I Just Wanted to Avoid Death - Chapter 45
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About fifteen days remained until the journey to the Mishemol Duchy.
Yet, Yeshion still found himself sitting through another lesson with Eldis.
‘Why am I even here?’
It wasn’t like any of this would matter once he escaped.
With a long, heavy sigh, Yeshion exhaled his frustration.
“Was the explanation difficult?”
Eldis was quick to respond, even to the brief sound of Yeshion’s sigh. Startled, Yeshion awkwardly smiled and shook his head.
“Now, let’s review what we covered yesterday. You haven’t forgotten, have you?”
“No, I remember.”
“What is the most obvious symptom of misusing divine power?”
“…Nausea and dizziness. In severe cases, fainting.”
Eldis nodded approvingly, satisfied with the answer.
“And if someone keeps using it even after realizing something is wrong, what happens next?”
“…They start coughing up blood.”
“Correct. Today, I’ll explain what happens when you push your divine power to its absolute limit.”
With that, Eldis opened Yeshion’s book for him, continuing the lesson.
“Divine power is a gift from the gods, but to humans, it is the very essence of life.”
Every human possesses some amount of ‘divine power.’
And as the name suggests, this power is as crucial as one’s life force. If you cannot use it for others, you are not typically considered someone who possesses divine power.
“Priests are born with a little more divine power than ordinary people. Additionally, they can learn to control this power freely.”
This was the blessing bestowed by the gods.
However, even among priests, not everyone was capable of performing miraculous healings that brought someone back from the brink of death.
Most could manage to heal minor injuries like cuts and bruises, while others couldn’t use healing powers at all.
“If you had the power to heal, Priest Yeshion, would you use it to heal everyone you could?”
Eldis’s question came out of nowhere.
Yeshion, who had been listening absentmindedly, blinked slowly in response.
‘Healing…’
Even if he had such an ability, he doubted he would use it for everyone.
In the Medesian Empire, there’s a saying: “Priests should not walk the streets alone at night in their robes.” This is because some desperate individuals had been known to abduct priests and force them to heal under threat.
“If I had that kind of power, I’d probably only use it sparingly… for people I care about.”
“So, the ones you choose to heal are precious to you, is that it?”
“Well… I suppose so.”
Hearing Yeshion’s answer, Eldis’s eyes widened slightly. Then, surprisingly, he gave a rare, soft smile.
“That’s a very kind sentiment. The idea of ‘precious people.’”
“..…?”
“Now, let me continue. No matter how precious someone is to you, there’s something you must never do.”
That something was saving a dying person.
Healing someone on the verge of death doesn’t merely mean reviving them; it means transferring your own life force to them.
If a priest gave their divine power to a dying person, the priest would die once their life force was depleted. In other words, it’s an act of sacrificing oneself to save another.
But within the temple, such an act was considered taboo.
No matter how much you wanted to save someone, offering up your own life to do so was strictly forbidden.
Yeshion nodded halfheartedly, wondering why Eldis was explaining something that only high-ranking priests could achieve in such detail. Nodding along, he noticed the lesson was finally coming to an end.
Carrying a stack of books, Yeshion made his way back to his room.
He yawned loudly as he walked when suddenly, something dark shot past him.
“…Hmm?”
Stopping in his tracks, Yeshion blinked.
But there was nothing to be seen. Could it be the ‘strange person’ Eldis had mentioned before?
As he tensed, preparing himself, the sound of hurried footsteps reached his ears. Turning around, a large, dark figure pounced on him.
