The Genius Engineer's Legendary Territory - Development (4)
Seeing the crumbling buildings of the church always left a painful ache in my heart.
These days, fewer and fewer people came to visit just to pray here, but...
“Ugh… … .”
“Father Abel, are you alright?”
“I’m fine. By the way, the alms we can give to the faithful who come to the church are almost gone.”
The support from the Holy Kingdom had dried up a long time ago.
Only two priests worked to keep the church running, but it seemed like it wouldn’t last much longer either.
“Helping people for free is something we should stop doing now. That’s only possible in a big church that gets a lot of donations!”
“The residents of Duskrow don’t have that kind of capacity. Besides, the Goddess doesn’t want us to give blessings just to make money. She’ll save us someday.”
“Save us?”
She tossed the handkerchief she was wiping the goddess statue with.
“If there were such a thing, we wouldn’t even be here.”
“Priestess Lidia!”
“Why? Father Abel, you secretly think the same thing too, don’t you? Is it reasonable that a promising theologian from Lumenhill who exposed the corruption of a great archbishop ended up locked away in a place like this and treated like this?”
“It’s all the Goddess’s will. That’s why we came here.”
“I don’t know what that will is! If there is, please tell me! I haven’t heard a single word for three years now—whether I’m just not listening anymore or whether there’s even a revelation to begin with.”
Crash!
She vented her frustration in a burst of nerves and stormed outside.
Abel picked up the handkerchief that had fallen to the floor, gave a wry smile, brushed it off, and went back to polishing the goddess statue.
Even I understand Lidia’s feelings.
The last revelation had come three years ago.
That was before Lidia arrived.
Since she came, not a single divine revelation had come.
Abel put the handkerchief in his pocket and stepped outside to look for Lidia.
And there, standing in front of the church, was a man who didn’t look like a resident of Duskrow at all.
Tired eyes, half-closed eyelids, a furrowed brow as if his head was pounding.
“Have you come to pray?”
He was the first faithful to visit the church that day.
*
A revelation… has finally come…!
Abel dropped to his knees and prayed urgently.
A golden light flowed over the goddess statue. This only happened when a revelation was present.
Whoosh—!
The space trembled for an instant.
The faint sounds around him vanished all at once, and silence descended.
This is…!
He looked around. The faithful were frozen in place, not even moving, not even breathing.
Time had stopped. Except for him, in this space. A phenomenon that only occurred when a revelation was given to a specific person.
The call of light.
“… Huh?”
And within that call of light was not only him but also the faithful who had come for the first time that day.
Could it be… because of this faithful?
Abel’s eyes wavered.
The light bursting from the goddess statue grew clearer, and the goddess’s form appeared before him.
To see the goddess in such clarity was the first time for even him.
- The world needs change, and the beginning of that change happens suddenly at some moment.
A clear, bright voice flowed like an icy gem. It carried the tenderness and warmth of a mother speaking to her child.
- Everything flows according to its proper order. If you are here and facing this person… your existence is for him.
Abel’s body, kneeling and sitting with knees drawn up, trembled. His eyes grew red with the joy of finally ending an endless wait.
- What you seek is at its end.
Whoosh—!
The wind blew.
When he raised his head, the light had vanished and time began to flow again.
His gaze turned toward the man with curly blue hair.
“O Servant of the Goddess.”
Robon, who had been bewildered, tilted his head.
“Hm? What is it?”
*
Clearly something strange had happened.
All of a sudden, every sound had been cut off and people had stopped.
On the goddess statue, a beautiful goddess had moved as if made of light and whispered to him.
- The savior from another world. You must stop the end of this world.
He could only answer blankly to the absurd words.
“… Huh?”
A savior? To stop the end of this world?
Instantly, a chill ran down his spine.
Wasn’t this a cliché from some movie or novel? The savior appearing in this world to stop the end of the world.
He couldn’t even imagine such a commonplace story unfolding right in front of him.
He wanted to deny it. Wasn’t this some kind of show performed at this church?
But…
… I know I came from another world, don’t I?
No one else knew that since he hadn’t told anyone. Especially not the priests of the church, who were meeting him for the first time.
“O Servant of the Goddess.”
A blond adult he had never seen before dropped to his knees and bowed his head.
“Hm?”
“I am Abel Rock, a priest of the Iron Cliff Church.”
“Father Abel Rock. Yes, I understand. Please stand up. And ‘Servant’? What does that mean?”
He hurriedly pulled him up.
“Servant?”
“What sudden event is this?”
“Who is that person?”
The homeless-looking people who had been praying began to stir restlessly at the unexpected commotion.
He couldn’t have an important conversation spreading here.
“Let’s talk somewhere else first.”
“Understood.”
Luckily, he seemed to have noticed, so he sent the other faithful away and met in a separate room.
“For three years, there has never been a revelation. And the Goddess giving a specific revelation is something I have never experienced in my entire life.”
Dammit, this was really undeniable.
Wouldn’t the Holy Kingdom suddenly send knights and priests rushing to take him away?
A Savior of the Goddess for this world?
A sudden chill ran down his back.
“I’m afraid I don’t have the capability for such a thing.”
“That is not for me to judge. The Goddess commanded me to follow the Servant, so I will only follow the revelation.”
Wait, something felt off.
“What did the Goddess say?”
“She said the Servant would change the world. She commanded me to follow the Servant. That way I can fulfill my dream.”
“… What dream?”
“To help and save many people.”
He let out a sigh of relief inwardly.
Was the dream of saving this world something like that?
Ah, it seems different from the revelation I received. Phew, that’s a relief.
With that, he could just say the revelation he received was a lie, right?
Stopping the end of the world to save it was absurd. He wasn’t some legendary hero. He was just an overworked researcher locked in a laboratory every day.
“I see.”
“The Servant—”
“Wait, please don’t use the word ‘Servant’.”
“Ah… Is it uncomfortable? Then how should I address you?”
“My name is Robon Bladewin. Just call me Robon-nim.”
“Robon… Servant… Ah, Robon-nim is the one who created the streetlights in Iron Hall, right?”
“That’s right.”
“As expected! The Goddess’s revelation was correct. To be already doing such great things for the people!”
Somehow, Father Abel looked excited.
“But are there really people who receive such revelations?”
“Yes, many great archbishops of the Holy Kingdom only receive one in their lifetime. Especially when such a clear form of the Goddess appears, I’ve heard it’s only the Pope or the Saint.”
“You saw it too, Father Abel?”
“That’s… thanks to Robon-nim…”
“If it’s thanks to me, then you’ll listen to what I say from now on, right?”
“Yes. Please speak whatever you wish.”
He didn’t seem like he was lying.
Someone who had lived faithfully in this shabby church for years and had even received a revelation from the Goddess—how could anyone not believe him?
“Then please don’t tell anyone that I received a revelation.”
“Understood. I’m sure it’s the Goddess’s will.”
“The Holy Kingdom is never allowed. Understood?”
“Yes. Understood.”
His expression darkened slightly.
“But we have another priest here. May I tell him about this?”
“… Do I really have to tell him?”
“It’s not that, but… the person who has waited for the revelation so hard…”
Well, that was fine.
“Alright. Where is he?”
*
“So this person is the Servant who received the revelation?”
His tone was sharper than expected. No, perhaps “cold” was a better way to put it.
Anyone would think he was from the Bladewin family.
“Priestess Lidia! Be careful with your words. The person who received the revelation directly from the Goddess.”
At those words, her eyes widened.
She sent him a look that openly said she didn’t believe it, like interrogating a con artist.
Is he really a priest? Why is he so suspicious?
“Who is this person?”
“I am Robon Bladewin.”
“Robon… Robon Bladewin?! The, the person who made the streetlights on that street?!”
He nodded proudly. Now that everyone knew his name and reacted with shock, it was no longer surprising.
The look in Lidia’s eyes changed, now looking at him with curiosity.
Her white hair and blue eyes gave off the atmosphere of an ice witch with a tragic story.
“Hey! Help us!”
She suddenly grabbed his hand.
“Priestess Lidia! How irreverent to grab Robon-nim’s hand so casually!”
“Ah, I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. But what do you want help with?”
She sighed heavily and sat down.
“Our church is having trouble paying taxes soon.”
He told her about the church’s situation. It was outrageous.
Father Abel’s habit of giving free bread and milk to the homeless who came to the church was common, but they had even spent all the monthly donations on helping refugees fleeing monsters, and then the church’s finances had collapsed.
Thanks to that, the church looked like this.
Abel Rock seemed like the ideal priest to him—an individual who sacrificed themselves to help others.
In contrast, Priestess Lidia was extremely realistic and cynical.
He could guess why the Lidia standing next to him was so cold.
“You need money to help anyone, right? How can someone who can’t even take care of themselves help others? Healing people with holy power should never involve taking money. If they want to give thanks on their own, fine, but they refuse it every time.”
Hearing that, he understood her frustration perfectly. A person who only knew kindness with no sense of reality.
But he couldn’t say anything because she was too kind.
He figured out why she was desperately asking for help.
“How much holy power does healing with it require?”
“It’s not that amazing.”
“What level is it? Um, I’ve been slouching lately, so my shoulders and neck hurt too. Can it heal that?”
“Come here.”
He didn’t expect much. If she had such healing ability, she would have already spread rumors.
He slightly lowered his shirt and turned around.
Abel pressed his fingers into Robon’s shoulders and neck, making a low groan.
And then…
Sssshhh…
A refreshing yet comforting feeling, something words couldn’t describe, and the pain disappeared at lightning speed.
With his eyes closed, feeling that coolness, the healing was already over.
“Huh…?”
Only five minutes?
“Completely pain-free…?”
The pain had vanished completely. Insane.
Especially the pain in his left shoulder and neck that had tormented him before was gone as if washed away.
He swung his shoulder, tilted it sideways, and bent it backward—no change.
“This isn’t that amazing?”
“… Yes. It’s not that amazing.”
He thought it was humility. No, let’s say Abel was right.
“It’s just treating a little wound?”
Lidia wouldn’t be lying like that.
“What if receiving a revelation strengthens the holy power, or you suddenly gain enlightenment and recover faster someday?”
“…… When I receive the revelation, my holy power does become stronger. But it’s only at a slight level.”
It didn’t sound like a lie. Then the difference was that the Goddess’s revelation was stronger.
If his thoughts were correct, Abel’s holy power had become strong thanks to the revelation, and that ability could heal almost any wound…
This isn’t just a big hit—it’s a super hit…?
If they opened even one hospital, wouldn’t every reject of the Mardin Principality come running?
Suddenly, a top-tier healer had fallen from the sky.