To Hell with Being a Saint, I’m a Doctor

Nothing distinguished ordinary people from saints except divine power.

Ordinary people often received divine power through baptism after receiving revelations from God.

However, Ray claimed he possessed no divine power.

This implied that he had saved himself using only his own abilities.

Aira realized the absurd extent of Ray’s success and shivered.

“So, you’re saying you healed me using only magic?”

“Exactly. I didn’t want to rely on something so uncertain… but my lack of knowledge left me no choice. Hahahaha.”

As he spoke, Ray scratched his head, seemingly oblivious to the incredible feat he had achieved.

Her lips trembling, she asked,

“Are you aware that magic is just an imitation of divine techniques?”

“Uh-huh. Wasn’t there a time in the mythological age when gods descended to earth? Humans created magic after witnessing the gods and desiring to touch the divine.”

Aira nodded at Ray’s explanation.

Then, leaning forward, she inquired,

“Do you understand how extraordinary what you did is?”

Naturally, the oblivious Ray tilted his head.

“Huh? Did I do something wrong?”

“No, not at all.”

It was far from a mistake; it was a monumental success.

In the field of ‘magic,’ which imitates divine techniques, he had replicated the techniques of the gods themselves.

The illness she had suffered from was akin to a curse.

She didn’t believe anyone could easily inflict such a disease or curse on another.

This disease, which made one emit a fragrant, fruit-like scent, was similar to becoming a fruit.

One had to remain conscious throughout the illness.

Since there was nothing physically wrong with the body, it naturally couldn’t be cured.

Furthermore, the most problematic aspect of this disease was that the afflicted couldn’t use their mana.

While naturally emitted mana was one thing, being unable to control mana at will was another.

Since there was nothing physically wrong with the body, the cause could not be identified.

It was more accurate to label it a curse rather than a disease.

Curing this with magic? Healing a physically normal body with a 1st circle healing magic called ‘Heal’?

If that was feasible, then there was no need for the existence of circles.

The 1st circle healing magic was more remarkable than the 6th circle healing magic, so why bother categorizing them into circles at all?

Observing the hero who accomplished the impossible in front of her, Aira thought,

‘Perhaps the most fascinating saint in history will emerge.’

Her thought was not without reason.

A saint who does not utilize divine power.

A saint who has not undergone baptism.

Was he not just healing with his own power rather than that of a saint?

A saint chosen by God, yet does not use God’s power.

She was eager to see what intriguing situations would unfold.

She broke into laughter as if she was weary of it all.

“What a ludicrous fellow.”

The thought of this man sweeping through the holy kingdom quickened her pulse.

Looking at Ray, she felt foolish for even considering whether to leave the village.

With a pleasant smile, she walked out.

Opening the door, she turned to look at Ray and said,

“Ray, come out too. Regardless of what anyone says, you’re my savior.”

“In this atmosphere?”

“Hohoho. It’s okay. If anyone says anything, I’ll just relocate the village.”

At her playful joke, Ray also laughed and stepped out the door. However, his expression quickly turned serious. He had entirely forgotten something very crucial. The height of the tree. How challenging had it been to climb up and down the tree every time? And now, he had to do it all over again, in front of all the elves! In a panic, Ray seized Aira’s wrist. Startled, Aira’s heart missed a beat at his sudden action.

“Why… Why are you doing this…?”

Ignoring Aira’s pounding heart, Ray, pale-faced, said,

“I… I can’t get down.”

“…What?”

Aira stared at him in disbelief, momentarily forgetting the pounding in her chest from his sudden grasp. Even though he had been unable to move, he had repeatedly stated his intention to go home and had packed his backpack. How could he now claim he was unable to descend when he had previously managed to leave the village and return home? It was the same tree.

Ray clasped his hands together, tightly shut his eyes, and pleaded.

“Please! Help me get down!”

Aira remained silent for a moment after hearing Ray’s words, then spoke in a trembling voice.

“…Is it really… okay?”

Ray was confused by her blushing response, especially since he was the one asking for help. Her reaction was similar to when he had previously asked Pia to carry him. Aira provided an explanation.

“In our elf culture, allowing someone to touch below our waist and above our knees signifies a promise for the future. I ask you again. Is it really okay for me to carry you down?”

Ray was taken aback by her words.

That was correct.

Aira had previously stated, ‘Elves allow those they acknowledge to touch below their waist and above their knees.’

If that was the case, did it mean he had proposed to Pia?

Ray shook his head vigorously.

“No, no! There must be another way down other than being carried!”

“No, there isn’t. Even if there is, I will eliminate it. There is no other option but to be carried down.”

Ray pondered her words as their faces were almost touching.

‘Wait… As I thought before, I can just explode mana before hitting the ground and get down that way.’

He had planned to do so when going to the elder’s house, but Pia had instructed him to proceed respectfully by hand, leaving him with no choice but to climb.

But now, there was no need to maintain respect while descending with her, was there?

Ray grinned triumphantly, pushed Aira away, and stepped out the door.

He concentrated mana around his feet.

This was a precaution in case he failed to time the explosion correctly and needed to temporarily absorb the shock with his feet.

Even if something went wrong, he wouldn’t be seriously hurt.

With the mindset of a bungee jumper, he took a deep breath, counted to three, and leaped.

“Aaaaaah! Move!”

As he rapidly descended towards the ground, he realized he couldn’t slow his speed.

If he continued like this, his feet would be destroyed.

Even if he had taken precautions, it would still end painfully, though not severely.

If he released mana now, the elves below would surely be injured, so Ray tightly closed his eyes.

But then, he heard a voice from behind him.

“Fly.”

Upon hearing that voice, he slightly opened his tightly closed eyes and saw that he was floating in the air.

Aira, who had jumped down late, landed lightly on the ground and lowered Ray.

“Cancel.”

Thud.

She glanced at Ray and then clicked her tongue softly.

“Tsk.”

Ray chuckled as he looked at the person who had saved his precious legs from being completely crushed.

“Thank you for saving my beautiful legs.”

Aira, who had been glancing at him, looked around at the elves.

They had all stopped and looked at the two who had suddenly appeared from the tall trees, then they all bowed their heads and knelt.

Not a single breath could be heard in front of her, as if making noise was a great disrespect.

Ray looked at Aira with amazement at the tremendous authority the high elves held.

“Do I have to kneel, too…?”

The atmosphere suggested that everyone should be kneeling.

Just as he was about to reluctantly kneel, Aira stopped him.

“Why, why are you trying to kneel?”

Aira was quite taken aback by Ray’s sudden action.

But she also found it quite amusing.

In the end, she burst out laughing.

“Pfft.”

---

The dispatched battalion struggled as they entered the elf forest.

They were constantly attacked by monsters, which prevented them from resting properly.

Ray managed to pass through the monsters with ease, exploding mana in an instant without receiving any attacks from them, but the others were not as swift.

Indeed, they moved rather slowly.

They were a large group, all armed with heavy equipment, including holy knights, and supported by priests.

Naturally, the monsters posed little threat to the knights of the holy nation.

However, the incessant attacks from the monsters meant they could not rest and had to continuously battle them.

The saintess was in the safest position among them.

She feared that if this pace continued, they might not reach their destination by tomorrow.

Moreover, the knights were nearly drained of energy.

They had been fighting for three hours since their arrival.

The priests were faring relatively better, but they were panting as if they were depleted of holy power.

Iriel sighed and raised her right hand towards the sky.

She then addressed those around her.

“Don’t worry about your stamina, just concentrate on defeating the monsters.”

As soon as she finished speaking, an enormous burst of holy power emanated from her right hand.

The light brightly lit up the surroundings, and the knights and priests within the light’s range felt their holy power overflowing.

“To have this much holy power restored…”

“This is the power of the saintess…”

They felt the holy power that had been exhausted in fighting the monsters return instantly, and their gaze naturally turned to the saintess.

They shivered as they watched her, showing no signs of difficulty as she lowered her right hand and crossed her arms.

How much holy power did she possess to be able to replenish all of their power and not show any signs of fatigue?

The upper echelon was positioned around Iriel, and the lower echelon knights were directly engaging the monsters.

In their rejuvenated state, they advanced with a terrifying momentum, sweeping away the monsters.

The continuation of this pace would allow them to reach the elven village as planned the next day.

Iriel maintained a stern expression as she observed the falling monsters.

She appeared dissatisfied with the pace of their progress.

Resting her hand on her cheek, she muttered to herself.

“I wanted to bring only the top brass with me, but due to external scrutiny, I had no choice.”

Her actions were under the watchful eyes of not only the holy nation but also the kingdom of Silia.

She had included as few lower-ranking members as possible.

Had she brought only the high-ranking members, they would have reached their destination today without needing to rest.

However, due to the inclusion of the younger, lower-ranking members, they had to find suitable resting spots and use holy power to tend to them.

Their pace was pitiful compared to that of the high-ranking members, and it was a nuisance.

Iriel resolved that upon her return to the holy nation, she would first need to deal with the opposition.