He Healed Them All (1)
Luke healed many people. Uneasy at this, the bishop of Baal approached Luke and said, "Do not perform false healings." Thus the people of Caparnaum began to doubt Lord Luke.
Luke declared, "As for deeds done in ignorance, Deus shall not hold them against you. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. I tell you, be baptized in the name of Deus and receive forgiveness of sins; thus shall you obtain salvation as a gift." And he bestowed salvation upon all the sick in the city.
Thump thump.
"Come out quick, you fraud! The bishop is waiting!"
Following Simon down the stairs, I caught sight of knights smashing tables and chairs on the inn's first floor.
No, not knights.
The emblem of abundance etched on their armor.
The symbol of the Baal cult.
Holy knights of the Baal cult? Why here?
Glancing aside, I saw the innkeeper, battered and collapsed, subdued by the holy knights.
The innkeeper...
Even a tough mercenary would be too frail in retirement. No way he could take on holy knights in that state.
"Oh! There you are! Lucky we didn't have to drag you out."
The leader, grinning wide upon spotting me.
"Outside. The bishop wants to see you."
He jerked his head toward the door.
The bishop?
Baal cult's bishop?
Wants to meet me? Why?
"The bishop..."
"Bishopsir. No choice in the matter. Follow."
With that, he flung open the inn door and stepped out.
Holy knights flanked me, radiating menace.
Beside them, Simon shot me a look.
—Shall I handle it?
Yeah, something like that.
Dealing with holy knights? No issue.
The innkeeper treated me well, and seeing him like this pissed me off too.
Still, curiosity first. What do they want with me?
Lesson time can wait.
I shook my head at Simon and trailed the leader outside.
There, right in front, stood the bishop flanked by two priests.
"At last! There you are."
And a crowd encircling us, watching intently.
Probably folks who'd come seeking healing from me.
"Heard you were looking for me. What's this about?"
"How dare you address the bishop—!"
A holy knight bristled at my question to the bishop.
"Enough. His attitude isn't the point right now."
The bishop raised a hand to silence him. What a farce.
"You. Word is you healed the paralyzed."
"Paralysis? Oh, right. Poor souls waiting to die. Couldn't just watch, so I healed them."
Yeah, that'd be the only reason another cult's bishop would seek me out. Not much else I'd done since arriving.
"...No. Something's off. You're no priest. Healed them? How exactly?"
Ah. Makes sense—I'm not in priestly robes, so I don't look the part. And I'm really not one, so a non-priest curing paralysis would seem fishy.
"True, I'm no priest. Does that mean only priests can heal?"
"...Obviously! Paralysis is divine punishment from the gods upon the wicked. Only priests, servants beloved of the gods, can lift it. What you did is impossible. You're...a fraud."
Murmurs rippled through the crowd.
"Fraud, huh."
"A fraud after all? Figures a non-priest couldn't..."
"But I heard neighbor Hans stood up from his paralysis?"
The bishop's words stirred the onlookers.
"Craving priestly glory, were you? A nobody playing god's proxy? Deceiving the innocent to boot!"
"All those healed yesterday...fakes?"
"Now that you mention it! No way to heal that many in a day!"
"A fraud...?"
The crowd, swayed by the bishop's agitation.
Now I get it. Why he came himself.
This bishop—my healings threatened his grip on the city.
This world's clerics were rarely pure.
Trash who wouldn't treat you without fat donations. Even emergencies or the dying got no care.
Healing them cheapens priests' "value," harms the cult. Excuses like that.
This city's paralysis plague? His neglect.
If he and his priests had worked, yesterday's hordes—and today's—wouldn't exist.
But I heal them, so I'm the fraud?
Now I see why he called me out here, not in.
Incite the crowd, fabricate, bury me, run me out.
Filthy.
"Fraud after all!"
"Damn, wasted trip! Thought he was hope!"
"No way a non-priest cures paralysis! Obvious scam!"
The crowd turned, bishop's incitement working.
This is...worse than expected.
A bishop who clawed to the top in a rotten cult is no slouch.
Politics, schemes—he's a master.
Perfect! They're all hooked.
Ha! Brainless rabble.
Can't even judge for themselves, just herd together powerless fools.
A few words from me, and they swallow it whole—logic be damned!
Compared to stubborn cultists, handling them's child's play.
Now they'll brand him a fraud.
Whether he is or not? Irrelevant.
Maybe a real con, or a pitiful do-gooder saving idiots. Who cares?
You threatened my authority.
Daring to heal in my city.
Defiance to me, the sole bishop—and insult to Baal.
Punishment's due.
No need for holy knights. The mob's turned.
Angry mob lynching—nothing crueler.
Now he'll worry for his life.
Why pull that in my town? Beyond your pay grade.
Ruined my fun, dragged me out.
Anyway, farewell. I'll bless your path to the afterlife.
Since I'm sending you.
"A fraud, am I? That's how it looks?"
He speaks amid the crowd's fury.
Excuses? Here?
As if that'll sway them.
Once riled, mobs don't flip easy. Won't buck the tide.
Even if they spot my flimsy lies, or doubt you're guilty—the mob buries it!
"Yet...even if all doubt and scorn you, Mother loves you still."
Mother? What?
"Mother grants another chance; you shall be made pure."
Whoosh.
As he finished, a circular radiance bloomed from beneath him.
The light spread, enveloping every onlooker.
A warm glow enveloped all, healing the blind, the lame, the comatose—miracles beyond even saints.
All vision whited out, wrapped in comforting warmth—like Mother's embrace in childhood...
This light...familiar.
Holy power? No, similar but...higher, more primal.
What is it?
Poof.
The warmth faded; sight returned.
And then...
"Ahh! My arm...! It grew back!"
"Eyes! I can see! The world's clear!"
"Where am I?" "Father! You're awake?"
The crowd...healed.
Impossible.
H-how?
"I came to reclaim the faithless."
Amputees, blind, long-comatose—all restored.
Miracles I couldn't match, not even saints without sacrificing their lives once in a lifetime.
Who...is he?
"Believe, and Mother shall cleanse you."
"Believe, and Mother shall cleanse you."