Aiwass and Oswald returned very late.
Bishop Mathers' time teaching the Sacred Arts was not very long.
Once the necessary information had been imparted, what remained was the persistent practice.
After all, such things cannot be rushed. In the end, these mystical powers are only resonated with because Transcendents walk their own Paths, and because they align with the philosophical essence of their Paths.
The reason why studying, practicing, and using Mystical Skills can raise one's Extraordinary Profession level is that while Transcendents perform these skills, they are essentially practicing their own Paths.
Since it's about practice, it surely cannot be achieved overnight.
Unless someone like Aiwass has made a breakthrough.
Apart from "Basic Prayer," Aiwass had quietly mastered the remaining three types of Sacred Arts. Prayer didn't need to be taught specifically since it's part of Theological Seminary's curriculum.
Aiwass's original "Basic Prayer" was just that he hadn't learned the correct incantations and prayer rituals. Teaching this was too long, too troublesome... and whether or not one mastered the correct method of prayer, it didn't affect his professional advancement.
The correct incantations only served to summon the power of the Candle Master to heal the soul. Bishop Mathers demonstrated this to Aiwass once.
Countless specks of light, like larvae, flew toward Mathers from all around. As he prayed, a thin shell of light gradually covered him, becoming brighter as time passed.
During this process, Bishop Mathers' Light attribute mana was visibly recovering at a slow pace.
Generally, a depleted Mana Pool would only refill after adequate sleep.
However, spellcasters of each Path usually have other emergency resupply methods besides sleep.
The method for the Path of Devotion was "Prayer."
Apart from the universal method of sleep, the Path of Devotion had two opportunities for prayer during the daytime. During the continuous guidance of prayer, the Light attribute Mana Pool would be slowly replenished, up to a maximum of half its capacity. Illumination Art consumed too much mana, and without using prayer to recover mana in a non-combat state, there simply wouldn't be enough.
The greatest advantage of the Mystical Skill of prayer was that it required no materials, no preparation, and would absolutely never fail.
As long as one prayed twice a day, for at least three minutes each time, one could steadily gain skill experience.
The skill level could grow steadily over time.
Even the timing of the prayer was flexible. If one was busy, one could merge two sessions before dusk; if really busy, even skipping prayer didn't matter—it simply meant missing out on this free and steady experience.
Afterward, Bishop Mathers specifically explained the most important knowledge to Aiwass, "The Nine Pillar Gods actually don't require faith."
"From a certain perspective, we are rather using faith and prayer to bind the actions of the Nine Pillar Gods. Or to put it another way, we're like stakes driven into the ground, and faith is the rope..."
But he didn't elaborate.
That was something Aiwass was not yet supposed to know.
In any case, even if Aiwass had not mastered the correct method of prayer, he simply could not use the skill to replenish mana. Once he acquired more knowledge of the gods and the prayer protocols, [Basic Prayer] would naturally turn into the equivalent [Prayer].
Afterward, Aiwass stayed in the chapel for a simple lunch. He ate the communion that had been sanctified during Bishop Mathers' demonstration of the [Blessing] skill. Consuming it would grant a temporary BUFF that stabilized the mind and steadily restored physical strength.
In a sense, Aiwass's lunch was also today's lesson material. Not a single bit was wasted.
Aiwass also noticed that Bishop Mathers had not mentioned the fact that Aiwass was in a wheelchair at all.
He hadn't even offered to heal Aiwass's body, to help him "stand up again."
A healer of this caliber would likely know just by a touch that Aiwass was brimming with life force, without sickness or disability.
So why was Aiwass in a wheelchair?
Bishop Mathers must have had such questions. If Foster Father James hadn't specifically mentioned this to him, then it indicated his emotional intelligence was maxed out—though he didn't know why, if you didn't mention it, I wouldn't ask.
Better to avoid the topic. Pretend not to have seen, not to know.
After that, Bishop Mathers took Oswald to watch a soccer match that seemed to be a big event.
The teams were the "Unicorn Club" and the "Lake Sword Club."
The former was a team from the Holy Nation, while the latter was from Avalon.
Although Aiwass didn't see the point of these two high-ranking Transcendents watching a bunch of mortals play soccer... it seemed to be an important match. That's why Oswald didn't send Aiwass back but instead agreed, albeit reluctantly, to take him to the stadium.
With their protection, surely nothing would go wrong.
Even though Aiwass was uninterested, both were respected elders worth accompanying for a bit of leisure.
So Aiwass also put on a cheerful and happy appearance. Evidently, the company was quite satisfactory.
The former beat the latter four to nothing, a dominant performance that even a complete soccer novice could discern. Oswald seemed very pleased, and while Bishop Mathers showed no particular reaction, he complained, "I knew there was an issue with the club manager of Lake Sword." Overall, it was a happy occasion for all.