The Priest's Surprise
The road from the main hall lecture building to the temple was quite a long one. Partway there, they passed the Water Garden, where Innocent was splashing about—and prying her away when she tried to tag along behind Bayul took no small effort.
"Here we are."
Elaine, who had kept her mouth firmly shut for the entire walk, finally spoke, pointing ahead.
"Thank you. I know you're busy, so I appreciate you taking the time—"
Before Bayul could even finish his thanks, Elaine turned coldly away, as if there was nothing more to say, and retraced her steps back down the corridor.
He didn't know the reason, but one thing was perfectly clear: the guy didn't like him.
Why? Because I'm friends with Rai from the Magic Department? Or because he got stuck playing errand-boy?
He was curious, but there was no opening to ask now. Watching the direction Elaine had vanished, Bayul knocked gently on the door.
"Come in."
Permission came at once. With a fluttering heart, Bayul opened the door and stepped inside.
"H-hello."
"Ah, Bayul. It's been a while, hasn't it?"
Priest Wagner greeted him with a bright smile. He looked to be around forty, a kindly man with a gentle way of speaking and smile lines etched deep around his eyes.
"Ah, but I suppose this is your first time meeting me. You were unconscious back then. Allow me to introduce myself, then. It's a pleasure to meet you, Bayul. I am Priest Wagner—I serve the god here and teach the students."
He rose and led Bayul to a seat in the center of the room.
"Let's sit here."
"…Thank you."
"Have you had dinner yet?"
"No, Father. I wanted to see you first."
"Then we should finish up quickly, shouldn't we."
Priest Wagner eased into the matter at hand with a willing expression.
"As I'm sure you've guessed, the reason I called you here is your health. Duke Randert himself insisted that you require regular treatment. And given what happened last time, well."
"Thank you so much for that day. I heard you went through a great deal on my account. I'm sorry I couldn't come to see you sooner."
"I only did what needed doing. You've done nothing wrong, so there's no need to apologize."
"But still—"
"More importantly, how have you been feeling lately? Your color looks good right now, but has anything been aching, or have you had any particular difficulties?"
"No, nothing at all. I've been perfectly fine."
"Sleeping well?"
"Yes."
"Good, good. Then may I examine you for a moment?"
Bayul nodded and went to the cot the priest indicated, lying down upon it.
"Now then, just relax. Think of it as closing your eyes for a short nap."
The moment Bayul closed his eyes, Priest Wagner laid his crossed hands over Bayul's abdomen. It was the same method countless priests had used to examine him in the past. Though he never understood the principle behind it, they used the divine power they possessed to heal the sick and to read the state of a person's body.
"Hm?"
How much time had passed like that? He felt a cool, alien energy stirring through his insides. The very instant Bayul thought it felt somehow different from before, Priest Wagner flinched and pulled his hands away.
"Why on earth…?"
A look of unfathomable bewilderment hung on his face.
"…Father?"
"Why do you—!"
Priest Wagner's gaze wavered like a reed before the wind. He stared at Bayul as though he simply could not believe his senses.
Could he have sensed the spirits' energy, somehow?
His heart pounded, but Bayul forced himself to stay calm as he sat up.
"Have you been here before, by any chance?"
"To this temple? This would be my third visit…"
"Ah, my question was poorly put. What I mean is—have you ever stood before Desperatio?"
"…Desperatio, you say?"
When Bayul blinked at the unfamiliar name, Priest Wagner added:
"The God of Despair."
"Oh, the God of Despair—the one enshrined in this temple—"
"That's right. Back home in Hamilton, you mostly worship Agos, the God of War, don't you? Then tell me—why is it that I sense Desperatio's aura upon you?"
"I'm sorry—upon me?"
"Yes. And an extraordinarily strong affinity, at that."
It was the sort of affinity one might expect only from a high priest who had devoted long years to serving the God of Despair. Even having witnessed it with his own eyes, Priest Wagner could hardly believe that an affinity which had been utterly absent when Bayul had collapsed before could appear so suddenly.
But as far as absurdity went, Bayul had it worse. Out of nowhere, an affinity with a demon god, of all things? He hadn't even known the God of Despair existed until after he'd enrolled at the Academy. He'd been to this temple a grand total of three times, and every visit had been for treatment.
Could he have mistaken the spirits' energy for something else?
If the two energies felt similar, it would be an easy mistake to make.
"Well, isn't this something. I can't make heads or tails of it. For a phenomenon like this to occur in someone who seems entirely unaware of it himself… Affinity is a kind of choosing, you see. It's the god reaching down and selecting their own bell. The candidates, of course, are the faithful who come seeking the temple, and depending on one's affinity, one may rise to high priest—or even become a paladin. Mind you, it's a completely separate matter from piety."
"But I'm not even a believer…"
"That's just it. An affinity like yours could only mean the god chose you personally. But why would He choose someone without a shred of faith—"
The harder he tried to understand, the less comprehensible the situation became. How could an aura so intimate radiate from Bayul, who wasn't even a follower? If other believers learned of this, they might well be consumed by jealousy and hollow despair.
"Bayul—have you considered joining the Theology Department?"
"…Are you asking me to become a priest?"
"Oh—no. Forgive me, I've misspoken."
The powerful affinity, the first he'd felt in so long, had wrung the words out of him before he knew it. Suggesting theology to the son of a duke—no, to the heir who would succeed House Randert—was a grave blunder.
"Please pretend you didn't hear it. I was thinking only of my own position."
"Not at all. It's quite all right."
"In any case, what a relief. I'd been quietly worried you might suffer another episode mid-treatment like last time, but it seems that won't be happening now."
Priest Wagner brushed off the incident where the spirits had gone berserk as a mere anomaly. Perhaps because he was a man who served a god, he seemed inclined to accept even things that should have raised questions, taking them at face value.
"I don't understand the reason, but this is unquestionably a good sign. Affinity, you see, also fortifies the body of its own accord. It looks as though you won't be needing divine healing for some time—so let's simply check on your condition now and again, as we did today."
"Thank you."
The outcome was entirely unexpected. Only moments ago he'd assumed he'd be forced to continue treatment, and all that worry had been for nothing.
"Even so, should anything start to trouble you, you come here at once. Understood?"
"Yes, Father. I'll keep it in mind."
"Good. Now hurry along and get your dinner. You must be starving."
"I'll see you again soon."
When Bayul left the room with a respectful bow to Priest Wagner, his face was a world apart from how it had looked walking in. He had no idea where this affinity had come from, or why it had appeared so suddenly.
But whatever the case, he wouldn't need divine healing for a while—and that alone made his heart considerably lighter. As Bayul made his way toward the dining hall where his friends were waiting, an easy smile—one he hadn't worn in ages—rose to his lips.
"Huh? It's raining."
Just as he stepped out of the temple and reached the dining hall, rain came tumbling down out of nowhere. Children strolling the grounds after supper shrieked and scrambled for cover under the eaves—and of course, Bayul was among them.
"Bayul! Over here!"
Shaking the water from his hair as he entered the dining hall, he found his friends waving him over. A glance at the table told him they'd long since finished eating.
"Whew, you're still here. Hey, Logan."
Somehow he'd known to come find him—Logan was there too.
"So spill. How'd it go?"
Eli asked, passing over bread and milk.
"It all wrapped up nicely. No more treatments for a while."
"No more treatments? How come?"
"Since I'm fine right now, they'll just have me come back if something hurts?"
"Well, the thing is… it's kind of a strange story."
Given what the reason was, the words didn't come easily. His friends stared oddly at Bayul as he fidgeted with the milk glass in his hand.
"What is it?"
"Is it something we're not supposed to hear?"
"…Do you guys know what affinity is?"
Bayul dropped his voice as low as it would go.
"Affinity? You mean like being good at getting along with people? Someone like me?"
"No, not with people—with a god."
"Ahh, something like faith?"
"That's what I thought too, but apparently it's different. Priest Wagner said affinity is something a god chooses. Apparently no matter how devout you are, if you lack affinity, you can't wield divine power."
"So it's like a talent of some kind?"
"Okay, so what about this affinity?"
"…Don't tell me—you don't mean you have it."
It was Eli, sharp as ever. He frowned and shook his head.
"The god here is the God of Despair. One of the demon gods of the filthy, vile Demon Realm. And you're telling me you have an affinity with that thing? No. Absolutely not!"
"Rai, it's an affinity with a god, for crying out loud. It's not like every demon god is an evil one. Even if we can't exactly celebrate, why the doom-mongering?"
"Celebrate, my foot! Those Demon Realm scum are all wicked, cruel lunatics, every last one of them! You know what their most famous method is for showing up in the human realm? Using the body of a human with high affinity! Aidan, how can you be so cheerful about something you don't understand at all?"
"Rai, keep it down. Everyone's staring."
"Yeah, why are you making such a racket? We haven't even finished hearing Bayul's story. So—this affinity thing or whatever, you have it?"
"Yeah, Quinn. Somehow, I've got it."
"Like how I sense the water's energy in you, that priest sensed that same kind of energy?"
"That seems to be it. He said affinity with a god has the power to fortify the body, so I won't even need treatment for the time being."
"Oh, really? So no more forcing divine power into you? That's great! I wish I had this affinity thing too!"
"Hey! You hear everything I just say and that's what comes out of your mouth? I'm telling you, keep away from anything from the Demon Realm!"
"Rai, what's your beef with the Demon Realm? Why are you so touchy about it?"
It was true that the demon gods of the Demon Realm ranked below the celestial gods of Heaven—but that didn't mean every demon god was an evil one. Plenty of holy scriptures recorded their good deeds.
"I don't have a beef. I just hate those Demon Realm bastards. That's all."
"That's not 'just' hating them, though. Right, Quinn?"
"He reacts like he's been stabbed in the back by a demon, doesn't he?"
"Wh-what's that supposed to mean?"
At Quinn's remark, both of Eli's cheeks flamed red in an instant. Aidan snickered at the rare sight of him flustered, Quinn sighed, and Logan quietly checked on Bayul's wellbeing.
"Bayul, did the priest say anything else?"
"Nope, nothing unusual."
"This affinity of yours won't cause any other problems, will it?"
"I can't say for sure, but it doesn't look like it. Since it protects my body, at worst it'll just be a help."
"Oh, hey—Bayul, what's the God of Despair's name? Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever heard it anywhere."
Bayul was just about to tell Logan not to worry when Aidan piped up out of nowhere.
"His name?"
"Yeah, all the gods have names, don't they? You didn't know that?"
"Priest Wagner did tell me. Now, what was it… Des… oh right, Desperatio!"