Duty and Divine Calling (2)
“Sell me to the gods or whatever you want—just heal her because of me! Right now!!”
“Th-this… such blasphemy, such impurity….
Knight order!! Bind this man at once!!”
The diocesan barked his order, but the saintess raised her hand to stop him.
“Prepare to treat my brothers and sisters in the priesthood. In the sickroom, strip this girl and expose her wounds.”
“No, even you, Saintess? What is this irreverent act? How could one who follows the divine….”
“Diocesan, are you saying right now that I do not follow the divine?”
“N-no, that's not….”
“Is that doubting you? Or doubting me?”
“I… I'm sorry. It was my own shadow. I doubted myself.”
“It's alright. I know you're the one who prays more fervently than anyone here. The one who always sweeps away the shadows in your own heart and others'.
Diocesan, please support this man… Kirgil.
I will now reveal this man's mission.
At last, I've found the reason I came here.”
I… have no idea.
Their conversation is way beyond my understanding.
All I get is that Ssu's being taken by the priests for treatment.
Time to rest a bit.
I sat on a pew in the chapel, catching my breath for a while until my eyes drifted shut.
“Gaaahhh!!!”
What!? That's Ssu's scream.
My sword? My weapon??
“Ah, it's fine. Calm down!!”
As I bolted up from where I'd collapsed on the bench, a young male priest blocked me.
Only then did I realize I was in the cathedral.
It was morning already. I'd slept for hours without knowing.
“Ssu—my companion's screaming. What happened?”
“Don't worry. It's a good sign. Vitality's flowing through her body, bringing the pain. She's recovering.”
“Ah….”
My head was foggy, but it clicked right away.
Ssu's body had been burning with fever at first, but by the time we arrived, it was cooling. If she's screaming, that's a sign she's getting healthier.
“Urk… haa cough… ack! Hack!!”
Another groan of agony echoed.
Yeah. Ssu, you need this lesson.
Just get better quick.
But something's off about the priest's eyes.
He's flustered, like he doesn't know how to deal with me.
“What's going on?”
I stood and looked around the cathedral interior. It was packed with people.
The worshippers from yesterday were still there, and now cathedral knights had filed in too.
Everyone looked exhausted from pulling an all-nighter, fidgeting anxiously and glancing between me and the room where the screams came from.
The cathedral knights still wore their armor and weapons.
They guarded the tightly sealed front doors from inside with tense faces.
Like they were bracing for a siege.
No one met my eyes. They acted like some ominous aura was leaking from me.
The priest who'd supported me gathered my gear and handed me clear water.
The healing magic must've gone on all night like a marathon surgery.
I get a bit why they're so strict about it now, even if we barged in like maniacs.
Doesn't mean they've been doing right all along, though.
By my world's standards, even the best doctors get flak for picking and choosing patients.
Sunlight filtered through the right-side windows.
As the interior brightened enough to forgo candles,
the blue-haired girl and weary priests emerged into the chapel where I was.
Murmurs rippled through the crowd again.
The girl spotted me and headed straight over.
“I couldn't introduce myself yesterday.
In the midst of prayer at the Kalderan Cathedral, I received a calling.
When I met you, I saw the light.
Last night, I received the summons.
And thus discovered my vocation.
Kirgil.
I am Ashushikara of Darania.”
She's not just giving her name—she's reciting her story like poetry, summing up her life in brief lines.
I get she's formal and proper, but mine's pathetically short by comparison.
“Kirgil, hero of Prosek, from Agnes Village.”
“Kirgil, even in this moment, I feel an immense sense of vocation. I offer infinite thanks for bringing me such fulfillment.”
The girl—no, the saintess—bowed to me, and the hall stirred once more.
I can't make sense of this at all.
I should be the one kowtowing—why am I getting thanks?
This pious atmosphere feels so awkward. First time since coming to this world.
Time to change the mood!
…Nah, wrong vibe.
“Come inside. The shadowkin girl is asking for you.”
The saintess dismissed the other priests and attendants, personally guiding me.
She pointed at the sickroom entrance, signaling I should go in alone.
I opened the door.
Ssu lay there naked under a thin blanket, breathing raggedly.
“Haa haa, Ki… grgh…?”
“How's it feel to cheat death?”
“Haa haa… whew… th….”
She still seemed drained.
Normal patients slump after treatment, but healing magic patients are different, huh.
Like she's run a marathon lying down. Vitality overflowing, sweating it out.
Still, seeing her lively eases my mind.
Even exhausted, Ssu tried talking to me, making faint sounds in a small voice.
“Oh? That eager to thank me? Fine, I'll hear it.”
I leaned in my ear, and Ssu whispered.
“You're… Daddy, right….”
Only then did Ssu stop, breathing contentedly like she'd gotten her wish.
And then…
Ssu's Status Window popped up again.
[Updated information from before]
“Wha—what!?”
It'd updated from the previous info.
Didn't know it could show stuff I don't wanna know too.
--- --- ---
About 30 minutes of waiting, and Ssu's breathing normalized.
She'd sweated buckets, so I poured water, but she chugged the whole pitcher and wiped her mouth with her arm like downing a beer.
“Puhah….”
I drank from the cup.
Crude as hell.
But finally, she looks like her usual healthy self.
“Feeling better? Got something to say to me?”
“Yeah, tons. Obviously.”
The blanket had slipped, but she didn't care a bit.
Neither do I.
Her body's surprisingly toned. Hm.
“Daddy! You're Kirgil Daddy, right!?”
Dizziness hit, and I nearly punched her head—Ssu's head—for it… but held back.
“Aaaah!! It hurts! Daddy!! Don't press my head like that!! Owwie!!”
That pressure carried my wish to cram some common sense into her empty head.
Plus manners!
“Agyagyagya!!”
Anyway, this mess happened because she ignored me.
I told her to finish off enemies before looting. But she went for the valuable necklace first, and the goblin squeezed out its last strength to stab her.
Maybe that necklace wasn't just jewelry—could've held memories for that goblin.
“You got punished.”
“Yeah, for not listening to Daddy.”
“Tell me right away if you get hurt. Don't suffer alone or take responsibility solo. You're still a kid.”
“Yeah, tell Daddy about hard stuff.”
“Ask adults if you don't know something. Don't pretend you do, and don't sass back if corrected.”
“Yeah, ask Daddy if I don't know.”
“Do better from now on.”
“I'll listen to Daddy from now on.”
“……”
“Hehehe.”
I wanna scold her, but she's enjoying this.
Stop grinning like that.
“How's the wound?”
Ssu lifted her arm and bared her waist to show it.
A small scar near her abdomen.
Lucky it doesn't stand out much.
Healing magic's the real deal. Top tech in this world, hands down.
“…Hm. Ahem. Hey… even if I'm 'Daddy' Kirgil, staring and touching like this feels weird.”
“You've seen me naked from the start. Who'd get horny over someone like you now?”
“What!? What about me then!? Ignore my feelings why don't you!! Being Daddy excuses everything? Everything!!”
“Yeah, whatever your feelings… ugh, get off. Don't you hate old man smell? Ack, seriously marking territory like a cat!? Back off!!”
Then the sickroom door opened.
“My, my~~ Such indecency!”
The saintess entered.
Or rather, she poked just her upper body in, peeking around.
“Don't mind me—carry on.”
With that pure romance-heroine glow staring in, everything feels way too burdensome.
“I am like warm sunlight filtering through the window, or a single ray piercing shadows between rocks—merely watching.”
Elegant words. But that's code for peeking through cracks.
Scary if she buffs us mid-act or something.
Sudden stamina or mental boosts….
“Oh my… I'm perfectly fine with it. What a shame.”
This woman. No, saintess.
Her thinking's on another level from normal folks.
Multidimensional. Fourth-dimensional, even.
--- --- ---
Saintess Ashushikara asked me to call her saintess only inside the cathedral.
It's for distinction here—her actions are no different from any priest's.
“Priestess Ashushikara, what must I do to fulfill my mission?”
“Drop the 'priestess' too. I don't like losing chances in urgent situations to long titles.”
The saintess chatted with me in a small second-floor office-like room about past and present events.
Up close, she's sharp, clever, and decisive—some fourth-dimensional quirks aside.
Her talk with the diocesan yesterday was one-sided.
Thinking back, it was like a boss getting steamrolled by a 20-something newbie.
Ashushikara said she had to dispel the diocesan's inner shadow about me.
And she'd registered as an adventurer. Impressive initiative. The guild's membership-based. She signed up solo, visited alone, and hunted for me.
She griped about being dragged back by lurking cathedral knights and priests multiple times after leaving the guild—that's why they couldn't chase me outside.
And… curiosity.
She kept probing our relationship with Ssu and what we'd done.
Holy talk veering suddenly crude.
Her brightening face? Pure nosiness.
“So, Ashushikara. You saved Ssu—what can I do for you?”
I barged in screaming about missions to get treatment.
Steeling myself for this room.
Reckless in hindsight.
Who knows what could've happened, offering myself up.
No regrets, though.
Bring any trials or ordeals!
“What are you talking about?
The divine's mission isn't mine to assign.
I harbor no such arrogance.”
“Huh? But you said I have a divine mission—ah!?”
“You have a divine mission, and I wish to aid it, to light your path.
Kirgil… I'll speak casually to you too.
You've made many misconceptions.
I merely fulfill my calling.”
Ashushikara smiled—not her earlier radiance, but truly warm and benevolent.
She really is a servant at heart.
“But to fulfill my calling, I must ask one thing.”
“Yes, anything. I swear I'll do it.”
I have a conscience.
Don't wanna just take free service and bail.
She and the priests treated Ssu all night.
Saved a life.
She gave freely—I'll give back.
“Wait!? That can't be right!?”
“Oh my~~ So coy. You just said anything, even swore.”
She pulled out a pair of silver rings.
Slipped one on her finger, offered the other to me.
…Am I seriously getting sold!?
No, don't judge by my common sense. Different culture here.
“They're called Connection Rings.”
A brutal, utter confirmation kill.