This, too, must be the Goddess's will (5)

Translator : Elizabeth

It has already been a little over a month since I was transported to this other world. Most of that time was spent staying in the abandoned church, but thinking about it now, it seems it wasn't a bad choice.

Yesterday was the first time something big happened, and thanks to that, I obtained ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the tremendous power called Holy Magic. Except for the fact that my race is a demon, everything is flowing quite smoothly.

The light in my body only subsided when morning came. The insides of my eyelids are still tingling because of the magic called 'Glow' that was active all night long. If I were a normal demon, I would have turned to ash and disappeared long ago in that blinding light. But for some reason, my body is withstanding that destructive light all too easily.

As if I were chosen by something...

"Hmm."

A demon who uses Holy Magic... I still can't believe it.

If it's true that I was chosen by something, what on earth should I do from now on? Like the saints that often appear in fantasy comics or novels, should I offer prayers to save the world? Or should I wander around finding injured people and grant them miracles?

No, if I approach them rashly, people will surely be terrified. Who would welcome a demon approaching while emitting holy light?

"Humm."

Ultimately, there is only one answer. To live quietly hiding in a place untouched by people's eyes, just like before.

But I don't really want to do that now. If the situation were the same as before, maybe, but I luckily obtained Holy Magic. It would be too much of a waste to just let it rot like this.

Since I've left the abandoned church and returned to the forest anyway, it wouldn't be bad to set a clear goal like other adventurers...

"Waaah...!"

Just as I was deep in thought. Suddenly, a young girl's crying sound came from somewhere beyond the thick bushes.

"Waaaaah...!"

As soon as I heard that crying sound, I quickly straightened my veil, which had been crooked. Then I jumped up from my seat and gently turned my head in the direction the sound came from.

"......."

A child's crying sound out of the blue in a forest like this... I can't help but be suspicious. There is a high possibility that it's a monster luring people with a child's cry, or a trap set by bandits. If I move without thinking, I will surely get entangled in something troublesome.

But apart from that suspicion, my body was already reacting to that sound. With my ears pricked up, I carefully moved my steps toward where the sound came from.

Before long, a small clearing slowly revealed itself between the dense trees. I immediately hid behind a large oak tree and peeked my head out toward the clearing.

"Mommy..."

A young girl sitting helplessly in the middle of the clearing, crying sorrowfully. I rolled my eyes and examined the surroundings quite thoroughly, but all I could see were still dense trees and bushes.

"......."

The young girl was wearing a worn linen dress. She was looking at the herbs spilled from her basket in despair. Sharp thorns were entangled around her slender ankle, and blood was seeping out between them.

Seeing that nothing happened even though I watched for quite a long time, it seems it's not a trap.

"......."

It would be impossible to approach while hiding my identity. Besides, since she's a child and not an adult, there doesn't seem to be a need to go through the trouble of hiding my identity.

If I approach rashly, the girl might be greatly startled and get hurt even more. So first, I carefully made my presence known so she could discover me.

"Hiiik!"

At the clear sound breaking the silence, the girl's shoulders flinched greatly for a moment. At the same time, the girl slowly turned her head toward where I was standing with eyes full of fear.

"H-hello..."

As soon as our eyes met, I immediately raised my right hand lightly and greeted her as naturally as possible, but despite that, the girl began to tremble severely, terrified ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠even more.

"Hi, hiiik...!"

I just hid behind the oak tree and greeted her slightly. For some reason, the girl is showing a much more intense reaction than I expected. I ended up getting hurt in many ways by that unhidden reaction.

"S-save me..."

"Don't be scared. I won't do anything."

"L-liar... You're going to eat me..."

"I won't eat you. It's not good to judge by appearance alone."

"But... Mom said all demons are monsters with no blood or tears..."

I tried hard in my own way to persuade her, but sadly, the girl didn't lower her guard against me until the end. Does my face look that scary? I thought I had a quite gentle face for a demon... Don't tell me I was the only one who thought that?

Wearing a bitter smile, I slowly walked out from behind the oak tree. Then, as if sensing some kind of crisis, the girl's eyes flashed wide as she looked at me.

"Hi, hiiiieee...!"

The girl hurriedly backed away with a flustered expression. But she couldn't go far because of the thorns entangled around her ankle.

"Hic... It hurts..."

"Stay still. If you move, the wound will open more."

I approached close to the girl and knelt on one knee. Perhaps the thorns dug deeper into her flesh, the girl's expression distorted even more painfully.

"Hiiiiieeeek──!!"

"I'll end that pain for you. So just stay still like that."

"Y-you'll end the pain...?"

"Yeah. It won't take that long. Close your eyes and count to just three."

As soon as I finished speaking, the girl's eyes shook violently as if convulsing for a moment. Her face, which had been distorted with pain, somehow turned paler and paler. Her blue lips trembled, and her exhaled breath also became strangely irregular.

"Oh my, it seems to hurt a lot."

"Ah... Ah..."

"It's okay, just trust me."

"Aaaaaah...!!"

"You'll be comfortable soon."

Only then did the girl squeeze her eyes shut. Although she still trembled severely, she decided to listen to me, as she didn't back away anymore.

"Good girl."

I first tapped the thorns holding the girl's ankle with my hand to remove them without causing injury. Immediately, I gently placed my hand on the wounded area and slowly let my mana flow.

Demon-specific cold and turbid mana. But despite that, pure white energy rising softly from somewhere inside my body.

As soon as my mana touched the girl's wound, the wound began to heal cleanly as if it had been waiting for this moment. I tried it as a test because I felt like the current me could do it, but to think it would actually work.

Holy Magic, it really is amazing.

"Done."

"......?"

As soon as I finished speaking, the girl's tightly closed eyelids trembled and slowly opened.

"How is it? It doesn't hurt anymore, right?"

Squatting in front of the girl, I smiled brightly and asked quietly.

"Hu, huh...?"

The girl stared blankly at her ankle for a moment. Then she frowned slightly with one eyebrow and tilted her head to the side in puzzlement.

"My ankle is fine...?"

"I told you there's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠no need to be scared."

"W-why...?"

"I can use healing magic. And I don't particularly dislike humans either."

I spoke quietly and pointed confidently at the nun's veil on my head with my finger.

"Besides, I'm a nun."

The girl looked alternately at my face and her just-healed ankle as if she couldn't believe it. It seems two conflicting pieces of information are colliding violently inside the girl's head.

"You're a demon... but a nun...?"

"Yeah. Although it's hard to believe."

Actually, I'm just a nobody demon, neither a nun nor anything, but to lower the girl's guard, I have no choice but to use the symbolism of this veil once again.

"That makes no sense. How can a demon become a nun?"

"Is there a law saying demons can't become nuns?"

"No, that's..."

I coolly flipped the end of the veil hanging slightly on my shoulder back and took a deep breath.

"I am a nun. And one who can use healing magic at that."

"I-I see..."

"If you understand, hurry up and say thank you to me. You lived thanks to me."

Perhaps her tension has eased somewhat now. Life began to return to the girl's face, which had been pale as a living corpse.

"T-thank you... I lived thanks to you..."

The girl still blurred the end of her sentence strangely as if awkward. But fortunately, fear could no longer be found in the eyes looking at me. What replaced it was a very small and subtle curiosity. A fundamental doubt about why a demon has the job of a nun.

"But don't demons perish if they touch holy light?"

"Yeah. They do perish."

"But why are you fine?"

"I don't know."

I brushed off my dirt-stained skirt lightly and answered indifferently.

"It's a bit funny for me to say this myself, but wouldn't this also be a kind of talent?"

"Talent?"

"Yeah. Just because I'm a demon doesn't mean I have to use only unpleasant magic."

I spoke confidently and shrugged my shoulders triumphantly.

"I was chosen. Well, that doesn't mean there's absolutely no effect, though."

"Ah, by any chance, is the effect you're talking about that smoke?"

"Huh? What smoke?"

"White smoke has been rising from your body since earlier."

As soon as I heard that, I looked down at my arm and shoulder. Then, as the girl said, I saw white smoke rising ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠slightly from my body.

"Hmm, is it because I used little mana? There's less smoke this time."

"Does more smoke rise the more mana you use?"

"Probably?"

At my unhesitating answer, the girl opened her mouth blankly for a moment. But that was only for a moment; soon, as if recalling something she had forgotten. Her eyes suddenly flashed wide, and she fixed her gaze firmly on me.

"By any chance... can you come to the village where I live for a moment?"