A Great Being (3)

“You’ve used your head well.”

Returning to the human city, I smiled upon receiving Ethan’s report. This is about the most optimal method he could have devised after hearing the hint I gave him.

If there really is someone with the qualities of a Saint, wouldn’t they likely appear?

“Then… does this mean there will be no results until the Saint candidate comes forward and touches the artifact herself?”

“That’s right for now. It might take a few days. It could even take a few months.”

Arisa looked dumbfounded hearing this. She seemed unable to understand pouring time and money into searching for someone who might not even exist.

Well, even though spatial jumps are superior to airplanes as a means of transportation, they’re not without conditions and not unlimited.

“We have time. There’s nothing urgent now, right?”

I wanted to take it slow if possible. Now that we’ve solved the elves’ problem and even planted the World Tree, what’s left is the ongoing erosion problem, but this has already been publicized, and many are thinking of response methods and taking measures.

It was a threat to their land and lives, nothing else.

Whether they’re people in power or ordinary citizens, they’ll all work together to try to stop it. Unless it’s something to do with others, I didn’t want to stand at the forefront alone and suffer.

Until now, we’ve been running around physically because there was no other way, but now methods are emerging one by one.

“Let’s go take a look. We don’t have anything else to do anyway.”

I decided to take Arisa along to watch what Ethan’s subordinates were doing.

Of course, they’re in this city too. I’ve already heard about the plan, but I need to see for myself how they’ll do in practice.

“It seems better than staying in the room.”

Arisa agreed to come along. Honestly, for the past few days, she’s had a face that clearly showed she was getting antsy sitting next to me as I lazed around.

She seems to have thought that following me would always lead to spectacular adventures, but that’s an unfortunate misunderstanding.

The only downside is that we both have to cover our faces. Thanks to the elves stirring things up once, I might be fine, but Arisa probably isn’t, yet it was true that we still drew attention.

“It seems to be over there. With people gathered in crowds, it’s unmistakable.”

After leaving the hotel where we were staying, it didn’t take long to figure out where things were happening. People were gathered and buzzing at the place Arisa pointed to.

In my opinion, the person who inherited the Saint’s power is likely to be human, but for now, the gathered people were of all races and origins.

“Is it true that you’ll give money just for touching this artifact?”

“There will be someone who experiences some change the moment they touch it, and we’ll give 100 gold coins to those people!”

As we got closer, we could hear more clearly. Ethan’s subordinates were working diligently.

“Is, is this really all?”

“There’s no change, is there? You can go. Next!”

There’s no reason not to try when they’re offering money for nothing. The verification was proceeding amidst what seemed like all the teenage girls in the city gathered.

All they had to do was hold the prepared corrupted artifact with their hands.

‘…What I know can’t be wrong, right?’

The Saint with Parma’s power in my memory was a celebrity. A lot of information about her was available, and all the information I knew was based on that.

The fact that she was a teenage girl was one of those pieces of information. But having directly seen how much the world has changed over the past 10,000 years, I honestly couldn’t be certain how it would be.

If that’s the case, all the work we’re doing now would be in vain.

“It seems today’s efforts were in vain.”

Arisa muttered regretfully, watching the dwindling number of volunteers. The day was waning, and the gathered people were all leaving.

Of course, as this rumor spreads, people will continue to come from nearby for several days.

“Honestly, the probability is slim. With so many people in this world, how could we find her right away?”

Unlike Arisa, I wasn’t particularly disappointed. To be honest, I thought this plan had more than a 50% chance of failure.

That doesn’t mean I can give up on the water spirit, so I was planning to devise another plan when the time comes.

“Hey, you there. You look like you fit the criteria. How about it? Want to try touching it?”

At that moment, one of Ethan’s subordinates who was about to put the artifact in a box pointed at me. I couldn’t help but laugh, knowing they’d be flabbergasted if they knew why they were doing this, but it’s not an incomprehensible misunderstanding.

Right now, I’m dressed as an ordinary girl with only my face covered by a hood attached to a cape. I fit perfectly into the criteria I set of a teenage girl.

“I’ll refuse. Good luck with your work tomorrow.”

“Huh?”

I flatly refused. The moment I touch that artifact, purification would begin, which would be meaningless.

“Let’s go back.”

After that, I told Arisa to return to our lodgings. Still, we confirmed that things are going relatively well, so if we’re lucky, news might come soon.

* * *

“What kind of strange rumor is that?”

“It’s true… They appeared in the village and said they’d give money right away if it’s confirmed.”

“It looks suspicious no matter how you look at it. They say if you prove your qualification, you have to go to the city together to receive the money.”

In a village neither too small nor too large, called a downstream village by the surrounding people. A rumor began to circulate in this village, so named because it’s located downstream of a river.

It was because of people who had gone to the city talking about the strange sight they saw. The rumor was that people from a merchant group were looking for those with the power of a restorer who could restore unrestored artifacts.

“The targets are young girls? That’s too suspicious.”

Her friend couldn’t shake off her doubts. Although they said guardians or escorts could accompany if the merchants wanted, what if there were no guardians or escorts?

Even in the middle of a crowded city, trafficking such girls was not an uncommon occurrence.

‘But a hundred gold coins…’

She couldn’t easily fall asleep even as she lay in her uncomfortable bed. Even knowing it was nonsense, even after hearing her friend’s warning, it was an amount hard to forget.

As it happens, she’s going to the city tomorrow with some people to take care of business. She thought it would be fine to just touch a stone.

There would be many people there, so nothing would happen, and if she didn’t qualify, she could give up without regret.

“What’s that? Are those priests?”

And it was the next morning when a group of people passed through her village.

“My goodness, they say it’s a hero! They’re going to the city on their way to the Order headquarters!”

“They say there’s a Saint too.”

Thanks to the village people’s fuss, even she, still not fully awake, learned about their identity. Holy knights in shining silver armor and numerous priests.

However, the sound that made her eyes pop open was none other than the existence of a Saint.

A Saint is someone born with powerful healing abilities, with the authority to perform miracles.

‘Someone like that surely!’

She acted without realizing it herself. Leaving the people gathered to watch, she rushed towards the procession passing through the village.

“Please save my critically ill father…”

Naturally, she was caught by the startled holy knights before she could even get close. The holy knights were veterans enough to control their strength even in a surprised situation, and thanks to that, it was fortunate that she could at least speak even while being roughly pinned to the ground.

At least the procession had stopped.

“Wouldn’t giving her holy water suffice?”

“I heard she’s the daughter of a poor farmer, and even after spending their entire fortune on holy water, it didn’t work. Holy water is a specific remedy for external wounds, not a panacea that cures all diseases in the first place.”

The priests riding in the carriage seemed indifferent. Originally, the power of holy water is just the power of priests dissolved in water.

If holy water doesn’t work, there’s a high chance that a priest’s power won’t work either. A power of a higher level and stronger was needed.

The power of a Saint, as mentioned by that lowly girl pinned to the ground.

“Isn’t there any way?”

“It’s certainly a sad situation, but Hero, Lady Melissa beside you hasn’t properly awakened her power yet.”

The priests’ eyes turned to the side. So did hers, still pinned to the ground.

Unlike herself, pitifully prostrated on the dirt, there was a boy and a girl her age riding in the luxurious carriage prepared by the Order.

“We might not know. It would be tough, but maybe if we forcibly extract the power and dissolve it in holy water…”

“My, Coppelius. Suggesting such a harsh method to the Saint.”

“I’m just saying there’s a method. The choice is hers to make.”

There was a brief commotion among the priests. As one of them said, although she’s still an unawakened Saint, there are ways to extract that power.

The problem was that it was a difficult method involving drawing blood to mix into holy water, but it’s true that a perfectly healthy girl could spare a few drops of blood.

‘It’s an opportunity to show how benevolent the new Saint is. There are many eyes watching, after all.’

And the reason the priests didn’t actively act one way or the other was because it was politically advantageous. The hero and Saint monopolized by the Order might shake this world for another century.

All of that would become the Order’s.

“Melissa, it’s up to you to decide.”

Hero Ian asked the brown-haired girl sitting next to him, watching her reaction. In the end, everything depended on the prospective Saint’s words.

“No.”

And that girl answered with a smile, without a moment’s hesitation.