The Younger Sister
The conversation with the mercenary had long since ended, yet the knight still hadn't returned. The same went for the female staff member. I wondered what on earth the two of them were doing to remain completely out of contact. As time dragged on, suspicion began to creep in.
When the female staff member and the knight finally reappeared—much later than expected—one glance at their disheveled appearances was enough to turn my suspicion into certainty.
'Wow… I really didn't expect that from him…'
I felt grateful to the knight for protecting me, but I certainly hadn't prayed for him to find this level of happiness. The knight's appearance upon his return told the whole story. Though he had straightened his clothes, the lipstick smudged at the corner of his mouth and his tousled hair made it impossible not to imagine something scandalous.
'This bastard. One hundred percent. He did it.'
The mercenary seemed to share my thoughts; he was staring at them with open contempt in his eyes.
“Ahem. Have you finished your discussion?” the female staff member asked, straightening her back with somewhat swollen lips.
“Khm!!”
The knight, who had initially tried to act brazen, must have realized from our gazes that he’d been caught. He attempted to hide his embarrassment with a loud cough.
I debated whether to point it out or let it slide, then finally spoke.
“Yes. We can proceed with the contract.”
“Understood. Please sign here and here.”
Thanks to the female staff member’s “help,” the knight gave up on being stubborn. He remained mostly silent while the contract was being prepared. As a result, we were able to safely sign the documents she presented.
“Thank you for giving us this opportunity,” the mercenary said, bowing his head in greeting. I concluded with a blessing invoking the Sun God’s protection. I couldn’t afford to appear too familiar in front of the knight.
On the way back after parting with the mercenary, the knight belatedly asked me a question.
“Did you make this decision after careful consideration? I didn’t say much because I thought it was for Your Reverence to decide, but I feel rather uneasy about it.”
As if he hadn’t kept quiet out of embarrassment after getting caught flirting with a woman.
“I decided after speaking with him. It will be fine.”
“Khm! Let me say it again—if any problems arise, you must tell me immediately. Especially on days when I have to visit the guild! Be sure to call for me.”
“…Yes.”
I couldn’t hide my reluctance as I gave the polite affirmative.
“That knight is here again.”
“Again? Priest Arthur really has it rough.”
Whispers spread.
It was a known fact that someone was staying in the special ward. However, until now, no one had shown any particular interest in it. After all, it wasn’t their assigned patient.
But as the days passed, the patient in the special ward who kept calling for Priest Arthur became the subject of gossip.
Just how sick could someone be to summon a person multiple times a day?
“He didn’t used to be like this before…”
“Maybe their life is in danger?”
“It’s really surprising. Honestly, I thought there was no illness Priest Arthur couldn’t cure.”
“I haven’t seen it either, but claiming he can cure every disease seems a bit much, doesn’t it?”
“Isn’t it basically at that level? Every time we had to hand over a patient we couldn’t treat, he cured them all.”
“Now that you mention it… I really haven’t seen a single case he couldn’t heal.”
There was a reason the healers liked Priest Arthur. When they ran into trouble and asked for help, he was the kind of superior who would solve the problem himself in the blink of an eye. Was his personality bad? Not at all! He was so gentle that it was rare to even hear him raise his voice. Did he assign a lot of work? Absolutely not! If he saw someone struggling during their shift, he would quietly come over and help. He shared his knowledge without hesitation and resolved difficulties when they arose. How could anyone dislike such a person?
There were countless reasons to be grateful to him. There wasn’t a single person who hadn’t benefited from his kindness. In fact, if someone claimed to hate him, most would assume they were crazy.
“It’s not for nothing that he earned the youngest-ever Chief Healer qualification.”
“Is there anything we can do to help him?”
“Yeah… We should think of something.”
It was a condition so severe that even Priest Arthur—who could seemingly cure almost any illness—had to be called to the ward multiple times a day. For the healers to step forward and claim they would treat it instead was completely out of the question.
As the priests discussed how they might ease his burden, a strikingly beautiful young girl approached them.
“Excuse me.”
“?”
The girl, whose beauty instantly captured everyone’s attention, spoke in an unusually refined tone.
“I wish to speak with you for a moment.”
She clearly appeared to be of noble birth, so the priests responded with caution.
“Yes, how may we assist you?”
“I heard my older sister is here.”
“Pardon? Your sister?”
Her sister was in the healing center?
“Guide me there at once.”
The girl had the unmistakable air of someone raised in luxury and refinement. Realizing that mishandling her could cause serious trouble, the priests filled their voices with utmost politeness.
“Um… May I ask your sister’s name?”
If she was a patient who had only visited briefly, been cured, and left, the girl’s visit would be in vain. But if she was one of the inpatients, they could guide her.
“I cannot say.”
“Excuse me?”
“Telling just anyone my sister’s name is absolutely out of the question! I will not speak it.”
How were they supposed to find her if she wouldn’t even give the name?
“Without a name, we cannot help you locate your sister.”
“Can you not tell just by looking at my face?! I resemble my sister! People have said so since I was young. So you should be able to recognize her immediately, should you not?”
“We are sorry, but there is no way for us to identify her based on appearance alone.”
If the patient had been as beautiful as the girl, it might have been possible. Unfortunately, none of the priests could recall any patient who resembled her.
“What frustrating people! Since words are useless, I have no choice. Bring your superior here at once!”
Whoever had raised this precious child had done an exceptional job of spoiling her. The priests grew troubled by the girl’s unyielding attitude.
‘Should we just throw her out?’
‘She looks like she’s from a very important family. What if we cause trouble for the temple?’
‘Let’s just pass this to someone higher up. This might be beyond us.’
In the end, the priests decided to report the matter to someone slightly higher in rank, just as the girl demanded. Not the head, but someone with comparable authority.
‘Priest Arthur is busy, so let’s go to someone else.’
‘Wouldn’t it be better to tell Priest Ando?’
Priest Chillan was also present, but he didn’t seem like the type to handle this coldly. Therefore, the priests chose Priest Ando. Unfortunately, one of the priests was selected as representative and ended up leading the mysterious girl to where Priest Ando was waiting.
After treating Princess Canaby and returning, I intended to continue seeing patients, but I noticed the priests clustered together, deep in conversation. Since they often came looking for me during work hours, I approached to let them know I had returned.
“Do you think they found the sister?”
“It’s Priest Ando. I’m sure he’s handling it well.”
“Wouldn’t it have been better to ask Priest Chillan instead of Priest Ando?”
“I’m back.”
“Oh? Priest Arthur!”
“What are you all talking about so enthusiastically?”
When I made my presence known and drew closer, they told me about the topic that had been dominating their discussion.
“A young girl came here looking for her sister?”
“Yes. Would you happen to know anything, Priest Arthur? You know all the inpatients’ faces, right?”
“I do, yes.”
“She seemed very well-educated. She said she absolutely couldn’t tell strangers her name.”
It was only natural not to give your name to strangers. After all, it could lead to kidnapping or worse. Still, refusing to give her name even at a temple healing center was rather odd behavior.
“She didn’t have any attendants with her. We think she might be a younger sister who ran away from home to find her sick older sister.”
“So where is the girl now? You didn’t just send her away, did you?”
“No. She refused to leave until she found her sister, so we told Priest Ando. He’s probably still looking after her.”
They left a child with someone as cold as Priest Ando? It would have been better to leave her with Priest Chillan… Feeling like it was practically torture for the poor girl, I hurried toward Priest Ando’s office.
Knock, knock, knock—
“Priest Ando, it’s Priest Arthur.”
“Come in.”
With Priest Ando’s permission, I opened the door, and the figure of a young girl immediately caught my eye.
“You’ve come at just the right time.”
“Yes. I heard the news and came right over. It seems she’s looking for a family member?”
“I came to find my sister!”
The girl’s face entered my field of vision. The girl who wouldn’t reveal her name. Before entering the room, I had wondered whether I could identify the person she was looking for just from her face, but…
“I know exactly who you’re looking for.”
“See! I told you! Didn’t I say you would recognize her!”
How could I not? She had an identical face and the exact same way of speaking. The girl smiled brightly, as if she had finally gotten what she wanted.
“You truly recognized her just from her face?” Priest Ando asked, visibly surprised.
“Yes. May I take her with me?”
“Let’s go quickly! I should have met my sister much sooner—it’s far too late already!”
“Of course. Please take her right away.”
Priest Ando looked visibly relieved at the offer to take her off his hands. It must have been quite the headache dealing with the girl. The girl sprang up from her seat, brushed past me, and flung the door open.
“What are you doing?! Lead the way at once!”
“…Yes.”
Truly, like sister, like sister. Or rather, judging by this behavior, the younger sister seemed even more bold than the older one.
As we walked, the girl, apparently curious about me, asked a question.
“Since you recognized me at a glance, you must see my sister often. Are you the priest in charge of treating her?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
“Then why have you not yet fully cured her?”
“It would be best if you heard the details directly from her.”
I didn’t know what kind of relationship Princess Canaby had with this girl, so I couldn’t carelessly speak about her illness. After all, this girl was also a member of the imperial family. Without knowing the exact nature of their relationship, I could not disclose personal information.