How to Live Comfortably as an Abandoned Prince-Chapter 2 : Chapter 2

Chapter 2. The Affinity System is Activated
Ding.
[The target's Affinity surpasses 30.]
[Conditions have been met.]
[The Affinity System is activated.]
‘The Affinity System?’
Radel rolled his eyes and read the message, pretending everything was normal. There was only Radel and the Priest in the Treatment Room.
Did this Priest's Affinity rise?
Why?
All he did was offer a perfunctory 'you worked hard' as a courtesy.
‘That’s just basic professional etiquette.’
Radel was flustered, but the System provided no further explanation.
First, he decided to try something similar to what happened earlier.
It would have been difficult for the introverted and timid 17-year-old Prince Radel, but the Radel who recalled his past life was a jaded socialite in his 30s.
Social graces and networking skills were naturally ingrained in him.
Small talk was fundamental for a mediocre B-rank Hunter to form a decent party, as it was crucial to establish friendly terms upon first meeting.
Radel asked lightly.
“Were you perhaps next to me until I regained consciousness?”
When Radel asked, the Priest nodded.
“That is correct. I was watching over Your Highness as I did not know if any emergency situation might arise during the night.”
He had asked casually, but it was true.
Radel was very surprised.
No, was it necessary to be this diligent?
“Even though Heal doesn't work?”
“I may not be able to do anything, but that is my job.”
The Priest was repeatedly touched while answering Radel's question. This was because he had never seen a member of the Imperial family use such a polite tone.
Moreover, he had a look of utter disbelief. His face showed that he couldn't grasp that someone did this for him.
‘How humble he is!’
From Radel's perspective, he was flabbergasted by the excessively diligent Priest, but there was no way the Priest could know his true thoughts.
‘He is a person of deep pity.’
Ding.
[The target's Affinity surpasses 40.]
At this point, Radel was utterly confused.
‘What did I do for the Affinity to keep rising?’
Regardless of Radel’s confusion, the Priest was developing his own private misunderstanding.
‘This person... doesn’t know about himself.’
The Priest was meeting Radel for the first time, but he had heard that he was a Prince abandoned by the Imperial family.
An Imperial family member born without an Ability for the first time in nearly 50 years.
The Imperial family members possessed power that transcended human limits, and with it, they proved their nobility. Conversely, it meant that an Imperial family member without an Ability could not prove their nobility.
A half-wit without an Ability.
The shame of the Imperial family, worse than an ordinary human.
The fact that the 8th Prince, who had been treated as such, possessed such an upright character came as a shock to the Priest who had served God all his life.
‘The lowest shall be given a place in my body. O, Supreme Deity!’
Radel said to the startled Priest, looking a bit shy.
“You worked hard all night for me.”
This was Radel’s genuine feeling, without any pretense.
Was it easy to do something all night?
Staying up all night while working was nothing short of madness in his eyes.
‘And he did it for me.’
Radel happened to notice a small brooch pinned to the Priest's clothes. It was engraved with a lily, the symbol of the God with the largest following in the Cretian Empire.
It was the order of the Nameless God, whom people called the Supreme Deity. They referred to each other as brothers and sisters.
Recalling this, Radel slightly bowed his head toward the Priest.
“Thank you very much, Brother.”
And he added.
“However, please take care of your health in the future. My heart is not at ease.”
It was natural.
If people worked excessively like this, it would only make more laborers suffer.
If one person worked too hard, the rest of the people were bound to suffer.
Radel was of the opinion that one should only work the designated hours.
‘You should work in two shifts, otherwise, you'll drop dead.’
Besides, health, once lost, can never be recovered.
‘Look, how much he must have worked for his eyes to be so dark underneath, and his eyes so bloodshot...’
Radel flinched when he noticed the Priest's red eyes.
‘What? Is this person crying right now?’
He wondered how hard he must have worked to be like this.
Sometimes that happens.
They don't realize they're tired until someone asks, "Are you having a hard time?" and only then do they realize how difficult things are.
‘I know the feeling well.’
In such a situation, acting as if he didn't notice was the best policy, as saying something overly warm might actually make the other person break down. Radel desperately ignored his moist eyes.
Of course, the Priest was not in that state at all.
He was lost in his own world.
‘Treat the lowest among you as you would your own body. O, Supreme Deity...’
It was shocking that the powerless Prince, who was pushed to the brink of death, was worried about the Priest's body more than his own.
‘I was foolish.’
His eyes welled up.
‘That there was someone practicing your will even in this chaotic Imperial family. Forgive me, who doubted this person even for a moment.’
He swallowed his tears and looked at the pale 8th Prince.
“Your Highness, my name is Kirio Tites. Please call me Kirio.”
Radel felt an inexplicable force from the Priest's sudden and serious self-introduction.
Ding.
[The target's Affinity surpasses 50.]
‘Now? Why?’
Radel was flustered.
He couldn't figure out which part was raising the Affinity.
[Status Window is activated!]
‘What?’
It showed the Status Window just because the Affinity rose?
He just tried it because the Affinity System opened, but the result was amazing.
He could see other people's Status Windows?
He could get information about total strangers. Name, age, Skills, and even Traits!
He did have to raise the Affinity, but it was an unbelievable cheat ability.
‘There is no law that says I must die!’
Radel silently raised a toast.
He had worried about how he would live with his frail body, so this was a huge relief.
Name: Kirio Tites
Age: 27
Position: First-class Priest of the Supreme Deity Order, Inquisitor (Undercover)
Stats: Health 105, Magic Power 100, Strength 80, Agility 75, Intelligence 80
Overall Ability: A+
Skills: Light of Healing (A), Prayer of Blessing (A), Sword of Evil Destruction (A), Blood Torturer (S)
Traits: Servant of the Nameless God (S), Inquisitor (A)
Affinity: 50
Radel’s eyes widened when Kirio’s Status Window appeared.
‘With these specs, why is he at a treatment center?’
He thought he was a normal second or third-class Priest, but he wasn't.
A First-class Priest was a high-ranking priest positioned just below a bishop.
And also...
‘An Inquisitor!’
He was a notorious Inquisitor.
Only deeply faithful and carefully selected elites in the Order were chosen as Inquisitors.
They wandered around looking for traces of evil beings, punishing those who had made secret contracts with wicked entities in the name of God.
‘Blood... Torturer? Why is the name of a Skill a Priest possesses so brutal?’
Radel unconsciously opened the description of the Skill that caught his eye.
[Blood Torturer (S)]
Ding.
[Cannot be viewed because the target's Affinity is low.]
He could only see the Status Window with Affinity 50, but the description didn't appear.
‘No, it’s better not to know.’
Radel had heard about the various tortures performed by Inquisitors. It was better never to know about such a terrifying Skill.
An Inquisitor undercover.
Radel felt a sense of foreboding.
‘Why is such an important figure here?’
Kirio, who had forcefully introduced himself all of a sudden, bowed his head and made a remorseful expression.
“Prince Radel, I did not know you well.”
Radel was nonplussed.
Knowing he was an Inquisitor made him feel uneasy. That face full of faith must have occasionally been stained with blood when using the Torturer Skill...
“Ah, yes.”
And wasn't it natural that he didn't know him well?
How long had they known each other...
“I believe there was a misunderstanding about Your Highness. I felt compelled to tell you this.”
“I see. It is quite alright. Anyone can make such a mistake.”
A misunderstanding?
In fact, it was Radel who had misunderstood him.
‘I misunderstood him for a normal, diligent Priest.’
Radel thought that and agreed.
One could make a mistake about a person.
However, at his words, Kirio seemed to make a decision and looked at Radel with clear eyes.
“As expected, Your Highness is magnanimous. Are you not curious about what the misunderstanding was?”
I'm not curious.
It was just as Radel was about to say he was fine with it.
Ding.
[A Quest occurs due to high Affinity.]
[The Inquisitor’s Confession]
You, who have learned the true identity of the Inquisitor, a servant of the Supreme Deity.
Deeply impressed by your lack of the Imperial family’s arrogance, the Inquisitor is about to reveal his secret.
Find out the purpose of his undercover mission in the Imperial Palace and overcome the crisis.
Success: The Inquisitor’s Trust, the Order's Favor
Failure: The Order's relentless Surveillance, Heresy Trial
An unknown Quest had popped up.
A Heresy Trial.
In this world, it was a very terrifying term.
It was a world where magic and curses naturally existed.
In a place where the Imperial family, possessing Abilities granted by divine blessing, ruled the Empire, the worship of Demon Race going against the will of God was no different from rebelling against the Empire.
Therefore, the Empire had severely punished heretics since ancient times.
However, there were surprisingly many who contracted with Devils, a high-ranking species of the Demon Race, to offer living humans as sacrifices or to gain ominous power in exchange for their souls.
This was because there were situations where everyone was bound to desire strong power.
“Therefore, I suspected that Your Highness might have obtained the power of an ominous being.”
Radel wiped his face with his palm.
Even if he was a powerless Prince, would he really contract with a Devil to fake an awakening? Even so, he was a member of the Empire's Imperial family!
“We couldn't lower our guard because something similar happened 50 years ago.”
So there was a precedent...
Come to think of it, he remembered reading a record about a member of the Imperial family who had not manifested an Ability until right before reaching adulthood.
But it ended with the person ending their life before the manifestation, so it was not helpful to Radel.
To think that it had actually ended with a Heresy Trial.
“I truly apologize. After actually meeting Your Highness, I realized how ridiculous that misunderstanding was.”
Kirio bowed his head, repenting his sin.
In truth, he couldn't stop his suspicion until he learned of the 8th Prince’s character.
Last night, he infused Divine Power into the 8th Prince, on whom Heal did not work, thoroughly checking if any mark of a contract with a Devil appeared on his body.
‘No matter how much I examined him with Divine Power, I found no trace of evil. Yet, I...’
The sin of recklessly suspecting a member of the Imperial family, and the sin of checking for a mark without permission, were inexcusable even with ten mouths to speak.
Seeing his serious attitude, Radel also felt that this incident was quite urgent, just as the Quest suggested.
‘But he didn't necessarily have to confess that the purpose of his undercover mission was me.’
Kirio Tites certainly seemed to be an honest person even among Inquisitors. Even if he was impressed, it would have been difficult to tell such a story in front of the person concerned.
Since he had stayed up all night for a patient on whom Heal didn't work, he seemed quite rigid as well.
“Raise your head. I understand what you are saying, Brother.”
Radel placed a hand on Kirio's shoulder, who was still bowing.
It wasn't that he didn't understand.
Hearing it, it seemed plausible.
After all, such a thing had happened 50 years ago.
It was understandable for an Inquisitor to be suspicious.
Kirio, who raised his head at Radel's words, asked with a trembling voice.
“...Are you forgiving me?”