Chapter 112: Becoming a Disciple

Joshua looked at the Witch whose gaze was becoming increasingly resolute and revealed an appreciative smile: "Elara, have you ever considered practicing the Support class?"

"Support class?" The girl raised her head in surprise. She had never thought of it. The Priest Academy of the Xis Church had a robust teaching style, focusing mainly on the offensive and control Witch classes, with the Support class being an elective that few people took.

Moreover, if she were to deal with those Priests in the future, wouldn't it be better to study the offensive class?

The Priest propped an elbow on the table, supporting his head with his fingers: "From my observation, you are not the type with innately powerful magic like Alicia. Engaging in direct combat using offensive spells does not play to your strengths. However, you are intelligent and hardworking. If you were to study the Support class and flexibly apply your skills, it might have an unexpected effect."

Elara thought carefully, and he did have a point.

"You saw my battle with Rowell just now, right? I am not the type who excels in offense; my abilities are inferior to his in every aspect. I managed to defeat him by using some tricks," Joshua's voice was tinged with enticement.

The Witch was indeed intrigued. She had witnessed the one-sided battle just now. What kind of "trick" could have such a powerful effect?

"We have the same attribute; what I can learn, you can too. If you are interested, I can teach you," the Priest gave her a mysterious smile, "This is my secret weapon, not something just anyone can learn."

"Joshua..." The girl showed a hesitant expression. The blonde Priest's kindness towards her made her somewhat uneasy, "Why are you helping me to this extent? Just because we went to Ros together?"

"Well..." The Priest, whose thoughts had been seen through, nervously scratched his chin, "Actually, I have a selfish reason for helping you. You are supposed to have a duel with Alicia soon, right?"

"Even you know about it," Elara said with a wry face.

"Haha." Joshua let out an awkward chuckle. Of course, he knew about it because he was the one who had caused the whole situation.

"But you are Alicia's partner, aren't you? Logically, in our duel, you should be on her side. So you shouldn't be teaching me at all," Elara was even more confused.

"No," the blonde Priest looked earnestly into her eyes, "I want you to defeat Alicia."

"Me... defeat Alicia? How could that be possible?" Elara's eyes widened in surprise. Their strengths were not even on the same level. "And why would you want me to win?"

Joshua paused for a moment, revealing a somewhat melancholic expression: "Actually, Alicia... her health is deteriorating..."

"Huh?" The girl was stunned, "What are you saying?"

The Priest sighed deeply and lowered his eyes: "She joined the Church over a decade ago, undergoing brutal training and executing the most perilous missions. It was the time when Monsters were rampant, and the Church's manpower was far from sufficient as it is now. She often had to fight Monsters with a body full of injuries, without any time to rest. To maintain her combat effectiveness, she used a lot of very harmful stimulants."

"Although the situation has improved over the years, I can sense that her wounds are healing slower and slower. I don't know what the limit of a Witch's vitality is, but I feel that if this continues... she might not last much longer..."

"How could that be..." Elara didn't know what to say for a moment.

No wonder Alicia's injuries hadn't healed even after she had been back for so long. She always seemed so full of energy, strong and carefree, shining brightly and making Elara envious. She had no idea that she had been bearing so much behind the scenes.

"I suppose I'm being a bit selfish. But if someone could take her place as the Chief Witch, perhaps the Bishop might show mercy and let her rest and recuperate. With some luck, she might be able to live a few more years," Joshua looked into Elara's eyes, and the expression in his eyes told her that she was that person.

The Priest's passionate gaze made the girl's heart tremble. If she could, she would naturally want to help Alicia, but this sudden expectation was too much for her to bear at once: "Why me?

There are so many Witches stronger than me." She felt so useless, like a good-for-nothing.

"You are Noyce's Familiar, with a good understanding and willingness to work hard, and you possess an unexpected power. If someone teaches you well, you could become a very powerful Witch," Joshua's evaluation of her was completely different from her own, "Moreover, I can see that Noyce's attitude towards you is different from the Bishop's towards Alicia. At least, you won't suffer as much as she does."

The mention of Noyce's name caused a pang in Elara's heart. "Different, huh..." She lowered her head gloomily. Joshua didn't know what had happened between them. She used to think he was different, but she wasn't sure anymore.

"I'm back," Nina's voice interrupted her thoughts. The bespectacled girl came over carrying a stack of yellowed papers that looked quite old, placed them on the table, and blew on them, raising a cloud of dust. She looked at Joshua, "I only took a little. See if this is what you're looking for."

The blonde Priest leaned over, his fingers gently brushing over the already somewhat blurred, scribbled handwriting on the papers, frowning in deep thought.

"Yes, this is the style. These are indeed Augusta's manuscripts," After a long while, Joshua looked up at Nina, "Are there many more of these manuscripts?"

"There are quite a few, but they're a bit messy. We'll have to sort them out to find them all," the girl replied.

Joshua stared at the manuscripts for a while longer, his eyes flickering with an unpredictable light: "Thank you, you've been a great help."

Nina covered her face with her hand and smiled sweetly. She was delighted that her random rummaging had been useful to the high Priest. Elara looked at the cheerful bespectacled girl beside her.

Nina always had a big heart and quickly forgot about unhappy things. But Elara couldn't forget that feeling of helpless resentment and anger; she never wanted to experience it again. She had always been protected before, but now she wanted to become strong and protect the people important to her.

"Joshua, teach me," she looked earnestly at the blonde Priest, "I don't know how far I can go, but I will do my best to learn. For Alicia, and for myself, I want to become stronger."

Joshua gazed into her eyes and revealed a grateful smile: "Thank you, Elara. Your loyalty is touching. I will teach you everything I know."