I Quit Being a Priest

With each step forward, it felt like my whole body was shivering and screaming.
It really feels like my muscles are about to tear apart. No, in this delicate body, you can’t find muscles even if you wash your eyes and look, but those minimal muscle cell clusters needed to constitute the body were causing pain all over, making me kneel.
I felt a bit pathetic for succumbing to mere muscle pain, but I didn’t care much anymore.
Because this pain was about to end now.
“Hoho…”
I extended my right hand and lightly flicked my finger. Just with that, the holy power circulating rapidly within my body washed away the pain that dominated my entire body.
What remains in the body after wiping away the pain is lightness. The lightness I hadn’t felt since my soul was transferred to this body.
The shackles binding me were released. The curse of the hellish holy power exhaustion has now completely healed.
I could feel strength filling my entire body. How long has it been since I felt this refreshed?
So, with light footsteps, I walked down the corridor, holding a bundle of documents.
Just by lightly stepping on the ground, the holy power wandering around me vibrates, and a golden light ripples on the floor.
The golden light enveloping me decorates and blesses the path where its owner walks.
Without drawing a separate spell, massive amounts of holy power, too much to be contained in one body, naturally leak out and float around me, creating a golden light.
The holy power within my possession decorated the corridor of the Knight Order headquarters as if rejoicing in the resurrection of its owner, but it wasn’t time yet.
I recollected the holy power that had leaked out of my body and locked it so it wouldn’t escape again.
After all, the duel is tomorrow. There was no need to advance the holy power I would show to the world tomorrow to today.
Revealing it now would only serve to make the opponent wary.
“Ah, Illia unni? You seem particularly energetic today?”
I smiled gently towards Elly, whom I encountered in the corridor, and handed her the documents I was holding.
“Here, take these documents. They’re yours.”
“Eh? Ah? Okay.”
Today, I was in such a good mood that I couldn’t stop smiling even when seeing Elly, whom I really disliked normally.
Elly, who received the documents, scratched her head with a stupid expression as usual.
Until yesterday, I had been crawling on the ground due to muscle pain, so it was understandable she was surprised to see the changed me.
Now that my holy power had returned and I was full of energy, I wouldn’t have minded even if Edwin made me do those dog tricks again.
With holy power circulating within my body, I don’t tire. As soon as physical energy is consumed, holy power breathes vitality into the body.
I decided to organize all the documents quickly and show that thug my true stamina today.
“Ah, by the way, Senior Edwin asked me to tell you there’s no outdoor training today.”
“Huh? Why?”
Hmm? What’s up with that thug? Normally, he would be yelling and scolding me for being lazy.
Unable to contain my curiosity, I asked Elly.
“Senior Edwin is in a staff meeting right now. You might not know since you’ve only been here for a short time, but actually, the Knight Order is in a very precarious situation right now.”
Elly looked around carefully and then continued cautiously.
“Since the incident where the vice commander went missing, the commander and other high-ranking officials have been really sensitive, so it’s better not to disturb them. Even I am being a bit cautious these days.”
“The vice commander went missing?”
“Oh? You didn’t know? It’s been quite a while. About two months or so?”
The vice commander of the Knight Order would be someone with the skills to attain that position. Is there something so dangerous that such a person would suddenly disappear?
“I’ll tell you the details tomorrow when you officially become a Knight Order member. Leaking Knight Order information to the outside is grounds for disciplinary action.”
“Well… okay. It’s not like I was particularly curious about that anyway.”
I began to wonder what on earth had happened in the village while I was active on the front lines with Karnel’s party.
At least what I could conclusively say now was that places other than around the entrance to the magic boundary were no longer safe either.
It would be more accurate to say that the world is going wrong.
Honestly, I wanted to hear more details, but I felt like I would be suspected if I probed any further here.
After all, there were ways to hear it without necessarily relying on Elly.
“Then I’ll go process these documents.”
“Sure.”
I waved my hand, sending Elly off. I still had documents to deliver in my possession.
However,
This time, there was something I had to do after quickly finishing my work.
-Snap.
I flick my finger lightly, raising my right hand. Documents, with the power of holy power, rose into the air and flew toward their respective destinations.
Having completed in just a few seconds what would normally take over 30 minutes of walking back and forth, I turned my steps toward the entrance of the meeting room.
I enhance my hearing with holy power and eavesdrop on the content from nearby. Though it would be a serious offense if caught, with the holy power I had regained, I was confident I wouldn’t be caught.
It should have been so, but.
“Illia unni, where are you going? That’s the meeting room?”
Elly stopped me. Her voice had a hint of wariness, which was unlike her.
“I just have something to see around here…”
“That’s a lie, isn’t it?”
Unnecessarily sharp.
I, caught at the scene before even committing the act, clicked my tongue. That action was essentially an admission of guilt, but since I couldn’t think of a suitable excuse, I remained silent.
“I’ll pretend I didn’t see this, so go back to your room. And please stop trying to pry into the Knight Order’s business.”
Elly glared at me and slowly articulated each word as if warning me.
It was a bit unfair for me, as I had only intended to listen for a bit and leave, but since I didn’t want to establish an antagonistic relationship with Elly, I eventually raised both hands.
It was a gesture to prove that I absolutely had no malice.
“…Alright. It’s been almost a week since I came here, and I’ve had no results, so I guess I was a bit impatient. I’ll be careful from now on.”
“…Is that true?”
I nodded.
I was too careless this time. Heading in that direction right after hearing there was a staff meeting would make anyone suspicious.
The main reason was that I didn’t imagine I would be caught by Elly because of her usual image.
“Then I’ll escort you to your room, so follow me obediently.”
Elly walked ahead and gestured for me to follow. Her pace was a bit fast, which would have been difficult for me to follow until yesterday, but since I was caught in the act, I didn’t particularly show it.
“Really, I told you I’d tell you officially tomorrow, so why did you do that? You’re lucky it was me; if someone else had caught you, you would have gone straight to jail.”
“I said I’m sorry, alright.”
Finally, following Elly, I arrived at my room and was semi-forcibly led inside. The door closed, and I heard footsteps moving away.
The footsteps, which cut off halfway and then resumed, reminded me again that I was under surveillance by her.
It seems…
Today wasn’t my day.

A day passed, and dawn broke. Today was the one-on-one duel I had to undergo, as previously announced by Commander Bellarf.
Some were interested in the theme of free dueling, and some weren’t, but it seems it succeeded in attracting people’s attention enough to fill the spectator seats.
All eyes were focused on me. It seemed they were waiting for me to designate my opponent.
And without any hesitation, I pointed my finger at Edwin.
The spectators in the stands could be heard whispering with worried faces, even to me. It was heard too much to list all the words, but the short sentence I heard most often was:
Have you finally gone crazy?
I still don’t quite understand, but it probably means Edwin is that much of a big shot.
And when half of the gaze directed at me shifted to Edwin, he accepted it wholeheartedly.
Saying that it was his principle not to avoid any fight that came his way, regardless of who the opponent was.
So when Edwin entered the preparation room and came out, I felt something was wrong.
-Thump, thump!
Footsteps so heavy they made the ground shake came closer and closer.
The sound of armor rattling could even be heard as a large man wrapped in thick iron armor from head to toe approached.
He was a giant whom I had to look up at until my neck hurt.
This giant of a man, fully clad in iron armor, held a shield as big as himself in one hand, and a huge axe of similar size to the shield in the other.
“Ah…”
I sighed heavily. Just standing in front of him made my whole body tremble.
I didn’t know it would be to this extent.
“I ask you, new recruit Illia. What has brought you before me?”
Edwin’s voice lowered. Although I had encountered Edwin up close several times before, his atmosphere now was quite different from before.
When I refused to answer, he added with a heavy and serious voice.
“…You choose silence? Then I’ll give you one last chance to reconsider your choice. If the match starts now, it won’t end with just one or two broken bones.”
“…”
That’s certainly true. If I were even slightly grazed by that axe, my entire body would be torn apart.
But.
I ruminated on all the things I had endured. How much I had suffered due to the tearful difference in rank.
I raised my right hand and unfurled golden holy power.
“Get ready to be beaten.”
With just that, the golden holy power that engulfed the area bared its teeth toward Edwin.
He didn’t seem to notice, but even before he stepped on this ground, this place was already filled with holy power I had scattered.
In other words, this arena was my domain from the beginning.