The look that the Nekomata was giving the two High Priests promised violence. It was very proud of the fact that it had learned a new skill, and the fact that it could activate it after one day was extremely impressive in the Demon Cat’s mind.
The new clerics took years to start using a new skill, and it had done so in a single hour. But these two still had the nerve to look down on its learning rate? If they weren’t the ones who fed it, the cat was seriously considering clawing their eyes out to show them just how impressive its new skill could be.
Karl cleared his throat and nodded politely to the Nekomata. “It’s a brand-new skill. The beasts that I teach will know the skill itself, but it’s not an innate ability. Just like with students, even if they know it, it takes time to do it properly. It’s a bit of a shame that I can’t grant them that experience instantly like a skill book, but it’s still pretty impressive, I think, and with practice you will have the first of a kind Nekomata with Rending Claws.”
He might have actually made things worse, as now that the cat realized that someone was on its side, its glare at the two clergy members was even more intense, but the man just dismissed it with a wave.
“You can go now, fur ball. Yes, it is actually quite impressive, but not what we were hoping for. Thank you for your time, you can return to your room.”
Karl took that as a dismissal, and turned to walk out of the Library, where he found Overlord Drake standing outside the archway.
The Overlord quietly gestured for Karl to accompany him, making it quite obvious that he wanted to talk, but not where they would so easily be overheard by the pair that were sitting in the Library’s back room.
Whether those two would be able to actually hear them was a mystery to Karl. They weren’t Elites, but the Mage’s Professor back at the Academy did have hearing that was well beyond anything that he would associate with normal human senses as a result of his magic. So, it would not only be prudent, but also polite to move away from the Library before they began to talk at all.
They turned into a nondescript hallway, and the Overlord smiled down at Karl, doing his best to make his smile reassuring and not intimidating.
“They’re a pleasant pair, aren’t they? Don’t mind them too much, they’ve got very little affinity for living things and much prefer historical scrolls. I was speaking to the Colonel while you were in there, and she’s got a much higher opinion of your potential skills, and a plan to make them work for you, not some grand plan to supplement the clergy guard.”
Karl took a moment to take in what he had heard, while Drake nodded reassuringly.
“I take it they didn’t mention that part. They wanted to add a tamed animal for each guard, like service dogs or the old war dogs, but magical beasts. But there is a reason that neither of them is on the security council, and they don’t have the patience needed to train new soldiers, much less new soldiers who can work together with magical beasts.” Drake chuckled quietly.
“Then they should have been looking into faster ways to get the animals to bond, not faster ways to improve their power, shouldn’t they? I mean, the hard part is getting the magical beasts to like people.” Karl suggested.
“Exactly. But there are promotions to replace a few aging Bishops coming up, and those who have a shot are all scrambling to do something impressive enough to earn a seat. But you didn’t hear that from me.” The Overlord rank warrior explained as he led Karl down a series of hallways.
“Dinner is this way, but you and Dana will be pulled away from your team for the evening. There are people here that you should meet, and who you will likely be working with in the future. All the clerics come from this school, and they’re an invaluable asset to every major mission team, as well as the emergency response events.
Since the two of you are both Awakened Rank, with a solid chance of reaching Ascended by the end of the year with the good fortune that you’ve had, I thought it best that you meet some potential party members.” Drake explained.
“I appreciate it, sir. But might I ask, what brought you here? I thought that you were attached to the Prince in a way?” Karl replied.
“You brought me here. Or rather, your team did. I was called to the emergency response to secure the Holy Relic as soon as it was reported, and we were on site before the team even made it back here with you.
We searched the area while you were being questioned, and the Bishop that we brought with us confirmed the intense concentration of Holy Magic right where you later said it would be. The cavern is now under constant security, and will remain that way until we determine when it will open again.
The find has been attributed to a combined effort of the Seminary and Elite Academies, but you all will probably get another reward when you get back, just so that nobody gets ideas about making the matter public or trying to claim individual glory.” He informed Karl with a knowing smile.
There was always someone who was more eager for fame, and it might have been Karl if he hadn’t seen the outcome of that choice on the Fate stairs.
“I didn’t expect the church school to have so many levels of politics going on.” Karl whispered as they walked, and the big Overlord burst into laughter.
“Oh, your Academy is just as bad, they just put on a better front. The clergy are terrible at poker, and they can’t hide their intentions from anyone with eyes. At the Golden Divine Academy, the real heavyweights of politics do their scheming. I thought that you would know that by now.”
Karl smiled and shook his head. “I knew that. I just didn’t expect it here. You know, white robes and virtue, all of that.”
Drake kept laughing and patted him on the back. “It’s mostly harmless. You see, if they go off the rails, they lose their powers. Which brings us to the next thing you should know. When they begin a formal dinner with other ranked clerics, they will all glow for a second. They’re checking each other for corruption, or an inability to activate Holy powers. It’s like a failsafe, the way that we check our weapons at the door.”
That was an amusing thought. Even without a weapon, they were weapons. But it was the thought that counted, Karl supposed.
They stepped through the door into a mostly filled dining room, and a grey robed Acolyte announced their presence.
“Overlord Drake and Awakened Karl.” He spoke simply, causing a few heads to turn and nod politely before they all registered that the man had said Overlord.
Being so far up the rankings, above even the Royal and Monarch Rank Elites that came after the Commanders who made up the professors of the Academy, Drake was owed a lot of respect.
To the Clergy, he was on par with one of their Bishops walking into the room, but the way he behaved was without all the expectation of formality that normally accompanied his position. He was so informal about his power that even Karl had nearly forgotten that the man could physically level this entire Academy in under a minute if he so wished.
“You’re over there, with the other Awakened. I’ll be up on the stage with the Headmaster. Good luck, and make good friends. Just like you, they need parties to go out on missions, but they’re not the fighting sort, so if they can call on Elites, it’s better for everyone.” Drake whispered, then gave Karl a gentle shove toward his table.
Dana was already here, at a different table, and Karl hid a smile at the way that the clerics had arranged themselves. Her table was almost all boys, with only one other girl, while Karl’s table was entirely girls.
There were far more female clerics in the room than male, Karl noticed. Nearly four to one, in fact. Some of them would have been raised here and then shown an aptitude for Holy Magic but not the Serum, but the vast majority would have awakened to Cleric type classes in the Ceremony.
A very short blonde girl stood up to greet Karl as he approached the table with his nameplate hanging from the back of a chair.
“Karl! Welcome, please, come and join us. We were just discussing the opportunities to gather more herbs in the area around the new Holy Relic. We talked to the students you saved, and they said that there were more locations you didn’t get to, and that you were careful not to destroy the ones you harvested.
You have no idea how amazing that is. Even most of our students still manage to ruin the resource patches they find, and we’re reminded before every mission to harvest sustainably.”
Karl smiled back at the vertically challenged cleric. “We’re not the only group that needs those resources, and most of them will grow back in just a few months if we’re careful. It’s better not to ruin them so that we can return.”
