Chapter 29: Faith Without Mana
From the moment Dante had heard the terms of combat, he had begun to formulate a three-step plan.
The first was to hit hard right out of the gate, throwing out every ability in his arsenal until it looked like he had completely exhausted his options.
After putting on a show of desperation, the second step was to make Vincenzo forget that the physical build of a high priest is nothing to take note of.
Under ordinary circumstances, a high priest would never willingly engage in melee combat. No amount of training could ever bridge the gap between a spell-caster and a dedicated warrior or rogue of equal tier.
But then, Dante temporarily buffed his physical attributes to match those of a warrior a few levels higher. He needed Vincenzo to temporarily forget that if he were to kick a normal Dante like he just did, it would do him a lot of damage.
Which brought him to the final phase.
Dante had earlier discovered that if he commanded it, the blood demon could suppress his vital signs, halting his breathing and slowing his heart rate until he had no detectable pulse.
Using that knowledge, Dante decided to make Vincenzo drop his guard completely by feigning death. The caveat, however, was that Dante would actually be knocked unconscious like any normal person would without a pulse, leaving the blood demon in control of his body while he was out.
So at this exact moment, the one who had reached up to snatch the artifact wasn’t Dante, but the blood demon itself.
After ripping the necklace right off Vincenzo’s neck, the blood demon, Edward, forced a fresh surge of oxygen back into Dante’s lungs, dragging his consciousness back to the surface just a few seconds later.
Dante coughed violently and immediately sat upright. ’Did we win?!’
Barely a second after the thought crossed his mind, he felt something in his palm. Looking down to see that he was now holding the artifact, Dante couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh.
Just then, Vincenzo spoke in a raspy, bewildered voice as he extended a hand. "Are you okay, Signore?"
Dante accepted the hand, and as the man hauled him off the ground, he replied blankly. "Why wouldn’t I be?"
A second after, Isabella smiled and muttered, "Well played, you sly devil. I must say, you even had me fooled for a moment."
Dante glanced at the artifact in his palm before slipping it into his pocket. "The best lie is the one everyone expects you to make. He expected me to drop, so I gave him what he wanted."
Isabella chuckled as she turned with him, and they both began a quiet stroll toward the exit.
As they moved, the damage inflicted on the training range during the fight had already begun to mend itself.
Venues like this, whether in the grand estates of the wealthy or official training grounds, were embedded with restoration runes that gradually repaired physical destruction. The duration required varied depending on the extent of the damage.
Although the damage on this training ground was just on the parquet floor, it was bound to take anywhere from two to five days to fully restore.
After a few moments of easy conversation between the mother and son duo, Dante remembered something and asked, "By the way, Mother, where is Father? He hasn’t been back for a while now."
Isabella went silent. She looked away for a brief moment before offering a subtle, reassuring smile. "He went off to the Labyrinth in the Vesperia for his Test of Faith."
She turned back to him, letting out a soft sigh. "He wants to progress to the Fourth Tier."
Unlike normal people who advanced a tier automatically when they got to the required level, things were a bit different, or rather even more tedious for apostles. They needed to undergo their Test of Faith to advance manually. If they did not, they would remain at their Tier for the rest of their lives.
Dante stared at her for a moment before turning his gaze forward. "I see..."
Isabella gave him a gentle nudge. "Don’t tell him I told you. He kept quiet so you wouldn’t spend your time worrying about him."
’Worry? I’m not particularly worried,’ Dante thought to himself. ’Father is strong, and he is only a Blue Apostle. His test shouldn’t be insurmountable and his survival rate is not low. With proper preparation, he should be more than capable of slaying whatever divine creatures stand in his way.’
***
After getting to his room, Dante shoved the artifact he had won into his drawer. Then he took out the [Pocket Watch of Stolen Moments] and put it back as well.
Turns out, he didn’t even need it for the fight.
After that, he turned and made his way out of his room, heading toward the villa’s hydrotherapy suite. When he got there, he saw three bathhouse maids waiting, dressed in dark slate-blue dresses with fitted white aprons and sleeves rolled up to their elbows.
The trio bowed in unison as he walked past them into the adjacent changing room. A few moments later, he stepped back out wrapped in a simple linen robe, made his way over, and descended into the hydrotherapy pool in the center. He leaned back against the smooth, submerged ledge as the steaming water immediately began working the tension out of his muscles.
One of the maids stepped toward the edge, pouring a blend of soothing mineral salts and botanical oils into the circulating water, while another brought a silver tray offering sliced figs, chilled grapes, and a glass of icy water.
"Thank you," he murmured. He took a grape, popping it into his mouth, and as he settled in for a long soak, he mentally called out, ’Pull up my Faith stat.’
Faith: [0%—-[9%]———————100%]
’After spending that much divine energy during the duel, I can definitely feel my resonance climb,’ he thought as he closed his eyes.
’I hope that they’ll be a substantial change after I drain the remaining three scavengers.’
He closed his eyes and sighed.
***
Over one week later...
The Serpent & Lily.
——
~~~~~~ ============= ~~~~~~
Name: Dante Fioravanti
Race: [Otherworlder]
Status: [Apostle of Blood]
Age: [17]
Tier: [0]
Class: [High Priest]
Source: [Blood]
Traits: [Buffs], [Divine Attunement], [True Insight]
Divine Skills: [Blood Demon]
Grade: [Black]
Level: [13]
EXP: [—]
Faith: [0%——[38%]—————100%]
~~~~~~ ============= ~~~~~~
’That explains it. Unlike others who need to farm experience points alongside faith, it turns out that I do not need experience points. That’s why it remains blank. I do not have a mana core, so all I need to raise my level is faith,’ Dante thought as he wiped the fresh blood off his hand with a kerchief.
He let the stained cloth fall to the ground and reached for his glove. As he pulled it back on, the translucent screen hovering in his field of vision faded away, revealing what remained of the last scavenger bound to the chair.
Over the past week, Dante had made a habit of visiting this place every three days to drain a scavenger. Afterward, he would train, using his powers in order to exhaust his reserves.
Now, his faith was almost at forty percent, which was a really great deal considering that it had barely been two weeks since he became an Apostle.
He exhaled with a subtle smile and stepped out of the dimly lit chamber. Upon crossing the threshold, he spotted the two heavily built guards standing watch at the entrance, alongside Bianca, who was leaning against the wall, puffing slowly on a long pipe.
He gave her a polite bow. "I’ll take my leave."
Bianca nodded, blowing a thin trail of smoke into the cool air. "And we’ll tidy up as usual."
Dante gave a brief nod, then turned and navigated the damp underground tunnel, making his way back up toward the noise and light of the club.
Without slowing his pace, he made his way all the way out of the establishment, to where a sleek black carriage was already waiting for him at the curb. As he climbed inside and settled into the leather seat, his eyes settled on his mother sitting across from him, alongside her elegant, long-furred Afghan hound resting its head near her lap.
She smiled and asked, "Are you set to depart?"
After a few seconds, he nodded. "Yes."
***
A little over twenty minutes later, Dante and his small entourage found themselves standing on the bustling platform at Ravena Central Station under the towering iron-and-glass roof.
The time had come for him to finally return to the Academy after staying away for so long.
He had become an Apostle, and he had done all he could to gain some strength to ensure that he wouldn’t kick the bucket as his character was supposed to in a few months.
Despite having a bit of prior knowledge about the story, that didn’t mean he was all-knowing or completely safe. He knew very well that many things might not play out as they did in the game. One reason was the butterfly effect caused by a character like him now in the game, and the other was because well, this wasn’t a game anymore.
So truth be told, he was a bit anxious of what the future held. Still, he resolved that he would survive.
He would live as long as he could!
While he was still lost in thought, with his eyes fixed on the massive steam locomotive hissing on the tracks ahead, his mother’s gentle voice drew his attention.
"It seems I’ll be left all alone in that big house."
Turning toward her, where she stood holding a lace parasol over her shoulder, he offered a small smile. "No, you’re not alone. You have Duchess to keep you company."
As he spoke, he walked over and crouched down beside the Afghan hound. Then he ran a hand through its long, silky coat, chuckling softly as the dog leaned in to lick his cheek.
"Take care of my mother, okay?" he murmured, scratching behind its ears.
In response, the hound gave a low, affectionate woof, and its tail thumped softly against the polished stone platform.
He stood up and stepped over to his mother, who pulled him into a warm, lingering hug, resting her cheek against his shoulder for a quiet moment before stepping back.
"Make sure to speak to me often, okay?"
Dante smiled subtly. "I will, Mother."