Chapter 133: The Lord is With Us (54)
Chapter 133: The Lord is With Us (54)
The night air was cold.
I was on my way to see Senior Delphine.
I pushed through the biting night chill, my footsteps echoing. The Academy was quiet late at night, with the final exam period drawing to a close.
It was the time of day when everyone was usually holed up in the library, buried in their books.
It had been morning when I left the temple, but after a whirlwind of activity, night had already fallen.
This was because my acquaintances had come to visit one after another as soon as they heard the news of my discharge.
First, naturally, were Celine and Reto. And Seria as well.
Though they still seemed to bicker every time they met, Celine and Seria appeared to be spending more time together lately. According to a tip from Reto, Celine had even been participating in Seria’s training.
It seemed the recent internship period had served as a catalyst for Celine.
It was a good opportunity for her to grow as a swordsman. As for me, I was simply happy to see two juniors I cared about getting closer.
The moment Celine and Seria saw me, they both rushed at me. It was impossible to tell who was first.
It was quite a sight to see the usually haughty Seria’s expression crumble into a tearful pout in an instant. Celine, on the other hand, gave me a sharp smack on the back.
“Aaaagh! Hey, Celine! To a patient who just got discharged…!”
“I was worried, you idiot!”
Seeing Celine start to tear up as she shouted, I couldn't find the words to argue. Seria also looked somewhat haggard, as if she had been under a great deal of emotional stress.
I had to comfort the two juniors who were looking up at me with eyes brimming with tears.
“It’s okay, it’s okay. I just… almost died a little bit, that’s all.”
“Please, Senior Ian… my heart nearly stopped. Don’t ever do this again.”
Seria clung to me, her voice bordering on a plea. I could only clear my throat with a dry cough and nod.
To be honest, I wasn't confident I could keep that promise.
Who knew what would happen if another letter arrived tomorrow?
But I couldn't bring myself to ruin the mood right now. I waited until the two sobbing juniors calmed down, stroking their hair and patting their backs.
Reto just shook his head at the scene.
“Did you get good use out of the scroll?”
“Very.”
“Then pay me back, you prick. That thing cost more than two months of my allowance.”
As always, the conversation between Reto and me was incredibly brief. We were close enough that there was nothing to hide. However, being a mage, he was more rational than Celine or Seria.
He gave me a brief summary of what had happened while I was out.
“They’ve launched a massive investigation into the Guildford Orphanage. It seems the Holy Kingdom and the Empire are in an uproar over a Fiend being discovered for the first time in years.”
Stroking the head of the sniffling Celine, I asked in a slightly lowered voice, “What about the Flesh Nest?”
“It’s under investigation. But since the story is so absurd, they’ve requested that it be kept secret from the public for now. I expect someone will come to see you soon as well.”
I nodded, as that was within my expectations.
Announcing that a monster from myth had appeared would likely do nothing but incite public panic. They would only make an announcement after a more thorough investigation, once they had concluded the cause and established countermeasures.
I didn't know how long that would take. Most likely, it would be several months at least.
There probably weren't many places left that preserved historical records from thousands of years ago.
By now, graduate students majoring in mythology or archaeology were probably screaming.
Whether those were screams of joy or the death rattles of those worked to the bone, I had no way of knowing.
Come to think of it, someone coming to see me, huh?
There was no point in worrying about it now. They wouldn't try to harm me, at least, so I shook my head to clear my mind of stray thoughts.
Reto glanced around briefly before lowering his voice further.
“This is just something I heard, but it seems the name of the mastermind behind this incident is starting to surface.”
“……Where on earth do you get this information?”
I looked at Reto with an incredulous expression. But Reto just snorted and shrugged, as if it were the simplest thing in the world.
“I dug it up while cooperating with the investigation as a person involved, obviously. The name of the person who periodically sent hundreds of gold in cash to the Guildford Orphanage was written in the ledgers.”
“Who is it?”
“……‘Mitram.’”
It was a name I had never heard before. As I repeated the name several times to etch it into my memory, Reto added with a bitter smile.
“High probability he’s a priest of the Dark Cult.”
‘Dark Priest Mitram,’ huh?
I had a feeling I would be hearing that name quite often for a while.
While I was lost in thought, Celine burrowed deeper into my arms, burying her face in my chest. Not to be outdone, Seria also squeezed into my embrace.
Unfortunately, my arms weren't wide enough to hold both girls comfortably. Eventually, the teary-eyed Celine and Seria began to glare at each other.
“……Hey, loser. It’s a bit cramped, don’t you think?”
“I agree. It would be perfect if Miss Haster moved out of the way.”
And so, the two women began to growl at each other.
I wore a bitter smile.
Bickering like that right in front of their senior… it wasn't like I could use a hand axe to teach them some manners.
*
After the trio left, the next person to visit me while I was resting in my dormitory room was Emma.
As soon as I opened the door, her tearful face popped into my field of vision.
She was a lovely girl with striking reddish-brown hair and clear green eyes.
She asked me, once again carrying a bundle of things, “Ian! Are you okay?”
Her voice was thick with worry. Caught off guard, I ended up letting her into the room.
I felt a bit embarrassed by the scattered liquor bottles. They were the remnants of my attempts to soothe my loneliness by sipping alcohol alone at night.
However, Emma glanced around the room and, seemingly unbothered, began to pull things out of her bundle.
“Here, this is a potion to help with physical vitality. And this is Hornet’s honey; it helps with fatigue recovery if you mix it with water. Also, this is some porridge I made. Since you just woke up, your stomach might be sensitive, so you can heat it up and eat it bit by bit……”
I fell silent for a moment, overwhelmed by the sheer volume of items—from medicine to drinks and even food—emerging from the bundle.
I’d thought this before, but wasn't this a bit much?
Besides, I was already indebted to Emma. It was thanks to the potion she gave me that I had managed to survive.
If not for her, I wouldn't be breathing right now, let alone talking big to the Saintess.
So, I gently tried to stop her.
“Emma, it’s okay. I’ve been fully recovered for a long time; it just took a while to regain consciousness.”
“B-But! Your body must have weakened a lot during that time. Oh no… look how much weight you’ve lost.”
It wasn't weight; I had just lost muscle because I hadn't been able to exercise, but that alone was enough to make Emma look heartbroken.
She immediately rolled up her sleeves.
“S-Should I make you something right now? I’ve actually had quite a bit of bridal training, so I’m confident in my cooking. And while I’m at it, I’ll clean the room a bit……”
She looked ready to do absolutely anything if I let her. So, I had to call her name softly.
“……Emma.”
But Emma didn't even pretend to hear me. Like a true alchemist, once she was focused on something, she didn't seem to be the type to listen to others.
In the end, I decided to resort to my final tactic.
“I’ll clean up the bottles first, and then, um… there’s a lot of dust over there. Since your stomach just woke up, the food should be porridge or sou—?”
Emma’s words faltered in surprise as I reached out and firmly took her hand. Her round, light-green eyes turned toward me.
I gave her a bitter smile.
“Emma, it’s okay. How could I let you get your hands dirty?”
No matter how you looked at it, making a guest do housework wasn't right.
However, Emma’s reaction was the exact opposite of what I expected.
Her face turned bright red, and I could almost see an illusion of steam rising from her head. She hung her head low.
After a moment of hesitation, she patted her skirt and sat down in a chair. Demurely.
“……O-Oh. Okay.”
Then, Emma began to act restless for some reason.
She would steal a glance at me, blush, and look away, repeating the cycle several times.
I let out a faint chuckle. I found Emma’s behavior quite cute.
As it happened, I had something to give her.
I stood up, took a pouch out of a drawer, and carefully pushed it toward where Emma was sitting.
Emma looked at me, her eyes filled with questions.
I spoke as if it were no big deal. “It’s payment for the potions.”
At my words, Emma’s expression went blank. She hurriedly peered into the pouch. Even at a glance, there were many gold coins.
In fact, it was the reward I had received for catching the wolf demonic beast. With a few other things added, it was about 150 gold.
To be honest, I wanted to put in more, but the rewards for defeating the monkey demonic beast and the Fiend hadn't been paid out yet. The same went for the reward for discovering and destroying the Flesh Nest.
I was more than willing to pay Emma additional compensation once more money came in.
But as soon as Emma counted the gold in the pouch, she looked ready to cry and slammed the pouch down on the table.
“It’s too much, Ian! And I didn't do it for the money… I-I just wanted to be of help to you……!”
“Emma, you are a person of value.”
My voice was calm as I spoke. Emma couldn't say anything more and just looked at me with a tearful face.
“I know that better than anyone. So I can’t just accept your hard work for free.”
“But, I owe you my life……”
“And this time, you saved mine.”
I picked up the pouch Emma had dropped and gently placed it back in her hand.
Her light-green eyes looked up at me.
“This is all I have for now, but I’ll pay back the rest of the debt someday.”
“……It’s still too much.”
At Emma’s voice, which came out like a whimper, I replied with a faint smile.
“Then let’s call it a retainer. Permanent employment.”
At those words, Emma hurriedly looked away again. What on earth was she so embarrassed about?
She was mysterious in many ways, but she was a lovely and devoted girl.
In the end, I had to live on the nutritional supplements and porridge Emma gave me for the next few days.
*
The last person to visit me was Senior Elsie.
It happened while I was walking along the Academy’s Central Avenue.
A pointed hat scurrying about caught my eye. A girl with a tiny frame was frantically searching everywhere.
She looked incredibly anxious. Seeing a girl with such a lovely appearance acting that way was quite a sight in itself.
I recognized her immediately.
Elsie Lainella, the ‘Little Villain’ who was once the object of fear at the Academy.
I raised my hand slightly. Senior Elsie’s wide eyes turned toward me.
I offered a greeting with a bitter smile.
“It’s been a while, Senior Elsie.”
To be honest, saying it had been a while didn't feel real.
To me, I had just closed and opened my eyes, and a week had already passed, so I was just going along with it.
But time had clearly passed for Senior Elsie, as she broke into a wide grin the moment she saw me.
She came running over and threw herself into my arms.
It was a touching reunion.
Or it would have been, if Senior Elsie hadn't opened her mouth.
“……Master!”
Wait, why did her way of addressing me change in the meantime?
Cold sweat began to run down my spine, and when I looked around, it was exactly as I feared.
The wide-eyed stares of passersby were fixed on Senior Elsie and me.
It seemed the problem I had been worried about had finally exploded.