The New Holy Relic (2)
Following the guide’s directions, we set off to return to the spot where we had been. The moment we stepped outside, I realized how refreshingly cool it had been inside the ruins. After spending so long in that chill, the heat hit me far harder than before.
“The path ahead is rough, Father. If it becomes too much, please tell me at once.”
“I’m still all right. Don’t worry.”
We had descended from above, and since the entrance lay at the bottom, returning to our original location meant climbing back up. Searching for another route was an option, but wandering unfamiliar paths could lead to unknown dangers, so we chose to retrace our steps. Even an ordinary trek through the swamp was exhausting; adding a steep incline made it downright maddening. No wonder my companions kept fussing over me.
Whenever I felt I couldn’t go on, I restored myself with divine power and kept moving. Still, my entire body ended up drenched in sweat. Without divine power, I probably would have finished the journey slung over someone’s back like a sack of potatoes. I had to offer a prayer of thanks to the Sun God for sparing me that humiliation.
“Let’s rest here for a moment.”
Even Princess Reciel, who was both younger and smaller than me, looked utterly exhausted yet stubbornly refused to show it. I had offered several times to restore her stamina with divine power, but she declined each time, saying we needed to save it for emergencies. Her resolve was impressive.
We seemed to have been walking for quite a while. Anxiety made us take only the bare minimum of breaks on the return trip. The others could have complained, yet none of them showed the slightest sign of discontent.
“Thanks to everyone holding up so well, if we maintain this pace we should be able to exit in three days.”
“That’s fast.”
“Yes. This estimate already accounts for stamina. If we move while receiving your recovery support, we could be even quicker.”
“I’m fine with that. I can do it.”
I jumped in before Princess Reciel could object.
“Are you truly all right? Your stamina will be pushed to its limit…”
It seemed she had been stopping me from restoring the others’ strength out of concern for me. I explained my reasoning.
“I can manage. Our goal right now is to return as quickly as possible. I’d also prefer to arrive early and rest. Please understand that my heart is just as impatient as yours, Your Highness. Besides, maintaining good physical condition normally prevents major problems even if sudden combat breaks out.”
In the end, the princess yielded to my persuasion.
“Very well. Let’s try it.”
I had no idea how much we could shave off those three days, but moving while restoring stamina would surely make a big difference. I explained the situation to the resting team and restored their strength.
“It really feels different once you receive it.”
“My stamina actually feels better than when we started?”
“My body is itching to move. Shall we skip the rest and head out right away?”
Thanks to my restorations, everyone was brimming with motivation.
“We can still rest according to the schedule.”
“No need! We’ve rested enough! Let’s hurry, Leader!”
At the team’s insistence, the leader smiled and decided we should pack up.
“Fatigue wouldn’t have fully disappeared even with rest. Thanks to you, Father, we’ll be able to travel comfortably.”
“Everyone is simply doing their part. I’m only doing mine.”
The real question was whether I could keep up with the restored team’s pace.
When we resumed marching, the others—now adapted to the heat and the clinging swamp—walked at an astonishing speed. I had always prided myself on average fitness from the physical training the temple forced on me since childhood, yet I couldn’t help feeling resentful that I was the only normal person among these mutants.
“Huff… huff…”
“This won’t do. Please get on my back.”
“N-no!! Anything but that.”
Sister Melody looked ready to hoist me up at any second, so I hurriedly restored my stamina with divine power.
“See? I’m fine now. Completely recovered.”
“Your face says otherwise. You look half-dead. At the very least, I must insist we slow the pace. You’ve been staggering for a while now.”
“If we slow down because of me, all the stamina I restored for everyone will go to waste. I’m the only one who can’t keep up, so I have to try harder.”
I didn’t know how much we could shorten the three-day journey, but every minute saved would matter.
“…I’m sorry. I must be heavy, aren’t I?”
“Not at all. This is lighter than the weights I train with normally.”
“There’s no way I’m that light.”
If I had learned one thing today, it was that blindly rejecting other people’s kindness was a bad idea. I also needed to recognize my own limits. Better that than stubbornly pushing myself, taking a spectacular fall, and causing an accident.
How many times had blisters formed, been healed, then formed again? Even though I kept restoring my stamina with divine power, my utterly exhausted body ignored it and screamed for actual rest. In the end I tripped and smashed my knee. I healed it immediately, but after witnessing that with her own eyes, there was no chance Sister Melody would let me walk on my own.
And so, here we were.
“Isn’t it difficult for you? I can take over.”
I was becoming a burden to the entire team.
“I’m still fine.”
“Sister Melody, you’ve been carrying me for over an hour already. I’ve rested enough. I can walk now. I really can.”
“No. Even after healing, you must be careful for a while. Walking in a place like this will only reopen the wound.”
“……”
This was the exact line I used to repeat to my patients more often than telling them to eat. Now I was hearing it from the patient’s side. It felt absurd, and I couldn’t help wondering if this was simply how life worked.
“At least pass me to someone else.”
“I am your bodyguard, Father. And I know you’ve been secretly restoring my stamina. That’s precisely why there’s even less reason to hand you over.”
I had restored her because she was clearly the one who would struggle most, yet it seemed that very fact meant she still had strength to spare and thus kept carrying me.
That was when it happened.
“Watch out!!!”
Swish—!!
A sudden ambush erupted from the dark, overgrown bushes.
“These aren’t monsters!!”
What shocked me was that the attackers weren’t monsters at all.
“It’s an ambush!!!”
The ones attacking us were people—assassins dressed in black face coverings. The sudden malice from complete strangers froze me in place. The one silver lining was that I happened to be on Sister Melody’s back at the time.
“Please stay calm. I will protect you.”
Her steady voice in my ear gradually slowed my racing heart.
“From now on, you must follow my instructions precisely. Understood?”
“Yes. What should I do?”
“Stay behind me and press as close as possible.”
“Right!”
I first cast buffs across the team, my mind racing with how best to support them afterward.
“And hold your breath as much as you can. Try not to draw their eyes.”
“Isn’t there anything I can do to help? I can fight too.”
The situation was obvious. Assassins suddenly appearing inside the labyrinth and attacking us—it was clear who had sent them. Old habits died hard. Prince Loras must have dispatched men to kill the princess.
Slash—!
“Aargh!! What are you doing?! Why are you attacking me?!”
The reason our small elite group could traverse the labyrinth was because we possessed the skill to match. No matter how capable the assassins were, they couldn’t possibly defeat talents the imperial family had scoured the empire to recruit. At least, not if one of our own hadn’t suddenly betrayed us and started attacking.
“Die, you bastard!!!”
“Have you lost your mind?! Do you even know who you’re attacking?! Ugh!”
It seemed the assassins hadn’t trusted their own strength to pull off the surprise attack. Whatever trick they had used, it appeared they had made our companions mistake allies for enemies.
“Heretics!!”
That single word struck a raw nerve with Sister Melody. Manipulating people’s minds was a technique commonly used by heretics, after all.
“Are those assassins actually heretics? I’ve felt sick and suffocated ever since they appeared…”
From the moment they showed up, I had felt an oppressive, choking sensation. If that was caused by the Evil God’s power radiating from the heretics, it made perfect sense.
“You saw correctly. Those bastards are definitely heretics.”
“Has Prince Loras finally decided to throw all caution to the wind?”
To use heretics so openly. Either he was confident they could escape, or confident his plan wouldn’t fail.
I can understand him underestimating me, but I didn’t think he’d disregard even Sister Melody.
He might have assumed that a single inquisitor wouldn’t be too difficult to handle. After all, they had no idea of our actual fighting strength.
“You dare release rats in front of me?”
Sister Melody’s expression twisted ferociously. To think someone would release heretics before a person who had trained her entire life to hunt them, intending for her to be killed by them. Prince Loras had made a grave mistake this time. And that mistake would soon return to him as a lethal blow.
“I’ll help too.”
He probably gave the order without understanding the relationship between heretics and inquisitors. Using cockroaches to eliminate cockroach repellent—what a foolish plan. For people like us, real assassins would actually be more troublesome. After all, what were heretics if not those who wielded the Evil God’s power?
“Divine power is the natural counter to heretics. My strength will be useful.”
This time, I believed it was right for me to step forward. But Sister Melody shook her head at my words.
“No. You don’t need to expend your power capturing them, Father.”
“Pardon?”
“I can handle these bastards by myself. Please focus on restoring our teammates. That is something only you can do.”
Teammates attacking each other because they saw allies as enemies. Teammates hesitating because they couldn’t bring themselves to strike their own. There were clearly problems only I could solve.
I could ignore her request and act as I wished, but I knew better than anyone how foolish it was to disregard an expert’s judgment.
“Understood. I’ll restore the team first and then assist you.”
I decided to handle what I could do now and leave helping her for later.