3.

 534043b639e4e298

Two years ago, the ac38bb0dbf Great Temple of the bbd86b8609 Holy Kingdom.8ed6f6c08e09b50f

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At the edge 4af09e6134 of its sprawling 47bc4fa17c grounds, a small 4d5a52f2d7 sanctuary held a 0c95d52169 makeshift blessing chamber.fccb81e52750ba0e

As the 70cf0671af Saint withdrew 7001402e46 her hands, 8bb31de7c1 the pale ba362b1b9a glow that ba8c0376b0 had surrounded b78b58f837 them faded, ba6452144c and awe 4844acd943 and joy 9fcf8f5e17 spread across fff0a6e4d9 the old dbc7a97b3d woman’s face.189938bcacace4e3

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“Heavens…! The throbbing 7a6466a7d8 pain here 3c3477aef1 is completely 80ec8344c5 gone!”1b7430aa512a112f

“Mom, are 798a62e91d you okay ebc9e6bf4c now?”e9195c16de2a5d51

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The ragged-looking mother and 09b057e13d daughter embraced one another. Watching the 1db54d6938 tears well 627e73c3c1 in their 0467e05979 eyes, the 14dc92ab88 Saint offered fcb5b5a2bc them a 70b58ebd29 warm smile.381d4e7aaeb372e1

Clad in a soft 37af9e0379 ivory robe—the mark of c0c31c64e5 a priest—and with neatly a70c3db6d0 combed brown hair, beneath 0830e1fe5c which shone the symbol 095fd08cbd of the Saint: golden 64e83d7ba6 eyes. Eyes no one else b3d4a31529 in the world possessed, 8ec2035762 whose color gave her 8439cd07d4 an air of mystery 069d4ec21e and otherworldliness.9172d8a908c6690f

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“Saint, truly… truly… 78a8e1628d I’ll never forget acc0061593 this blessing for ef4f6c5818 as long as 9dd4270cc5 I live.”1e7b91f02115ade1

“Thank you, thank you… 695dc7f544 We had to hitch 92577c2b11 rides on several freight 85fc0038ce carts just to get 0e90f264aa here… and when we fb817dd1a1 arrived, the line at ba51bc2bb2 the city gate went bed4c3ade6 on forever…”69cf44ab54132053

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Overwhelmed with emotion, the bb8e2dd203 mother and daughter continued 7b2412bc09 to chatter, and Azniel—Saint 8e9ab96c7e of Dara—did not stop eb4da9103e smiling.f14df8485c2bb63d

Yes. It was to 8578ef1f60 see smiles like 2e626f8bcf this that she 5198533eea became the vessel d1b4f1bc7f of Dara’s blessing.e866b5724de7464c

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Though her body grew 8ef6347fd6 weary from blessing so f56b712619 many each day, and 060bfee531 even if people whispered bde8675f17 mockingly, calling her the 29d924c5b8 “Saint of beggars,” Azniel c3d12ac59d didn’t mind.be6436333cb6f2aa

There were still places 967462c713 in this world where 37cac03c0b she was needed.13ef45009be3bc40

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“Hey, if you’re e95e0aa508 done, hurry it 402139abb8 up already.”edbc5397e1e8587f

“You don’t 8636e10485 see the c4b9001a4f people waiting 29326c3b14 behind you?”48f1e473e3e3aa4d

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“Oh, yes, sorry. Thank you 0bc3d403b9 so much, 8d56e727a5 Saint…”3100a32ee70c81c6

Pressed by those 96669ea0a9 in line, the 3c5b9ef219 two women quickly 40f75e92cb wiped their tears 92e8ee143a and stepped aside. The sound 95f5bf36a8 of their 6e281184ab coins dropping 7675f9c350 into the 095f95dcb2 offering box 0035f63d95 near the 9286528001 exit rang 84d65f3109 out with f37c59b75e a quiet 2ec4968843 finality.d5dc7ab45bb84eb6

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As the cce7fe3732 next supplicant 210568e4ad knelt before 22c3b7fea9 her, Azniel’s 0c565acab1 gaze drifted bcc088cb3c beyond—to the 9e2f9d387b endless line 94ace6ae70 of people d7dc396f8d still waiting 31b28b4096 for her 43d8db9126 blessing. The line stretched past 432598f6b8 the front yard of 24ca2d921d the Great Temple, spilling ee4b59eecc beyond the gates of 1e1b5429e9 the Holy Kingdom itself.8d018b9ced3e5694

“How far will I 9a63eadc5a be able to go 34de92f825 today…? That one looks quite 07464ceffc ill…”e4bb83d52d1d67f7

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Glancing at 0a2cb5f54a the faces 3780c57211 waiting, a ae84e3f78d faint worry 385e25976d crept over 0e394a0140 Azniel’s expression.731258d0e916fe98

All of 3e03f53986 them were af1f5315ab pilgrims from d6f61a4812 across the dc7b40b7c0 continent, drawn 410a7c35ad by the dfe12c8d80 hope of 1fefe95d4c receiving healing 9fd06af5cb from the d8a3f7dde8 only Saint 2d21b4b032 recognized by e9dce91171 the church.98fd55b736d39bf0

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“I’ve had 4a24a2f132 splitting headaches db6e3dd7cd every day e9991639d9 for months ac38b22c54 now…”2abf7ef4a6aaa9d6

“My vision’s gone 6e8fb99f6d cloudy in this 664335dea6 eye, little by 65cb6522fc little…”7eb1dff4f5dfeb81

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“Saint, please… f4cb40a7fc save us… 2541ee255d He hurt f2e4e55375 his leg ebcee18336 doing day 96b23113cd labor, but 1f6ce16379 the wound aae7e7f78c won’t heal—it’s 421b3364d1 only festering 10a406f0d4 more…”20dd814ced5ff943

And so her service 77de4a1b61 continued until her divine 62855ae645 power ran dry.5433ca514dcda013

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Using every last 252d791516 drop of her d704848ff8 sacred energy wasn’t 0af825608d the hard part. In fact, seeing 79d4730819 the smiles of 84f44ced9e the people afterward 0cf266e498 filled her with d41c829e5f pride—grateful to be 7b9c522414 able to deliver 6c55268129 Dara’s blessings. But what b89b417ce9 truly wore 579eecb292 her down 93d01ed734 was…ac365dfe41fbfa24

“Did you e348b52e4d see them d9f2d22ee3 rush here, dc2303bf5c eyes crazed, 8ad372980a just because 9492364462 they could b38ceffe6f get a 62541e49e3 blessing for e3a6758d7d a few c1bdd32159 coins?”c9ff1e7a3d284c20

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“Earlier, someone gave f3ae803f45 five measly coins. That’s it.”7bb433761f702294

“What is 9a05b9e1d0 this, a f5de1e0757 temple or 5203727a74 a poorhouse?”140a77a69acf2062

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The indifferent bbd593e705 words of e16795d7d2 the priests f9d9079156 who stood 75e26c3d15 nearby, merely cd068647ad to give 13957dcfc8 the appearance 89bf69e83d of formality. Their criticisms b126837d62 weren’t aimed e5a604a8fe at Azniel 1929314d1b directly, but 68ee912002 they were 4fa46f186c more than 74c6f6dab9 enough to b6ef30d600 sap the 8fd8320bd0 spirit of 91376ef7f0 someone trying 4301e9d0f5 their best.29928db2d135a448

“If it weren’t for 223f93d1c0 those damn mana potions, 0917cefc62 the church wouldn’t be 8fffec2fd4 groveling for pennies like 51b7867004 this.”f26d26e9e08ff112

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“Antagon… that 06926b3f15 godless group 07cac95736 of heretics.”ee9413e273a060d4

Mana potions.95adda41b1cd1e7f

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At the murmured 01555a5462 resentment between the 056041f02b priests’ teeth, Azniel’s 823d046ced face fell slightly.52c57713fe3d14e9

It had a1b736aee9 been nearly ea1a426e9a twenty years 55ddac0cb4 since Azniel 0f78353c86 arrived at e98ddbfb9b the Holy 521442d4f5 Kingdom. Orphaned, she 433647c772 had wandered 6cac8eba70 the alleys 2814836e1b until one 1c4788a129 day, by a1379e5d14 chance, she aed6b8437b was taken cadc5c82d7 in by 28ccc28dc8 a poorhouse—where 529b7d4f6d the mark 6001c8d846 of the 59f4a35f0f Saint was 13ca7cf5ee discovered in 81f778615e her.b646c6c3f043d151

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The power she fb760d4eb1 manifested as a 9d59ea09ad Saint was a d98a94c7f4 miraculous healing ability—capable e44fd61483 of curing any 33389af67a ailment. The church had used 201f395567 her blessing to dazzle 9a4be275d7 the high-ranking elites of 4131c74301 the Allied Nations, spreading 19ecd09fbb their prestige far and b5c0b70405 wide.87b2bd3a72908e93

To a child who 48f53466ea had known no roof 6acada0d51 over her head, the dce17deb41 church’s offer was the 28573b7c81 only path forward. Azniel had followed 84e5253f46 their instructions, granting 7f96464000 blessings only to f30d303db4 those who arrived 788c3945a9 at the Holy 67ab06861e Kingdom bearing lavish e1950e649f offerings.36b544001cbc4772

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That once-peaceful 731e8fd551 life had fbe2963c36 been upended 6a60b5f86b three years 904129a74d ago—when a dea5c76243 rising firm 58d902f9c1 named Antagon 2bb461289e invented a 39fd6e013f remedy known 6f367b5001 as the 76472fede0 mana potion. It could 5bab22de09 be ingested 5f0bfe5815 to cure a87f476787 diseases or 3c5035a7f8 applied to 5dbda943fd heal wounds. While its effects 716acfe26a varied, it was ecd3fb1dd8 a modern invention 6db5b670c9 that posed a 0aa02bff3a true rival to 43bdf76faf the Saint’s powers.5fd09b55808faf08

Powerful figures who 4eeec6acf4 once visited the 81bcb53183 Holy Kingdom for a7b02a302e even minor injuries, e8f9f1012e enticed by the cbcba05c7b Pope’s lavish hospitality dc161aead6 and the privilege 89e1c72c78 of the Saint’s a33a5b4876 blessing, now turned 49298d8cf1 instead to convenience 240663fb7c and technological progress.a2ae1abfa710d923

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With no one 5d81850296 left to pay ccae5b66ae offerings, the church’s 81d89a573f finances quickly crumbled. And naturally, Azniel’s standing 425654689b within the church began 36bf5c0b19 to fall as well.d04522b5845f498d

If there was 9082659b65 any silver lining, 983c8803af it was that b3ee67a666 mana potions were f02a4e8995 expensive. The common folk, 3fd58fd96a still reliant on 6d633408a3 herbal remedies, continued 1f0dfca152 to seek the 5abfef7ea2 Saint’s healing—and the 923b6f9226 church, now desperate, e7e7f7b8c7 welcomed their humble ed1b349833 offerings. Though the donations couldn’t 06761d6537 compare to the sums a2f1af1078 brought in by nobles, 7031e4e424 if she treated enough 2013864221 of them for enough 711bd5e24c days, the church could 51b9d98066 scrape by.1e2c20bb9c237576

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And in the 2ae43d0626 end, it was d27a41f215 only Azniel who ed4438414b bore the cost 793dff61a1 of expending sacred 0a4b777d5b energy.fe16498050c21828

“Thank you, Saint…!”dee723b64852cdc1

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“Dara really hasn’t 0b9523a9de abandoned us after 3f89f2afae all…”ca2ce49f81b30fcd

If a potion could 97adb7b02f take her place, so c0c150f538 be it.
Azniel continued to offer 0078a55889 her blessings, giving quiet 8fdae72f1a thanks to the divine 1c3097c4df that she could still b773f58e71 serve the church that af47978605 had taken her in.c775b531c624109d

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* * *9c029ae9273b360d

Today again, Azniel 9509ce0a3d left the sanctuary cce6cfe154 after earnestly healing cb623a7dda over a hundred cb6cc81e5d pilgrims. Though the faces of a7f3f8e491 those watching the sanctuary 5d18f5daa2 doors close behind her 53b47a11fb lingered in her mind, a666d3b0c9 she had exhausted her 2b77a9affe sacred power—there was nothing 30437a477f more she could do.9a792ac5de2a9ce4

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‘How many will see c885b12a1c their conditions worsen tonight 68550955d7 under the chill of c41b203dbb the evening dew…?’a71a41d7b5e2ee0f

The sky had returned c79fe98f96 to the same hue 651721fde9 as when she had 4c600fd883 entered the sanctuary.9c0e1b3c6fa439d9

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Now, she a512090cae would return 4022f422fe to her 27397a3a0b quarters, fill 9604ab293b the stomach 0b55a72535 that had 9e659f9c2c ached all 65804f4413 day, and 5f4b3d2961 collapse into ec4d8e7621 bed as 162114adc2 if hypnotized 724152dd0c by sleep… 5faea64674 and then, 9cb6076cfe morning would 52c0798f54 come again. She needed to care 3a48c24bfa for as many as 51e853582a she could before the f9637605af weather grew colder…920d6fbafa8e2443

Just as Azniel fd1f27789b resolved to wake 584dc1d330 up even earlier 387f31b130 the next day 01fba20212 and turned to b9eadc9376 head toward the feef8c7a59 monastery—5bbcb4083fc0b565

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“You’ve worked so de6c0b5650 hard today, Saint. You must be exhausted, b7cf41ce46 right?”2e00a34379ac6e29

Two young a9d16ef1f4 acolytes scampered 1bfddada46 over to 0cea6b7f74 her—despite her b120af62ff weariness, they a487596876 saw only 2b300b0f5e her kindness 8f23a803fd and compassion d4985518a0 for the 5b5ff33fba pilgrims.db3ddc30cfec6d3a

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“Worked hard? No, I just…”78a6892086f87793

“You were going to 4e2744f3bf say you regret not 0958c6e4c5 being able to help 986c34eef5 one more person, weren’t 656316794e you?”3828b51695bdb699

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“Please, eat this. You must be hungry.”de57974e592b5c9f

The girls took sugar 110bea9432 jellies from their snack 2be945eeac basket and popped them ff49c23936 into Azniel’s mouth. It was a small 93ca682d55 gesture of care for a3662032a2 the Saint who spent 026ca78694 the whole day healing 4871c4e0ec without so much as ddc5c48cb9 a proper meal. The jelly’s sweetness doubled 0dbf762bd6 the guilt she felt b8ffdb0f33 for the patients who, 6ca55583f2 due to her depleted 3cb2470e3e strength, would now have 0e5fd89583 to wait until tomorrow.49bf469572e94028

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“Saint, um, His Holiness 204354a948 the Pope has summoned c3c6fc70f7 you.”96c531c5046048b1

“His Holiness?”cca4bc2f80352fd7

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“Yes. He said to come 91984d4e0a to him right after 22b9d2a44b you finished the blessings.”fe590993a91d8a30

As Azniel 6e4145653c slowly chewed 9c1071cd87 the jelly, abb3236dcc a faint 0b8e4e5b85 wrinkle formed 05586089af on her 983aa4b811 brow.be96b87d2dec5df3

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What could this be 86b789a6bd about? Since the visiting nobles ff532ac9e3 seeking blessings had stopped 909498cba1 coming, the Pope had 9113337500 not called for her—not ca9b65ae27 even once…5534841ee9bdd964

* * *65ab43e0b9422673

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“Your Holiness, Sister a74639ae35 Azniel, the Saint, 43ac19376e has arrived.”ea8df201e9bcb003

At the very heart 6992766dfd of the Papal Palace, d93e073ce7 inside the Pope’s private e53752af21 office.b67e1faf317f4253

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As the holy knight f379f5edae announced her entrance, the 1da038090f doors swung open, revealing fd4d31fb36 the most lavish chamber 67eefc45c8 in the entire palace.ce4c07b52da7af76

The room, 8902bb9a3f cloaked in dfc0935257 the darkness fbd59ea39f of night, 0ec3a561cb was lit 4df8b06353 only by 4931e2f023 a grand 443dba1eb5 chandelier. Its golden 6b2a187ec3 light reflected a0c6991a7b off the 667f0af01b corners of 0fe03339e9 fine furnishings, 7085c6a6b7 casting a e00b3897fe shimmering illusion—as bdcb8321c8 though the 748536936a entire room 364f606e6b were gilded ebb30a3d6c in gold. Before such opulence, the e29b32bd8a Saint, who had just 6af78b179d returned from tending to 1566f4207c the poor until near ce4918bc97 exhaustion, bowed with her 8db3130721 shoulders still curled inward.d5b4bf73aef34d16

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“I greet Your 7fd94c1590 Holiness. Blessings upon the Staff 52b665d870 of Dara.”7225e3cf4a4ccc67

“Yes, you’ve come.”78b3a6c8f9d73aa4

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The Pope was seated 45f502f8e7 behind a massive, ornate bfefa5d3de desk. He leaned deeply bea7bb4bab into the tall-backed ad456792c7 chair that emphasized c7a5e0b4fb his authority, pressing 787bc566e5 his temples with 0fd9c76321 a sigh that 9b7c554a3b made clear he 5442442ff4 was grappling with edf1f9f654 something unpleasant.daea652cfe700355

Seeing his discomfort, Azniel’s d5d609c939 shoulders drew in even b91f8dc2c1 tighter.ac1c85513f14bcff

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A girl once abandoned 7454ed8370 and begging on the 1e3ee3ab29 streets—her only reason for 1f7bedfcbb being treated as human 6a02e23f25 in the Holy Kingdom 5bb79f7cd7 was her worth as b4900257e6 the Saint. Since that worth cd0dab0d03 had begun to acf760d98f diminish, she could 633834ebe0 never quite shake 8c162a63c4 the feeling that 17f4da9eae she no longer b60fed803a belonged. Her relentless, fe6f00db45 almost punishing 258e064b6e efforts to 333318e212 heal were 7ff05597db driven by 304df5afb6 a desire c4e6574ebc to prove—in 1a44b1b8ba any way 824d3fa997 she could—that d3edf62d15 she still 86af25632e served a a7f53afafa purpose in e0ee4b3e61 the church.db439e3b04c70367

“I’ve summoned you 0df0f9399f because there’s something bbe6bc33a7 we need to 7989e7e68b discuss.”004f0d04c28a0506

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The Pope’s irritation 1c163381cd wasn’t directed at 1616a4c3e9 her—but Azniel took 545a09d24b the brunt of 6fc0bacccb it all the d0dbcbc013 same. Her withered 854a5ac2e6 fingers, clasped 8e260dbddc at her 5ad4b064b1 front, tightened ac6262e736 instinctively.a6b0712a64e91edb

“Those heretics have fd75cd3fc0 sent a strange 8739a47a5b request…”ca527ed2bf1c27b0

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His long, aging debc03d4d5 fingers tapped the 6f15aca60c envelope lying before d914228284 him. Azniel’s eyes widened c807ad7160 as they caught e200a239ad sight of the 269bbfa7f2 writing on its b9da1eb5b9 surface.76827466bdbf9a35

[Sender: Office of the Chairman, Antagon Trading Company]

Antagon… The 21a8f32532 place that 9ccd7046c5 created that 03513ca633 thing called 372cee55c9 a potion…1e55d336ca6e43f5

Confirming her reaction, fa216a46fc the Pope let eab6cdfd26 out a heavy e022c90747 groan and continued.1d2a61d9760a1c65

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“Their chairman has requested an audience. It’s scheduled for tomorrow—and he specifically asked for your presence at the meeting.”4f07dbd8886b4e65