Chapter 15
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 014
Chapter Title: Miracle
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Inside the carriage,
a massive white lump rolled out like a boulder revealing itself.
"Ugh... what a stench..."
The man grimaced, wrinkling his nose at the piercing foul odor.
A golden cross necklace dangled and swayed over his white robe, which strained tightly around his bloated belly that looked ready to burst.
This was the long-awaited arrival of the high-ranking priest.
"You've made it!"
I kicked open the door and bellowed a greeting.
"Thank you for the long journey! It's a humble place, but..."
I approached with maximum servility, bowing so low it was downright groveling.
A habit ingrained from dealing with customers—it had become second nature.
Just as I reached out to guide him,
"......!"
the priest's eyes gleamed with disgust.
He recoiled in horror at my extended hand and swung his staff through the air.
"Get that away from me! You filthy wretch!"
Whoosh. The tip of the staff whistled past my nose.
"How dare you thrust that dirty hand at me? What if you spread some disease?!"
"Ah... s-sorry."
I hastily pulled my hand behind my back.
Suddenly, a story Rinea once told me by my bedside came to mind.
[Leon, priests are agents of the gods.]
[The most compassionate people in the world, who care for the poor and sick with love...]
I narrowed my eyes and looked up at the blob of flesh before me.
A greasy face, arrogantly furrowed brow, eyes that regarded people like insects.
Hmm. Not quite matching the image I'd heard.
A loan shark in the marketplace would seem kinder by comparison.
The priest pulled out a handkerchief to cover his nose and mouth, then scanned me over like I was a bug.
"Filthy, utterly filthy! What a stroke of bad luck from the start..."
"......Welcome."
At that moment, Master emerged from inside the tavern.
He looked tense as well.
He quickly straightened his clothes and bowed politely.
"I'm Jerome, the owner here."
"......The patient?"
"Upstairs. I'll show you the way."
The priest gave a curt chin flick without replying.
Master opened the door, and
the priest tiptoed from the edge of the carpet,
shuffling inside awkwardly like he was crossing a field of shit.
Ding-a-ling.
"......."
The once-rowdy first-floor hall fell deathly silent in an instant, as if doused with cold water.
The drunken men bellowing at the top of their lungs,
the whores hawking their laughter with exposed cleavage.
All froze with mouths agape.
"Tsk tsk... vulgar rabble. Hell itself couldn't be worse."
The priest clucked his tongue as he surveyed the hall.
His eyes, filled with contempt and mockery, swept over the men.
One might expect outrage at such arrogance, but no one dared make a peep.
Social status. And the absolute authority of the church.
Before that overwhelming power, even the slum's outlaws instinctively shrank back.
"This way."
Master, sweating profusely, guided him toward the stairs.
I scurried along behind.
But at the stairwell entrance, the priest halted.
"My throat's parched."
"......Pardon?"
He smacked his lips with a sour expression.
"Inhaled too much dust on the way. Got anything to drink?"
Master shot me an urgent glance.
Anne, frozen in place like the rest, caught the signal and dashed to the counter.
She grabbed the cleanest-looking glass that still had its rim intact,
and meticulously wiped inside and out with a rag.
Then, carefully filling it with water,
she approached the priest holding it reverently with both hands.
"H-here... it is."
Anne's hands trembled as she offered the glass.
She even breathed shallowly, afraid the water might spill.
"......"
The priest stared down at the glass Anne held out.
He didn't take it.
Instead, he scowled at the water inside,
and
Splat—!
A sharp bursting sound echoed through the hall.
"Kyaaak!"
His thick hand backhanded Anne's cheek mercilessly.
Her small body reeled like a paper doll and tumbled to the floor.
Crash—!
The glass shattered on the ground.
Water splashed everywhere, soaking my pants and shoes.
[The most compassionate in the world...]
Bright red welts swelled visibly between Anne's fingers clutching her cheek as she curled up.
......Compassion? Love?
Couldn't be further from it.
"You brought me this swill to drink?!"
"Hic... s-sorry..."
"Murky as mud puddle water, and the smell's revolting!"
He growled, stomping in the spilled water.
"Daring to feed this filth to a noble servant of the gods?
You lot must guzzle this crap daily, like beastly brats?"
That water? The cleanest grade this neighborhood had—Anne fetched it painstakingly from the well every morning.
"...My apologies."
Master hurriedly helped Anne up and sent her to the back.
Then bowed ninety degrees to the priest.
"The girl... she's poorly trained and made a mistake. Please forgive her."
"Tch, then get out of my sight. Don't ruin my mood."
The priest wiped his hands on his robe as if soiled, then resumed walking.
The creaking wooden stairs groaned under his hefty weight.
I glanced at sniffling Anne amid the broken glass shards, then slowly climbed the stairs.
Hmm...
Guess I'll give her extra pay for today's work.
Just bad luck.
.....
Creeeak.
Opening the door revealed Rinea lying there like a corpse.
The room reeked of rot.
The priest dry-heaved at the doorway, clutching his nose.
"Urk! Dear god, is this a morgue?"
"The patient. Her leg..."
"Enough. I can guess."
The priest had no intention of approaching the bed.
He stopped at the threshold, glanced over, and clucked his tongue.
"This won't end with simple treatment. Purification's needed too."
"......Purification?"
"Yeah. The stench means it's infested with impurities. Using holy power now would contaminate me."
He brazenly held out his palm.
"Need extra offerings."
"......Pardon?"
Master's eyes widened.
No wonder—the Kaintrea family had already paid a hefty 50 gold.
"Priest, we've already paid the fee..."
"To wield holy power in this cesspit!"
The priest bellowed.
"More offerings for the gods are required! You think my holy power's free?!"
"B-but..."
"Impudent. Fine, forget it. I'm leaving."
He turned away without hesitation.
Ah, playing it like that, huh.
Master's and my eyes met, his wavering.
I nodded,
"......We'll pay. How much?"
Master answered hastily, and only then did the priest turn back.
"10 gold."
Demanded that much more.
I pulled every gold coin from my pouch without hesitation and placed them in Master's hand.
He stared wide-eyed at my face for a moment,
but read my lip-mouthed [Just give it all.], nodded, and handed them straight to the priest.
"Here... a full 12 gold."
"Hmm. Not 10?"
"Yes. Just... please do your best, Priest."
"Good. Now that's some proper faith."
The priest nodded in satisfaction.
With a chin flick, his double chin jiggled, and
his attendant scurried forward to snatch the coins from Master.
"Keep them safe. Precious offerings for the gods."
"Yes, Priest."
Fine. Whether that's true offerings,
or just your pocket money, doesn't matter.
As long as the 'miracle' you invoke is real.
.....
Having pocketed the extra fee,
the priest finally lumbered into the room.
Master pulled back the blanket over Rinea, and
though the intensified rotten stench twisted his face,
"...Very well. Now, the 'Purification Ritual' and 'Holy Healing' begin."
Earning his keep, perhaps,
the priest raised his staff dramatically.
"Behold. This is the power of the gods."
He aimed the staff tip at Rinea's rotting leg.
Muttering something under his breath,
"Begone, impure energies. Purify."
⟨ Purify ⟩
Whoosh—!
In an instant, dazzling white radiance burst from the massive gem at the staff's tip.
The light enveloped Rinea's bed like living mist.
The foul rotting stench filling the air vanished as if touched by the light—like a lie.
"Ooh..."
Master let out a gasp.
I was no different. My jaw dropped; it was undeniably impressive.
A mystical sight hard to believe even seeing it.
But before awe could settle, the priest chanted the second spell.
"Light of life, cover the wounds. Great Heal."
⟨ Great Heal ⟩
Fwaah—!
This time, warm golden light erupted.
The light seeped into Rinea's leg, wrapping the horrifically mangled flesh.
Blood and pus dried up,
and fresh skin sprouted visibly atop it.
An immense visual shock. So this was holy power.
50 gold...
No, 62 gold miracle.
But.
"Done."
"......Pardon?"
It took less than 10 seconds for the light to fade.
The priest lowered his staff casually, yawning without a drop of sweat.
"All finished. Perfectly healed."
......Somehow, anticlimactic.
Compared to the flashy effects, the process was shorter than boiling instant noodles.
Like fast-forwarding a pre-recorded video at 10x speed.
"Already... done?"
Master asked dazedly, and the priest furrowed his brow.
"Already? You dare question the timing of a divine miracle?"
"No, that's not—"
"You ignorant fools! Do you even know how fast and efficient a high priest like me chants?!"
He barked.
"Would you rather I sweat for an hour like some novice grunting away?! Huh?!"
"Ah... no. My rudeness, Priest."
Master bowed in panic.
The priest clucked his tongue, straightening his robes.
"Tch, typical slum folk. Doubting divine power."
He turned on his heel and left the room as if done with us.
The attendant scurried after.
Their footsteps down the stairs sounded unusually light and jaunty.
Master rushed to see them off,
and silence filled the room.
I approached the bed cautiously.
"......"
Pulling back the blanket revealed the miracle's result.
Not a full regrown leg, of course, but
the gruesome stump was now covered in smooth pink flesh like a baby's skin.
No trace of rot or pus.
"......Damn, it actually works."
A miracle was a miracle.
No matter how quick the process, the outcome seemed solid.
Color returned to Rinea's face.
Her furrowed brow from pain relaxed, her breathing steady and calm.
"Time to wake up now. That cost a fortune.
You have no idea how sick I am of cleaning up after a grown-ass mom.
I'm swamped as it is..."
Work piled up—I was even handing off to that glasses kid.
Couldn't remember the last time I slept properly.
Like a goddamn child labor camp.
"Feed yourself, shit on your own for once..."
My gaze drifted to the wooden bucket in the corner.
The thing I'd stared into most these past days.
Filled to the brim with Rinea's unconscious waste,
and rags soaked in blood and pus from her wound.
She leaked whenever now, lying there all day,
filling it faster than when she was conscious.
"Haa..."
Another trip to empty it. A sigh escaped.
Some wield a staff for 62 gold, others empty shit buckets.
Life's so damn unfair.
Well, not much longer for that anyway.
I looked down at sleeping Rinea.
Blissfully unaware, she looked enviably content.
"Get up soon and take a good look around."
A few more weeks, and this place is done.
"Don't cry later that you didn't see enough."
I grabbed the slop bucket. Still heavy.
Yet my steps felt light, somehow.
Creeeak.
Stepping out into the hall,
a chill draft whooshed in.
.....
And,
four days later.
Rinea passed away.