episode_0134

Episode 134. The Saintess of the Empire (3)

****

Mint raised her head at the untimely sound of the wind. If the thing on the desk was not a magical device but a candle, its light would have flickered.

The princess closed the book she was reading.

What could have caused that sudden creepy feeling? Isn’t there an expression for it, someone stepping on a grave and passing by?

Why? Mint pondered, turning the quill pen in her hand. A true wizard does not believe in luck, nor in coincidence.

There must be a reason for the creepy feeling I have now. Hmm. Mint looked around. Of course, there was nothing around, but-

Oh, there it was.

Mint simply went back to bed and hugged the large doll she had been given as a gift earlier.

****

This is the Academy’s cafe.

The saint quietly sighed in relief at the unexpected gift. The priests who came with the saint were excited.

The priests’ interests, or so to speak, were clear topics of discussion. Was the saint’s leg’s healing this time a miracle, a magic, or neither?

I wonder if there is any point in distinguishing between magic and miracles. After many people’s healing magic failed, the saint’s leg was healed.

You could say it’s a miracle.

It could be called a miracle. The two priests who came with the saint showed a difference of opinion.

One thought it was a miracle, the other thought it was not. The saint did not participate in the argument between the two priests.

It would be a bit much for a saintess to debate directly. I’m talking about myself. Debating is something the priests do all day long on days when they aren’t doing healing.

Theological discussions. Sometimes boring, but today the stove was full of firewood.

“The miracle is obvious.”

“It’s not a miracle. I took medicine.”

The two priests had different opinions.

“I think it’s God’s will either way. Of course, I should thank the healer.”

The skeptical priest shook his head. He was still holding to the opinion that it was a miracle.

“Ah. Ask Professor Asterix. What kind of medicine is it? What kind of illness is it? Even the professor won’t be able to answer properly.”

The saintess thought about it.

What should I say best? Whose side should I take?

“We just don’t understand. If you listen slowly, it might make sense. At least it makes sense to Professor Asterix himself, right?”

“I don’t think so. It’s a miracle after all.”

“I don’t think it’s a miracle. The academy and the professors don’t. Isn’t there a new horizon in medicine that we don’t know about?”

It’s hard to say that there’s nothing you don’t know. Where in the world is there someone who knows everything?

“Isn’t it in the old legend? Heaven gives trials to the most sincere believers and the most sinless, and forgives the sins of mankind. At the same time, miracles lighten the burden.”

“That’s too much praise. Saint is just a title, I’m not that great. Does a title make a person? It’s a matter of effort. I also think it’s heaven’s plan.”

“No. Everyone. The doctor made the cripple walk right before your eyes. It doesn’t seem logical to say it wasn’t a miracle.”

“Hmm.”

The saint nodded.

“There is absolutely no need to worry. Whether it is God’s mercy or a new horizon of science that we do not understand. Just be thankful.”

Actually, that’s the conclusion. Anyway, it’s a good thing that your symptoms have improved, so if you don’t know, just ask the professor again.

“There’s a conference presentation coming up later, right?”

“Yes. Professor Asterix has no announcement.”

Anyway, it wasn’t a problem worth worrying about.

The group of healers from the temple sat and chatted for a while before going to the conference. The topic of conversation didn’t stray too far from the saint’s illness.

The academy was bustling today.

The interests of the temple healers were different from those of the academic world. The temples had long served as hospitals and almshouses, so they were more practical, but they were also difficult to use for new discoveries.

“Let’s change the subject.”

“Yes?”

The saint took a sip of the herbal tea she was drinking.

“What I found unusual about the previous study on infectious dysentery and this study on the Black Death was what the academic community considered important.”

“Yes?”

“A clue to solving the problem. Isn’t it ultimately a return to theological teachings? The academic world did not understand the transmission process of the plague. Now, some of the transmission processes of the plague have been revealed. What was the conclusion?”

“What was it?”

Yeah, that’s right.

The saint was not a saint for nothing. The saint’s breathing was music, and her words were the gospel. What kind of teachings would she give…?

At least that’s what the believers heard.

The priests listened to the saint’s words.

“Science answered that it did not know. Skeptics thought that cold logic was a concept that was opposed to theology and morality.”

“Helping the most socially marginalized, the most disadvantaged, the poorest and the most naked will ultimately be salvation.”

“To keep rats from eating the wheat of the slum dwellers. To keep unclean water from polluting the wells of the people.”

“A return to the origin, a kind of unity. Theologically and practically, at least, that’s what I think.”

The saint ended her speech like this.

The priests were slightly amazed at the saintess’s words, and the saintess smiled awkwardly at the priests’ reactions.

“Wow. You should write this down.”

“The saint should have been a playwright.”

One of the priests took out a piece of paper.

“You should write down these famous sayings and tell them to many people when you preach.”

The clamor. The priests were making a lot of noise, just like before.

“But. I really think so.”

Thanks to Professor Asterix, my leg is better. It would be the least I can do to get some academic advice. Perhaps?

It would be worth investing the church’s resources. The saint saw Professor Asterix’s sincerity. The first time she came and saw Professor Asterix.

Even with the saint right in front of him, the professor was troubled, but he immediately figured out the saint’s symptoms and found a way to solve them. In that sense.

It wasn’t a miracle.

If it was a miracle, why worry?

The professor must have thought about it for a long time. If this was simply a miracle created by Professor Asterix.

There would have been no reason to mutter an unknown diagnosis and grab the saint’s arm to help her up. No, more than that.

“To be honest.”

The two priests looked at the saintess.

“If it was a miracle, I or the clergy of the church could have done it. That’s not the case. Since it wasn’t a miracle, I think the professor must have thought about it, judged it, and reached a conclusion.”

The argument was over. The saintess could no longer stand it anymore and came to a conclusion, and the two priests she had brought to the academy understood the chain of events.

****

I sat in the study with my legs stretched out.

The saintess has received medicine, so she will get better soon. I don’t know if there will come a time when she will no longer need medicine, but that is possible.

Haven’t you seen it in the knights and wizards of the Academy? Superhumans, especially those who have been given healing magic, should not be judged by common sense.

Anyway, it worked out well. If we get the support of the church, it will be easier to distribute or test the medicine. It will also be easier to get research funding.

In some ways, it may be more practical than academia. From the perspective of preventing illness by improving living environments, etc., churches may be more helpful than other groups.

I did need to meet the saint.

Amy tilted her head.

“So. What disease did the saint have?”

“Myasthenia gravis.”

“What kind of disease is that?”

“Just as you heard. It’s a disease that severely paralyzes the muscles. There is no known cause, but it can be triggered by trauma, etc. ”

“A bit… … . How should I put it. It’s ironic. The saint who seemed to be able to cure all illnesses was actually sick and unable to walk.”

“Yeah.”

Amy continued talking.

“In addition, in the case of the saintess, the fall from her horse and the illness coincided at the same time, so she didn’t know she was sick. What a great coincidence.”

I shook my head at those words.

It’s no coincidence.

“Irony… … . She went to fight the monster because she was a saint. I heard she fell off her horse while fighting the monster. I think myasthenia gravis may have caused her to fall off her horse.”

“That could be possible.”

I nodded.

The situation the saint finds herself in is not a coincidence. It may seem like a coincidence, but there is a logical structure to the situation, a chain of events.

It is difficult to look at only the superficial aspects.

“So. What did the saint say? Did she say she was glad that her leg was healed?”

“Honestly, it would be rude to say that to the person who fixed it. I fixed it, so what kind of miracle is that.”

“Aha.”

Amy made a dumb face.

“Should I keep taking the medicine?”

“I don’t know. It’s not like it’s an illness that can’t be cured. Won’t it get better someday?”

“That’s fortunate.”

Let’s be realistic. If you want to achieve something, increasing your powerful allies is important.