Episode 124: Spread the Word (I)
Three days later.
Esther got ready to go out after hearing that the renovation of the temple building had been completed.
She even got permission from Deheen to help with the relief effort starting today.
“It would be nice if Brother Judy came along too.”
“It can’t be helped because he’s going to learn an important skill in today’s swordsmanship class. He will come along next time.”
In the middle of the day with the sun shining brightly above their heads, Esther and Dennis headed to the main street where the temple was located.
The carriage was loaded with water that Esther had turned into holy water.
However, when they entered the main street, the depressed atmosphere of the passing people could be felt.
Gazing at the outside from the window, Esther puffed out her cheeks and said sullenly.
“Everyone looks confused.”
“I’m sure they are. The temple is no different from a spiritual support for the people of the empire. We must be evil to them now.”
People were lying on their stomachs in front of the temple, crying.
It seemed that more time was needed for the people’s thoughts about the temple to change.
It was then. As Esther looked outside with pity, a familiar child entered her view.
“Brother, isn’t that Jerome over there?”
“Right. What is he doing?”
The boy who seldom left the slums was wandering among the people and attempting to inconspicuously check their faces.
“It’s a little suspicious, isn’t it?”
“Mhm. We had better bring him here.”
The two stopped the carriage and asked Victor to bring Jerome to the carriage.
Jerome recognized the knight who was always by Esther’s side, and ran to the carriage with much excitement.
“Wow, Sister Esther! Brother! Long time no see. I missed you.”
Jerome, who seemed to have gotten a little taller in the meantime, smiled brightly. He was clearly very happy.
“How have you been? But what are you doing here?”
“Oh, I’m looking for someone.”
Jerome unfolded the paper he was holding in his hand. The picture, roughly drawn with only lines, depicted a man.
“Who is this?”
Staring at the picture handed to him, Dennis asked Jerome.
“Um, that…”
However, Jerome could not answer right away, seemingly worried and deep in thought. His eyes trembled, then he lowered his voice as if he had made up his mind.
“Actually, a few days ago, very wealthy people came to the slums.”
“Why?”
“They want us to find a man who used to live in the slums, placing a hefty bounty.”
As Esther pondered while listening to Jerome’s words, a sense of uneasiness crept up.
“To take advantage of the people of the slums… Do you know who ordered it?”
“Um… they didn’t tell us that, but I overheard them talking to each other by chance.”
Jerome glanced around and lowered his voice, as if he was scared even though he was inside the carriage.
“They say it’s Duke Brions. One of the four great families, the Duke of Brions!”
“What?”
Esther and Dennis frowned at the same time. Then they stared at the picture.
It was the first time they had ever seen the man in the picture. They wondered who in the world he was to make Duke Brions come all the way to Tersia to find him.
More than anything, Esther, knowing that Duke Brions wasn’t a nice person, was uncomfortable with Jerome doing this.
“Do you have to do this?”
“It’s not like that… I have nothing to do anyway and they gave me money.”
Dennis put his hand on the hesitating Jerome’s head.
“Didn’t you say you wanted to learn how to read last time?”
“Yes!”
“You will learn soon. So stop doing things like this and start preparing to study with your friends.”
“How?”
Jerome asked Dennis several times with an expression of disbelief.
“The grand duchy will make provisions. So, you have to study hard in the future. When you can read words by yourself, I will give you a book as a gift.”
“Wow…”
Jerome, appearing like he was going to cry any second, was cute. Dennis patted his head and told him not to cry.
“Jerome, then may I take this picture?”
“Of course. It’s a painting that was heavily distributed to the people in the slums anyway. And I can give you guys anything, anything you ask for!”
Before anyone realized it, Jerome’s ears had turned red. He gave the paper to Esther with great shyness.
“Sister and Brother are the nicest people I know. So, the grand duke must also be a very good person, right?”
Dennis and Esther met each other’s eyes and nodded.
“That’s right.”
Then, somehow, reluctance appeared on Jerome’s face, and he mumbled.
“Actually… There have been a lot of people saying bad things about the grand duke these days. I guess it’s because of the temple…”
“We know that. You have nothing to be sorry for.”
With Esther’s reassurance, Jerome clenched his fists and shouted with determination.
“I’ll go and tell them it’s not like that!”
“Will you? Thank you.”
Promising to see them again soon, Jerome got off the carriage. Then the pair of siblings headed towards the temple.
The entrance, which had been blocked by the gatekeeper before, was now wide open for anyone to enter.
Esther and Dennis got off the carriage and slowly walked through the door.
Esther paused for a moment as she faced the large stone statue of the goddess in the center of the first floor.
As she looked at the huge stone statue for the first time in a while, she remembered what she had thought when she first left the central temple.
‘I still don’t know your intentions.’
For a moment, while staring at the statue with complex eyes, she felt that the eyes of the statue were looking back at her.
“Huh?”
Startled, she tried to approach the statue, but Dennis wrapped an arm around her shoulders from the side.
“Are you okay?”
“Oh, Brother.”
Esther, who returned to her senses, nodded, then looked back at the stone statue.
But the feeling she had felt earlier was gone. She shook her head, thinking she might have been mistaken.
The two were guided by the grand ducal knights who were stationed at the temple and were able to find Paras right away.
“Hello, Sir Paras.”
Having come out to say hello, Paras widened his eyes when he saw that Deheen’s children had brought supplies.
“Hello… No, you…?”
He was very surprised to see Esther, recalling that he once brought her to the central temple to meet Cespia.
Esther smiled and greeted Paras properly.
“Do you remember me? At that time, I had some circumstances.”
“Are you the daughter of His Grace the Grand Duke?”
“That’s right.”
“I… I made a big mistake.”
“I couldn’t tell you, so you don’t have to apologize.”
Smiling awkwardly at the still stunned Paras, Esther pointed to the large barrel the knights were carrying.
“I don’t know if you’ve heard from our father, but it’s all holy water. Please use it to heal people.”
Paras’s eyes, which were already widened, grew to the point where it wouldn’t be strange if they popped out right away.
“You mean all those barrels are holy water? Where in the world did you get it from?”
Knowing better than anyone how precious the holy water was, Paras looked at the barrels with absolute shock.
“I know of a fountain with holy water near my house.”
Unable to tell the truth, Esther awkwardly shifted her gaze.
“What…? Are you saying that holy water comes out of the fountain?”
Paras’ eyes narrowed as if asking if she was making fun of him.
“Yes. Really.”
“I have never heard of such a case. To think there was such a blessed fountain in Tersia… Perhaps it’s an undiscovered relic of the first saint.”
“Ahaha. Maybe. If it’s not enough, I’ll bring you more.”
Paras couldn’t believe that holy water was still flowing from the fountain.
“Please take me with you next time. Before I die, I really want to see the remains of the first saint.”
Feeling burdened by the passionate glow of his eyes, Esther deliberately pretended to observe the area and commented,
“There are many patients.”
“Everyone who has nowhere to go comes. There are doctors, but there are many limitations in treatment.”
Unlike Esther, Paras could not use his holy power indefinitely and was running out of power every day.
“Today, I will help too.”
“The lady will? You’ll be taking care of patients…”
“I once worked at the temple. I was a candidate.”
Paras was taken aback once more. He had heard rumors that Deheen’s daughter had been adopted from the temple, but he did not believe it.
He wondered for a while after hearing that, but then he remembered Deheen’s words to ‘use it well’ when the children come, and agreed.
“Then, please.”
Looking around the large hall on the first floor where people were sitting haphazardly, Esther told Dennis,
“I’ll be here, so Brother, take your time.”
“Okay. See you later.”
Dennis patted Esther on the shoulder and headed upstairs with some of the knights.
Since a library was to be built inside the temple, Dennis decided to help with the selection and placement of the books.
Left alone, Esther walked towards the person right next to her, her eyes bright with vigor.
“Let’s try.”
Although she couldn’t openly use much of her divine power, no one here would recognize it if she secretly treated while Paras was busy with work.
“Where are you hurt?”
“I broke my wrist… It will take several months to get well. By then my family will starve to death.”
“Show me.”
From wounds to injuries to illnesses. Esther’s divine power was fair to all people regardless of illness.
All those touched by the divine power extending from his palm regained their health and their eyes became clear.
“I think everything is really better! Oh my… It’s unbelievable. Can I really just accept this?”
“Mhm. Instead, if you’re grateful, tell the people around you that it’s not bad that the grand duke kicked out the temple.”
After finishing treatment, she immediately moved on to the next person.
“Are… are you the young lady?”
A few people who remembered the march from a year ago recognized Esther. She had a unique atmosphere.
“That’s right.”
Esther smiled at them and returned to administering treatment.
There were a lot of patients who had urgent conditions, so it was a waste of time to talk.
Then, a buzz began to spread all around.
It was a rare sight that could not be seen anywhere else— the young lady from the grand duchy touching and treating patients directly, regardless of status.
“She… she’s the daughter of the grand duke.”
“Why is someone like that here?”
“Oh, can’t you see? She is treating us.”
As the commotion grew, Paras snuck over a glance at what was going on and was shocked to see the bright light spreading from Esther’s fingertips.
“What is that light?”
The moment he approached Esther to take a closer look…
“Sir Paras!! This is an urgent patient!”
The knights ran into the temple with someone on their back.
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