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2024-12-15 12:00:36Just as Benjamin was getting a serious case of the willies from those unblinking eyes, the owner of said peepers suddenly spoke up from the other side of the iron door:
"Shh, I just managed to send Jessica on a fool's errand, but she'll be back any minute. I can't linger."
It was a gentle, womanly voice. It tickled something in the back of Benjamin's mind, but he couldn't quite place it.
"Who the heck is this?" he mentally prodded the AI.
"It's your dear mother, genius," the AI replied dryly.
"…"
With the AI's oh-so-helpful reminder, the pieces finally clicked into place for Benjamin. The owner of that voice was none other than Marie - Claude's wife, the old lady's daughter-in-law, and Benjamin's own mother. The very same Marie who had briefly spoken up in the living room earlier.
His mother had given his jailer the slip to come check on him in secret.
According to the abridged version of his backstory the AI had so grac
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The Church, the Mage, and the Snarky AI Chapter 21: The Mage's Training Method
"…Are you just going to keep patting yourself on the back, or do you plan on actually letting me in on this grand epiphany of yours?"After a beat of silence, the AI chimed in, its mechanical voice tinged with a hint of exasperation."Thanks, but I'm good. I can bask in my own genius just fine," Benjamin quipped back, seizing the chance to give the AI a taste of its own medicine."…"If the AI had a face, it would've been twisted in a mask of impotent fury.Not that Benjamin was trying to be deliberately antagonistic. It was just that the training method he'd devised was still in its infancy, and he didn't want to risk the AI's mockery if it turned out to be a dud. Plus, he'd frankly had his fill of the AI's antics for one day. A little turnabout was fair play, and might even help keep their dynamic on a more even keel going forward.Semantics aside, his little experiment had already given him a much more systematic understanding of magic.Water elements were the bedrock of his spellc
The Church, the Mage, and the Snarky AI Chapter 22: A Demon's Letter
Conjuring up a bigger Water Ball might not have seemed like a groundbreaking achievement on the surface. It couldn't be used to strike down foes, shield himself from danger, or lift the curse Michelle had saddled him with.But the implications behind that unassuming orb dwarfed the spell itself.It had illuminated a path for Benjamin, a road that could lead to true arcane might.Though he still didn't know how to learn new incantations or sense other elemental types, in this moment, he could feel the first stirrings of confidence in his magical aptitude, a fragile certainty taking root in his heart.When it came to the mystic arts, he was no longer fumbling blind!"What's the big deal? So you figured out how to feed elements to a magic rune to make it grow. Hardly brain surgery," the AI chimed in, as doggedly determined as ever to rain on Benjamin's parade."Y'know, you're really asking for a smack lately," Benjamin shot back, his patience wearing thin."My bad, oh wise and mighty one
The Church, the Mage, and the Snarky AI Chapter 23: A Pawn's Choice
"Young master, it seems the kitchen's run out of food. Only these two loaves of bread left!"Just as Benjamin was sitting on the bed, clutching the letter and lost in thought, Jeremy returned from the kitchen. Before he even entered the room, Benjamin heard him call out.Benjamin's heart leaped into his throat. To avoid anyone noticing anything amiss, he hastily stuffed the letter and envelope back under the pillow, erasing all traces of abnormality. Turning around, he watched as Jeremy walked in.Jeremy stood in the doorway, bread in hand, looking at Benjamin. Benjamin looked back at him, standing in the doorway. For a moment, neither of them spoke."Young master, is something the matter?" Jeremy asked, a puzzled frown on his face as he seemed to sense the odd atmosphere."It's nothing, just give me the bread. This is enough for now. It'd be hard to scrounge up anything else at this hour anyway, right?" Benjamin quickly replied, steering the conve
The Church, the Mage, and the Snarky AI Chapter 24: The Reverse of the Letter
The grand cathedral at night was a different beast entirely, devoid of the ceaseless tide of worshippers that flooded its halls by day. The occasional priest or knight hurrying through the corridors only served to amplify the oppressive tranquility and solemnity of the place.Benjamin sat in the same confessional booth as before, Michelle's letter clutched in his hand, awaiting the Archbishop's arrival.The Church's daily affairs must not have been too pressing, for the Archbishop arrived at the other side of the partition in short order. Of course, it was also possible that the Church simply placed great importance on Benjamin - or rather, on Michelle - and thus responded with such alacrity."Lord Lither, the dead of night is hardly the proper time for confession," the Archbishop intoned, his voice measured and unhurried behind the thin veil. There was no real reproach in his tone, merely a subtle hint for Benjamin to speak his piece without wasting time.Benjamin took the cue, immed
The Church, the Mage, and the Snarky AI Chapter 25: The War Begins
Though the hour was late and the curfew in effect, Benjamin made it back to the Lither estate without incident, safely ensconced by his knightly escort.Slipping past the watchful eyes of the night servants, he stole back to his bedchamber, his movements undetected. Once the door was securely bolted, he collapsed onto the bed, fishing out the crucifix and admiring it with unabashed delight.The pendant was a dainty thing, wrought of silver and exquisitely crafted. As Benjamin pressed it to his brow, he could feel the faintest whisper of sanctified energy radiating from within, pure and incorruptible.So this was the power of holy magic.Compared to the arcane arts, the common folk of the Horian Kingdom were far more familiar with the divine workings of the Church. Every town had its chapel, every parish its priest, and scarcely a soul hadn't born witness to some miracle or another.According to Church doctrine, holy magic was a gift from the Almighty, a sacred bulwark against the depr
The Church, the Mage, and the Snarky AI Chapter 26: War Games
Thoroughly befuddled, Benjamin followed Grantt into the castle. As they went, the terminally work-shy AI finally deigned to pipe up and shed some light on the situation."Seven or eight years back, tensions were running high on this continent. There was another nation that rivaled the Horian Kingdom, and war seemed all but inevitable. As such, you young aristocrats were put through some fairly rigorous combat training. But as luck would have it, that rival nation soon collapsed into civil strife, the looming conflict never materialized, and your martial education was cut short."The AI paused for a beat, then continued:"But you restless little scamps, you'd absorbed all this military lore and were chomping at the bit to put it to the test. When the real deal failed to deliver, you got it in your heads that your battlefield talents were being wasted. And so, at someone's bright idea, this little tradition was born. A gaggle of young lords gathering at this old castle for a spot of sim
The Church, the Mage, and the Snarky AI Chapter 27: Drop Your Weapon!
They arrived at the entrance to the final room.As Grantt pushed open the last door, he remained fully focused, proceeding with utmost caution, like a special agent executing a high-stakes raid. At the instant of entry, he even performed a deft combat roll to the right, braced for any potential ambush.Erring on the side of prudence, Benjamin hung back a step, maintaining a safe distance.And yet, as the door swung wide… nothing. No attack came.Perplexed, Benjamin advanced a few paces, peering into the room from the threshold. There, he spied Dick Fur standing shoulder to shoulder with a hulking young man. The moment Benjamin's gaze found them, they turned as one to face him.Judging by their stony mien, they'd been awaiting this confrontation.The air fairly crackled with menace.A chill rippled down Benjamin's spine. The urge to simply turn tail and beat a hasty retreat was nigh overpowering.He knew, with grim certai
The Church, the Mage, and the Snarky AI Chapter 28: Shots Fired
That's right, a gun.The weapon's profile didn't quite match the sleek, modern firearms Benjamin was used to seeing in police procedurals and action flicks. Rather, it called to mind the old-timey six-shooters favored by gunslingers in Westerns. The metal of the barrel was rough and unadorned, the craftsmanship crude, yet it still exuded the singular menace of a lethal weapon - an aura of impending death.Ever since crash-landing in this madcap realm, Benjamin had simply assumed that guns were off the table. The AI's exhaustive lore dumps had never once name-dropped firearms as a going concern. He'd just figured that in a world where divine miracles and arcane magic ran rampant, the tech tree had never bothered unlocking the "ballistic weaponry" skill.So much for that theory.And now, at this very instant, he found himself staring down the business end of a pistol, the finger on the trigger belonging to a hormone-addled adolescent who'd let his emotions
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- The Church, the Mage, and the Snarky AI
Chapter 40: The Silver Pistol
Hearing this, Benjamin hesitated for a moment before replying, "But I haven't bought a gun yet."He wasn't planning on heading home just like that.The other knight immediately tried to persuade him: "Lord Lither, you've seen the chaos of the outer city for yourself. What if the heretic who abducted you shows up again? Please, it's best if you return home for now."Benjamin thought for a moment, and suddenly hatched a plan.Whether or not he bought a gun was beside the point now. He could milk a bit more out of these knights.Putting on a stubborn, resolute air, he declared firmly, "No can do! These heretics are so powerful, without the means to fight back, what's the difference between the inner and outer city? You saw it yourselves - if I hadn't opened fire, today's heretic wouldn't have even fled. Soon enough, my father will take this pistol back, and then if the heretics slip past your watch and come for me, what am I to do?""This is…"The knights weren't as silver-tongued as the
- The Church, the Mage, and the Snarky AI
Chapter 39: The Academy of Silence
Before long, Benjamin left the warehouse where they'd been lying low.On his way out, he gleaned some intel about this"Academy of Silence"from the two young mages.When the Kingdom of Horia was first established, the Church cemented its position and began hunting down mages with a vengeance, forcing them to take their activities underground. The surviving mages banded together, trading spells and know-how, helping each other evade the Church's pursuit - and thus, the Academy of Silence was born.Later, as the Church's power grew, eclipsing even the monarchy, they only intensified their mage-hunting efforts. At the time, a handful of the strongest mages joined forces to ensure their survival, founding the Academy of Silence with the goal of keeping the magical arts alive and the dream of building a brand new mage-ruled nation.The Academy's headquarters lay hidden in the mountains to the west of the kingdom. The terrain there was treache
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Chapter 38: When Mages Have to Perform Surgery
The elder mage had been stashed by his two students in a sack, shoved into a corner of the warehouse.When Benjamin watched Stumpy brusquely hauling their teacher out of the burlap, the first thought that popped into his head was that if this mage knew what his disciples had done, he'd be pissed enough to rise from the grave - even if he was already six feet under.But he wasn't dead yet, so he probably wouldn't find out what had transpired.At least, not dead yet."What cosmic crime did your teacher commit to deserve students like you…"Benjamin couldn't help but marvel."Teacher's said stuff like that too!" There was a bizarre note of glee in Stumpy's voice. "He's always saying if we didn't have crazy good elemental affinity, enough to cast spells even when we botch the chant, he wouldn't have taken us on in a million years!""…"Benjamin had decidedly mixed feelings about Stumpy's little speech. He opted not to comment.Better to focus on saving a life. Right, saving a life, that was
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Chapter 37: What's More Terrifying Than One Idiot?
The situation had reached a bit of a stalemate.Every time the knights shattered a Water Barrier, the elder mage would just conjure up another one. Their longswords couldn't lay a scratch on their foes. But it was much the same on the other side - the two younger mages were too dense, so the trio couldn't do much against the holy knights either.However, Benjamin knew this gridlock wouldn't last long.Judging by the elder mage's easy, unconcerned demeanor, it was clear he still had tricks up his sleeve. Right now, he was just trying to show these newbies the ropes, sticking purely to defensive magic. The moment he busted out some attack spells, these two holy knights would likely be toast.And if they couldn't hold the line, Benjamin would be in deep trouble too.Sure, he was starting to feel a little bad for the elder mage, but right from the jump, the guy had declared his intent to silence them all for good. Benjamin didn't dare gamble on whether
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Chapter 36: Adventures in the Outer City
Unlike the inner city, Havenlet's outer city remained bustling even as night fell.Although this world had yet to invent electric lights, the glow of oil lamps still illuminated the streets, with plenty of residents out and about. Most shops were still open for business, with a steady stream of customers coming and going, showing no signs of closing up. And that was to say nothing of the taverns, where the raucous din of patrons could be heard from a dozen meters away.But that was to be expected. The Church's curfew only applied to the inner city. The outer city was simply too vast, and enforcing a curfew would require a staggering amount of manpower. The Church couldn't be bothered, so they simply let it develop as it would.The Fur family, for instance, derived most of their income from the outer city's entertainment industry. With such intricate ties binding them, the outer city's nights were even less pious. Devout folks who enjoyed their peace and quiet either became priests and
- The Church, the Mage, and the Snarky AI
Chapter 35: Lend Me That Gun
In the military, under any circumstances, strength is king.After experiencing it firsthand, Benjamin's understanding of this point deepened.Thanks to the shooting interface that had somehow popped up from the AI, he had stunned the entire marksmanship camp with a single shot. The attitudes of these new recruits towards him had taken a rollercoaster ride. There was no longer any mockery in their eyes, replaced by a fair amount of respect and admiration, and occasionally even a hint of envy.Benjamin felt a bit guilty about this.Unlike these people who had trained hard, he had relied entirely on external help, which wasn't exactly honorable. If it hadn't been for the sudden appearance of the shooting interface, he would have made a fool of himself. It was just that when he had the gun in his hand, his mind had gotten hot and he really wanted to fire a shot to test it out. Once the muzzle was raised, there was no backing out, he could only go with the flow.Therefore, after flexing a
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Chapter 34: Coach, I Wanna Flex Too!
Around the middle-aged man, a group of young recruits turned their heads in unison, staring at Benjamin with less than friendly eyes.Benjamin immediately sensed trouble brewing.Those scenes from the novels weren't really about to play out, were they?Taking a deep breath, Benjamin had no choice but to steel himself and walk over."What's your name?" the middle-aged man asked.Benjamin pondered for a moment, deliberately omitting his surname, and answered, "I'm Benjamin."The middle-aged man, however, had no tact. He curled his lip and said, "You're the Lither family's kid, the useless one, right?"A burst of laughter instantly erupted from the crowd.Benjamin could feel that when the word "Lither" was uttered, the eyes of those around him changed again, becoming a mix of envy and disdain.He could only sigh inwardly.The military held a unique position in the Kingdom of Horia. They didn't fear the nobles, not even the royals. Although they claimed to be loyal to the nation, in reali
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Chapter 33: Military Training?
Over the next few days, Benjamin enjoyed a rare stretch of peace and quiet.He got up on time, ate on time, ordered Jeremy around on time, and didn't set foot outside again. The relentless barrage of shenanigans seemed to have died down all at once. His father Claude was away on a tour of the domain, and the handful of people left in the house kept to themselves, exchanging little more than daily greetings.After finishing "The Beginner's Guide to Thaumaturgy", Benjamin had long since returned the book to Grantt's desk. The little episode in Grantt's bedroom that night was treated as if it had never happened, a tacit understanding between the two.Every day, Benjamin would hole up in his room pretending to sleep, then cultivate in his inner world. Sometimes he'd "meditate" to strengthen his triangular sigil, other times he'd speed up the condensation of his new sigils, encountering no further issues along the way.But he knew this peaceful training routine couldn't last long.What he
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Chapter 32: Choosing Skills
Benjamin had to admit, he was a total skill junkie.Just like when he used to game back in his old world, he couldn't care less about graphics or story - all that mattered was the skills. As long as a game had a wild, wacky, endlessly inventive set of abilities to play with, he was hooked. Leveling up barely registered as a blip on his radar, existing solely as a means to score more skill points. Every time he unlocked some shiny new technique, his sense of achievement went through the roof.And yet…Here he was, finally spirited away to a realm of magic, only to be told he could only have THREE measly skill points to his name?And one of them had already been wasted on freakin' Aqua Sphere?"This build is borked, I wanna reroll," he groaned, glancing skyward as if pleading with the cosmos."You do realize talking to yourself like that just makes you seem chuuni as all get-out, right?" the AI chimed in, its tone bone-dry. "It's not li
