Axis Church?
Spokesperson of a goddess?
When Julius heard Hayashi Maki's words, he froze for a moment.
Reinhard had never mentioned that Hayashi Maki belonged to some "Axis Church." He'd only said that Hayashi Maki's strength was tremendous—on par with the Sword Saint himself.
Since when did this world have a faction called the Axis Church?
And it was aligned with Emilia's camp as well.
That naturally made one suspect that this so-called Axis Church might actually be the infamous Witch Cult under a different name.
While he was turning that over in his mind, Julius kept his expression pleasant and simply nodded with a smile.
"Very well. I'm quite interested in your church as well. If the treatment is free, then we may as well have everyone try it."
"Please, this way."
Hayashi Maki smiled and gestured for the group to join the line.
Julius remained cautious. The four dots of light floating around him—his contracted micro-spirits—were already probing the area. When they passed back the message that there was no danger, he finally relaxed a little.
So he followed Hayashi Maki in silence, curious to see what he was really up to.
Then he witnessed something shocking.
"Aqua, there are too many people. Speed it up a bit—just hit them with a big area heal."
"This gentleman is Julius Juukulius, a new friend of mine, and these are members of the Royal Guard. Since they came all this way to support us, you should give them a blessing."
The line of commoners was so long now that Hayashi Maki needed a showy demonstration for the knights, so he made that request on the spot.
Aqua of course didn't refuse. She puffed up proudly, thrusting her chest forward, and spread her pale, graceful hands.
"Leave it to me."
"Water that fills the world—answer the command of the goddess Aqua, and bestow your blessing upon those before me!"
With those stylish words, a holy light burst from her white hands.
The next second, a vast magic circle bloomed under everyone's feet.
Soft, mysterious radiance flowed up and sank into each person's body.
The knights' expressions relaxed into looks of sheer relief; some even stared in shock.
After the light entered them, all the fatigue from training melted away. Deep-set, nagging injuries healed as well.
Those touched by the blessing suddenly felt like they'd just chugged a full bottle of stimulant—brimming with energy.
Julius, meanwhile, sensed the joy of the micro-spirits gathered around him. They seemed to have benefitted too, shortening the time they'd need to evolve into proper spirits.
For a micro-spirit to become a full spirit and gain form usually required centuries of accumulation.
And failure was always a possibility.
But Aqua's blessing had directly granted them the qualification to evolve; all that remained was to gather enough mana.
Once Julius received that message from his spirits, his attitude toward Hayashi Maki and Aqua warmed considerably.
Concrete benefits like these would earn anyone's goodwill.
The knights were all beaming as well. A free full-body treatment like that? You'd have to be a fool not to feel grateful. Most of them formed a favorable impression of Hayashi Maki and the Axis Church on the spot.
As for the few ingrates—well, they could be ignored.
"Hayashi Maki-sama, I, Julius Juukulius, will remember this favor. I've truly gained something substantial today. My thanks."
Julius bowed his head slightly and spoke with real sincerity.
Hayashi Maki waved a hand lightly. "Think nothing of it. Our Axis Church intends to expand here in the capital, so I hope we can count on the Royal Guard to look after us."
"I'm sure you noticed our church's capabilities, Sir Julius. Just in terms of healing, Aqua-sama has every right to claim first place—no one in this world could claim second."
"That 'Blue' healer isn't an exception either."
The current holder of the title of "Blue" was that cross-dressing catboy, Ferris—Felix Argyle.
Julius silently offered a moment of sympathy for Felix in his heart, though outwardly he smiled.
"Of course. If any problems arise, feel free to come to the Guard."
He'd come mainly to determine whether this was Witch Cult activity. Now that he'd confirmed it wasn't, his next priority was to report back.
Most importantly, he needed to brief Anastasia on this new "Axis Church" attached to Emilia's camp.
…
That evening, Crusch also received word about the Axis Church.
Her expression turned somewhat sour.
Standing beside her, Felix Argyle's face wasn't looking great either.
Crusch Karsten's ability to gather followers was in no small part thanks to Felix, the current bearer of the title "Blue."
That title was only passed to the most gifted healer.
With a powerful healer around, even a severed limb could be reattached and restored as long as it was recovered in time and the bleeding was controlled.
Because of that, serving under Crusch meant a certain level of safety.
On top of that, with Felix there as a healer, people from other factions frequently came asking for treatment—which became a way to earn their favor.
But now, out of nowhere, something called the Axis Church appears, claiming a "goddess's representative."
And that woman's ridiculous healing spell flat-out overshadowed Felix Argyle, leaving him with a real sense of crisis.
"Crusch-sama… shall we go see for ourselves?" Felix asked carefully, watching her tense expression.
Crusch shook her head. "No. Have our people continue investigating and get a proper report."
"For now our top priority is still that plan we've been preparing for years."
The White Whale had to be hunted.
Many of the strong knights and soldiers under her command had lost loved ones to that monstrosity.
They'd all been waiting for the day they could kill it and avenge those whose very names had been erased.
And in all the capital, only Crusch Karsten had decided to actually make that happen.
If Crusch did nothing, all the loyalty she'd built up would crumble, and she'd lose the foundation she needed to claim the throne.
If, on the other hand, she succeeded in slaying the White Whale, she'd gain enormous prestige—and a huge advantage on the road to becoming king.
…
At the same time, Anastasia, sitting in a private room in the Hoshin Company tavern, was hearing Julius's report about the Axis Church.
"Tch… I didn't think that woman would manage to acquire that kind of power. Looks like I really can't afford to underestimate her."