Saintess (14)
Four days had passed since we left Wizheim and set out for the capital.
In those four days, a great deal had changed for us.
First of all…
“Julian, I’ll handle it, so please just stay still.”
Sister Mary had begun treating me more casually. She still wasn’t using outright informal speech—more of a half-polite register—but whether it was because I had ordered her to or not, things had grown noticeably more comfortable.
“Yes, yes. I’ll leave lunch preparations to you.”
I kept using polite speech with Sister Mary myself. Speaking casually to someone older still felt too awkward; I simply couldn’t bring myself to do it.
Once she had settled into our routine, Sister Mary took over all the odd jobs—meal prep, washing dishes, everything. My sister already snatched those chores away from me whenever she could, and with Sister Mary joining in, I couldn’t get my hands on a single task.
“Chased off again, were you?”
“That’s how it turned out.”
Maximilian was sitting nearby.
“What are you doing?”
“Just keeping watch.”
I plopped down right beside him in a crouch.
“How much farther do we have to go?”
I asked him how long it would take to reach the capital.
“If we take it at a comfortable pace, about ten days.”
Ten days, huh…
“Still a long way.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to travel leisurely? Enjoy the scenery along the way.”
Is that so…? He had a point. There was no real reason to rush.
“Time to eat!”
“Coming.”
I stood and dusted off my backside.
“Shall we?”
“Yes.”
Maximilian rose with a smile. Honestly, this man smiled a lot. Not that I minded. Looking at a smiling face was far better than staring at a scowling, intimidating one.
When we joined my sister and Sister Mary, a pot of warm soup was already simmering.
“Here’s the bread.”
“Thanks.”
It was bread we had bought in a village the day before—not the rock-hard black bread. I had originally planned to buy the cheap stuff, but Sister Mary had flatly refused. With all the money we had, she scolded, why on earth would we eat tough bread?
I didn’t particularly care either way…
“It’s decent enough.”
Calling it soup was generous; there were no vegetables or meat in it. Oatmeal, maybe? Just ground grain boiled with water and seasoned with salt. Was this even soup? Still, it went well enough with the bread.
“Yeah. Filling.”
My sister would eat just about anything.
“Doesn’t food like this get old for you, Maximilian?”
“It’s edible enough, isn’t it?”
“Well, yes, but…”
He was a noble, after all…
“Compared to what I usually eat, it’s nothing special. But being picky about food while traveling is basically suicide.”
We finished the cheerful meal, and when I tried to help with the cleanup…
“I’ll take care of it, so don’t worry and rest.”
Sister Mary blocked me again.
“Ha… Fine.”
This is never going to change, so I guess I’ll just have to get used to it.
Before the sun fully set, while it was still early, we reached a small village.
“It would be best to rest here for the night.”
The sun was still up; if we pushed on we could cover more ground, but that would guarantee sleeping outdoors.
“More than that… the atmosphere in this village feels pretty gloomy.”
Every village had its own mood, of course, but I had never felt one this oppressive. No one was out and about, every door and window was shut tight… It gave off a strange feeling. At this hour people should have been moving around, working.
We wandered until we spotted an inn sign and stepped inside.
“Excuse us.”
The inn was utterly silent. It could have been a village that simply didn’t see many travelers… but it didn’t feel that way.
A short while after we entered, a door in the back opened and a man appeared.
“Sorry, but we’re not open for business right now.”
The innkeeper finished speaking and started to turn back inside.
“W-wait a moment!”
He looked at us with open irritation.
“Has something happened in the village?”
“It’s none of an outsider’s concern. Stay out of it.”
I knew some villages shunned outsiders, but…
“We are adventurers. Depending on the situation, we may be able to help.”
Maximilian stepped forward and spoke politely.
“Adventurers?”
The word got a reaction. Maximilian tapped the sword at his waist.
“Yes. Reasonably skilled ones, so why not hear us out?”
Still suspicious, the innkeeper looked us over carefully.
“And among our party is a mage as well.”
“A mage?!”
Right. Even if he doesn’t trust adventurers, a mage is another story.
“Hrm… Follow me.”
After a moment’s hesitation the innkeeper finally gave in and led us somewhere.
We followed him outside to the edge of the village. A row of houses stood there.
Only…
“Signs of an attack?”
The moment I saw them, the evidence of what had happened was everywhere. Huge footprints left in the ground, smashed fences and houses… Clearly a monster raid.
“Maximilian?”
Between my own adventuring experience and what we had gone through in our village, I could tell monsters were responsible… but I couldn’t identify which kind.
“Looks like a large monster attacked.”
“Is that so?”
Maximilian walked the scene, examining the traces.
“Yes. The footprints alone are enormous.”
Most of the signs had already faded, making them hard to read, but he seemed able to see them clearly.
“You can tell just from the feet?”
“If you find them right away, yes.”
Too much time had passed for him to name the exact monster.
“A monster attack… I’m worried about the people.”
Sister Mary clasped her hands and prayed, concern plain on her face.
“Are there any injured?”
With a look of firm resolve she asked the innkeeper. The answer was…
“None.”
I had expected as much. If the monster had rampaged hard enough to leave wounded, the traces wouldn’t have been this limited. According to the innkeeper, five people were missing.
“High chance they were taken by the monster.”
Why would a monster kidnap people…? There was no need to ask the reason.
“Food, most likely…”
That was the only explanation. A large monster, abductions… No wonder the village felt so bleak.
“Is there anything that can be done?”
Even the innkeeper had grown cautious.
“Well, the tracks alone show which way it went.”
Maximilian looked in a particular direction. A small mountain rose there.
“Do you know how much time has passed?”
“Two days… no, today makes the third.”
Maximilian’s expression turned grave.
“Then the next attack should be coming soon.”
The next attack…
“Why do you think that?”
I couldn’t hold the question back.
“It deliberately came down to the village and took only people. It’s probably a clever one.”
And judging by the number of footprints, it wasn’t alone. The people it took had almost certainly already been eaten…
“Once the food runs out, it’ll come looking for more.”
The innkeeper’s face twisted.
“Then what are we supposed to do? Just sit here and take it again?”
He cried out in despair.
“We hunt it.”
“Hunt it?”
“Yes. We climb the mountain right away, find the monster, and kill it.”
Maximilian already seemed decided. That method would indeed keep the damage lowest.
“We can’t just stand by and watch. We should go.”
Sister Mary clearly shared the same thought.
Well, now that I knew, I had no intention of sitting still either.
“Then let’s go.”
The memory of our own village suffering under monsters made it hard to ignore.
“You okay with this?”
I asked my sister; she simply nodded.
“Y-you’re really going to help us?”
“Yes. But we might cross paths with the monster, so you should still prepare defenses.”
“Ah… I understand.”
Once the decision to hunt the monster was made, we gathered in a clearing and discussed how to move.
“The monster is most likely a troll.”
“A troll…?”
“Yes. Ogres aren’t this clever. If an ogre had attacked, it wouldn’t have quietly withdrawn—it would have leveled the entire village.”
Ogres, also called the destroyers of mountains. Maximilian’s reasoning made sense.
“So that’s why a troll?”
“Yes. Only a possibility, of course.”
Among large monsters, trolls were said to be relatively intelligent.
“I estimate the number at a minimum of three, maximum of five.”
“No chance there are more?”
“If there were, they would have taken far more people in the first attack.”
Ah, that makes sense.
“First, let me cover the points we need to watch for.”
Trolls were not only massive; their long arms and legs made them agile. In the mountains they could use the trees for complex movements, so we had to stay alert.
“And the fight itself will be tough.”
A single adult troll possessed strength on par with a Knight Class warrior, so we couldn’t let our guard down. Their tough hides and monstrous regenerative power gave them terrifying combat endurance.
“Truly dangerous…”
“Still easier to handle than an ogre, though.”
Those were apparently in a league of their own…
“The vanguard will be myself and Miss Emma.”
That was only natural. I could stand in the front line if needed, but using magic was the wiser choice.
“The rear will be Miss Mary, and coordination from the center will fall to Miss Julian.”
Coordination, huh… The role given to someone who could handle either position.
“Miss Mary, focus on blessings and binding spells.”
Charged with reinforcing the front line and locking down the trolls’ movements, Sister Mary nodded.
“Yes. Leave it to me.”
“And Miss Julian, use magic for harassment and prepare a finishing blow to end them.”
“Me?”
Honestly, I didn’t know many offensive spells.
“Yes. Even if you can’t kill them outright, crippling an arm or a leg will do.”
I wanted to say that wasn’t easy either.
“I… don’t actually know many attack spells.”
“Even so, you’ll have to.”
“Ugh…”
It wasn’t as if I had no options. If quality was lacking, quantity would make up for it. With my overflowing holy power I could simply cast a lot and land a lot of hits.
Still, I was a little worried…
Once our movements were decided, another problem surfaced.
“The luggage is an issue.”
Without a dedicated porter, and with the chance of running into monsters, having the vanguard carry packs was dangerous.
“Leaving it in the village doesn’t feel right either, does it?”
If the bags held nothing special it might have been fine, but they contained expensive magic tools and a lot of money.
“Yes. We’ll have to take it with us.”
“Having so few people is inconvenient at times like this.”
If we had more people—or at least a porter—we could have left the bags with them and told them to wait in the village…
Wishing didn’t create solutions, though.
“I’ll carry everything.”
Sister Mary stepped forward then.
“But…”
Even as rear support rather than a front-line fighter, hauling every single pack would be hard.
“Isn’t it safest if I carry them?”
I couldn’t argue with that…
“Then at least let me take some of the load—”
“No. Julian can also fight in the vanguard, so it’s better if you stay light.”
Faced with Sister Mary’s firm declaration, I had no choice but to give up on carrying anything.
“Are you really all right?”
Sister Mary gathered all three of our bags and lifted them alone.
“A bit heavy, but I’m fine.”
So it is heavy after all… While I fretted over her, Maximilian spoke.
“If you’re worried about Miss Mary, the best thing is to move quickly.”
Find the monsters fast and wipe them out. That, he said, was the surest way to ease the burden on Sister Mary.
“You’re right.”
Yes. Killing the trolls as soon as possible was the fastest solution of all.