saint ch36

Curse (2)

I was flustered and surreptitiously looked around.

Unsurprisingly, I was the only one flustered.

To others, I probably just looked like a pitiful young lady who had weakened for some unknown reason.

This young lady is really cursed, though.

A curse.

The image that generally comes to mind is that of an evil spell cast by black mages.

Here, that would be demon worshippers, I guess.

Can I see this as an extension of “poisoned by aristocratic power struggles?”

Is it something that can happen as easily as administering poison?

I need to know something about curses first.

The term “Divine Power Inversion” made me feel even stranger.

Could I really be cursed by a god?

I sat next to the young lady, trying to appear calm, but my mind was in turmoil.

I wasn’t sure if I could even lift the curse, and even if I could, I wasn’t sure if I should just do it.

What if it had some weird function that transferred it to the person who lifted it?

Divine Power Inversion—just the name sounds like it would be harmful to Divine Power.

It’s hard to ask other people about it.

“I think this young lady is really cursed.”

“Do you happen to know about the Curse of Divine Power Inversion?”

“It’s a curse I don’t know much about, and I think she’s been afflicted by it.”

“So I’m a little scared to heal her.”

…If I were the person involved, I would start a sword dance right there.

“Hello, Lady Helena.”

Seeing her up close, she looked much worse than I had thought.

She was so emaciated that she looked like skin and bones, and dark red spots were scattered all over her body.

What little hair she had left was dry and brittle, and her body had the musty smell of a seriously ill patient. Anyone could see that she was seriously ill, so lifeless that they would hesitate to approach her for fear of contagion.

“J… gree… ting…”

Perhaps she didn’t even have the strength to speak, as only an unintelligible whisper escaped from her slightly parted lips instead of proper words.

I felt even more sorry for having greeted her.

In the midst of all that, she tried to move her body to get up, so I hurriedly stopped her.

“Etiquette is just one way to show sincerity. Your intentions have been fully conveyed, Lady Helena, so please just lie comfortably.”

Fortunately or unfortunately, her cognitive functions seemed to be intact, and the young lady’s attempt to smile at my words was impressive.

“How long has it been since Lady Helena started feeling this ill?”

Now I’m going to end up cosplaying as a quack doctor, going beyond just being a pseudo-religious fanatic.

I didn’t know what to do, so I started taking her medical history to get at least a little information.

“The exact date when she first started feeling ill is unclear. She gradually began to weaken from some point onward…”

“When did she start weakening this severely?”

“About three years ago, she started complaining of chest pains more frequently. So we asked the Orion Order for treatment. After that…”

The nobleman, who had been speaking, gritted his teeth and looked at the young lady.

“She wasn’t this bad. Her condition has clearly deteriorated to the point where the Order must have done something, but they were quick to pass the buck, spouting nonsense about a divine punishment or something. Since we had actually visited because she was ill, we couldn’t even offer a proper rebuttal.”

The Order has either gone crazy and done something, or the Curse of Divine Power Inversion is reacting against Divine Power and worsening her condition…

Looking at the state of the Order, the former is entirely possible, but if the Order had really used some trickery, they would have tried to seize the duke’s family’s lifeline with this as an excuse.

Even if it was an incurable disease, it would have been enough to temporarily improve her condition by infusing Divine Power, but they’re rejecting her outright?

This is an unforeseen and uncontrollable situation for the Order as well; it was more likely to be the latter.

“Saint. Could you perhaps find out what kind of illness it is?”

The nobleman seemed to have become impatient because I wasn’t saying anything, and he urged me on.

It’s not an illness, though.

If it were an illness, I would have revealed what I knew and said I would try to treat her as much as I could.

“Please. You are our only hope now, Saint Ronan.”

Saying things like that only makes it more difficult.

The worst I had considered was the case where I couldn’t heal her; I hadn’t even considered the possibility that using Divine Power could make things worse.

Now I had to make a decision.

If I retreated here, saying I couldn’t heal her, I would have to bear a significantly greater loss than I had initially anticipated.

First of all, I would definitely antagonize the Thorf duke’s family, and retreating without doing anything was a bigger problem than I thought.

According to the original scenario, even if I failed, I was going to flaunt my Divine Power and emphasize how hard I had tried, but the Curse of Divine Power Inversion had messed everything up.

But if I retreated without doing anything, saying I wasn’t up to the task, that would be strange in its own way.

Without even trying anything?

Depending on how you looked at it, I could be suspected of being in league with the Order and acting to screw over the Thorf duke’s family one more time.

It’s an excessive leap, but it was a possibility that could be raised if you thought I was in league with the Order.

But if I just went for it, and the young lady died, I wouldn’t be able to handle the aftermath.

Perhaps it would be better to take a step back here…

As I was thinking that, I met the young lady’s gaze; her eyelids were fluttering, as if it was difficult even to keep her eyes open.

Only then did I notice the young lady’s aura.

Recently, I’ve had a tendency to see a person’s aura first when I look at them, and the young lady was emitting a pure light aura that I was only noticing belatedly.

Although she was clearly ill, her clear eyes, which matched her aura, seemed to say that she would understand whatever choice I made.

…

I watched the young lady for a while longer, without saying anything.

Is this how the princess felt when I said I was going to make her a villain?

It’s not a very good feeling.

I should treat the princess better.

After hesitating for a moment, I finally decided to try a head-on breakthrough.

It’s not like I chose to do it for emotional reasons, like suddenly feeling sorry for the young lady; it was just that, after considering various factors, I thought it would be better to take a stab at it.

If the nobleman said that it was absolutely impossible, then I couldn’t help it, but if I went back like this, I would be embarrassed in front of Celia.

I would also feel a little inferior to the non-human priests.

Anyway, it’s just like that.

“Lord Haren.”

“Yes! Please tell me anything. I will prepare everything you need!”

Don’t you forget those words.

I’m going to take everything I can get.

“Do you really trust me?”

The nobleman’s face showed confusion at my sudden question.

And within that confusion, distrust began to grow little by little.

Well, there’s no one normal who suddenly asks if you trust them.

It’s a very natural reaction.

“Why do you ask such a question…? Of course, our family has faith in Orion.”

“I’m not saying this to hear such platitudes.”

I was aware that it was a slightly harsh thing to say, given the Saint Ronan persona I had adopted, but I couldn’t help it.

I thought it was a honey pot full of honey, but you handed me this poisoned chalice and then said that?

I don’t care at all whether your family really believes in Orion or not.

Can you promise not to hold me responsible for any accidents that may occur during the medical procedure?

“The procedure I am about to perform on Lady Helena cannot guarantee her life.”

“What…? What on earth are you saying…”

The nobleman uttered those words blankly, as if he couldn’t believe what he had heard.

Judging by that expression, he heard me correctly.

So answer me quickly.

“What are you saying! How can an act that entails such risks be considered normal treatment! …You, are you perhaps from the Order…”

The nobleman, blinded by anger, reflexively reached for the sword at his waist.

He was in a very emotional state from the moment he faced his sister, so he might actually swing his sword.

A critical moment.

“Lord Haren. Just know that the Imperial Family and the Saint are making very great concessions. It seems you are about to cross even that line.”

The princess’s sword, which had already been drawn, was aimed at the nobleman’s Adam’s apple.

A really strong bodyguard is essential.

Without the princess, would I even have been able to choose this head-on breakthrough, fearing that I would be stabbed?

“Am I supposed to endure even after hearing those words…?”

Perhaps fists are better than words.

The nobleman, who seemed to have regained some reason after the blade touched his neck, was still angry, though he remained unconvinced.

“A person who is supposed to be a Saint of the Orion Order is saying that he might kill my sister during treatment… saying that…”

It’s not wrong, but when you say it like that, without any context, it sounds like I’m saying I’m going to kill her while pretending it was a mistake.

Stop with the confirmation bias.

“Saint Ronan is not the kind of person who would say such things without a reason. I know that you distrust the Order, but do not try to judge the Saint according to that framework.”

The princess simply replied like that, without wavering at all.

She’s really reliable.

“But Saint Ronan.”

When the nobleman showed some signs of calming down, the princess put away her sword and turned her gaze to me.

“I also think a sufficient explanation is necessary. Does Saint Ronan know what Lady Helena’s illness is?”

“I’m not sure. But it doesn’t seem like she’s simply ill.”

The expressions of both the princess and the nobleman became strange at my words that it wasn’t an illness.

“I feel some kind of unknown energy. I’m saying this because I don’t know what will happen to me and Lady Helena if that energy is stimulated when I try to find out more about it.”

In fact, I don’t know much about unknown energy.

The keyword “curse” could be useful if I manage to heal the young lady, but I used a suitably softened word to hide it, as it could backfire if I fail to heal her.

As a bonus, I subtly emphasized that I was also taking on a risk.

“Wait… are you saying that Saint Ronan could also be in danger?”

The princess, who understood my words perfectly, asked in surprise.

This is a con artist couple… no, a proper partnership.

The Order’s priests didn’t say that there were any problems while treating her, so the probability of danger is low, but the probability of danger isn’t 0 percent, anyway.

Originally, you have to exaggerate your own suffering as much as possible for others to recognize it.

Secret good deeds are completely meaningless.

“Wait a minute, Saint Ronan. I cannot allow this. Are you saying that you are going to risk your life to heal her now?”

I didn’t say I was going to risk my life.

Your choice of words is even more intense than mine.

The nobleman, who had been unable to trust me until now, was instead thrown into confusion when the princess opposed the treatment more strongly than he had expected.

Until just now, the nobleman was blocking my treatment because he couldn’t trust me, and the princess was telling him to trust the Saint, but the situation had instantly changed to one where the princess was stopping me from treating her, so it was understandable.

Seeing that he had brought the young lady, who had weakened to this extent, all the way here, he must have been desperately grasping at straws.

Until now, there had been no clear clues about the young lady’s symptoms, but if I, who had discovered it, just left, it would be as if the hope he had barely found was disappearing.

I had provided the clue that it wasn’t an illness but some kind of energy, so he could start over from there and gradually follow the proper procedures again, but looking at the young lady’s condition, it didn’t seem like there was that much time.

When people become desperate, when something precious is at stake, it is not easy to judge calmly.

What if there was even a time limit?

The nobleman was emotional, as befitting his young age, but even that emotional side was for the sake of his family, so he wasn’t inherently difficult, and his decision was quick.

Thud.

The nobleman knelt on the spot, bowing his head.

“It’s all my fault! I was foolish to doubt the Saint’s true intentions. It’s all my sin. Blame me. But please, my sister… my sister…”

My status, which had been demoted from you to Saint by the nobleman, was reinstated.

Hah, it’s damn hard to attempt a cure without bearing the risk of failure.

The Order would have just said it was fate the moment the treatment failed.

Ah, so that’s why I’m cleaning up twice the mess now.

Truly, never helpful in my life.

“Please, rise. There is no sinner here. There is only a patient suffering and a family who wants to do something for that patient.”

I helped the nobleman up and calmed him down, then tried to approach the young lady again, but this time the Princess put her hand on my shoulder.

“Saint Ronan. Please reconsider. It’s not that I’m saying you shouldn’t treat her. If it’s that dangerous, it’s right to take your time and proceed carefully.”

One mountain after another.

It’s okay.

This is actually a ridge.

The Princess is a kind person at heart, so if I push the principle, she’ll eventually give in.

“Princess Azelia.”

“Why do you always treat your own life so lightly!”

I haven’t said anything yet.

And I’m the person who values my life the most in the world.

“When you promised me life, Princess Azelia, what complex calculations did you make to reach that conclusion?”

The Princess was speechless.

“That was… that was a conclusion reached after thorough consideration in many ways.”

“You shouldn’t lie.”

You know my abilities.

“This is different from that…”

“It’s the same. I told you. The right path is the one you feel is right deep inside.”

The strength gradually drained from the Princess’s hand gripping my shoulder.

Ridge breakthrough.

Finally facing the young lady again, I carefully took her hand, which still held a transparent aura.

“Let’s work hard together. I promise. I will never give up on Helena.”

I’ve set the stage so meticulously, I can’t accept failure myself.

Please, Young Lady, hang in there.

As if in agreement, I felt a slight strength in the young lady’s hand that I was holding.

I was finally able to treat the young lady, but in reality, this was just the beginning.

I knew nothing about curses, and I wasn’t the type to understand the state of the curse by putting Divine Power into someone else’s body, like in fantasy novels.

I was practically a quack doctor.

Therefore, the options I could choose were very simple.

God, if you’re watching, please help me.

For the first time since being reincarnated, I gritted my teeth and began to draw out as much Divine Power as possible from my entire body.

Divine Power can react against the curse and weaken the person further?

Maintain the young lady’s life with the Holy Art of Healing.

Don’t know what the curse is?

Anyway, imagine the young lady returning to normal.

It was too inefficient and abstract an image, so the efficiency wasn’t good, but I covered it by just pouring all the Divine Power flowing out of my body into her.

You’re still holding on?

Still?

Unless it’s a curse given by a real god, a Saint is gritting his teeth and pouring all the Divine Power he has into her!

Since ancient times, quantity warfare has been a surefire strategy that brings victory even to tactical morons.