Realizing that Roel was completely clueless about this matter, Carter began to explain in detail what the evolution of a transcendent entailed.
First and foremost, he explained the concept of magicians to Roel. While the common populace referred to all transcendents as magicians, it wasn't in line with how transcendents tended to identify themselves.
To draw a parallel, it was just like how the word 'worker' could refer to a bricklayer, a farmer, a maid, or simply anyone who worked. Hardly anyone in their right mind would introduce themselves with a 'Hello, I am working as a worker' when talking about their occupation.
"The way transcendents refer to their own power is to first identify their Origin Attribute, followed by their Origin Level, and finally their Evolution Pathway. For example, the more formal way to refer to the Holy Aura Warriors in the Holy Capital would be Compassion Origin L 3, Light Guardian."
"Compassion?"
"Yes, that's their Origin Attribute. It's basically the nature of their power, which, in turn, determines the Evolution Pathways available to them."
Carter had to spend quite a bit of effort educating his son, before Roel finally understood the meaning of Origin Attribute clearly.
There were originally no pathways in the world. It's roads that have been trodden by many that eventually came to be known as pathways.
This was a saying by a famous individual in the previous world Roel lived in, and it basically summarized what the so-called Origin Attribute in this world meant.
Acquire greater power and transcend mortality, this had been the goal of all lifeforms since the First Epoch. It all started from a time far beyond the records of any historians, and it was only through the hymns sung through the ages that traces of that time could still be found.
There were those who failed, but conversely, there were those who succeeded too. Thankfully, there was one thing that those who succeeded would usually do, and that was to record down the path that they had taken, so that the generations ahead can benefit from their experiences. This was also the most primitive form of Origin Attribute.
Origin Attribute could be understood as a safer route to achieving evolution. It allowed those who were still fumbling around to swiftly join the ranks of the transcendents and slowly climb their way up relying on the successes of the predecessors.
"Father, how many Origin Attributes are there in the world?"
"No one knows for sure, but there must be thousands at least that have been uncovered since the ancient era. However, there are only a few which are known to us, and even fewer that are suitable for humans."
"Suitable for humans?"
"Yes, the Origin Attributes that humans are currently using are actually heritages left behind by ancient races. Take Compassion for example, it's said to be an Origin Attribute uncovered by the angels, and it belongs to the Xeclyde House. It's an Origin Attribute that's used only within the Theocracy."
Carter's words had opened up a new world for Roel. He had never thought that the transcendental abilities would be this complicated. No wonder the game skipped the details and only mentioned the bloodlines!
"I understand it now. Father, is your Origin Attribute Compassion too?"
"No, my attribute is Wisdom. It comes from the Country of Scholars, Brolne. The origins of the Wisdom Origin Attribute has long since been lost within the eons, but it's one of the Three Main Origin Attributes accepted by the church."
"Three Main Origin Attributes?"
"Yes. They are namely Saint Mesit Theocracy's Compassion, Brolne's Wisdom, and the Knight Kingdom Pendor's Courage. The Three Main Origin Attributes are viewed to be most suitable for humans, and there's widespread acceptance surrounding them. All other Origin Attributes other than those three are deemed to be unorthodox by the church, and those who practice them are viewed to be heretics."
"Ah? Why is that so?"
"Other than the Three Main Origin Attributes, which are the most compatible for humans, other types are either extremely unstable or unsuitable for humans. Attempting to develop such Origin Attributes could lead to devastating consequences, such as a failure to evolve or other adverse side effects.
"I see. What would happen if the church deems a person to be a heretic?"
"Heretics are banned from entering the Holy Capital and all Genesis Goddess Churches, which means that they aren't entitled to the benefits that the church provides, and they will be sidelined by the common populace. Other than that, there's nothing much to it."
"… They won't be captured and burned at the stake?" asked Roel cautiously.
Those words shocked Carter.
"Of course not! There are plenty of smaller religions in each country, so not even the Theocracy has the power to enforce such laws. Besides, most heretics haven't done anything bad, so burning all of them is obviously an irrational move. That said, the Theocracy would still strike down hard on cults that have been going around committing evildoing."
"Ohhh, that's a relief."
Roel heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing those words. Considering those sinister things sold in his System's Gold Coin Shop, it was probably only a matter of time before he became a heretic himself.
It was fortunate that the religions in this world weren't as scary as those in his previous world's Middle Ages. He had no desire to experience the terror of a witch hunt personally.
"What if a heretic appears amongst the nobles of the Theocracy? Will he be killed?"
"If he hasn't committed any crime, no, though he'll be stripped of his noble position."
"…"
Tsk, isn't that as good as crippling me?
"If that's the case, there's probably no nobles who would dare to become a heretic."
"… That's hard to say. While the Three Main Origin Attributes are viewed to be the most suited for humans, it's not a definite fact for everyone due to differences in constitutions. There are those who are born with a constitution that's more suited for other attributes. There are also cases where nobles turn to cults in order to fulfill their desires."
It was at this point that Carter's expression suddenly turned sullen, as if having recalled an unpleasant memory. Seeing this, Roel chose not to probe deeper into the matter.
"How does the Theocracy identify these heretics then?"
"A heretic would never display their power before others, so we aren't able to discern one from any ordinary person normally. However, there are specialists inside the Judgment Order that ensure that these heretics won't be able to get away once they reveal themselves."
Speaking to this point, Carter gave his exceedingly ordinary son a deep look before remarking meaningfully.
"Possessing transcendental abilities is not necessarily a good thing. With power comes responsibility, and you'll find yourself frequently entrusted with dangerous missions. Rather than constantly walk a thin thread between life and death, it's much better to just be an ordinary noble and enjoy a peaceful life.
"…"
Roel didn't respond to his father's remark; he couldn't, and it all left him feeling slightly bitter on the inside. If being an ordinary noble was an option for him, he would willingly live the blissful life of a slacker, only moving when it was absolutely necessary to do so.
But the problem was that fate had a tragic future in store for him, and he could very well tumble down that path if he didn't do a thing at all.
"You should understand now why the term 'magician' is not apt to describe the lineage of our Ascart House now. It's not to say that our Ascart House doesn't have magicians—I'm one myself—but each generation is simply too different from the others to generalize it as such. In fact, there are so many possible pathways for the Wisdom Origin Attribute that it eventually led to the Uprising of Scholar Guilds."
"Scholar Guilds?"
"Yes. Those who undergo similar Evolution Pathways tend to gather together and form organizations to protect their own interests and share research results with one another, similar to how it is with the Light Guardians. These organizations became known as Scholar Guilds, and eventually, the guilds banded together to form a country of their own."
"A country of their own… You're referring to…"
"Yes, it's exactly what you're thinking of," Carter nodded with a smile.
"The Country of Scholars, Brolne; that's the country that has been formed by the Scholar
guilds!"