“Do you know him?”
“Ah, no. I must have been mistaken. In any case, the slave’s condition is quite poor. At this rate, you won’t be able to enjoy him for long, so allow me to assist you.”
Before I could even ask him to heal Lucas, the priest extended both hands and poured divine power into him.
Gradually, color returned to Lucas’s complexion, and his ragged, shallow breathing smoothed out into a comfortable rhythm.
The priest drew back his hands.
However, Lucas did not open his eyes.
“It is finished. Now, I shall bestow the blessing upon you.”
“Is he truly alright? He hasn’t opened his eyes…”
“Yes. He will regain consciousness shortly.”
I couldn’t question a priest twice, so I simply nodded.
Announcing that he would begin the blessing, the priest stood in the center of the room, raised both arms toward the ceiling, and closed his eyes.
“Your humble servant dares to offer his body to you, Gaia. Execute your divine will through me.”
Interestingly, while the priest used his divine power for healing without a word, he made sure to recite a formal prayer for the blessing.
They say it is because divine power stems from an individual’s personal faith, whereas a blessing is an act directly executed by the god.
The moment the priest finished the prayer, the entire room flashed with light for a split second before returning to normal.
It felt as though the Milky Way had briefly cascaded into the room before vanishing.
Opening his eyes, the priest turned to me and asked, “Did the deity manifest?”
Look at him asking as if he didn’t know anything, despite being the one who exerted the power.
His attitude of acting as though he had performed a grand miracle was somewhat obnoxious.
Someone else might have been deeply moved, believing a god had truly visited, but to me, he just looked like someone eager to secure a massive donation.
Of course, I didn’t let it show and feigned being deeply touched.
“Yes. The deity came. The blessings bestowed are always so beautiful and enchanting to witness. As a lamb of the flock, I was filled with immense joy.”
“Your sleep shall be peaceful now. Do they not say that dreams are merely the jests of the gods? It seems Gaia missed you, Count, and decided to play a little prank. You should come to the temple sometime to offer a prayer.”
“Haha. Yes, of course. I must go.”
The saying that dreams are the jests of the gods is a common superstition.
It implies that whether you have a good dream or a bad dream, it is just a game played by the gods, so one shouldn’t blindly believe in them or let them ruin their day.
Nodding along half-heartedly, I pulled out a heavy pouch of gold coins.
“This is a small token of my sincerity. It is trivial compared to the blessing received from Gaia, but I hope you will accept it.”
Now, all that was left was for the priest to play coy, say something like, “Oh, you shouldn’t have,” and take the pouch.
But when I handed it over, the priest took it, pulled out a single gold coin from inside, and handed the pouch right back to me.
I was bewildered. “Holy Sir?”
“How could I possibly accept gratitude for a deed performed by the god? I shall only take my carriage fare.”
I was the one who had brought him here in my own carriage and was going to send him back the same way, so I had no idea what nonsense he was talking about.
Though skeptical, I pressed him again.
“You may take it. It is my absolute pleasure if this can be of even the slightest help to the deity’s holy work.”
‘Just take it.’
I know exactly how money-grubbing you temple folks usually are, so if you’re refusing it, it means you have an ulterior motive.
I beamed at him, utterly determined to make him take the money and leave.
The priest refused once more, but when I continued to insist, he finally revealed his true intentions as if he had no choice.
“In that case… instead of a donation, could you perhaps bring that slave to the temple next time?”
My expression froze into a cold glare.
This bastard had just asked me to let him have a turn with Lucas.
He was completely out of his mind. Even after seeing a man on the brink of death, that was what crossed his mind?
“I will give you an additional pouch of gold coins. Take it and leave.”
Sensing my sheer disgust, the priest seemed to snap back to his senses and hurriedly backpedaled.
“No, no! It’s not what you think! He looks like a foreigner, so I was merely curious to ask how they revere the goddess Gaia in foreign lands.”
A foreigner? Look at this.
“Holy Sir. Did I ever mention where my slave is from?”
Outwardly, Lucas did not look drastically different from our people.
There wasn’t a single visual hint to deduce that he was a foreigner.
The priest realized his blunder.
Belatedly struck with panic, he shut his mouth and carefully watched my reaction.
“I have nothing more to say to you. Take the gold and go.”
I knew perfectly well that he wasn’t just looking for a casual encounter.
I immediately designated this priest as the number one target to watch out for.
He absolutely knew who Lucas was.
When I practically shoved the pouch of gold into his hands, the priest had no choice but to accept the money and depart the manor.
Ordering a different knight to escort him out, I called Tayros over and asked him quietly, “Was there anything unusual when you went to fetch that priest?”
Tayros pondered for a moment before replying, “I don’t think there was anything strange. Did something happen?”
“He knows who Lucas is. He lied to act like he didn’t, but then he asked me to bring Lucas to the temple sometime.”
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Tayros thought deeply before speaking.
“Hmm… then I suppose I don’t know whether to call it strange or not. When I went and asked the apprentice priest to summon a priest for me, they verified which family I came from. The moment I said the Pation Count family, that specific priest came out.”
It wasn’t inherently strange for an apprentice priest to ask such a question.
Yet, considering it was a question they didn’t strictly need to ask, it left a bad taste in my mouth.
“Alright, I understand. Good work. If you remember anything else later, let me know.”
“Will do. How is Lucas?”
“He’s better. Thanks to you.”
Tayros’s eyes widened as if surprised by my words, and he gave my shoulder a playful nudge.
“It’s thanks to you. You’re the one who didn’t give up on him.”
He even gave me a knowing wink.
“It’s fine to admit when you like something.”
I was dumbfounded.
He was completely misunderstanding the situation on his own.
I tried to explain, but Tayros quickly pushed me by the back, telling me to get going.
Since Lucas hadn’t regained consciousness yet, I decided to clear up the misunderstanding later and returned to the bedroom.
The doctor was checking on Lucas’s condition.
Lucas was still unconscious, but the doctor’s expression was bright.
“How is he?”
“There are no issues. I checked thoroughly, and he is entirely healed. The priest treated him flawlessly before leaving.”
The doctor pointed to where the injuries had been.
Indeed, the wounds he had shown me earlier were completely closed up.
“Then when will he wake up?”
“He should be waking up shortly.”
