Chapter Five: Poverty Does Not Diminish Aspiration

Sorry, this chapter was missed; I'm making it up now.

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Saga spoke these words slowly, and Yuna understood them. Yet after hearing him out, her first reaction was not joy but anxiety and unease. In a flustered tone, she said, "Brother, our family has no money left. How could we possibly hire such a powerful priest? Did you steal something?"

Saga couldn't help feeling a little embarrassed at her words. He had indeed considered resorting to theft, though he hadn't yet acted on the thought before encountering Link.

Link, as if sensing Saga's discomfort, smiled gently and said, "Don't worry, child. Your brother hasn't done anything wrong. Besides, I will treat you for free. You don't need to pay me anything; just focus on getting well."

Yuna was immediately surprised and asked in a timid voice, "Really? Father, you don't need us to pay for your treatment?"

Still smiling, Link patted Yuna's head and spoke softly, "Rest assured, child. Extending a helping hand to those in need is the doctrine of the Church of the All-Father. I am merely fulfilling my duty."

"What is the Church of the All-Father? Does our town of Kinke have this church?" Yuna asked, her face full of confusion.

Hearing this, Saga feared Link would be displeased and quickly replied, "Yuna, what are you saying? The Church of the All-Father is the church Father belongs to. Since Father is so noble, his church must be a great one. It's normal that we've never heard of it given our ignorance; elsewhere, the Church of the All-Father must be renowned."

Upon hearing his words, Yuna's face lit up with awe and she gazed at Link with reverence. "I'm sorry, Father. It was rude of me to ask; please forgive my impudence."

Now it was Link's turn to feel awkward. His Church of the All-Father was hardly renowned—truth be told, nobody knew of it. With only Saga and Yuna as believers, it was far from being called great.

To prevent any misunderstanding in the future, Link donned his priestly air and said, "Before the All-Father, children, you misunderstand. In truth, the Church of the All-Father has only just been founded. I was only recently visited in a dream by the All-Father Link and tasked with establishing this church. We are still a long way from greatness."

After hearing this, Saga and his sister exchanged stunned glances. Saga, realizing his mistake, felt deeply embarrassed. What should he say next? He hesitated, unsure.

But Yuna soon recovered and exclaimed in wonder, "So that means, Father, you're not just a priest—you are the very leader of the Church of the All-Father? You're amazing, Father!" By the end, her eyes were full of admiration.

Her words dispelled the awkwardness. Link smiled and said, "Heh, there's nothing amazing about it. I'm simply carrying out the mission bestowed upon me by the All-Father Link." As he spoke, Link rose to his feet. "Well, it's getting late. I should head back now and return tomorrow. Yuna, you're not fully recovered yet, so make sure to rest. Saga, you don't need to see me out—just take good care of your sister. May the All-Father be with you both."

With those words, Link turned and left gracefully, leaving the siblings with the tall and noble image of his back. Yuna watched him go and murmured softly, "The All-Father Link... To choose such a good person as His messenger, He must be a kind and benevolent god as well..."

If Link had looked back at that moment, he would have noticed a name appear above Yuna's head as well—she was now a mid-level believer.

But Link had no time to ponder this. He was so drained he felt dizzy, as if he'd pushed himself past his limit five or six times in a row; his legs could barely hold him upright. The effort of treating Yuna had been immense, and his body was weak to begin with. If not for maintaining his dignified image, he might have simply stayed overnight at Saga's house.

"It's no easy thing, being a priest these days. No matter how feeble I feel, I have to maintain appearances. If showing off were to get someone struck by lightning, it'd surely be me..." Link couldn't help but smile bitterly. Yet, remembering the deed to the church was still in someone else's hands, he gritted his teeth, forced himself to walk back to the church, and collapsed onto the bed, sleeping like the dead until nine o'clock the next morning.

This frightened Elia terribly. No matter how she called, Link wouldn't wake, and if not for his breathing, the little girl would have thought he had died in his sleep. When Link finally awoke, she clung to him, sobbing uncontrollably, as if fearing he might vanish at any moment.

Link was deeply moved, and also felt a pang of guilt. After all, he was not truly Neil, yet he was using Neil's body to enjoy Elia's affection and care—he couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy.

Still, Link wasn't one to dwell on such things. He quickly came to terms with it and silently vowed to take care of Elia in Neil's stead, never letting this 'sister' suffer again.

After an hour spent comforting Elia, Link set out for the slums once more. As he approached the home of the Saga siblings, he came upon a scene that surprised him: several thugs were gathered at the door, with Saga standing in the doorway facing them down.

One of the thugs, who seemed to be their leader, stared at Saga for a while before adopting an arrogant expression and sneering, "Saga, you think you're tough now? You promised you'd 'work' with me yesterday, but you stood me up. Are you trying to start something?"

Saga's face betrayed a trace of fear, but he soon straightened and answered resolutely, "Jack, don't act as if I'm one of your lackeys. I only said I needed money, and you wanted me to become a thief. No matter what, I can't do that. My sister would be heartbroken if she found out."

Jack, the leader, snorted derisively. "Your sickly little sister? What does she know? And even if she did, so what? Does she control your life? She’s cursed by Hakka—how much longer can she live? You spent all your money trying to cure her; what about yourself? If you need money, what's wrong with 'working' with me? Or do you think our business is beneath you? Come on, Saga, take a good look at yourself. You're just a pauper from the slums. Do you really think you have the right to choose your future?"

Saga hesitated, pain flickering across his face, but then his expression hardened with resolve. "My sister's illness is my concern, not yours. And as for your last point, I disagree. I have always believed what my mother told me—a man may be poor in fate, but his spirit must never be poor!"

"Well said—a poor man with noble aspirations!" Link, standing beside them, couldn't help but applaud Saga's words.

All eyes turned to Link. When Saga saw him, his face lit up with joy. "Father, you're here!"

Link nodded with a smile and walked over. At the mention of "Father," the thugs' faces changed. Whatever the poor thought of priests, they were known to be connected to the nobles and the rich—people not to be trifled with by common rogues.

With that in mind, Jack shot Saga a venomous look and spat, "No wonder you dared defy me—you've found yourself a powerful backer. Fine, we'll see about that!" With that, he led his crew away, but as he passed Link, he cast him a long, hard look.

The thugs left, but their parting threats left Saga anxious. Fearing Link might believe he was acting arrogant because of his support, he hurried to explain, "Father, please don't listen to him—I didn't..."

Link laughed, cutting him off, "Don't worry, child. I know you're not the sort that thug described. You're a good, honest boy, and anyone who can declare so resolutely that a man may be poor in fate but his spirit must never be poor, must be true to his word."

Saga couldn't help but smile happily, though his expression soon turned puzzled. "Father, I think what I said was that a person may be poor in fate, but his heart must never be poor, wasn't it?"

Link chuckled and asked in return, "Do you think there's any difference between the two?"

Saga paused, thought it over, then scratched his head sheepishly. "Not really. In fact, your version is even more succinct and direct, Father."

Shaking his head with a smile, Link grew curious. "By the way, Saga, your mother must not have been an ordinary woman, was she?"

At this, Saga stiffened. His expression shifted several times before he finally replied in a low voice, "Father, you are our benefactor, so I won't hide it from you. My sister and I were not born into poverty—we are the children of nobles from a neighboring country. Our family was targeted by political enemies, and our mother had to flee here with us when I was six and my sister was two. She passed away from illness when I was ten." He paused, his face growing somber. As Link was about to offer comfort, Saga looked up, troubled, and pleaded, "Father, I can’t explain the details; I hope you’ll understand."

Link nodded gently. "I understand your difficulties. Tell me when you're ready."

Saga breathed a sigh of relief and silently admired Link's composure. Most people would have reacted to such a revelation, but Link simply smiled as always—so calm!

To be honest, it would have been strange for Link not to be calm. He'd already guessed yesterday that the siblings' background was unusual. How could such extraordinary children have been born in the slums? He'd never believed their parents were ordinary.

Whether others believed it or not, Link certainly didn’t. He was sure the siblings had a secret, and now it was confirmed. So after hearing Saga's story, he remained unfazed.

They didn't dwell on the subject. Returning inside, Link was unsurprised to see Yuna had also become a mid-level believer. Since Saga had become a believer, it was only natural for his sister to follow.

Without further ado, Link chatted with Yuna and inquired about her health, then began her treatment for the day.

This time, with experience, Link didn't exhaust all his magic at once. He reserved some strength, and after resting a while, he told Yuna, "Yuna, you've recovered about eighty percent. You can do some light activities now. Why not take a walk in the street? You've been bedridden for so long—moving around will help your circulation."