“Ugh… My head hurts even more when I hear your words. Just go away.”
Adandito ignored my words and handed me a fork.
“I added eggs specifically for Siara. Please eat them.”
I frowned at the dish full of green vegetables.
“…I’ll eat it without spinach.”
“You can’t eat eggs continuously either. The savior must adhere to a strict vegetarian diet. It’s a very strict regimen.”
“I ate a lot when I was young!”
“It’s fine when you’re young. I also ate meat back then.”
I couldn’t believe that Adandito ate meat. As I looked at him suspiciously, he shrugged.
“I couldn’t have a meal without sausages when I was young.”
“Really?”
“Yes, I could only eat vegetables if they were smothered in ketchup and mayonnaise.”
“But why did it turn out this way? I’m not saying you’re wrong, but other priests don’t live as strictly as you do.”
He replied nonchalantly.
“It’s similar to Siara.”
“…Me?”
“Yes, why are you so surprised? Siara should live even more strictly than me now. It’s a grace period, for now, I’m just letting you see.”
“Do you believe that? Can’t I just eat meat and experiment?”
“If you’re genuinely curious, go ahead and try. You’ll probably suffer much more than me, though.”
“Really?”
“Maybe you’ll only suffer. Eventually, you’ll realize that not knowing was better.”
“…”
“The way to control humans is simple. You punish them for their mistakes and reward them for doing well. Especially if the punishment is incredibly intense, humans can be satisfied with even small rewards. Just like how I live a life without freedom and yet am satisfied with being held up as a priest.”
His indifferent tone felt like a warning to me. If you don’t want to experience the agony of punishment, at least live up to the minimum standards.
‘In a previous life, it’s like the saying ‘You won’t know if it’s poop or soybean paste until you taste it.”
Due to what I experienced during my hangover, I nodded understandingly.
“Alright, I’ll eat it.”
“Yes, after you eat, let’s go pray together. Fortunately, the gathering has been canceled.”
He smiled as he spoke. It was a very satisfying expression.
‘Is this what Adandito considers a satisfying life?’
Whether giving up a life where you can enjoy meat and alcohol freely or choosing to enjoy being a priest, I didn’t know if he found it amusing. There may be such peculiar humans in the world, but it felt different when they were right next to me.
‘Why am I the savior?’
A useless savior! Those words almost slipped out, but I swallowed them. I didn’t know what I would hear if I said those words in front of Adandito.
Anyway, for now, eating spinach and egg stir-fry was a priority.
“Ugh, spinach…”
How could I make it taste delicious? As I pondered, I found a solution. I had taken a hint from what Adandito said earlier.
“I want ketchup too!”
Even kids can eat vegetables, it’s not a big deal. As long as you sprinkle lots of ketchup on them. It seemed like my words were heard because Adandito readily nodded.
“You’re requesting something that I can fulfill.”
Saying that he went to get the ketchup. In the end, I ate all the spinach and egg stir-fry with lots of ketchup. It tasted better than I expected.
* * *
Hierian was sitting on a hill.
A bird that had been circling him landed on his head. He waved his hand in annoyance as if to shoo it away and let out a deep sigh.
His worried face was soaked in trouble.
He had slept with Siara last night. Because of that, he could see Siara’s body trembling as if having a seizure up close.
‘Ugh, it hurts… It hurts.’
Cold sweat dripped down, and her fingertips trembled incessantly. Throughout, painful groans escaped from her mouth.
Seeing that, Hierian immediately got up and went to find Adandito. He knew better than anyone that his divine power was helpful to Siara.
However, instead of finding solace in Adandito’s bestowed divine power, Siara seemed to be tormented by it. Adandito tightened his expression and muttered,
‘It’s because of the alcohol.’
In truth, he didn’t think it would be a big problem for Siara to have a little alcohol, knowing that she was bound by the restrictions of the savior. He had seen her perfectly fine even after eating meat before.
But it seemed that the Eora God no longer cared about Siara. Last night, Adandito had made up his mind to guide Siara to live as a savior. However, Hierian had not yet found an answer.
“What should I do now?”
He wanted to set Siara free, but if the god intervened directly like this, there was no way to overcome it.
No matter how much he pondered with his genius intellect, the answer remained the same.
Hierian felt sad. He had never felt so powerless before.
‘It’s difficult, and I can’t help.’
It was the worst. Even Siara seemed pitifully helpless in his eyes.
‘She acted the same way last night.’
As Hierian sighed endlessly, a maple leaf, carried by the wind, fluttered and trembled as it was blocked by the barrier of the Forest of Evil.
Without thinking, Hierian walked up to the barrier and grabbed the maple leaf in his hand. A faint sigh escaped his lips.
“Even by moving dimensions, it’ll eventually come back.”
It meant that there was no way for Siara to find comfort through ordinary means.
Then what should he do? Lost in his thoughts, he turned his head at the sound coming from behind. Adandito and Siara, who had just finished praying, were standing face to face, wearing serious expressions.
“Who cares about the time, it’s the sincerity that counts!”
“That’s true, but Siara, you don’t put much sincerity into your prayers, do you?”
“…That’s true, but…”
“Then at least fill the time.”
“But then the intention to be sincere disappears!”
“No! If you keep doing it until your body accepts it, the intention will naturally arise.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because I’ve tried.”
As they engaged in a battle of words akin to a clash of spear and shield, Hierian silently lowered his head.
“They’re not even kids, what are they doing?”
In retrospect, even grown-ups can act like children sometimes, and it didn’t seem strange that he, as a genius, felt a bit childish. After all, it was because of Siara that he had become like this.
Anyway, now was the time to help Siara. If left as it was, Adandito would torment Siara until she fell asleep.
‘It’s a somewhat grown-up thought.’
Hierian shrugged and ran towards Siara.
“Siara!”
Siara turned to look at Hierian with a face that seemed to have met a savior.
“Hierian!”
“Siara!”
After a joyous reunion, they moved away from Adandito as if on cue. Left alone in an instant, Adandito chuckled, swallowing his bitterness.
* * *
Hierian and I held hands and chatted comfortably. It had been a long time since we had such a good talk. As we talked about this and that, we unintentionally glanced at Adandito.
“This is too much. Is this what he calls helping?”
“That’s right. Siara must be having a hard time.”
“Early morning prayers, but we’re supposed to sleep in the early morning.”
“Exactly, exactly. Who wakes up as soon as the sun rises? It’s natural to stay up all night and have fun.”
“That’s what I’m saying!”
Irritated, I stomped my feet on the ground. Hierian looked at me with pity and asked,
“Shall we go to the city? We haven’t explored it properly.”
“Yeah, that’s true. We’ve been so busy that we haven’t even thought about going to the city.”
Once, I was trying to find a good tailor but ended up meeting Madame Lulu, thanks to Dianel.
It was a bit of a detour, but it seemed like a good opportunity to explore the capital city. I nodded in agreement.
“Alright, let’s go outside.”
“Yeah!”
And so, Hieran and I headed to the city. On the way, I suddenly remembered that we had also explored Astita together.
‘I seem to have a great time with Hieran, especially. Maybe we’re really good friends.’
* * *
Duke Izbe went to a shabby restroom in a nursing home and lifted the robe covering his face.
Inside, his face had somewhat returned to its original state, but there were still some blemishes here and there.
The duke touched his face with a dissatisfied expression.
“Why isn’t it completely back yet?”
Taking action on Siara’s gossip had improved his appearance, so he continued to reflect on his actions.
Although he managed to keep the incidents from spreading by using money to silence people, he realized that the more he correct his wrongdoings, the closer he returned to his original self.
Still not satisfied, however, the Duke found time to do some volunteer work. Currently, he was volunteering at a nursing home located in a dilapidated alley in the capital, which he had never noticed before.
There was a sense of fulfillment. Not only did he feel proud of doing good deeds and listening to the opinions of the common people, but the residents of the nursing home also praised his appearance straightforwardly.
“Oh my, I’ve never seen such a handsome person in my life!”
“I must be blind. What have I been looking at all this time?”
“Is he a sculpture?”
Receiving compliments differently from the nobles, Duke Izbe burst into hearty laughter.
“Haha! Thank you, everyone.”
However, he still had a long way to go to fully regain his original appearance.
‘Why don’t the scars disappear? If you’re going to restore it, do it properly.’
As the duke was musing, he noticed a noticeable figure in the distance. It was a petite woman with flowing blonde hair and a small child.
‘Could it be Siara?’
Duke Izbe’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.
