Forsaken Priest of the Hero's Party-Chapter 73: I Am on the Lords Side

“Countless people have tried to save my sister under the pressure of my father. Among them were those who were promised wealth, those who were promised power, and those who tried to deceive my father and run away with the money. None of them succeeded in treating my sister, and they were chased away after being treated to a meal or two.”

The Prince sitting across from me slowly opened his mouth.

Archbishop Armata left us, telling us to have a conversation as youngsters, but in fact, I had nothing to say to the Prince.

The lives we have lived and the places we live are different, and we will clearly not know each other. There was no proper common ground to bring up a conversation.

So when the Prince opened his mouth first, I was a little relieved.

“Among them was Saint Sestine of the Hillai Church. She is the saint chosen by Goddess Hillai of healing, so no one on earth can match her when it comes to curing others.”

“My father made considerable concessions to the Church to invite the Saint, but she also failed. This is just my opinion, but,”

The Prince put his hands on the table and quietly looked at me before opening his mouth.

“I don’t think your personal capabilities are superior to those of Saint. How much better can a person be compared to another person? It’s just that you were able, and the Saint was unable. That difference in ability must have come from the one behind you.”

I just smiled. This was something I though about a lot.

If He had not chosen me, what would I have been? Just a boy from a rural village with nothing special about him. That’s all I would have been. So I always wondered.

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Why did the Lord choose me, why me of all people, why did He have to bring me under Him?

Did the Lord see something in me that I didn’t see? Or was it just a coincidental choice?

I was curious, but I left that answer as a question. The Lord must have had His own will, and what I should pursue is not the right answer, but helping those who most need it.

But the Lord was greater than I thought, and on the other hand, I was just an ordinary child with nothing special about me even when I looked at myself.

I couldn’t help but wonder a little more about what He saw in me to choose me.

“I don’t know why someone like you held hands with my sister, but do you know that? If it’s something my sister can give you, I can give it to you too. There’s no reason for us to be on different sides.”

“Your Highness, you think of the Princess as being on a different side.”

“Well... I’ll tell you that I wasn’t the one who divided that side first.”

A little bit of passion was mixed into the Prince’s words. Even if only for a moment, he couldn’t control his anger and spat it out mixed in his voice. It wasn’t just that the relationship between the siblings wasn’t good.

It seemed like there was a secret between the two that I didn’t know about.

“Priest. I don’t think you’ve boarded the same boat as my sister yet. Then is there any reason to get on a sinking ship?”

“I said I can give you anything my sister can give you. If you’ve already matched boats, I can’t give you that much, but a noble person like you wouldn’t have slept with my sister, would you?”

I won’t deny it. That I’m closer to the Princess’s side than the Prince’s right now.

I know that to others, it may look like I’ve grabbed the rope called the Princess. But it’s not my job to tear down and point fingers. It’s not the image of me that the Lord wants, nor the image of me that I want.

“I am solely on the Lord’s side.”

A priest must engrave only the image of the Lord in his heart and live following His teachings.

The reason the Lord answers the prayers of this ignorant servant even if He doesn’t answer the prayers of others is because I am living according to His will.

If it aligns with His will, I can side with anyone, but if not, I can’t do that no matter what I’m offered in return.

“And my Lord has no prejudice against you, Prince. Does it look like He’s taking the Princess’s side instead of yours?”

A streak of divine power leaves my hand and flows to the Prince. The Prince, who tasted the subtly flowing divine power, tried to say something but closed his mouth.

“Just as the sun shines above all, no matter if they are humans, beastkins, or even demons, not discriminating against anyone, My Lord is the same. Everyone desires a God who will take care of their necessity alone, a God who will only bless their nation. But My Lord if not like that. To him, such standards are akin to lines drawn by a child in the sand. Forgive my presumptuous words, but to Him, both you and the Princess are probably just human beings.”

Sometimes I think about it. Why did He claim Himself to be the God of Hope to me?

There was a time when I thought the Lord was born from the gathering of people’s hopes. I even dared to think that, just as an Evil God is born from the condensation of resentment in despair, the Lord was born by weaving an independent divinity from the wishes of those who hope for a better future.

Because I know that the Heavenly God, Aldehir, was born in this way.

Even among the Five Great Gods, He is special. Because He is a god created by human longing and desire for the heavens and the desire to explore the mysteries of the sky.

I thought my Lord would be similar, but now I don’t know. The more I try to understand Him, the deeper my worries only become.

“Then I’d like such a being to just stay in heaven.”

Prince Edmund warned me. He didn’t raise his voice or shout at me.

His voice didn’t get any louder, and he wasn’t angry at all, just speaking calmly, but it was clearly a warning. I wasn’t clueless enough not to notice that.

“Priest. When a person walks on the earth, they sometimes face rain and wind, and there are times when their body doesn’t do as they wish. I understand your intention, but I’m very worried. Who can maintain absolute neutrality in the midst of the difficult situation of politics?”

“You’re not wrong either, Prince. Unless you leave the earth and ascend to heaven, you can’t escape from the rights and wrongs. As I am also human, there will be times when I’m biased towards something.”

I don’t have to go far. I healed the Princess who came to me and gave her a chance to continue her life. This in itself is not a bad thing, but the Prince will probably want to kill me.

It’s meaningless for me to say that I didn’t know she was the Princess. The fact that I saved the Princess doesn’t change anyway.

Since the result is set, there’s no reason or meaning to discuss what happened before. In his eyes, I have already become someone who is on the other side.

“I’m just saying that I know exactly where I stand. I am the Lord’s servant. Wherever I stand, whatever I do, I am a person who always prioritizes His will.”

“Aren’t you afraid? Everyone around here right now is my people.”

The Prince lowered his voice and whispered quietly.

“I’m contemplating right now. Because I won’t have such an opportunity again. Now, will you tell me? How should I treat you, Priest?”

“Treat me as your heart desires.”

“Even if I tell you that I will consider you an enemy, will your intention really not change?”

“If I hadn’t abandoned fear and fixed the center of my life on the Lord, how could I be called a priest?”

The subtle threat contained in that voice was not something to consider.

When the Prince was about to open his mouth again, a strong light flashed behind me. It was not the halo I emitted, nor was it something the Lord bestowed upon me. A light as bright as the midday sun flickered, spewing out hot heat.

The Prince, who reflexively covered his eyes as if dazzled, exclaimed in surprise.

“The sun...?”

When I turned around, Roka, in the midst of a light so bright it seemed to blind me, had stopped eating the pudding and was glaring at the Prince.

The small sun that appeared behind was ready to spew out a powerful force.

“Your Highness. For a moment...”

A woman who seemed to be his escort knight approached the Prince and whispered a few words in his ear. Only then did the Prince let out a sigh and got up from his seat.

But he couldn’t hide his anger.

“Fine. It seems the conclusion has already been reached. Then I won’t take up any more of your time, Priest.”

He soon walks away from me with complicated footsteps.

Roka, who finished eating the egg pudding, wiped her mouth with a napkin and then approached me again. The child hesitated for a moment before opening her mouth.

“There are so many strong people here.”

Well, this is the center of all power in the Empire.

I don’t know for sure, but it must be a place where countless strong people gathered. Although Roka seems to have gotten much stronger, she still has a long way to go before she can make a big noise in the capital.

“This is the capital.”

“If the people that person brought had tried to harm you, I wouldn’t have been able to protect you. I want to become stronger. How can I become stronger?”

I didn’t ask her why she wanted to become stronger. In this world, might makes right.

This child has especially lived such a life. A world where she couldn’t raise her voice because she had no power.

“Roka.”

But no matter how much the world taints people.

Even if one can’t remain wholly pure, one must not surrender to the darkness. A compromise must be made with the world.

“Will you sit here for a moment?”

So I wanted to tell her a story.

Excluding the Lord and the angels, the one who was mightier than anyone I had seen on earth.

A wise man with countless wisdom. But a person who ended up becoming a Demon King.

I hoped Roka wouldn’t repeat the story of the foolish scholar who lives in the North Pole.

“Long ago, there was a person who was deeply wounded.”

Recalling the past he personally told us, I began an old story.

Humans are foolish, and history repeats itself.

A fool will only learn a lesson if he suffers through it.However, a wise man is capable of learning through the example of others.

I’m not saying Roka is stupid,

But I hope Roka becomes a wise person.“That person endlessly pursued power, so that he wouldn’t be hurt again after his most precious people turned their backs on him. Eventually, he succeeded. The man became strong. Stronger than anyone. However, by that time, there was no one by his side. He was alone, Roka. As he forsaken the world in his pursuit of strength, the world  in turn, forsakes him.”I hope she won’t become like the one living in the North Pole.It’s my most sincere wish.