Chapter 07
A day at the temple began early in the morning.
After attending the dawn service, I ate breakfast with the novice priests. Until lunch, we had lessons in basic academics and theology. After lunch, we spent the rest of the day handling the temple’s daily affairs.
I was an ordinary child, completely lacking in divine power, unqualified as a novice priest. But perhaps because the Apostle had caused a commotion in the hall, no one in the temple dared treat me poorly.
Especially the children my age, who seemed eager to befriend me.
“My name’s Judy! Let’s be friends!”
“I’ve read about the child of God in the seminary! White hair like moonlight, eyes red as blood—my creation and my reflection! It’s in Pankelser, Chapter 21, Verse 33! How amazing! Just being in the same space as you is an honor!”
During breaks, children would flock around me, introducing themselves, creating a lively atmosphere.
It felt like being the popular class president back in elementary school.
Thinking of my past, being bullied by peers, it was almost enough to bring tears of astonishment to my eyes.
Even the adults in the temple were kind to me. No one threatened me with punishment or intimidation anymore.
Of course, not every priest welcomed my presence. A few, including Priest Temio, would mutter complaints under their breath whenever I passed by.
“Who would have thought that the old man in the back room who was so erratic until recently would suddenly come to his senses?”
“Shh, watch your words.”
“Hmph, what divine blessing could a child with no holy power possibly have? Preposterous!”
“The old man must be senile. Let him be; he doesn’t have much time left.”
At first, I didn’t understand why they muttered such things behind my back.
Calling a youthful, unwrinkled man in his twenties an ‘old man’? Clearly, they’re the ones who seem senile.
“What are they talking about? Are they referring to the Apostle?”
Judy, standing beside me, glanced at the priests, then quietly explained.
“Ah… you don’t know. Those born with immense divine blessings, like the Apostle, don’t physically age once they become adults. They look young on the outside, but I think… he’s about seventy now.”
“Sev…enty?”
Hearing Judy, I finally understood why the Apostle’s voice didn’t match his appearance. No wonder everyone said his speech sounded like that of an old man.
“You’re also a child of God, so maybe your body won’t age either!”
I laughed awkwardly at Judy’s words.
“Ha ha ha… that can’t be.”
A villain who once nearly destroyed the world, being a child of God? Impossible.
“Anyway, don’t pay attention to those words, Kae. They’re just unbelievers. Ignore them.”
I nodded silently at Judy’s advice.
Peaceful days continued.
The villainous childhood, abused by peers and adults alike, no longer existed.
Instead of the tasteless, mysterious porridge at the orphanage, every meal now had warm white bread and soup. Dirty beds infested with rats and insects were replaced with clean beds smelling faintly of soap, where I could sleep without exposure to the wind.
Occasionally, news came from novels about protagonists who were insanely overpowered.
‘Will they come to kill me?’ I felt a faint unease but shook my head. As long as I stayed at the temple, I’d never meet them anyway.
“Kae, is there anything troubling you?”
The Apostle’s white hair shimmered as it swayed in the wind. Handsome as ever, he often visited me, asking after my well-being.
“Whatever you need, just say it. I’ll make it happen.”
Need? I get three meals a day, lessons, and even a place to sleep. There’s nothing I want.
Rather, I wanted to be a great help to the Apostle who let me stay at the temple.
“Apostle, I want to learn magic.”
“…Magic?”
He, the former Grand Mage, had adopted me from the famous Rosvelier ducal family. Wasn’t it because of my enormous mana?
“Yes, I want to learn healing magic.”
Mana-based healing magic was usually avoided because it was less efficient than divine healing, but my mana more than compensated.
“I want to become a healing priest.”
Even with divine power, those who could use holy healing magic were limited. Healing priests were always in demand since healing magic was the temple’s main source of income. I wanted to be a priest who would greatly help the temple.
“If that is your wish, I shall do my best to support you.”
True to his word, under the Apostle’s guidance, I learned healing magic with extensive support.
Eight years passed.
By staying at the temple instead of going to the Rosvelier ducal family, the novel’s storyline was thoroughly twisted.
By the flow of the original story, the protagonists should have met and fought the villainess five years ago, but after reincarnation, they hadn’t even seen her face.
As long as I stayed at the temple as a healing priest, I believed that ‘Ibeliana Rosvelier’ would vanish forever from the protagonists’ memories.
Until the day I received my adult ceremony and baptism as a healing priest.
“Impossible. Those without divine power cannot be appointed as priests of the Terina faith,” came the shocking decree from the High Priest.
The Apostle’s face turned red and purple in anger, shouting in fury.
“How dare you! Are you saying this child is defying me?!”
Despite the Apostle’s strong objections, I could not become a healing priest. The High Priest’s approval was required.
And since I had reached adulthood, I could no longer stay at the Terina temple, reserved for minors with divine power and priests. There was no place for me.
“Kae, do not worry. I told you, you may stay here as you wish. Ignore the words of those insolent ones.”
The Apostle said I could stay anytime, but the other priests could not. The High Priest’s command carried more authority than that of the ‘Apostle of God.’ I had to leave the Terina temple I had called home for eight years.
As an orphan with no family or money, I needed to find work quickly.
I applied to become a healer in the Empire.
Though the job involved six-day, three-shift work, with overtime and extra labor, it was rare to find a profession in this world that offered guaranteed retirement and housing support.
Having trained as a healing priest and possessing the necessary magic, I easily passed the Imperial Healer Examination, one of the Empire’s top three official exams. I became a healer at the Zeronia branch.
Today, the Zeronia Imperial Healer Clinic was bustling with patients.
“I’ve had diarrhea since earlier! Can’t you heal me?”
“My head throbs from a headache! A single heal should fix it.”
People who could have been treated at a pharmacy in a minute came to the clinic to see my healing magic.
“Hey! Healer! We’ve been waiting 30 minutes! Why are you treating the commoner who just arrived first? Are you joking? What’s this?!”
A middle-aged knight with a beard stomped in anger, smashing a potted plant in the clinic and yelling. Though he knew the Empire prioritized emergency patients and had cheaper treatment than temples, he threw a tantrum because others were treated before him.
‘Where do I report property damage?’
My head throbbed from stress as dozens of difficult patients arrived daily.
‘Ah… I want to go home.’
Ignoring my headache, I raised my healer’s wand over a child dying before me and invoked the incantation.
“Heal.”
A bright light glowed beneath the wand. The child’s exposed, bleeding abdomen was enveloped in the white light, and the wounds quickly healed.
“Ahhh, Jerome!”
The child’s mother wept beside the bed. The child, pale as death, slowly regained color.
“Waaah!”
“Healer!”
The child, previously crushed under a carriage with ribs and internal organs exposed, was completely healed, breathing steadily again.
“It’s a miracle!”
The clinic erupted in cheers.
Had I overexerted myself again?
I glanced at my fellow healers. As expected, they looked at me with admiration. Even the bald Zeronia branch head was smiling as if ready to give a bonus.
Damn it, not another promotion, right?
“Thank you so much, Healer! How can I ever repay you…”
The mother bowed repeatedly.
“It’s nothing. I just did my job.”
“But…”
I politely nodded and left before she could speak further. My shift was long over, and I was too exhausted to listen to every guardian’s story. Moreover, staying longer would risk the branch head overestimating my ability and promoting me to the capital.
‘Absolutely not.’
I opened the corridor door and muttered to my colleagues.
“I’m leaving now.”
“Huh? Leaving already?”
The branch head hurried over, looking concerned.
“Can’t you work just a little longer?”
I stiffened. I had already worked a 24-hour shift recently and then 16 hours today. Asking for more?
“You do realize I’ve already worked eight hours overtime?”
“Already that time?”
“And after using so much power earlier, I can’t continue. I’m leaving now.”
I bowed and left. The branch head, showing a hint of conscience, didn’t stop me.
‘Finally… going home. Going home!’
I trudged toward the office when I heard rapid footsteps approaching.
