It was Reverend Donovan, the [Priest] of Velmond’s temple. I had expected him to show up. Especially with all the rumors about me floating around— after all, that had been my goal with what I was doing.

  But it seemed he had been busy, which was why he hadn’t shown up sooner. But that had also been a part of my plan…

  “I’ve heard about your exploits, Mr Eli,” the [Priest] said as he bowed at me, placing his cap on his stomach. “And I’ve been meaning to pay you a visit sooner. However, my duties back at the temple have kept me quite busy as of late.”

  “Oh, it’s no worries, Reverend,” I said, waving a hand off. “I’m sure a [Priest] like you has a lot of work you have to attend to— I would be quite overwhelmed if I had to deal with all the people that come to you seeking your guidance and your blessings.”

  Donovan shook his head as he chuckled. “Actually, thanks to the attention you’ve been receiving here in this city, we have had fewer visitors coming to our temple as of late.”

  He sat down next to me and met my gaze. We were eye-level right now, even though he was sitting on the porch— and it was not like I was an especially short kid for my age. That was just how tall he normally was.

  “No— whether it be by sheer chance or the blessings of the Goddess of Life, Lord Alistair Velmond has spontaneously given us a large donation, finally answering our pleas for his help. Because of that, there were many administrative duties I had to attend to at the temple, before I could visit you.”

  “That’s surprising,” I feigned shock. “I always thought Lord Alistair was a greedy man who only cared to fill his pockets. Why the change of heart?”

  “I cannot give you the answer to that question. I can only give thanks to the Goddess of Life for bestowing me with this fortuitous turn of events. Just like she has blessed me with your sudden appearance here in this city, alleviating the workload I’d have to deal with at the temple.”

  The [Priest] smiled as he closed his eyes, reaching for a necklace hidden beneath his collar. He held onto it— there was a symbol of a crystal heart attached at the end, and it looked like he was saying a small prayer. I just chuckled and scratched the back of my head.

  “Well, I’ve always been around,” I explained. “But I’ve only just recently got my [Healer] Class, if that's what you mean.”

  Donovan nodded. “Indeed. I have heard quite a bit about you before. After all, Ms Hannah is quite a chatty individual.”

  “Oh?” I raised a brow at the little girl who was standing off to the side.

  She shuffled her feet as she averted her gaze shyly. “When I volunteer at the temple, I do talk a little bit about you, Ms Mary, and the others…”

  “You and I both know that’s a vast under exaggeration,” the [Priest] laughed.

  Hannah flushed, and I chuckled too. However, I was quite surprised to hear that Hannah spent time at the local temple. Did that mean she was a fervent follower of the Goddess of Life? I wasn’t sure how to feel about that. Especially considering the fact that she now knew I was the Death God.

  But she didn’t react badly to hearing the news either. And even though I had only met Hannah just over a week ago, I felt like I could trust her.

  So even though I was taken aback by this news, I didn’t linger on it any longer. Instead, I turned to Reverend Donovan and nodded.

  “Well, I’m glad I was able to help out, even if it was indirectly. But I’m sure that’s not the only reason you’ve sought me out…” I eyed the [Priest] knowingly.

  He took in a deep breath and rose back to his feet. “Of course, I came here to show you my appreciation. But I have also come to investigate the rumors about your Class. While I trust Hannah’s words, I need to see proof of it with my own eyes. After all, a [Healer] is rare to come by, let alone belonging to a child.”

  “That’s understandable,” I said, before glancing around the front yard of the orphanage. “But there isn’t really anyone here for me to heal right now. And I’m sure a basic healing spell won’t suffice, since it could just mean that I just be a [Cleric] or a [White Mage].”

  Reverend Donovan placed his round cap back onto his head. “You are as sharp as Hannah says you are.”

  He stepped past me as he proffered me a hand.

  “Indeed. I’d like to bring you to the temple. There are a few grievously ill folks who are currently being sheltered, and I’d like you to demonstrate your capabilities to them for me. So, please, would you be so kind as to come with me?”

  I stared at the [Priest] for a moment, before looking towards Hannah. She nodded at me. And I knew deep within me that she would never betray me— that she would never betray Eli.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  Besides, this had been all a part of my plan in the first place. From spreading the rumors about me, to increasing funding to the local temple, everything had been a piece I had set in motion to fall perfectly together. So I accepted Donovan’s hand as I stepped forward.

  “Sure, take me there.”

  ***

  Donovan led Hannah and I back to his temple at the central square of Velmond. Just like before, I saw quite a few beggars lying at the steps leading up to the building, but there were noticeably fewer of them now. And there wasn’t a line of sickly and injured folks blocking the entrance.

  However, that didn’t mean the temple was empty of people either. When we stepped inside, there were a few dozen worshipers inside of the main hall, kneeling at the pews as they looked up towards a statue at the altar.

  I eyed the statue, seeing the depiction of the Goddess of Life. Here, she was shown to be an elderly woman, covered in vines and leaves. But having seen her just before I died, I knew that this was an extremely inaccurate portrayal of her.

  Shaking my head, I looked back towards the [Priest] as he led us through the temple. “So… where are these sick folks?”

  “We are quarantining them at a small house at the back of the temple,” Donovan explained as he smiled and waved at a few of the worshipers who greeted him. “I do not wish to take such measures. Unfortunately, the situation is dire.”

  I raised a brow curiously at that. “What do you mean?”

  The [Priest] pursed his lips as he brought me to a shack out back a few dozen feet outside of the temple’s main building. He took in a deep breath as he glanced back at me.

  “It’s not something I wish to spread around,” he said as he glanced between Hannah and I. “I wish to keep this on the down low. But have you heard of the Blight?”

  I furrowed my brows. But Hannah piped up, placing a hand on her chin.

  “Isn’t that the magical plague that’s been going around the south of the Sanctus Empire?”

  “It’s less of a plague since it does not spread quickly,” the [Priest] corrected her, “and it’s more of a disease that quickly corrodes and deteriorates the physical state of those who contract it. Very few of those who are infected by the Blight survive.”

  Pushing the door to the shack open, Donovan took in a deep breath and closed his eyes.

  “And it appears the Blight has arrived here at Velmond.”

  I narrowed my eyes as Hannah backed away, hearing the coughing and wheezing coming from inside of the room. The audible agonized groans made it clear that those who were in there were suffering— many of them likely at death’s door.

  From out here, I only saw a dozen of them at most. Not very many. Not for a city of thousands.

  “Fortunately, we’ve managed to keep it mostly contained. We haven’t heard of a new case in Velmond for over a week now, which means we should be safe from the Blight taking over our city. However, I still wish to liberate these poor souls from their suffering…”

  The [Priest] spoke as he wore a grim look on his face. I stared at him for a moment, before peering back into the room. There was a foul stench emanating from within— one that made both Hannah and I recoil in disgust.

  But more than that, I sensed something… strange. There was a dark aura that was almost familiar to me. I drew my lips into a thin line.

  “And you want me to save them,” I said as I looked back at Reverend Donovan. “Even though you just told me it’s a supposedly incurable disease.”

  “Yes,” the [Priest] replied, meeting my gaze. He sighed as he lowered his head. “Truth be told, this is not a test for your Class. I am well aware that you are a [Healer]. Sister Elia saw what you did— she told me of how you cured a dozen people from their injuries and their sickness right outside of the temple.”

  Slowly, he cast his gaze back into the room. More hacking and coughing broke out from within.

  “However, I knew that if I told you to try to save those who cannot be saved, you would not have come with me. I am sorry for lying, but I thought it was necessary to at least give them a chance at living.”

  Donovan spoke apologetically, bowing his head at me. But I barely paid him any mind. Instead, my gaze remained locked into the room. There was no mistaking it.

  I recognized that aura. Neither Hannah nor Donovan would recognize it, but as the Death God, I would.

  “There is no need to apologize, Reverend,” I said as I strode forward. I approached the entrance of the room as my eyes flickered, and I saw a dark mist that nobody else could see. I shook my head. “Unfortunately, I don’t think even a [Healer] would be capable of saving them.”

  I stepped into the room as Donovan blinked. He watched me enter, and Hannah tried to follow after me.

  “Wait, Eli—” she called out, but the [Priest] stopped her from entering. She pursed her lips as she eyed my back.

  “Let him work,” the reverend said simply.

  Hannah hesitated, before taking a step back. “Just be careful,” she said.

  And I nodded back at her. “I’ll be fine. There’s a reason why this Blight isn’t quite as contagious as an ordinary plague.”

  I came to a halt before an elderly man. He looked to be in the worst shape out of anyone else in the room. He was balled up into the fetal position, clutching at his chest that was blotched and blackened. It almost looked like the effects of a [Deathbolt] that had struck him. Except, the blackness hugging tightly onto him looked like it was eating into his skin, rather than his skin peeling away.

  In fact, there was very likely a reason why that was the case. After all, this was not an illness— it was magic.

  Death magic.

  But it was not the kind of death magic like [Deathbolt] that could easily be healed by a simple healing spell. It was specifically a sub-type of death magic that meddled with the body.

  And that was blood magic.

  “So an ordinary healing spell by an ordinary [Healer] would not be able to save them,” I explained as I brought a hand out.

  Hannah and Donovan just eyed me curiously, wondering what I was about to do. However, I didn’t cast [Healing Touch], nor did I use [Aura Of Light]. Instead—

  “Fortunately,” I started, casting [Sacred Flame] in my hand, “I am no ordinary [Healer].”

  Both the [Priest] and the young girl exchanged a confused glance, wondering what I was going to do with that spell. And I simply tossed the silver fire onto the elderly man as their eyes grew wide.