Retaliation (5)
Even if she took an item and letter that could substitute for my identification, there was no guarantee it would get her an audience with Princess Lasiel. The current political climate had the Deltrack Empire and the Holy Empire locked in a tense standoff. Given the poor timing, I wasn’t entirely confident that sending her to the Deltrack Empire had been the right decision.
“My little sister loved it. Thank you.”
Whether she knew about my worries or not, she was completely absorbed in recounting the story of the cake I’d given her yesterday. It seemed the generous amount of cake I’d packed for her sister had been a huge success.
“Did your sister enjoy it?”
When she bowed her head in a perfectly polite show of gratitude, I felt awkward and scratched the back of my head.
“Yes. She kept asking how something could be so soft, her eyes growing wide. It was incredibly cute, I’m telling you.”
A soft, fluffy sponge topped with smooth, sweet fresh cream was a combination no young girl could possibly dislike. She’d eaten so well at the café that I’d ended up buying two slices instead of one, just so her sister could have some too.
After she left that day, she returned the very next morning fully prepared to depart for the Deltrack Empire. The large bag slung over her shoulder made it obvious she intended to head straight there.
“You’re not seriously leaving for the Deltrack Empire already, are you?”
“What’s the point in putting it off? The right answer is to do what needs to be done without delay.”
She could have spent a little more time with her sister…
“Won’t your sister feel upset? She must have had a hard time seeing your face while you were away for so long because of me.”
“It’s actually better for her if I’m not around. Did you know? She made a friend! Isn’t that amazing?”
She really was the type who never held back when it came to praising her sister. Beaming with pride, she told me all about how her sister had made a friend.
“It sounds like your sister is doing well.”
“Yes. Thanks to you. No—I mean, thank you, Priest!”
Perhaps because she’d lived a rough life since childhood, her speech patterns tended to swing back and forth. She would speak casually, then switch to formal speech when she felt particularly grateful toward me, only to slip back into her usual tone because the formal register still felt unfamiliar. I understood it came from a place of deep appreciation, so I simply let it be.
“There’s no need to rush. You don’t have to move this quickly. Wouldn’t it be better to spend a little more time with your sister before leaving?”
“I know this is an urgent request. You’re only saying that because you don’t want to burden me, right?”
“It’s not exactly urgent, but…”
To be honest, it was urgent. We couldn’t afford to simply wait around for Princess Lasiel indefinitely.
“Haa~ Let me say it again. Please don’t push yourself too hard. If it seems impossible, you must give up immediately.”
“I understand. I’m not entirely sure this will work either, which is why I want to go early and at least try something. I plan to get there quickly and see what I can do.”
It seemed the thought of figuring out how to meet Princess Lasiel had weighed on her.
“Could you wait a moment? There are a few more things I need to give you.”
“Sure.”
I hurried back into the temple, gathered some money and Holy Water, and returned. The fact that I’d given her such a difficult request already weighed on my conscience; I couldn’t send her off empty-handed. I scraped together as much cash as I could, stuffed it into a pouch, and packed Holy Water, medicine, and other emergency supplies. She didn’t seem like the type to prepare such things meticulously, so I decided to do it for her.
“Here. This is for travel expenses. And this is just in case—nothing special, just some Holy Water. I thought it might come in handy someday. Oh, and this is a first-aid kit for injuries. It has motion sickness medicine and supplies for treating minor wounds.”
Even basic disinfection would prevent wounds from worsening severely by the time she came back to see me. Since she was on the temple’s Blacklist, I believed an emergency kit was essential. When she tried to refuse, I practically forced it into her hands.
“I’ll take this, but the travel money is really unnecessary. I haven’t even used up what you gave me last time.”
“Why haven’t you used it all? I gave you that money specifically so you could buy books while traveling.”
I suspected she spent most of the money I gave her on her sister, but I’d provided a generous amount for expenses, assuming she wouldn’t skimp on food. Hearing that she still hadn’t used it all made me realize she was trying to spend as little as possible.
“It’s strictly expense money from a different mission. It’s ridiculous to drag it into this request. If you saved any of it, that’s yours to keep. This new amount is for this mission’s expenses, so you must accept it. Understood?”
“Um… If I don’t take this, could I ask you for one favor instead?”
A favor?
“What kind of favor?”
“It’s about my little sister.”
“Yes.”
As expected, the request wasn’t for herself—it was for her sister.
“If I’m gone for a long time, could you visit our house once a month to check if she’s okay? She’s mature and manages by herself, but she’s still young. She needs an adult looking out for her. I thought hard about who I could ask, but to my embarrassment, there was no one. I’m not exactly good at building relationships, and the people I know are all trash. The only person I can truly trust to look after my sister is you, Priest.”
Her sister had recovered enough to begin venturing outside, but she was still at an age that required adult care. Reality wasn’t kind, however. For a woman who had to earn money, her sister must have always been a source of worry—especially when left alone to guard the house.
“Of course. Until this request is complete, I’ll look after her as best I can.”
After all, if Princess Lasiel didn’t return, I would simply continue working at the temple while taking it easy. Watching over her sister wasn’t a difficult task.
“That puts my mind at ease! Thank you. I’ll definitely deliver this and come back!!”
Her steps were noticeably lighter as she set off toward the Deltrack Empire. Watching her worn robe flutter behind her, I decided that if she brought back good news, I should prepare something helpful for her personally next time, rather than just for her sister.
Since she herself had said it was wrong to put off work, I waited until the night she departed before leaving the temple after my shift to visit her sister. As always, the Melody sisters followed silently when they heard I was going outside.
“I think I should bring plenty of supplies. There’s hardly anything in the house.”
I asked the sisters for their understanding and bought a mountain of goods. Recalling the vague memory of her home from last time, I swept up anything that caught my eye.
“…….”
The sisters looked somewhat startled by the sheer volume of my purchases, but they quietly helped carry the load.
“Excuse me.”
Since this was an unannounced visit, I couldn’t arrive too late. By hurrying, we reached the house before the night had grown too deep.
“It seems no one’s home. There’s no answer. She couldn’t possibly still be out at this hour.”
I knocked again, but when there was still no response, I began to wonder if the house really was empty…
“No. Someone is inside. It seems they’re startled by a nighttime visitor.”
“Ah!”
The realization that the child inside was wary of an unfamiliar visitor at night snapped me back to my senses. Of course she would be on guard without a guardian present.
Knock, knock, knock—
“This is Priest Arthur.”
I knocked again, more carefully this time, and clearly stated who I was. To my surprise, I heard movement inside, and the door burst open.
“Priest?!”
“I’m sorry for coming so suddenly. Did I scare you?”
“No, it’s fine. But why are you here?”
“This might be rude, but may we come inside for a moment?”
“Um… please come in. I’m sorry it’s so shabby.”
“No, I’m the one who should apologize for showing up without notice.”
The girl, unable to hide her confusion yet unwilling to refuse my request, let us in. Finally inside, I quickly gathered the bags I’d set down outside.
“…What is all this?”
Her eyes widened in shock at the mountain of packages filling both our arms.
“Ah~ It felt wrong to come empty-handed, so I bought a few things.”
“How is this ‘a few things’? Did you buy all of this for our house?”
“There’s quite a bit of packaging, so it looks like more than it is. Once you open them, it won’t be that much.”
Probably.
I moved past the astonished girl and carried the bags further inside before speaking again, wanting to check on her condition.
“Would you sit over here? Your complexion looks healthy, but I should still examine you.”
“Did my sister ask you to do this? To check if I’m healthy?”
“Your sister was very worried when she left. I’m sorry. It’s my fault she had to leave on such a long journey without even resting properly—not hers.”
“My sister told me everything. She said being able to work is a great blessing. So please don’t say that. I may be young, but I understand more than you think.”
Her crisp, mature response brought a warm smile to my face.
“Your sister must feel very reassured by you.”
The girl, now free of illness, had noticeably fuller cheeks than before. It must have taken tremendous effort from her sister to transform a dying child into a girl with a bright future ahead of her. Although she had recovered, she was still physically weaker than other children her age, so I infused her body with a generous amount of divine power.
“I’ve placed divine power inside you, so you’ll probably feel stronger than usual for a while. It’s because of the divine power, so don’t overdo it and make sure to rest well. Okay?”
“Yes! How’s my condition? I’m healthy now, right? I haven’t been sick at all lately.”
The girl’s previously tense expression during the examination brightened. It seemed my lack of alarming comments had eased her nerves.
“From now on, eat well, sleep well, and play well. You may lack stamina compared to others right now, but if you avoid anything harmful and take consistent care of yourself, you’ll end up healthier than most.”
“That’s wonderful!! I’ll take really good care of myself. I can hardly believe I could become healthier than others, but since you said so, I’ll work hard at it!!”
“You’re full of spirit.”
It felt profoundly unfair that an innocent child had nearly died simply because her family had been unjustly placed on the Blacklist.
I really need to do something about that Blacklist…
Unfortunately, because of the trouble I’d caused with the higher-ups this time, I wasn’t sure whether I could get her name removed from it.