Blacklist (2)
The fact that the bastard was killed by a mercenary was such a relief. If he’d still been alive, he would’ve kept on disgracing the priesthood to this day. ‘Bastards like that deserve to die.’ It was far better than letting him live long enough to tarnish His face any further. In that sense, the mercenary’s actions were no different from doing the Holy Empire a favor.
“What are you doing? You need to apologize.”
Perhaps because she’d just been scolded by her sister, the younger girl’s fierce glare gradually softened as tears welled up in her eyes. Sniffle, sniffle— Even as she looked on the verge of crying, the mercenary’s resolute attitude didn’t waver.
“I’m fine.”
“No, you’re not. You mustn’t behave so rudely toward someone who came to help. Come on, Ena. Is this how your sister taught you?”
“Nooo… cough, cough!”
If a priest couldn’t even handle a tantrum like this, he had no business being a healer. At that level, it was practically cute. I wouldn’t brag about it, but after dealing with every kind of difficult patient imaginable, her irritation felt more like an adorable pout.
“I-I’m sorry. Cough! Cough! I was wrong. I went too far… cough… cough…”
“Since you realize it was wrong, that’s enough. Once you know it was a mistake, you simply don’t do it again.”
“But you’ve been coughing nonstop since earlier. Don’t tell me you haven’t taken your medicine?”
“I was waiting for you and forgot.”
“That’s actually for the best. Once I treat her, the medicine’s effects will disappear anyway since it’s essentially a toxin.”
It would have been a waste of expensive medicine.
“Then shall we begin the treatment?”
“Ena, lie down.”
“Okay.”
Ena lay on the bed, and I asked the child to describe her symptoms in detail.
“She has trouble breathing. She coughs a lot, and even the slightest exertion leaves her exhausted because she lacks stamina.”
The older sister explained her sibling’s condition without hiding her anxiety.
“The medicine helps a little, but it doesn’t make her dramatically better.”
The mercenary, having listed all the symptoms, asked, “So? Do you think you can treat our Ena?”
“I’ll need to examine her body first.”
To these sisters, the illness had been nothing short of a disaster. I couldn’t irresponsibly claim I could cure her without any confidence. The symptoms the mercenary described were common complaints among the sick.
“May I see what medicine she’s been taking?”
“Yes.”
At my request to check the medicine, the mercenary immediately brought out several packets as if she’d been waiting for this moment.
“Hmm…”
“I paid a fortune for all of them… Is there a problem?”
“Those cost a ton. Cough, cough. We even sold our house to buy them, and my sister has been working nonstop.”
Even though the medicine had kept her alive, the younger sister seemed to have plenty of complaints about it. Still, keeping someone who should have died alive this long was worth every penny.
“Why would you say that? It’s only natural. If your sister were sick, wouldn’t you sell the house?”
“Even if I did, I’m the one who ends up sick anyway. Cough! And because of me, you can’t rest and keep working.”
When someone in the house is ill, both the patient and the caregiver suffer. Yet the bond between these two sisters was incredibly strong, and it was clear how fiercely they loved each other.
“Has she been taking this medicine for a long time?”
“Yes.”
“Whoever made this medicine is truly remarkable. Without it, things would have been much worse.”
I wasn’t particularly knowledgeable about herbs, but their claim that it was expensive made sense. At the very least, it didn’t seem like they’d been scammed with fake medicine. There were good reasons why it had to be so costly.
Because of the existence of divine power, very few people showed any interest in “medicine.” As a result, there were almost no proper apothecaries capable of manufacturing real remedies. Who would bother developing healing drugs when they could simply use divine power? No one wastes time on unprofitable ventures.
Besides, after taking medicine you had to wait several days for it to circulate through the body and build immunity. In contrast, divine power cured everything the instant it was applied. Naturally, the preference gap between medicine and divine power was enormous.
“It might feel strange, but there’s nothing wrong with it, so don’t be startled.”
“Okay…”
The divine power flowing from my hand entered the child’s body. It was the same kind of health examination I had performed on Princess Canaby. The younger sister, who had been struggling to breathe, gradually relaxed.
“Ah.”
A benevolent energy circulated throughout her body, gently soothing her damaged frame. I could feel her body rejoicing at the sensation of healing. The girl’s body greedily absorbed my divine power. It was like pouring water onto parched ground after a drought; her desperate gulping was completely understandable. It also meant this small body had been pushed to its absolute limit.
The illness couldn’t have been this severe from the beginning. No one had treated her, so it had been left to worsen to this extent. If she hadn’t met me today, this child would have left this world in a matter of days.
The fact that she had endured this long in the first place was already impressive. I wondered how the person who had placed the mercenary on the blacklist intended to bear the weight of all that resentment and grudge.
“How old is your sister?”
“She turned sixteen this year. There’s an eight-year gap between us.”
If the younger sister was sixteen and the age difference was eight years, that meant the older sister was only twenty-four. It was painfully obvious how much hardship both of them must have endured at such young ages. In my previous life, they would still be under their guardian’s protection, not yet independent.
“At sixteen, she should recover quickly without any aftereffects.”
It wasn’t because my divine power was especially powerful. It was purely thanks to her youth. Children’s natural recovery abilities could produce miracles that made divine power look modest. That was why youth was a miracle sought after by countless powerful figures throughout history. Because both power and wealth inevitably fade in the face of ‘youth.’
Therefore, even after suffering from a long illness, once cured she would recover rapidly and live just like everyone else.
“How do you feel right now?”
“Mmm… It’s warm. And cool at the same time.”
“The divine power is healing your body. You can close your eyes and rest comfortably.”
“It feels much easier to breathe than before.”
“It will keep getting better.”
I had told her to relax, but she seemed fascinated by the fact that her body was growing healthier. She kept her eyes wide open, watching the healing process with fascination. I deliberately avoided her gaze and focused on the treatment.
Because the illness had been severe for so long, her overall bodily functions had deteriorated. It was truly heartbreaking that the internal organs of a girl who was still only sixteen had been damaged this badly.
“I feel so refreshed, sis. So this is what it feels like to breathe easily. My throat doesn’t hurt anymore either.”
“Yes, yes. You’re going to get all better now. You don’t have to hurt anymore.”
Both sisters’ voices grew thick with emotion. Once the treatment began, they must have realized the younger girl’s condition was visibly improving. Continuing the treatment any further would be excessive, but since they won’t be able to come back for more…
It would be difficult for me to return here again. The fact that I had come at all had already involved considerable risk. Therefore, I decided to pour in an overflowing amount of divine power so that no further problems would arise.
Having too much divine power in the body wasn’t an issue. On the contrary, the excess that remained after curing the illness would help the child grow up healthy.
After finishing the treatment, I spoke to the mercenary, who was acting as guardian.
“Make sure she eats well. Now that the illness is cured, her body—which couldn’t grow properly before—will suddenly need a lot of nutrients.”
“Yes. I will do that.”
“The disease has been completely cured. How do you feel? Is there anywhere uncomfortable or still painful?”
At the words that she was fully healed, the child looked bewildered.
“It’s all cured? Already?”
“If nothing hurts, then yes.”
“C-can you try standing up?”
The mercenary, clearly excited, spoke with a slight stutter. The younger sister nodded and carefully pushed herself up.
“Huh?”
She must have noticed the change just from sitting up.
“My body feels so light! Wow!”
“There’s still divine power left inside you, so movement will feel even easier for now. Once all of it has been absorbed into your body, that will be your true normal state.”
“Hic… Thank you.”
The younger sister finally burst into tears. A moment later, the mercenary’s reddened eyes also began to spill tears. It couldn’t have been easy to endure watching her sister suffer because of something she herself had caused. I wish I could resolve the blacklist issue for them…
Unfortunately, once someone was already on the blacklist, there was nothing a priest like me could do. I could send a request for leniency, but such things only worked if you had connections. Even if I sent a letter to the Holy Empire, who would take it seriously? It would obviously be used as kindling.
If I joined a faction, the story would be different…
Regrettably, I had no intention of joining any faction yet. So this was as far as I could help the sisters. From now on, as always, they would have to overcome whatever came next on their own.
Bob, bob.
“Priest Arthur. Priest Arthur?”
“Ah…!”
At someone’s call, I snapped back to attention.
“Hoo— Did I doze off again? I’m sorry.”
“You look tired. Why don’t you go inside and rest?”
“This is clearly working hours. I can’t do that.”
Patients could pop out at any time, like a sudden deer leaping onto the road. I couldn’t neglect my duties just because I was tired, so I washed my face and returned to my shift.
“I’ll make a round of the inpatient rooms and be back.”
“Okay~”
Thanks to the temple’s treatment methods, there were very few inpatients. Saying I was going to check on the inpatient ward was essentially the same as saying I was going to see Princess Canaby.
Since a new inpatient facility had been completed and she had been moved, visiting her was no longer as simple as before. As I left the temple clinic and headed toward the adjacent building, a holy knight spotted me and approached.
“Priest.”
“Yes. Is something the matter?”
“A visitor has come for the guest in the special ward.”
“…A visitor for the special ward?”
The only person currently in the special ward was Princess Canaby. Given that there had already been an uproar because of her before, I couldn’t help but feel wary.