New Holy Relic (6)
“It doesn’t make sense for me to become a saint.”
“With the divine power you’ve gained from the holy relic, you are more than qualified.”
“Honestly, I’m not even sure becoming a saint would be a good thing.”
Saints and saintesses are those blessed by the gods. Proof of divine blessing appears somewhere on their bodies from birth, and once they become a saint or saintess, they can forget about living as ordinary priests. They possess immense divine power, yet they spend their days traveling from place to place like celebrities, spreading the faith. In short, saints and saintesses function as the public faces of the faith—essentially celebrities. Of course, this is only possible because the world is relatively peaceful now. Records show that in more turbulent times, saints and saintesses led the charge on the battlefield. The current saintess who holds the position of cardinal is said to have wandered battlefields in her youth, building the reputation that eventually elevated her to cardinal.
And now they want to make me a saint just because I have a lot of divine power? Because the holy relic chose me?
“No one would accept this with so little proof.”
An endless sea of divine power is one of the conditions for sainthood, but it is far from the only one. As I just said, there must also be visible proof of divine blessing from birth.
“I cleansed your body, which had become tainted against your will. In the process, I discovered the mark of divine blessing upon you.”
“…Pardon?”
The embarrassing part about Melody having wiped my body passed in an instant. The moment I heard there was a divine blessing on me, I found myself digging a finger into my ear without thinking.
“What? What did you say?”
“You bear the mark of divine blessing. Judging by your expression, it seems you weren’t hiding it on purpose.”
“I’ve lived in the temple since I was a child.”
It was impossible. Anyone washing in the temple had to strip completely in the communal baths. If I’d had such a mark, it would have been discovered long ago.
“Congratulations.”
“Where exactly is it?”
“Near your collarbone.”
At the mention of the collarbone, I pulled my collar down and looked. There it was.
“Huh?”
It definitely hadn’t been there before I collapsed.
“Why is this here…? Could it have appeared because the holy relic entered my body? Rather than a true divine blessing, maybe it’s just a side effect?”
Wouldn’t it make more sense to explain it as an effect of the relic rather than suddenly claiming I’d become a saint?
“That may be possible. However, since the mark exists, all the conditions for sainthood have been met. Do you dislike the idea? Of becoming a saint?”
“Yes, I dislike it.”
“Many priests would give anything to become one.”
“There are far too many things you can’t do once you’re a saint.”
The obligations that come with sainthood are numerous. Having to tour the entire country just to show your face is already a massive hassle. You’re expected to preach the greatness and omnipotence of the Holy Empire and the Sun God under everyone’s gaze…
“I’ve already decided on my path, and I’m working hard toward it.”
“You mean you wish to devote yourself entirely to healing.”
“I’ve heard there are procedures one must complete to become a saint. That alone would take years…”
“Even so, the benefits that follow are worth the time.”
“Hmm…”
If I had to go through all the formalities required to become a saint, wouldn’t my achievement of becoming the youngest Chief Healer lose all meaning? At the same time, I couldn’t simply refuse while everyone else followed the rules.
“Honestly, I believe I can reach a position worthy of a saint through my own abilities alone.”
“The title of saint will not obstruct your future.”
“Even if this were made public, I doubt I could actually become a saint. There’s no way to clearly distinguish whether the Sun God truly granted me this blessing or if it’s merely the relic’s influence. Let’s leave this discussion here. We have more important matters to attend to right now.”
I was still worried about my team members receiving treatment and the priests who were working hard to heal them.
“I’ve rested enough. I’m getting up now.”
“It may take some time, but they will be treated even without your involvement.”
“It’s a problem I can solve quickly if I step in.”
“You only woke up less than thirty minutes ago.”
“Thanks to the relic, I’m perfectly fine. I can barely remember feeling ill.”
“Haah… Understood. Please be careful.”
“Yes! Thank you!”
When I rose, she naturally moved to my side and supported me. I told her I could walk on my own, but it was useless. Her eyes made it clear: if I wanted to move, I would do so under her protection.
“Let us go.”
“Yes.”
Her overprotectiveness seemed to have intensified, which flustered me, but given that I had nearly died, it was understandable. I would simply have to endure it for the time being.
* * *
“Huh? Priest Arthur!!”
“When did you wake up?!”
“Good heavens, how is your body feeling?”
The moment I entered the treatment center, even the priest who had been treating a patient couldn’t hold back and rushed toward me.
“I just woke up, and I feel perfectly fine. There’s no need to worry—please continue your work. The patients are waiting.”
“Ah! Right.”
“This is bad—I was so surprised I forgot to say anything and just ran over!”
The priests who had gathered around quickly returned to their posts after hearing my words. That didn’t mean everyone left my side, however. The healers who had been resting swarmed in instead.
“Even if you just woke up, you should rest a little longer. Why did you come out?”
“Because there’s nothing wrong with my body. After sleeping so soundly, I’m wide awake and restless.”
One of the priests, seemingly catching on, spoke up.
“Restless, you say? Don’t tell me you came out to work?”
Why were they all so perceptive?
“I’m concerned about something. I heard my team members were admitted here.”
“Ah! Your teammates…”
The priest who had realized why I had to come out immediately looked troubled and hesitated.
“Could you tell me where they are?”
“No. You need to rest properly as well. If you see them, you’ll only end up treating them.”
“I’m really fine. I heard you examined my condition before I woke up. You must have confirmed there were no problems.”
“Still, you fainted…”
I continued to persuade the hesitant priest.
“I know my own body best. This incident has made me realize I need to be more careful. I won’t push myself beyond my limits.”
“Haah… I don’t know. I’m not sure if this is all right.”
In the end, the priest told me the room numbers of my teammates.
“Thank you!”
I hurried toward their rooms. The longer I took, the slower their recovery would be, so my steps naturally quickened.
* * *
I had already suspected their condition might be worse than I’d hoped. I had told them they needed the help of other priests because I couldn’t treat them alone, but that had been under the assumption that I would still be directing their treatment. Could the priests really treat them properly without me? I worried about how thoroughly they could purify the Evil God’s energy lingering inside their bodies. The longer that energy remained, the worse it would be.
“Sir Knight?”
“Priest Arthur! You’re awake!”
When I arrived at the room, the one who greeted me was a holy knight. He seemed to know I had collapsed and been brought back to the temple, and he looked genuinely relieved to see me standing.
“Why are you guarding this place? This is just a regular ward…”
“I was warning people who might not understand the situation not to enter, just in case.”
His answer told me everything. As expected, the priests hadn’t been able to fully treat the Evil God’s energy. That was why the holy knight was standing guard at the entrance.
He’s not worried about someone going in—he’s worried about someone coming out.
Knowing they were my labyrinth team members, he had phrased it politely. It couldn’t have been easy to say he was concerned they might contaminate ordinary people if they left the room.
“So they weren’t treated properly after all. I need to go in. That’s all right, isn’t it?”
I asked because I was worried he might try to stop me, but the holy knight showed no intention of doing so. When I opened the door and stepped inside, a heavy silence filled the room. Everyone seemed to be asleep, still unconscious.
“Their bodies… they’re all pitch black.”
The bodies overtaken by the Evil God’s energy had turned completely dark.
“Priest Arthur, you were far darker than this.”
I had been worse than them? Well, there had been no one to treat me, and the Evil God’s energy had instantly filled the void left by my depleted divine power. Still, there was one fortunate thing: among everyone here, I was the healthiest.
“Wait, are you already trying to treat them? Didn’t you say you needed the help of other priests?”
When I quickly approached my teammates, Melody grabbed my wrist and asked.
“That was then. It’s different now.”
“Wouldn’t it be safer to receive help from other priests?”
“That was before I obtained the holy relic.”
“The holy relic…”
At the mention of the relic, the strength left Melody’s hand. With an endless sea of divine power now at my disposal, treating them posed no problem at all.
“I’m not sure how well I’ll do. But no matter how much I think about it, I don’t believe I’ll fail.”
Suddenly, I recalled the people from my previous life who had poured millions into equipping their characters in games. Then I thought of those obsessed with wealth or possessions. Why did so many people behave that way? Because valuable items were worth their price. Of course, there were cases of overinvestment, but still…
This must be what they call riding on equipment.
The holy relic had taken root inside my body. With nearly infinite divine power now under my control, I had effectively become someone else—someone who had leaped several stages beyond my previous self.
“I think I can treat them all. No—I will treat them.”
For the sake of my teammates who had suffered while I was unconscious, I began to move the divine power overflowing within me.