“Actually, many people have tried to save my sister under the pressure of our father. Some were promised wealth, others power, and some even tried to deceive our father, take the money, and run. None of them succeeded in curing my sister, and they were all chased away after being treated to a meal.”
The prince sitting across from me slowly opened his mouth.
Archbishop Armata left us, saying we young friends should talk, but honestly, I had nothing to say to the prince.
Our lives and the places we live are different, and we clearly don’t know each other. There was no common ground to start a conversation.
So, when the prince spoke first, I felt a bit relieved.
“Among them was Saint Sestine from the Hilrae Church in the Church Country. She is the saint chosen by the Goddess of Healing, Hilrae, so no one on earth can surpass her in healing.”
“So, our father made significant concessions to the Church Country to bring the saint here, but even she failed. This is just my opinion, though.”
The prince placed both hands on the table, quietly looked at me, and then spoke.
“I don’t think your personal abilities surpass those of Saint Sestine. How much better can one person be compared to another? It’s just that you succeeded where the saint failed, and that difference in ability must have come from the one behind you.”
I just smiled. I’ve thought a lot, pondered deeply.
If He hadn’t chosen me, what would I have been? Just a boy from a rural village with nothing special. That’s all I would have been. So, I’ve always wondered.
Why did the Lord choose me, of all people, to bring me under Him?
Did the Lord see something in me that I couldn’t see? Or was it just a random choice?
I was curious, but I left the answer as a question. The Lord must have had His reasons, and what I should pursue is not the answer but helping those in need of divinity.
But the Lord was more magnificent than I had thought, and in contrast, I was just an ordinary child with nothing special about me.
What exactly did He see in me to choose me? I couldn’t help but wonder more.
“I don’t know why someone like you joined hands with my sister, but do you know this? Whatever my sister can offer, I can offer too. There’s no reason for us to be on different sides.”
“It seems you consider the princess to be on a different side.”
“Well… I can’t say I was the first to draw that line.”
There was a slight hint of passion in the prince’s words. For a moment, he couldn’t control his anger and let it slip into his voice. It wasn’t just that the siblings didn’t get along.
There seemed to be some hidden story between them that I didn’t know about.
“Priest. I don’t think you’ve yet boarded the same ship as my sister. If that’s the case, is there any reason to board a sinking ship?”
“I said whatever my sister can offer, I can offer too. If the ship has already been set, I can’t offer that, but someone as noble as you wouldn’t have shared a bed with my sister, right?”
I won’t deny it. That I’m closer to the princess’s side than the prince’s.
I know that to others, it might seem like I’ve taken the princess’s side. But picking sides and arguing over right and wrong isn’t my job. It’s not what the Lord wants from me, nor is it what I want for myself.
“I am solely on the Lord’s side.”
In my heart, I only engrave the image of the Lord, and as a priest, I must live following His teachings.
Even if the Lord doesn’t answer others’ prayers, He answers mine because I live according to His will.
If it aligns with His will, I can be on anyone’s side, but if it doesn’t, no matter what is offered, I cannot.
“And my Lord holds no prejudice against you, Prince. Does it seem like He takes the princess’s side over yours?”
A strand of divine power flowed from my hand to the prince. Tasting the faint divine power, the prince tried to say something but closed his mouth.
“Prince. Just as the sun rises wherever our feet tread. In the demon world where the demons live, in the Arctic where Grimudo resides, in the great volcanoes of the south, in the great forests of the elves, and even in this imperial palace, the sun finds us every day. Each time, the sun in the sky shines upon us.”
“The sun doesn’t favor one place over another. It doesn’t shine its light on just one country. My Lord is like that. Everyone hopes for and pursues a special god who only looks after themselves, their power, or their country, but to Him, such standards are like lines drawn by a child in the dirt. It may be presumptuous, but to Him, both you and the princess are merely humans.”
Sometimes I wonder why He called Himself the God of Hope.
I once thought that the Lord was born from the hopes of people. That the wishes of those who hope for tomorrow in despair, like how resentment condenses to give birth to a death god, might have condensed to create the Lord.
Because I know that the celestial god Aldehir was born in such a way.
Among the five great gods, He is special. Born from humanity’s longing and desire for the heavens, from the curiosity about the mysteries of the sky.
I thought my Lord might be similar, but now I’m not sure. The more I try to understand Him, the deeper my confusion grows.
“Then such a being should stay in the heavens.”
Prince Edmund warned me. He didn’t raise his voice or shout.
His voice didn’t get any louder, and he spoke calmly without any anger, but it was clearly a warning. I wasn’t so oblivious as to not notice.
“Priest. When people walk on the earth, they face rain and wind, and sometimes their bodies don’t obey their will. I understand your intentions, but I’m very worried. In the midst of political turmoil, who can maintain absolute neutrality?”
“Your words aren’t wrong. Unless one ascends to the heavens, one cannot escape right and wrong. Since I’m also human, there might be times when I lean to one side.”
I don’t need to look far. I healed the princess who came to me and gave her a chance to live. This in itself isn’t a bad thing, but the prince probably wants to kill me.
Saying I didn’t know she was the princess is meaningless. After all, the fact that I saved her remains unchanged.
Since the outcome is decided, there’s no reason or meaning to discuss what happened before. To him, I’ve already taken a side.
“All I can say is that I know exactly where I stand. I am the Lord’s person. No matter which side I’m on, no matter what I do, I always prioritize His will.”
“Aren’t you afraid? Everyone around here is my person.”
The prince lowered his voice and whispered quietly.
“I’m considering it now. An opportunity like this won’t come to me again. So, tell me. How should I treat you?”
“Treat me as your heart dictates.”
“If I say I’ll consider you an enemy if you don’t cross over, will your intentions really not change?”
“If I hadn’t abandoned fear and fixed my life’s center on the Lord, how could I be called a priest?”
The subtle threat in his voice wasn’t worth considering.
As the prince was about to speak again, a strong light flashed behind me. It wasn’t the halo I emitted, nor was it bestowed by the Lord. A bright light, like the midday sun, radiated intense heat.
The prince, momentarily blinded, reflexively covered his eyes and exclaimed.
“The sun…?”
Turning around, in the blinding light, Roka, who had been eating pudding, stopped and glared at the prince.
Behind her, a small sun-like figure was ready to unleash its powerful energy.
“Your Highness. Just a moment…”
A woman who seemed to be his guard approached the prince and whispered something in his ear. Only then did the prince sigh and rise from his seat.
He pushed his chair back and stood up.
With an infinitely restrained demeanor. But he couldn’t hide his anger.
“Very well. It seems the conclusion has already been reached. Then I won’t take any more of your time, Priest.”
He soon walked away from me with complicated steps. Roka, having finished her egg pudding, wiped her mouth with a napkin and finally approached me again. The child hesitated and then spoke.
“There are a lot of strong people here.”
Well, this is the center of all power in the empire.
Who knows how many strong individuals are bustling around here. Roka seems to have grown much stronger, but she’s still far from making a big name for herself in the capital.
“This is the capital.”
“If those people had tried to harm you, I wouldn’t have been able to protect you. I want to get stronger. How can I get stronger?”
I didn’t ask why she wanted to get stronger. In this world, power is the right to speak.
This child has lived a life where, without power, she couldn’t voice her thoughts.
“Roka.”
But no matter how much the world tries to taint people.
Even if one can’t remain pure white, one must not become completely black. Even if one has to compromise with the world, one must remain gray and protect oneself.
“Will you sit here for a moment?”
So, I wanted to tell her a story.
Except for the Lord and the angel, the strongest person I’ve ever seen on earth.
A sage with countless wisdom. But one who became the Demon King.
The story of a foolish man residing in the Arctic, hoping Roka wouldn’t follow in his footsteps.
“Long ago, there was a person who suffered a great wound.”
Recalling the past he told us himself, I began the old tale.
Humans are foolish, and history repeats itself. But while foolish people don’t learn from experience, the wise learn and realize something through history.
I’m not saying Roka is foolish,
but I want her to become a wise person.
“When even those he held most dear turned their backs on him, he sought power so that such a thing would never happen again. In the end, he became stronger than anyone, but now there’s no one by his side.”
At least, I hope she doesn’t become like the one in the Arctic.
It’s just my wish, though.
