The recent weather in Nielstan has not been so great. In order to avoid the inconvenience brought by the rain, I, the Archbishop of the Church, arrived early at the church.
Standing at the main entrance, looking at the dark clouds rolling in the sky, I muttered to myself, "I hope the storm will pass soon." I looked at the group of new believers praying to the statue of the Healing Goddess in the church. They were so devout that they reminded me of myself in the past.
With that thought, I narrowed my eyes and carefully observed them.
My gaze swept across the faces of all the new believers, and I finally found that special one. Her petite figure was covered by a loose priest's robe, revealing only her innocent face and her clasped hands in front of her. Like the others, she was very devout, but there was a trace of worry on her face.
"Poor child, may the Lord bless you," I sighed softly...
She was different from the other newcomers because she came from the slums. When I met her, she was only 10 years old and was on her knees on the streets of Nielstan begging passersby for help. "Please... my sister is dying... please, someone save her. I'll do anything," she sobbed, but nobody stepped forward to help her.
I walked up to her, helped her up, and said, "Take me to her. I'll help you." At that moment, her eyes were filled with hope, and those were the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen.
It was only when I arrived at her home that I learned her sister had fallen ill from eating a wild yellow mushroom in the forest. Strangely, if it were just one yellow mushroom, it should only cause weakness in the body, and not threaten a person’s life…
It turned out that her sister had a heart problem, something I discovered after examining her. An innate fatal weakness had led to her sister's current condition… There was nothing I could do… Healing magic could relieve pain but couldn't change congenital defects. Perhaps…
The treatment went smoothly, and after some consideration, I told her the truth: "Your sister… has a heart problem… I'm afraid she won't live past the age of 10."
Upon hearing this, she collapsed to the ground and grabbed the hem of my robe. "Archbishop! Please save my sister! She's the only family I have left! I beg you to save her! I beg you!"
I shook my head, "Only a miracle could save her…"
"Can the gods save my sister?" she asked, and I remained silent.
Later, with my introduction, she joined the church and became the most devout believer, hoping to obtain God's mercy. But I knew it would never happen…
"Good morning, Archbishop Anji," a voice brought me back from my thoughts. I looked at her smiling face and replied softly, "Good morning." But the pain in my heart told me: Time might have run out… Perhaps…
In the afternoon, the weather worsened. Heavy rain poured outside, and thunder rumbled from time to time. The damp air filled the streets, leaving no one outside, except for her standing at my doorstep. Finally… the inevitable moment came.
"Archbishop Anji, my sister is gone…" Her face was covered in a mix of tears and rainwater. As her heartbreaking cries echoed, I held her close, and she leaned against my chest, sobbing uncontrollably.
"Archbishop Anji, why… why didn't the gods respond when I prayed so devotedly? They normally do, but when my sister suffered, they didn't answer. When she took her last breath, I desperately begged for God's mercy, but He still took away my only remaining relative. I sincerely served the gods, why are they so cruel to me…?"
She whispered in my arms.
I smiled softly, "Because the gods don't love humans. They only appear to do so because humans wish it were true. Gods are a group of selfish, high and mighty beings that enjoy toying with people…"
She looked up in disbelief, and I looked into her puzzled eyes, "Would you like to hear a story, dear?"
Years ago, Nielstan wasn't as wealthy as it is now. However, its mineral resources attracted many companies to invest in mining. People relied on mining and bodyguard work to make a living. Although it was hard, they managed to survive.
Due to competition and exploitation among companies, fights and conflicts often broke out, and mines collapsed due to over-mining. Injured people became numerous, and without money to buy potions for treatment, the number of injured continued to rise, sometimes filling the streets. Back then, there was a kindhearted and devout priest in the church who often treated those who couldn't afford potions.One day, she needed to treat a patient, so she went deep into the forest to gather medicine. The vast forest, rarely touched by anyone except adventurers, hid many dangers. As she passed a pile of dead leaves, she failed to notice the danger lurking beneath and fell into a deep pit, losing consciousness.
When she woke up and laboriously climbed out of the pit with the help of vines, it was already completely dark. She retraced her steps to find her way back, but from a distance, she saw a group of goblin bandits. The young priestess was well aware of the danger they posed. She tried to sneak away but was discovered. In her hurried escape, she lost her belongings and became lost in the depths of the forest. After not eating all afternoon, she was both hungry and thirsty. She had no choice but to go to the river where beasts often appeared to replenish her water supply. Although she was careful and inspected the surroundings of the riverbank, she did not notice a brown bear hidden in the bushes due to the darkness.
By the time she realized the brown bear was attacking, it was too late. She could only desperately dive into the river ahead, but the bear's sharp claws still tore open her back, leaving four deep, bone-exposed gashes. A large amount of blood flowed out instantly, and the turbulent river quickly swept her away.
She struggled to stay conscious in the river and managed to crawl onto the bank with the help of a tree trunk. She had no idea how far she had been swept from where the bear had attacked her. Perhaps she should have been thankful for the river for helping her escape the bear. She prayed to the gods and chanted a healing spell, which lightened her wounds slightly and temporarily stopped the bleeding.
However, the goblins, who she had eluded earlier, hadn't given up on tracking her. Relying on their keen sense of smell for humans, they followed closely behind. The cunning creatures ambushed her while she was resting, weak and bloodied, beneath a tree. She tried to fend them off with her only remaining weapon, an oak staff, but they repeatedly attacked her, reopening the wound on her back. Blood stained her priestess robe, and her strength gradually weakened.
The goblins circled around her, mocking her. She knew what they were laughing at. In her heart, she prayed to the gods incessantly. But the gods did not respond as they always did, and the only thing in front of her was the ugly face of the goblins and their putrid smell. Terrified, she sobbed and tried to shove those disgusting creatures away while desperately praying to the gods.
"And then what happened?" she asked me. "Later," I paused and propped her up. "She was saved by a passing, young Elf. A few white shadows pierced through all the goblins' chests. Just before she passed out, she saw a pair of crimson eyes. When she woke up again, she was in the church, receiving treatment."
"Although she should have died of blood loss, the Elf had saved her life using unknown methods and brought her to the city gates, where guards found her and took her back." A few weeks later, her injuries healed completely. She came to the statues of the gods and looked up at the towering images.
"O gods, I respect you, but you didn't help me when I needed you most. Instead, it was two so-called 'monsters' from the two empires. In my eyes, that Elf was so noble and kind." She continued, "Since you do not save people, why should I continue to honor you instead of the true 'divine being' who saved me?!" An idea that would still be considered heretical took root in her heart.
She abandoned her faith in the gods of light and joined the "darkness." She continued to heal the sick but no longer believed in the gods. Instead, she waited for the day when she could expose their hypocrisy and selfishness to the world. "Now, I follow Lady Celeste. Her ideals are my goals. What about you? Have you found your path?" I said to her slowly.
"I understand now. I won't rely on those gods anymore. I'll use my own methods to resurrect my sister, my only family, the only reason I've lived!" I looked at the newfound determination in her eyes. Smiling contentedly, I stood up, reached out my hand to her, and softly spoke as the lightning outside the window erupted..."Welcome to the heresy~"
