The Hero's Memories
Two days passed, then ten, and still I hadn't seen Sirmiia. "Is it still too soon? Maybe she still can't hold a conversation..." I thought as I sat there, habitually biting my nails and bouncing my leg like some kind of addict. On the second day without her, I couldn't take it anymore and went straight to Julius's office. He wasn't there. The Pope had dispatched him to Erebos on official business. If Julius didn't know where she was, there was only one other person who might. I headed for the Pope's chambers and knocked. Thud. Thud. Thud.
I pounded on the door for a long time, but the Pope never answered. Was he asleep at this hour? It was already close to noon. I was starting to doubt whether this man was truly the Pope at all. After what felt like an eternity of knocking, the door finally creaked open. When the Pope stepped out, a foul stench drifted from inside the room—the same strange odor I'd smelled in Sirmiia's old cell. I wrinkled my nose in disgust, but the Pope simply looked exhausted and asked what I wanted.
"Do you know where Sirmiia is?"
The Pope tilted his head, then asked who that was. Idiot... He didn't even remember the name of the woman he'd interrogated. After I gave him a rough description, he finally recalled that she was currently staying in Sister Angelica's room. I had what I needed. There was no reason to stay here any longer. I turned to leave without a moment's hesitation, intent on going straight to Sirmiia. But the Pope stopped me. Irritation flared, and I glared at him like I wanted to kill him. He remained perfectly calm and explained.
"Sirmiia needs rest right now. Her body isn't in good condition, likely because of the mana suppressant. That's why Sister Angelica is looking after her. She has healing abilities that can ease the side effects of the suppressant."
"If it's healing, then the priests should—"
"No. The Regenerative spell Sister Angelica uses is fundamentally different from the Heal spell used by priests."
Heal was a miracle granted by the Chief God and could only be used by priests who placed their absolute faith in Him. Every time it restored a wound, it consumed the patient's life force, shortening their lifespan. The more severe the injury, the greater the cost. I knew this well from the time the Saintess had saved me from near death in a labyrinth during my adventurer days.
"The Regenerative spell carries none of those penalties. It's practically a spell that defies the laws of the world."
"That's impossible. How could something like that exist without a divine miracle? Who is this woman, anyway? How can she use such a thing?"
"She belongs to the ancient Regenerative Clan. They are the only ones who have inherited the Regenerative spell, and now only one member remains. That is why the Holy See has been protecting her."
"The Regenerative Clan?"
"Yes. That is why I must ask you, Hero, to be patient. The girl is currently unstable due to the side effects of the mana suppressant. Once Sirmiia has recovered, I will inform you. For now, please return."
I didn't know whether the Pope was lying or telling the truth. More importantly, I couldn't trust him. But if what he said was true, going to see Sirmiia now might actually harm her. There was no choice. For the time being, it would be best to clear my head. At least, that was what I had thought.
***
And now I was completely retracting that thought.
Shlick. I pulled my sword from the monster's head, and thick green blood splattered across my face. All around me lay the corpses of creatures that resembled Earth's dinosaurs. Aria peeked out from behind a tree and approached cautiously.
"Are you hurt anywhere, Sir Ian?"
"No. I'm fine."
I answered in a flat voice. Aria smiled brightly.
"You promised to call me by name when we're alone, remember?"
Had I? I couldn't recall. For the past few days, at the Pope's request, I'd been clearing out monsters around Gallia with the Saintess, but my mind had been too cluttered to remember any of our conversations. All I could think about was cutting down monsters and Sirmiia.
"Understood, Aria."
"No 'miss' either, please."
"Understood, Aria."
The Saintess beamed as if that made her incredibly happy. She said the area seemed clear and suggested we move to the next location, leading the way. I followed her in a daze. After walking for a while, she suddenly stopped and turned to face me.
"Hero, is something troubling you?"
"No, nothing in particular."
"Liar. It's written all over your face. 'Something's bothering me.'"
I couldn't understand why the Saintess had to make things so complicated when we could just finish hunting monsters and go back. My head was already a mess. But she was stubborn enough to keep pestering me until I spoke, so it would probably be easier to just tell her the truth.
"Actually, I've been worried about Sirmiia."
"You still can't see her?"
"No. It seems I won't be able to until the Pope decides to tell me."
"Could you tell me what the Pope said to you?"
It was a hassle, but I explained everything that had happened. Since Sirmiia might become part of our party, I figured the Saintess needed to know. After listening, she clutched her head and frowned.
"How many years have you been here, Ian?"
"I came when I was eighteen, so it's been seven years already."
"Ian, the Regenerative Clan you mentioned doesn't exist. It's a fabrication."
"What? It doesn't exist? Then the Pope lied to me?"
"Maybe. In any case, no such clan exists. Regenerative is indeed an ancient spell, but it was created by Sergio Alteus, the first emperor of the Adelan Empire."
"Then does that mean Sister Angelica is royalty?"
"No, I don't know about that either. Emperor Alteus never passed the Regenerative spell down to his descendants."
"Whatever the case, I need to confirm this. Let's call it a day, Aria."
"Yes, understood, Ian."
After finishing off the remaining monsters, the Saintess and I returned to Petra, the capital.
***
On the carriage ride from Petra to Notre Dame Cathedral, the Saintess kept glancing at me nervously before finally speaking up.
"Ian, do you... like Sirmiia?"
"What? What are you—"
Me liking Sirmiia? We hadn't even spoken a single word to each other. What kind of nonsense was this? The Saintess must have misunderstood something.
"Even while hunting monsters, you were distracted because you were worried about her. I thought maybe you liked her..."
"I don't like her. I just feel uneasy and think I should help her as the Hero, that's all."
"Is that so? Then never mind."
The Saintess smiled brightly. I didn't know what exactly had been resolved, but if her mood had improved from whatever gloom she'd been in, it didn't matter. I decided to leave it at that.
After about ten minutes, we arrived at Notre Dame Cathedral. I parted ways with the Saintess and went straight to the Pope's office. He looked even more exhausted than before.
"What is it, Hero?"
"I want to see Sirmiia."
"Hero, as I said before, she is currently—"
"Enough with the lies. I already know the Regenerative Clan doesn't exist."
"...Who told you that?"
"I won't ask why you lied to me. Just tell me where Sirmiia is."
"I'm sorry, Hero. She is currently in a situation where even I cannot interfere."
"What does that mean?"
I kept pressing, but the Pope only gave vague answers, just as before. Still, I managed to glean one clear piece of information: Sirmiia hadn't left Sister Angelica's room. It might be a good idea to ask the Saintess for advice. She was clever; if I told her what I'd heard, she might figure something out.
"I'll be going now, Your Holiness."
"Ah, yes. I'll see what I can do about her. Please wait just a little longer."
"Understood."
No. I wasn't going to wait. I needed to see Sirmiia right now. I was done wavering. My decision was made. As long as her body was fine, I would take Sirmiia and leave Gallia today. I headed straight for the Saintess's room and knocked on her white door.
"Saintess, it's Ian."
"Oh my. Have you finished your business with His Holiness?"
"Yes. And I have something to tell you about Sirmiia."
"It must be cold talking out here. Come inside."
"Excuse me, then."
I stepped into the Saintess's room. A faintly sour scent lingered in the air. Was she having tea? I felt bad for interrupting her rest. This was my first time in her room. She hadn't been assigned a room at Notre Dame for long, yet her personality was already evident everywhere.
"You really like blue, don't you?"
"Yes. Ever since I was little, looking at the clear blue sky always calmed me down."
She smiled wistfully for a moment, lost in memory. But I hadn't come here to chat. I shook the Saintess out of her reverie and got to the point. After hearing everything, she let out a long sigh.
"If what you say is true, Sirmiia might be imprisoned in Sister Angelica's room right now."
Imprisoned? That single word was enough to shatter my reason and let emotion take over. Why Angelica would lock her up or how the Saintess had reached that conclusion didn't matter. All that mattered was that I now had a clear justification to take Sirmiia by force. I felt a quiet thrill.
"Do you know where Sister Angelica's room is?"
"Hmm, wouldn't it be faster to ask the other nuns?"
"Understood. Please prepare to leave as well, Saintess. We're taking Sirmiia and leaving the Kingdom of Gallia today."
"What? What do you mean all of a sudden—"
"I'll be going now."
I burst out of her room and sprinted down the corridor, ignoring the Saintess calling after me. I had no interest in listening to her right now. I wanted to see Sirmiia immediately. After asking around, I finally found Sister Angelica's room—only to discover that neither Sirmiia nor Angelica was there. I didn't panic. I calmed my racing heart and politely asked the nuns passing through the halls. They told me Angelica and Sirmiia had walked toward the lobby just a short while ago.
We must have missed each other. The timing couldn't have been worse. I cast Acceleration spells I rarely used and dashed through the corridor toward the lobby. When I arrived, I saw a nun walking toward the exit with Sirmiia's back in view.
Ah...
Seeing Sirmiia after so long filled something inside me, warming a corner of my heart. Why? I didn't know. And it didn't matter. I used Acceleration to block the exit and spoke while watching Sister Angelica's expression harden.
"You must be Sister Angelica, correct?"