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As she spoke, her expression darkened with sorrow, and her voice grew heavier. "Only through war can the Church of Light claim to save people from suffering, profiting from the nobles\' wealth and earning the faith of the poor."

"They don\'t care at all about why people are suffering in the first place!"

"I thought that if I could slowly rise to a position of power, I might be able to change things. But no… I\'d only been saintess for a few years before they arranged a marriage for me, turning me into nothing more than a pawn for starting the next war."

Despite the despair in Hannah\'s words, Dean Bruce remained calm. He responded, "It\'s not just the Church of Light. Many people in this world desire war. Commoners see it as a way to earn titles through military achievements, nobles and factions want more resources, and royalty seeks to expand their territories."

"This is the way the world is. You can\'t change that."

As Dean Bruce\'s words fell, it was as if all the energy drained from Hannah. She slumped onto the carriage seat, her spirit crushed.

"Is there no one who truly desires peace?" she suddenly asked, her voice a whisper.

Dean Bruce nodded slightly. "Of course, there are people who want peace. But they don\'t have the power to make it happen."

Then, with a gleam in his eye, Dean Bruce smirked and said, "Actually, there is a way you could mitigate the conflict."

"What way?" Hannah\'s eyes lit up with sudden hope, focusing intently on Dean Bruce.

"You\'re a saintess, right? While you might not hold as much power as the pope, you have influence. You could claim to receive divine guidance from the God of Light, slowly building your own faction within the church, challenging the pope\'s authority." Dean Bruce grinned.

"If you manage to gain control of the Church of Light, and then unify the empires, duchies, and other factions across the world, wouldn\'t that put an end to wars?"

"Huh?" Hannah\'s eyes widened in shock.

Dean Bruce didn\'t give her a chance to respond. He continued, "When others wage war, it\'s usually for selfish reasons, and it harms countless civilians. But I believe if you were to lead the Church of Light, any war you waged wouldn\'t be about senseless slaughter. You wouldn\'t harm the common people. It would simply be about unifying the world."

"And once the world is unified, that would bring about everlasting peace!"

Hannah blinked her wide, watery eyes, utterly bewildered. Something about Dean Bruce\'s words didn\'t sit right with her, but at the same time, they seemed to make an odd sort of sense.

"Is… is this really possible?" Hannah Fields stared at Dean Bruce, her eyes wide with disbelief.

Dean Bruce chuckled, "What other option do you have? Keep running? That will only lead to more wars. Why not use your position to fight back? If you gain control of the Church of Light, what\'s stopping you from becoming the empress of the entire world?"

"And once everyone is under your rule, as long as you decree there will be no more wars, do you think anyone would dare defy you?"

At this, Hannah\'s throat tightened as she swallowed hard.

She was tempted.

Suddenly, she sat up straight and knelt on the carriage floor, bowing deeply before Dean Bruce. "Thank you, Mr. Dean, for showing me this path. I will strive to do it! I, Hannah Fields, will work for peace and the unification of the world!"

Dean Bruce barely managed to suppress a laugh. Naive girls like her were so easy to manipulate.

At that moment, Hannah unexpectedly lowered her head further, her eyes filled with hope, and asked in a soft voice, "Mr. Dean, would you… would you consider becoming my teacher?"

"Though we haven\'t spoken much, you\'ve resolved a dilemma I\'ve struggled with for years. If possible, in the future, could I seek your guidance again?"

"I promise to honor you as a true mentor!"

This sudden request for apprenticeship caught Dean Bruce off guard.

He quickly weighed the pros and cons of taking Hannah as his disciple.

The benefits were numerous. With Hannah\'s family behind her, she could become a powerful ally for Dean Bruce. Plus, with her pure mindset and determination, she would likely learn magic quickly, which could lead to even more system rewards for him.

The downside? It could provoke the Church of Light.

The Church of Light was one of the most powerful factions in the world. They wouldn\'t take kindly to their saintess apprenticing under someone else.

After a brief pause, Dean Bruce responded, "I don\'t take disciples lightly. If you wish to become my student, there is one condition. If you cannot fulfill it, then we\'ll leave it at that."

Hannah looked puzzled. "What condition?"

"I will teach my disciples magic, but you must learn it. If you can\'t master it within a set time, then it\'s clear we aren\'t destined to be master and student," Dean Bruce said nonchalantly.

"This…" Hannah hesitated for a moment, but then nodded with determination. "Disciple Hannah Fields greets her teacher. Once we return to Saint Laurent City, I will present you with a grand gift!"

Hearing this, Dean Bruce couldn\'t hide his pleased expression, his heart filled with excitement.

He hadn\'t expected such a fortunate encounter on this journey!

Not only had he encountered the saintess of the Church of Light, but Dean Bruce was also about to receive gifts from both the Nine Provinces Alliance and the Church of Light. On top of that, he had taken the saintess herself as his disciple!

Given her status, the gifts she would offer as part of her apprenticeship ceremony would undoubtedly be impressive.

Hannah Fields sat up and curiously asked, "Teacher, how old are you? Are you at the level beyond an archmage? You\'ve kept your appearance so youthful!"

"No, wait… the magical and spiritual fluctuations of those people weren\'t particularly strong. Only that viscount reached the level of a Grand Magus. If you were truly beyond the archmage level, you wouldn\'t have needed to go through all that trouble. A single spell would have wiped them all out."

As a saintess, Hannah\'s knowledge and perception were quite refined, and she had indeed deduced the limitations of the power Dean Bruce had shown.

But Dean Bruce\'s subtle smile left her second-guessing her conclusions.

There was no helping it—his aura was so faint that even after demonstrating great power, he naturally led others to believe he was holding back, keeping his true strength hidden.

Dean Bruce spoke calmly, "Don\'t get caught up in those thoughts. What kind of magic do you want to learn? Now that you\'re my disciple, I won\'t hold back. We\'ve got plenty of time tonight, so I\'ll teach you one spell."

Upon hearing this, Hannah blinked and said softly, "I\'d like to learn a spell for group healing! I… I don\'t want to see scenes of suffering and destruction. I want to be able to heal the wounded whenever war breaks out."

Hearing the sincerity in Hannah\'s voice, Dean Bruce couldn\'t help but sigh. He hadn\'t expected to take on a disciple with such a saintly mindset.

Hopefully, she wouldn\'t turn into an overly righteous, misguided idealist—that would cause more harm than good.

As Dean Bruce sighed, Hannah thought he might not know such healing magic and was about to say something when he interrupted her. "As it happens, I know an ultra-high-level spell called Fountain of Life, which is a group healing spell. The greater the strength in your heart, the more powerful the healing effect will be. I hope you\'ll be able to grasp it."

After a brief pause, Dean Bruce added in a solemn tone, "Above all else, guard your heart. The Fountain of Life flows from the soul."

"This spell… it reminds me of some ancient incantations I\'ve come across in old texts," Hannah repeated thoughtfully, a smile playing on her lips. "Don\'t worry, teacher. I will work hard to master it."

There was no denying that as the saintess of the Church of Light, Hannah\'s exposure to the world was far greater than any of Dean Bruce\'s previous students. She didn\'t find the spell strange at all but instead tilted her head and began contemplating its meaning.

Dean Bruce could see that Hannah Fields was genuinely deep in thought, and with a sense of satisfaction, he closed his eyes.

At the moment, apart from Lina Jones, whose progress was the slowest, the rest of his students were advancing at a decent pace in learning their magic.

Once he returned, if he encountered the Michelle sisters, it would be time to teach them more advanced spells as well!

After continuous battles and traveling, Dean Bruce soon drifted off to sleep. When he woke up again, Hannah Fields had already left the carriage.

The sound of crackling flames reached his ears.

Rubbing his eyes, Dean Bruce pulled back the carriage curtain and saw Hannah sitting by a campfire.

The faint, delicious scent of roasting meat wafted in the air.

Yawning, Dean Bruce stepped off the carriage and walked over to Hannah\'s side, only to find her roasting a plump rabbit over the fire.

Though there were no seasonings, the natural aroma of the meat filled the air, instantly making Dean Bruce\'s mouth water.

"Teacher, you\'re awake!" Hannah greeted him cheerfully. After a night of rest, or perhaps because she now had a clear goal, her demeanor was noticeably lighter, almost playful. "Come on, try my cooking!" she said with a childlike grin.