Battlefield Priest's Diary

Chapter 73 Night Talk
When the priest in black robes appeared at the door, the attendant straightened his ironed clothes again and extended both hands to accept the distinguished guest's invitation.

The letter was simple; it was from a grateful couple who sincerely invited their son's savior to dinner.

If there is anything special about this letter, it is that it was written by His Majesty the Tsar himself.

The head maid personally served the distinguished guests, and apart from the black-haired Asian, only the Tsar and Empress and the royal physician Fyodor were in the room.

Sturgeon caviar, Russian frozen meat, burini fruit pancakes, borscht, and herring salad, which Qin Hao didn't particularly like—because it was during wartime, the royal family needed to set an example, so the dishes weren't very lavish.

"I'm sorry, these are the best conditions we can offer here. We will make amends once we return to St. Petersburg," the Queen said with a smile, raising her glass in apology.

"No, Your Majesty, as an ascetic, such food is far too lavish for me." Qin Hao maintained his sanctimonious persona.

Of course, the focus of the diners was clearly not on the food and drinks.

As the meal drew to a close, Nicholas II picked up a napkin to wipe the cherry sauce from the corner of his mouth, and the Empress, having received the signal, began the conversation.

“Thank you, Father Putin. Alexei has recovered. If he weren’t still a little weak, I would have liked to have him come and thank you in person.” Alexandra raised her glass again.

"This is wonderful news, and I am very honored."

"Cheers to the Crown Prince's health!"

The priest in black robes, still very humble, greeted the guests and then drank the wine in his glass.

After setting down his wine glass, the royal physician Fyodor said, "Father, I have just examined His Highness and found that apart from some weakness, he has no other symptoms. Does this mean...?"

The imperial physician paused for a moment, then asked, "Does this mean His Highness has fully recovered?"

This was the most crucial issue. Even though it was necessary to maintain the dignity of the ruler, the Tsar and Tsarina still looked over at the same time, with a hint of expectation in the Empress's eyes.

The next second, they were all disappointed.

The priest in black robes put down his wine glass and slowly shook his head. "Although I would love to say yes, I'm sorry, but as an ascetic, honesty is the most basic requirement."

"Your Highness's illness has only been temporarily suppressed, and there is a very high probability that it will relapse."

Upon hearing this, despite having anticipated it, everyone present still showed undisguised disappointment.

"Then could you share your treatment plan?" Alexandra pressed.

"I'm sorry, there's still nothing I can do."

"If it's about compensation, you don't need to worry, we can..."

"No, you misunderstand!" The black-robed priest interrupted the queen for the first time. "As an ascetic, if my skills could restore His Highness's health, even if it were only to slightly alleviate his pain, I would offer them without hesitation. But..."

"But what?" the Queen asked anxiously.

The priest in black cleared his throat, sat up straight, and said helplessly, "This treatment plan requires some special techniques, but unfortunately, I still cannot fully master these techniques."

At this point, Qin Hao suddenly had a flash of inspiration. He deliberately lowered his voice and said, "Even this treatment is not perfect; it comes at a price."

He slowly rolled up his sleeve, revealing a crimson mark that snaked around his forearm.

"Oh my god! You're injured!" the Queen exclaimed, covering her mouth in surprise.

"Father Putin, what exactly is going on?" Tsar Nicholas II leaned out and asked with concern.

“I’m sorry, I can’t go into details.” The priest in black robes shook his head with a self-deprecating smile. “Just consider it the price of an immature child’s carelessness.”

“Father, please let me take a look. Although I don’t have your skills, I do have some experience in treating external injuries,” the royal physician, Fyodor, volunteered.

"No need, it was just a minor accident, there's no need for that." The priest in the black robe calmly lowered his sleeves again.

"No need," he meant, "this isn't a situation Fyodor can handle." The Tsar and Tsarina exchanged glances, both recalling the strange ritual the head maid had reported yesterday. The trees that had withered overnight, and the wound on the black-robed priest's forearm, seemed to corroborate one conclusion—treating Alexei would require some kind of price.

Having been exposed to the occult for many years, frequently engaging in spiritual summoning, and even having some knowledge of black magic, the Queen quickly came to her own conclusion—Father Pugin possessed an unstable ritual, which was likely not so orthodox, or even black magic.

Therefore, given his status as a clergyman, he dared not publicly admit it.

Although the Tsar and Tsarina were willing to use any means necessary to restore their son's health.

Even if it were truly a matter of exchanging one's life for the prince's health, St. Petersburg might not have much else, but it certainly had plenty of death row inmates awaiting execution.

However, both of them had been involved in politics for a long time and knew the principle that there were some things that could be done but absolutely could not be said.

"Alright, we were being presumptuous." The Queen nodded slightly, then continued...

"Please understand how we feel as parents. If we really want Alexei to recover, is there anything else we can do?"

"We'll agree to any condition as long as it can relieve my little sun from its pain."

After speaking, the Queen looked at her husband, Nicholas II, who nodded slightly. "As long as it's within our power!"

coming!

Finally, they had reached the most crucial step. At this point in the conversation, Qin Hao calmed down and quickly went through his thoughts.

The Nikolai couple's words were probably true. At this point, as long as the conditions I proposed weren't too unreasonable, I believed they would agree.

However, directly asking for Easter eggs would seem too greedy and inconsistent with his usual ascetic persona, so asking for things is the worst possible strategy.

In that case...

The priest in black sat up straight, held up three fingers, and said solemnly, "Your Majesty, I have three requests."

"First, I need a quiet place to think about how to improve the prescription and the auxiliary methods."

“That’s no problem. We can even designate a separate area for you in St. Petersburg.” Nicholas II agreed without hesitation.

"Secondly, I need time. Please don't think this is a task that can be accomplished overnight."

“We have already waited 10 years, and we don’t mind waiting a little longer.”

"Third, I need to make a special vessel, like the one I found yesterday."

“What happened yesterday…” The Tsar pondered for a moment, and the head maid beside him thoughtfully bent down to remind him.

"Your Majesty, the vessel used to administer the medicine to His Highness yesterday was a work by Monsieur Fabergé."

“I see.” Nicholas II nodded. “Mr. Fabergé is indeed the most talented artist. I will arrange for him to cooperate throughout the process.”

“In that case, Your Majesty, please allow me to take my leave and go back to prepare.” The priest in black robes bowed slightly, rose, and took his leave.

After the person left the room, the head maid bowed and reported to her master.

“Your Majesty, our men have already searched Father Putin’s room and found nothing obviously suspicious, except that I noticed he was looking through a book.”

"Oh? Whose book is it? What's the title?"

"Gogol's name is..."

"Dead Souls"

(End of this chapter)