, those people truly had power!
Who knew—perhaps he would be the one clinging to their coattails now!
Meanwhile—
Colin had finished his sermon.
He smiled toward Old John’s direction and said, “Lord John is generous and benevolent. As a token of gratitude from the Holy Light…”
“Today, the Angel shall bestow upon Oak Town… fifty thousand bottles of Holy Water!”
“F-fifty thousand bottles?!”
“Wasn’t it supposed to be only a thousand?!”
The crowd’s eyes nearly popped out of their heads.
That miraculous Holy Water—an item that fetched astronomical prices at auctions—
Was not only being given away freely today but distributed one bottle per person?!
“Praise Lord John! Praise the Angel!”
Cries of joy erupted, overwhelming everything else!
Countless hands waved wildly in the air!
“There’s no need to rush; there’s plenty of Holy Water.”
“It’s just that we can’t distribute it to everyone all at once.”
“So in the next few days, the staff of the Lynn Church branch will distribute them in order of registration at the Oak Grand Hotel.”
With his commanding presence, Colin easily calmed the crowd.
And this arrangement was, of course, to allow one-on-one faith conversion—
While also identifying which believers were truly ready to follow him to Holy Light Town.
Then, Colin’s tone shifted.
His smile faded, replaced by a solemn expression.
“Fellow brethren!”
“I have come by the Angel’s divine oracle—not only to spread the grace of the Holy Light…”
He paused for a brief moment, his voice rising with intensity.
“But a catastrophe—brought forth by traitors colluding with the Undead Legion—will descend upon us tonight!”