NOVEL NEXT Ch. 47 – A Day in the Life of a Saintess Pt. 1
Over ten years into the whole Saintess gig, Maven had become used to the routine of it. Her days thus far were mostly spent in a repetitive rut of practice, meetings, and blessings. Almost half of all her time, she was stuck training her magic and raising her familiarity with divinity. The other half of her time was about evenly split between healing the masses, playing with her small group of friends, and miscellaneous preparations for the end of the world. Today was a day like any other for the now teenage Saintess, with Maven on her way to the grand hall.
“Saintess! Saintess!”
The central hall was filled to the brim with people of all walks of life, all screaming in excitement as Saintess walked in with her entourage. This had become a regular event for the people over the last decade. Ever since Fae first convinced the Pope and Duke Daegal to allow it, a ceremony was held at least once a month in which Maven would heal as many people as could fit into the main hall. No matter how many times Maven did this, the hall was always packed to the brim with excited, desperate people.
Maven stood in front of the gathered crowd and extended her hands in a grand gesture. Her volume raised by magic, Maven said, “Welcome, people of the capital! Please, please, settle down for now. I know many of you must sick or in pain, so, please, don’t strain yourselves. I promise, we'll take care of you!”
Bewitched by her gentle, yet penetrating voice and unearthly beauty, the crowd came to a complete standstill. Every single person present, regardless how ill or wounded they might be, just stared at the thirteen-year old girl with sparkling eyes. Some of those present were capital residents too poor to afford treatment from any other healer or pharmacist. Others may be the ‘lost causes,’ who had traveled a great distance to meet the miraculous Saintess and her divine fairy. Regardless of their illness or status, every single person stared at Maven with trust and awe, believing in her without a shadow of a doubt.
Having grown used to the awe and worship over time, Maven merely forced a gentle smile as she gathered magic in both hands. Kannon, also having grown familiar with the routine, just hovered a small distance above Maven's head - heightening the sacred atmosphere with her divine aura.
After years of steady practice with her magic and divinity, Maven’s skill had grown by leaps and bounds. It took her but a moment to gather the power and shape the spell, sending two incandescent orbs of pure power towards the ceiling of the grand hall. After reaching the end of its arc, one ball exploded into a rain of light while the other burst into huge billows of shimmering mist.
“Oh, Goddess!” The people exclaimed with clasped hands, tilting their faces to the ceiling to bask in the divine light. The magical rain sank into the skin of all those present, healing wounds, removing scars, and rejuvenating their skin. After basking in the downpour of light, everyone then inhaled the mist from the second spell. That mist then went to work healing the interior of the body, starting from the lungs. After entering the lungs, Maven’s divinity-infused magic then circulated through the blood stream - mending and fortifying the muscles, bones, and organs of the body as it passed.
Every single person could feel the improvements to their body, those two spells having mended whatever used to ail them.
“Ohhh!! It’s a miracle! I’m healed!”
Some checked their body hesitantly, in complete disbelief at the sudden evaporation of the aches and chronic illnesses which had plagued them for years. After assuring themselves that they were truly well now, the awe which they pointed at Maven grew exponentially. Maven could feel their faith and worship of her deep in her bones, the sensation simultaneously filling her with unease and energy - a result of the clash between her old human sensibilities and current divine nature.
Trying to hold back a wince at inevitable growth of the Saintess Cult, Maven spoke to the crowd. “Through the Goddess’ grace, I have healed and blessed you all to the best of my ability. Let's all thank Goddess Kannon for her gifts! Is there anybody still in any pain?”
《Hehehehe Maven……… That’s exactly right, you should thank me for my grace more often! Praise me! Praise me more!》 Kannon’s voice resounded in Maven and Fae’s head, smug beyond measure. Luckily, she knew well enough by now to not reveal her childish nature to the public, keeping her desire for praise from showing on her face.
Everyone shook their head in denial as quickly as they could, desperate to reassure the Saintess. Maven had become skilled in ignoring Kannon’s nonsense over the years, so she merely moved to close out the ceremony. Hopefully, giving Kannon all the credit would keep her own cult from growing any further in size.
The Saintess position was a busy one, especially if that Saintess was a demigoddess charged with stopping the apocalypse.
