A Double-Edged Grace
Yohan and his party teleported near Junk Town using the Goddess's power. Normally, they would have traveled on foot to stay cautious, but the urgency of the situation left them with no choice. Even the Goddess, who usually would have nagged him about wasting divine power on trivial matters, complied with Yohan's request without a single complaint.
Upon arriving in the village, Yohan carried Falco on his back and headed straight for their lodging, with Billy following close behind. Yohan laid Falco down on the bed and pressed his hand to her forehead, just in case. But contrary to his hopes, her high fever showed absolutely no signs of breaking.
"Just a moment ago, she definitely muttered something about the Great Forest and the Dawn Dew Tribe."
"She probably meant that's where she's from," Billy replied.
The two conversed in hushed, low voices. Falco had lost consciousness immediately after uttering those final words, making it impossible to gather any further clues.
—She holdeth on for now, yet there is no guarantee of how long she can endure. Thou must make haste.
The Goddess's warning echoed in his mind. Part of him wanted to snap back at her, demanding to know how a literal deity couldn't even cure a single feverish elf. But he knew the Goddess herself was likely the most frustrated one here. Understanding this, Yohan held his tongue.
In this world, though gods held a higher status than mortals, they were numerous, and the gap in their divine authority was vast. Piecing together Falco's fragmented words, she had already received a "blessing" of sorts from her tribe's guardian deity long ago. She had been fine up until now because she had never directly received the Unnamed Goddess's blessing while traveling with Yohan. However, the temporary blessing Yohan had bestowed upon her to fight the demon had turned into a deadly poison.
According to the Goddess, the two different blessings inside Falco's body were currently treating each other as hostile, curse-like foreign substances and waging war. If they recklessly withdrew the Goddess's blessing now, there was no telling what kind of fatal damage the guardian deity's blessing—which had already entered "combat mode"—might inflict on Falco. To resolve this issue, both entities who bestowed the blessings had to withdraw them simultaneously.
Perhaps things would have been different if the Goddess had as many believers as she did in the ancient past. The only silver lining was that this clash of blessings had only manifested after the battle—though even that wasn't entirely certain. Falco was naturally stoic. She might have realized something was wrong the very moment she received the blessing, only keeping it to herself because she didn't want to worry Yohan before a major battle.
"Fuck..."
The thought only fueled his rising anger. Yohan cursed under his breath with genuine venom. Not long ago, he had to watch Jack die right before his eyes, and now Falco had collapsed.
"Whew—"
He needed to calm down. Taking a deep breath, he cooled the heat rising to his head.
"Anyway, we have to find those Dawn Dew Tribe bastards and meet this elf named Peony."
Whoever that was, they had to be the key to resolving the clash of blessings inside Falco. Probably a priest who serves the elves' god, Yohan figured.
"Alright. I'm going to see the old sheriff right now. Billy, keep an eye on her."
"Yes. Don't worry."
Yohan slipped out of the lodging and headed toward the sheriff's office. His original plan had been to defeat the demon without anyone else's help, or to leave the aftermath to the Holy Kingdom's Holy Knights brought by Agnes and slip out of town first. But things had gone completely sideways. Leaving aside the fact that the demon had escaped alive, Falco falling ill with a condition that even the Goddess couldn't easily cure was a critical blow.
"Wilhelm!"
Arriving at the office, Yohan flung the door open and barged inside.
"Dammit, can't you at least knock before entering?"
Yohan had worried that Wilhelm might be out, but fortunately, the man was at his post.
"Whatever, I'm in a huge rush right now, so... Huh?"
"You're back. I heard you left to search the surrounding area."
But Wilhelm wasn't the only one in the office. Agnes, who had recently handed Yohan her rosary and left for Balifield, had returned.
"What? You're back already?"
He was just about to leave the village anyway, so Agnes's return was a welcome surprise. Yohan immediately greeted her with a brightened expression.
"Given the gravity of the situation, I hurried as fast as I could."
"Fair enough. Anyway, did you ask the Lord to send some troops?"
The demons of Pandemonium were far more likely to target Yohan directly rather than raid Junk Town. Even so, having a squad of Holy Knights from the Holy Kingdom stationed here to protect the area, even temporarily, would have provided immense peace of mind.
"No," Agnes replied, shattering Yohan's expectations. "That wretched Lord said the traces of heresy inside the city have been completely wiped out, and even if a demon did appear in Junk Town, it isn't worth sending his troops for."
Agnes spoke with genuine fury. Even for an Inquisitor of the Holy Kingdom, openly insulting a regional lord was no light matter.
"That's troublesome."
The Lord of Balifield had absolutely no intention of sending soldiers to Junk Town. It was exactly what Agnes had worried about from the start. To the Lord, Junk Town was nothing but an eyesore—a lawless breeding ground that constantly funneled outlaws into Balifield. In fact, when Yohan had visited Balifield recently to retrieve stolen goods, the guards had treated him like a criminal on the spot simply because he came from the direction of Junk Town.
"He added that tightening security around the city itself would be more than enough to prepare for any demonic invasion."
"What about the Church?"
"I sent word, but they likely won't budge either. If anything, they're more likely to urge me to stop wasting time and return immediately."
The sole reason Agnes had approached the Lord of Balifield first was to establish a justification to persuade the Church. But the Lord, who was supposed to provide that justification, had flatly rejected the request.
"Talk about getting shut out at the gate."
Still, the demon wouldn't be invading the village anytime soon. In fact, it was safe to say they might never return. The recent rampage of the low-level devil had ultimately been triggered by Yohan's past actions. If anything, Yohan staying here would only pose a greater danger to the residents of Junk Town.
However, Yohan couldn't reveal this to the two of them. It was far too awkward to disclose that he had run into and fought two demons from Pandemonium.
"As you've just heard, that's where we stand. So, what's this urgent matter that had you kicking my door down?"
Well, the immediate threat has been neutralized, and this town has a massive wall of muscle for a sheriff, so they should be fine, Yohan concluded. He decided to share only the bare minimum of information to keep his secrets safe.
"Falco suddenly collapsed. She said she needs to return to her hometown in the Great Forest."
Yohan briefly explained the situation to Wilhelm and Agnes. He told them that while scouting the wasteland around the village, they had encountered a demon. Though they managed to defeat it, Falco had been struck by the demon's attack and collapsed with a high fever. He added that before losing consciousness, she had revealed she needed to go to the Great Forest to cure her illness.
To explain how Falco had collapsed, he had to reveal the encounter and battle with the demon. They easily could have questioned what kind of fever required a trip all the way to the Great Forest, but fortunately, neither of them pried any further.
"I went through the trouble of giving you my rosary, yet you fought a demon barehanded? Reckless," Agnes said with a soft sigh. Though her words were blunt, she seemed to silently acknowledge Yohan's strength. After all, it meant he had resisted a demon's corrupting aura using nothing but his own power, without the aid of a holy relic.
"Well, we took care of it anyway... but as I said, my companion collapsed."
"I understand. Honestly, I wanted to tell you all to stay in the village, but it seems there's no helping it."
Fortunately, Wilhelm was understanding of Yohan's plight.
"If only I could perform Miracle Arts..."
Agnes, on the other hand, bit her lip, seemingly blaming herself for Falco's condition.
"Forget it. Even if the Church sent someone, it would take forever for them to get here. It's better for us to move first. Besides, from what she said, this isn't something a priest of the Holy Kingdom can solve anyway."
Yohan stood up, bringing the conversation to a close.
"Since things turned out this way, we're leaving immediately."
"Have you secured horses or a carriage?"
"Not yet. If we're heading toward the Great Forest, we'll have to stop by Balifield first anyway."
Wilhelm nodded in agreement.
To be precise, Yohan had absolutely no intention of buying a new horse or carriage nearby. Though it might be a bit of a strain, he planned to use the Goddess's power to teleport directly to the vicinity of the Great Forest.
"Understood. I wish your elven companion a swift recovery."
"I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help."
Wilhelm and Agnes offered their farewells in their own ways. Yohan shrugged and slipped back out of the office.
—If what thou didst explain before is true, the distance from here to the Great Forest is immense. Wilt thou be well?
As he walked back to the lodging, the Goddess's voice echoed in his mind once more.
"It's far, sure. But luckily, I remember visiting that area in the past."
—Ah, I see. Then there is no need to stop by Balifield in the first place.
"Yeah."
He had wandered aimlessly across the continent in his past, and who would have thought exploring near the Great Forest back then would come in handy like this? It was a small stroke of luck amidst their misfortune.
Before long, Yohan arrived back at the lodging where Falco and Billy were waiting. In the meantime, Billy had already packed all their belongings.
"Alright, let's head out immediately."
"Yes, I just finished preparing. But to get all the way to the Great Forest... Ah."
Explaining it twice would only waste his breath, but fortunately, Billy quickly seemed to recall that they could teleport using the Goddess's power.
"This is your first time going to the Great Forest, right?"
"Yes. I only know of its existence from books I read when I was young."
Billy replied while hoisting the luggage for all three of them by himself.
"I'll carry all the luggage. Please take care of Falco."
"Uh... you don't have to push yourself. Let me help you with some of it."
The luggage for three people easily outweighed Falco. On top of that, it was incredibly bulky. Yet, Billy adamantly refused Yohan's offer.
"My stamina is better, so this is only right."
"Mmh..."
Yohan groaned at Billy's response. Normally, he would have immediately fired back with a curse and snatched a backpack away. But right now, he didn't even have the energy to joke around. Sensing Yohan's heavy mood, Billy wore a complicated expression.
"Ah, screw it. Why are we all so down? Let's get going on this elf forest tour."
Yohan forced a bright expression, shouting loudly as he walked out of the lodging. Billy followed behind him with an awkward smile.