I Became a Priest Impostor (2)
“Yeah.”
I answered the boy’s question in a short, polite tone.
“So you’re the priest of the Flower Goddess?”
“Why do you think that?”
“Because I heard that priests who worship the Flower Goddess wear pretty flower patterns on their clothes!”
The boy reached out curiously and gently stroked the floral design on my shirt. He clearly liked the pattern.
’Such a little one who can tell what’s in my clothes… I’m actually quite pleased.’
Of course, my heart warmed at the praise. The faint spark of affection for the Flower Goddess religion only grew stronger.
’The Flower Goddess, huh? Not bad at all.’
With that, I had chosen the perfect religion to impersonate.
“Yes, I serve the Flower Goddess.”
Even though I was only pretending to serve her right now.
…
The innkeeper kept checking the boy’s forehead.
Every stitch and the faint scar from the wound had vanished.
“How is this possible…”
After rubbing the boy’s forehead several times, the innkeeper finally let out a sigh of relief.
Yet his expression quickly turned troubled, as if he was struggling with a new worry.
“I don’t know how to repay you properly. Please take this as a small offering, at least.”
“No need. I’ll accept it with gratitude.”
That was a lie. I had really wanted to get the lodging fee back.
But as a supposed priest, I couldn’t act too priestly, so I forced myself to refuse.
Instead, I came up with another request.
“If it troubles you so much, could you just tell me the location of the local healing center?”
“Healing center?”
“I’ll be staying in the city for a while due to personal matters.”
It wasn’t a lie. I really did need to stay here, and personal matters fit the story.
“So, while I’m here, I’d like to help in any way I can.”
I needed money to survive, after all.
But the innkeeper looked at me with the eyes of someone seeing a real priest example.
“Of course! The path to the healing center is a bit winding, but don’t worry.”
He then gestured to the boy.
“Sean here will guide you.”
“..Just the location is fine.”
I was about to refuse the idea of sending a child to run an errand when Sean spoke first.
“Haha, it’s no problem at all, Priest-nim! I happen to be going that way anyway.”
“..Then I’ll leave it to you.”
Since he was already heading that way, refusing felt rude.
In the end, I nodded and accepted his offer to accompany us.
We finished the breakfast we hadn’t managed to eat and stepped out of the inn.
The city outside was lively.
Merchants had set up stalls along the main street, and vegetable carts rolled by constantly.
Sean moved skillfully through the crowd of people and carts.
I followed and asked, “Is the healing center quite far from here?”
“No, it’s not that far. The path is just winding and a bit complicated.”
Why put a healing center in such a difficult spot?
Sean answered my unspoken question.
“Normally it was in a visible location, but after the priestess of the Flower Goddess started using miracles, outsiders kept coming. The lord moved it because the residents were complaining that they couldn’t get treated.”
That made perfect sense.
Moreover, Sean’s information was surprisingly useful.
From a child’s mouth, I learned details that were hard to find in the gallery.
’I heard there’s only one priest who can use healing magic in such a large city.’
Even that one was flooded with visitors from outside.
Demand far exceeded supply, so money would be easy to make.
We turned several corners heading toward the city outskirts.
Finally, we reached our destination.
“There it is.”
Sean pointed to a building that looked like any ordinary house from the outside. It was cleverly hidden.
“I’ll be off then. I have some business to attend to!”
As we arrived in front of the healing center, Sean bowed deeply.
With that excuse, he dashed toward the market, leaving me to enter the center alone.
The moment I stepped inside, the smell of herbs and faint blood hit my nose.
Compared to modern hospitals, it was raw and pungent.
Yet the interior was surprisingly quiet.
An old man coughing and a young man having his wrist wrapped were the only patients in the chairs.
It seemed they were treating minor ailments with medicine.
“How can I help you?”
I was looking around when a female priest finished treating the young man and approached.
“I am Plawi, a follower of Iris, the Flower Goddess.”
Even though the name was made up, it sounded decent enough to satisfy me.
“A priest of the Flower Goddess?”
The female priest glanced at my shirt and nodded.
“But what brings you here?”
She didn’t beat around the bush.
“I came to apply for the position.”
“Pardon?”
She looked startled, then troubled.
“We’re grateful for the offer, but our center isn’t large enough to add more staff right now.”
She was clearly turning me down.
But I believed she wouldn’t turn me down after seeing the miracle.
“Though my abilities are modest, I am talented. I’ll be of great help.”
—
Before she could answer, a brilliant light bloomed on my open palm.
Everyone in the room turned to look at the glowing hand.
The healing center suddenly buzzed with surprise.
Even the female priest’s eyes widened.
“A miracle of healing…”
“May the Flower Goddess bless you. I have humbly received it.”
It was a lie, but one that worked.
The priest stared at the light in confusion for a moment.
Then she suddenly remembered herself and spun around.
“Wait! Just a moment, please!”
She hurried inside and soon returned with an older priestess.
She didn’t look gentle like the usual priestess image. Instead, she looked stern and elderly, her face showing exhaustion.
“You can use the miracle of healing?”
The old priestess jumped straight to the point and stepped closer.
“Show me.”
“Of course.”
I used Heal again, feeling a bit tense.
—
Bright light flared on my palm.
The old priestess narrowed her eyes and studied the light carefully.
She looked like she might have figured it out, but then her stern expression softened.
“Good.”
“Huh?”
“Help right away.”
“..Yes.”
I was confused, but relieved at the same time.
’Even a priest can’t tell the difference. I really won’t get caught.’
Sean’s words were right on the mark.
“There’s only one priest in the city who can use the miracle of healing, and I was overwhelmed with work. Gaia has helped me.”
She muttered this and led me down the hallway toward the inner rooms.
The area we entered looked like a separate ward, full of patients on beds.
Eight patients were in critical condition, with bandages and splints, and they wouldn’t survive the week without immediate care.
“Wow. You’ve fought a monster that could swallow an entire house?”
“If it were an ogre, the corpses would still be there. It must have been an orc pack.”
“..I see.”
“But we managed to put out the fire in time. The remaining patients can survive today at least.”
Only now did I understand her exhausted look.
She had pushed herself to save those on the verge of death.
’No need for a separate priest here.’
The girl at the inn had come back without receiving a miracle for nothing.
“Then let’s start treatment right away.”
I didn’t waste time and slowly raised my hand again.
But the way I operated was slightly different from before.
“Don’t rush it. Even just extending life for a moment is fine…”
The old priestess couldn’t finish her words.
Before she could speak, a brilliant wave of light spread across the entire room.
’Healing Wave.’
It was a wide-range heal that took time to cast, but the effect was astonishing.
Crushed flesh knit together and damaged organs began to heal.
Patients’ rough, labored breathing slowly calmed.
The light faded completely only after all treatment was done.
“It’s finished.”
“..Already?”
The old priestess stared at me in disbelief.
Instead of answering, I removed the bandages from the nearest patient.
The wound had vanished without a trace.
The same was true for the others.
The old priestess walked between the beds, checking each patient’s pulse, gently touching the injured areas, and opening eyelids to look at their pupils.
Every time, her expression grew more shocked.
“Oh…”
She rubbed her face and fell into thought.
“You… Why are you only showing up now?”
“How would I know where dandelion seeds would land?”
“Damn it.”
The old priestess spat out the words with disgust.
It sounded priestly, but somehow it didn’t sit right with me.
But I knew all her reactions stemmed from regret.
’I passed the interview.’
I wrote to the gallery with the title “Hired.”