The Divine Summoner: Godson of Altima

by Antony W. F. Chow

  Luka assumed Claire wanted to catch him taking a break without permission and fault him for using up his meager magic. Unfortunately for her, the caster was regenerating his mana faster than he could expend it on mending. His One with Magic trait allowed Luka to recover 25% more quickly than usual.

  Luka continued his work while ignoring Claire's growing unease at his astonishing magic power. She took note of the stash of books piled into the carts as library staff rolled them out of the workroom. The supervisor realized that the new apprentice had cast Mend a few dozen times already.

  Claire couldn't duplicate his feat without frequent breaks because she possessed less mana than the average church member. However, Luka still looked fresh as a daisy and seemed able to keep up with his work for the remaining duration of the library's open hours.

  The supervisor accepted the newbie's magical talent and began to speculate on Luka's background. Who was he? Why would such a powerful mage work as a lowly apprentice?

  Belinda returned at one o'clock to drag Luka outside for lunch. When she entered the first-floor workroom, Belinda was shocked to see him still mending book spines. "Did you work the entire morning without a break?" she asked incredulously.

  Luka looked up at her with a quizzical expression. "Yes, I did. What's wrong?"

  Belinda glanced at the doorway to confirm that Claire wasn't nearby. "The supervisor is supposed to give you a break to regenerate your mana. Otherwise, you could faint from using up all your magic," she explained in a low voice.

  "Oh! Is that why Claire kept coming into the room?" he asked with an innocent expression. "She did come by several times and looked angry for some odd reason," Luka noted in understanding at her plight.

  Belinda gave him a stern look. "You are a freak!" she declared and pointed her finger at his nose. "But you are my freak, and I have to take care of you." Her face and voice softened. Belinda grabbed his hand and pulled him up. "Let's leave. You don't want to skip lunch, right?" she laughed and dragged him along.

  "We'll having a lunch break," Belinda declared as she walked by Claire's desk.

  The supervisor waved her hand. "Take your time," she said in a friendly manner.

  Belinda's brows arched, but she kept her mouth shut. The senior apprentice didn't understand why Claire suddenly changed her attitude but assumed it was somehow related to Luka. Belinda realized that the supervisor wished to appease him thinking that Luka was a VIP that Claire couldn't offend. "Luka, you have any money on you?" she asked mischievously.

  "A bit," he answered hesitantly. Luka began to sweat because he wasn't privy to Belinda's spending habit. Some girls were thrifty, while others treated money like water and bought frivolous things.

  Belinda laughed at his cautious reaction. "No, silly! I asked because I don't have enough money to treat you to a meal, even though I should as your senior. After all, church apprentices only get small stipends instead of wages. But if you could pay for yourself, that would suffice," she explained.

  "What are the choices?" he inquired with great interest.

  "The cheapest food but fastest service are the street stands. The mid-priced offerings come from the taverns, which are usually full of patrons right now. The fancy restaurants would have seats available but cost the most for meals. And they would take some time to bring out the dishes from the kitchen, too," Belinda summarized helpfully.

  Luka stopped walking. He brought Bel and Gripper out of storage. "Where can my pets eat?" he asked.

  "Oh, how cute!" Belinda said while staring at the white rabbit.

  [You have excellent taste!] Bel puffed up his chest proudly.

  "Can I hold the rabbit?" she asked Luka.

  In response, Bel climbed her body and sat on her right shoulder.

  "We should hit the food stands," she recommended. "The fancy restaurants won't accommodate your friends," Belinda explained.

  "Okay," Luka nodded.

  The senior apprentice held his hand again, and the group walked past the exterior of the central plaza to reach the business district. Belinda continued moving several blocks before arriving at her destination: the food stands.

  Luka saw dozens of food vendors camped on an empty lot. Various spices and aromas soon hit his nose.

  Bel expertly surveyed the offerings and chose which peddler to purchase lunch. He directed Belinda to a merchant selling meat skewers. Gripper pulled on Luka's arm and hooted excitedly.

  The owner bought three skewers for each animal and one for each human.

  Belinda watched in disbelief as the tiny rabbit quickly devoured the meat. "This is a rabbit, right?"

  "Um, you could say that," Luka grinned. He didn't wish to frighten her by revealing Bel's true nature as a demon king.

  Once Bel finished his skewers, he patted Belinda's cheek and directed her toward the next target: a peddler selling mutton steak sandwiches.

  Gripper dragged Luka along and made the owner buy two more items for each animal.

  When Luka tried to buy one for Belinda, she shook her head. "I can't eat that much. I'll share one with you," she replied. He bought five pieces in total and distributed them accordingly.

  Once the group finished their meals, Luka returned his pets to dimensional storage. He allowed Belinda to hold his hand and take him back to the library.

  Claire noted their return on a timesheet at her desk. Her supervisory role included keeping a detailed record of the apprentices entering and leaving the building. She saw that Luka and Belinda came back ten minutes early. They split up on the first floor, and Luka entered the backroom to resume his work.

  The supervisor checked inside the office at random hours during the afternoon. But she never caught the newbie slacking off. Nor did Luka take a break to recover his magic.

  Moreover, Claire did not receive a single complaint from a staffer regarding a damaged book. Sometimes, the apprentices pretended to examine all the books and missed some of the broken spines. Staffers would then show the damaged books to Claire. Since this didn't occur, the supervisor conceded that Luka performed his assignment correctly.

  When the clock hit five o'clock, the supervisor entered the back office. "Luka, your shift is over. You may leave now," Claire said.

  The apprentice placed the last book he examined on the cart. "Thank you for informing me," Luka said politely. He nodded to her and departed.

  Once the apprentice was gone, the librarian did a cursory check of the books inside the carts. She confirmed that all the spines looked as good as new.

  "How did the new apprentice do?" a voice suddenly asked.

  Claire looked at the speaker and discovered his identity: Pope Demetrius! She immediately lowered her head and clasped her hands. "Luka executed his assignment perfectly. I never caught him slacking off even once in this room," she reported truthfully.

  "That's great," the church leader remarked with a gentle smile. "I'm glad that my godson is making a good impression on you," Demetrius added. The pope knew that the librarian was very hard to please and rarely complimented her workers.

  Claire froze in a deer-in-headlight moment. She realized that Luka was a VIP, but she never imagined the newbie was related to the pope!

  He chuckled. "It's alright. I don't want Luka to receive special treatment. That's why I asked you to be tough on him beforehand," Demetrius explained.

  "Thank you, Your Holiness."

  Chapter 85

  Church Apprentice (Part 5)

  Luka made his way home without Belinda's accompaniment. The two separated in front of the library with friendly goodbyes. Although the senior apprentice wished to continue her sisterly act, Belinda remembered that Luka stayed at the guesthouse. Thus, the two had different destinations for this evening.

  "Are you sure you won't get lost?" Belinda made one final attempt to convince Luka to permit her to escort him home.

  "I'll be fine," he responded. The mage created a map of Lumina with his light magic. As the illustration hovered in the air, Lu
ka slowly traced his finger to demonstrate how the apprentice will travel across the city. "I'll follow this route to get home," he declared confidently.

  "Okay." Belinda waved the white flag because she saw that Luka knew how to reach his guesthouse. "At least bring your pets out of storage to escort you," Belinda insisted. Although she didn't think Luka would encounter any danger in the city, Belinda preferred to see him walking with companions even if they weren't human.

  Luka nodded. He felt that the two rascals could use some exercise. The caster pulled Bel and Gripper out of magic storage.

  The duo looked around and felt disappointed.

  [Why did you bring us out here?] Bel complained when he realized they were standing in front of the library.

  "Say goodbye to Belinda," Luka replied with a faint smile.

  The rabbit turned his attention to the young woman. [Oh? This lass can't get enough of my furry self?] Bel tackled her and rubbed his face against her ample bosom.

  "Stop! I'm ticklish!" she laughed. Belinda squeezed Bel in a tight hug and then handed the rabbit back to its owner. "See you tomorrow!" She turned toward the east and walked away.

  "Let's go!" Luka said after seeing her disappear into the crowd of pedestrians. He headed south because the guesthouse straddled the border between the eastern and the southern districts.

  [Can we swing by the food stalls to grab a snack? I want to eat skewers!] Bel proposed.

  "Sure," the owner agree because Luka wanted to eat it himself. The trio made their way to the lot with food stands and soon located the street peddler in question.

  The shopkeeper recognized them. "Ah, you're back again?" the man said with a knowing grin.

  "Yeah, my pets wanted to eat another meat skewer as a snack," Luka explained. "I'll buy three of them," he ordered.

  "Yes, sir!" the peddler barked and began to heat the pre-cooked food over the grill. After a minute, he handed them to Luka, who passed one skewer each to Bel and Gripper.

  The customer paid for his purchase and then ate his snack.

  The trio threw their sticks in the trash bin and waved goodbye to the merchant. Luka strolled along the streets as he watched the hustle and bustle. He thought that Lumina city appeared very prosperous during the daytime. While lost in thought, a child jostled Luka and reached for his purse!

  Bel, who was in his owner's arm, swatted the hand aside. The angry rabbit threw his smelly butt into the thief's face!

  The young criminal's senses became overloaded by the awful smell, and he quickly lost consciousness. The boy dropped to the ground as his mouth foamed.

  [Serves you right for stealing from my lackey!] Bel snorted in derision.

  Gripper grabbed the fallen kid's body and hoisted it over his shoulder.

  A guard patrol arrived and approached the scene. "What happened?" a knight asked.

  "Oh, my friend ate something bad and fainted," Luka smartly made up a story on the spot.

  The patrolman was skeptical because the boy wore dirty, raggy clothes while the speaker was a church apprentice. He couldn't imagine the two being friends. "I'll take the boy into custody," he said.

  Luka shook his head to decline. "There's no need for that. If I, Luka Heavensfell, cannot treat this simple injury, I would bring shame to my godfather, Pope Demetrius!" he declared. Luka decided to throw the pope's name to make the guard back off.

  This shameless name-dropping worked as the knight's facial expression changed immediately. He saluted the teenager. "Pardon me, Your Holiness!" The officer suddenly learned that the apprentice's real identity was the Godson of Altima, who stood alongside the pope atop the church hierarchy!

  The other guards noticed their captain's reaction and saluted in unison. "Pardon us, Your Holiness!"

  Luka waved his hand. "Please don't make a scene," he admonished them gently and threw a glance at the growing crowd of onlookers.

  The captain turned around and said, "There's nothing to see here! Move along!" He shooed them away. The patrol leader turned to face Luka. "May we escort you?" he asked.

  Luka shook his head. "There's no need. I'm just going to bring my friend home. Please continue with your patrol."

  "Yes, sir!" The guards saluted again and marched away.

  Luka brought the boy to a nearby inn and paid for a week's stay in a guest room. He examined the kid's physical condition and frowned because the child was malnourished. Luka cast Light Cure to heal him, followed by Mend and Cleanse to repair and clean the boy's raggy clothing.

  The child awoke and became frightened of Luka.

  "I won't harm you," Luka said with a friendly smile. "I brought you to an inn and paid for a week's stay. The service includes three meals a day," he explained.

  The boy began to cry from the older brother's generosity. "Why didn't you turn me over to the guards? You caught me stealing from you."

  "Why do you need money? Can you tell me?" Luka asked.

  The child wiped his tears and nodded. "My mother is sick, and the healer said I need to pay 10,000 gold to buy medicine to cure her illness. There's no way for me to come up with the money besides stealing," he admitted with shame.

  "What's your name? I'm Luka."

  "I'm Leen."

  "May I visit your mother? I want to examine her condition and see if I can treat her illness," Luka said.

  "You're a healer?" Leen asked while looking at Luka's uniform more closely. The child recognized it as belonging to the church.

  "Yes, I am," Luka nodded.

  "But I don't have money to pay you," Leen replied with a disappointed look.

  Luka shook his head. "We're friends now. I don't need payment to help a friend, right?" he winked.

  Leen perked up and smiled happily. "Yes, we're friends! I'll take you to see her now!" He jumped off the bed and pulled Luka out of the room. Leen led his new companion to a seedy-looking part of town and finally entered a decrepit house with plywood boarded over broken windows. The door creaked when Leen opened it.

  Luka saw a residence missing furniture on the first floor. It seemed to him that all the valuable items were long gone -- stolen or sold off.

  The boy felt embarrassed bringing Luka to his dirty residence. Thankfully, Luka didn't say a word about the place. Leen walked up to the second floor and slowly opened the door. Inside was a middle-aged woman resting in bed. "Mom, I brought a healer to check on your condition," the son said.

  The woman opened her languid eyes. She recognized the uniform which Luka wore. "I apologize for not greeting a church apprentice properly. My name is Auselka Granden," she said slowly between gulps of air.

  "I'm Luka Heavensfell. May I examine you?" he asked for permission.

  "Please."

  The son quietly left the room and waited in the hallway.

  Luka removed the blanket and saw a skin-and-bones figure with purple splots all over her emaciated body. He appraised her with light magic and saw the following: "NPC Status: Sick with Shisinth Disease. Recommended treatments: Elixir of Health or Advance Cure spell."

  The healer mentally clicked on the spell and discovered that it required level 9 proficiency in light magic. Unfortunately, his current skill was eighth-ranked. Since Luka lacked the Alchemy skill, he didn't know how to create the special potion. Thus, Luka couldn't treat her right now.

  With a heavy heart, Luka began his frank conversation with the patient. "My appraisal revealed that you are stricken with something called the Shisinth Disease. How did you catch it?" he inquired.

  "I used to research historical artifacts. My Granden family worked for a baron who collected ancient relics as a hobby. My husband was an adventurer who explored old ruins and passed on his findings to the employer."

  "One day, he became ill during an expedition and came home to recover. But eventually, his body wasted away, and he died. The employer secretly arranged for me and Leen to live here in this house. Initially, he sent money periodically out of noblesse oblige. But when I developed symptoms similar t
o my late husband, the baron immediately cut off all ties."

  "I apologize for making you listen to this boring story. My long-winded answer is that I got it from my husband, but I don't know where he caught the disease. I accept the fact that I will die soon. And I beg that you will show mercy and take in my child!"

  Luka shook his head. "Madam, there is a cure for your disease. I will ask my higher-ups in the church to treat you. You will live to see your son grow up to be a fine young man. I promise," he reassured her.

  The patient smiled. "Thank you."

  "Now, please rest. I rented a room at an inn for a week and have your son stay there. He will receive three hot meals a day and a warm bed. Is that alright with you?" Luka asked for parental permission.

  "Yes, my disease is contagious, and I want Leen to stay away until I'm healthy again," she agreed.

  "I'll ask Leen to come back in and talk to you. Then I'll escort him to the inn." Luka left the bedroom and saw Leen sitting on the ground. "You can talk to your mom briefly. The disease is contagious, so you can't stay with her for long. After your talk, I will escort you back to the inn," Luka said.

  The boy jumped to his feet and dashed inside. "Mom!" he yelled.

  Luka waited in the hallway until Leen came back out again.

  The boy lowered his head in gratitude. "Mom asked me to obey your instructions."

  "Let's go," Luka nodded and descended the steps.

  When they stepped out of the house, Luka saw that the sky had turned dark. Furthermore, the streets lacked illumination. He took Bel and Gripper out of storage and then cast Night Vision on his party.

  The rabbit hopped into Leen's chest while the gorilla stepped behind the boy as rearguard.

  The group slowly navigated through the slums to return to Main Street. But along the way, Luka detected several humans leaving nearby buildings to surround his party.

  The leader of this gang struck a match and lit a torch. His followers did the same.

  Luka counted ten ruffians in total.

  "Why is a young church apprentice walking with a slum dweller? What a strange sight!" the big man commented. "This place is dangerous. Fortunately, we can escort you and ensure safe passage -- for a price."