Chapter 23
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: The Whereabouts of Prayer (7)
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"Aria, here you go."
Kalt pulled a handkerchief from his pocket.
Seeing it made Aria realize tears were streaming down her cheeks.
"Th-thank you."
She hurriedly took the handkerchief and wiped away the tears trailing down her face.
Once she had finished, Kalt spoke up.
"Alright then, let's get started right away, Aria."
"Started?"
"Your problem-solving through mental counseling. Since it's something you've been struggling with for so long, we should tackle it as soon as possible."
Aria hadn't expected him to dive in so proactively.
At the same time, it made her happy that Kalt was taking her issue so seriously.
Nellis and Scarlet had listened to her story with sympathy and prayed for her recovery.
But actually searching for ways to resolve it like this—aside from the priests at the church when she was a child—Kalt was the first.
Plus, he'd said he'd helped others with their worries through mental counseling, so Aria placed her hopes in him too.
"Your problem is a mental trauma. When you pray, memories of that day resurface, making you doubt the existence of God. And from that point on, your divine power drops sharply. Right so far?"
"Yes."
"But you don't actually believe God doesn't exist at all, do you?"
"No."
"What do you think about when you pray, Aria?"
"When I pray?"
"Yes. Do you just use blessings without thinking anything at all?"
"No. I match it to the blessing's effect. Like hoping my comrades gain strength or that their wounds heal. But as I repeat the prayers..."
"The scenes from that day come back to you?"
"Yes, exactly."
After exchanging words with Aria, Kalt fell silent as if deep in thought, then spoke again.
"It might be good to change how you pray when using blessings."
"Change how I pray?"
"Yes. Not just thinking, 'I'll use this blessing now' or 'I'll use this divine attack.' Put more heart into it, focus your mind more."
Aria recalled the advice the priests had given her long ago to fix the problem.
-Lady Aria. Focus strongly on a peaceful world. Offer thanks to the God of Light who grants us power to make the world peaceful. With your strong divine power, it will surely work.
But that advice had only made her condition worse, faster.
She had prayed while offering thanks to God.
But when the trauma came rushing back afterward...
The doubt only grew thicker: Why hadn't He saved everyone, even after all those childhood prayers of thanks?
"Kalt, are you saying I should pray while giving thanks to the God of Light for granting me divine power?"
If that was it, she'd already tried it on the priests' advice.
It hadn't worked.
She was about to say so.
But...
"Huh? No. Using that method would only make it worse for you."
Kalt cut her off firmly.
"I-is that so."
Aria felt a bit embarrassed for asking unnecessarily.
"Aria."
Calling her name, Kalt spread his palm toward her and induced hypnosis.
"Ah..."
Kalt's hypnosis had two methods.
One made the subject forget even what suggestions had been implanted the moment they were given.
The other let them remember what he'd said.
The former was often used for altering perceptions or common sense.
He'd used it on Nadia too.
And now, Kalt used the latter on Aria.
"First, just follow what I say."
"...Yes, Kalt."
"Bring your hands together and close your eyes. Like you're praying."
"Yes."
In her dazed state, Aria assumed the prayer pose as instructed.
"What you're thinking about isn't thanks to God. It's the results that come from using your divine power."
"The results that come..."
"If you use a strength-boosting blessing, Nellis can take down monsters faster. A recovery blessing heals your injured comrades. And as a result, the whole party returns safely."
"Everyone safely..."
"Do you like Nellis and Scarlet, Aria?"
"Yes... They're precious comrades. Friends who know my situation and accepted me anyway."
"Then imagine the days when everyone returns safely. Fun times with those two. Chatting about nothing important is fine, or meals where you laugh and talk together. You can definitely picture it clearly."
With her eyes closed, scenes of peaceful daily life with Nellis and Scarlet unfolded vividly in Aria's mind, as if right before her.
Nellis giggling as she spoke, Scarlet butting in with a quip, Aria watching it all.
Recalling that made Aria smile naturally.
Time spent with her precious comrades filled her heart with joy.
Noticing the corners of her mouth lift, Kalt asked:
"How do you feel right now?"
"Happy. Peaceful and at ease."
"Good. From now on, when you pray, think of that first. Forget world peace or thanks to God for now. Imagine the situations your blessings and divine attacks bring. Fun, everyday moments with your comrades."
"Fun times with comrades..."
"Yes. After finishing a commission, receiving thanks from villagers, feeling proud, and chatting happily. Blissful, joyful times."
"Ah..."
The happy times with her comrades grew even clearer, along with the pride and joy of being in a hero party, filling Aria's heart.
At that moment, Kalt switched the hypnosis method.
From now on, she wouldn't remember his commands.
"Aria, every time you use a blessing from now on, you'll recall scenes like this and feel happiness and peace."
"Happiness and... peace..."
"The more that happiness and peace builds, the more you'll be able to endure those nightmare memories from that day. You won't overcome them completely at first. But with regular counseling sessions with me, the power of those happy, peaceful memories will grow stronger."
"Grow... stronger..."
"Yes. Strong enough that those memories from that day won't surface bit by bit during prayers, blessings, or divine attacks."
"Bit... by bit."
"And once you can use your divine power freely without them surfacing at all, you'll strongly recognize that it's thanks to me your problem was solved."
"Thanks to Kalt... strongly..."
"Yes, very strongly. It'll be firmly etched in your mind that you could solve it because of me."
'That sets the groundwork.'
Kalt withdrew his hand.
"Aria, open your eyes now."
"...Ah. Yes."
Her mind clearing from the slight haze, Aria opened her eyes.
The first thing she saw was Kalt's gentle smile.
"How was it? Focusing on those precious times with your comrades."
"It felt wonderful. I realized even more how much I love being with Nellis and Scarlet."
"Great. Try doing that every time you use divine power from now on."
"Will that improve my problem?"
'Of course.'
"I can't promise for sure. But knowing what your actions connect to is important. You said it made you happy just thinking about it, right?"
"Yes."
"Then start from that mindset: do it for that joy. Surprisingly."
Kalt tapped his chest lightly with his index finger.
"People often forget why they're acting. Just reminding yourself can spark more motivation and strength."
"I see..."
Aria didn't fully grasp all his words, but they didn't sound wrong.
The warmth in her chest right now was proof, soothing her heart.
"Your problem won't resolve in a day or two, surely. So after every commission, even if it's just a little, let's have counseling sessions."
How it felt using blessings today.
Whether she could properly recall times with her comrades.
How it was when the nightmare scenes resurfaced.
If this method didn't work at all, they'd try something else.
One reason after another for regular sessions.
Aria felt nothing odd about them.
She was just grateful Kalt faced her problem so earnestly.
"Yes, Kalt. Thank you."
"No need. We're comrades."
"Comrades..."
It had only been days since joining the same party.
Yet in Aria's eyes, Kalt seemed like a fully mature adult.
Kalt stood and offered his hand to Aria.
"Shall we head back?"
"Yes."
Aria smiled and took his hand.
The warmth from Kalt's bare hand made her heart even cozier.