Chapter 46
Chapter 46
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: Ghost of the Sea (2)
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Lilia was the type who usually went around with a beaming smile, but even she had moments when she turned deadly serious.
Rather than saying she lacked tact, it was more accurate to describe her as so pure-hearted that she simply couldn't tell a lie.
Being good at socializing typically meant knowing how to hide your true feelings and cater to others, but Lilia's blunt way of speaking—devoid of any such pretense—often left listeners flustered.
Like right now, in a situation that called for anything but smiles, Lilia was utterly grave.
"Could you make some room? It's fine to lay these people down for a bit, right?"
"Y-Yes!"
They couldn't block the middle of the main street forever, so they moved the patients to one side for now. It blocked the entrance to a nearby shop, but in this crisis, no bold merchant would dare stop a cleric.
Her senses, enhanced by the Miracle of Fortification, sharpened to a point. Without examining each patient one by one, Lilia zeroed in on the one with the weakest pulse and breathing.
"Do you have a knife... No, never mind."
A Radiant Miracle flared to life in Lilia's hand, forming a small dagger. It wasn't razor-sharp, but it would serve perfectly as a dull blade.
"Ooh!"
Ordinary folk rarely witnessed a bishop's Radiant Miracle, but conjuring a sword from light was unmistakably a miracle, no matter who saw it. Gasps of awe and prayers rose from the crowd here and there.
Lilia paid them no mind. She approached the most critical patient and sliced near the wound with the Radiant Blade. The clothes tore cleanly away.
The Miracle of Purification washed away the dirt and bloodstains in a rush. The wound was so massive that fresh blood welled up again immediately.
Fwaaah!
The Miracle of Vitality poured into the patient first. Life force surged into the one fading from excessive blood loss, clinging desperately to their thread of life.
At the same time, Lilia inspected the wound's interior with the eyes of a hawk. She ignored the blood slicking her hands.
Fwaaaah!
Next came the Healing Miracle in a blaze of dazzling platinum light. The gash—deep enough to expose internal organs—began sealing from the inside out.
In Earth's surgical procedures, this would have meant stitching it up and waiting weeks for the tissues to knit together, but here it progressed visibly before their eyes.
As a cleric's rank rose, they gained access to higher miracles, and even existing ones grew more potent.
Now a bishop, Lilia could perform far more effective treatments than she could as a mere priest.
In the meantime, Galen had asked nearby passersby to watch their horses.
I've never tried it quite like this before.
He checked his senses as he walked toward Lilia.
Water Flow Manipulation felt like kneading moisture in the surroundings—perceived within its unique sensory domain—with invisible hands.
As the level increased, the sensory range expanded, the number of "hands" multiplied, and finer control became possible.
But that didn't make it omniscient or omnipotent regarding water.
For example, bodily fluids.
Blood inside the body or other such liquids didn't register in Water Flow Manipulation's sensory field. It was like they were veiled.
If he couldn't sense them, he couldn't manipulate them—like how commands didn't pierce the fog of the abyss.
However, sweat or blood flowing out onto the body's surface was perceptible and thus controllable.
Of course, he still couldn't interfere inside the body, so it didn't mean forcing out sweat or blood that hadn't yet emerged.
Blood clots and coagulates to staunch bleeding. I should be able to help or hinder that.
Galen arrived at the patients' side and focused his mind.
Most had nothing proper like bandages—just rough cloths tied around them.
Shhh!
The blood trickling from the wounds reversed flow.
The pooled blood clung to the surface of the injuries. Not quite a scab, but like forcibly slamming a lid on top.
This wasn't the frantic pace of battle, and handling a dozen stationary patients at once was easy for Galen.
"Huh?"
Lilia, finishing first aid on one patient and turning to the next, belatedly noticed Galen. She couldn't miss the blood no longer flowing and the clots forming over the wounds.
"I'll temporarily staunch the bleeding for the others like this. No need to rush."
"Thank you!"
Lilia flashed a brief radiant smile before snapping back to her serious expression.
Galen bought time, and Lilia tackled the most urgent cases first. With so many patients, she didn't linger—instead moving on once the immediate crisis passed.
Several wagons arrived during this. The man who had run to the church earlier leaped out first, followed by a rush of white-robed priests and priestesses.
"Over here, over here!"
Onlookers pointed the way. The clerics hurried over.
"Brothers! Sisters! Please tend to the untreated patients first!"
Lilia called out. Galen added a light spell after a moment's thought.
Gathered moisture in the air formed arrow shapes anyone could recognize.
"The arrows point to those who haven't been treated yet."
"Th-Thank you!"
Simple and effective guidance. The arriving clerics split off naturally without breaking stride.
With priests joining in, the scene quickly stabilized.
The truly critical patients had already been handled by Lilia.
"Primary treatment complete! Everyone's stable!"
No fatalities. The crowd cheered.
A middle-aged priest, apparently the senior, sighed in relief and approached Lilia and Galen.
"We'll handle the rest at the clinic. Can't keep treating them in the street."
"Of course. Heading to the church?"
"Yes."
"I'll come help a bit more! I was going there anyway."
The sea was already forgotten from her mind. Galen felt the same, though.
The middle-aged priest bowed deeply, face full of gratitude at Lilia's words.
"We were too frantic to greet you properly, and now we owe you to the end. Truly thankful, Sister."
"It's just what anyone should do. There's still treatment left—hurry on!"
"Indeed. Thanks to you too, mage brother."
"No trouble at all. We'll follow on horseback."
"Understood."
Galen exchanged light bows with the priest and turned to leave. Lilia hurried after him with quick steps.
"Thank you, priest!"
"Truly grateful!"
The crowd shouted in unison. It didn't feel perfunctory. Some even teared up.
Back to her usual self, Lilia scattered heartwarming smiles that softened everyone who saw them. A bright, warm energy spread.
The middle-aged man who had briefly held their reins—despite them asking him for the favor—trembled with excessive humility as he handed them back.
Galen took the reins and said,
"You worked hard."
"You too, Brother Galen!"
"What did I even do."
"You stopped the bleeding and guided the others!"
Lilia grinned broadly.
"Thanks to the time you bought, everyone made it!"
"Probably eight or nine out of ten thanks to you, Lady Lilia."
Galen smiled back, then lowered his voice to a whisper.
"That aside, the street's atmosphere was off before and after the treatment."
"W-Was it?"
Lilia whispered back.
"You were busy healing, so you wouldn't have noticed, but judging by reactions, patients getting carted in like this happens often. And the joy now feels a bit excessive."
"Yeah... If this happens a lot, the city's mood would sink. More reasons to grieve than celebrate. Pirates, maybe?"
"That's the only guess I have..."
He hadn't heard from Myra that it was this bad.
"Let's head to the church first. They're handling pirate suppression, right?"
"Yes!"
Belpas Church was as grand as Abaca's.
Not for nothing was it the heart of the Eastern Archdiocese. Belpas was the East's largest city, too.
Even so, it wasn't much different from Nijerte—just one port among the southeast's many—thanks to the East's barrenness.
After finishing treatments at the church clinic, Lilia was escorted straight to the bishop's office. Galen came along, of course.
"I've heard the story."
The archbishop's proxy, Roald, was around Myra's age. Unlike her sharp, stern gaze, his slightly drooping eyes gave a gentle impression.
He looked inherently kind, but exhaustion shadowed his eyes, making him seem even more haggard.
A high cleric blessed by the Miracle of Vitality wouldn't tire physically, so it had to be mental strain.
"They say you tended the injured in the street? The priests are all praising you. Initial measures were so perfect, they had little left to do."
"Everyone helped!"
Lilia replied briskly. Roald gave a faint smile.
"Just like Myra described. No matter what you think, your role was biggest—don't deny it. Thank you. It helped immensely."
Lilia just smiled. Roald sipped steaming tea, sighed deeply, and got to the point.
"Anyway. What brings Priest Lilia here?"
"To deliver Bishop Myra's letter before my pilgrimage!"
"Oh, a pilgrimage."
Lilia handed over the thick envelope she'd prepared from her bag.
Normally, the Cradle of Demons report would go separately, but since Lilia was heading to Belpas anyway, Myra bundled it all.
"Heh."
Roald read the long letter carefully, his face grave, then let out a low murmur of admiration.
The Cradle popping up occasionally was one thing, but Moritz contracting with a demon was surprising.
Far more shocking were Lilia and Galen themselves.
"Priest Lilia, if you don't mind—could you demonstrate the Radiant Miracle?"
"Yes!"
Platinum light bloomed over Lilia's hand, stretching into a staff.
Roald stood and touched it himself. As a bishop, he knew the Radiant Miracle well.
"It's real. Not even year's end, and at eighteen... Heh."
Thanks to Myra's prior tales, he believed it—otherwise, even seeing it might not convince him.
Chuckling for a while, Roald turned to Galen.
"And... you, Lord Galen, took down the demon contractor with the greatest feat?"
"I saw it! Brother Galen is stronger than me!"
"Young heroes indeed."
"You're too kind."
"Not at all. This level of genius would make jealous rivals plot against you."
Roald spoke without jest. Galen inwardly agreed. If word spread he stole others' magic to grow at insane speeds, it was a real threat.
"Anyway, assuming Priest Lilia came to deliver this. What about you, Lord Galen? Just tagging along?"
"Actually, I came hearing rumors from Bishop Myra..."
Galen pulled Myra's letter of introduction from his robes and handed it over. Roald read it through and spoke.
"The letter and intro say the same. Bishop Myra thinks highly of you."
"Really?"
"No bad words, just praise. From my position, I hope it's true. Things are that dire."
"That's what I wondered. The city's vibe was off—worse than I heard."
"Abaca and Belpas are far. No urgent dispatches between us personally. In short, Myra's info is months old."
"So things worsened sharply in those months?"
"Yes. Especially recently..."
Roald trailed off, sighed deeply, and said,
"Belpas's allied fleet was annihilated. Contact with Dawn Archipelago is completely cut off.