When Aniya next saw
This was the Ban family's hidden stronghold in the northern territories, but there were always a handful of people kept on hand for the masters to use and enslave — and this old man was clearly one of the lowest among them.
His back was hunched grotesquely from the heavy labor, his clothes were little more than tattered rags, and he reeked with a nauseating stench so foul that Aniya nearly wrinkled her nose and fled on the spot.
She swore that even the smell of the filthiest sewer would have been more pleasant than the odor emanating from him.
To make matters worse, the old man held up a repulsive wound on his hand, oozing with pus — a sight that nearly made Aniya retch the moment she laid eyes on it.
The medical system in the world of the gods had never been anything to speak of. Most clerics' divine spells were a luxury reserved for nobles and high-ranking professionals.
Ordinary commoners, when they fell ill, could only grit their teeth and endure it. Those with slightly better means might seek out an apothecary or two, but most would simply prescribe useless placebos — or worse, swindle their patients with concoctions of bat droppings mixed with canvas ash.
Clearly, for a lowly servant of the old man's station, effective treatment was something he would never normally receive.
And now, as he gazed up at the holy priestess Barbara before him, his eyes brimming with desperate supplication, he said: "This happened half a month ago while I was working... I accidentally cut myself with a stone blade, and it's become like this..."
"Please, do not worry. The gods love all people... they will never allow you to suffer in agony forever..."
Even facing such a filthy and wretched servant, Barbara's face wore the same gentle smile — she did not so much as furrow a single eyebrow, seemingly utterly unfazed by the stench rolling off him.
At the same time, a layer of radiant divine light bloomed from her hands.
The healing spell, carrying the power of restoration, swept over the wound. Under the holy radiance, the swelling around both sides of the injury receded rapidly, the accumulated pus was cleansed away entirely, and a layer of fresh, crimson new skin gradually emerged.
"There! But do try to keep this arm clean, and don't take on any overly strenuous work for the next couple of days!"
Barbara admonished gently.
"Oh... what a... what a kind soul you are... thank you! Benevolent priestess! Might I ask for the true name of the deity you serve?"
The old man stammered out in a halting voice.
"My lord is the master of slaughter who possesses the power of healing. The God of Slaughter who spans the realms of life and death — Kukulcan!"
The moment she spoke this, Barbara's expression turned solemn, and she declared with deep reverence.
"The God of Slaughter, Kukulcan?" The old man looked confused, clearly not having heard this name before. But he quickly recovered: "Surely a god so merciful must also be benevolent, to have a priest like you. Please allow me to make an offering..."
The old man tremblingly fished a few copper coins from inside his robe, but then the corner of his eye caught sight of
"Honorable Lady Anya!" The old man paid no heed to the coins rolling across the ground and immediately dropped to his knees in full prostration.
"Hm!"
Anya acknowledged him with a reserved sound. To a servant who would spend his entire life in this hidden outpost serving her family, even a single word was a blessing. But she quickly caught herself, turning to look at Holy Maiden Barbara beside her.
"Holy Maiden, I... I'm truly sorry..."
"The way nobles treat their servants is really..." Barbara shook her head, then crouched down and picked up the copper coins that had fallen earlier.
"Your devotion has been seen by our Lord!"
She gathered the meager coins and held them carefully, while clasping the old man's hands: "Serving the gods lies in the sincerity of one's heart — the value of worldly things makes no difference. In the eyes of the soul, all people are equal..."
"Holy Maiden, I will arrange for him to have easy and safe work immediately..."
Once the old man had left, showering them with thanks, Anya spoke at once.
At the same time, her thoughts began to stir: A kind and benevolent Holy Maiden, hm? Good — dealing with someone like this is far easier than dealing with beasts and brutes...
"If you could do that, I would be truly grateful. But it won't really make a difference..."
Barbara shook her head, a gleam of wisdom in her eyes that immediately told Anya the Holy Maiden before her was not as simple as she appeared.
"Today we can only do our utmost to help those before us. But farther away, beyond our reach, there are still too many... far too many such people... far more than any one individual could possibly save..."
A strange, almost indescribable expression seemed to surface in Barbara's eyes.
"Of course, the fact that he received your merciful treatment is already quite wonderful. Our god often teaches me — the principle of accumulated merit..."
Barbara gazed at Anya with a half-smile, those perceptive eyes seeming to see right through everything.
"I received word from Patriarch Fix that from now on you will serve as my liaison here. I'm sorry to trouble you..."
"Not at all... It is my honor to serve the Holy Maiden!"
"Very good!" Barbara lightly lifted Ania's chin with her finger, a hint of what seemed like... excitement on her face?
"I don't feel like going out just yet. I'm a bit tired, so why don't I take a bath first?"
Barbara suggested.
Though bathing during the day was somewhat unusual, Ania certainly wouldn't raise any objections.
Despite a vague sense of unease stirring in her heart, Ania quickly led Barbara into the enormous bathing chamber.
Marble relief maidens knelt respectfully, water jugs cradled in their arms. Warm water flowed ceaselessly from the mouths of the vessels, billowing clouds of white steam rising across the vast, jade-white pool.
Barbara's youthful yet wild and vital body slipped into the water, and then she beckoned to Ania.
"Come down..."
"Huh? Me?" Ania's head swam for a moment, but her body moved forward on its own...
……
After the bath, Ania wore a loose robe, a few droplets of water still clinging to her silky hair, making her look even more lovely — though her expression was still one of considerable bewilderment.
Barbara, in stark contrast, now seemed brimming with energy, pulling Ania by the hand to yet another plaza.
"Sister Barbara! Sister Barbara!"
Several young boys who had been training immediately lit up and came running over. Barbara's aura shifted once again — she now resembled a warm, gentle neighborhood big sister, greeting them affectionately.
This dramatic contrast left Ania feeling as though she were still in a dream, her mind hazy and dazed.
"Who are these...?" she asked mechanically.
"These are the lost lambs our Master's warriors took in along the way..."
Barbara patted one of the young boys on the head, then looked over to a demon hunter who was teaching the children nearby.
"How are their lessons progressing?"
"All doing well. The little ones are tough and hardworking. Vegita is the best — he leads the group in both combat comprehension and literacy..."
Upon hearing this, the young boy whose head Barbara had patted immediately showed a hint of pride on his face.
"Well done!"
Barbara's smile grew even softer.
"It's just..." The instructor looked as though he wanted to say something but hesitated.
"What is it? Out with it!" Barbara furrowed her brows. With her current appearance and beauty, this expression didn't look stern in the least — if anything, it was somewhat charming. Yet the instructor shivered, as though afraid of something.
"There's one more child... who hasn't grasped a single thing from the lessons, and his physique is quite poor..."
Ania, watching from the side, understood the situation clearly as well.
The
A child who was obviously lacking in talent would likely have no useful value even after growing up.
"What's his name?" Following the instructor's gaze, Barbara spotted a small, thin figure crouching in a corner, as though he wished to be entirely swallowed by the shadows.
"Lunce... I think? That should be his name..."
The instructor said uncertainly.
"How can you treat someone who fails to meet your standards like this?" Barbara shot the instructor a glance. "Go fetch Amik. Your position is being replaced..."
Faced with the Holy Maiden's anger, the instructor didn't dare put up any resistance. Without a single word of protest, he bowed and withdrew.
After that, Barbara walked over to the little boy.
"Lunce! That's your name, isn't it?"
"Yes... My Lady!"
Lunce looked up, feeling as though he were seeing a figure radiant with light.
Sacred luminescence draped over Barbara, making her appear so elegant and warm.
"I believe... you have a special talent! Don't be discouraged by a temporary failure..."
Barbara gently caressed Lunce's cheek, causing the blush on his face to spread all the way down to his neck.
"But..." Lunce's voice was nearly breaking, on the verge of tears.
"If you still can't face it, then pray. Our God will give you the courage..."
Lunce clenched his teeth, feeling his tears threatening to spill out uncontrollably, forcing him to do so just to barely hold them back.
From the perspective of Ania and the others, everything Barbara did in that moment was wholly worthy of the title of Holy Maiden — extending a hand of salvation from within the light, drawing Lunce out of the shadows.
That insecure boy named Lunce finally seemed a little brighter, having found the courage to face the world.
"Hm... strange, why did I suddenly think this way..."
Ania reached up to wipe her cheeks, suddenly coming to her senses. "...This power of contagion... Father... you really did hand me a task so daunting it's terrifying..."