Forsaken Priest of the Hero's Party-Chapter 21: Just as the Lord Wills It

Those who visit this house, are also the Lord’s guests.

Whether they serve the Lord or not is not important. What matters is that as a believer of the Lord, I must treat guests well.

Hm...Roka isn’t a fan of tea...She still doesn’t like it even when I put some sugar in it...

Nothing particular came to mind when I thought about what to serve with the tea.

I don’t eat much, and Roka only likes to eat meat. Well, she likes to eat fish too...When I grilled some salmon for her, the child ate it well.

My little wolf doesn’t like her vegetables either. While she doesn’t hate sweets, she doesn’t seek it out either.

There was no suitable food to serve the guests...Should I offer her a bowl of potato soup?

“My Lord. My faith lies with you.”

Something caught my eye as I pondered. It was that apple tree from a few weeks ago.

At that time, the tree was once again laden with an armful of apples, enough to fill a basket.

I peeled the apples and finely chopped them into bite-sized pieces. While I was chopping, I gave a piece of apple to Roka, who was watching me, but from her expression, she didn’t like it that much.

“It’s cool and crisp, but... sour.”

“It’s not sweet?”

“...What is sweet?”

“Ah...What a tragic thing, my Roka doesn’t know what sweetness tastes like...”

Could I ask the Lord to change this later too? It seems the wolfkin are inherently poor at tasting sweetness.

Since they mainly eat meat, perhaps it’s only natural.

“Apples?”

“Tea is best enjoyed with something sweet. You don’t have to eat it if you don’t want to.”

The only sweet thing in our house is the apples bestowed by the Lord, so what can I do?

I can’t just leave my guest here and rush to the market.

“Add sugar and milk to your liking as well. I don’t put sugar in my tea, but I don’t know about the young lady’s preference.”

Even in a house like this, at least we have milk. Roka enjoys drinking milk.

I’m already fully grown, and now no food particularly appeals to me. If it weren’t for Roka, I would mainly eat rye bread.

“Come to think of it, it’s been a while since I’ve eaten an apple.”

My guest, the woman with the scent of death, took a bite of the apple.

Slowly, carefully chewing, she savored the juice. She closed her eyes for a moment and relished the taste of the apple.

I also brought a piece to my mouth and chewed. Sweet, so very sweet. It’s all thanks to the Lord’s grace.

“Was this originally this sweet...? It’s truly delicious...”

She must have liked it too. She quietly ate a few more pieces of apple.

As the tea began to boil, I poured it into cups. I also placed sugar and milk on the side.

In case she was hungry, I brought out a bowl of bread and salt. While doing so, I glanced at her face. Such a beautiful person.

“Do I look that unsightly to stare at?”

She noticed my gaze and faltered. I smiled and shook my head.

I simply quietly lifted the teacup and took a sip of tea.

“You don’t have to console me, Priest. I’m tired of hearing empty platitudes.”

Sometimes, people just need someone to listen to them.

Now is exactly such a time. I put down the teacup and quietly met her eyes.

Gently laying Roka, who had snuggled up next to me, on my lap, I simply listened attentively to her words.

Unfair things. Difficult things. Painful things. Sad things.

Who hasn’t experienced such things at least once?

Should this happen to me, I just have to pray to the Lord and pour my heart before him.

But for ordinary people who don’t serve a god, the only ones they can rely on are other people.

“I’m grateful as it is already, so don’t say things you don’t mean.”

“Kyle.”

“Hm?”

“My name is Kyle. Would you tell me yours?”

“...En...T-They call me Dein.”

Dein? What a peculiar name.

Perhaps it’s an alias.

Or perhaps it’s her real name. Either way, it doesn’t matter.

This is the Lord’s house. It’s a place that welcomes anyone.

As long as they come here as a guest, not an enemy.

“...Aren’t you disgusted? Having a leper like me eating and drinking in your home?”

“Never.”

I simply made the sign of the cross. You know, I realized something during these years serving the Lord.

In people’s eyes, I may be normal, while this woman before me may be a blight.

But when the Lord looks upon us, we all appear as nothing but cripples and invalids.

“But if my Lord does not hate you, how could I do so?”

“If that’s the truth...Then would you allow this Leper to spend a night in your home?”

“Shall I prepare a bed for you?”

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We are all the same invalids. All the same cripples.

If we do not help each other and make things difficult for one another, it becomes even harder.

Even if that help may go unrepaid, it’s my duty to give Hope to those who are struggling more than me.

Because that is how I can repay, even a little, the grace I have received from my Lord, and also how I can share His grace with the world.

“I have nothing left to give you now. No matter how much kindness you show me, nothing will be returned to you. Would you still not regret it?”

“The Lord shares his blessings with me, even though I couldn’t possibly offer Him anything in return.”

“Are you not returning your faith to your god?”

“My god does not require faith.”

Even if we humans perish,

No, even if this entire world rushes towards catastrophe,

He will simply exist for eternity.

Our lives and deaths hold no meaning to Him.

“If even such a god helps people, why can’t fellow humans help each other?”

He, who is incomparably higher than the likes of me also helps people through me.

There is no reason. It is simply His will. Even a god does so.

So, as a mere human, why would I need a reason to help others?

“Perhaps I am being punished for the sins I have committed.”

Dein, who had been silent for a moment, opened her mouth.

“Blinded by ambition, I ignored those who acknowledged me and killed many who stood in my way. I will not lie, Priest. I enjoyed it. I loved war with every fiber of my being. Because war was always a means to elevate me. Sometimes, I even forcibly started wars that didn’t need to happen.”

“That may certainly be a sin.”

“Compared to the people who died because of that, the humiliation I am suffering now may be as light as this teacup. When my wings were broken and I fell to the ground, only then did I see.”

Since I’ve never risen so high, I honestly can’t understand her suffering.

However, from her words, I think Dein must be a fallen noblewoman. A natural dignity permeated her every word.

Like an Ogre who was born to become a King of the mountain. Her very bearing felt above that of normal humans.

The feeling of a greatly exalted one plummeting to the ground.

I, who have always walked upon the earth, do not know it.

But even I know one thing.

“Sins cannot be washed away.”

This world is truly a sad yet interesting place.

“But who lives without committing sins?”

Even plants strangle other plants with their roots to kill them,

And spread their leaves wide to wither new sprouts.

It is difficult to judge this world in terms of good and evil.

My Lord sees this world as a collection of infinite possibilities, but there is no good or evil within it. Thus, He is neither a god of good nor a god of evil. He simply watches over us as we move towards the future.

“Even if the sins that cannot be washed away continue to weigh heavier as we live, we can bear those shackles and walk because humans are animals that help each other.”

We also harm each other.

Still...No one can live alone.

“This kindness, this Hope, connects us, making those bonds shine brightly.”

That light, which has continued to arise and connect regardless of era, beyond history,

Illuminates a single person on a small scale. And an entire era on a large scale.

The Lord is most delighted when He sees such a sight.

What He desires most is for humans to help each other and overcome tribulations with their own strength.

To make the impossible, possible by sheer strength of will.

-Apostle. Never forget this. The reason the Lord helped you, is because He wants you to help your neighbors.

I do not need to take credit. This help is the Lord’s. I am merely His messenger, conveying His will.

Rising from my chair, I walked closer to Dein, and put my hand on her back, gently stroking it. That alone was enough.

The disease that had tormented her, in fact, had been healing from the moment she set foot in this house...In this Sanctuary. I did nothing.

The Lord healed her.

“It can’t be, it can’t be...”

It seems she realized it. Her whole body trembled as Dein quickly took off her gloves.

The rotten flesh had returned to normal by the Lord’s grace.

White, smooth hands and slender fingers revealed themselves in place of the decayed, crumbling flesh.

“A mirror, a mirror... Ah, no, my cheek... My face...”

I simply smiled as I watched her caress her own cheek.

As I’ve seen earlier, she is a truly beautiful person.

“Are, are you...An avatar sent down by God...?”

“Of course not.”

I am merely a priest who serves the Lord.

Nothing more, nothing less. Just an ordinary priest, Kyle