Forsaken Priest of the Hero's Party-Chapter 2: Meeting a Wolf

“Ah!”

I let out a surprised groan upon seeing the child. His face was white without a hint of color, and his head was completely bald. His bones were protruding, and his skin was clinging to his bones.

Seeing my reaction, Mr. Rubert shook his head.

“The priests at the temple said this disease is one where the child’s blood consumes itself.”

According to Mr. Rubert, the child’s illness was not something that could be cured by divine power.

Because it wasn’t something caused by an external factor, but rather by the child’s body itself degrading as time passes.

Despite the Divine Power enhancing the body’s natural healing, immunity, or regeneration, it couldn’t cure these types of diseases.

A disease where one’s own body harms oneself cannot be solved by strengthening oneself. Looking at the child, I recited softly.

“You must have had a hard time.”

“I’m not trying to brag when I say this Mr. Kyle, but I’m quite wealthy you see.”

He continued,

“With the wealth at my disposal, many came to me claiming that they could cure my child. Among them, Mr. Kyle, there were priests who could wield Divine Power, just like you. But none of them succeded, and instead, they got angry at their failure. Saying that my child had been cursed by the Gods!”

“Even if the Gods had indeed cursed this child, how could a mere human like me dare to speak of it?”

I sighed upon hearing those words.

If I couldn’t cure him, the fault lies with my inability, not with the patient.

Moreover, what sin could a seven-year-old child have committed to deserve such terrible words?

“Even if you say this, you might as well be like them if you can’t cure him. You may say my son is cursed. That it’s his fault, or that my wife and I must have done something to anger to the Gods.”

“If I fail, it will be no one’s fault but my own.”

If I cannot cure him, it won’t be the child’s fault.

It won’t be because the child’s parents are sinners and the Lord won’t lend me His power, but because my faith is lacking and I failed to uphold the Lord’s will.

“So I will try. The divinity bestowed by my Lord may be different from that of other gods.”

I reached out and placed my hand on the child’s stomach.

And I prayed. I prayed to my Lord.

To not let the potential this child holds wither away. To allow him to display his gifts and live a long and fulfilling life.

As always, My Lord stayed silent,

But his will coursed through me.

Human life is surprisingly tenacious.

Any disease, even the ones where the body harms itself, has a small possibility of being cured.

Usually, that possibility is too small to be even considered,

And that’s why, when it occurs, we call it a miracle.

However, it is the Lord’s will that makes miracles, no longer miracles.

The Lord’s divinity purged all possibilities where the disease worsened, leaving only the chances of improvement.

And if one continues to heal from a disease,

They would be completely cured.

This is no different.

So, if it can be done, it will be done.

I could feel His gaze watching over me.

With His support, there’s no chance of failure.

Little by little, flesh began to fill the child’s skeletal figure,

The skin that was once ashen white now regained its color.

The fallen hair grew once more.

Everything progressed towards the optimal outcome.

My Lord’s power is limitless, unfortunately, I, who acts as the Lord’s proxy in the mortal world, have limitations.

Still, curing a single child was something that even a younger and inexperienced version of me could achieve with ease. And now, after going through many adventures, this has become a trivial task.

“W-What?! M-My God! A miracle! This is a miracle!”

I continued until there was nothing to change.

That is until the child’s body has reached its peak, leaving no further room for improvement.

I kept infusing His power into the child’s body.

While my Lord’s power may not be the same as the other Gods, its might couldn’t be ignored.

As an imperfect man, I may be simply too foolish and lacking to fully comprehend my Lord’s power. That’s why I have no choice but to see His power as the ability to change probability and choose a better future.

Whether the Lord’s power chooses the best future,

Or whether it maximizes the patient’s condition, naturally curing the disease,

Or whether it forcibly creates non-existent possibilities and realizes them as reality,

I do not know which is the correct answer.

These three are also merely interpretations I have derived.

“Hmm...?”

As I removed my hand and sat down exhausted in a chair, the child woke up and rubbed his eyes.

With the sickness gone and the red complexion returned to his lips, he slowly spoke. And so, I heard the declaration telling me that I had succeeded.

“Dad...?”

“Y-Yes, child...It’s me, your father. Are you alright?”

“Uh...My body doesn’t hurt Dad! It’s amazing...I...I think I can even walk now!”

“My goodness... This, this is unbelievable! Priest, I don’t know how to express my gratitude.”

Mr Rubert hugged me. It took a considerable effort to detach the man from me.

“How could I ever doubt a noble person like you, Priest! Please forgive my rudeness, for I doubted the miracles you could invoke. Please could you forgive this weary father?”

“Stand up. I’m not such a great person for you to treat me differently from before.”

It took some effort to make Mr. Rubert stand up as he tried to kneel and apologize for his rudeness.

I do not deserve such words. The one who deserves this isn’t me, but the Lord.

“Regardless, I advise you to keep a close eye on the child, at least for the next few days.”

“I-Is there a problem with him?”

“I do not think so, but there’s the chance his condition is temporary.”

He nodded his head in agreement. In fact, he himself must have been anxious.

Mr. Rubert was the one who said that the treatments with Divine Power only resulted in brief improvements before the child’s condition worsened again.

Thankfully, this didn’t come to pass.

A day passed, then another two days also went by, and even after a whole week, the child continued healthy.

By the grace of the Lord, I was able to save a child from a grueling death. There aren’t many things as rewarding or satisfying as this, so I was happy as well.

“I owe you more than you know, Mr. Kyle. While I wish to repay your help by giving you money, I know this would put you in a tight spot as the Trinity Church is suppressing the healing activities of other religions.”

A month later, Mr. Rubert brought his son, who looked just like him to greet me.

The situation was true as he said, however, even the Trinity Church couldn’t prevent the other religions from healing others for free.

But they try to catch any who receive money as compensation.

“Therefore, I would like to give you something else. It would be convenient to have someone serving you, rather than living alone.”

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I didn’t want to receive money or goods in return for the treatment, so I tried to stop him.

But what he brought wasn’t money or goods.

“I purchased this one using my connections as a merchant.”

At the Empire’s frontier, existed a tribe filled with beings different from humans.

A tribe that was plagued with conflict.

And now, someone from that tribe, a beastkin, or to be more exact a wolf beastkin, looked at me with a collar around her neck.

Her blue ears perked up at Mr. Rubert’s words.

“Please accept my gift, Your Holiness. She’s a legally purchased slave.”

“Mr. Rubert, I don’t deserve this gift. I’m not such a great person.”

“When I asked about the God you serve, Mr. Kyle, you said he was a nameless God.”

I remembered when Mr. Rubert asked me about my Lord after the treatment was over.

I didn’t know much about Him either, so what answer could I give? I could only say that I call Him the God of Hope, but He has not revealed His true divine name to me.

“In the empire... no, in the entire continent, you are probably the only one who serves that God of Hope. You are alone under your God, so how can you not be a saint?”

Even if I’m not as great as the Saints of the Trinity Church, and even if I can’t wield their authority or prestige, Mr. Rubert said that a believer directly chosen by God is already great enough.

“A god without believers cannot properly manifest divinity. But the One you serve bestows tremendous divine power even though you are the only believer, Your Holiness.”

“Those words are...”

“He may be a forgotten ancient god who existed before the Trinity, or perhaps one of the old gods who was part of the very foundations of this world. It would explain why He does not seek human faith. It means you are a very special person, Your Holiness.”

Ancient gods.

Those who existed before the Trinity were closer to the manifestation of this World’s laws and principles than actual Gods.

They only occasionally appear in old tales and are not seriously discussed.

I simply smiled at his words.

He could be right.

Or he could be wrong.

However, it doesn’t matter who my Lord is, what matters is what He wants.

“You see, this gift of mine is born from the selfish desire to form a connection with such a being. Therefore, even if you refuse it, I’ll leave it here and go.”

The ‘gift’ was in fact a beastkin slave girl.

When I looked at the child, she shrank back. I don’t know if she was abused by the slavers, but even if not, if she became a slave at such a young age, a reaction like this would be normal, unless she had an extraordinarily strong will.

Perhaps the Lord wished for me to meet this child?

Nine apples.

It was what the Lord bestowed upon me as soon as I parted ways with Yurinel’s party.

Before that, He had never performed miracles in such a way.

Did He foresee even this? Perhaps He might have.

“I will gratefully accept the gift.”

That was the reason I took the girl into my home.