I Became a Fake Priest the Saintess Is Obsessed With

2 – The Crushing Wheel

Cathedral.

A land graced by the Great Earth Mother’s blessing, being the place where she first settled to care for the young lambs.

Closer to the Great Earth Mother than anywhere else, the faithful yearn to come here at least once, to be held in the sacred bosom of the Mother.

But, this place is a sanctuary only accessible to the chosen.

Here I am, in a place permitted only to those who love God more than anyone and are more devoted than any other believer.

“Let all pray to the Great Earth Mother.”

As the Saint, who has forever entrusted her purity to God, kneels and prays, the believers standing behind her follow suit without hesitation.

I, too, kneel.

Faster than any other believer, as if I had been waiting for this moment.

I plead for mercy with a desperate prayer to God.

The statue sculpted in the likeness of the Holy Goddess watches us, generously smiling at our prayers.

‘Did Your Holiness see me? I have come this far, with this paltry ability I possess.’

I too look at her, smiling a bittersweet smile.

***

After successfully healing the saint, and a few days later, I was given the honor of serving God in the cathedral, recognized for my accomplishments thus far.

Thanks to the more-than-dog-like efforts, I was promoted from an ordinary priest to a middle-ranking priest, scoring a career raise after 12 years.

Overwhelmed by the side-effects of my ability, I only heard the news recently and hurried to the Capital, where the cathedral is located, last night.

“The morning prayer is over, follow me, Father Ivan.”

While I was grinning at the statue of the goddess, a middle-aged woman in a neat habit called me.

I’d been introduced to her a couple of days ago, so I knew who she was.

Selena Las Trent.

One of only 11 high priests in the Empire, she was the woman in charge of the cathedral’s overall operations.

“Yes.”

Realizing that from today, I would be receiving tasks from her as a priest at the Cathedral, I wiped away my smirk and followed her.

“I’ve heard rumors about you, Father Ivan.”

“What sort of rumors are you referring to?”

Colored glasses give off a magical sensation as light passes through them. Sister Selena suddenly spoke while we were walking down the corridor.

“A young priest who saved over a thousand lives in a village on the front line adjacent to the Demon Spirit Zone, by sharing his own life force… Father Ivan, you’re the hero of that rumor, aren’t you?”

I was taken aback for a moment by what seemed to be an extremely long nickname.

Although most of it is true, was the rumor spread that extensively throughout the monastery?

“Ha ha… it seems the rumor has been slightly exaggerated. I’ve never bestowed vitality upon the sick nor healed them.”

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“Then, when you nursed the saintess or the swordmaster, was the pain you expressed not from sharing your vitality?”

“……”

He closed his mouth abruptly at the nun’s sudden inquiry.

Truthfully, every time he healed others, it was painful.

And should he answer that he has been doing this fake healer act for 900 out of a 1000 people, he might risk losing the mid-rank priesthood, which he had only recently been awarded.

“I heard from the Abbot Chris that you are a humble priest. Even so, I hope you realize the spirit of sacrificing for the sick is something to be proud of.”

Chris was a clergyman from the church who had left not long ago.

Although he was a harsh man, it seemed he had spoken highly of me to Sister Slena, which had probably resulted in her praise.

‘I should be kinder to people while they are around… what a regretful occurrence…’

Just a few days ago, my boss, who used to treat me terribly, turned out to have been advocating for me to the president…

I should be thankful, since it led to a favorable misunderstanding by the nun.

“Now, let’s move on to the point, Priest Ivan, you will be responsible for treating the severely injured.”

“Yes!”

For once, he could reply with a smile to the mention of severe injuries.

If one reached a mid-rank priesthood, they could command several lower-rank priests to handle the work for them.

Although he could only tutor in the name of training within the cathedral, he was a well-known, skilled priest.

Several priests would flock to the great cathedral, hoping to learn from him.

Hence, there was no need for him to suffer while treating patients himself; he could hand over the work to a few capable priests under him.

‘But, are there any lower-ranking priests than me in the Great Cathedral?’

….Huh?

No, there weren’t.

In the Great Cathedral, only the saints chosen by the archbishops gathered.

So naturally, almost all the priests were of mid-rank status.

In fact, as a young newcomer, there was nobody that I could casually order around, barring the servants.

‘So, why did I strive to become a mid-rank priest?’

There is no paradise for runaways.

I had been sprinting for 12 long years, promising myself I would command ordinary priests.

I, who was an assistant in a small company, had become an intern in a large corporation.

“So you enjoy the act of healing people? The prince has recently returned from winning a war, having lost an arm. Please, I beg of you, treat him.”

The nun, valuing my selfless nature, left the task in my hands with a compassionate smile.

For some reason, her smile appeared overlapped with a sculpture of a graceful goddess.

It terrified me deeply.

***

As the nun ordered, I went to the palace to treat the prince.

I felt immense pain around my arm upon healing the prince, but I endured it.

Because if I were to scream in pain within the palace, I risked being arrested on charges of public indecency.

‘Why on earth is there such a ridiculous law …!’

Even if I bit my lip and forcibly smiled, the pain did not cease.

While I managed to tolerate the pain and return to Cathedral quickly, the nun urgently summoned me again.

“Priest Ivan! The eldest princess is having severe bleeding after childbirth!”

“Huh? Isn’t the priest in charge there?”

“The eldest princess started childbirth unexpectedly; we couldn’t find the priest. Please go to the palace quickly!”

I struggled to contain the excruciating pain sweeping over my arm, but as it was a matter of life and death, I ran back to the palace shoeless.

After completing all the treatments, by late afternoon, I returned.

I deeply regretted ever coming to the cathedral.

“Ugh, my arm… and my, my stomach …”

I ended up treating two critically injured people in a day, a task usually done once a month.

Unsurprisingly, the pain was severe.

My left arm throbbed as if burned by fire, and my stomach felt as if my internal organs were twisted till they broke apart.

“This isn’t a job for humans …”

My thoughts were consumed with worries about my future service in the Cathedral as the pain became more intense.

I wondered how long I would have to experience this kind of suffering.

And thought about whether I should quit being a priest and look for another job right now …

Would I just throw away the status I worked hard to achieve?

Am I too weak-willed?

To those people who would say that, I wanted them to feel even a little bit of the pain I felt now so they could shut their mouths.

‘No, if I just utilized my groundwork, I could have become a quack doctor……’

I was truly foolish.

From the outset, I’ve been a scam artist through and through, but when I gained powers, I postured as if I’d truly become a doctor.

Today, I need to think about how to carry out my swindling while lying in bed.

With my ailing body, I’m heading towards the monastery when I see a statue of the Virgin near the lakeside.

Instead of folding my hands to pray upon seeing the statue, I cheekily give it the finger.

‘Dear pitiful holy maiden, look forward to my splendid swindling, since I’m on my way to hell anyway…’

Ah, crap!

I accidently raised my left arm.

I rolled on the ground in pain, as if the muscles in my arm were completely torn.

“Um…are you okay…?”

Amid my miserable rolling, a familiar girl’s voice rang out.

A voice that was thin but melodious…

The saint, Amelia’s voice.

“Oh Earth Mother, please liberate this man from his suffering…”

As the saint recited her spell, my pain subsided like before.

The agony wasn’t completely gone, but at least I wasn’t crawling on the ground like an insect anymore.

“Now rise.”

The saint extended her hand and helped me stand up.

I was wondering why the saint was heading back to the monastery so late, but then I realized it wasn’t very late yet.

A time when the sun and the moon coexist, facing each other from the east and the west.

Although it was hard to consider it as evening, it was also not an easy time to define.

Perhaps this would be around the time one would come home after having dinner if one was a salaried worker.

“Thank you, Saint…how can I ever repay this kindness…”

Being the swindler that I am, I expressed my gratitude first.

“No, Father. I owe you, for the numerous people you’ve treated. Let’s just consider this little incident as nothing.”

The saint smiled gently.

It’s hard to believe that such a true woman is an apostle of such an unpleasant god.

“Thank you…really thank you, Saint. I will find a way to repay this kindness…”

“You don’t have to, alright? But if you really want to repay me for today…”

The saint’s face turned slightly pink as if embarrassed.

“Actually, the curse hasn’t completely been healed by your treatment…there is some left…”

She gently lifts the hem of her religious robe.

The moon and sun in the sky illuminate the sanctuary she has been concealing.

Then, beneath her skirt, traces of a curse, as if stained black onto her fair and smooth thighs, show.

“So… is it okay to ask for healing…?”

Who would refuse such a gentle and affectionate request by her?

The strange atmosphere emanating from the saint seems to be pulling me towards her.

But, I just can’t bring myself to grant her wish.

It’s not a religious issue, nor a moral one.

‘If I use my abilities to cure that here, I’ll die…!’

How horrific was the pain that the curse had inflicted on me.

Just thinking about the day I treated the saint brings a dizzying pain up my thighs and makes my limbs shudder.

The moment I confronted the traces of the curse, I sprang up from where I was and ran away.

Because I didn’t want to experience that dreadful pain ever again.