Chapter 31 Extra Story – Simon Agios’ Consideration Part 1
Chapter 31 Extra Story – Simon Agios’ Consideration Part 1
Chapter 31 Extra Story – Simon Agios’ Consideration Part 1
On the first day, God created the fairies from the light that flooded the earth.
On the second day, God created the elves from the flowers that bloomed beautifully on the earth.
On the third day, God created the dwarves from the shining stones in the earth.
On the fourth day, God created the beastmen from the beasts running around the earth.
On the fifth day, God created the humans from the soil blessed for its abundance in the earth.
On the sixth day, the elves, dwarves, beastmen, and the humans were fighting over the land’s hegemony. At that time, the demons were created from the blood spilled to the earth.
On the seventh day, God lamented over the sight of people quarreling over the land. A drop of the God’s tear fell to the earth, forming a river and a forest, and from there, the demonic beasts were born.
~According to the Book of Genesis~
My house, the Agios marquis house, was known as a family of priests often producing the head of the priests. Though it was rare among the house who possessed court rank, the one who would govern the territory wasn’t the eldest son, but the second son. The eldest son was made to serve the temple from his childhood, spending their whole life to pray to the god.
There were also female priests, and it wasn’t like marriage was forbidden just because one was a priest, but a lot of the head of the priests remained single their whole life.
Actually, the current head of the priests was my granduncle, and he remained single.
I heard that he had been devoting his life for the sake of god, in other words he had been secluding himself to pray in the temple, so I think that was why we hadn’t really met.
As for me, I was the third son who didn’t have to aim to become the head of the priests, nor should I succeed the territory, and although it was decided that I would become a priest after studying in the temple, I was allowed to live comparatively free after that.
Although it was only a vague idea, but I was thinking if I should remain in the temple to assist my eldest brother.
It wasn’t like my parents were forcing me to do that, but I wasn’t that stupid enough to not know why I somehow wanted that.
It was because I couldn’t find another thing I wanted to do, and so I was thinking ‘oh well, let’s do this’.
Though I was thinking of that, for some reason I became one of the adventurers due to the influence of Priest Frank who tutored me since I was 11 years old.
If I had to say, Priest Frank was broadminded. If I were to say it poorly, he was a haughty and an unprecedented person.
He was originally an adventurer who was enlightened to devote himself to the god after his life was saved by a travelling priest, then he changed his job to a priest.
Normally, those who became priests were those whose family members were priests just like me, or people who were blessed with excellent healing power. Both would enter the temple since they were young to be a priest apprentice, and they would formally become a priest after their study, then dispatched to the temples in various places.
There were exceptions, such as those who were demanded by the adventurer guilds after becoming priests, as they would be exterminating the monsters as the members of the adventurers’ party.
In case of those who entered an adventurer’s party, half of their remuneration went to the temple, while half of it went to their own pocket. Therefore, there were lots of people from poor families who didn’t remain in the temple and went on to earn as members of the adventurers.
Unlike swordsmen, priests took less injuries and in a sense they could keep going on even after years, and in a poor village, it was enviable for one to become a priest possessing healing power and to become a part of the adventurers.
Priest Frank seemed to be from a small village, and normally, his healing power should be seen during childhood, and he was supposed to study in the temple. If that were the case, he might even get to the top and became the first priest from the commoners.
However, the priest that was dispatched to a small village near the Chris fort was already old that he seemed not to recognize Priest Frank’s healing ability.
Eventually, Priest Frank aimed to become an adventurer…well, his physique was trained to become a muscular person like he now was, and there was no one who would have predicted that Priest Frank had a healing ability at that time.
Certainly, even now, there were only a few people who could tell that Priest Frank was a priest during their first meeting. He also had a scary face, and even I could understand if someone were to say that he was a bandit.
For some reason…he didn’t have the atmosphere befitting of a priest, calm and gentle. No, he was a wonderful and kind person by personality, but not many had that kind of impression of him.
However, according to the travelling priest who saw Priest Frank’s healing power, his healing power was so magnificent that it could be said that he was a genius.
For example, there was an injury that still couldn’t be healed with three times a normal priest’s heal, but it could be healed with Priest Frank’s one heal.
Then, although normally it would take one a full ten years to study to become priest, Priest Frank finished his studies with just half of the normal time—five years—and then he was tasked with teaching us the priest apprentices.
Normally, I was supposed to be studying under the priest who taught my eldest brother, but that priest was called to the god’s side during the previous Monster Flood, so the head of the priests recommended Priest Frank as my mentor.
At that time, I was troubled over why it had to be Priest Frank who was famous for his roughness, despite their being other superior priests.
At that time, I didn’t understand the reason, but now I understand.
At that time, I was so apathetic to anything.
I was just going with the flow, thinking that it would be fine to spend my whole life safely by supporting my eldest brother as a priest.
But a priest could lead a life with a purpose, not spending their whole life dull just like that. I think that perhaps the head of the priests wanted to teach me that.
However, it didn’t seem like so at the beginning, and I was quite revolted over why I had to be guided by a commoner, moreover and old priest like him.
Now that I think about it, it was such a rebellious attitude.
But Priest Frank was so kind to such me…
Needless to say, I was mercilessly punished by his fist. Although I had to say that it was only to the extent of having his fist land on my head.
Even so, to a noble kid who was raised with great care like me, that was similar to violence.
Obviously, I would have had serious injuries if he were to go seriously on me, so it could be said that he was going easy on me, but to me who was never hit by my parents, it still gave me some shocks.
In response to my protests, Priest Frank declared that I should just try to avoid it.
I hadn’t realized it yet, but it seemed that I quite hated losing.
With just that declaration, I tried hard to avoid Priest Frank’s fists. Priest Frank then thought of it as something amusing and started to suddenly raise his fist although there was nothing. During such times, he stopped before his fists could land on my body, but then again it was just how he was going easy on me, and it wasn’t amusing anymore.
While spending my everyday like that, I became able to avoid his fists the moment Priest Frank put his power on his arms.
Of course that wasn’t the only thing I learned. I was properly studying recovery magic as well.
Now that I think about it, my study was also a bit different.
My teachers until that time always stressed that we had to chant the magic while feeling grateful of the god’s grace in order to use the healing magic.
However, Priest Frank’s coaching was different. It was natural to feel grateful to the god, but I was told to imagine what kind of injury did my healing target have, and how it would recover.
Chanting it was important, but don’t just value the chanting. By chanting, the power of the god dwelled in our bodies, but it was also important to imagine how that god’s power would heal the target.
For example, in the case of someone whose leg was broken by a monster, we should imagine how their bones would recover, and how they would be able to walk again.
For example, in the case of someone whose arm was cut by a monster, we should imagine how their bleeding would stop, how their flesh would close, and then imagine a condition where they suffered from no injury. The torn arm won’t return to how it was, but its wound would be closed and their life would be saved.
At first, I was bewildered at how different his guidance from the others, but certainly when I did things based on what Priest Frank said, the amount of recovery I could do with just one chant increased.
While spending my days just like that, days passed by in no time, and I was finally promoted to become a priest amidst spending the unchanging months and years with Priest Frank.
I completed my study in half the normal 10 years that was normally taken, and I was called as a prodigy. But at the same time, a discord concerning the position of the future head of the priests was born between me and my eldest brother who was studying under our cardinal uncle.
Putting aside my and my eldest brother’s will, two factions were made, fighting for which one who would be the next head of priests.
Still, our readiness to priesthood was different, for my eldest brother had been living in order to become the head of the priests since his birth, while I had been living with the flow. My eldest brother would be the most appropriate head candidate.
But even when I told that to the others, I received words that my modest heart was befitting that of the head of the priests.
Around the time all sides were occupied1 Priest Frank’s dispatch towards the Izel fort was settled. It seemed that it was his own desire.
The Izel fort was the foremost front line to fight the Monster Flood, and that was where the hero was.
I thought that such a place was really suitable for Priest Frank somehow.
In comparison to that, what about me?
If I were to stay at this place, the temple’s internal matter would be shaken.
Then, wouldn’t that mean this wasn’t the place I was supposed to be?
If so…where is the place I belong to?