5
Chapter 5
First, I learned the blessing.
I have no other choice, otherwise I'm just a useless Totem A.
My points dropped from 250 to 150, and the empty blessing slot was filled.
[Name: Mallak]
- Available Blessing: Totem of Healing (Low)
- Available Points: 150 -] 170
- Vassal: Paya
- Enter Community
My points are still rising even as I do this.
My believers are working so hard, I can't be the only one complaining.
Let's test this out. I clicked the newly acquired blessing with my eyes.
The ground within a 100-meter radius glows with a faint blue light.
The visuals pass for now. The gloomy altar looks a bit more holy.
I'll have to check the effects when Kanto and the warriors return.
...Nothing to do, should I just check the community?
I feel like an unemployed bum messing around on the computer while my family earns the money.
[Melee-type Spy: So, something happened a while ago~
A High-tier Demon started picking a fight with a nun who was resting against a tree, asking why she was sitting with her legs so wide open... Even after the nun closed her legs, he kept hurling abuse...
High-tier Demon: Sigh~~~ Honestly, kids these days are just empty-headed... showing off their panties so carelessly. Then again, maybe it's because she's a slut?
Me: !! You bastard. Calling a nun a slut... you're absolutely the lowest... stop right there.
High-tier Demon: Huh? You... is this girl yours (extending a pinky finger)? Do you want to take the hits for her?
So I told him to go ahead and hit me, and he actually did... -_-;; But I gritted my teeth and endured it.
High-tier Demon: One! Two!! Three!!...! Huff.... huff.... One million twenty-one! One million twenty-two!!!
It hurt like hell, but I glared at him and didn't let out a single groan, and then the High-tier Demon said~
High-tier Demon: You.... why on earth are you doing this for a girl? Those unwavering eyes.... what is with them!!!!! You.... who the hell are you!!!!
Holy Knight: ...Ah.... just your average.... wandering Holy Knight who can't stand by and watch a woman be bullied... I guess.
The High-tier Demon stared blankly for a moment and then started laughing...
High-tier Demon : ....Pfft...puhahat.....Kahahahahat!!!!!
Me: Eh....? Why.... why is he laughing! Are you manic?! Is there something wrong with your head?
High-tier Demon: Ah... there used to be... a foolish Holy Knight who said the exact same thing as you... it's an old story, though...
And then he hopped away and left.... The Demon Worshippers watching cheered him on -_-;
Demon Worshipper 1: Wooooo~~~!! Damn, that's amazing~~!!!
Demon Worshipper 2: Hey, you're pretty good!
Demon Worshipper 3: This is the martial spirit of a Holy Knight...!
Other Worshippers: (Standing up and giving a standing ovation)
Nun: (Glaring while on the verge of tears)... honestly... stop doing such reckless things, you idiot Holy Knight!!!
And then, the nun gave me a surprise kiss. -_-;;;
Truly, it was quite a troublesome day~?]
...I think I'll avoid reading the latest posts for a while.
Should I head back to the final page again?
After browsing through it a few times, I found the early posts were of much better quality.
Intense stories of Holy Knights fighting for their lives; the early posts felt like a text version of the game Survival as a Holy Knight.
Compared to those, the current ones are just an eyesore.
First, let's look for information. I need to figure out exactly what's the same and what's different compared to the game.
The safety of my believers depends on how much I know. If they are safe, then I am safe.
A thought suddenly occurred to me. If this totem breaks, do I die too?
Or would I be sent to another dimension until a new totem is created?
This was clearly information that couldn't be found anywhere in this community.
It's probably information only I can uncover. And it would require risking my life.
Pushing aside the uneasy feeling, I wandered through the sea of the community, searching for posts that would help me understand this world.
***
Kanto and the warriors didn't reach the tribe until after the sun had set.
"Lord Mallak! We have returned with a crushing victory! We slaughtered those things without losing a single warrior! Your name will echo throughout the mountains!"
Such a dramatic overstatement. This isn't some neighborhood hill; my name won't echo just because they killed a few infected animals.
- I know of your victory. Come and receive my blessing.
Since I had surpassed 500 points, I upgraded my blessing to the Totem of Healing (Mid).
I really didn't want to upgrade it, but since no other blessings appeared, I just invested in it.
Saving points until a crisis hits isn't my style.
Besides, it's still the early game. I shouldn't hoard them; I need to use them now to prepare thoroughly.
"Oh! You are now able to use a blessing!"
Kanto and the warriors entered the altar with beaming smiles.
They were all drenched in dark green blood, which wasn't exactly a pleasant sight.
"This is the blessing of the Loa!"
"I feel strangely refreshed!"
"I feel my fatigue disappearing!"
"The aching spots feel so much better!"
Kanto and the warriors let out exclamations as they entered the space glowing with a faint blue light.
I hope it does more than just recover fatigue. Otherwise, it's no different from an energy drink.
[Totem of Healing (Mid): Moderately heals believers within a 100-meter radius. Greatly increases natural regeneration.]
I'm anxious because I don't know exactly how much this "moderate healing" actually restores.
It can't just be like applying a bit of ointment. Hiding my nervousness, I waited calmly.
It took five minutes before the wounds on the warriors' bodies began to close.
The blue light surrounding them seeped into the wounds, regenerating the flesh. Fortunately, it was far better than a simple drink or ointment.
"Chief! Look at this! My wounds are closing!"
"The burn marks are disappearing! I've had these for ten years!"
"I think my hair might be growing back...?"
"That's just your imagination."
While it might not regenerate severed limbs, it seems most common injuries are cured.
One of the first skills a playable character learns in Survival as a Holy Knight is 'Touch of Recovery'.
That skill restored a small amount of a character's HP, and my blessing seems to be on that level.
Actually, since I can heal multiple people at once rather than just one, it's effectively better.
- This blessing is among the most pathetic ones I possess.
Since they seemed satisfied, I decided to talk a big game to raise their expectations.
- If you defeat many enemies, you will receive more blessings; if you defeat strong enemies, you will receive blessings of higher quality.
"To think this is a pathetic blessing. Hahaha! The unification of the tribes is finally within reach!"
Kanto grinned as he gave a hearty slap on the shoulders of the warriors, who were beaming like country bumpkins seeing a city for the first time.
"Tonight, we shall enjoy wine and women! I'll bring back even more beasts tomorrow!"
After making his bold claim, Kanto enjoyed the blessing with the warriors for several hours before leaving.
Wine and women. I could really use those too.
With this body, I can't enjoy such pleasures even if I want to. I had given up and was checking the community when it happened.
"...How is the totem doing?"
I noticed someone sneaking up beside me and saw it was Paya.
She was carrying a towel and a water bucket, which was tilting as if it were quite heavy.
- Nothing special. What is it?
Would a totem change in just one day? It's just a piece of wood.
"I've come to take care of you."
Paya said this as she set down the bucket, dampened the towel with water, and wiped my body—or rather, the totem.
As the towel passed over, the totem became glossy, making me think it wasn't just ordinary water.
Is this some kind of wax for barbarians?
- Hmm.
I felt a bit embarrassed that a young girl had taken it upon herself to clean my body.
Even though this wasn't my real body and Paya wasn't actually that young.
"Is your recovery going well?"
- It's proceeding smoothly.
"Is the recovery process painful?"
- It's tolerable.
"That's a relief. ...What is the world where the Loas live like?"
The world they live in. I don't know about the Loas, but I came from Earth.
It's very peaceful compared to here... no, wars happen occasionally, so maybe not "very."
Still, I think it's a place worth living in.
- It's a decent place.
Of course, I had no intention of telling her that literally.
"Are my parents there as well?"
Ah, a bit of lore I had forgotten came back to me.
Barbarians believe that if they achieve great deeds, they go to the dimension where the Loas live after death.
I don't remember exactly... but it seemed to be a setting similar to Valhalla.
Since they are a religious group, there must be many stories about the afterlife.
Even if that wasn't fully implemented in the game.
- I cannot speak of the affairs of the dead.
I decided to just dodge the question.
I had neither the reason to tell the truth nor the courage to lie.
In fact, I was already deceiving them quite a bit.
"...I see."
Paya nodded slowly and focused on tending to the totem.
And so, I received a full-course massage that I'd never even experienced on Earth.
"I'm finished. Please have a peaceful time."
Paya left after making the entire totem glossy.
A peaceful time... for me, it's just a tedious time.
I tried to fall asleep to the sound of insects chirping.