Chapter 78
Chapter 78
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 78
Chapter Title: Hospital
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What’s the best job in South Korea?
It’s gotta be doctor, number one.
Of course, some people say otherwise.
Doctors don’t make as much money as you’d think.
Doctors have it harder than you’d imagine.
Whenever I hear stuff like that, only one thought comes to mind.
How much money does that person need to make to be satisfied?
Do they think any job besides doctor is easy?
I can’t even begin to imagine how tough it’d be or how much effort it’d take to make doctor-level money in any other field.
There’s other proof that being a doctor is the top job.
College entrance exams.
In South Korea, the students with the highest scores on the CSAT don’t go to engineering schools that keep the country running.
Nor do they head to business schools where the big money flows.
They go to medical school.
At the moment that decides their lives,
the ones with the biggest say
choose medical school.
“And now those doctors are in my hands.”
I read the list of new priests and temple knights assigned to Frontier.
A bunch of them had been sent to the temple grounds.
“Why waste this precious manpower just managing the temple? We should put them to better use.”
In each village, instead of temples, we were building new facilities.
Hospitals.
In this world, priests are both religious figures and medical professionals.
But they spend most of their time acting as the former.
“That won’t do. The goddess gave them divine power to heal people, right?”
Knock. Knock.
There was a knock, and Isaac entered.
“My lord, I’ve finished the price list you requested.”
Even modern hospitals charge different fees based on the illness.
No way it’d be the same in this world.
I looked over the report Isaac handed me.
The main pricing criterion was...
“You’ve set prices per unit of divine power?”
“Yes. As you can see on the side, I’ve noted how much divine power each type of injury consumes.”
This approach seemed reasonable.
“Good work. But here’s the thing.”
I doubled all the prices listed in the report.
“My lord!? That’s too expensive. We already set them high.”
When I told Isaac to make the price list,
I’d said to make them as high as possible.
The reason was simple.
We didn’t have enough priests to provide sufficient medical services.
So first, charge high prices,
and lower them later.
Doubling prices on top of that? No wonder Isaac was shocked.
“At these rates, hardly any villagers could afford it. Please reconsider the increase.”
“No. Just add one line at the bottom, and it’s all solved.”
I wrote in big letters under the price list.
‘Earth God’s followers: half price.’
I’d planned from the start to differentiate between Earth God’s followers and non-followers.
My original plan was this.
Use Isaac’s price list as-is,
and add underneath: ‘Non-Earth God followers: double price.’
That would breed resentment among non-followers.
But raise all prices double, then half off for Earth God’s followers?
Now the followers would be grateful.
People laugh at the parable of the three chestnuts in the morning, four at night,
but in reality, nothing’s more effective.
Same cost, totally different reputation.
“My lord, I worry this discriminates based on religion.”
“No. Earth God’s followers have the right to half-price treatment.”
At first glance, Isaac’s concern seemed valid.
Did it, really?
Where do priests’ salaries come from?
Whose pockets?
On the surface, I pay them.
I hold the temple operating rights,
and cover all temple expenses.
Dig deeper, though,
and it comes from the temple tithes paid by the faithful.
In other words, we pay priests’ salaries with tithes from those who believe in the goddess.
So giving Earth God’s followers a half-price discount isn’t religious discrimination.
I explained this,
and Isaac nodded.
“Dispatch priests to the hospitals as soon as they’re complete.”
“Understood.”
Plain City.
Temporary temple.
All priests and temple knights from the surrounding Plain area had gathered here.
“How can this be?!”
“Exactly! This is outrageous!”
Their fury stemmed from Elwin’s orders.
“Abandon the temple for some hospital?!”
“What’s a priest’s greatest duty? Worship! And they want us healing people in a hospital instead?!”
The priests’ shouts filled the temporary temple.
As their anger peaked,
the senior priest in charge of the Plain region stepped forward.
“Brothers, calm yourselves.”
His words silenced the priests.
“You’re all absolutely right. Instead of making a fuss here, let’s go see Elwin the believer together.”
“Well said!”
“We’ll go with you, Senior Priest!”
“Even Elwin the Heir can’t ignore us!”
The priests swarmed the government office.
The guards at the entrance panicked.
“Make way.”
“W-Well... I’ll report right away. Please wait just a moment, priests.”
One guard dashed inside.
Less than three minutes later,
permission to enter was granted.
They were led to a first-floor meeting room.
Elwin sat in the head seat.
“Ahem.”
The senior priest cleared his throat uncomfortably.
The Holy Royal Empire balanced religion and politics.
The Saintess ranked equal to kings or emperors,
and a senior priest like himself equaled a regional lord.
In other words, Heir Elwin ranked below him.
Yet here he was, seated above, looking down.
“Ahem! Cough!”
He expressed his displeasure with his whole body.
But.
“Your throat must be quite sore. Worrying that even a senior priest’s divine power can’t heal it.”
‘That punk...’
This was sarcasm.
Mocking that a senior priest couldn’t cure a mere sore throat.
“Kh.”
He started to cough again but held it back.
It wasn’t real pain anyway.
“We’ve come to speak with Believer Elwin.”
“What about?”
“Guarantee worship time. A priest’s primary duty is worship. We absolutely won’t yield on this.”
Elwin’s eyebrow twitched.
He closed his eyes as if pondering.
‘Come at me all you want.’
Elwin met the goddess?
She taught him farming, gave him soap-making methods?
So what?
He knew far more of the goddess’s words than Elwin.
He knew worship inside and out, dozens, hundreds of times better.
‘Bring it on. Make any excuse. I’ll refute them all.’
Elwin’s eyes opened,
and his mouth moved.
But.
He didn’t talk about worship.
“Don’t priests have duties to temple operations?”
“...”
He skipped the core doctrines.
No mention of the goddess’s words.
No talk of worship’s importance.
Instead, Elwin cited temple law.
“Ahem, cough. Believer Elwin, you seem to have misinterpreted temple law. Priests do have duties to temple operations, but the operator is the church. This is a special case...”
“Special case? There’s no such clause. Are you saying, Senior Priest, that you’re inventing things not in temple law?”
Of course, no such clause existed in temple law.
There’d never been a precedent.
Who’d expect someone outside the church to run a temple?
“There’s been no precedent until now. Since this arose, we’ll amend temple law to...”
“Hah.”
Laughing?
A mere believer laughing while a senior priest spoke?
His nape stung instantly.
Something he’d never faced even as a regular priest, now as a senior one.
“Ahem! The church will amend temple law, so don’t worry.”
“Then discuss it after the amendment. Until temple law changes, follow temple operations.”
A bead of sweat trickled down the senior priest’s neck.
Doctrinal interpretation, goddess’s words, worship—
those he could overwhelm Elwin with.
Refute anything he said.
But
he’d brought temple law.
The senior priest glanced back.
Dozens of priests watched him with expectant eyes.
‘No way to turn this around.’
Temple law had a clear clause.
No solution came to mind to bypass it.
“Since Believer Elwin insists, we’ll hurry the temple law revision. We’ll talk more after it’s amended.”
“Very well. But until then, follow temple operations.”
“...”
The senior priest bowed silently and left the office.
‘They prepared everything.’
He’d fallen into a trap.
Believer Elwin had been fully prepared and waiting.
He’d reviewed temple law long before stirring this up.
‘I was too hasty.’
He’d thought religious debates were a sure win.
They weren’t.
“Senior Priest, what now?”
“Heh, don’t worry, brothers. Soon as we’re back at the temporary temple, I’ll write to the Saintess. Current temple law doesn’t account for Frontier’s situation. It’ll naturally be amended, and then we return.”
The temple law clause Elwin cited had to be changed.
Priests’ duty to follow temple operations
existed only because the church was the operator.
Failing to amend it meant
Elwin could command priests, and they’d have to obey.
The church would never allow that.
The senior priest was certain.