Chapter Ninety-One: Bishop John, and you still say you are not a mage?!

Louis glanced casually at everyone’s attire.

There was a bearded man in the vestments of a temple knight, sitting alone at a table with his boots propped up on it, idly carving a wooden figurine. A whole drift of shavings had already gathered on the floor.

Three elderly men were seated on a sofa, drinking tea with quiet ease and speaking in low tones. Since Louis could see only their backs, he could not make out their clothing. But it seemed that extravagant ornaments were jutting up behind their heads, and the knight’s own garments appeared to be rather flamboyant as well.

A faint unease stirred in Louis’s heart. But before he could dwell on it, his attention was drawn elsewhere.

At the center of the hall stood three gentlemen wearing white aristocratic wigs, talking in loud, animated voices. It sounded as though they were discussing mermaids or something of the sort. Their voices carried so clearly that even the people outside could hear them, making the three old clergymen opposite them frown in visible displeasure.

The servants pouring tea and water all moved with extreme caution, and Kate was cautious too, afraid of interrupting the three magicians’ lively discussion.

Kate even gave Louis a special reminder: “Those three gentlemen are Sir Bach, Sir Ron, and Sir Fermi. They are all famous great magicians from London City, and all of them are ‘Soredo Scholars’ as well—renowned erudites in the kingdom. The people seated over there are Lords such as Bishop John, who came specially from the Holy Court. Louis, Helen, I’ll introduce you after they finish talking, so don’t rush.”

With that, Kate led the two of them to a seat, apparently worried that Louis might chat too much with the clergy and cause some trouble. So she placed them a little far from the others—after all, these two young priests were somewhat unusual.

Louis did not pay much mind to this minor matter. His attention was already captured by the three magicians.

Along the way, he had seen many people dressed fashionably, but these three magicians wore something oddly old-fashioned, and they even wore stockings—red, green, and purple.

Wasn’t that a little too Victorian?

No, older than Victorian, perhaps?

Louis could not help glancing at the butler’s clothes—double-breasted jacket, shirt, riding trousers, and boots, with no stockings.

At least not outside.

Compared to that, the magicians’ clothing seemed rather antique.

Louis still remembered the magician’s act he had seen at the train station, vividly. And that real magician had been dressed very fashionably, utterly unlike these great magicians.

Could it be that even within the circle of magic enthusiasts, there were factions?

“I said before, Bach, that is not a mermaid,” said the younger gentleman in red stockings, Ron, with solemn emphasis. “Sailors often mistake such creatures for mermaids, but this species is actually called a dugong. The term is indeed quite obscure, and there are still no books on marine life. Navigators have yet to explore many regions, and the number of people in the world who have seen these creatures may be no greater than the number who have seen mermaids...”

Upon hearing this, Miss Kate could not help widening her eyes and gave Louis an astonished look.

The gentleman in red stockings continued, “Mermaids may already have vanished from the world—or perhaps they are simply a legend that never existed at all.”

This remark sparked another round of argument, though no conclusion was reached. Soon, however, the three shifted their conversation in another direction, debating whether magic truly existed in this world. Louis and Helen looked utterly bewildered.

No magic? If there is no magic, why do you call yourselves magicians?

The two could not help glancing at Kate again, only to find her clasping her hands tightly before her chest, gazing at those three great magicians with worshipful admiration.

No—was it really so normal for magicians to believe that magic did not exist?

Then what exactly had the father and daughter brought these people here for?

“Louis, h-how do they actually fight...?” Helen could not help whispering.

Louis shook his head blankly, then looked toward the swords hanging at the waists of the three gentlemen, as well as the silver battle-axe, warhammer, and staff on the table...

At that moment, the voice of the gentleman in green stockings rang out. He cast a glance at the bishops and clergy opposite him, who were frowning in displeasure, and said loudly, “Many theoretical scholars do indeed insist that the world has entered an age in which spiritual energy no longer awakens. Thus, magic has disappeared. But as everyone knows, the clergy of the Moon Temple are in fact using a variant of magic! This is the best proof that magic still exists.”

At those words, the great magicians fell quiet at once, and all of them turned in silence toward the clergy, seeming to deeply agree with the man in green stockings.

In other words, these magicians who claimed magic did not exist believed that the clergy were using magic.

The clergy, dragged into the fray, could not help but rub their foreheads. By Anthony’s beard!

They knew this lunatic crowd would start calling themselves sorcerers again.

Just the other day, while giving Her Majesty Delphinia a lesson in the history of theology, she had asked with curiosity whether Saint Anthony had been a sorcerer too—and said that a court sorcerer had told her so.

Damn it all.

And every single time these great magicians from London met them, they would declare once again that Saint Anthony was the god of magic.

The damned god of magic.

Those accursed sorcerers.

So what if two people happen to have the same name, and both appeared three thousand years ago?

Yes, the things we use now are indeed not quite the same as before. Everyone’s power no longer comes from the gods, but from their own strength—that is absolutely not some kind of magic power!

Really...

And they even say that all the clergy of our Moon Temple are magical priests.

Utter nonsense.

We have faith, thank you very much.

Do you sorcerers have faith?

Do you have a lineage?

Our Moon Temple’s inheritance is proper, orthodox inheritance!

Yes, it is true that we no longer worship the gods. But can you not see the immense moon hanging in the heavens?

That moon is what we worship!

What we use is not some “holy magic,” “white magic,” or “light magic.” It is word-power!

And our word-power all comes from the Dawn Holy Scripture brought by Saint Anthony!

Not from the teachings of the god of magic!

Saint Anthony himself said he was not the god of magic.

What does any of that have to do with you sorcerers...

When Louis heard this inner monologue from “Great Magus John” the bishop, he blinked hard.

Suddenly, he remembered the lines in the manual—if you encounter certain Moon Temple clergy who really can exorcise spirits, then there is no need to doubt: most likely, they are sorcerers.

Or perhaps sorcerers of faith.

What they worship is the god of magic!

Louis looked at the clergy in utter confusion.

Then he blinked hard again.

Why did their clothes look so much like those mage robes worn by “Khadgar”?

The collars stood high, and behind them they carried an eye-catching mage “great moon wheel.” Their robes were lavish and gaudy, covered in runes, and each of them held a great magus’s staff...

Still saying you are not sorcerers?

Still saying you do not worship the god of magic?

...Wait a moment?

You all wear this kind of clothing, and you are all sorcerers...

Then what, exactly, am I wearing?

What am I?!

At that point, the “great magicians” also looked over.

For a moment, the two sides simply stared at one another. Then Bishop John tried to cough up a wad of phlegm while pointing at Louis and nearly fainted on the spot.

The bishop did not speak the words aloud, but Louis heard his inner voice and nearly fainted as well.

Trief, you colossal idiot!

You’ve killed me!

...

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