True God In Another World (Tensura x Tbate)

Chapter 88 - The Diviner

Arthur Leywin POV

Rubbing my eyes, I got up to see that Rinia was the only one still awake, sipping on something that smelled like an herb tonic. The soft glow of candlelight cast dancing shadows across her weathered face, making her appear even more mysterious than usual.

After meeting Windsom and continuing on my way to the Elven Manor, a series of unexpected events had led me and the Eralith family to Rinia's Hut. Now, looking around at the sleeping forms of my companions, I couldn't help but feel a slight unease.

"They won't be awake for a while, Arthur. Let's have a talk," Rinia said simply without even looking at me. She gestured for me to sit in the chair across from her as she continued sipping her tea. The steam rising from her cup carried an unusual scent - herbs I couldn't identify mixed with something sweeter.

"Well, from how you probably drugged everyone but me, I'm guessing this is something that only I can know?" My eyes narrowed, but I trusted Rinia. Besides, if she wanted to kill us, I was sure that with her powers of foresight, she already could've done so. The thought was oddly comforting.

Wordlessly, I sat down and leaned back, waiting for the aged elf to speak. The wooden chair creaked slightly under my weight, the sound loud in the quiet hut.

"Despite the unforeseen circumstances, you're quite composed, Arthur." Rinia's tone seemed to say she expected this, her ancient eyes studying me over the rim of her cup.

"I'm sure if you wanted the worse to happen, it would've happened already," I shrugged, trying to appear more relaxed than I felt.

"Mm." Her noncommittal response carried years of hidden knowledge.

"..."

"A logical assumption," nodded Rinia. "Now, where do I begin?" she sighed, setting down her cup with deliberate care. "Well, let's begin with a small lesson on my powers as a Diviner."

My ears perked up at this. Learning about a rare deviant form of magic didn't come often, as textbooks only held a limited amount of information about them. The chance to learn directly from a Diviner was unprecedented.

Noticing the interest on my face, Rinia continued, her voice taking on a teaching tone. "As you may know, unlike regular mages who draw forth power from the mana particles in the atmosphere, deviants have to find their own source of power to fuel their magic."

I nodded in agreement, remembering my own experiences with manipulating mana.

"For example, your mother, an Emitter, has the ability to heal herself and others in a way elemental recovery spells can't compare to." Rinia's fingers traced the rim of her cup as she spoke.

I nodded to this as well. The comparison was apt - I'd seen firsthand how my mother's healing abilities far surpassed conventional magic. There were various recovery spells that could be learned by water, wind, and plant attribute mages. Unfortunately, fire and earth didn't have any innate healing attributes, so it was impossible to create a recovery spell out of them. All in all, though, the recovery spells were still weak and couldn't compare to the healing that Emitters were capable of.

"Emitters have mana cores that naturally accumulate a special type of mana that is used to power their spells. Throughout my life, I've met quite a few deviants, each with unique properties in their magic. They all have one thing in common though, different from an elemental deviant such as yourself. Each of the deviants have their own pool of mana that they use to power their deviant magic." She looked a little absent-minded as she said this, her gaze distant as if recalling memories from long ago.