episode_0014

“Ricia.”

“…Oh, yes?”

“If you’re tired, you can go back up and sleep some more.”

Ricia thankfully didn’t say anything more about our nocturnal adventure.

It must have meant that we had silently agreed that nothing had happened. I was deeply impressed by her warm-heartedness. It’s a rare trait in this barbaric medieval world. I hope she continues to grow up like this.

But after our unspoken agreement, Ricia seemed visibly tired, occasionally even dozing off completely.

It seemed like she hadn’t gotten a proper night’s sleep due to our first journey. In that case, wouldn’t it be better for her to rest comfortably in bed rather than awkwardly straddling the line between reality and dreams at the dining table?

“Well, what will you be doing in the meantime…?”

“As for me, I’ll go out and buy some necessities… No, I’ll just rest at the inn.”

Since she’s capable of taking care of herself to some extent, it should be fine to leave her alone for a while. Perhaps it’s more important to manage the stress of a growing child.

“Then what should I do…?”

“….”

As I was about to ask if she wanted to sleep a little longer, I noticed that the girl had already fallen asleep with her head on the table.

Well, in this state, where could she possibly go? I carefully carried her to the room and laid her on the bed. Even as her head swayed while climbing the stairs, she didn’t wake up, indicating that she must have been quite sleepy.

“Is it broken… ruined…?”

Although Ricia didn’t grind her teeth or snore, she seemed to have a habit of muttering strange things in her sleep.

Seeing her occasionally whispering about failure or ruin, I couldn’t help but wonder what kind of dream she was having.

While she slept, I pondered what that feeling I had before she fell asleep might have been.

Is there really no status screen? Then maybe there’s another way out. Common sense from the 21st century might still be somewhat useful. Perhaps I just haven’t filtered out the right information from it.

“…System?”

As expected, nothing happened.

*****

Ricia woke up around noon.

Regardless of the pros and cons, the decision for lunch was ultimately left to Ricia, who had caused turmoil for countless humans. It’s better for her, who rarely gets to experience something like a trip, to do what she wants for once.

After the meal, we decided to visit the church here to obtain relics.

It’s the sad reality of someone whose job involves fighting. Weapons, equipment, and even relics are constantly needed, like consumables.

“Now where to next? To the next city?”

“No, we’ll stay one more day and go to the church to get some relics.”

Trading is truly a tough job, especially during times like this.

It’s not strange for the prices of goods brought in from afar to skyrocket several times.

The difference includes the cost of transporting and managing the goods, but above all, the biggest portion is the cost of life insurance. Trading is a matter of risking one’s life.

People were complaining that there had never been a time when it was harder to guarantee one’s life on the road. Naturally, the traffic between cities had decreased.

In such a world, items that should not be lost along the way often remained where they were made.

What’s the point of taking them elsewhere if half of it will be taken by thieves? It would be better to break them so they can’t be used by bandits.

Relics were exactly those kinds of items.

If you wanted to find it, you had to go to the church where a powerful magician was. It was time to open your wallet for a responsibility without pleasure.

“I don’t really need to buy that… No, I mean, I don’t know yet…”

“Why is that?”

“Oh, no, it’s nothing!”

As Licia muttered to herself, she looked up at me in surprise when I spoke to her. She must not have fully woken up yet.

In any case, the term “relic” originally referred to items blessed by adults, but people started using it to refer to anything enchanted at some point.

In that sense, the sacred pine cone that I often used could also be considered a relic.

I held Licia’s hand in the crowd to make sure I didn’t lose her and stepped into the church.

As soon as I crossed the door, I saw stalls set up in the church square selling relics. It was a sight you wouldn’t see at the market. Father Pippin was there, and since it was a healing specialty, there were many clinics.

“Knight! Do you have something you’re looking for?”

“Oh, it’s okay. I’ll just look around for now.”

Arguing with fools is a waste of time. They first bring their opponent down to their level and then crush them with rich, foolish arguments.

However, it is difficult to deal with knowledgeable people who have spent a long time studying at universities or churches. If you fall for their sophistry, it’s goodbye to your wallet that day. And I don’t have just one mouth to feed.

I brushed off a few clinging priests and moved forward.

Licia was wandering around as if fascinated by everything. Among them, she watched the priests making relics for a long time.

“Are you interested in making relics?”

“If you call it interest… I might be.”

“You said you wanted to study theology, right? When you finish theology and start learning magic, you’ll have to choose one of several fields. Healing, relic-making, offensive magic, etc. You have plenty of time to think about it slowly.”

While Licia looked around, she bought some bandages and potions for healing purposes.

Relics related to attack can give even a simple farmer the ability to easily kill several people. Therefore, there were many restrictions on their sale, and if it wasn’t for practical use, you couldn’t even touch them. However, relics related to healing had fewer restrictions.

Still, I wish they would sell the sacred pine cone.

There’s nothing better to use in a one-on-many battle.

“These are medicinal herbs blessed by the priest who received great enlightenment at the sacred site. How about it?”

“What’s the price?”

“We are selling them for one gold coin per pouch.”

“Isn’t that a price set by the church? If you could lower it a bit…”

“Hey, you there.”

At that time, when I was negotiating hard to make sure Licia and I could afford to eat well.

A tired voice came from behind.

When I turned around, there was a man who seemed to exude an aura of high priesthood.

Judging by his attire, he seemed to be at least a priest. However, when the man who had been selling goods diligently saw him, his body stiffened, indicating that he was not an ordinary person.

“I am Givertho. I am not a member of the church in this city, but I am staying here for a while for some business.”

“I am Lavender. I am a knight from Volle, and I came to procure some relics for my work.”

“You are a fighter. Fighting for the safety of the Empire and Her Majesty is an honorable duty. I salute your efforts.”

“You flatter me.”

Although he was receptive when I approached him, I hoped we could get to the point soon.

As a law-abiding citizen like myself, although I haven’t lived a completely upright life, I haven’t lived a life where I would be caught by a priest I’ve never seen before.

“So, what brings you here…?”

“That sword, it’s imbued with a powerful blessing. If it’s alright with you, could you tell me who bestowed the blessing?”

“Is this it? I received the blessing from a priest I know in Bolle.”

“I never knew there was such a skilled priest in Bolle. With that level of blessing, they must be a prominent figure in the area.”

It was all thanks to the blessing from Priest Pippin. Indeed, even the events of the morning were thanks to him.

But wasn’t Priest Pippin’s specialty supposed to be in healing? Or perhaps even geniuses like him are versatile in many ways.

“But it’s strange. It’s powerful, but its effects are short-lived. Like…”

“Sir, sir.”

I suddenly felt a tug on my clothes from the side.

When I looked around and saw nothing, I finally looked down and saw Lycia.

She, who had been looking around just a moment ago, was now by my side.

For some reason, the girl had a slightly anxious expression.

“I, I want to see other things too.”

“Huh? Just a moment, let’s finish our conversation first.”

“Oh, is she your daughter? It seems I’ve interrupted a rare moment between mother and daughter.”

“No, she’s not my daughter…”

“My apologies. Well then, goodbye.”

Before I could finish speaking, Priest Guiberto quietly greeted me and disappeared, just like when he first appeared.

Lycia, for some reason, let out a deep sigh with a more relaxed expression than before and asked, “Are there any other relics besides those related to healing?”

“Of course, there are also items enchanted with protective magic.”

“I want to see those too!”

There was still a subtle sense of embarrassment, but it was understandable since she had probably never seen so many relics before.

In any case, it seemed like nothing serious had happened. I took the girl’s hand again and headed towards the street lined with relics.