As night deepened, the God of Medicine's clinic welcomed a new patient.
"Mm. With the infusion of faith power, you're recovering well."
By the light of the fluorite lamp, the God of Medicine examined Samael's chest.
The Curse there, like crimson-black fungal threads, had dimmed considerably, but its roots still crawled through his blood vessels and tendons. After observing it for a long while, the God of Medicine shook his head helplessly.
"However, the resentment behind this Curse is very strong, and it's rooted too deeply. It will be hard to remove in the short term. Unless it's absolutely necessary, you'd better avoid fighting anyone for now."
"What if there's something that can absorb the malice left behind by Angra Mainyu?"
"In that case, perhaps we can try."
"Good. Then help me with something later."
Samael nodded slightly, put his clothes back on, and stood. Looking at the God of Medicine busy among the bottles and jars, he made casual conversation.
"By the way, you seemed to be treating the wounded much faster than usual today."
"That's thanks to that young lady's help. Having her as an assistant really saved me a lot of effort."
"Young lady? Who?"
"I forgot her name. I think she's the prisoner of war Lord Holo dragged over to warm your bed. Mm, steady hands and good stamina. She has the makings of a good doctor."
The God of Medicine thought for a moment and described her in very practical terms.
"Martha? She's willing to save our people?"
Samael paused, then asked instinctively.
"Your way of thinking is far too narrow. Since she has already laid down her weapon, saving lives is our duty. In the eyes of us physicians, there are only patients. No enemies or allies."
The God of Medicine looked at a certain sinister snake with disdain, his response carrying a rare touch of emotion and pride.
It seems Martha's title as a Holy Maiden isn't undeserved, at least in terms of character.
Samael smiled faintly. Just as the thought crossed his mind, a bottle of pink medicine was tossed into his arms.
"What's this for?"
The Ancient Serpent looked at the small pink vial in his palm. His eyelid twitched, and his expression turned strange.
"If you're that desperate, go out and hunt for yourself. That young lady is suited to becoming a doctor. It would be too much of a waste to throw her to you and let you ruin her."
The God of Medicine glanced at Samael from the workbench, frowning with a light snort.
Do I look that desperate? And what do you mean, ruin her? Is that how you talk to your boss?
Faced with the jab from a certain sharp-tongued white-haired subordinate, the Ancient Serpent's face darkened. He immediately cleared up the misunderstanding in a foul mood, dragging Holo, the true culprit, out to take the blame.
"I'm a decent man. I wouldn't make things difficult for a young girl like that!"
Then, under the God of Medicine's suspicious gaze, Samael solemnly restated his position, wrapped his clothes around himself, and walked out of the clinic.
The white-haired physician watched the figure vanish into the darkness, clutching his clothes tightly. The corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
If you aren't letting her go, at least leave the medicine behind…
By the time the moon hung high overhead, Samael, having finished a patrol, returned to the house. A dim yellow light, small as a bean, leaked through the window lattice.
With a creak, he pushed the door open. Samael's gaze swept the room and landed on the violet-haired Holy Maiden kneeling before the table.
Before the lamplight, Martha held her fingers interlaced before her chest, her head slightly bowed as she murmured. Clearly, she had closed her eyes and was praying to the god she worshiped.
Hearing the door open, the violet-haired Holy Maiden stiffened. But after waiting a moment, she found that the foreign king had no intention of stopping her. Instead, he simply leaned quietly by the door and waited.
Martha gradually relaxed and continued her prayer. Yet when her hands rose toward her chest, they found only empty space, leaving her with a strange sense of having nowhere to place them. A helpless sigh touched the corner of her lips.
Trapped here, perhaps God had already abandoned her.
Samael glanced at Martha's smooth neck, now stripped of its ornament, and fell into thought. Out of boredom, he snapped off a branch and began carving it casually.
"Catch."
Just as the violet-haired Holy Maiden was feeling melancholy, something flew toward her from behind.
Martha instinctively reached out and caught it. When she opened her palm and saw the cross in her hand, she froze.
"This is…"
"Sorry, mixed it up. Wait a moment."
Then Samael recalled the ornament that had originally hung around the violet-haired Holy Maiden's neck before her weapons were taken. He slapped his forehead, wood shavings flying from his hand as he carved a six-pointed star formed from two overlapping equilateral triangles, then tossed it into Martha's arms.
In truth, Judaism did not recognize the coming of Jesus as the Savior, so naturally, the cross on which Jesus was crucified had nothing to do with them. The ornaments they wore were usually the Star of David, also known as the Shield of David, tied to King David, who had received God's grace.
According to relevant explanations, one triangle of the Star of David symbolized God, the world, and humanity, while the other symbolized creation, apocalypse, and salvation.
In Jewish worship, the Star of David held a position similar to the Christian cross, symbolizing God's protection.
Even in the future, similar symbols could be seen on Jewish synagogues and Jewish tombstones.
And due to the disorder of this world, not only had Nero, who would persecute Christians, yet to grow up, even the Son of God who would later establish Christianity seemed to have vanished without a trace.
Naturally, the Holy Maiden Martha, who had learned the true teachings of Jacob's Divine Fist and obeyed God's command, still belonged beneath the banner of Judaism.
The violet-haired Holy Maiden accepted the Star of David and was about to return the cross in her hand. But when she looked closer, the sufferer fixed to the cross seemed to carry some inexplicable compassion and mercy.
"May I keep this?"
Martha clutched the cross and asked as if moved by some unseen impulse.
"If you like it, do whatever you want."
That foreign king's answer, along with his earlier act of kindness, softened the way Martha looked at him.
Then the violet-haired Holy Maiden turned back, earnestly finished her prayer, and only then rose and stepped forward to formally thank Samael.
"Your Majesty, just now I was praying to the merciful Lord for those injured and killed during the day. May the Father in Heaven ease their pain and treat their souls with mercy."
"They fall under the Areopagus' jurisdiction. Still, thanks for the thought."
The Ancient Serpent gave a faint scoff, but still acknowledged the kindness behind it.
"I thought you would be far more extreme about faith."
Martha was somewhat surprised by how calm the foreign king's reaction was.
"Life is never easy. While the body struggles in this world, the heart still needs something to rely on. To be honest, I don't reject religion. I only hate those who borrow religion's name to fool believers and satisfy their own selfish desires."
Samael was quite frank, his gaze deep and clear.
"Then you should all the more choose to join hands with Our Lord, build the Tower of Babel together, recast this planet, and lead humanity into the eternal kingdom."
Martha's eyes lit up, as if she had seen a chance to persuade the man before her, and she spoke with earnest conviction.
"Does the eternal kingdom truly exist? Can it satisfy all of humanity's desires?"
Samael glanced at her and asked with interest.
"Mm. If the Lord says it exists, then it must exist!"
"Why?"
"The Lord is omniscient and omnipotent!"
A textbook answer drawn from scripture left the devout Holy Maiden's lips.
"Asking directly to see the eternal kingdom that satisfies all human desires would be a little unfair to you."
Samael rubbed his chin, a pleased curve appearing at the corner of his mouth.
"Since He is omniscient and omnipotent, then have your Lord first create a stone that even He cannot lift, according to my request."
"A stone? The stars in heaven and all things on earth were created by the Lord. With a wave of His hand, the Lord can create any stone!"
"Then if He cannot lift that stone as required, He isn't omnipotent, correct?"
"Then… then He just doesn't have to create it…"
"If He can't even create a stone, does He deserve to be called omniscient and omnipotent?"
"…"
Martha gritted her teeth and looked at the man answering with such teasing mockery, suddenly realizing she had fallen into a trap.
It was an unsolvable paradox, and the ease on the Holy Maiden's face froze.
Samael rubbed his chin as if thinking. Then a malicious smile appeared on his face, and he changed the question.
"Too hard? Then let's make it simpler. A colorful black isn't too much to ask, right?"
"…"
Martha stood frozen in place, the muscles of her face twitching violently. For a moment, she had no answer, and could only roar in her heart.
You're just picking a fight, aren't you!
***
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