The Saintess and the Spiritist
As expected, my intuition was correct.
The moment Clara spotted me at the castle gates, she dashed forward and threw herself into my arms. Before I could even begin to process the sudden weight of her embrace, Irene's voice drifted over from the carriage she had just stepped out of.
"Excuse me?"
"With so many citizens watching, I find it difficult to comprehend how a princess could behave with such a lack of dignity."
"Oh? So you must be the famous 'Cold-blooded Irene.' A pleasure to meet you. I am Clara, Princess of the Arzen Kingdom."
This was entirely unexpected.
Clara was kind-hearted and beloved by the common folk, but among nobles and royalty, she was known for her fiery, short-tempered streak. She never let a slight go unanswered.
Yet, surprisingly, she was the first to extend her hand to Irene, offering a handshake.
"Allow me to introduce myself formally. I am Irene Alsmeyer, the newest member of the hero's party."
"I've heard so many rumors about you, I was quite curious... but I suppose I can breathe a sigh of relief."
"...Pardon?"
"You don't seem to be our Hero's type at all. You're so stiff, without a single ounce of charm. I'm glad I don't have to worry."
"..."
"..."
Of course, I thought. A leopard can't change its spots.
She spoke with a bright, friendly smile, but the actual words coming out of her mouth were a direct, passive-aggressive jab.
Whoosh.
Was it just my imagination?
I thought it was just a passing breeze, but a sudden, bone-chilling frost seemed to ride the wind, biting deep into my skin.
"Um... Princess... Irene... There are a lot of eyes on us, so why don't we head inside first...?"
"..."
"..."
Neither of them budged an inch at my words.
"S-She's right! Let's not stand around out here. Let's go inside. Princess, I really want to eat that pie we had last time!"
Lucia quickly stepped in, clinging to Clara's arm. Only then did the intense staring contest break, allowing us to finally make our way toward the palace.
In the short time I had been away in the Fiore Empire, the atmosphere of the Arzen Kingdom's capital had shifted noticeably.
The streets were undeniably more crowded than before.
Looking out the carriage window, I could see a large number of people from the western part of the continent, their distinct features setting them apart from the locals.
"A lot of westerners have made their way here too."
Clara and Lucia rode in the lead carriage, while Edwin, Irene, and I followed in the one behind.
Perhaps still bothered by the encounter at the gate—or simply acting as she always did—Irene stared silently out the window.
"Yeah... they've been pouring in," Edwin sighed. "Word spread among the refugees that they'd be safe in the Arzen Kingdom because the Hero is here. They just keep coming..."
"Why does that sound like a passive-aggressive jab at me?"
"It's not. I'm just lamenting my own fate. Just listen. To make matters worse, my so-called friend brought back even more refugees, exacerbating a food shortage that was already keeping me up at night..."
"A food shortage?"
"Yeah. We're spending so much to feed the refugee camps that we can barely keep our own military supplied."
I understood the stress Edwin was under.
Even three years ago, the refugee crisis had been a massive headache for the Emperor of the Eryther Empire.
You couldn't just turn them away, but taking them in meant providing food and shelter, which pushed the state treasury to its limits.
Yet, if you cut off aid, the desperate refugees would inevitably turn to banditry, posing an even greater threat to the kingdom. It was a classic catch-22.
"So... how many are we talking about?"
"We've already set up five camps inside the kingdom. Once we finish the one near the capital today, that'll make six. On top of that, there are hundreds of thousands waiting just outside the border. Hundreds of thousands."
The situation was indeed dire.
Hundreds of thousands of people was equivalent to the entire population of a small kingdom. If the war dragged on, the flood of refugees would become an unstoppable deluge.
"That really is a mess... Isn't there any way to handle it?"
"If I knew the answer to that, I wouldn't be whining to you the second you got back from a long journey."
As the mood inside the carriage grew increasingly heavy, Irene, who had been silently watching the scenery, turned to look at me as if she had something to say.
"Excuse me..."
"Yes, Irene? What is it?"
"Would it be alright if I offered some assistance?"
"You...?"
To an outsider, she might have sounded like she was just making polite conversation, but Edwin and I snapped our heads toward her in surprise.
"Yes. I will speak with Princess Cecilia and ask for her aid."
"Irene, you don't have to force yourself to do this."
"It is no trouble. I am a member of the Hero's party now. It is only natural that I do my part."
"But relations with the Arzen Kingdom are still somewhat strained. Will Princess Cecilia really agree to help?"
"If I ask, she will surely assist us."
Irene was a woman of few words, but she always followed through on her promises. Moreover, since Princess Cecilia was the one who had recommended her in the first place, it wasn't an impossible prospect.
"Thank you, Irene. I'll make sure to repay this favor later."
"In that case... would you promise to grant me a request in the future?"
"A request? Sure, of course. Just name it, and I'll do whatever you ask."
I took both of Irene's hands in mine, thanking her once more.
In the short span of our ride from the gates to the palace, a massive crisis had been resolved. The irritation that had clouded Edwin's face completely vanished, and for the first time today, a genuine smile broke across his lips.
When the carriage finally pulled up in front of the palace,
Clara, who had stepped out of her carriage the moment it stopped, was already waiting for me. As soon as I set foot on the ground, she rushed over and clung tightly to my arm.
"Hero! Let's go inside! I've prepared a feast of all your favorite foods!"
Irene watched this unfold. Though she quickly turned her head away, the slight furrow of her brow made it clear she was still annoyed by Clara's antics.
"Can I hold this side?"
To make matters worse, Lucia grabbed my left arm, pressing it close to her chest, and began pulling me toward the palace entrance alongside Clara.
Irene looked momentarily taken aback to see even the timid Lucia acting this way. She caught my eye for a brief second before quietly falling back to follow us at a distance.
"Hero! I heard you defeated a boss-class monster! You're amazing! How did you take down such a terrifying beast so easily?"
"How did you hear about that?"
"Lucia told me everything on the way here. She said it was absolutely massive!"
Clara bombarded me with questions, reciting the details of our journey that she had pried out of Lucia.
On my other side, Lucia listened along, her eyes sparkling with excitement as if she were hearing the story for the first time.
"Hero, try this too! I made it myself."
Despite her royal status, Clara had personally baked an apple pie. She cut a slice, placed it on my plate, and rested her chin in her hands, watching intently until I took a bite.
"How is it? It's delicious, right? I did a good job, didn't I?"
"Uh... yeah. It's really good."
"Really?! Haha!"
At my praise, Clara clapped her hands in delight and high-fived Lucia, practically glowing with joy.
Lucia, caught up in the infectious energy, happily cheered along with her.
"Sigh... I pity the man who ends up marrying her..."
Edwin let out a weary sigh as he watched his sister make a scene in the dining hall, where they were supposed to be eating quietly.
Somehow, Clara caught his remark. Her laughter vanished instantly, and she glared at her brother.
"Shut up, Edwin! Once the Hero defeats the Demon King, I'm going to propose to him!"
"..."
"..."
Her sudden declaration caused both Edwin and me to freeze, our forks hovering in midair.
Clara, entirely oblivious to the awkward silence she had just created, simply stared back at us with a puzzled expression.
Lucia leaned in and whispered something into her ear.
"What?! No! I really am going to marry the Hero!"
Whatever Lucia had whispered, Clara immediately shouted in protest. The dining hall fell dead silent, the atmosphere turning incredibly awkward.
"Haha, sorry about that, Carlos. My sister is still immature. Please don't take her seriously."
"No, it's fine."
Edwin shot Clara a warning look to quiet her down before apologizing to me. I offered a polite smile, assuring him it was no big deal.
Clara might have been entirely sincere,
but for someone like me, who had been burned so badly by a past promise of marriage, the word 'marriage' only dragged up bitter memories.
"Anyway, now that Commander Irene has joined us, we need to find our fourth and final party member, right?"
"A fourth member?"
"Yeah. Actually, we received a message from the High Temple. They pointed out that the Hero's party is currently lacking a dedicated healer."
"Which means..."
Emilia's face immediately flashed in my mind. I opened my mouth to reject the idea outright, but Edwin cut me off before I could speak.
"Of course, I know what you're thinking. Their intentions are glaringly obvious in just those few lines."
"..."
"But it's not like that bitch is the only Saintess in the world. I heard a new Saintess recently entered the High Temple, even if she's still an apprentice. What do you think?"
"I don't really care about that, but we already have a healer in our party."
"What?"
Edwin blinked in surprise. He looked back and forth between Irene and Lucia, who were sitting next to me, trying to figure out who I meant.
When he couldn't guess, he turned his gaze back to me.
"Who on earth...?"
"Lucia. It turns out she can use healing magic."
"What?! Isn't Lucia a spiritist? Was she actually a priestess this whole time?"
"No, it's not that. Apparently, water spirits naturally possess healing properties."
According to Lucia, water is the source of all life. Since the human body is seventy percent water, manipulating and repairing water-based tissues essentially functions as healing magic, capable of curing all kinds of wounds and illnesses.
Furthermore, water possesses a purification ability similar to holy magic. This meant she could also cast Purification, which is incredibly useful in dungeons, second only to healing spells.
I explained the nature of Lucia's abilities and her contract with the Spirit King to Edwin.
"My god... I always thought spirits were just minor assistants for bow-wielding elves. I had no idea they could do all that. If that's the case, we don't even need a Saintess, do we?"
Edwin, who had been looking at Lucia as if she were just a cute little sister, suddenly shifted his gaze. His eyes now shone with deep respect.
"Oh, no. My healing is strictly limited to water manipulation," Lucia said quickly, waving her hands in embarrassment. "I'm far from comparable to a Saintess who heals through the holy magic granted by the Goddess. I can't even resurrect the dead."
"What are you talking about, Lucia? A Saintess with faith strong enough to actually resurrect the dead only appears once every few thousand years anyway!" Edwin replied, his voice rising with excitement.
From my perspective as the party leader, I much preferred a versatile spiritist like Lucia over a Saintess who lacked any offensive capabilities.
Lucia could attack, defend, heal, and provide utility. She was a jack-of-all-trades.
In fact, even if you combined my former party members—Emilia, Lydia, and Illuen—they still wouldn't measure up to Lucia alone.