All the World is Suffering
All the world's affairs are suffering. Father, take this cup from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will...
Saintess Noah.
The place where the girl lived was a hospital. Or rather, a small, rundown space better described as a "clinic." The bed, too uncomfortable to even call cozy by empty words, was her sleeping quarters.
And then.
*Bang bang!*
The moment someone started pounding on the door noisily at dawn—that was her morning.
"What is it?"
The girl, dressed in a freshly laundered gown, opened the door without a trace of sleepiness on her face. Thick glasses to mask her youthful appearance just a little. A petite frame that neither the glasses nor the gown could fully hide. An awkwardness like a child who had stolen an adult's clothes.
But the middle-aged man who had come to the clinic bowed to her desperately, politely.
"Doctor! My daughter, my daughter... she was bitten by a snake. I told her not to go into the forest—please, please save her!"
"Calm down. She'll be fine."
The saintess examined the wound on the snake-bitten girl. Two red punctures like needle pricks. Not much swelling, but an immense heat radiated from the girl's body. So scorching that she seemed on the verge of death—
No, her brain was already damaged, unlikely to recover.
The child was already dead. What remained was merely flesh burning away the life force pooled in her heart.
And saving dying children was the calling God had given her.
"Child. Fear not."
She took a sharp, clean knife and cut her own finger. Drip, drip—blood fell.
Noah fed that blood to the child. Then, as if by magic, the snakebite healed, and the girl's fever began to subside. Soon, the child who had been tossing uncomfortably opened her eyes.
"Leah!"
"Daddy..."
"Thank goodness, really thank goodness..."
The child's eyes sparkled with renewed vitality. Slowly, she opened her mouth.
"I... in my dream... I saw the angel..."
"Yeah. Thank goodness. Really."
"The angel said... to love each other..."
"You're alive. That's what matters..."
A pure white halo shimmered above the child's head, but the man didn't notice. He was simply grateful.
The man, having witnessed a miracle, bowed to Noah in thanks.
"Thank you, Doctor. Truly, thank you..."
"Feed her warm porridge and clean water with a bit of salt. Her body must be exhausted. And don't tell anyone about how I saved this child today."
"Yes!"
The man, expressing his gratitude repeatedly, hugged his child and left the clinic. Outside, the sun was just beginning to rise.
"...Father, thank you for allowing me to save one child's life today as well."
***
Noah was the most respected doctor in the village. Everyone in the village followed her, relied on her, loved her.
It wasn't simply because she was a "doctor."
Most villagers had received her grace, yet... humans are ungrateful beasts. They don't always feel gratitude for favors received.
The reason people respected her was...
"Doctor! Thank you so much for yesterday—"
"Shh. Quietly."
...because even after saving lives, she never boasted about it or sought honor.
"Ah, sorry."
"Give thanks not to me, but to the God who granted me this power. He loves you all, so prayers to Him are thanks enough."
"What god is He? One from the Pantheon?"
"He is life itself. Do not call His name in vain... Hmm, when praying, calling Him 'Father' is sufficient. We are all reborn in Him."
"Ah, I see. God of life and Father..."
"Praying 'Father who is life' would be even better."
"Father who is life. Thank you."
In this world, "gods" weren't so unfamiliar. The six gods of the Pantheon were the most famous, but other gods existing wasn't strange.
So the man prayed without hesitation.
"That prayer is truly precious."
"Haha, somehow... praying makes my heart feel at peace. I even want to make an offering... Does He have a temple?"
"If you spend money for children, the poor, and the sick, that is devotion to Him."
"Ah! I understand."
After that, she received thanks from countless people. Many came bearing fruits, gold, and gifts.
She redirected all that respect and kindness to "God" and "those in need."
Love one another.
She spread that teaching far and wide. Because it was pleasant to hear, the teaching spread widely.
"Doctor! That bastard hit my cheek, can you believe it?! Isn't that too much?!"
"Oh dear, are you badly hurt?"
"Not severely, but... it's humiliating."
"Your heart is wounded, then. In such cases, if someone strikes your right cheek, offer them your left as well."
"Pardon?"
"People slap cheeks to humiliate. Offering the other cheek says boldly, 'Go ahead, hit me more—you can't humiliate me with that.' Return their anger to them; it's theirs originally."
"Ah!"
"If you're hurt from the slap, come to me anytime. I'll treat you."
"Yes! Thank you!"
Such incidents repeated many times. Before long, countless followers were spreading her teachings.
"The Doctor said: Love one another!"
"He said: If someone forces you to go one mile, go with them two."
"The Saintess said—"
The clinic's Saintess. That's what they called her. Because she was chosen by God and spread His teachings.
Imagining any other nickname was harder.
"Doctor! Thank you for saving my daughter last time."
"It's consultation hours now, so please leave. If hospitals welcomed the healthy, the sick would have no beds."
"Ah, sorry. I came for treatment. Lately... I've been possessed by a demon."
"Pardon?"
"Hallucinations, auditory delusions... Hard to explain, but a demon-like man keeps scolding and tormenting me. Even now..."
"One moment. Let me examine you."
But despite her followers, she remained a doctor.
After checking the patient, she tilted her head. There seemed no reason for the man to suffer from "mental illness."
But she had the miracle God granted her.
She cut her fingertip with a sharp knife and poured her blood into a cup, handing it to the man.
"Drink. No need to fear."
"Yes!"
*Gulp.*
The moment the man swallowed the blood, his "illness" transferred to her. Back pain, arthritis, lethargy, suspicion, guilt, painful memories, terrible regrets, vengeful thoughts... All the afflictions tormenting people, the saintess bore them in his stead.
A pure white halo shimmered above the man's head.
"Ahh. My mind feels clear. Thank you... Saintess."
This was the true nature of the saintess's "power."
Taking on others' "suffering" entirely herself.
A vitality strong enough to overcome all that suffering.
And since all the world's things are suffering.
"With that grateful heart, go out and help others. And don't tell anyone what happened today."
"I understand..."
The man was truly reborn. Completely different from when he first entered the clinic.
He found joy in service, no longer attached to mere wealth or authority—a "good" person.
After the man left the clinic.
The saintess leaned back in her chair and gazed into empty space.
More precisely, at the muscular man grinning in that empty space.
"So that's the demon."
"A hallucination... Fascinating symptom. Father, thank you for letting me save one person today as well."
"If a doctor has never suffered illness—how can they truly empathize with a patient's torment from afflictions?"
The saintess stared silently at Gigachad.
Then tilted her head.
"It won't go away. The pathogen... I see. It's my own heart. A tricky illness. Overcoming it will take time."
"...That title is a bit unpleasant."
The saintess frowned for the first time.
And.
Gazing at her, Gigachad grinned.
"..."
And so, the saintess gained a new father.
Having two fathers must be nice.