Aaron Tulba.
The Mercenary King of the Desert.
This muscle-bound old man was a straightforward man whose inside matched his outside.
Of course, that did not mean he was naive.
There was no telling how many enemies had died by this elder's hands.
It simply meant that, like the armor-like muscles covering his body, his personality was fundamentally bold and direct.
So whenever something upset him, he showed it without hesitation, no matter who the other person was.
Even now, wasn't he openly sulking at a ten-year-old boy he treated like a grandson?
I smiled awkwardly and spoke.
"Hehe...... Elder Aaron, you've got the wrong idea. I'm here because I want you to train me again. Isn't that proof enough?"
"Say that again."
"I want to learn your philosophy of muscles, Elder Aaron."
"Ahem."
"I realized exercising by myself is just too inefficient."
I put particular emphasis on the word inefficient.
Elder Aaron was normally a man who seemed far removed from efficiency.
He probably knew that about himself too, even if he would never admit it.
And that meant he secretly wanted someone to tell him that what he did was efficient.
"I realized just how efficient training under you was, Elder Aaron."
"A-Ahem."
I could see him barely suppressing the smile trying to creep onto his lips.
"I really missed your systematic training."
It might have sounded a little childish, but sometimes words like these dealt a critical hit.
And, in fact, they worked perfectly.
"Kwahahaha! Of course!"
He was also quick to get over things.
That was one of the defining traits of the old man known as Aaron the Mercenary King.
"I'm going to work you much harder than last time. Think you can handle it?"
"Yes."
I firmly believed in the power of restorative holy arts.
No matter what sort of training I went through, I could simply heal myself afterward with holy arts.
Whether he knew what I was planning or not, Elder Aaron worked me as though he'd been waiting all day for this chance.
It was definitely harsher than before.
The training continued until I repeatedly slammed into the wall that marked my body's limits.
'......Wow. At this rate, I seriously might die without even realizing it......'
I somehow endured by drawing upon every last ounce of resolve from the thirty-five-year-old soul of my previous life.
Fatigue piled upon fatigue until every joint and muscle ached and I no longer had the strength even to stand.
At last, the lunch break I'd been desperately waiting for arrived.
'Ugh...... I should heal my lower body first......'
I gathered holy power into both hands and ran them over my legs.
As the denser particles of light spread through them, I felt the numbing muscle pain slowly begin to recede.
'Good. If I just keep going a little longer...... Ngh?!'
A sharp, electric sensation suddenly shot through my legs and then surged into both arms touching them.
"A-Aaaagh......"
Forget the muscle pain that had been healing.
An overwhelming agony spread through my entire body and left my mind reeling.
The pain came in wave after wave, not even giving me a chance to lose consciousness.
There was no end in sight.
"Aaaaaagh......"
"Huh?! Howell! What's wrong?!"
"Aaaagh......"
I didn't even have the strength to answer.
By the time the agony finally began to subside, every last bit of energy had drained from my body.
"Damn it, what the hell happened? Tch. I'll take you to Sister Lephiri first."
Elder Aaron hoisted me onto his back and sprinted toward the garden where Elder Lephiri was.
Before long, he set me down in front of her and caught his breath.
"Phew. Sister, take a look at Howell."
"Did you push his physical training too far?"
"Looks like he collapsed while doing something on his own."
"In any case, let me see."
After checking my condition, Elder Lephiri let out a long sigh.
"Aaron, leave Howell with me and go back."
"Is he all right?"
"Of course. Once I finish treating him, I also have something I wish to discuss with Howell privately, so leave us for now. Do not worry too much about him."
"Well, all right."
Without much complaint, Elder Aaron returned to the open training ground.
Elder Lephiri placed both hands on my body and recited a holy art.
Sacred light wrapped around me, and the pain gradually melted away.
"Howell, you used restorative holy arts on yourself."
"Ngh...... How did you know?"
"Nothing else produces these symptoms."
"......Does that mean restorative holy arts can't be used on yourself? Can they only heal other living beings?"
Elder Lephiri shook her head.
"No. You can heal yourself as well."
"Huh? Then why didn't it work for me?"
"Because you used a shortcut."
"A shortcut......?"
I felt as though I almost understood what she meant.
Elder Lephiri asked in a solemn tone.
"Do you understand why what you did counts as taking a shortcut?"
"Mm......"
I thought I had a rough idea.
A shortcut involving holy arts.
I'd deliberately injured and exhausted myself so I could heal the damage.
If anything counted as a shortcut, that certainly did.
"One can increase holy power through personal talent and effort. You should already understand that much."
"Yes."
"Then do you remember the two factors that determine the amount of holy power you possess?"
"Faith that reveres the gods, and the desire to care for others. In other words, altruism."
"You remember well. Holy power and holy arts are heavily influenced by emotion. That is why they also punish those who repeatedly rely on shortcuts. Hoho. Now that you've experienced it firsthand, you should understand."
"Ughhh. I seriously thought I was going to die from the pain."
"Hoho. That is why shortcuts are harmful. One must always walk the proper path."
She was right.
The restorative holy art she'd just used had only treated the pain caused by the backlash.
The muscle soreness itself was still there.
"If I were to heal even that muscle soreness, this old woman might also be judged as participating in your shortcut."
The moment I'd begun physical training with that intention in mind, the burden placed on my muscles had become something restorative holy arts could no longer heal.
"......"
It sent a chill down my spine.
It was almost as though holy power possessed emotions and reason of its own.
"Hoho. Exercising will be difficult with all that muscle soreness. Since things have turned out this way, today I'll give you an intensive lesson on several basic holy arts."
"Wow, sounds good."
Faced with something new to learn, I became excited like an actual ten-year-old child.
Elder Lephiri smiled gently at the sight.
She divided holy arts into several branches and explained them to me.
Her simple summary was as follows.
Holy arts could broadly be divided into restorative holy arts and enhancement holy arts.
In general, priests specialized in restoration, while holy knights focused on enhancement.
'Until now, I've only concentrated on restorative holy arts......'
Fundamentally, priests possessed a strong desire to heal people, while holy knights placed greater importance on physical strength.
Of course, there were people on both sides who used some holy arts from the opposite branch as well.
There were even rare outliers who could use both branches perfectly.
Elder Lephiri was an authority worthy of being called the foremost practitioner of restorative holy arts, but she only used part of the enhancement branch, so she did not count as one of those outliers.
"I can teach you the basics of enhancement holy arts, but if you learn only from me, there will be many gaps. If you want to study enhancement holy arts in depth, seek out Mark."
"Elder Mark?"
"Yes. Mark may not look it, but he is a holy knight regarded as the greatest of his era."
Mark Dain.
Former Holy Knight Order Commander.
But in both Howell's memories and mine, he was nothing more than an old foulmouth who cursed constantly.
"Now then, for today I'll teach you several restorative holy arts along with a few basic enhancement holy arts."
"Yes. I'm focused."
Restorative holy arts.
Healing a simple wound or restoring someone's vitality could be done by pouring holy power into the target according to one's earnest wish.
But what if someone was suffering from poison or a curse?
Simply pouring holy power into them would not cure it.
That was where the various applications of holy power came in.
Elder Lephiri divided restorative holy arts into three broad categories.
Healing holy arts, which treated wounds and pain.
Detoxification holy arts, which treated contaminated states such as poisoning.
Curse-breaking holy arts, which treated conditions caused by curses.
"If you understand these fundamentals, you will be able to deal with simple poisoning and curses. Once you learn more detailed formulas on top of that, you can advance to higher levels."
I listened closely to Elder Lephiri without letting my attention drift.
"But the value of holy arts cannot be judged merely by calling one level high and another low. You should understand that after practicing holy arts on other living things."
"Yes. In the end, I think the most important thing in holy arts is the desire to help other lives."
"I am very glad that is how you understand it. But that is also why this old woman has a question. Howell, why did you think of using such a shortcut?"
Elder Lephiri calmly met my gaze.
Looking into her eyes made me feel as though I had been stripped bare.
"I'm sorry. I couldn't resist my greed in the moment."
"Howell, do not cling to holy arts too impatiently. Unlike magic, holy arts rely even more heavily on the power of the heart."
"......?"
I tilted my head.
Weren't the two talents required for holy power faith and altruism?
Neither of those seemed to have much to do with me.
"There is no need to be puzzled. You have already manifested the miracle of holy arts. Unlike magic, holy arts cannot be invoked if one possesses neither faith nor altruism. At first glance, they may seem easier than magic, but that is not necessarily so. Unconditional faith in a god and unconditional devotion to other living beings are never easy things. That is also why there are fewer renowned saints than exceptional mages."
I was still doubtful.
The good deeds I'd done in my previous life had ultimately continued because they satisfied my own desires vicariously.
And between Elder Lephiri and me lay the unspoken gap of "my previous life and possession."
"You still seem confused. Hoho. Howell, did you dislike learning holy arts? Were they boring?"
"......No. I liked it. It was fun. I enjoyed it."
That was true.
In this life, no matter what I did, I enjoyed it.
Every single step of learning made me happy.
Elder Lephiri gently stroked my head.
A warm sensation gathered above me.
"Do not burden the idea of a good heart with too much meaning. It is simply something any person of upright nature carries somewhere within their heart."
"......"
For some reason, I couldn't say anything.
My previous life......
The Benevolent Count......
Patronage......
Vicarious satisfaction......
I'd envied them in part, but hadn't I also rejoiced in their success as though it were my own?
Suddenly, I remembered the faces of the people who had braved the cold to come to my estate before I died.
"Face the essence."
The essence of goodwill.
"By nature, a person may spend 1,000 gold on themselves with ease, yet must swallow countless hesitations before giving even 1 gold to someone else. Holy arts are granted to those who can overcome that hesitation and step forward."
It felt as though something that had been blocking my chest had finally been pierced through.
As though an answer that had always been hazy had emerged from the mist and appeared before my eyes.
"Howell, do not think too deeply about it for now. This old woman has no intention of forcing anything upon you."
With a gentle touch, Elder Lephiri pulled my head into her embrace.
I buried my head in Elder Lephiri's embrace and quietly closed my eyes.
The emotion was complicated, yet somehow intuitive.
Something I couldn't clearly define even for myself.
"You only need to keep learning from here on. As it happens, this nursing home is overflowing with old people who can satisfy your growth through learning. Is that not a truly fortunate thing? Hohoho."