And He said, “If you listen to my words and obey, and if you act righteously in my sight, and pay attention to my commandments and keep all my statutes, I will not bring upon you any of the diseases I brought upon the Garot people.
For indeed, your Garot people are close to the barbarian tribes outside, and I find them to be lamentable.
Their wounds are caused by our transgressions, and your skin is damaged and your flesh hangs loose because of our iniquities.
Then the woman of the two sons said, ‘Our father, I and my two sons have become gaunt; please show us grace and heal our trembling bones and grant us eternal mercy.
Heal our rotten flesh and wash it with your flesh and blood; then the people of Garot will believe in you.’
And the Lord said, ‘Daughter of man, your faith has saved you and your sons; go in peace, and may your son be released from his illness and be made healthy.’
Then the two sons beside the woman rose up and fell down pleading, having not recognized the light of the Lord’s grace, and asked the Lord to forgive their great sins.
Yet, by taking the Lord’s flesh and blood, they regarded it as a great blessing.
Then the Lord merely broke a single loaf of bread and filled the five thousand people of Garot, washing their bodies with wine, and all of them were healed.
– Garot, Chapter 7, Verses 8-16
Rina von Adelheit took her steps slowly.
Her feet, adorned in the beautiful shoes she thought she would never wear, stepped beyond the mansion’s entrance.
This much was expected. Rina held back her overflowing emotions. Yet, the true moment had not yet come.
‘Really, really…’
But could joy and emotion truly be contained? A myriad of indescribable feelings began to swirl across Rina’s face.
Her body was full of energy. The once creaky body now felt as light as if she could fly, and her skin, which once shivered from the cold wind, now welcomed the autumn sun and breeze with delight.
She had changed. Truly.
The prayers of the two priests, the brilliant golden light, the gracious and blessed mercy of the Lord.
Indeed, a miracle had occurred in her body. Her pure and transcendent faith had been gathered and infused with strength into the girl who had faced all kinds of storms and had even lost her faith.
“Ha ha…!”
Rina could not contain her laughter. It was only natural, as with this body… there was truly no way but to anticipate.
Though she could not fully run due to her heart condition, at least her body was in a state to move quickly in light hops. It was truly an optimal condition.
Her primary physician, Professor Moritz, was present, so Rina had no intention of stopping within the limits of an allowed action.
The first thing Rina did was to lift her dress and hop joyfully. She spun around in place, bounced up and down, descended, and stood back up.
She wanted to show this scene to her father and mother. To the two people she loved most in the world, she wanted to show them this. It was something she had always wished for.
“Rina…!”
“Ah…!”
As she wished, the Duke and Duchess of Adelheit gazed at Rina with expressions full of emotion. Rina’s mother, Emma von Adelheit, was on the verge of shedding tears, her eyes brimming.
Watching this, Rina instinctively closed her eyes tightly, holding back the tears welling up, as she dashed toward her father and mother. She jumped into their warm, comforting embrace, truly entering it of her own will after so long.
“Father…. Mother…!”
“Rina…. Is this really….”
“This is… this is….”
The Duke of Adelheit could not continue speaking. He turned his head to look at the two priests quietly standing behind him.
‘This is a miracle….’
And among them, one man particularly drew the Duke of Adelheit’s gaze.
‘Professor Antorelli…. Is this truly….’
Professor Lucio Antorelli, too, smiled faintly at the sight of Rina. With an expression that seemed to simply say, this was enough.
‘…a saint.’
Suddenly, if a light seemed to shine behind him… would that be blasphemy?
No, it would not. At least not concerning the man before him. He appeared to deserve such reverence, at least in the eyes of the Duke of Adelheit.
“Everyone, I apologize for the interruption, but it seems you should be on your way.”
At his words, the three, caught in joy and ecstasy, quickly regained their senses.
“Ah…! The Academy! I need to get my head together….”
“Father! Let’s hurry…!”
“Yes, yes. Let’s go to the Academy.”
As they stepped out of the mansion and crossed the garden, Rina bounced along without any issues, busy observing the scenery around her.
The occasional flying insects, birds soaring freely in the sky, a squirrel scurrying with an acorn, the maple tree the squirrel climbed that was painted with colorful leaves…
To Rina, these were a new world. Although she had seen these sights countless times from the confines of her room through the window, the fact that they moved vibrantly before her, that she could smell their fragrance and hear their sounds….
Rina felt as if she had entered a fairy tale world. Thus, she exited the mansion.
Even when she got onto the waiting carriage, Rina still found it hard to accept that she had escaped the mansion, like a princess from a fairy tale who had fled from her tower. It felt like a dream.
And although she was sitting in a carriage, the simple fact that she had walked out of the mansion herself felt even more dreamlike.
“Father.”
“Hmm? What is it?”
Rina turned her innocent face toward her father, the Duke of Adelheit, who was sitting next to her. The Duke looked at her and inadvertently broke into a foolish smile.
“I want to express my gratitude to the professor.”
“That’s… you already mentioned that a little while ago.”
“But, for me…. that’s not enough….”
Rina looked out the carriage window. The world still bloomed with color. It was a scene she wasn’t particularly fond of, looking out from the glass, but she knew well that the air was different from the stuffy atmosphere of her room in the mansion.
This refreshing air, warm sunlight, and from outside the softly moving carriage, the sounds of people bustling began to reach her ears.
All of this was, all of this was…
‘Professor Antorelli….’
The princess, released from a prison-like castle, began to endlessly think of the prince who had rescued her from that castle.
Endlessly. Endlessly…
I, along with Sofia Sub-priest and Professor Moritz, boarded the same vehicle.
In terms of the original purpose, Moritz, as Rina’s personal physician, should have been in the front car, but due to my suggestion for the family to share a reunion in this manner, we ended up together.
Of course, I won’t hide that this was all part of my intended arrangement.
“Mr. Antorelli. Are you alright?”
“Ugh, hoo… haah…!”
This is because I was enduring pain that felt like I could faint at any moment in real-time.
Unless Rina suddenly began to run without taking a breath, she would certainly not collapse suddenly. There was practically no activity in the car that could leave anyone that breathless.
The issue lay with me.
“Gah, ugh…! Hah…!”
“Sub-priest, please hand me that bag over there.”
“Ah, yes…!”
The voices around me began to grow faint. The sensation of cold sweat dripping began to blur, and soon I could no longer feel it at all. My senses had become excessively focused on one aspect….
“Ugh…!”
No, this is bad. It hurts too much. I lacked the strength to continue my thoughts, nor could I.
It hurts. It hurts too much. It feels like I might faint from the pain.
– Ting!
Amidst this, I heard Moritz flicking the syringe. My bare shoulder, which was exposed after slipping off my priest’s robe, felt the cold sensation touch it. Was it the syringe?
‘No, it’s not….’
It was a hand. Moritz’s hand felt cold against me.
My shoulder was that hot. So hot that it made even a person’s normal body temperature feel cold to me. It felt as if a fire had been lit, a searing pain.
Forever tormenting me like flames, like my muscles were tearing apart. I desperately hoped this pain coursing through my head would end as soon as possible.
Muscles contracted and relaxed. Endlessly. Truly endlessly.
I used a considerable amount of divine power. I know that much. While Sub-priest Riscova bore the minimum burden without it being apparent on the surface, the prayers for the sick of Garot were still too much of a burden.
But I endured. With a clean handkerchief clutched tightly in my mouth, I desperately resisted the relentless pain in my right shoulder.
Finally, I felt something piercing through my skin. I did not feel pain. The pain originating from my shoulder overshadowed all my senses.
“Please bear with it a little longer. The medicine has just been administered… It should take effect within a minute.”
“Hah… huff…!”
“It’s a strong painkiller. I used the fastest and most potent one without narcotic components. It may bring along a strong burning sensation.”
Moritz started to talk, but I could hear nothing. My mind was becoming like a blank white sheet of paper.
I felt no thoughts. Nothing at all….
…No.
This level of pain is worth enduring. I have not created a second case. That alone is enough.
Purely self-satisfaction, but so what? I finally, at least this time, managed to uphold it.
To someone who did not know how to treat himself with care, someone who always thought of others… I showed him another way. That alone… I.
“Haah….”
The vision that had seemed like it would fade into whiteness slowly began to return. I exhaled a more relaxed breath and leaned back into the seat.
“The painkiller has started to kick in.”
Moritz was looking at me. As I wiped my sweating forehead with the handkerchief he handed me, I did not forget to express my gratitude.
“…Thank you, Doctor.”
“…Mr. Antorelli. I can ease the pain a few more times like this, but it won’t have a good effect on your shoulder.”
“I understand.”
“…Mr. Antorelli. I respect your wishes, but still, this is….”
“Doctor. I’m fine, so please continue to exert your efforts in this way. I ask you.”
In my clearer vision, I saw the perplexed expression on Moritz’s face.
“…I will do my best.”
“Thank you.”
Eventually, he nodded. I sighed while tidying up my clothing.
Sub-priest Sofia bit her lip while looking at me, but as soon as I looked at her, she quickly turned her head away. For some reason, a part of my heart ached.
Trusting the movement of the carriage headed to the Academy, I quietly closed my eyes. The pain had all but vanished.
‘Just a little longer.’
Before the festival ends.
Let’s hold on until then.
Enduring the pain. Paying the price.
This is something only I can do.
