Became a Saint
Became a Saint
{Praise Lilia of Grace.
Her mercy is deep and wide, and as a farmer tends the field, so shall she heal the sick and the wanting.
Her chosen one shall not be determined by wealth, nor by sex, nor by the place of birth; the most holy one shall come forth from the foulest place, and by his life shall bear witness to this.}
—Scripture of Grace, Chapter 32, Verse 16—
***
The heart of the Arkal Empire.
Mars City.
It was every bit as magnificent and vast as I had heard.
Cars and trucks equipped with mana engines drove along the roads, and the city was thick with buildings reminiscent of the Belle Époque.
After getting off the train, I immediately began to stride through the streets.
Walking quickly, I reviewed the plan I had formulated on the train ride here.
Treating people with money and connections would gain me fame and word of mouth quickly, but it was obvious that no one would come to me, a complete unknown, for treatment.
So, I needed people who would accept free treatment from an unheard-of healer they had never seen before.
I intended to go to the slums and begin my healing work there.
The plan was for word to spread from there, then people from well-to-do households would seek me out, followed by even wealthier nobles, and ultimately, even that four-armed witch would come asking to be healed, I would heal her, and a happy ending.
I could only pray that a happy ending came about like that.
Before heading to the slums, I took several deep breaths, trying to ease my tension.
The slums.
Obviously, it was a high-crime area.
There could be unsavory people, and there was a chance of getting stabbed.
Even so, I had to do it.
Because at worst, if the situation went bad, I could just stop time and run away.
I steeled my resolve.
I had to try.
Otherwise, my only future was to end up as a roasted whole pig.
I began seriously looking for the slums, and it didn't take very long to find them.
By simply walking toward the source of the stench, I arrived in the slums before long.
As I slowly wandered through the slums, the sharp stares of the people were aimed at me.
Unsurprisingly, this was not a neighborhood that welcomed outsiders coming and going.
The gazes directed at me fell into exactly two categories.
Is this some brat we can shake down?
Or is this some brat who might hurt us?
Just those two.
Their chilling stares, from those of the underclass with no backing and no future, made my legs feel weak, but I suppressed my fear and walked the streets pretending to be as nonchalant as possible.
And then, as I walked, at last.
A suitable target caught my eye.
A beggar with not a shred of hope in his eyes was shaking an empty bowl, scratching furiously at skin where boils had erupted and blood and pus were oozing.
"In the name of the merciful god, spare a single coin, I beg you. Just a coin."
It was a hopeless voice just mumbling the words perfunctorily, not a voice that carried any sincerity.
He seemed like someone for whom dying today would make no difference compared to dying tomorrow.
Good.
This man didn't seem like he would refuse healing, even from a complete stranger.
"Spare a single coin, I beg you."
I slowly approached him.
As I drew closer, a terrible stench began to emanate from his body.
"Kind sir. In the name of the god, spare just a single coin, I beg you."
Seeing the beggar glance my way and mumble as if he had noticed my approach, I posed a question.
This was a performance.
Performance was crucial for spreading rumors that I was a great healer.
Naturally, getting a reputation as some loud-mouthed quack or a swindler would be a problem, so I answered the beggar with as much gravitas as I could muster.
"Why do you sit in this place?"
"Just a coin, sir. Just a coin."
"Are you unwell?"
"Yes. I am sick. Good sir. Take pity on this beggar and spare just a coin."
"Do you want a coin to get through the day? Or do you want a chance to live the rest of your life differently?"
The beggar blinked his eyes, as if it was hard to understand.
"Of course I'd like a chance to live anew. But who gives such a chance to a beggar like me?"
"I will give it to you. So I ask again. Do you want a chance? Or do you truly want a single coin?"
"I want a chance. Good sir. Give it to me, if you have it. I have nothing to give you in return."
"That is enough."
I placed my hand on the beggar's head.
And I used a skill.
[Activating the Body Modification skill!]
And the next moment.
The interface I had seen once before when using it on myself appeared before my eyes again.
Every time I saw it, I felt it was closer to a medical simulator than an erotic game, it was so detailed.
It was even possible to upgrade or reshape the internal organs—heart, large intestine, small intestine, stomach, lungs, and so on—into any form I desired.
Anyway, the beggar's state, which I saw as a detailed 3D model in the customization window, was truly miserable.
'The bone in one of his legs isn't shaped normally. He must have had to limp or crawl his whole life.'
Boils were clustered all over his body, and a particularly large one on his back was almost the size of a human head.
The foul odor from his body was coming from that boil on his back.
After assessing his condition, I slowly began to knead the beggar's body, as if customizing a character.
I removed the giant boil on his back and all the boils dotted across his body.
Then I reshaped the bone of his twisted leg into a normal form.
I cleaned up his skin, fixed his complexion, and transformed his gaunt, dried-up body into a pleasing shape by adding flesh and muscle.
I molded his face, where his cheekbones had jutted out from starvation.
While customizing him, I gained a different insight from when I had modified my own... parts the day before.
The Body Modification skill wasn't simply a skill for altering outward appearances as I had initially thought.
[Disease conditions in the body can be removed! Proceed?]
Treating diseases was possible, and there were even functions like genetic modification.
I had no idea why such a thing existed, but since I was healing him anyway.
I might as well do it right, yes?
'Let's get rid of the diseases. Also remove some of the cavities in his teeth. Delete the parasites in his large intestine, too.'
I could literally change anything related to the body however I pleased.
As I was thoroughly absorbed in manipulating the man's body, a bizarre sound burst from his mouth.
"Urgh... urrrgh! G-good sir!"
The sound of bones twisting filled the air.
The sounds of joints, muscles, nerves, and blood vessels twisting and rearranging themselves began to echo with incredible volume.
Hearing the beggar's screams and the chilling sounds of his body being reconstructed, other beggars and slum residents nearby began to gather.
Good.
Keep gathering. Watch.
And spread the word.
I manipulated the beggar's body for about three minutes with extreme concentration.
At last, having altered everything inside and out to a satisfactory degree, I lifted my hand from the beggar.
The beggar collapsed to the ground.
He felt around his own body with a horrified expression, then slowly tore off the pus-stained rags he was wearing and started clumsily stripping off his clothes.
The man had thrown off everything, including his undervest, and was sitting there staring at his own body over and over with an indescribable expression.
A crowd of people had already gathered to an intimidating degree, buzzing as their eyes darted between me and the man.
"That man... wasn't he lame from birth?"
"No, but how..."
"The boils and pus have all vanished. Does that make any sense?"
"I saw it!! When you touched his body, it just disappeared!!"
A smile tugged at the corner of my lips at the sound of the murmuring crowd.
Very good.
Now go and spread the rumors diligently. Understood?
Striving not to break character as the all-purpose healer I had chosen to play, I extended a hand to the beggar.
"Rise and walk on your own two feet."
The beggar grabbed my hand.
I pulled him to his feet.
The beggar planted his two feet on the ground and stood.
I let go of his hand and stepped back, and the man slowly began to walk forward, one step, then another.
His steps were slow, but the man was walking perfectly.
After a light circuit around the area, the beggar suddenly approached me, slowly knelt down, and began kissing my shoes.
"Saint!"
Tears poured from the beggar's eyes as he clutched my ankle and kissed my shoes like a madman.
He must have been quite overwhelmed.
And at that sight, scores of people who had gathered, upon hearing the healed beggar's words, all began to shout in unison.
"A Sa-Saint."
"He performed a miracle!"
"Sa-Saint!!"
The surrounding paupers knelt down as well, every last one of them.
Fortunately, it seemed the first button had been threaded properly.
Wearing a benevolent smile, I helped up the beggar who was frantically kissing the tops of my feet.
"Sa-Saint. I have nothing with which to repay you."
Right. It was time to drop a line that sounded impressive, wasn't it?
"I did not heal you expecting payment. I do not desire to be repaid in material things. What I wish for you is to live a proper life. Repay what I have granted you today not with money, but with your life itself."
After I delivered a suitably cool line, the beggar began to wail loudly.
Perfect.
"I-I will do so. Saint! I will definitely do so!!"
The sobbing beggar threw himself into my arms, weeping and sobbing in overwhelming emotion.
After patting him on the back, I looked at the people around me.
The intensity of their gazes was something else.
It felt like the timing was right for another cool line.
Good.
This was also a perfect time to spread the word that I was a ridiculously awesome healer.
"Those with congenital diseases or those who are unwell, come to me. I am a person who has come to heal you. I will accept no payment. Anyone, step forward."
At those words, an enormous crowd of people instantly swarmed toward me.
"Saint! Please heal my son!"
"I have a blind mother!"
"Saint!! My son is dying! We have no money to treat him! Please cure him!!"
The immense volume of voices left me breathless.
Thankfully, the rumors would likely spread.
At this rate, word would spread across the entire capital in no time, right?
Alright. I'll ride this momentum and try to prevent an apocalypse-ending event.
Thinking that, I focused on treating those who came to me with Body Modification as best I could.
Yes. Up to this point, it was not bad.
Not bad at all, but...
"The Saint of Lilia, Goddess of Grace, is here!!"
"The Goddess of Grace has sent us a saint!"
"Healing Saint!! Healing Saint!"
But why were the names of specific orders suddenly being shouted?
Oh, this is bad.
I was trying to act like a saint, but it would get really troublesome if I was suspected of belonging to a specific order!!
No!
Don't call on the name of the Goddess Lilia!!
Of course, contrary to my wishes.
"Healing Saint!!"
"Apostle of Grace!!"
The shouts erupting from the people around me only grew louder in real time.