The Priestess Who Gives Freely (3)

"What's the matter, Dian? Didn't you need a holy priest?"

When I took hold of the little priestess named Maya, Rormane tilted her head.

"I do, but thirty bishops is overkill. A few ordinary priests who know their way around holy power would be plenty."

"Ah, is that so? In that case..."

I saw a resolute glint gathering in Rormane's eyes and shook my head with complete seriousness.

"I'd rather take a whole platoon of bishops than the Grand Chancellor. Don't do that — just recommend one decent priest."

"Will one be enough?"

"More than enough."

As long as they could use holy power, they could treat pretty much any injury. I didn't need a bunch of old veteran bishops. One or two young, passionate ordinary priests would be just right.

"Very well. Then take Maya with you."

"Maya? You mean that kid — I mean, that priestess?"

I looked at Maya, who had slipped free of my grip and was now standing beside Rormane. She looked even younger than Olicia. Wasn't she a trainee, not a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠full priest?

"I understand your surprise, but Maya will be fine. This child is an Oracle Priest."

"Huh? Seriously?"

They say an Oracle Priest is one whose clerical destiny was ordained by the goddess herself. I had no idea if that was actually true, but they did possess holy power far beyond anyone else's. Rormane, standing right in front of me, was an Oracle Priest herself — famous for instinctively using Divine Healing on her mother's torn flesh the moment she was born.

"She's still young, and because of her nature as an Oracle Priest, I've been keeping her by my side and teaching her until she comes of age. So you can take her with complete confidence."

Is that so. If even just this one little kid were at our Academy, I could work the students without any real worry.

"If you say so, I'll take your word for it — but are you sure? An Oracle Priest is a vital asset of the Church. Can you really send her to the Academy this easily?"

"There's no problem, Dian. I am the Grand Chancellor, after all. I'm one of the few people who can have a private audience with His Holiness. I'll handle the explanation myself."

"Yeah? All right. Then what about Priestess Maya's own wishes?"

"If the Grand Chancellor so commands, I shall do so."

Priestess Maya, who had been standing there like a wax figure, answered in a quiet, even voice. She seemed remarkably composed for her age — the complete opposite of Olicia.

"Maya. Pack your things. You need to go to the Academy right now."

"Understood, Grand Chancellor."

As Maya pattered out the door, I turned back to Rormane.

"You're really sure about this? Can she live on her own?"

"All of our priests live communally and can handle most household chores by themselves, so you needn't worry. But if you're truly concerned, having her stay at your residence would be a good solution."

"I suppose. Well, I've got a two-story house, and a maid around her age already lives there, so it shouldn't be a big problem. But as for her dispatch fee, how should I pay..."

"You don't need to pay. We'll send her as volunteer work."

"Huhhh? You can actually do that?"

"Of course. Being able to offer you such great help, Dian, makes me — Rormane — so very happy."

With that, she took my hand once more.

"Now that you're nearby, let's see each other often. I've missed you so terribly these past ten years."

"Got it. I'll do that."

"There's so much that's built up, after all — and so much that you, Dian, will need to... release."

What the hell was that supposed to mean? Obviously I wasn't thinking of that — it was probably just about missing me, or something of the sort — but that did not sound like a metaphor a high-ranking priestess ought to be using.

Only after grabbing my hand and hugging me over and over again did Rormane finally let me go. Priestess Maya, who had already returned with a large bag, just stared blankly at all that repeated physical affection.

"Take care, Dian! Come visit again!"

"Thanks for today, Rene. Let's see each other often."

Finally free of Rormane, I was able to leave Church Headquarters with Priestess Maya.

"Shall I carry your bag, Priestess Maya?"

"I will carry it myself."

I held out my hand, but she refused outright, pulling the bag she held with both hands closer to herself. A shy type, maybe.

Once word got out that I'd secured a holy priest from Church Headquarters, the Combat Department professors came rushing to the infirmary.

"Is it true, Chief Professor?! You actually got a holy priest dispatched?!"

"This is genuinely unbelievable. How the hell did he pull that off?"

"What's gotten into that high-and-mighty Church all of a sudden? Is the Demon King about to resurrect and wipe out the continent tomorrow or something?"

The Combat Department professors' reaction was way too intense. Was it really that big of a deal?

"Everyone, say hello. This is Priestess Maya, who will be looking after our Combat Department from here on out."

Since they'd all gathered here anyway, I introduced her.

"Uh, what... she's a kid?"

Seeing Maya's small, slight figure, the professors made no effort to hide their disappointment.

"Eeeh?! She's so cute!"

Only Lina, the Infiltration Professor, grinned from ear to ear and reached out to pat her head — until Priestess Maya swatted her hand away, at which point Lina backed off, looking awkward.

"Lina. You should show proper respect to members of the clergy. You can't treat her like a child."

Felimia, the Psychological Warfare Professor, adjusted her glasses as she pointed out Lina's mistake.

"But she's so young... she's about the same height as a foal..."

Anna, the Combat Horsemanship Professor, muttered to herself while sneaking glances at Priestess Maya, while Brog, the orc Unarmed Combat Professor, just scratched his chin. Genev, the Armed Combat Professor, stood with his arms crossed, shooting me a blunt look that demanded an explanation, and Morton, the General Combat Professor who already had plenty of complaints about me, was already walking off in the other direction.

"Hmm, well, she is a priestess, so she should at least be able to handle basic first aid."

"Of course. Even that much is something."

Waiver, the Combat Survival Professor, and Orendi, the Magic Countermeasure Professor — both naturally optimistic types — made an effort to highlight the bright side.

"Hey, Chief Professor! You really think the kind of training you talked about's gonna happen like this?"

Kazadar, the Combat Equipment Professor, grumbled as he fidgeted with the head of the hammer at his belt.

"You bring in a trainee priest who can't even use holy power right, and then what? Eh?"

Maya, who had been silent until now, opened her mouth.

"I am not a trainee priest."

"Huh? What?"

"I am not a trainee priest."

Then Maya raised a hand that shone with golden light above her head.

Golden rain suddenly began pouring from the sky.

"Whoooaaa?!"

"Wait, is this—?!"

As the rain of holy power fell, the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wilted plants in the infirmary flower beds suddenly lifted their heads and stood ramrod straight.

This was the Rain of Healing — an ability that indiscriminately healed every target within a given range, something ordinary priests wouldn't even dare attempt. I'd seen Rormane use it from time to time, but Priestess Maya hadn't even come of age yet. This was genuinely incredible. Rormane had assured me not to worry because Maya was an Oracle Priest, but I never imagined it would be this level.

I formally reintroduced Priestess Maya to the professors.

"I forgot to mention — this is an Oracle Priest. As you know, they are born with holy power that..."

"A pleasure to meet you, Priestess!"

The professors shoved me aside and crowded around Priestess Maya, hurriedly offering their greetings. Haha. What a ridiculous bunch.

"What's going on?! What is this?!"

At that moment, a window on the main building flew open, and Principal Kirlin leaned out, sucking in a sharp breath.

"Hah?! The Rain of Healing?!"

"Principal. Over here."

I waved, and Principal Kirlin looked at me, then at Maya, then shouted down.

"What on earth is going on?!"

"I brought a holy priest from the Church. To strengthen the infirmary."

"Th-the Church... sent a priest...?"

"And she's coming as volunteer work, so you don't have to worry about the money!"

"V-volunteer?!"

Looking at Principal Kirlin's bewildered face, I thought to myself, I'll nail you to that position no matter what, so just do as I tell you — I mean, as I suggest.

Looking out the window at the commotion in front of the infirmary, Principal Kirlin was at a loss for words. She already knew Dian had gone to Church Headquarters to request a priest. Given how critical the infirmary's role was to realizing his proposed Combat Department curriculum reforms, that much was only natural.

Kirlin hadn't sent the Church's priests away out of any ill will. In the process of eliminating hazards to prevent accidents, the infirmary's usage had naturally declined, and so she had made the decision as a matter of cutting labor costs.

Holy priests cost an enormous amount of money. How much? Enough that the salary of a single holy priest could hire ten regular physicians. A truly staggering sum. And he had brought one back for free, under the guise of volunteer work? What even was this man?

Kirlin was well aware that her father, the chieftain of her clan, had betrayed the other dark elves to save the Emperor, and that it was thanks to this that she had been appointed Academy Principal — a position far beyond her station. She also knew that the Second Princess and the rest of the Post-War Power Faction wanted her gone, but couldn't lay a hand on her because of the Emperor's orders. And she knew they had named Linus, the Hero who slew the Demon King, as her successor, hoping to make her walk out of her own accord.

And so Kirlin had worked tirelessly to avoid even the slightest blemish. If even a minor problem arose, the Imperial Palace would surely seize on it and never let go. Her father was a shrewd enough operator to have predicted the Demon King's army would lose and switched to the human side in advance — but like all dark elves, he was a man of boundless coldness. Kirlin feared her father, and as someone who carried both his expectations and the honor of her entire clan, she had had no other choice.

Though Combat Department classes had been significantly scaled back, she had strengthened the Theoretical Department in their place, and had set aside ample reserve funds to match the reduced operations. Given her circumstances, Kirlin had been walking a razor-thin tightrope of her own judgment. Anyone in her position would have done the same.

And yet, on some level, Kirlin had also hoped that someone would appear and dramatically come to her aid — whether to improve her situation or to help her escape it. And then, like a miracle, Dian had appeared.

And so Kirlin had signed off on the report, and Dian had begun pushing forward exactly as he'd promised. But she had never imagined he would actually bring back a holy priest from the Church — and one who could cast the Rain of Healing, no less. This was a greater shock than when she'd heard her father ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had betrayed the Demon King's army and switched sides.

No matter how I think about it, Dian becoming Principal would be the better choice for everyone. But that doesn't mean I have any intention of going back to the clan's forest. She didn't have the courage or the confidence to lay everything down, go back, and face her father.

Kirlin looked at the training curriculum sitting on her desk. It was the plan for the Assassination and Kidnapping course — the subject she currently taught. No matter how skilled the other professors were, none of them could match a dark elf in this particular field, which was why Kirlin also served as the Subject Professor.

Staring at it, a thought occurred to her.

What if Dian became Principal, and I stepped down to become the Assassination and Kidnapping Professor...?

The Imperial Palace would get the arrangement they wanted. She would be free of the pressure and the stress. Her father would be reasonably satisfied if his daughter were a professor at a major imperial academy. And ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Dian would get a higher position.

A setup where nobody loses out. This... this might actually be pretty good...?