Lev’s heart ached. To think His Holiness, who seemed so perfect, had such circumstances. The boy who offered prayers so flawlessly he seemed like he wouldn’t bleed if pricked—he was just a child like the rest of them. 

Suddenly she remembered the unfamiliar stares she’d received when she first set foot in this place. Lev could fully empathize with how hard it must be when your environment changes and people’s attention focuses on you.

Looking at him now, he was only a couple finger-widths taller than her, and his shoulders looked so delicate—like a baby shrike left alone in a snowy field.

The red-haired girl’s expression cleared completely, and her eyes held a look of determination.

Then she made a promise. From now on, whenever he felt weak, she would help him even a little.

“Then from now on, call me sister, Solaith.”

Her bold voice patted the saint’s shoulder, showing no trace of her earlier trembling.

* * *

“Ugh, ughhh…….”

“Quickly, quickly!”

“Lord Marquis, please bear with it just a little longer. Open the door, hurry.”

The sound of boots thundered through the quiet corridor like a storm.

The middle-aged man carried on the stretcher had dark brown blisters covering his face. His fourth and fifth fingers had curled like claws, their shape barely recognizable.

The attendants from the noble family who brought him argued with the temple guards for several minutes. 

Finally, they thrust forward a golden seal and succeeded in opening the door to the saint’s quarters. A single proof of their house opened the most sacred door just like that.

Under the high domed ceiling stood a beautiful boy with innocent eyes. He stiffened momentarily at the sight of the sick person who’d burst in before him. Then he composed himself and asked in a serious voice.

“What’s the matter?”

“Saint, Your Holiness! Please save our family head who has contracted leprosy.”

“Leprosy… isn’t that contagious?”

The boy couldn’t hide his pale expression. The guards who’d opened the temple doors for them and the bishop’s deputy also wore shocked expressions.

“The hideous blisters have spread to the mucous membranes of his nose and throat, making it difficult for him to breathe. Please forgive our rudeness and help us. We beg you…….”

They struck their foreheads against the marble floor hard enough to make a sound. The attendants all had haggard faces, looking like they’d camped in the mountains for days. 

Solaith rolled up his sleeves, thinking they must be desperate to go this far.

But he looked uncertain.

“Can I do this?”

“Of course. The scriptures say that saints chosen by the divine can perform healing miracles with just a single touch.”

The boy wore a rarely seen anxious expression. His tense eyes seemed more afraid of facing the limits of his abilities than of touching a contagious patient.

“……All right.”

“Your Holiness!”

The priests stopped his hand as he moved with firm resolve. They worried that if the saint’s divine power was weak, he might contract leprosy himself.

“I’ll try. This will show whether I’m truly a saint.”

He actually wanted to test for himself the position he still wasn’t certain about. So he closed his eyes and placed his hand on the man’s face.

Skin bumpy like fir tree bark. The moment he touched it, chills ran down his spine. But the boy’s face remained peaceful with his eyes gently closed, matching his patience.

“Hff, ughhh…….”

The marquis barely squeezed out a groan through his blocked nasal passages and entrusted his body to the boy’s treatment.

That’s when it happened.

The man’s breathing gradually grew louder. The swollen blisters also began to subside little by little, like shellfish retreating into their homes.

This can’t be. It’s impossible. The priests exclaimed such worldly interjections, marveling at a sight they couldn’t believe even while watching.

Black skin holding h*ll’s curse, and the white hand upon it. Its owner smiled gently, and when the sounds of pain completely settled, he said:

“It seems to be true. That I’m a saint. Then, shall we start treating those who came with him?”

* * *

Before long, the reddish-purple sunset was soaking the horizon. Light passing through the stained glass scattered noble warmth throughout the confessional.

The girl swept diligently while looking at the closed confessional door. Each time she moved, her thin wisps of hair caught the light and swayed like sunshine.

The saint must be inside that firmly closed small door. And opposite him would be the penitent receiving his sacrament.

‘Will I ever be able to repent my sins in there?’

Knowing that cleaning this place alone was a tremendous honor, Lev shook her head and swept the dust earnestly.

Soon after the penitent reverently left the confessional, the saint opened the golden door handle and came out.

“Ah, sister!”

“Solaith!”

They exchanged happy greetings in that brief moment. Since they rarely had chances to meet, small coincidences were very precious. Lev pulled out a crumpled candy from her worn linen skirt pocket.

“I got this from Margareta. She specially requested it from the supply convoy! You’re still a child, so I thought you might want something like this…….”

Solaith widened his clear eyes and accepted the candy with deliberately exaggerated delight. The crumpled paper wrapping showed how carefully she’d held it while bringing it.

Solaith didn’t particularly enjoy sweets, but Lev looked so happy that he had to hide his true feelings. He immediately unwrapped it and put the candy in his mouth.

“Wow, it’s delicious. I’ve never had anything like this.”

“Right? They melted this much expensive molasses into it.”

Anyone listening would be appalled at this absurd insubordination from a lowly cleaner, but Lev was intoxicated by the situation where she seemed to have become an older sister to a child without connections, and pride welled up in her. 

Was this what it felt like to become someone’s godmother?

When the sleeve cuff embroidered with splendid gold thread rolled up, the boy’s thin wrist was revealed.

He ate little because he naturally didn’t enjoy eating, but it looked different to Lev’s eyes.

‘He left his family, and homesickness must make it hard to eat much. I need to take good care of him.’

She resolved to ask Margareta tomorrow to make a milk shake mixed with herbs and barley that were excellent for gaining weight. The saint’s private dining room surely only served grass roots sprinkled with expensive spices.

When the confessional grew somewhat dark, Solaith lit the lantern. Warm vermillion light filled the quiet space.

“Sister, something amazing happened today. I discovered I have healing abilities.”

“Healing abilities?”

Solaith excitedly talked about what happened in the morning. Only in front of Lev did he shed his facade, and his voice was full of excitement.

“At first I was scared. What if I touched him and he didn’t get better? But when I sincerely wished for the marquis to recover, the blisters subsided after a few minutes.”

“Is that really true? Wow…….”

“Yes. I tested it on other people too, and small rashes disappeared in less than a minute.”

However, anxiety crept onto his young face. Lev hesitated a bit, then looked straight at him and said:

“But Solaith, I’m worried. This is a gift and ability from the divine. What if adults try to exploit it…….”

Even Lev, a temple servant with no education and no access to learning, had instinctive wariness. Specifically, about wicked adults exploiting a child’s abilities. 

Of course, the adults here were all people united by faith, but they were also people with the contradiction of selling indulgences, so Lev’s wariness wasn’t incomprehensible.

“I wish everyone wouldn’t see it. I feel like it might make things hard for you.”

“Sister.”

Lev, who’d been worried they might work Solaith to exhaustion like a circus bear cub, felt a pang at the boy’s firm voice that followed, wondering if she’d stuck her nose where it didn’t belong. She thought he might scold her impious, tainted heart.

“……Other people just found it fascinating, but sister worries about me.”

But the voice that followed was tender and sweet.

“As I thought, you’re the only one who thinks of me, sister.”

Looking at them now, the boy’s eyes didn’t resemble expensive gold but soft sunlight. The sunlight rippling with emotion soon turned downward toward Lev’s wrist.

“Ah, sister. This spot…….”

“That, I just squeezed a rag earlier…….”

Solaith grasped the wrist that had gotten bruised from wringing a rag hard and hitting it against the cleaning supply box. It felt strangely warm. Rather than just body heat, a vivid warmth that was hard to explain touched her painful spot.

Solaith with his eyes closed seemed to be reciting a prayer.

After a while, the throbbing pain receded like a tide.

“……Wow.”

It was a spectacle that a short gasp couldn’t begin to describe, but that was all that came out. Solaith whispered:

“Don’t worry. From now on, I’ll take responsibility for healing at least sister Lev. I’ll never let my power run out before that.”

“Th-that’s not what I meant…….”

She was about to say that wasn’t what she’d hoped for, but the softly curving sunlight was so beautiful she lost her words. Lev could only stare blankly at the boy who was beautiful like a prince in a fairy tale and benevolent like a saint in scripture.

That’s how they became even closer friends. They met secretly in the chapel side room and shared everything while secretly stealing rye bread from the food storage at dawn.

Even each other’s painful secrets.