Chapter 7: Saintess IV
From the very first time I laid eyes on her, I couldn’t bring myself to like her. I couldn’t quite put my finger on why.
As I observed her demeanor and aspirations, an unsettling feeling began to creep into my mind—was I doing something wrong? Had I made a grave mistake? This anxiety tightened around my chest like a vice, accompanied by a pain that gnawed at my heart. Before I knew it, that pain had grown so significant that it was impossible to ignore.
I wasn’t in the wrong.
I had done the right thing.
All I could do was put on a brave face. No, I was too foolish to even realize that I was merely pretending.
Saintess Mika is favored by God.
She possesses the virtue worthy of such grace and diligently accumulates merit day by day—this is the unanimous opinion of the leaders of the Klaatel Church.
To put it simply, they even worship her.
As a child, she was discovered by the Saintess.
At the tender age of not even ten, she was remarkably intelligent compared to the other children.
Her mature disposition and thoughts, along with her exceptional talent for Healing Magic, particularly in the Light Attribute, set her apart.
Her talent manifested naturally, and she awakened to Healing Magic without anyone teaching her.
The catalyst for this awakening was when her father sustained a grave injury.
In an astonishing display of determination, she activated her first Healing Magic, driven solely by the desire to help her beloved father.
Many villagers from her hometown testified to the following:
On the day her father was injured, they witnessed a brilliant light erupting from her home.
Curious about the commotion, they visited her house and found the master lying on the floor, enveloped in a warm light, while the girl, tears streaming down her face, clasped her hands together in prayer for his recovery. The dazzling light emanated from her.
Yet, she was oblivious to the light, and even to the villagers who had come to her home, demanding to know what was happening.
She was utterly focused. All of her consciousness was consumed by her prayers to God.
Witnessing her selfless devotion, the villagers felt a divine aura, reminiscent of a saint depicted in a religious painting.
From that point on, she began to help various people with her Healing Magic. First, she healed her own father, then an elderly neighbor who had thrown out his back, followed by the village chief who had fallen ill, and then a resident from a neighboring village who had heard the rumors.
Thus, the tales of her Healing Magic gradually spread, and the scope of her treatments expanded.
She was said to possess a talent for Light Attribute Magic that appeared once in a decade or even a century. As she gained experience, her abilities blossomed, and the effects of her Healing Magic became astonishing to those who witnessed it.
Consequently, it was only a matter of time before her reputation reached the ears of the nobility, spreading from town to town.
However, just because they heard of her didn’t mean that the nobility would suddenly seek her out for treatment.
The first noble to hear of her had a daughter who was born with a disability in her legs. He was searching for a healer who could cure her.
Yet, initially, he showed no particular interest in her. This was only natural.
No matter how impressive the girl was said to be, she was still just a rumor circulating in the streets. Such tales often came with embellishments, and it was entirely possible that the story itself was fabricated. Thus, it was not surprising that he deemed it suspicious.
For these reasons, the nobleman struggled to find a healer capable of curing his daughter’s disability, and by the time he finally sought her out, a considerable amount of time had passed.
In the first place, completely curing a congenital disability was a highly challenging feat. It was a miracle that could only be performed by someone of Archbishop level or equivalent.
While there were those capable of such feats, they were certainly not numerous. Moreover, powerful healers and seekers naturally gravitated towards large cities like the Royal Capital, making them scarce in more rural areas.
For these reasons, the nobleman’s search for a healer who could help his daughter became a difficult journey.
By the time he finally reached the healer girl, she had already treated countless individuals.
She had made a name for herself as an exceptional healer in the streets.
When the nobleman heard her name again, he was astonished.
The girl did not demand the substantial sum of money he had anticipated.
Neither she nor her parents harbored any desires for fame or luxury. They were content with their current lives. Thus, there was no intention to exploit their daughter for profit.
Her parents valued Austerity—not to the extent of revering it, but they were genuinely good people.
As a result, any money offered to them out of gratitude was entirely donated to the church.
After treating the nobleman’s daughter, the girl’s exploits became a topic of conversation at noble gatherings, spreading through high society as a confirmed truth, unlike before.
Following this chain of events, the Klaatel Church sent people to investigate the girl’s true nature.