Forsaken Priest of the Hero's Party-Chapter 14: The Heros Party and the Saint

The youngest daughter of the Western Family, famous demon hunters - Lucia Western.

The genius mage - Parnell.

And then, the one recognized by all, the Hero chosen by the Three Goddesses - Yurinel Lakponcia.

Now a new member will join their party, the Saint of the Nemi Church, the Goddess of the Earth.

Her name is Aridel, and alongside her, an Archbishop of the Nemi Church will accompany them, Renheim was his name.

“We are honored to meet the representative of the Goddess.”

Even though Parnell and Lucia were extremely proud, they still bowed to show their respect. Inside a carriage, a woman wearing a nun’s attire that covered her entire body slowly shook her head as she saw this.

“We are to be comrades now.”

This woman was none other than Aridel, the Saint chosen by Nemi, the Goddess of Earth.

One of the three saints of the Trinity Church.

“So, there’s no need for this excessive courtesy.”

“I’m Archbishop Renheim, who is accompanying the Saintess to meet the Heroes of the Empire.”

“Is that so? Archbishop, we welcome you to our party.”

“I am also delighted to meet the hero I have only heard of through rumors.”

After exchanging greetings like this, they talked about various things, including each other’s hometowns and preferences.

After everyone had a pleasant conversation, they decided to train their teamwork before setting off on their journey.

The Goddess of Earth is the most popular among the Three Gods. This is because she is also the earth’s mother goddess who governs abundance, as the name “earth” suggests.

The goddess who oversees agriculture has always attracted people’s attention,

This is evidenced by the fact that she has the most believers among the Three Goddesses.

While Nemi’s Divine Power can’t heal others as well as Hillai’s, the Goddess of Healing, and it’s not as fatal to demons as that of Elysia’s, the Goddess of Light...

The Earth, Nemi’s domain, holds boundless vitality within. Just as sprouts emerge from moist soil, Nemi’s divine power gives water and vitality to parched humans.

Naturally, the party had high expectations for the abilities of Aridel, the Saint who represented the Goddess Nemi.

“How about we try to hunt down a Giant Two-Headed Ogre? It’s not such a dangerous monster at our level, and it would be suitable for the Saint to broaden her horizons.”

“I’ll follow your judgment oh brave Hero.”

While more time was needed to truly know their new companions, at least the first impression was favorable.

If she were arrogant or looked down on others just because she’s a Saint, they would have been offended. Rather, not anyone can be chosen as a Saint since the Goddesses actively influence the realm.

It’s not that Nemi goes around questioning her believers, but after observing them, she chooses a suitable number and gives her a Divine Revelation.

All of this selective process was required because if a Saint with a bad personality was chosen, it would damage the Goddess’s image.

We’re lucky.

Yurinel Lakponcia, who had been secretly worrying about the Saint’s personality, let out a sigh of relief.

But then a problem arose in an area she hadn’t worried about at all.

“Wow, so that’s the ogre I’ve only heard about... It certainly looks big and strong.”

“The Giant Two-Headed Ogre is a superior species of ogre.”

Yurinel explained as she drew her sword. Just as the name suggests, this ogre has two heads and four arms. Unlike ogres with green skin, this giant has a darker hide that looks tough and sturdy just by looking at it.

It’s a creature that makes the earth tremble just by rolling its feet, but it’s one she’s already defeated multiple times.

While even competent demons would be killed by such creatures, she could kill one of them all by herself. That’s why this fellow is perfect for testing the Saint’s abilities.

“This species of Ogre has a bit of resistance to both Magic and Divine Power. As it evolved for some unknown reason, it grew in size, becoming a giant Ogre. From there, one more head was added, making it a Giant Two-Headed Ogre. If one more head is added to that, it becomes a demon king-level monster.”

These are the words of someone who has fought the Three-Headed Six-Armed Ogre that occupied a seat in the Grimudo’s Monster Legion. Ogres are strong even in their basic form, but when such a monstrous creature evolves repeatedly, it becomes not a monster, but a natural disaster.

In its final form, the Ogre couldn’t even be called that. Instead, they gain a new name.

Asura.

An Asura is a King-Level Monster. Ordinary spears and swords will fail to even scratch its skin. And no amount of fire will ever burn it. They were truly rare monsters to find. But if one manages to find one, then they usually don’t live to tell the tale.

“Oh, foul monstrosity! With the light of the Goddess, I shall cast you down to the pits of hell! As the daughter of Nemi, I hereby declare! You shall find no place on this earth! Fall to the abyss where you belong!”

Along with a blinding radiance, a beam of divine light struck the ogre directly.

The Ogre’s natural resistance managed to offset some of the damage from the beam of light, but the one casting this wasn’t an ordinary priest, but Aridel, the Saint, the adopted daughter of a Goddess.

The radiance of the Saint, Aridel, bypassed the Ogre’s resistance as its two heads roared. The roar of the ogre, imbued with magic power, scattered the radiance in an instant.

The startled Aridel was comforted by the bishop, Renheim.

“Your Holiness. There’s no need to be surprised that a mere monster defies the will of the Goddess. Ogres are stubborn creatures that inherently rebel against all gods, be it those corrupt evil Gods or Mother Earth.”

“Indeed. That’s why we are here, there’s no need for you to exterminate that thing alone.”

Yurinel chimed in from the side, while Parnell and Lucia nodded their heads.

If it seemed like the Saint could take down such a bastard on her own, what need would there be for a Hero, a Mage, and a Demon Hunter? They might as well donate the Holy Sword to a museum and all three of them should devote themselves to the temple and become priests.

The Saint nodded her head and once again recited a different prayer.

Holy power flowed through the earth, forming a formation. While the previous attack failed to kill the Ogre, the Divinity in the air chipped away at the monster’s stamina while strengthening the allies.

Feeling the vitality and strength that began to well up, Yurinel suddenly furrowed her brows.

Because her calculations had been wrong in a completely unexpected place, a place she hadn’t even considered.

It’s getting stronger. The amplification rate isn’t bad either.

The divine power of Nemi, the Goddess of Earth, was indeed true to its reputation.

Although it fell behind the other two major gods in terms of direct healing power or offensive power, the public’s opinion that she was the best among the three major gods when it came to support and blessings that imbued allies with strength was not wrong.

But it’s...Different. Yes, this is completely different from Kyle’s Divinity.

Nemi’s Divine Power granted immense strength and stamina in an instant, yet...All of these boons were ultimately temporary. In contrast, the divine power of the God of Hope quietly draws out the dormant potential within people to its fullest.

Under the influence of Hope, even a technique that would normally succeed only once or twice out of ten tries will succeed without fail. Because since the possibility of it succeding ‘once out of ten times’ exists, the God of Hope can change this probability and enforce a perfect result.

So even when the blessing ends, something remains. Knowledge, experience, and muscle memory remain. Bringing the possibility that had not bloomed to flower is the power of the God of Hope, and the Hero’s party had unknowingly relied on that power to grow.

Even when the blessing ends, the results brought forward won’t fade away. As long as one continues to put in the effort, the flowers that once bloomed under Hope, won’t wither away.

My body isn’t fully accepting this blessing...

If the power of the God of Hope worked brought forward one’s latent potential, assuming the body would move towards its optimal path...

Then, Nemi’s Divinity simply bombarded someone with more healing, stamina, and strength, without any consideration.

While the results might be somewhat similar, in terms of simple reinforcement, Aridel’s Divine Power might be a bit better.

However, when it comes to ultimate potential, they are incomparable. Having your power amplified but then returned to its original state would always be inferior to a constant increase.

No matter how much a balloon inflates, if you pop it with a needle, it bursts.

But if you try this against a steel ball of the same size, the needle will bend or break.

Even if the size is similar, the substance is different.

Hope was the driving force for the future.

The power of the God of Hope continuously nurtures the growth of everything it touches.

It constantly draws the strength that will be reached someday in the future into the present,

Helping the ‘you’ of tomorrow grow beyond the ‘you’ of today. Unless it takes the form of a miracle like the Phylogenetic Seedling this effect is steady and gradual, so it does not manifest in a single moment.

Under the blessing, the thought of ‘I’m feeling rather good these days’ becomes a common thing.

Gradually this becomes the standard. It’s only after the source of the blessing disappears that everyone starts to feel that something is off.

The Mage Parnell, who had blasted the ogre with the powerful and mana-intensive spell, Hellfire, as usual, furrowed her brows.

Why is my mana recovery slower than usual?

The magic was weaker than usual. The spell only exerted 80% of its usual power and consumed about 1.2 times the mana to cast. The slow mana recovery was also another thing that stuck up.

However, this wasn’t a strange thing.

It’s not that Parnell’s condition had worsened.

But...Who could exert 100% of their capabilities all the time?  It’s not possible even when one’s condition is at its peak. It was only possible until now because of the power of the God of Hope.

As that power fades, they are now returning to the same standard state as others.

Their might didn’t weaken. And it didn’t decline. It’s just that the party was now on the same terms as other human beings.

It’s natural for mana recovery to be slow.

The Divinity of Hope is remarkable in the sense that it can be converted into any type of power, and this can naturally replenish the consumed mana.

But Nemi’s Divinity can’t do that. All it can do is give vitality to the body. It cannot replenish a completely different type of power like mana. The sense of invincibility that was always present when receiving Kyle’s blessings was absent.

So, it was natural that Parnell got perplexed.

Could this truly be the power of a Saint? The Goddess’ ‘daughter’?

Or perhaps she was hiding her strength because this Ogre wasn’t a worthy opponent? Such thoughts came to her mind during the battle.

But,

Even without the blessing of the God of Hope, they are still the hero party.

Yurinel and Lucia quickly cut off pieces of the Ogre’s arm, while a Divine construct, the Divine Chain, bound the Ogre’s legs.

Seeing this opening, Yurinel quickly sliced off its neck.

It was a complete victory, an overwhelming triumph. There were no casualties on their side. However, everyone’s expression, except for Aridel’s, was not bright.

They all felt that this fight was somehow different. They didn’t know exactly where or how it was different, but at least it wasn’t the same as usual.

Were the expectations... too high?

They indeed had some expectations, given that she was the saint of the religious nation that served the three goddesses.

Even if they didn’t hope for a power that could shake the heavens and overturn the earth, they at least wanted her to demonstrate overwhelming capabilities compared to her predecessor. No, it wasn’t that they hoped for it, they thought it would naturally be the case!

It’s only natural that the three major goddesses are superior to nameless minor deities, and it’s common sense that a saint is exalted above an ordinary priest.

This outcome was something no one had anticipated, something they had never even dreamed of.

The one thing they could be certain had improved was that, unlike Kyle’s divine power, Aridel’s was effective against demons and demonic beings. Compared to Kyle, who could only heal and recover, Aridel was capable of attacking using divine power. Naturally, the range of strategies they could employ had also greatly expanded.

Indeed...Let’s think positively.

Yurinel bit her lip with a look of disappointment.

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They had gained something, but they had also lost a lot. It was difficult to judge which side had the upper hand at this point. She shook her head vigorously, trying hard to shake off the regret.

The decision wasn’t made based on just one ability, after all.

Aridel was someone who would grow to become one of the leaders of the Trinity Church.

Being able to form a bond with such a person under the name of comrades was more valuable than one might think.

It could also be seen as taking a step closer to greater power.

That’s why Yurinel thought her judgment wasn’t wrong.

Originally, she had been certain, but after seeing the saint’s abilities, she became slightly anxious.

“You’re all amazing! Have you been fighting like this regularly?”

“Ah, yes. That’s right. Well...”

“Indeed, you are the true heroes who purify the earth and carry out the goddess’s will. I, Aridel, will do my utmost to assist your valiant journey.”

“Umm, Lady Saint.”

When the saint, who was excited on her own, was inwardly pleased with her accomplishments,

Parnell, the party’s mage who was often told that she was insensitive, asked.

“Lady Saint...By any chance...Can’t you use something like the Observatory Of Celestial Dreams?”

Objectively speaking, Aridel’s abilities weren’t lacking.

But subjectively, they fell far short.

This was because their enemy was that primordial demon king. An ancient monster older than even the three major Goddesses.

They would have to see a bit more to draw a conclusion about Saint Araidel’s abilities, but no one could be certain how helpful she would be against Grimudo.

They had thought that with the saint, they might be able to aim for Grimudo’s neck, but now it seemed like they would have to change their minds a little.

“Or some other miracle. You’re not using it now because you have no reason to use it, right?”

What is she talking about?

Aridel expression seemed to encompass this question.

“A miracle... you say?”

For a being loved by God to the level of a saint or a holy person,

They would have to dedicate their entire life to faith.

A miracle is something that can be used maybe once in old age, almost at the end of one’s life.

There were a few cases where it was used at a young age, but that was limited to a small number of saints who received the goddess’s special favor or were born with a talent bestowed by the heavens.

Aridel was neither.

“If... if I were to risk my life, maybe once...But I don’t know how it could be possible?”

She chuckled and scratched her head. She took it as a joke and let it pass as a joke.

Because miracles are not child’s play. It was the same even for the saint, the greatest servant of God.

No matter how great saints and holy people are, they are still human in the end, and they are clearly below the angels who are God’s attendants in heaven.

In contrast, an apostle is not originally a rank that operates on earth.

As God’s representative, they are not directly superior or inferior to angels due to their different fields, but they are in a relationship where they must respect each other.

It is safe to say that their status is equal.

Performing miracles and extinguishing them.

That was the reason it could be done as simply as lighting a candle.