Chapter 2

“Ah!”

I let out a single groan upon seeing the child. Their face was pale, devoid of any color, and their hair had all fallen out, leaving them bald. Their body was emaciated, skin clinging tightly to their bones.

Perhaps interpreting my groan differently, Mr. Rubelt shook his head.

“The temple calls this illness a disease where the child’s own blood consumes them.”

According to Mr. Rubelt, the child’s illness couldn’t be cured with Divine Power. It wasn’t caused by something external but by the child themselves.

Divine Power, which enhances healing, immunity, and regeneration, couldn’t cure this kind of illness. A disease where one’s own body harms itself can’t be solved by simply strengthening oneself. I looked at the child and murmured softly.

“You must have been through a lot.”

“Mr. Kyle. It’s not to boast, but I am quite wealthy.”

Mr. Rubelt spoke.

“Many people came, claiming they could cure my child’s illness. Among them were priests like you, Mr. Kyle, who could use Divine Power. But none succeeded, and instead, they got angry at me. They said my child was cursed by the gods!”

“Even if the gods had cursed them, how could a mere human like me dare to speak of it?”

I sighed upon hearing that.

If I couldn’t cure them, the limitation was within me, not the patient. Moreover, what sin could a seven-year-old child have committed to deserve such terrifying words?

“You might say the same if you knew you couldn’t cure them. That my son is cursed. That it’s his fault. Or that his parents must have done something wrong to anger the gods.”

“If I fail, it’s no one’s fault but my own.”

I could declare it. If I couldn’t cure this child, it wasn’t because they were sinners and the Lord refused to lend His power, but because my faith was insufficient, and I failed to please the Lord.

“So, I will try. The Divine Power my Lord bestows might be different from that of other gods.”

I reached out and placed my hand on the child’s stomach.

And I prayed. I prayed to my Lord. I asked that the potential within this child not be extinguished. That they could unfold their talents toward the future and live.

The Lord did not answer, but instead, He bestowed His will.

Human vitality is great. Even if the body harms itself, there’s always a slight chance the illness could subside and life could be saved.

Normally, that chance is too small, which is why it’s called a miracle. But the Lord’s will makes the impossible possible. His Divine Power excludes all possibilities of worsening and brings only the chances of improvement.

If any illness continues to improve, the end result is a cure. So, it’s possible. I felt Him watching over me. With Him behind me, failure is a laughable notion.

The emaciated bones filled out, and color returned to the pale face. The lost hair grew back. Everything moved toward the best possible outcome.

The Savior’s power has no limits, but as His proxy, I have limits. Still, healing one person was something even my younger self, not long after first meeting the Lord, could do without difficulty. Now, after many adventures and growth, it’s even easier.

“Oh, oh! My goodness! This, this is a miracle! A divine miracle!”

Until there were no more changes, until the body had reached its peak and needed no further improvement, I poured His power into the child, again and again. The power of the Lord I serve might not be power at all.

Perhaps it’s just that I’m foolish, incomplete, lacking in learning and insight, and can only interpret it as power. The ability to alter possibilities and choose futures might simply be beyond my understanding.

Whether the Lord’s power chooses the best future, elevates the patient’s condition to its peak, or forcibly creates non-existent possibilities to manifest as reality, I don’t know which is correct. These are just my interpretations.

“Hmm…?”

As I removed my hand and slumped into a chair, exhausted, the child woke up, blinking their eyes. The sickly pallor was gone, and a healthy flush returned to their lips. They spoke slowly, and I heard the declaration of my success.

“Dad…?”

“Yes, it’s me. Are you okay?”

“Uh… Dad. My body doesn’t hurt. It’s, it’s amazing… I think I can walk!”

“My goodness… This, this is unbelievable! Priest, I don’t know how to thank you.”

Mr. Rubelt hugged me tightly. It took some effort to peel him off.

“For a fool like me to doubt someone as noble as you! I didn’t know you were the one to bring miracles, and I arrogantly treated you with disrespect, not believing in your abilities. I beg for your forgiveness now.”

“Please, stand up. I’m not that great.”

It took some effort to lift Mr. Rubelt, who was kneeling and apologizing. I’m not that great. It’s just that the Lord is great.

“It’s best to observe for another day.”

“Is, is there a problem?”

“Not necessarily, but it might just be a temporary healing.”

He nodded in agreement. He must have been anxious himself. He had said that with Divine Power, only temporary healing was possible, and it could worsen again.

But it was a false alarm. A day passed, then two, and eventually, a week went by, and his son remained healthy.

I had saved a person from death with the Lord’s power. There’s no greater satisfaction or pride than at times like these. I was happy too.

“I am deeply indebted to you. I wish to repay you with money, but that would trouble you, Priest. The Three God Faith suppresses the healing activities of other religions.”

A month later, Mr. Rubelt brought his son, who resembled him greatly, and said this.

As he said, even the Three God Faith can’t stop free healing without compensation. But they try to catch anyone receiving money for healing.

“So, I want to give you another gift. It’s more convenient to have someone to serve you than to live alone.”

I tried to refuse, not wanting to receive money for healing. But what he brought wasn’t money.

“It’s a child I bought using my merchant connections.”

A race from the empire’s borders, different from humans. A race that could never unite, hence full of conflict and strife. One of the Beastmen, a wolf Beastman with a collar, her blue ears perked up, looking at me.

“A legally purchased slave. Please accept her, Saint.”

“I’m not that great. This gift is too much.”

“When I asked about the god you worship, you said it was a nameless god.”

After the healing, Mr. Rubelt had asked about my Lord. I didn’t know much about Him either. I could only say that I called Him the God of Hope, but His true name was unknown to me.

“Those who serve the God of Hope are rare… no, in the entire continent, you might be the only one, Saint. Alone under your god, what else could you be but a saint?”

Even if not as grand as the saints or saintesses of the Three God Faith, even if I couldn’t wield their influence, being directly chosen by a god is significant enough, Mr. Rubelt said.

“A god without followers cannot fully manifest their divinity. But the god you serve, even with only you as a follower, bestows immense Divine Power.”

“Are you saying…”

“Your god might be an ancient god forgotten before the Three Divine Gods, or perhaps one of the old gods who were more like the laws of the world. Not seeking human worship would make sense then. You are truly special, Saint.”

An Ancient God. Those who existed before the Three Divine Gods, more like laws than gods. They occasionally appear in old tales but are rarely seriously discussed.

So, I just smiled. Maybe, maybe not. What matters isn’t who He is, but what He desires.

“There’s a bit of selfishness in wanting to connect with such a being. Even if you refuse, I’ll leave her here.”

The gift, a Beastman slave girl. As I looked at her, she shrank back. Whether she had been abused by the slave trader or not, I couldn’t know without asking, but even if not, being a slave at such a young age would naturally make her timid.

‘Was the Lord watching when I met this child?’

Nine apples. A miracle bestowed by the Lord right after parting from Yurinel’s party. Before that, He had never granted miracles without my request. Did He foresee this too? Perhaps.

“I will gratefully accept the gift.”

That was why I took the girl into my home.