Chapter 36
Chapter 36
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: A Night's Shelter
-----------------------------------------------------------------
* * *
Not even half a day on the road, and already people start missing home.
One of my authorities that can ease that longing even a little is A Night's Shelter. Roca and Sis gaped in astonishment as a cabin sprang up out of nowhere amid the wild grass and trees on the barren hillside.
Miracles are things the Lord crafts and bestows directly. Authorities are what I create by applying the Lord's power.
No need to debate which is superior.
Miracles are far superior. I couldn't hope to replicate something like the Star Dream Observatory the Lord granted me, let alone dream of an authority akin to the Lineage Sapling.
Even the simplest-looking miracle, like the sanctuary's candlelight, loses more than half its potency if I try to mimic it as an authority, while consuming far more power—a pathetic knockoff not even worth the name. The reason miracles are miracles is precisely because the Lord delivers them himself.
Authority: A Night's Shelter.
An authority that recreates the first shelter I remember—Uncle Helmut's cabin—by reassembling possibilities into reality. This authority comes with its own limitations, unique to authorities.
After a day passes, everything reverts to possibility. But until then, it remains real.
"Good heavens, now you're conjuring houses too?"
The princess marveled as she circled the cabin, then punched the log walls to check if it was an illusion. Roca took interest in the cabin itself at first, but her gaze soon shifted to the hot spring.
She'd apparently never seen a lake steaming like that before—her eyes brimmed with curiosity.
"Master, what's that?"
"It's called a hot spring. Unlike a regular lake, it's warmed by geothermal heat, so think of it as a warm pool."
"Can I drink it?"
"Uh... a little, maybe?"
If she got sick from drinking it, I could heal her, so no real issue. But who would even think to drink it? I had no idea what it tasted like myself.
No one had bathed yet, so if she wanted to drink, she could. Whether it'd suit her taste... who knows. Curiosity piqued, Roca scooped some into a cup and took a sip.
She grimaced, confirming it wasn't meant for drinking after all.
"It's originally for washing your body. Good for the skin, good for the joints. Before I gained holy power, the village elders used to visit often, saying it was great for the body."
Later, they learned my holy power was even better and started coming to me instead.
Still, plenty of people frequented it whenever they craved a soak in hot water. Some even hauled it home to fill their bathtubs.
Suddenly, something soft brushed against my leg.
Looking down, I saw Roca's tail, swaying gently, coiled around my leg. When I glanced at her tail, then her eyes, she stared right back and asked,
"What if you bathe with me, Master?"
"With you?"
"Yeah. Together."
Of course not.
Why was she asking that so seriously?
"Or maybe you're thinking of bathing with the old lady?"
No.
No clue why she'd think that.
Roca and Ardein Sis still didn't get along.
Sis had subtly suggested Roca try calling her "big sis," but Roca's response had been utterly flat. Anyway, could she unwrap her tail?
I wanted to start prepping dinner soon.
"Come with me."
She seemed restless somehow, like a child left by the water's edge.
...Though honestly, that should be me, her guardian, not her. It was odd receiving that look when I was clearly the one in charge. But since she was just worried about me, no point blaming her.
"The kitchen, the bathroom—everything's here. Even magic couldn't produce a house like this! Saint, I'm graced by your service, so it's not my place, but... who exactly do you serve?"
As I entered with Roca, the princess sighed while poking around inside. This cabin might seem humble by Sis's standards, but it was still better than camping.
"One who emphasizes hope and wields possibility."
Truth be told, I know even less about the one I serve than I do about Grimudo. I'd at least fought the ancient demon king, but with the Lord, it was just a fleeting encounter.
I don't even remember what I saw that made me think "Lord." But I clearly recall that the only word fitting what I witnessed and felt—at least to me—was "god."
"Truth is, I don't know exactly who He is either."
"Can't even guess the lineage. Even gods have their domains, but with who you serve, Saint, I can't grasp the boundaries of His at all."
"Same here."
I just smiled. Once, I was curious about the Lord's power.
I still am, but not like before. I've decided not to dwell on it.
As long as I can save more people with His power, that's enough.
"Shall we see what we've got for dinner today?"
"You didn't make it, Master?"
"Even so, the same items don't always appear in the same spots."
This cabin is an authority, not a miracle, so it's unstable.
Results aren't consistent. It recreates Uncle Helmut's cabin, but which point in possibility gets reassembled isn't up to me.
Meaning the cabin's contents change every time.
That's why rummaging through the house feels like treasure hunting each visit.
"Saint, is this jam safe to eat?"
Like that jar of wild berry jam Sis was holding.
Sometimes it's in the kitchen pantry, sometimes not. It might be on the dining table, or fresh berries in a basket before jamming. Often, it's nowhere to be found.
Proof that each use pulls from a different point in time.
I'm still too unskilled to fix on a specific moment and reassemble only that possibility.
"Is this okay to eat?"
Roca licked her chops at the deer haunch brining in soy sauce in the earthenware crock. Of course.
It's just a past moment recreated with the Lord's power—we're not stealing game Uncle Helmut labored to catch.
"Eat up. If we don't, it'll vanish after the night anyway."
It might last until tomorrow evening if we're lucky, but no guarantees beyond.
Waste not, want not. What's eaten stays eaten.
"Um, do you do the cooking, Saint?"
"Have you ever seen me?"
"No, but..."
Anyway, as I gathered edible stuff around the cabin, Sis asked casually.
"Want help?"
"It's fine. Easier if I do it myself."
Grateful for the offer, but I declined politely. When has a palace-raised lady ever cooked?
Better alone. As I lit the hearth to start cooking, a voice came from behind.
"Kiddo."
"I'm not a kid."
"Ah, right. Kiddo. Anyway, come with me a sec."
"Are you picking a fight right now?"
I worried they might clash,
but thankfully, no.
"You don't know how to handle mana, do you?"
"I know enough."
"All you do is emit it raw, and you call that 'enough'?"
Sis was just imparting wisdom to Roca, as an adult—and the empire's princess, older than me—should.
"Amusing. Even my most arrogant days weren't that cocky."
Small confession: I can't use mana.
Can't cultivate and emit Mana Aura like a swordsman, or refine it into spells like a mage. All I know is how to wield what the Lord grants.
Unlike me, Roca wields mana unrelated to the Lord's divinity, so Sis could offer far more guidance.
"Saint. Mind if I borrow this child while you prep dinner?"
That's why I didn't stop the princess as she grabbed Roca's arm and dragged her off.
"She shows talent, but needs training."
I figured it'd help Roca.
I waved goodbye to her sullen, dragged-away expression. By the time she returned, delicious bear paw stew would be ready.
'Lucky us.'
Never dreamed we'd get a timeline with this rare ingredient.
Surely suit Roca and Sis too. Spices are light, but the meat's top-notch.
All thanks to the Lord's grace.
* * *