Chapter 29

The countess’s tearful face warped with confusion and shock at the count’s lament.

However, no matter how surprised she was,

It couldn’t compare to the astonishment etched on her son Henry’s face.

Henry stood there with his mouth agape, staring at his sobbing father in utter bewilderment.

But regardless of all this,

The count, whose honesty gauge had reached a full 100%, could not stop his tirade.

“Your talent was far too extraordinary!!! Ever since you were a child, you were hailed as a prodigy! I had no doubt that you would inherit the family business and build an even greater company than I ever could! But music?! Why would you ever want to pursue such unprofitable music?! Aren’t you wasting your talent?! I only scolded you out of that thought!!”

The count hugged himself tightly.

Perhaps it was because this sight appeared so forlorn,

Henry hesitated before slowly getting up from his seat.

“Ah, Father.”

“I wished for you to straighten up and continue the family legacy!! You have talents far exceeding mine! Because you’re my proud son!! I pressured you with the hope that you’d carry on the family name! But now I regret it!! Why did you tie the noose?! How could you do this in front of your parents!!… How could you do this to your parents?! Since your death, not a single day has been joyful! Henry! Not a single day have I been happy!”

“Dear!!”

The countess wrapped her arms around the count, and together they wept uncontrollably.

The count’s monologue continued without end.

“It’s fine if you don’t continue the family legacy. I just wish… that you’d live as my son, Henry!! Call me a devil if you must! Hate me if you wish! Son, please, just live! Please, stay healthy and… live!!”

Henry’s expression grew complex as he watched his sobbing father.

After much deliberation, he shook his head.

“It’s too late. It’s already too late…”

What?!

The infuriating brat!!

You useless piece of crap, you idiot!!!

[Maximizing the Honesty Gauge!!]

“I wanted to be a son that Father could take pride in!!!”

Henry collapsed onto the floor, sobbing uncontrollably.

Now it was the count, Levar Tong, the father, whose turn it was to be astonished.

“I wanted to make Father happy with what I’m good at!! I can’t live without music!! I only found happiness when I handled musical instruments!! I wanted to become the most famous and successful musician to help Father!! I wanted Father to look at me and say how proud he was of me!!”

“You’ve always been my proud son!! Never once have I thought otherwise!! Go ahead and do music!! If that’s what moves your soul, then do it, son!! It’s all unnecessary now! All I need is you!! All I need is your presence!!”

“Why!!… Why didn’t you tell me that sooner!! Why!!”

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, son!!”

Henry embraced his father.

And so, the three family members began to cry together.

Silently, I lifted the Absolute Hypnosis that had been cast over father and son.

I then waited for the family to finish their sobbing.

After a while,

With their tears fully spent, the family members quietly rose from the floor.

“I’m ashamed, Saint.”

The count, with puffy eyes, addressed me in this manner.

I shook my head with a smile.

“In fact, it was truly beautiful. Keeping feelings of love hidden only leads to rot. From now on, openly reveal your feelings to each other. Good things are meant to be shared with strength.”

“I will… I will indeed do as you say. Thank you.”

“Come here.”

I took the hands of the count and countess.

After all, this was an incident where the son attempted suicide.

Their bodies couldn’t possibly be in normal condition.

As expected, the countess had issues with her stomach and digestive tract, while the count faced serious problems with balding and his vision.

I healed everything.

“Ahh…”

“Saint… sir…”

“Do not hate each other and stand together. Through understanding and compromise, your lives will become even richer.”

“Thank you. Thank you!! Saint Amael!!”

“Do not try to confine your son. If you squeeze clay too tightly, it does not retain its shape but instead leaves only finger marks.”

I turned away from the weeping father and looked at the son.

“Do not abandon music. But at the same time, do not abandon the family legacy.”

Arts and sports are hard. It’s a tough era. Is there even a YouTube or music-specific site?

Even with a prodigious talent, it’s hard to make a living.

“Instead of abandoning both, connect your music to the family legacy. Imagine a car that can play music while driving. Wouldn’t that be impressive?”

At my words, Henry’s eyes widened, trembling.

It seemed a tremendous inspiration had struck him.

“Thank you! Saint! Thank you! I will remember those words!!”

I retreated from the family with a contented smile.

“I will take my leave now.”

“Saint, sir!! Please, have some food…!”

Enough.

After going through that, this is a time for the family to talk.

Besides, you’ve already been healed, so as my clients, you no longer hold value.

Rather, please spread the word in high society!

Only then will other nobles seek me out, and I’ll naturally remain affiliated with noble families!!

“I will depart now. May your family always be filled with laughter.”

“Thank you! Thank you!!”

I exchanged pleasantries and exited the noble residence.

Phew!

That should do it.

Now the rumor will spread, and then other nobles will continue to seek me out.

I’ll naturally become the exclusive saint for the noble families, and at that point, the commoners will curse me and leave me alone.

Even Grandpa Yodel.

And the people of the Lilia Church will distance themselves from me.

Then that’s it!! I’ll finally be free from divine punishment!!

***

After the saint’s departure,

The Levar Tong family enjoyed a meal together for the first time in a long while.

Was it because they had a good cry and let out their tears?

Or was it because the saint had fully healed their bodies?

The emotional rifts that had accumulated over such a long time had washed away completely.

“Father.”

“Yes. Henry. Speak.”

“Even if it’s late… still, I’ll take over the car business now. I’ll study and work hard to inherit the family business.”

“No, you don’t have to say that to make me happy. Henry, do what you want. If you wish to do music, that’s fine too.”

“No. The saint’s words keep echoing in my mind. Cars that play music. A car that you can drive while listening to music. Isn’t that a great idea?”

With a delighted smile on his face at Henry’s words, the count’s expression turned serious.

“Indeed… we’ve definitely needed something new and innovative. That doesn’t sound like a bad direction.”

“What would we need to enable music inside a car?”

“We’d need to make the phonograph smaller. Small enough to fit inside a car. And since only one or two types of music would get monotonous, we’d need a system where the listener could choose various music options.”

“It would need to be small. Very small, to be feasible. Much smaller and easier to handle than the current phonographs.”

“How about miniaturizing a jukebox and installing it in the car?”

“That might work. But we need a more fundamental solution. We need a compact means to store music, easy to carry, lightweight, and the sound quality should be much clearer than what phonographs offer.”

The countess laughed as she observed the animated conversation between father and son.

“It’s a wonderful sight. Truly. The two of you. Oh, it feels like a dream. It’s incredible that we have the opportunity to share meals as a family again.”

Reflecting on the countess’s words, Count Levar Tong smiled faintly.

“It seems, son, that repaying the saint’s favor takes priority over developing a car that plays music.”

“You’re right. He mentioned cleaning up the Third Slum District, didn’t he?”

“Exactly. Here’s an idea: What if we build a new tire factory there?”

“How does that work?”

“The location isn’t bad. The place was problematic because it was a high-crime area, and no one considered it a viable place for business. But if law and order can be secured, the 51st district is the closest to connect with the capital.”

“The raw materials for tires come from the Tramatta Kingdom, but if they pass through the 51st district, the route into the capital could be significantly shortened! Even without considering the favor, it’s a pretty good business plan!”

Henry and the countess nodded their heads.

“Not bad! It’s really good!”

“I should meet Jonathan Karma tomorrow. I need to talk with him.”

Count Levar Tong kept his promise.

The very next day,

He visited Jonathan Karma.

After conversing, Jonathan was overjoyed.

“Hahaha! That’s great! Please come in! If you set up the factory, I can provide the elixirs needed for its operation at half the market price!”

“Half the price?!”

“We could even lay a direct supply line underground if you’re serious. Setting up a factory or business in the Third Slum allows for this reduction in elixir costs.”

Count Levar Tong’s eyes darted wildly.

His business acumen was buzzing with excitement.

“Hold up to that deal.”

From that day forth,

Count Levar Tong scrapped his entire tire factory establishment plan.

If the astronomical amounts of elixir required daily could be halved, there would be abundant profits.

Rumors spread like wildfire that the deserted 51st district would soon host a factory.

Naturally, curious onlookers surged in numbers.

And the question of why specifically build a factory in the slums prompted Count Levar Tong to laugh and clarify.

“We can get elixirs at half price for the factory.”

The rumor spread further.

And the number of companies considering setting up factories in the slums began to grow.

For the officials managing the Third Slum area, this was an unprecedented phenomenon.

“This is an unexpected opportunity.”

“Recruit workers! They will be mobilized for constructing the factories!”

“To honor the Saint of Healing’s name, we’ll follow his rules within his district. The wages will match what the Karma Company provides!”

Day laborers received one saler daily.

Suddenly, jobs were on the rise.

The slum dwellers could secure jobs without much difficulty.

Factories sprang up everywhere, and the slum residents were paid to demolish their homes and were even compensated, allowing them to move into new housing developments built by the Karma Company.

Hope.

A word unimaginable in the slums began to spread.

Food was plentiful, sleep was restful, and there was work.

No longer were the streets dirty, and people no longer shunned them.

Their bodies grew healthier, and most importantly, they believed that tomorrow would be different from today.

“The Saint of Healing is truly amazing. He cured my child of the illness that had persisted for 13 years. Not a single cleric from any church could heal that!”

“We must make an offering. One must not remain idle after experiencing such grace.”

Word of the Levar Tong family’s story reached the ears of the nobility, and they repeatedly summoned the Saint of Healing through Cecilia.

And those who experienced miracles repaid the grace unfailingly.

More donations.

More capital poured into the Third Slum and the Lilia Church.

“We cannot just let these funds sit around! It’s sinful to the Goddess!!”

Vice President Yodel meticulously managed the influx of donations.

He issued circulars to all Lilia temples in the southern provinces, mobilizing priests renowned for their healing abilities.

The Saint could not heal all the sick by himself, after all.

Thus, Vice President Yodel gathered the selected priests and established a treatment center inside the Mage Tower Temple.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it the best treatment center in the empire.

High-grade herbs and various magical potions were supplied freely.

“Send only the truly critical cases to the Saint! Only those who cannot be cured by miracles and medicine! The Saint also needs rest!!”

A virtuous cycle.

An endless and virtuous cycle was unfolding.

Everyone was happy.

‘Except… damn it!! Why!! Why can’t the corrupt saint who clings to the nobility be cursed and leave?! Aren’t you wasting money?? Stop donating, please!!’

Only one person,

Saint Amael, now beloved by both the nobles and the common folk, was unhappy.