The Work of Saving Lives (1)

"Wait here."

The silver knight, Loras, led me to a place that looked like an old shed. Many people were already seated there, their appearances and conditions varying greatly.Glance-They looked at me once, then quickly went back to their own business. Of course, there was someone who approached me with interest.It was a man with a white-painted face and red-painted lips. He looked both old and young, with a rather messy appearance.Of all people, why did a clown, whom I least wanted to deal with, have to be interested in me?"I am Sinclair, the wandering minstrel! You're quite tall! About 6 feet?"6 feet (183cm)?What a terrible unit, isn't it?It was said that the king who conquered various parts of the continent and established the United Kingdom set the standard of measurement based on the size of his foot.I was used to it now, but it was a very primitive unit in terms of ergonomics."My 6-foot Barbarian brother, how about we introduce ourselves since we've met like this?"While the minstrel was trying to get close to me, a man wearing a leopard skin on his head chuckled.He rummaged through his medicine bag and laughed sarcastically."Introduce ourselves? Everyone here is just a stray dog hoping to catch a glimpse of Lady Psyche's face. But I'm different…!"Swish-The leopard hunter pulled out a very thick-looking medicinal herb from his medicine bag. It looked similar to ginseng or bellflower root, but I couldn't tell the exact species.However, judging from the way some people were exclaiming, "Oh!" or "Wow-," it was definitely a valuable herb."This is a 300-year-old ginseng. I'm going to cure the Lady with this and become the Count's son-in-law. You're all wasting your time here, why don't you just go back now?"Become the son-in-law?What was he talking about?I asked the minstrel Sinclair, who seemed like a chatterbox."Minstrel brother, what is that man talking about? Curing the illness and becoming the son-in-law? Is there such a story?""Ah? Isn't Lady Psyche of marriageable age? Although her appearance has been greatly affected by her illness, she was once known as one of the Three Flowers of the kingdom…"It seemed that the rumor that anyone who cured the Lady's illness could marry her was widely spread among the people."Two years ago, before she fell ill, there were marriage proposals coming from all over, right? I'd love to see her face in person and see how beautiful she really is.""I heard there was talk of a marriage proposal with the second son of Archbishop Archibald…"While people were imagining Psyche's beauty, I was lost in my own thoughts."To become a pastor, the presence of a wife is essential."In the 21st-century church, there was a rule that pastors had to be married.In other words, only those who were married could be ordained as pastors in the true sense of the word and be recognized as clergymen.Singles couldn't even become pastors."…And to become a pastor's wife, a church lady, there are a few essential qualities. Purity and chastity. Wisdom. And bold courage and humility."Even in the intelligent 21st century, it was difficult to find women who possessed all of these virtues.Even in church youth groups, it was difficult to find the most basic 'pure woman', right?Even my male classmates in seminary would say with a slightly self-deprecating tone when they were alone, "Where can you find a virgin in this day and age?"Holy moly!It was so frustrating!All the women in the world are born virgins, so why, for what reason, are there no pure virgins in the church!But!Surprisingly, there were virgins in this dark world.Psyche Agarphe was the very definition of a pure and steadfast virgin among the women I knew! She was even officially recognized by the Church as a "war maiden"!A woman as brave as a lion, as pure as a dove, who never stopped fighting against evil until the very end, even when the royal capital was falling to the locust-like cultists!She was the very embodiment of my ideal spouse!Could I not feel the calling and revelation after traveling all over the world to meet her?'Maybe I'll even get engaged to Psyche?'I was chuckling to myself with that thought.Knight Loras, who had been listening to the conversation while leaning against the wall of the old shed, scoffed."Engagement is impossible. The Lady already has a fiancé. But it's certain that anyone who cures her illness will receive a great reward."Loras left the shed after saying that.In the morning, the maids of the Agarphe Count family came to the shed, carrying baskets full of food.There was nothing but delicious food like bread, wine, and grilled fish, so I was able to enjoy a hearty meal for once.As my stomach filled up, a sudden curiosity arose."The hospitality is too good."How many guests had the Count family entertained so far? Even with the Count family's high standing, it wouldn't be easy to feed and water guests every time.While I was thinking about such things, a man who looked like an old servant appeared and led us into the mansion."Follow me."The stone mansion had an eerie, castle-like atmosphere, but since many maids and servants were busy cleaning and polishing it, there wasn't a speck of dust anywhere.Upon arriving at the drawing room, I received a wooden plaque, as Manaan had explained earlier.My waiting number was 12.I wasn't sure if that was a high or low number.Thinking that it would take some time for my turn to come, I decided to explore the mansion for now. The mansion grounds were vast, and there was even a training ground for the soldiers.Clang-! Ching-!In a small training ground, Knight Loras was wielding a sword and sparring with the soldiers, laughing leisurely while facing five soldiers at once."What are you doing? Come on, attack!""Sir Loras! We're really coming at you!""All at once!""Uwaaaah!"Clang-! Ching-!Knight Loras didn't show any signs of fatigue even while facing five well-trained soldiers. He even pushed them back and managed to knock them all down.Just as I was thinking how incredibly skilled he was, a young servant boy who was sweeping willow leaves next to me said,"Sir Loras is cool, isn't he? When I grow up a little more, I'll train under Sir Loras and become a soldier of Agarphe. And I'll make achievements and become a loyal and perfect knight like Sir Loras someday!"The boy's dreamy words pierced my ears. Judging from the way he didn't use honorifics even though we were strangers, he was an uneducated brat.In the first place, were the words 'loyal and perfect' even suitable modifiers for a person?I've never seen anyone who fit those words except for myself.I said to the boy,"Little boy, how about becoming a monk instead of a knight? It's much cooler to cultivate your faith and go to heaven than to be good at fighting with a sword."Crumple-The servant boy frowned.Thinking that I could convert him with a little more effort, I drove the final blow home."I am Hyde, I'll become a priest who will be in charge of the the Agarphe Territory's church from now on. If you want to receive teachings about salvation, feel free to knock on the church door anytime. It's much better to learn to save lives than to kill people."The first thing the Lord did when he began his public ministry was to gather disciples. Although this boy seemed a bit slow, he seemed capable enough to become my disciple.Peter, the Lord's first disciple, was also an ignorant fisherman.However, the boy blushed and shouted at me,"D-don't insult knights! Sir Loras is a hundred times cooler and greater than priests who just pray and do nothing!"It was such a loud voice that it almost made my ears ring.As I was slightly dumbfounded, the soldiers and Knight Loras approached us. When they patted the boy's head and asked, "Paulo, what's wrong?" the boy growled,"This lousy monk said martial arts is about killing people!"Booming-His loud voice echoed, and all the soldiers who had been training with swords, dripping with sweat, stopped and looked at us.Their expressions were all grim, and some even hurled insults. Just as the atmosphere was getting tense, Knight Loras asked me with his arms crossed,"Monk Hyde, you're telling an interesting story. You're the kind of guy who wouldn't last an hour in a den of heretics before crying and begging for knights and soldiers─."Clank-His gauntlet-clad fingers poked my chest."What do you know, you guys who just read and pray? While you're preaching smugly from your warm and safe pulpit, we're shedding blood to protect people."Soon, the soldiers burst into laughter, saying, "Sir Loras, stop it, he might wet his pants," or "Look at that guy, he's too scared to say anything! He's trembling!"As they said, I was trembling.Because I was angry at their audacity!"So… have you ever saved anyone from a den of heretics? Where were you when the people sacrificed as offerings cried out in anguish and sorrow every night?""What? What are you talking about?"I hated knights.Because the knights didn't save me even though they had five years to do so.If they had been a little more competent and reliable, as they were so confident in their own abilities, I wouldn't have been branded with the infamous name "Lust, the Beast" and wouldn't have had to ruin my own soul!Therefore, the arrogance of this knight Loras and the incompetence of the soldiers were also largely responsible for me becoming a cultist!"Guilty.""Guilty of what?"I turned away from Loras, who was frowning, and walked away.It was about time for my turn.After curing Lady Psyche's illness, I would have to cure the 'illness of incompetence' that plagued this Agarphe Territory.With that thought, I headed to the drawing room where the waiting patients were staying.An old servant patted my shoulder, saying, "Number 12, Monk Hyde! I've been looking for you!"I followed the old servant into a room.There was a bed with curtains drawn, and in front of it, maids were standing in line with solemn expressions. The old servant soon said to me,"According to the teachings of the Bible, men and women must be separate and pious. Please refrain from touching the Lady's skin during the examination. She is the Count's daughter."Don't touch her during the examination?It was a difficult request, but─."Alright."It wasn't a problem for me.It was against the law to touch a woman's body without permission! Especially when it came to a pure and devout woman like Psyche, I had to be extra careful!Swish-. Rustle-Soon, the maids stood up and drew back the curtains that were hanging over the bed.There sat a woman on the bed, her hair disheveled like a wild animal."…Ah… Ah…"Her gaze, visible through her red hair, was hazy, and drool dripped from her half-open mouth. She was wearing a long, white nightgown, which made her look like a ghost."Poor Lady…""She used to be so beautiful…"While the servants and maids turned their heads in pity or wiped their tears with their aprons, the old servant asked as if grasping at straws,"Monk Hyde, can you cure the Lady's illness?"My answer was only one."I will try to cure her before the day is over. But before that, could you please get me some olive oil and willow ash?"The moment I entered Psyche's room, I had already figured out what illness she was suffering from.In fact, it wouldn't even take 10 minutes to cure this illness.The illness that Lady Psyche was suffering from.It was an illness that no one could cure, yet anyone could cure – 'malingering'!