The Power to Help Those Who Are Suffering and Struggling

The carriage headed towards Semec.

At a speed that was neither fast nor slow.

To the question of whether they shouldn’t go faster, lest they lose the culprit who had overturned Semec, Ceres lightly snorted and answered:

“It’s been several days since the incident anyway. If there are traces of magic left when we get there, the culprit will be either a lich or a necromancer. If the magic traces are strong, it’s a lich; if weak, a necromancer. If there are no magic traces, it’ll be a vampire. What’s so difficult about detecting magic traces when I’m here? As long as it’s not a vampire, we should be able to handle it, right?”

Everyone fell silent at Ceres’s words.

It wasn’t wrong, and since several days had already passed since the incident, rushing now wouldn’t change anything.

“So we’re going while recovering our strength. Does anyone have any urgent business?”

Everyone kept their mouths shut at Ceres’s words, said with a grin.

Scarlet seemed particularly displeased—although his expression wasn’t visible at all, so it wasn’t accurate, but probably that was the impression—but in the end, he didn’t say anything either.

“Hey.”

“What is it, deranged healer?”

Feeling that the title had changed from strange-headed healer to something worse, Yona was about to glare but then took a small deep breath.

It was a really nice sunny day.

Following Ceres’s advice to rest a bit as they would arrive at Semec by evening, Bigrin and Yona were sitting on top of the carriage, looking out over the Medial Plains.

It had become a day that could be described as more than just entering winter.

It had become quite cold, with frost forming when you wake up in the morning, and Yona had just taken out a cardigan from her backpack and wrapped it around Rubina.

Then she climbed onto the carriage to sunbathe, when Bigrin suddenly came up and sat down next to her.

Yona was in a half-lying position, legs stretched out and supporting her body with her arms.

Bigrin sat with her skirt neatly folded, kneeling.

Although both were clergy, there was a big difference in their appearance.

“…Thank you.”

“For what?”

“You know, for the healing you gave me. The blessings and stuff.”

Bigrin was silent for a moment at Yona’s words.

Why she did it—well, it’s obvious. Although they’re rivals who growl at each other whenever they meet, it doesn’t mean she wanted Yona to die.

They’re the only two orphanage classmates, and even though they were separated on the Day of Judgment, they had promised to take care of each other if they both became priests or healers.

“…I didn’t want to see you die, that’s why. There was no other intention.”

“Anyway, I almost died and you saved me, so I’m thanking you.”

“Alright. I accept your gratitude.”

And then there was no more conversation.

The wind blew silently between the girls who were sitting looking straight ahead without saying anything.

A cold, and cold wind.

Withered, twisted leaves tumbled along the wind over the empty fields where the harvest was already over.

A few birds ran around in between.

Yona, who had been quietly watching those birds, suddenly spoke as if remembering something.

“Will you be okay?”

“What do you mean?”

It was before Yona and Bigrin fell out, when they were receiving nun education at the cathedral.

Since they were also nuns, they often went out for volunteer work, and they once visited a small slash-and-burn farming village near Evian.

That village had been raided by wild kobolds, not only injuring many people but also destroying a considerable part of the village including houses and barns. The problem was that Bigrin collapsed there.

Yona and Eije, who was the supervising teacher at the time, were surprised and quickly raised Bigrin to let her rest, and after waking up a while later, Bigrin quietly confessed something she had never told anyone before.

That her hometown had disappeared like this.

That her vanished hometown looked exactly like this.

The barn where they used to run around and play happily had collapsed into ruins,

The house where her mother used to prepare meals and her father used to chop firewood was crumbled with only traces remaining,

And the mill where she used to play hide-and-seek with her friends had only its foundation stones left.

Bigrin’s appearance, saying that she reacted that way because she was reminded of that scene as soon as she saw the slash-and-burn village.

Yona remembered that scene.

“Well, why wouldn’t I be okay?”

“What if you collapse again?”

“What can we do about it, just think ‘that’s how it is’. And I’m a saint now, aren’t I? …Although I think it’s beyond my capabilities.”

“How is it beyond your capabilities? The Celestial God must have made you a saint because you’re worthy.”

Yona’s expression was indifferent.

Hiding her concern for Bigrin within, Yona turned her gaze away from Bigrin and looked back at the plains.

“I really don’t understand what’s going to happen. A hero appears, you become a saint, and then demons appear. I can’t figure out what’s going to happen to the world.”

“If we knew that, how would we be human? They say calamity is approaching, so we have to prevent it. Isn’t it enough to just know that one thing for certain?”

“You say it so easily.”

“It only becomes more difficult if you think about it too much. Don’t you even know that, deranged healer?”

“Even if I’m deranged, aren’t I a bit better? Better than being underdeveloped like you.”

“…I’m still growing, you know?”

Bigrin’s voice became sharp.

*

The carriage entered the outskirts of the cemetery village Semec only when the sun was setting.

The dimly revealed appearance of the village looked surprisingly intact.

“What would the dead do by tearing down buildings? It’s not like they’re going to eat them. If it’s blocked, they just go around.”

Ceres’s nonchalant words seemed quite plausible.

After getting off the carriage, they decided to form groups and look around the village.

Scarlet gathered the Crusader Order members and gave some instructions, then divided them into six groups of four each, and they started to scatter.

“Um… can’t I just stay here?”

“Are you scared?”

“S-scared, no way.”

Yona was scared.

It was understandable because the memory of being attacked by a ghoul in that bloody battle with the dead not long ago was still too vivid.

Those grayish-white eyes, the nails that deeply pierced her side, and the chilling sound of those nails breaking her ribs… The memory of those eerie sounds was still so vivid that, honestly, if possible, she wanted to just stay in this carriage with Rubina.

“Well, if you’re scared, there’s nothing we can do about it.”

“It’s not that I’m scared… I, I need to protect Rubina. Right?”

Rubina was indeed a problem.

Originally, by this time they should have arrived at the Inpula Church Territory and immediately processed Rubina’s admission to the orphanage, but as things kept getting complicated like this, Rubina was getting mixed up in these incidents.

Because of this, Rubina had to stay in the carriage now, and Yona’s argument that she needed to protect Rubina was quite convincing.

Of course, if Yona’s face hadn’t been literally terrified while saying this, it might have been even more convincing.

“I think it would be better to just stay here. But it doesn’t seem right to leave just Miss Yona and Rubina alone, so I’ll stay.”

James grinned while shaking his dagger sheath.

Although his main weapon as an archer was the bow, his arrows were all gone so the bow was essentially useless, and its condition wasn’t very good either due to engaging in close combat with the bow to rescue Kairoc.

“With this one, I should be able to fight well enough. If I had known, I should have bought another dagger.”

At James’s words, Yona remembered the hunting knife attached to her thigh.

That hunting knife that Bigrin had imbued with holy power when she was attacked by the ghoul.

She was about to offer that knife, but Yona’s hand hesitated.

‘…This is what baldy gave me.’

She was reluctant to let someone else’s hands touch it.

Besides, just in case, she should have a weapon to protect herself in an emergency.

After a brief consideration, Yona decided not to say anything about the hunting knife.

“Take good care of Rubina. I’ll be back soon after looking around.”

Alec waved his hand.

Then he walked over to Ceres and Kairoc who were waiting.

“Ah, why did I have to mention magic traces…”

There’s no choice since there’s no mage who can detect magic traces other than Ceres.

And Hero Ludvik decided to pair up with Bigrin, the saint who can detect the demonic energy of monsters, and disappeared into the darkness with her.

“Miss Yona can’t feel the demonic energy because she’s a healer?”

“I can feel it, but it’s a bit lacking. The holy power just circulates inside my body.”

“Big sis, what’s holy power?”

At Rubina’s question, Yona hesitated, not knowing how to answer.

Should she just say it’s power given by the Celestial God, but then wouldn’t she ask what the Celestial God is?

Then what should I answer? Should I just say it’s a high being?

She had such concerns for a moment, but James cleanly resolved that concern.

“Rubina, holy power is. It’s the power to help those who are suffering and struggling.”

That large, thick hand stroked Rubina’s head.

“The power to help those who are suffering and struggling? Then did big sis help me because I looked suffering and struggling?”

Rubina was looking straight at Yona with those black eyes.

It was actually a bit of a whim, but it’s not that she didn’t look suffering and struggling.

If Yona hadn’t met Rubina’s eyes when returning to the lodging from the village chief’s house.

Before that, if it hadn’t been for Rubina’s scream.

Would she still have saved Rubina?

“Big sis?”

Yona looked down at Rubina.

Seeing her reflection in those black eyes, Yona smiled slightly.

“…Yes. That’s right, I helped you because you looked very suffering and struggling. So be good to your big sis, okay?”

“Okay!”

Rubina smiled brightly.