Volume 7 Chapter 150

Holy Maiden Seira

In the Great Temple of Sanctum,
Here, the statue of the Creator God, who brought this world into existence, is enshrined.
A beautiful woman with long silver hair that reaches her waist, kneels before the statue of the Creator God, clasping her hands in front of her chest and offering her prayers earnestly.
During this early morning hour, she’s the only one allowed to enter the Great Temple, according to the laws of this Holy City.
Her name is Seira.
She is the sole Holy Maiden in this Holy City, Sanctum.
Several minutes after Seira began her prayers in front of the statue of the Creator God, something like an aura starts to transfer from the statue to her.
The Creator God channels the faith gathered from the residents of this city and from all around the world, transforming it into holy magic and bestows it upon Seira.
It’s not a power that an ordinary human could handle by any means, but for her—- as a Holy Maiden, it’s second nature.
「Oh, my Lord. Thank you for granting us your protection and strength today」
Seira offers her gratitude in a clear voice, bows deeply, and then rises.
From the statue of the Creator God enshrined deep within the Great Temple, she walks toward a massive crystal positioned in the center of the temple, and touches it.
At her touch, the holy aura surrounding Seira transfers into the crystal. Simultaneously, the holy barrier covering the city like a dome is strengthened.
This crystal is the source of the protective barrier that safeguards the city. By infusing it with holy magic power every day, the barrier, capable of repelling even demons, is maintained.
Since the day Seira became the Holy Maiden, she has performed this act without fail each day.
She doesn’t pour all of her magic power into the crystal. Using a portion of the remaining holy magic power, Seira grants miracles to those seeking help.
She heals the legs of those who couldn’t walk.
She brings light to those who lost their sight.
She makes rain fall on regions suffering from drought.
She blesses the town, protecting it from monsters.
— These are the miracles Seira performed throughout the previous day.
Those saved by Seira heighten their faith in her and in the Creator God. This faith becomes the power that enables her to perform miracles.
After concluding her prayers to the Creator God and replenishing the crystal with magic power, Seira descends to the underground of the Great Temple through a hidden staircase located behind the statue of the Creator God.

　──＊＊＊──

My name is Seira.
I’m the Holy Maiden here.
Originally, I was just a village girl around these parts, but I was chosen by the Creator God and became a Holy Maiden.
It seems when you become a Holy Maiden, you cease to have a lifespan, so I’m around two hundred years old now. I’m a lady, so please keep my exact age a secret.
I became a Holy Maiden at the age of sixteen, and I haven’t aged a day since. So, I’m perpetually sixteen in the truest sense.
When I became a Holy Maiden, my brown hair turned into this very beautiful silver. It was a little strange at first, but now I’m incredibly thankful to the Creator God who gave me this hair.
It’s really smooth and feels nice even when I touch it myself. Because it’s always like this, I think the Creator God’s blessing is amazing.
By the way, I’ve only let one guy touch it so far. I’d like to save this smoothness for the one who’ll be my partner in the future.
Now, let me tell you about my job as the Holy Maiden. I have lots of tasks, and the most important one just finished.
I offer my prayers to the Creator God and receive his power to replenish the magic power in the barrier protecting the city.
Sometimes I also receive divine revelations from the Creator God, but today there wasn’t anything.
So, I came down here to the underground space in the Great Temple to do my next job. By now, people must be gathering for worship in the Great Temple above my head.
Here, there’s a spring that gushes forth with clear water.
I take off my clothes beside this spring.
Although nobody’s here, it’s a vast space without any place to hide, and hundreds of people are worshiping the Creator God overhead —- Even though it’s been over two hundred years since I started this practice, I still feel embarrassed being naked in such a space.
But this is also part of my job…….
I can’t just not do it.
I thoroughly cleanse my body.
Then, I slowly enter the spring.
The water is cool and feels pleasant.
My job is to soak in this spring up to my shoulders for about ten minutes.
About ten minutes later, I see the water in the spring start to shine faintly, and I step out of the spring.
All the water in the spring has turned into holy water.
Can you believe it?
Holy water, it’s water from the spring in which the Holy Maiden has entered.
When I was told about this by the Creator God, I was astounded.
Because everyone drinks the water from the spring that I’ve bathed in, you know?
However, its effects are tremendous; if you take a sip of holy water, most illnesses will be healed immediately, and both your physical and magical strength will be restored.
By the way, sprinkling the holy water on yourself has almost the same effect, so I recommend not drinking it.
Of course, I won’t tell anyone the reasons. And I’ll never leak the method of making holy water. It’s just too embarrassing.
When I emerged from the spring and returned to the temple, the priests and the maids went to draw up the water that had turned into holy water from the spring.
After finishing the task of making holy water, my next job is to grant miracles to the people in the temple.
There were about a hundred people lined up today.
It’s a bit fewer than yesterday.
I hope I can grant miracles to everyone today…….
With the power I received from the Creator God, I will fulfill the prayers of the people waiting in line.
I healed the hand of a man who was injured by a monster.
I named a girl born last week and blessed her with protection, though a weak one.
I made protective charms to ward off monsters for a village suffering from crop damage.
— Like that, I managed to fulfill the prayers of all the people.
I can’t grant everyone’s prayers every day. If I run out of the power I received from the Creator God, I can’t do anything more.
Although, naming a child or something simple like that can be done anytime.
When I finished fulfilling everyone’s prayers, it was already evening. I didn’t even get to have lunch today.
I’m so hungry.
While eating dinner prepared by the maids, I read the letters addressed to me.
Most of the letters contain cases that won’t be resolved unless I personally attend to them.
From those letters, I check the urgent requests and start making plans for going out.
After dinner, it’s time for training and lectures to nurture the next Holy Maiden candidate. I become their teacher and teach the girls, who are candidates for the next Holy Maiden, how to control holy magic power and such.
This guidance continues until late into the night.
Honestly, it’s quite a demanding schedule.
For the past two hundred years, I haven’t taken a day off. Being a Holy Maiden is like working for a black company (?).
Thanks to the blessing from the Creator God, I can meditate for about three seconds and recover from any fatigue. But I’m reaching my limit.
I think I endured for two hundred years pretty well.
I hope the changeover can happen soon.
I’m raising the Holy Maiden candidates, but if I can’t produce any with potential among them, I’ll have no choice but to continue being a Holy Maiden.
I somehow got quite favored by the Creator God, so I haven’t been allowed to pass on the role easily.
However, among the girls of this round of Holy Maiden candidates, there’s one who caught my attention.
She’s a plain village girl, but she has strong faith in the Creator God and has absorbed everything I’ve taught her.
If it’s her, she should be able to succeed me as the Holy Maiden.
The next day, while offering prayers to the Creator God, I received a divine revelation.
『Seira, a man who’s suitable for you to entrust everything to will come soon. If you like him, you can resign from being a Holy Maiden. Nominate the next Holy Maiden from among the girls』
— And that’s what it said.
Being nominated to choose the next Holy Maiden is a very humbling request, but I think I’ll manage somehow. I’m confident that among the candidates, there’s someone I can entrust the role to.
What caught my attention was the first part of the divine revelation.
Will a man who’s worthy enough to be recognized by the Creator God really come to see me?
I’m feeling a bit nervous.
However, I’ve already made up my mind about the man…….
I know I can never meet him again. He’s no longer in this world.
But I can’t forget about him. So, if the condition for resigning from being a Holy Maiden is being together with the man who’s said to be coming here soon, then I have no choice but to continue being a Holy Maiden.
Ha~a……. I want to quit being a Holy Maiden.