The Pope and Magician

Lucas woke up feeling especially energized in the morning as he got out of bed. After some time went by food finally arrived and he ate slowly savoring the flavor. The reason for this being that the servant told him that she was instructed to let him know there would be no official training today.

He was welcome to try training on his own or do whatever he liked for the day as Azavius was preoccupied with something else. After enjoying breakfast Lucas decided that he would take the day to explore the city.

He has already been there for a few days yet he had not left the temple grounds once yet. Thus he decided that mapping out and memorizing the city could be helpful for him in the future. Lucas gathered some money in case he got hungry or thirsty while he was out. He quickly left his room and went towards Barthiz's room.

Since he was going out to the city he might as well invite Barthiz to tag along. Although he was sure that she had already explored the city during her disappearance he figured there would be no harm in at least asking her to come along. He figured he may try to also subtly question about where she had been disappearing to.

He knocked on her door and waited a few moments before it finally swung open. Lucas was about to open his mouth to ask her to come along when he suddenly stopped. Instead of Barthiz answering the door, there was a stocky man there instead. He immediately felt an uneasy feeling in his chest as he saw this.

"Eh? What do you want? We don't need any food, leave us." The man said in an arrogant tone before closing the door. Lucas felt anger swell in his heart along with sadness? He knocked on the door again furiously this time. The same man once again answered the door.

Seeing the same kid from before the man got pissed off, "What do you want?! Fuck off already!", the man yelled before slamming the door. Lucas was trying to control his anger and speak calmly when he was greeted by a yell.

Lucas was absolutely outraged. Why? He didn't know but he wasn't messing around anymore when he knocked on the door for the last time actually leaving dents in the wood. The same man answered for the third time once again.

Lucas gave the man no time to speak before punching him in the stomach as hard as he could sending the man flying. Barthiz had still been lying in bed sleeping during all this until she felt a threatening aura for a split second even more terrifying than the one Artemis used to force her to submit.

The only way to describe it was that if Artemis's aura had been that of a dragon that could kill her with a flick, the one she just felt was similar to the king of demonic dragons that felt as though it could vaporize her with a glance.

She turned into a shadow as she threw her clothes on and prepared to grab Lucas and flee from the city. Although this intimidating aura lasted only for the slightest of seconds it still signified that there was someone of immense strength in the capital.

Someone that would make their stay there not worth the risk any longer. She froze though when she saw the man she had brought last night with a hole in his stomach and blood splattered all over the walls. Lucas was also standing in the doorway with the look of that dragon in his eyes.

Barthiz shivered as she felt his gaze pass over her as if she was on the verge of death. 'He really is that monster's son.' Barthiz thought to herself. She had always had some doubts in her mind since she laid eyes on Lucas.

At most he looked like he was a slightly better soldier who could take on two or three regular soldiers. Now though, her viewpoint changed. If Lucas was given time to mature and actually reach the peak in both areas of magic and cultivation he would truly be a frightening being that no one could stand against.

The ferociousness in his gaze did not last long though as his look softened when he laid his eyes on Barthiz. He stood there for a second before turning around preparing to leave. Just as he was about to take a single step though he felt a terrifying pressure stop him for a moment before disappearing.

The pressure he released before was very powerful and unrestrained. As a result, every grand council magician had stopped what they were doing and had a grim expression on their collective faces. They were at the epicenter so they felt it the most but the aura had also gone past the bound of the temple.

The more powerful people of the church were also able to sense this aura from the temple. In a room shining with blinding golden brilliance, there was the silhouette of a man kneeling before a statue. The golden brilliance was coming from this man.

The golden brilliance was interrupted for a moment as a minute aura passed through it. A moment afterward all the golden light abruptly disappeared. A statue of a kneeling man covered in gold was revealed. The gold on the surface began cracking as the man inside was revealed.

The gold covering this man had been the precious magicians gold that was desired by all. This gold only formed under the influence of high concentrations of divine power and this man had been absolutely covered in it.

The man had glorious white and gold robes with a metallic white crest on the right chest of the robes. This crest was the holy seal of the pope. Only allowed to be worn by the pope himself as the material the crest was made of was even more precious than anything else in existence even the magicians gold.

This was due to the fact that the material that made up this crest was made by the hands of the creator himself and passed to the most righteous human at the beginning of time. Delivered by the holy angel Hadriel himself.

The man donning this crest and these robes had a slightly annoyed expression on his face as he turned his head and gazed with his eyes that seemed to have a swirling pure white liquid in them towards the grand mages temple.

Everyone in the temple had felt a crushing pressure pass over them for a moment before moving just as Lucas had. This pressure had been enough to make even the grand council magicians break out into a cold sweat.

In a room in the deepest levels of the temple sat a man wearing aged and tattered robes. If one looked at this man that was seemingly a low-level magician that anyone would assume had snuck in they would notice that light seemed to bend around him.

This man felt the pressure of the pope pass over many people in the temple as it was getting closer and closer to him. This man opened his eyes with an angry expression on his face. This man was the only reason mages were able to stand with status in the holy capital.

The man looked towards the direction of where the pressure was originating from before erecting a barrier that covered the entire temple effortlessly. This barrier caused the pressure the rebound back towards the pope.

The pope had an enraged expression on his face flash for a slight moment before calming down and closing his eyes once again. Golden radiance once again began to emerge from the man as he concentrated on worshipping the creator with all his being.

The man in the deepest basement of the temple was also annoyed at the aura that had interrupted his meditation but an agreement had been made with the pope that matters of the magicians would be handled by him and he was not to interfere.

This man was on equal grounds with the pope when it came to strength but better than him when it came to experience. As such a fight between the two may not necessarily have a victor but the capital would be destroyed which would undermine everything the pope as concentrated all his life on trying to build.

Since the man had been at the temple when the unrestrained aura had let loose he did not have to scan everyone to determine who it was. This man is the pressure that Lucas had felt a moment ago before the pope even turned his gaze towards the temple.

Being the experienced and powerful being that he was he immediately saw through Lucas's disguise as a pure human. 'Interesting.' The man thought to himself with a slight chuckle. Although he immediately sensed the demonic power locked within the young man he also sensed his aptitude for mana.

Despite his experience from his two thousand year lifespan he could not recall ever seeing someone such as this before. If the boy had been a pure demon disguised as a man he would have killed him then and there but due to his curiosity, he stayed his hand.

He decided to keep an eye on the boy and follow his achievements in the art of magic as time went on. Right now Lucas was only a baby dragon in a nest of phoenixes. If he tried to do anything he would be immediately vaporized.

The man once again closed his eyes as he returned to meditation. He felt he was closer than ever before to comprehending the laws that govern the world. On the third floor of the temple, Azavius sat with a conflicted expression on his face.

The reason he let Lucas do whatever he wished that day was so that he could observe his movements and see if he would report to anyone. This did include Barthiz but he ruled her out as a demon as he had already been keeping an eye on her the moment she was given a robe of the temple.

Besides some black market activities, she had done nothing noteworthy. Additionally, there was no sign of demonic energy anywhere around her. When he was watching Lucas he had confirmed the presence of demonic force when the aura had been released.

He had been prepared to immediately act before but he knew that the situation was already out of his hands. The pressure of the pope had passed over him and he also felt the magical barrier that had been raised.

He knew of the frightening existence in the basement and he was sure that he already knew about Lucas. He continued watching Lucas waiting for something to happen but realizing there was nothing. 'He decided to let him go? Is he going to observe him as I was?' Azavius asked in his head.

He quickly moved the thoughts out of his mind though as he knew the situation was not in his control. He would simply have to wait for a sign or an order to act and how. Thinking about this Azavius stopped watching Lucas allowing him to go about his day. He merely ordered some servants to clean up the mess before moving on with his day.

Lucas was rooted to the spot in fear of the pressure he had just felt a moment ago. He was quickly snapped out of it though as he heard Barthiz's voice. "Are you okay what happened?" She asked.

Lucas merely turned back to look at her with sadness in his eyes before walking away.

Not long after some men and women arrived. The men moved the body and replaced the door as the women cleaned up the blood. Before long the room was spotless and undamaged as if nothing had ever happened.