Lo

Azra looked at the sleeping hunter's face while he kept pondering on what to do. If his inclination really provided him with mana through the faith people had in him, he would have to find a way to gather faith if he wanted to become strong.

And he knew one way he could do that. The hunter showed him that people appreciate good health. Azra might be able to make people believe in him if he went around helping and healing the ill and needy. However, his powers were limited.

Not to mention how Azra's ambition didn't let him make becoming a healer his goal. Azra knew that he wasn't incredibly affectionate or cared much about people other than himself. That alone was enough to make him unworthy of the 'healing saint' identity. Not to mention how he didn't want to only be a pushover running around at the whims of other people.

However, until Azra's ambition decided where to take him, he would have to build up his reputation and gather believers.

In order to make full use of his inclination and let his ambition bear fruit, Azra needed the appropriate strength.

Azra didn't even know he harbored such incredible ambition until his inclination awakened and revealed its potential. But he didn't mind. Life had been unexpectedly boring when he had to be careful each time he stepped out of the house without someone accompanying him. His weakness had rendered him helpless. His mortality had suppressed his drive.

When Azra's inclination awakened, his ambition and drive for power were finally released from their cage and about to lead Azra to strive for greatness. Greatness not limited to merely going around and healing people.

However, his ambition still had to match his capabilities, and so far, Azra had just awakened his inclination. Even if his end goal wasn't becoming a revered healer, it was at least a decent starting point considering what he was currently capable of doing.

Azra, happy he knew how to proceed, glanced around the Forest of Thorns. The shadows from the thorns on the trees looked like fangs in the moonlit night. But maybe thanks to the light his ball of divine power gave off, Azra didn't see any signs of fangs from actual beasts in their surroundings.

He didn't want to let down his guard, but he resolved to reach the first level and officially become a mage before the recovering hunter woke up.

Azra still hadn't figured out a story to sell to the hunter when the kid woke up, but whatever story he told would be more believable coming from a first level mage than someone who had barely escaped the grasp of mortality.

Azra had used all the mana provided by his inclination to learn how to control it, so there wasn't enough built up within his body to generate the mana pool. And due to the slow rate of production, Azra had to wait several minutes before there was enough to reach the first level. But when there was, Azra barely had to do anything. The golden mana swirled together within his body before creating a marble of golden light in what felt like his chest.

Despite feeling the mana pool in his chest, Azra knew that the mana pool wasn't actually within his physical body. He never really understood when the director or Tenna explained it to him since they repeated the same thing over and over.

'It's inside the body, but it also isn't.'

Azra realized that it wasn't something that he could understand without having a mana pool for himself. He was curious about how it worked, but since it wasn't something that even the director knew, he didn't think much about it and instead focused on trying to weave a story to tell the hunter that would lead to Azra gaining as many faithful believers as possible.

However, he didn't gain much time to think since the hunter was already showing signs of recovering. His face had been steadily regaining its color after Azra fixed his wound.

Azra hadn't been able to tell before, but now that he had become a mage, he could sense that the hunter was also a mage or a fighter. Probably at a higher level than himself since he couldn't tell what it was. In that case, it wasn't strange for the hunter to recover so quickly since he was only suffering from blood loss.

Hopefully, the kid wouldn't have a troublesome personality. In the worst case, Azra might even lose his first believer.

Azra thought back to the smile the hunter had shown before passing out and hoped that the hunter was a gullible pushover. If Azra's theory regarding his inclination and the hunter's thoughts that had awakened it, it seemed more likely that the hunter was good-natured and willing to believe in others. But Azra still wanted to prepare for all circumstances, so he moved the kitchen knife from the side pocket into the left arm of his fairly loose robes.

Azra sat on his knees next to the hunter with his hands hidden within the opposite arm's robes. He practiced and put on his most benevolent smile as he waited for the hunter to open their eyes. He did everything he could to give off the impression of a well-meaning, gracious saint.

If anyone from the orphanage saw Azra's face they would have denied reality before turning around and running in the opposite direction.

Mia and Leo hadn't started calling him Angry Azzie for no reason, after all. It wasn't like Azra was actually angry or irritable. He just walked around with a frown most of the time. He also made a show of always being forced into reading for the twins. The frown simply came out when Azra was tired after being woken up before dawn by the hyperactive twins. The times he didn't carry a sour look were after his naps. Naps that led to him falling asleep late, which in turn led to him being tired every morning. It was a vicious cycle that Azra couldn't seem to escape.

However, the other kids at the orphanage didn't care about Azra being tired. They only knew that he tended to look irritated often. And even when he wasn't angry, he rarely smiled, much less with such radiant benevolence he looked like a saint.

Azra was worried about his faint turning stiff since the hunter seemed to like sleeping in, but since he didn't know when the hunter would regain consciousness, he had to be ready at all times. The provisionary plan he made relied on presenting himself as a saint. If the first thing the hunter sees when he wakes up is a frowning face, things would get a lot harder for Azra.

Azra was in the middle of deciding whether to squint or leave his eyes completely open. He had seen some people look incredibly friendly while smiling so much that their eyes closed. However, if it didn't work, it would only look as if he was scheming something. Azra decided to be safe and go for the look where his eyes are bright and clear and inspire trust.

That was the moment the hunter finally chose to wake up. There were still a few hours until dawn, so there wasn't much light. However, for most mages and fighters, the moonlight was still enough to make out most things close to them.

The young hunter's eyes shot open. The young hunter sat up and frantically sensed around his stomach with both hands. Then as if he remembered something, the hunter looked around. Immediately after catching sight of Azra, the hunter threw themselves at him, hugging him with enough force to almost squeeze the air out of Azra's lungs.

"I see you are feeling alright now," said Azra to the hunter in what he imagined was a kind and gentle voice. Based on the young hunter's enthusiastic answer, it wasn't a mean voice, at least.

"Oh! Thank you! Thank you so much! I really thought I was a goner back then. I almost thought I was hallucinating, but seeing you now, I know I didn't."

"I had quite the opportune arrival then."

"Yes, definitely!"

After hugging and thanking Azra, the hunter finally put some distance between himself and his savior.

"Wow! You look just what I thought a saint would look like, miss!"

"I appreciate the compliment. But for both your and mine sake, I'm going to correct you on two things.

"I am not a saint, and I am a man."

It seemed like Azra's naturally androgynous features, combined with his gentle voice and expression, had given the young hunter the wrong impression. But that didn't mean Azra was going to stop talking the way he did. If it was so gentle that the hunter thought he was a woman, it was definitely effective.

And since no saint was self-proclaimed, especially not at the first level, Azra also refuted the hunter's claim regarding that.

The young hunter looked slightly embarrassed as he answered.

"Oh… My bad. You were just so beautiful I made a rude assumption."

"Don't worry about it. I don't mind. And it's not like it's the first time it's happened."

Azra put on a happier smile to lighten the mood again. The young hunter gratefully accepted Azra's forgiving attitude. Completely unaware that Azra was lying.

It wasn't the first time someone had gotten Azra's gender wrong. But the last time it happened, it was a wandering merchant who suffered incredibly bad luck each time he came to the village. The beasts pulling the merchant's carts had a tendency to escape. Wares disappeared. And after making the same mistake again, the merchant's entire wagon mysteriously caught fire, with him still in it. Unfortunately, the man survived, but it was the last time he showed up at the village.

However, if Azra wanted to become a saint, he would need to at least act forgiving when someone simply made an assumption when they didn't know any better.

In order to not let an awkward atmosphere build since the young hunter didn't really know what to talk about, Azra asked him why he was lying in the middle of the forest on the verge of bleeding to death.

The young hunter looked into the distance with a solemn look on his face in order to increase dramatic effect. Azra felt it was ridiculous, but he didn't interrupt, and he let the young hunter tell his story from beginning to end.

After the hunter finished, Azra asked a simple question,

"What's your name?"

The hunter looked embarrassed again since he had told Azra about how his village had suffered from the war and how his childhood dog had run away due to the Rage Powder. Then while explaining the dog problem, the hunter sidetracked and talked a little about his upbringing before returning to the state of the Village of Thorns. But he forgot to mention his name.

"It's Lo of Thorns."

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lo of Thorns."

Azra dipped his head slightly as he formally greeted Lo. Azra could tell that Lo was curious about his identity, but he hesitated since he wasn't sure how to introduce himself. Should he pretend to be the priest of a god, or should he just tell everyone he meets he's a wandering healer?

If he acts as a priest, there's a chance he might not be able to direct the belief toward himself, even if he is the god he pretends to worship. There's also the part where he has to come up with a god on the spot.

But if he introduces himself as a wandering healer, he might need to explain the holy attribute of his mana in case someone recognizes the divine power he wields.

In the end, Azra decided to tell Lo he is a wandering healer since he was running out of time to ponder, and it sounded less troublesome. And in case someone questions his attribute and divine power, he can just refuse to answer. Hopefully, no one will recognize his power until he's strong enough to defend himself or has someone powerful following him.

"My name is Azra, and I'm currently wandering this plane, lending my help where it is needed."

"It's an honor. And once again, thank you for saving my life, Sir Azra."

Azra had used his actual name despite eventual troubles that might arise in the future due to people who already knew him since before he set on the path of sainthood. But he had a feeling the faith he gathered was inextricably connected to his identity. And since his identity was confirmed using the name Azra, it would be best to use that name to refer to himself. He also personally liked the name, so it would be a shame to give it up for something that could easily be made irrelevant.

The fact that the amount of faith Azra got from Lo increased by a fraction after he told him his identity was at least some kind of confirmation that his hunch had been correct. Though, the decision had already been made, and Azra didn't have a way to know if the faith increased because Azra used his real name or because Lo could connect a name to his face.

Due to Lo telling Azra almost his entire life story, a lot of time had passed, and the sun was just about to rise above the edge of the plane. Both Azra and Lo had gotten stiff after sitting so long, but Azra didn't let it show on his face or movement as he stood up.

When Lo saw Azra stand up he realized the time and sprung to his feet.

"We should head to the village. If you don't mind? My mother must be worried about me."

Azra smiled and waved forward with his hand.

"Lead the way. Just keep in mind that I'm not as strong or fast as you."