Saintess Silvia Sunshine (3)
“Can you heal pain?”
“Yeth! You thaid your head hurtth, right? I’ll make it better! I’m good at healing!”
Her sparkling sky-blue eyes widened as she beamed innocently, and just looking at the little kid made me feel better already. No doubt her parents saw that smile and said it cured their aches. The pure child believed it, front teeth missing and all, which only amplified the cuteness. She might not know real treatment, but she sure could heal hearts.
“I appreciate it, but ‘headache’ doesn’t mean actual pain—it means I’ve got worries.”
“Ah! I know that one! Goll… um…”
“A real pain in the ass?”
“Yeth! That’s it! Gollchi! So it’s not really hurting. Adults’ worries are too hard for me to fix. Sorry.”
She even knew what “gollchi” meant at her age. Way sharper than Lai, who was over 500.
“Talking to you, little turtle girl, cleared up my gollchi. Thanks.”
“Gohbooki? Oh! The uncle from the day before yesterday!”
“You remember?”
“The day before that—no, day before yesterday, does it still hurt where we bumped? I hit you really hard…”
She stared worriedly at the spot where we’d collided the day before yesterday, and I found myself patting her head without thinking. Come to think of it, wasn’t this the veil on her head?
“Doesn’t hurt, so don’t worry. You live at the temple, miss?”
“Yeth! I’m the thain…”
“So you know the Saintess too?”
“…Huh?”
Her already round eyes went even wider. Fair enough—asking a temple kid if she knew the continent’s big-shot Saintess was a dumb question.
“Uncle doesn’t know the Saintess?”
“Nah, came from far away. What’s she like?”
“Ohhh~ The Sainteth is, um…”
She pursed her lips and rolled her eyes, deep in thought. A kid her size lugging a backpack around must be doing chores at the temple. No wonder she hesitated to badmouth the greedy Saintess.
“If it’s tough, you don’t have to say.”
“No!”
She vigorously rejected my consideration and beckoned me closer, like she wanted me to lend an ear.
“The Sainteth breakth promiththes, she’s thuper greedy, and she dothn’t lithen to the Pope. She’s really bad. Hehe!”
Spot on. You can’t fool kids’ eyes. Greedy enough to jack up offering prices fivefold, and ignoring the Pope to boot.
“Gotta go! Keep what I said a thcret, okay?”
“Yeah, my lips are sealed. Thanks for the chat.”
She bobbed her head, then waved as she ran off toward the temple, glancing around cautiously. Careful kid. So why’d she crash into me back then?
“If she lives at the temple… probably no parents, huh?”
I didn’t know if the faith here doubled as an orphanage, but it reminded me of growing up in a temple without folks. We were supposed to move to a welfare spot after a certain age, but Yuri threw a fit and stayed, dragging me along.
“Nah, no time for nostalgia.”
Nothing solved, but my cluttered head felt aired out. Time to head back to the inn. Lai and Alicia were probably huddled in the room, and I felt bad for sneaking out to slack. Better grab some snacks on the way.
“What’s with the vibe?”
I pushed open the inn door, and the air was stiff. Not subtly— the place was wrecked. It was a restaurant-hostel combo, first floor dining, second rooms. Several tables and chairs down here were smashed.
“C-Customer!”
The innkeeper, sweating buckets in the wreckage, spotted me and rushed over. Uh, a middle-aged dude hugging my waist wasn’t exactly fun.
“B-Big trouble! Hurry to the building behind us. Down the alley! No, it’s dangerous, don’t go. Wait, you have to…”
“What’s going on? Calm down and talk.”
“Y-Your companions… both beauties, right?”
About three days ago? A party of one guy and two women checked in, and innkeeper Basel started enjoying what folks call “work worth doing.”
“Aliciaaa~ I don’t wanna eat thiiis~.”
A brown-haired girl in nun’s robes, pure and elegant but with a ditzy side.
“Lai, no pickiness. Eat up.”
A sharp-featured redhead in skimpy clothes that showed more than hid, dizzyingly hot.
“Says Alicia who drinks booze every dayyy.”
Two beauties with polar-opposite charms to ogle daily—what wasn’t to love?
“Innkeeper uncle~”
“Y-Yes! You called?”
He’d run from the counter just to chat up close when a simple reply would do.
“Can you hold the veggies here?”
“R-Right away. One moment.”
Fussy order? He’d agree to anything to stay in their good graces.
“How’re you gonna pick veggies outta fried rice? Uncle, don’t indulge her—go on.”
“Yes, got it.”
Bratty tone? He secretly wished for even more sass.
“Hey, boss. Steak set to that table. No veggies.”
“Yes, sir!”
“And send the priciest booze.”
Best part? Sales exploded. Yesterday alone topped a normal month’s take. No exaggeration—ingredients ran dry, no more food sales, and the booze cellar was emptying fast. Booze alone? Half a year’s stock gone.
“Sales up, and they look even prettier.”
This was Hollidral, capital of the flashy Gaia Empire—not some podunk town. Stunning faces weren’t rare. Yet folks kept ordering drinks just for glimpses, sticking around all night.
Basel prayed fervently to Goddess Lai Teresa for them to stay forever.
“Care to join us, lovely ladies?”
Wrong goddess? Life’s twists and turns. Why’d fortune flip so fast for Basel?
Three men in black uniforms with gold-cross-embroidered white cloaks surrounded the table, drawing all eyes. Trash like them—the outfit marked the temple’s Holy Knights. Temple elites with mighty power, sky-high pride, and zero manners. Violence was baseline; harassing women, daily routine.
“N-No, I’m good…”
“Can’t. Got company.”
“Company, huh? Fine. We’ll wait for him, then show him you two having fun with us.”
Casual sexual harassment turned glances to disgust. But folks hid faces, slipped out, or nursed drinks. No one wanted a beating for meddling.
“Ugh. Horny mutts. Their stench is rotting my nose. Pathetic.”
The redhead’s words silenced the room instantly.
“They dragged ’em off after she refused? And that broke the tables and chairs?”
“Y-Yes! Go quick—no, don’t, it’s bad. Complaints go nowhere…”
“How should I cover the broken stuff? Holy Knights don’t seem the compensating type.”
“That’s not the issue! Your friends are in trouble!”
Holy Knights were strong, sure, but street-thug bullshit? No way they overpowered Alicia. She’d handle three easy. Her identity meant “subduing” her was mutual. Lai, though… damn, high-maintenance as ever.
“Where?”
“Out the door, left, into the alley—booze warehouse. But you might get hurt…”
“Thanks. Hold these snacks. Back soon.”
I handed the bag to the innkeeper and headed to the warehouse. Holy Knights were probably licking Alicia’s boots by now.
“Huh?”
The warehouse was trashed, as expected.
“Aangh, stop! Kyaa! Luh, Luhster!”
“Luhster… sir…”
Problem: the opposite of expected. Alicia bled heavily from deep sword gashes everywhere, including her gut. Still, she slashed at a guy grabbing Lai’s hair with a dagger, shoving Lai behind her. Lai clung to her disheveled clothes, terrified.
“Alicia. Can you slip out? Back to the inn, get healed.”
“B-But Luhster…”
“It’s fine. Forgot who I am?”
Alicia bit her lip, resolved.
“Understood. I’ll go ahead.”
She vaulted over shoulders with nimble grace and escaped. Hiding her succubus nature meant no charm magic, plus protecting Lai—tough fight. Bad matchup against “holy” knights too. Rest up; I’d be quick.
“Why so early?”
“Shoulda started sooner. You went easy.”
“Then what’s with the red bitch’s gut hole?”
“We’ll return the red one. This brown one’s ours? Share the good stuff, right?”
“You don’t wanna get hurt. We’ll treat the brown one nice. Heh heh.”
I ignored their cackling and approached Lai.
“What the—?”
“Who dares touch her?”
“Pfft. Look at ’em get pushed. You losers gonna satisfy her?”
No sooner had Alicia left than the guys closed on Lai. I shoved them; tear-and-snot-streaked Lai threw herself into my arms.
“Gross. Snot on my clothes. Don’t cling.”
“Hnggu. Luhster! I was so scared. They stabbed Alicia with swords…! I couldn’t do anything…!”
“Ugh, you loser. ‘Couldn’t do shit’ isn’t a brag. Wrap up in this at least.”
I ruffled her ugly-crying face messily, then draped my coat over her. Not pity for her state—just didn’t want her snot on my shirt.
“Alicia took three down. Left: one, two… seventeen.”
Twenty guys for two women? Embarrassing as a fellow dude.
So.
“You’re all getting your dicks cut off today.”