Picking Up the Abandoned Healer (8)
"Alright. So you were planning to take a demon's head back to the sect to avoid execution."
"Yes..."
"Hmm. In that case, why not just cut off a dead demon's wrist or something? The sect's priests could identify it as a demon from a specific body part alone."
Celestine stared at me with a frozen expression.
Whoa, did she really not think of that? In this atmosphere, it's a bit inappropriate, but this saintess is seriously dense as a brick.
"And how were you planning to carry that huge demon head all the way to sect headquarters by yourself? It takes a week on foot just to reach the nearest imperial city from here."
"I'd borrow a carriage or horse from believers in the city..."
"Aigoo, Saintess..."
A sigh escaped me at her words.
"I don't know how you made it through the imperial borderlands, but if you go back alone, you'll definitely die."
"But who would dare touch a saintess with her halo on display?"
"The world's full of guys who see a halo not as proof of the goddess's existence, but just as a convenient handle to grab."
"A handle...?"
I waved my hand at the saintess, who tilted her head with teary eyes.
"No, no. Ignore that. Anyway, even if I gave you the demon head right now, you couldn't carry it back alone."
"Then I'll ask the ranch owner from yesterday to lend me her workers for the trip. She's a very devout believer, so she'll gladly help."
That was true enough. Carla would probably arm her employees and escort the saintess all the way to the sect.
But Celestine clearly only knew half the story, which proved she was an idiot.
"Saintess. Let's say you make it back to the sect with the demon head. What happens then?"
"Well... for a mid-tier demon, wouldn't I get a pardon...?"
"I don't think so. You'd probably just get assigned to another demon extermination squad and kicked out again. Until you die."
Her lips trembled at my firm answer.
"No way... The orders clearly said it would reduce my sentence or grant a pardon...?"
"Are you naive or just stupid? No wonder the sect headquarters, those snakes in the same boat, stabbed you in the back."
Celestine hung her head low.
"You've already learned their secret about sourcing priests, and you're the crazy saintess blabbing it to outsiders. You think the sect would let that slide?"
"W-Well... I don't really know..."
"These are the people who create orphanages because they're short on priests and castrate kids like slaughtering livestock. Dealing with one saintess is nothing to them. Get your head straight, Saintess."
Leana, sitting beside me, nodded.
"The boss is right. You got lucky meeting him this time and saved your skin, but there's no guarantee it'll happen again."
At our words, Celestine started crying once more.
"Then... what should I do now...?"
This was the moment. I decided to proceed with the plan I'd had in mind.
"The overseers are all dead anyway, so just run. Pretend you died fighting the demon."
"I can't do that..."
"Why not?"
"I became a saintess at a young age, and I don't know how to do anything else... If it's not a job using holy power, I'll starve to death."
"Hmm, fair point. So maybe freelance healer?"
"Freelance healer?"
"Uh, no. On second thought, to do it legally, you'd need to register, and that would alert the church. You'd have to go illegal..."
"Illegal?"
"No, no. A naive saintess like you would get scammed and go broke for sure. And with that pretty face, you might end up in even worse trouble. Like human trafficking, for example?"
Celestine shuddered at my words.
"N-No way they'd traffic a saintess..."
"That's why you'd fetch a higher price. You really don't know how the world works, Saintess."
There. I'd scared her enough that she wouldn't even dream of trying anything else.
But everything I said wasn't just a ploy to manipulate her. It was all true. There were paths open to her, but they were all dangerous, so I was telling her not to throw herself at them and regret it later—give up quick.
"For now, Saintess, get some rest and we'll talk. You stood watch in front of the guild all night, right? Nothing gets done in this state."
I turned to Leana with instructions.
"Show her to an empty room upstairs. Give her some clothes to change into."
"Got it, boss."
Leana stood and approached Celestine.
"Saintess. Let's go. I'll show you."
"No... I'll stay here..."
As the saintess stubbornly refused, I let out a soft sigh.
"We won't kick you out right away. Rest first. We can figure out how to get through this after. I'll help."
Her head snapped up at "help."
"Y-You'll help me...?"
"Yeah. Listen to me. I have things to do right now."
I briefly explained what I'd handle for her this morning.
Celestine nodded silently, then burst into tears again.
"Those poor children..."
"Can't be helped, Saintess. That's in the past. Now we need to get you, the survivor, away from the sect. Right?"
"Yes..."
"Then head up and sleep. I'll take care of the rest."
Finally, she rose from the chair and followed Leana out of the office.
I sat there thinking for a bit, then glanced out the window.
Leana had screamed upon seeing the saintess at the crack of dawn before the sun even rose. Now the eastern sky was gradually turning pale blue.
I grabbed my cloak and left the guild.
Carla's ranch was just starting the day's work. She stood with arms crossed, watching laborers stretch as they emerged from the dorms.
"Carla."
"Leonar. Come on in. What brings you here this early?"
The tanned Carla flashed a white-toothed smile.
"How's the Saintess? She went to the guild saying she had business with you."
"Oh, yeah. She's sleeping upstairs now. By the way, about those priest bodies yesterday—did you handle them all?"
"Of course. Pieced the chunks together and dressed them in shrouds."
Carla pointed to one of the many warehouses.
Looks like that's where the remains were.
"You must've had your work cut out for you."
"Nah. They were holy men who gave their lives fighting demons. As believers, it's the least we can do."
So devout, just like southerners. We'll get along fine.
"I came to relay a message from the Saintess."
"From her?"
"Yes. She asked you to cremate the deceased priests with utmost care."
Carla nodded at "cremate."
"She's holding the funeral locally instead of returning to the sect. No problem. I'll prepare. When will the Saintess come?"
"She won't."
"Huh? Why not?"
"She says she lacks the courage to see the final moments of the priests she shared life and death with, being the sole survivor."
"Ahh... I see..."
Carla bowed her head with a somber expression.
"She also wants total silence about this incident."
"What do you mean?"
"For holy warriors, purging evil and enacting the goddess's will is as natural as breathing. She doesn't want rumors spreading. Even if you run into her, pretend you don't know her."
Of course, Celestine never said any of that, but Carla replied with an impressed look.
"Understood. I'll keep my people quiet. No one in town will know a demon appeared last night."
Carla's ranch hands were all southerners too. Devout as archpriests—they'd honor the saintess's "will" and keep quiet.
Perfect. With witnesses silenced and priest bodies incinerated, the sect would have a hell of a time tracing her.
This blocked outside interference, at least.
But that wasn't the end. Sending her off alone would get her killed or worse in no time. Working as a freelance holy healer would get her caught by the church immediately.
The best option was a honest guild master with a conscience hiring her as an irregular day laborer due to circumstances.
Who the hell would do that?
The bigger your guild, the more national benefits you got—everyone fought tooth and nail to register every member.
So in the end, there was only one conclusion.
Celestine was mine to pick up.