The night ward was quiet.
In the poor orphanage, there was no oil, and even the lamps didn’t burn properly. Moonlight poured into the dim room.
Relying on that faint illumination, a woman was carefully examining me from behind.
She was a lady saint. With her delicate fingers, she brushed my back. It was a cautious touch, yet a bitter groan involuntarily escaped my lips.
It hurt. The injury I received from dealing with the monkey monsters a while ago seemed to be far from healed. Even after pouring an entire healing potion, I was still in this state.
I was unaware of that and had been stubbornly pushing myself since morning, so it was no surprise that my body was in such a condition. Blood was trickling down from the reopened wound.
It felt as if my skin was cracking like dry clay. A sharp pain stabbed at my mind.
“……Are you an idiot? I told you last time that your body has reached its limits. Did you think using just one healing potion would make everything fine?”
And with a tone that suggested it was obvious, the lady saint continued to scold me, leaving me with nothing to say.
In front of the attending priest, a patient was just a sinner. It was my fault for not taking care of my body. I even had the sin of purposely avoiding her, not wanting to hear the lady saint’s nagging.
It had only been a day since I was discharged. How shocked must she have been to see me return injured from hunting monsters on the very day?
I felt ashamed.
Suppressing my awkwardness, I cleared my throat with a cough to salvage some pride.
“I thought it was just a superficial wound and that I’d be fine… Ahhh!”
Of course, my bravado didn’t last long.
With a sudden press on my injury, I had no choice but to scream. The sound of the lady saint’s sigh tickled my ears and burrowed in.
“……Hmph, good grief.”
I couldn’t see her face since I was turned away, but I somehow guessed her expression. She must have had a look of disdain; just hearing her voice was enough to know.
I could only groan in pain, having no rebuttal to offer. It was my fault.
After a moment of seemingly glaring at me, the lady saint snickered and raised her divine power.
A warm sensation was felt on my back. As my wound began to heal, the pain rapidly subsided. Even though I had experienced it several times, it was a truly amazing miracle.
The speed at which my wound healed was astonishing.
It was truly a divine power bestowed by the gods. While the healing potion was also excellent, it was certainly no match for the lady saint’s divine abilities.
After carefully inspecting my injury for a while, the lady saint suddenly asked a casual question.
“You have other injuries besides your back, right?”
Though it was a question, it carried a strange certainty to it. I could feel that she assumed I hadn’t just hurt my back.
Of course, that assumption was correct. I had no choice but to admit to another injury reluctantly.
“Um, actually, my left arm is also…”
“……I can’t believe this, really.”
Though she muttered in annoyance, she turned to face me and clenched her fist. At first, I thought it was just muscle pain from intense training, but when she applied pressure with her fingers, a sharp pain shot through me.
The lady saint silently observed the grimace on my face. Once more, her divine power surged, and a pure white light formed in her hand, slowly seeping into my arm.
The gaze with which the lady saint treated my wound was incredibly serious. She was indeed separating work from personal feelings.
At the very least, the lady saint appeared to be sincere towards the patient. Otherwise, she wouldn’t bother with all this nagging about my injuries.
However, the level of her concern was rather excessive, making it a little awkward for me.
It would be fortunate if I didn’t suffer through the night again. A sense of melancholy settled in my eyes as I sensed a pitiful future ahead.
If worse came to worst, I thought I could sleep in tomorrow under the pretext of needing to treat my injuries. I might soon be facing a mage.
Maintaining optimal physical condition was a basic necessity.
Yet no matter what I was thinking, the lady saint remained focused solely on examining my wounds. It had been a while since she first started staring at my arm.
Eventually, the lady saint slowly removed her hand from my arm. It seemed the treatment was finally over.
Of course, it was too early to feel relieved. This was because the lady saint’s reproachful gaze turned toward me.
“……Why are you so reckless with your body?”
“I had no choice. Senior Delphine happened to get incapacitated at that time…”
“You shouldn’t have gone to the forest in the first place. Who goes monster hunting right after being discharged?”
That was a valid counterargument. At her remark, my attempts to find an excuse failed miserably, and my mouth was sealed shut.
The lady saint’s expression grew increasingly sour. Another sigh escaped her lips.
A sweet breath brushed against my nostrils.
“Anyway, you’re banned from combat for a while. Starting tomorrow, you’re out of exploration as well.”
Her tone was firm. It was as if there would be not even a slight concession; still, I attempted to negotiate.
The full-scale exploration was just beginning. There was a chance the mage might be hiding. Each member, including me, was precious.
However, before I could utter a word, the lady saint once again declared firmly.
“No.”
“……How did you know what I was going to say?”
“No matter how you try to persuade me, absolutely not. Are you crazy? Think back on how many times you’ve been injured just these past few days.”
At her words, I swallowed hard and momentarily averted my gaze. While I couldn’t remember the exact number, I recalled having met the lady saint about once or twice a week.
The lady saint seemed to have an attitude of not caring if she didn’t receive a response from me. Soon, her predetermined answers began to flow.
“Once while sparring with Sister Ceria, once while facing ten wolf monsters alone, once when I argued with Brother Tean, and then there was the time I got pierced by Sister Delphine…”
“Enough, enough!”
I shouted that as a sign of surrender. When the lady saint’s bleary eyes turned to me, I raised my hands in admission of fault.
“Alright, I admit it. But at that time, there was a real reason.”
“A reason…”
Surprisingly, my words seemed to evoke some strange feeling in her. Upon hearing the word “reason,” the lady saint slightly averted her gaze.
She probably didn’t take it as a homonym, but I couldn’t understand why she reacted that way.
The lady saint, who had been kneeling to examine my wounds, straightened her body. For a moment, she paced around the room as if she was idling, then she crossed her arms and looked down at me.
I felt a heavy resilience from her breasts resting on her arms. It was a magnificent texture, as always.
“……I’m a bit confused these days.”
Her voice was blunt. My questioning gaze was fully directed at the lady saint. Then she shot me a suspicious look.
“You, you know, you’re basically a scumbag, right?”
“That’s a bit too much, isn’t it?”
I grumbled immediately, but the lady saint didn’t budge. She continued her monologue.
“You threaten with information, hesitate not to use violence, and you tortured Sister Delphine after subduing her… You’re basically a villain straight out of a story.”
“Well, that….”
Strictly speaking, it was the persona from the future that committed those acts, but I was at a loss for words and trailed off.
Saying it as it was would have merely been an inadequate excuse. It was better to remain silent than risk being laughed at.
The lady saint seemed to be watching me, as if she was trying to see what I would say. But as time passed with no response from me, she scoffed, as if she expected it.
Nevertheless, I caught a subtle crack in her pinkish eyes. Though it was still faint, the essence of that emotion was clear.
Confusion.
The lady saint’s lips, which had been hesitant, parted once more.
“……But why do you keep being reckless with your body?”
I said nothing. My gaze slipped from the lady saint, unable to lock onto hers. She was looking down at the ground with a slightly hesitant expression.
“Can’t you just do things moderately? Just do as much as you can and take care of your body; wouldn’t that be better? I can’t understand why you’re pushing yourself so hard.”
My mouth remained silent, holding its tongue. The thought of being reckless had never crossed my mind before.
It was because if I didn’t push myself, there were things I could never accomplish.
Whether it was luck or misfortune, I had been improving rapidly due to chance, yet I was still weak. The responsibilities weighing on my shoulders far exceeded my current abilities.
However, if I failed, the world might face annihilation. So I gritted my teeth and did whatever it took to persevere.
It was simply because it was something I had to do. But tonight was far too short to lay out all my circumstances.
So I chuckled softly and said lightly.
“Thanks to that, I was able to hunt the monsters, right? That money will help improve the orphanage, so isn’t that a good thing?”
“That’s what makes it even more strange!”
However, my offhand comment appeared to have rather significantly stirred the lady saint.
Having been suddenly provoked, the lady saint raised her voice. And, striding quickly toward me, she began poking my chest with her finger as she spoke.
“After all, they’re orphans, aren’t they? No one would care if just one or two of them die.”
“People would care about that.”
It was a blunt but surprising statement.
The lady saint hesitated for a moment at my concise reply. After glaring at me for a while, she grew even more frustrated and tried to corner me.
“Do you really think it’s okay to sacrifice hundreds of gold just for that? You’re a low-ranking noble, you know? Especially for the results achieved at the expense of your health!”
“Well, it’s my money, so I can do whatever I want with it.”
But even my clear response resulted in more silence.
The lady saint chuckled, seemingly out of frustration. Soon, she placed her hand on her forehead and shook her head several times.
Then, biting her lip, she redirected her gaze toward me.
Her eyes held suspicion.
“……Are you pretending to be virtuous? Because a good public image is essential?”
“Lady Saint.”
With a sigh, I rose from where I was perched on the bed.
As my body straightened, the lady saint had to lift her gaze to meet mine. I looked down, and she looked up, and finally, our eyes intersected.
The lady saint’s eyes were slightly trembling. They bore a somewhat confused expression.
In a low voice, I offered her some advice.
“Don’t overthink it. There are times when you want to act according to your heart, right?”
“……So, what, you want to beat people with a hatchet?”
“I fought monsters, too. I’ve donated to the orphanage as well.”
The lady saint, who had been glaring at me with sharp eyes, finally relaxed her gaze, averting her eyes downward. Still, she wore a look of discontent.
After some time of hesitating, she murmured in a timid voice.
“……I fought too.”
A bitter smile formed on my lips. Ultimately, it all traced back to that day. The lady saint still held a grudge against me.
Not only did she get threatened that day, but she also suffered a complete defeat. The wound to her pride wasn’t healed in such a short time. Thus, she had been projecting that hostility towards me until now.
However, it seemed the way I had been acting recently caused her confusion.
The Ian Fercurus she thought of should be scum, but from what she observed, I wasn’t such a bad person. Those two perceptions collided within her.
I pondered for a moment.
It would have been acceptable to formally apologize for that day here. Perhaps the lady saint would release her grievances if I pretended to concede.
She might still annoy me afterward, but she wouldn’t overtly express negative reactions like before. After all, the lady saint was politically astute.
The lady saint was glancing at me with curiosity, seemingly concerned about my next move.
Seeing that, I considered uttering an apology, but I soon smiled bitterly and chose to refrain.
Such words wouldn’t truly resolve our conflict. The lady saint would likely retain questions tucked away in her heart, and, above all, we were at a point where parting with a friendly farewell felt rather awkward.
If that were the case, it would be a good strategy to remain as adversarial acquaintances, allowing her to engage with me genuinely without the pretense of nicety.
So, I smiled and said.
“Is it okay if you hit me once more?”
Honestly, it was a statement laced with half of my true feelings.
One day, the arrogant lady saint with her divine power was bound to get a taste of discipline from me.
