Chapter 146
Chapter 146
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 146
Chapter Title: The Returned Idol (1)
Just like any other day, I was carrying out my church duties.
While reviewing approval documents and fidgeting in my chair, a sudden ache in my glutes drew an involuntary groan from me.
"Ugh..."
Every time I moved, aches throbbed all over my body, and pained noises kept slipping out before I could stop them.
My whole body, from head to toe, felt stiff and sore—like it had turned into a vending machine dispensing nothing but pain.
It was the aftermath of the basic physical training sessions Esty had put me through over the past few days.
"Haa..."
I rubbed at the sore spots and let out another deep sigh.
I knew this pain was leading to growth, but that didn't make it hurt any less.
Can't I just use my healing powers if it gets unbearable?
Surprisingly, using my abilities to erase the pain prevented any muscle gain.
Maybe because miraculous recovery works differently from normal cell regeneration.
The first day after finishing my workout, I gave in to the severe soreness and used just a touch of healing power... but when I checked afterward, not only was the pain gone, but my muscle growth had stalled too. A total disaster. Honestly, I nearly burst into tears.
All that hard work from the day had gone to waste.
In the end, Esty caught me and made me repeat the exact same training from scratch.
Tears genuinely welled up in my eyes.
After going through all that, I finally learned that I had to endure the muscle pain fully to build my stamina.
'But knowing that doesn't make the pain vanish...'
I couldn't help grimacing every time a fresh throb hit.
Even now, as I shifted unconsciously, another groan escaped.
"Ngh..."
Yoanna, who had come for the meeting, heard it and flinched beside me.
She asked cautiously.
"Sis, are you okay?"
"Yeah... I'm managing, I guess..."
I didn't want to whine, so I forced a smile and answered.
Yoanna watched me for a moment, hesitating, then spoke up again.
"Um, then... how about I give you a massage after work?"
"A massage?"
"Yeah, I learned some acupressure during my rehab before. It's really effective for relieving muscle fatigue quickly."
'Oh, right... come to think of it...'
Yoanna had been through something similar herself.
In the past, she'd suffered from near-total paralysis.
After receiving my healing miracle, her nervous system recovered, but her atrophied muscles from disuse required proper rehab. That's why she'd had to use a wheelchair for a while until her muscle mass returned to normal—a memory that suddenly resurfaced.
If I'd remembered that a bit sooner, I wouldn't have rashly healed my soreness and wasted an extra day on training...
Anyway, her offer to massage me had me lighting up with gratitude.
"Really? I'd love that. Thank you so much."
She must have her own tasks to handle, yet here she was offering her time so freely. What a thoughtful, kind-hearted girl.
'Come to think of it, Yoanna's changed so much since we first met.'
Back then, she was... well, a bit over the top in every way.
Now she knew how to consider others, thinking about what they actually needed rather than just giving from her own wants. She'd grown so much.
It felt like the proud satisfaction a parent has watching their well-raised child.
I nodded with a warm smile.
"Thanks, Yoanna. I'll take you up on it later."
She replied confidently.
"You got it, sis! Leave it to me!"
After our brief chat, we refocused on the meeting.
We went through a bit more of the reports.
To shake off the stiffness, I stretched out habitually once more.
"Ahhh—"
As I squeezed my eyes shut and extended my limbs, a sly whisper slithered out from somewhere.
"Heehee... a massage from sis..."
"......"
She's grown... right?
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Anyway, the meeting continued. Yoanna gave her next report.
"Oh, and preparations are complete for launching the mission schools in various locations."
"You mean the ones from the proposal?"
Mission School
Typically, these are schools established and run by a religion for missionary purposes.
But the facilities our church was setting up were more like daycares.
As the church's businesses expanded, stable jobs for believers multiplied. With incomes secured, families with children started demanding regular childcare services.
The problem was Omega Detroit's dismal childcare infrastructure.
There were no public schools or proper daycare centers in the city. Usually, kids were left home alone while parents worked.
Private daycares existed, but their fees were too burdensome for working-class families, making quality childcare a privilege for corporate employees.
As a result, neglected kids spent their days glued to online streams, addictive short-form videos, or games until their parents returned. Everyone knew it was wrong, but no one could fix it.
That started changing after the Radiance Church appeared.
The church evolved from a mere religious group into a trusted community for residents.
Some parents began leaving their kids at the cathedral while they worked. It was a safe place for them to socialize healthily with peers—perfect, really.
Especially as more believers gained stable jobs through the church and needed childcare during work hours, demand exploded.
That's when we decided it made more sense for the church to run them officially: our new venture, the mission schools.
For an additional tithe, believers could have their kids cared for at the cathedral's education center during work hours.
In the process, the children built social skills with peers, learned basic manners, and received foundational education.
Yoanna continued her report.
"Believers are already showing huge interest. Waitlists are forming, and we're even getting inquiries from people wanting to convert just to enroll their kids."
In truth, establishing these mission schools held meaning beyond mere childcare.
The religion was now supporting families as a pillar of home life.
This would plant the seeds for a community rooted deeply and firmly in believers' lives.
In the future beyond my foresight, we'd expanded aggressively and hit a snag.
Internal enemies we couldn't weed out proved more dangerous than external threats.
So this time, we decided to build our foundation step by step.
'Of course, this approach means slower growth in numbers.'
And slower expansion meant faith accumulated more gradually, potentially delaying my return to my original world.
But we had countermeasures ready. Yoanna answered as if she'd been waiting.
"As planned, preparations for dispatching priestly teams to other cities are nearly done."
Instead of aggressive expansion limited to Omega Detroit, we were targeting slums in other cities.
Rapid growth in one area alarms the power holders. In the future where we controlled 70% of the population, we'd even gone to war with megacorps over city dominance—voting rights made it a real threat.
But the same number of believers spread across multiple cities? Especially in extramural slums without voting rights? Power holders wouldn't see them as a threat, letting us gather faith freely.
I had no worries about the dispatched priests. They were now the world's top experts in slum relief. They'd secure maximum public support at minimal cost without any special instructions.
These new believers across regions would amass the faith to bring me home, free from power interference.
Celestina and I had already prepared funding for charity drives.
With mission schools and hospitals strengthening the church's core...
Our blueprint for the future was nearly complete.
As plans solidified and came to fruition one by one, the path home felt tantalizingly close.
"......"
Yet I still couldn't make the decision.
Torn between the homeland I had to return to and the people I couldn't bear to leave behind.
I'd probably put off choosing until the very last moment.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Good work, Yoanna."
"You too, sis."
With that, the meeting wrapped up.
As Yoanna packed up her report terminal, her expression suddenly turned resolute, like she'd made up her mind.
She hesitated, then spoke.
"Okay, now for your reward... I mean, the massage—"
"Huh...?"
I was puzzled by her sudden rambling when—
Ring ring ring—!
The bell shattered the office quiet.
It was my personal terminal.
I said,
"Sorry, gotta take this. Wait just a sec?"
"Oh... sure."
Yoanna nodded, a flicker of disappointment crossing her face.
The screen showed a name I hadn't seen in a while.
'...Rico?'
We'd both been busy lately with no contact, but just seeing the name brought back her boisterous energy.
The famous online streamer and popular VR idol, Rico.
What could she want after all this time?
"......"
I hesitated a moment before hitting accept.
"Hello? Rico?"
Her signature bright, booming voice blasted through the receiver, rattling my eardrums.
["Eve! You have to take responsibility!! I-I can't handle this alone anymore!!!"]
"...Pardon?"