Dimensional Descent

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Pope Margrave opened his eyes fully, peering down toward Leonel from on high. 

The killing intent locked on Leonel seemed to grow with each passing second of silence. However, once again, it didn’t come from the Pope himself, but rather his paladins. Leonel could tell that if it wasn’t for their rules of decorum, they would have definitely stepped forward with weapons drawn. 

Leonel’s mind spun with several thoughts. It was impossible for him to accept Margrave’s request of him. But, at the same time, he couldn’t afford to be at odds with The Church either. 

’Lionus described Camelot as having four pillars of power, but I somehow feel that things aren’t so simple. It’s more likely that there are four powers on the surface, but the knight and mage academy are probably just pawns of the Royal Family and The Church… It might even be possible that both are pawns of the Royal Family to resist The Church…’

Leonel’s eyes narrowed when he had this thought. This was because this wasn’t a thought he would originally have. It was the result of a synapse in his Dreamscape.

After a while, Leonel understood why he had come to this conclusion. 

First there was Lionus’ reaction when he mentioned paladins. It wasn’t just his pride in his father Leonel sensed back then. That pride masked a disdain he felt for other paladins. 

Secondly, the Pope’s words seemed to imply that Leonel’s current circumstances were unacceptable. Though he didn’t directly say Leonel had to leave the Mage Academy, Leonel had a faint inkling that it was meant to be tacitly understood. 

Thirdly, despite the fact the Pope was a Three Star Magus, even after so many weeks within the Mage Academy, Leonel couldn’t sense even the slightest influence of The Church. He had lost count of the number of books he had read in the library to now, yet not a single one even alluded to religion, the Pope, or The Church.

’I see…’

Leonel smiled bitterly. It seemed that Lionus had dragged Leonel right into the middle of a power struggle. 

As things stood now, there was still a bit of balance. Though two of Camelot’s three Holy Sons sided with the Royal Family, it was still acceptable. After all, Lionus was King Arthur’s son. It was only right that a son would follow after his father’s footsteps.

But, what about Leonel? What would happen if a fourth Holy Son appeared and still chose not to join the side of The Church?

This would put The Church in a weird position. The capital would have four Holy Sons, yet three of them would have nothing to do with them. After so much indoctrination about the importance and superiority of Holy Sons… wouldn’t The Church lose much of its influence with the people if so many Holy Sons chose against joining them?

Leonel suddenly realized that maybe the reason Lamorak had no choice but to let him live wasn’t just because he was a Holy Son, but because of the political importance he represented. 

Though it seemed to take Leonel a long time to reach this conclusion, with his Dreamscape and ability, it really took him no more than a split second to grasp everything.     

’In that case…’

”Your Holiness, the situation might not be as you expect.” Leonel spoke slowly. 

Toward such words, Pope Margrave finally had the first change in his expression. In fact, even Lionus rose an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. 

”The truth is that I’m not a Holy Son.”

Pope Margrave’s eyebrow rose. In fact, a hint of a smile played his lips. If Leonel was a woman or liked men, it was definitely the kind of smile that would make his heart skip a bit no matter how slight of a smile it was. 

”I’m not sure what happened, but Magus Aliard might have made a mistake. I had my affinity tested recently and the result was that I’m an Earth Elemental Childe.”

Margrave’s expression changed once again. 

”Oh?” He said softly. 

Leonel understood then that the information hadn’t spread just yet. But, this made sense. Anyone who could have been in the Magic Art Tower at the time Leonel entered was definitely of exceptionally high standing. Not only would they understand the importance of Leonel’s position, they were also less likely to gossip to begin with. It made sense that they would choose to remain silent until things settled down. 

Leonel smiled lightly and released his Spirit Pressure. 

A rushing wind swept through the throne room. For a moment, it felt as though Leonel was the center of the world, standing in the eye of a raging storm. 

At this point, both Lionus and the Pope, and even the paladins to the side, had a change in expression. How was Leonel’s Spirit Pressure so powerful?

Toward this, Leonel couldn’t do much. He was already holding back. He had already been diligently Crystallizing his Spirit Pressure for a couple weeks already. This was already the result of him holding back. His Spirit Pressure was simply far more than those of this world to begin with. The only thing holding him back was his low grade Force. 

In the blink of an eye, a simple earthen arrow formed before Leonel. It was just a Two Star Apprentice Art. Leonel could form several dozen of these in an instant if he wanted to. However, the two magi in the room were still shocked by the speed. 

A step further, the speed mgiht have still been acceptable. But, what they found difficult to accept was the metallic sheen on Leonel’s [Earthen Arrow]. It was very clear that not only was he an Earth Childe… he was a variant! And a very powerful variant at that!

However, Leonel hadn’t done this just to show off. He had a very clear purpose. 

”As you can see, Your Holiness, I believe there was some kind of mistake. I tried learning Light Elemental Arts, but I wasn’t very good at it. In fact, it takes me several minutes to form a One Star Apprentice Light Art. It would be impossible for me to use in battle.”

The Pope’s eyes narrowed and the room turned still once more.