Chapter 215 - Su Luxi (6)

The plot couldn't stop Jiang Li from being instated as the Holy Church's prophet. His status in the whole empire took a different turn and was now probably only a bit lower than the crown prince who had just turned eleven years old that year.

Jiang Li became the subject of gossip, of course. The attention he got was not limited to the Empire, but even from other nations and countries. After all, everyone in the Baler Continent believed in the same deity.

The Goddess acknowledged a prophet for the first time in a thousand years. How could the world not be excited? On the day of his official ceremony, many envoys from the surrounding territories and countries hurried towards the empire's capital to witness the event.

The Marquisate then became a Dukedom due to the Emperor's grace, which was probably because the prophet pledged his loyalty not only to the Holy Church but the Empire. In other words, the Holy Church had no complete control of the sole person who could communicate with the divine being. Of course, as the Emperor, he would be pleased. The imperial power was always trying to keep a balance with the Holy Church's power.

As for Jiang Li's condition, in the end, he told his parents to make the doctor pledged not to tell anyone about his curse. The servants too were forced to pledge non-divulgence of the secret to anyone. He didn't bother asking the Pope for the cure since the Goddess told him that nobody in this world could treat the disease. 

'Hehe. Sorry. I can't do it directly too unless you come to my Holy Land which is not located in the physical world. The only one who can cure you is probably the Saintess who I will summon in seven years' time because I will have to grant her a wish. But of course, that would depend on whether she will use her wish on you. Hehe.'

'... But aren't you a goddess? And of light even? I was thinking light means healing. Or even if it isn't, didn't you easily make my hair explore all colors as if it's a rainbow before settling it to white again?'

'Oh? That's very easy because it's a prank!" The voice cutely giggled. 'True miracles, however, like healing a person with a deadline... will take at least a dozen times more power. Which I could have done easily... If only you believe in me and have faith in me from the bottom of your heart! The question is, do you have faith in me, stronger than the Pope?'

'...' The answer was obvious. That kind of faith... No. 

Before and after being a world-hopper, when he did believe in gods? Even though the fortune-teller from the previous world told him those divine beings existed, he didn't give them much thought. Not that he was a 'to see is to believe' person, but it was just hard to deify somebody who never helped him in any definite way. 

Deities create miracles? Laughable. How would he know if those were only coincidences and lucky encounters? When one pray, if it was not heard, people would just rationalize, the gods would hear them out at the right time and place. What if the lack of response was that there was no one hearing them out in the first place? 

He might be currently conversing with one, but was the Goddess truly a goddess? Magic existed. So there was a chance she was merely a supreme magician who managed to achieve pseudo-immortality. To be honest, that was the vibe he was getting from her. She was less dangerous and powerful than the fortune-teller.

"Haha, why don't you start worshipping me now?" When she finished laughing, she added in a carefree tone,  "Come! My prophet! Worship me from dusk to dawn and vice versa! I assure you before your seven-year time is up, you would have collected enough merit and faith for me to heal you! Probably!'

The Goddess once again chuckled. It was morning. He went out of his bathroom in a robe, drying his hair. Instead of wondering whether the divine being talking to him had seen his everything when he went bathing, he was feeling sullen, wanting to curse out.

Would he be bad to say profanities now? This was all he got after agreeing to this woman's blackmail?

'If she's only not her, I'll probably gladly choose to become a monk and be a bald man instead.'

"Luke, my dear..." Helena went to his bedroom, following a maid bringing in his lunch. No, it seemed the Duchess would accompany him.

By this time he had already changed clothes, every inch looking like an elegant young master of a western noble family, probably apart from getting a lot thinner.

Well, two years already went by. And his illness or curse was no joke. In the past two years, he was frequently fainting and vomiting, making him hate his body because he felt that he was now weaker than most women. 

The ducal couple was most of the time worried about his safety since he always met accidents, no matter the place. The plot must have had its fun attempting for his life since the leads' stories had yet to start. As for him, he just became used to it. What else could he do?

He couldn't get near the leads, so he couldn't interfere with the plot for now. All he could do was increase his influence in the church and the state. But the latter was also a challenge when he didn't know when his condition would relapse. The heck with his half-heart disease!

"Look at this. Tell me what you think about it."

While the servant was arranging their meals on the while painted round table in the verandah, he looked at the Duchess then took the enveloped being passed to him and inspected it.

'Why am I invited to the palace?' He knitted his brows, double-checking if it was truly the crown prince who sent the invitation letter. 'Maybe this is fake?' A second later, the notion was thrown off somewhere since he saw the royal seal pattern.

"It's the little princess' party actually. It's Her Highness' sixth birthday next week. But since it's not her fifth nor her coming of age ceremony, the scale of the party will be small. Those invited will be mostly kids or heirs around your age. The crown prince is the one who sent the letters on her behalf," explained the Duchess with a smile on her lips.

Worry could be glimpsed from her eyes though. Most likely, she was anxious about his health, as always. "Would you like me to come with you?"

Jiang Li sat down, followed by his mother who took the seat opposite hers. Looking at the bright sky and the mountain scenery from far away, he shook his head. "No. I will be fine. I'm sure the Pope will send a platoon of his holy knights to guard me in secret."

'Though being protected is not something I consider glorious... Damn. When did I become so fragile?' He lamented within, seeing that the woman still looked as if she would rather lock him in the house so there would be a lesser chance of harm happening to him.

"Mother, how about we start eating now? The food looks delicious. It will be a waste to just staring at them."

Seeing that the young boy who had become fifteen this year was smiling so cutely at her, the Duchess nodded.

An annoying voice resounded in his mind. 'Sighs, maybe in this world, only I will know you're the most uncute liar and pretender. I feel like in the future you'll become like the disgusting fogies of the palace who smile all day while scheming against others behind their back.'

Jiang Li only snorted. In this world, only he knew the usual adjectives used to describe the Esteemed Goddess in the prayers passed down in the Holy Church have absolutely no relation to the real one.

Merciful? Compassionate? Sympathetic? Forgiving? Come again?

Three days passed in peace and quiet. The birthday of the princess who was unnamed in the plot came. In this event, he found out how disgusting the thirteen years old male lead already was, envying a child barely eleven years old.