“Gaaaah — Hey! Hold this guy down for me!”
“Yeah, let’s shut him up. Then it’s back on!”
And then, confusingly, the two who’d been fighting started teaming up. The dwarf kept coming back to stop them no matter how many times they punched him, so it seemed they’d come to an agreement on removing him first. I started to wonder if the two of them weren’t usually on pretty good terms.
“Get down and stay down!”
One of them grabbed him around the neck, while the other started kneeing him repeatedly. I thought this had probably gone far enough now. I didn’t mind when it was just two men fighting each other bare-handed, but I couldn’t stand for them ganging up on someone else.
“Let’s stop now, all right?” I said, stepping into the tavern.
“Huh?! Who as—”
“Not another…”
The two of them turned to look at me and completely froze. Both their mouths hung open. The patrons who had been cheering them on did the same.
“Let’s stop now. I can’t continue to overlook this.”
The color instantly drained from their red faces. See? This is why I wanted to avoid this… Oh well.
“I have no intention of making a big deal out of this. You’ve just had a bit too much to drink, that’s all. Am I right?” I looked each of them in the eye, seeking an answer. They just nodded repeatedly. I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen anyone nod so hard. “Then why don’t you just say sorry to the people here, go home for today, and hit the hay? Don’t worry, I won’t make anything of this.” I smiled.
The two of them cringed — I had no idea why they were so terrified — and started apologizing to the dwarf and tavern girl with incredible energy. The exhilaration and headiness of alcohol felt very empty once you sobered up.
“We caused you all this trouble…”
“Should never’a let the drink get the better’a us!”
Apologizing profusely, they left behind money to compensate the tavern for the trouble they’d caused, and then they cleared off together. So they had come here together. They were probably usually good friends.
They left behind them the worn-out dwarf, the stunned barmaid, and the rest of the patrons. Now what was I to do about this…
The dwarf had been hit a few too many times and seemed to be feeling groggy, but he soon came around. Specifically, after I settled everyone down, he came to before I had a chance to cast a resuscitation blessing on him. He was a tough one.
“Oh…” He looked round and round and then, as though grasping the situation, he bolted to his feet. “Tha-Thank you for…!”
“Hold on, hold on.” I stuck my palm out against his forehead and stopped him from bowing. “Your face and head were hit quite a lot. You shouldn’t make sudden movements like quickly standing up or lowering your head.”
“Oh… Okay…”
I explained to him that even when it didn’t look like much, damage to the head could lead to situations that were no joke. He seemed to calm down after that. I got the tavern girl to bring him a chair, and sat him down. “Also, a washcloth, chilled with well water or something, please.”
“Yes, sir!”
I realized there were far fewer patrons here now. It made sense. They’d come to the tavern on the way back from work, planning to gripe and let loose a bit, and were just having a good time watching a fight that had broken out when suddenly the liege lord had wandered in and shut it all down. Anyone who wanted to stay out of trouble would obviously find another place to drink.
I reflected on the trouble I’d caused the place as I spread out a hand in front of the dwarf’s hazel eyes. “How many fingers do you see?”
“Three.”
“All right, that’s good. Do you feel queasy or cold? Any headaches?”
“Nothing.”
“What’s your name?”
He fell silent for a moment, as if deciding what he should say, and then finally spoke. “Al.”
Al wasn’t a very dwarf-like name. They usually sounded rougher and used a lot of voiced consonants. It might have been a nickname or something.
“Al. Okay. You might already know, but I’m William. Nice to meet you.”
“I–It’s very nice to meet you, too.”
He wasn’t having any trouble responding, and I couldn’t see any dangerous symptoms like arm or leg convulsions or non-stop nosebleeds. I’d have to see how things went, but for now he didn’t seem to have any problems. Still…
“I’m amazed there’s so little wrong with you after being punched about and even repeatedly kneed like that.”
“Toughness is my strong point,” the black-haired Al said, smiling.
Benediction wasn’t something to just use whenever I felt like it, so it was always better if regular treatment could do the job. I gave my thanks to the tavern girl and held the wet washcloth against the places where he’d been hit.
“One more thing. Where’s the tavern owner? I’d like to apologize for adding to the disturbance.”
“Oh, my father is… laid up at the moment…” The tavern girl broke my gaze and looked at the floor sadly. So that was why this place was so unruly right now.
“Do you want me to take a look at him?”
“I, I would never dream of asking so much of you, sir…!”
Being in a position of importance really was frustrating.
“I don’t mind. My god would be angry with me if I knowingly abandoned a sick person. And a paladin can’t afford to be forsaken by his god; that wouldn’t even make for a good tragedy in this day and age.” I shrugged jokingly, and the tavern girl’s expression softened as well. “Once he heals up, I would encourage him to pay a visit to a place of worship and make an offering.”
“Y-Yes, of course…!”
“All right, then, Al. I’ll be right back, so please just rest there.” I made my way to the tavern’s living quarters.
The tavern owner’s illness wasn’t that big a deal. It was just a stubborn skin disease. But since it affected how he looked, it was understandable that he couldn’t come into the tavern. He had to consider the impressions it gave the patrons and the rumors that might spread.
I placed my palm against the affected areas and prayed. It cleared up immediately.
“Ohh…”
“Thank you so much… Thank you so much…!”
“The god of the flame gave me this power. So please, show your appreciation to her,” I laughed.
“U-Um, what about… payment or… donations… or…”
“Lots and lots, please.”
“Huh?”
“Lots and lots of appreciation. Give only the money or things you can spare; all I ask is that whatever you give is full of feelings of gratitude for the god of the flame.”
The father and daughter laughed at my bad joke.
This was something Bishop Bagley had told me a long time ago. If you didn’t seek payment for healing people, ultimately, not paying would become the default, and the entire priesthood would feel the squeeze. Sentimentally, I wanted to heal people for free, but priests couldn’t survive on air alone any more than anybody else, so I could see that it was necessary to seek at least a little in return.
“In that case, why don’t I cook something for you? Right now, if you want!”
“Father’s cooking is really good!”
“Oh, wow, I’d love that. As it happens, I skipped dinner today by accident…”
Once we had a pleasant mood going, we returned to the tavern to find Al repairing the door. Come to think of it, the door broke, didn’t it, when he—