They had reached the church. It was noon, yet the sun remained hidden behind thick clouds.
Kiyoshi carried Sakura in his arms into the massive, white-coloured church. A high priest approached and took the letter from him, passing it to the head priest. The head priest arrived shortly after, accompanied by several assistants dressed in long, white robes trimmed with golden accents.
They began treating Sakura immediately, casting high-level healing and purification spells. After the procedures, Sakura was moved to a guest room. The room, typically reserved for nobles, was made available to them thanks to the guild master's letter.
The head priest assured Kiyoshi, "She will be fine. She just needs rest. Let her sleep."
Kiyoshi sat beside her, holding her hand and watching over her, waiting for her to wake up.
Hours passed, and evening came. Kiyoshi remained by her side, never moving. Eventually, exhaustion overtook him, and his head tilted towards her bed as he drifted into a deep sleep.
A few more hours passed before Sakura slowly opened her eyes. She saw Kiyoshi asleep beside her, still holding her hand. Smiling softly, she pulled him onto the bed and gazed at his sleeping face, thinking, Sorry for worrying you.
Gently, she moved her hand from his face to his neck, brushing against him lightly. Kiyoshi, deep in slumber, remained unaware of her touch.
[Churches are places where people commonly go for healing and purification, but the services come at a high cost. The roles of healers and priests differ slightly from other professions. To perform high-level healing, a healer requires a blessing from a deity. However, gods are known to be very selective. The god of humans, in contrast, is more generous, granting blessings to those who meet certain conditions—40% of their income must be given to the church, and they must pledge their faith to the god of humans. This has led many healers to join churches for both power and wealth, though they remain under the church's authority.
Skills
Normal Heal - This skill accelerates the body's natural recovery. However, regular use may cause side effects, such as slowing the body's natural healing process and leaving scars on internal injuries.
High Heal - This regenerates wounds but consumes an immense amount of MP. A healer can exhaust their MP just by restoring a few fingers. Performing this skill requires a blessing, although rare historical cases mention healers who mastered it through years of experience and knowledge alone.
God Heal - This powerful skill can regenerate entire limbs and requires less MP than High Heal. The cast time is 1-2 minutes, and it also purifies wounds. To use God Heal, a healer must possess multiple blessings and significant experience.
Area Heal, Area High Heal, and Area God Heal - These skills affect a large area. Area High Heal and Area God Heal are exceedingly rare. To perform Area High Heal, a healer must have a vast MP reserve. Area God Heal requires deep faith, immense MP, and a casting time of 5-10 minutes. Only one individual in history has been known to perform Area God Heal.
Purification - This skill removes demonic magic and cures curses. Experienced healers can also purify poisonous water or cleanse poisoned blood.
High Purification - This advanced skill, which requires a blessing, can purify powerful demonic or dark magic, nullify undeath, and cleanse even the most potent poisons from the blood.
Priest Skills
Some priests possess supportive skills such as:
• Strength Boost, MP Boost, and Stamina Boost - These provide a 20% enhancement without blessings and a 40% enhancement with blessings.
Holy Knights
Holy Knights are the guardians of the god of humans. They are warriors, mages, or assassins who receive blessings and devote themselves to the faith. Their primary duties include fighting for the church, protecting villages under its jurisdiction, and ensuring people receive half-price healing services. However, the villages under churches must tithe a portion of their earnings to the church and pray to the god of humans. In exchange, they are granted 24/7 protection from monsters.
Unlike kingdom soldiers, who are often accused of fleeing when monsters attack or prioritise nobles over commoners, Holy Knights are devoted to defending everyone equally.
Churches in the Yavior Kingdom
There are three major churches in the Yavior Kingdom.
The church's influence in the terra kingdom is significant, and the head priest wields considerable power—sometimes even able to influence the king himself in the terra kingdom.
At the pinnacle of the hierarchy is the Head Bishop, the most powerful figure in the church. Below the bishop are numerous head priests, followed by regular priests and Holy Knights. Healers operate under this structure, forming the foundation of the church's service and authority.]