Chapter 29 - Cycle of Virtue

The Countess' tear-stained face contorted with confusion and surprise at the Count's wailing.

But no matter how great her surprise was.

It couldn't compare to that of their son, Henry.

Henry was staring at his wailing father with his mouth wide open in shock.

But regardless of that.

The Count's mouth, with his honesty level raised to 100%, couldn't stop.

"Your talent was too outstanding!!! You grew up being called a genius since childhood!! I believed without a doubt that you would inherit the family business and build an even greater company than me!! But music! Why did you say you wanted to do such music that doesn't make money!? Don't you feel it's a waste of your talent!! I only scolded you because I thought that!"

The Count hugged his chest tightly.

Perhaps because that sight looked so pitiful.

Henry hesitantly got up from his seat.

"F-Father."

"I wanted you to straighten your mind and continue the family line!! Because you have talent even greater than mine! Because you're my proud son!! I pressured you hoping you could continue the family line! But now I regret it!! Why did you hang yourself!? How could you do that in front of your parents….!! How could you do that in front of your parents!? Not a single day has been happy since you died! Henry! I couldn't be happy for even a single day!"

"Darling!!"

The Countess started shedding tears together, hugging the Count.

The Count's monologue didn't stop.

"You don't have to continue the family line anymore. I just want you to live... as my son Henry!! You can call me a devil! You can hate me! Son! Please just live! Don't die and just live… healthily!!"

Henry's face was complex as he watched his wailing father.

After pondering for a long time, he finally turned his head.

"It's too late anyway. It's already too late..."

Aish!!

You frustrating bastard!!

You too, damn it, poof!!!

[Raising honesty level to maximum!!]

"I wanted to be a son my dad could be proud of!!!!"

Henry also collapsed in his seat, wailing.

This time, it was his father, Count Le Baton's turn to be surprised.

"I wanted to make Father happy with what I'm good at!! I can't live without music!! I was only happy when I was handling instruments!! I wanted to become the most famous and successful musician and help Father!! I wanted Father to look at me and say he was proud of me!!"

"You're already my proud son!! There was never a time when you weren't!! Yes! Do music! If that's what makes your soul sing, then do it, son!! I don't need anything else now! I just need you!! I just need you!!"

"Why.... Why didn't you say that earlier!! Why!!"

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, son!!"

Henry threw himself into his father's arms.

And the three family members started wailing together.

I quietly released the Absolute Hypnosis I had cast on the son and father.

And I waited until the family finished their wailing.

After a long time.

The family members who had shed tears to their heart's content slowly got up from the floor.

"We're embarrassed, Saint," Count Le Baton said that with swollen eyes.

I smiled and shook my head.

"Rather, it was good to see. Count. The feeling of caring for each other rots the more you hide it. Like today. From now on, honestly reveal your hearts to each other. Good things should be shared with strength."

"We will... we will certainly do so. Thank you."

"Come here."

I held the hands of the Count and Countess.

It wasn’t just anything, but an incident where their son attempted suicide.

There was no way their bodies could be normal.

As expected, the Countess had developed problems with her stomach and digestive system, and the Count was in a state of serious hair loss and vision problems.

I fixed all of that.

"Ah…!"

"S-Saint..."

"Don't hate each other and stay together. If you understand and yield to each other, you'll become even more abundant."

"Thank you. Thank you!! Saint Amael!!"

"Don't try to constrain your son. When you squeeze clay, it doesn't maintain its shape but only leaves finger marks."

"I was foolish, Saint!"

I turned my gaze from the tearful father to look at the son.

"Don't give up on music. But don't give up on the family business either."

Arts are tough. It's the times, you know. Is there YouTube or a specialized music site?

Even with genius talent, it would be difficult to make a living.

"Instead of giving up on both, try thinking about connecting your music with the family business. A car where you can listen to music while driving. Wouldn't that be nice?"

At my words, Henry's eyes widened and he trembled.

It seemed like an incredible inspiration had struck his mind.

"T-thank you! Saint! Thank you! I'll definitely remember those words!!"

I smiled contentedly and then stepped back from the family.

"I'll be leaving now."

"S-Saint!! At least have a meal...!!"

It's fine.

After experiencing such an event, they needed time to talk as a family.

Moreover, they had already been healed, so they had no value as my clients anymore.

I’d rather them go out into social circles and spread rumors! 

That way, other nobles would seek me out too, and that was how I'd be able to stick to more noble families!!

"I'll take my leave. May your home always be filled with laughter."

"Thank you! Thank you!!"

I exchanged greetings and then left the noble family's house.

Phew!

This should be enough.

Now rumors will spread, and then other nobles will keep trying to use me too.

Then I'll naturally become a saint exclusive to noble families, and then the poor will leave while cursing me.

Grandpa Yodel too.

The people of the Lilia Order will distance themselves from me too.

Then that's it!! I'm now completely moving away from divine punishment!!

***

After the Saint left.

The Le Baton family had an intimate meal together for the first time in a long while.

Maybe it was because they had just shed tears and cried together.

Or maybe it was because the Saint had thoroughly healed the bodies of all three people.

The emotional gap that had accumulated for such a long time had disappeared as if washed away.

"Father."

"Yes, Henry. Speak."

"It might be late, but still… I'll inherit the car business now. I'll study and work hard to continue the family business."

"No. You don't have to say that to please me. Henry. Do what you want. If you want to do music, you can."

"No. The Saint's words keep lingering in my mind. A car that plays music. A car where you can listen to music while driving. Wouldn't that be good?"

At Henry's words, the Count, who had been smiling contentedly, changed to a serious face.

"Certainly... We need to create a new differentiation. It seems like a good direction."

"What would we need to make it possible to listen to music inside a car?"

"We'd need to make the phonograph smaller. Small enough to fit inside a car. And since people would get bored listening to just one or two types of music, we'd need to make it possible to choose and listen to various music as desired."

"It would need to be small. It would only be possible if it's very small in size. It would need to be much smaller and easier to handle than the current phonographs."

"Should we try miniaturizing a jukebox and putting it in a car?"

"That wouldn't be bad. But we need an even more fundamental solution. We need a miniaturized music storage medium. It needs to be easy to carry around and light, and it would be good if the stored music sound is much clearer than a phonograph."

The Countess smiled as she watched the father and son talking frantically.

"It's good to see. Really. You two. Ah, it feels like a dream. To think that an opportunity for the family to have a meal together like this has been created again."

At the Countess' words, Count Le Baton smiled gently.

"I guess, son. Repaying the grace we received from the Saint is more important than developing a vehicle that can play music."

"That's right. He said he was purifying the three slum districts, didn't he?"

"Yes. How about this?"

"How do you mean?"

"Building a new tire factory there. The location isn't bad. The problem was that no one thought of doing business there because it was a high-crime area, but if the public safety is resolved, the 51st district has a geographical location that can connect most closely to the outside of the capital."

"Now that I think about it, that's true!"

"The raw materials for tires come from the Kingdom of Tramata, and if we go through the 51st district, the route to enter the capital will be much shorter! Even without considering it as a favor, it's quite a good business plan!"

Henry and the Countess nodded.

"Not bad! It's really good!"

"I should meet Jonathan Karma tomorrow right away. I need to talk to him."

Count Le Baton kept his promise.

The very next day.

He went to see Jonathan Karma.

When he talked with him, Jonathan was overjoyed.

"Hahaha! That's great! Come in! If you come in, we can provide the elixir needed for factory operation at half the market average price!"

"Half price?"

"Considering the distance, it's even possible to lay a direct line underground to supply it. That's why it's entirely possible to provide elixir cheaply if you set up a factory or business in the three slum districts."

Count Le Baton's eyes spun wildly.

His businessman's instinct caught the scent.

"I hope you keep that promise."

Count Le Baton completely overhauled his tire factory establishment plan that very day.

Astronomical amounts of elixir go into factory operation every day, and if that was at half price, it was more than enough to make a profit.

The news that a factory was being built in the empty 51st district spread in an instant.

Naturally, there was an overflow of curious people.

And when asked why he chose to build a factory in the slums of all places, Count Le Baton answered with a smile, "I can receive the elixir needed for factory operation at half price."

Rumors spread.

And the number of companies trying to enter to build factories in the slums started to increase one by one.

It was a bewildering situation for the civil servants managing the three slum districts.

"This isn't the time, is it?"

"Gather workers! We need to mobilize them for factory construction!"

"To not insult the name of the Saint of Healing, we'll follow his rules in his district. The wages will be the same as those provided by Karma Company!"

A daily wage of 1 saled.

Job opportunities suddenly started to increase.

The poor in the slums could easily find jobs.

Factories started to be built everywhere, and the poor could receive money for demolishing the houses they lived in, receive compensation on top of that, and move into new housing areas built by Karma Company.

Hope.

The word hope, which was unimaginable in the slums, started to spread gradually.

They ate well, slept well, and had work to do.

The streets were no longer dirty, and people didn't look down on them anymore.

Their bodies became healthier, and above all, the thought that tomorrow would be different from today made people move.

"The Saint of Healing is truly amazing. He instantly cured my son's illness that had been troubling him for 13 years. Something that no priests from any order could cure!!"

"We should make an offering. It's not right as a human being to stay still after experiencing such grace."

The nobles who heard about the Le Baton family's case continued to call for the Saint of Healing through Cecilia.

And those who experienced such miracles never forgot the grace and repaid it faithfully.

More offerings.

More capital flowed into the three slum districts and the Lilia Order.

"We can't just leave it like this! Letting this much money sit idle is sinning against the Goddess!!"

High Priest Yodel used the influx of offerings frugally.

He sent official documents to the Lilia temples in the southern regions to recruit priests with excellent healing abilities on a large scale.

The Saint couldn't take care of all the sick people alone forever.

Yodel gathered the recruited priests and set up a clinic inside the Magic Tower temple.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it the best clinic in the empire.

All kinds of high-quality medicinal herbs and various magic potions were supplied generously.

"Send only the truly urgent cases to the Saint! Only those who can't be cured by miracles and medicine! The Saint needs to rest too!!"

A cycle of virtue.

An endless cycle of virtue was taking place.

Everyone was happy.

No, damn it!! Why!! Why!! I wanted to become a corrupt saint clinging to nobles, but why aren't they leaving while cursing me!! Aren't you stingy with money?? Stop donating, please!!

Only one person.

Only Saint Amael, who had now become loved by both nobles and commoners instead of being cursed and abandoned, was unhappy.