NOVEL NEXT Chapter 10
#010 Episode. I Don’t Know What the Gods Are Like
It took exactly two days for the sharp pain to subside.
In reality, there were methods like healing through divine power, but Asher chose not to do that.
“Because I can’t grow any stronger!”
“…Wow.”
“This is important! The Saintess’s body is too frail! No matter how vast the divine power may be to stave off illness, health without physical strength is nothing but an illusion!”
Asher’s expression was quite joyful.
It was a satisfaction born from finally overcoming pain and enduring it.
It felt as if he had returned to the time when he was first training.
The sense of accomplishment was something that could not be overstated.
Anyway, today was the day of the final inspection.
Asher was now able to naturally take a step of one and a half feet, as Bershia had mentioned.
He had become less embarrassed to mimic Bershia’s tone in front of others.
In fact, he began to worry about what would happen if he got so used to this behavior that he would struggle upon returning.
Of course, that was something to think about later.
Asher stepped out of the church proudly alongside Bershia.
In reality, the medical service itself didn’t take long at all.
Why would it when the vast divine power made it so that a single prayer could recover the entire village?
So, there was no need to gather people.
He simply told them to stay within the village, and this village was no different.
“Still, some people are coming out.”
“Haha, how often do you get to see the Saintess in person?”
“Though the Saintess is really someone else inside.”
“…Sometimes, there are truths that are better left unknown.”
A strange sense of guilt welled up, and Asher turned his head away.
Bershia whispered at that moment.
“I’ll acknowledge you if you really become her.”
“I don’t want to!”
“Why not? You suit it well. Aren’t you getting used to being a woman by now?”
“I do not suit it! I am a knight who overcame harsh training…!”
“Well, look, those sick people are here. You need to get back to your main job. Miracle Saintess.”
She really had a talent for changing the subject.
Asher wiped the disgruntled expression from his face and arranged his features.
What greeted him was, of course, the ecstatic faces of the people.
“Ooh! Miracle Saintess!”
“Ooh! O divine one!”
He shouldn’t have gotten used to such reactions.
Asher swallowed the rising emptiness inside and smiled brightly.
Then he knelt down and clasped his hands together.
“Let us pray.”
The people knelt down.
They began to chant their prayers, creating a solemn atmosphere.
In the middle of that, Asher unleashed his divine power.
Fwoosh—!
The golden light dyed the space around him.
That light spread, engulfing everything that existed, and soon began to cover the village.
The healing prayer stirred the lifeforce.
He carefully adjusted it so there would be no divine rings, and firmly established a foundation so the prayer wouldn’t collapse.
“Ah!”
Gasps echoed from everywhere.
Some wept from the warmth that rose up.
Thus, the prayer came to an end.
It lasted around 10 minutes, but the power imbued in the divine power successfully penetrated deep into the peoples’ beings, healing them from within.
Most likely, all minor ailments would have been cured, and for a while, they would no longer need to worry about infections or minor illnesses.
After everything ended, a priest from the local branch crossed himself and expressed his gratitude to Asher.
Asher smiled softly and bid farewell to him, preparing to leave the village.
Before he knew it, it was late afternoon.
He wondered if the sun would set before he reached the church.
Asher stretched.
“Aah, it’s finally over.”
“You worked hard. Now all that’s left is to collect your fees.”
“Ah, that’s why I started this.”
Asher chuckled lightly.
“I’ve been so busy since the middle that I forgot. Controlling the divine power, taking care of patients….”
But it was definitely a fulfilling journey.
When he was a knight, there weren’t many opportunities for such volunteer work.
Suddenly, memories of the past came to mind.
“Since I was part of a military organization, I often supported troop deployment for the eradication of heretics. Taking care of the citizens of the Divine One was always the clergy’s responsibility.”
He shouldn’t harbor such thoughts considering his assigned duties, but there were times he had wished to participate in caring for the people from that position.
Asher confessed that to her.
Of course, the response was far from the warm-hearted context he had expected.
“I think it suits the knight to also be a Saintess.”
“Excuse me?”
“I just thought, you really are a born female.”
“F-female! W-Watch your words!”
Is this person truly afflicted with a disease that makes it impossible for them to speak without using such base terms?
Asher glared with bewilderment, and Bershia scratched her ear.
Asher let out a forced laugh.
“Such behavior is not appropriate! It’s unbecoming!”
“Stop nagging me. Are you my mother or something?”
“If the Saintess doesn’t want me to nag, she should just act accordingly!”
“A knight who just bosses around won’t be popular.”
“I am not a woman! I don’t need to be popular! I am a man! I am a knight of the Divine One!!!”
“Those who say that often end up in depravity, not knowing what the Gods are like, dear lord…”
“Please stop! If you say more of that, I will really get angry! I mean it! And keep your hands off my chest!!!”
Kyaah! Asher growled.
His brows furrowed deeply.
Quivering in excitement, he glared, showing the greatest warning he could muster.
Bershia smirked.
And then it happened.
“S-Saintess!!! Please wait a moment!!!”
Startled, Asher froze.
Turning his head, he saw a man running toward them from the village, trembling and teary-eyed.
Asher tilted his head.
The man, now close, knelt down, gasping for breath, and spoke in a trembling voice.
“Pl-please! Just for a moment! Please look at my father again! He surely received a miracle but there’s no improvement!!!”
Asher and Bershia exchanged glances.
They immediately caught on to what the man meant.
Their expressions darkened slightly.
*
The Divine One has sent his servants to this land, enabling them to wield the divine power which is his strength.
This was his wish that the grace of the one who created this land be close to the beings of creation, and thus the church and the clergy came into existence.
They had but one purpose.
No, what the Divine One intended to achieve through them was to inform that there exists one unchanging value amidst an ever-changing world.
That the Divine One watches over them.
Thus, the clergy wields the grace of the Divine One.
In other words, they bestow the ‘providence planned by the Divine One.’
Therefore,
“His lifespan has come to an end.”
Unforeseen changes that the Divine One had not planned cannot be handled by them either.
Bershia spoke in Asher’s stead.
This was her response as she gazed keenly at the ailing old man lying in bed at the man’s house.
“Miracles can heal the sick, but they cannot twist the providence planned by the Divine One. This is not sickness but order.”
“Th-that’s…!”
“I’m sorry.”
As mentioned earlier, divine power is the force that guides the world according to the Divine One’s design.
The god created this land and set forth the cycle of birth and extinction, of change and transformation.
This is why the world does not stagnate, continuously altering its form.
Because it is not eternal, brilliant moments cascade into succession.
This was an extension of that perspective.
The old man’s lifespan had come to an end.
He had reached the point designated by the god.
To restore him at this moment would be against the order.
It would be a defiance of Heaven.
The clergy and the church are those who erase such defiance from the world.
They may reject sinister sorcery and magic, or heretics, but they cannot engage in the same actions as those who perform such deeds.
The man was despaired.
Amid that, Bershia observed Asher’s demeanor.
She knew Asher well enough to realize he was a kind-hearted and naive knight who wouldn’t be able to stand such a scene.
Perhaps he was already feeling uncomfortable in the atmosphere.
Amazed that she was concerned for others, Bershia tried to take Asher out.
But she was unable to.
“Saintess, there’s nothing we can do here….”
“Yes.”
Asher raised his head.
He wore a bitter smile and straightened himself.
And then,
Fwoosh—!
Once again, he unleashed his prayer.
He couldn’t even control it himself, bursting forth with that characteristic golden brilliance that enveloped the entire village.
“…?”
In that moment, Bershia felt a sense of confusion.
The man’s eyes widened greatly.
The old man’s breathing eased up.
Had he perhaps driven away his sickness?
Bershia’s expression stiffened as she, more than anyone, understood this was an unreasonable occurrence.
However, Bershia’s assumption was incorrect.
“I’ve lessened the pain for him. At least he won’t be suffering in his sleep.”
“…!”
Asher spoke softly, yet firmly.
As if saying he could not do any more than this.
It was then that Bershia understood the nature of the prayer.
‘Ah.’
It was a prayer for rest.
Bershia, who only knew of its existence but had never used it, realized that it was a prayer that solely erased the pain from the dying.
‘How?’
How could he have recalled such a prayer so quickly?
It was a very rare prayer used only in the most exceptional circumstances.
If one doesn’t seek it out, it’s natural not to even know it exists.
Bershia had a puzzled expression.
The man’s lips trembled.
He looked at the old man with a bewildered expression.
“…Ah. Ah.”
The man trembled as he grasped the old man’s hand.
Tears welled up in his eyes.
Despair thickened.
To him, Asher said,
“Brother.”
“Uh, ah…”
“Brother.”
Asher stood up.
Placing a hand on the man’s shoulder.
Life was draining from his expression.
Asher spoke to him sternly.
“Are you going to keep on crying?”
“W-What do you mean…!”
“He is your father. Through my prayer, he has forgotten his pain. He may not live much longer, but he will undoubtedly regain his senses in that time.”
The man’s expression stiffened.
His eyes widened as if they would tear, and he turned to look at the old man.
Asher, like an instructor, spoke to the man.
“At the very least, the tears of your brother are not what your father wants to see in his last moments.”
That firmness made Bershia feel once more a sense of unfamiliarity toward Asher.