"Ah, yes, yes, my benefactor!"
The hunter, who had been elbowed by his wife, suddenly came to his senses and hurriedly pulled me into the house: "I didn't expect to receive two distinguished guests all of a sudden, and I was flustered. I hope you can forgive my mistake and not be angry."
There's no need to get angry.
I shook my head and tried to reassure them with a warm smile: "I just heard a noise, so I came to check it out."
In the space cleared by the two, among the three beds side by side, a man in a dark robe was looking down, his palm hovering above the child's steady breathing, emitting a gentle ripple.
It was a warm light, the kind that only appears when a healing spell is activated.
Just as sunlight is always surrounded by a rainbow-colored halo when looking through tiny, icy water droplets into a clear sky, the light that appeared in the man's hand was also scattering from a similar principle. The excess light reflected in his eyes gently relieved the girl's fever.
The boy nodded, his bright eyes wide with fear of disturbing me, and greeted me. I slowly walked closer and looked down at the man's actions.
This scene really reminded me of Hikari when I participated in rescue operations, and I also recalled the warmth that spread from the point of contact to my chest, abdomen and limbs when I was treated by her.
Especially after the Dharma Ring is unfolded, even though it is very illusory, its existence is real. The pure light it releases makes the Dharma Ring, which is expanding as much as possible, flap like real wings, shaking off its illusory feathers.
"It seems he has recovered."
A deep, impatient voice brought me back to my senses, which had suddenly drifted off course.
It's a bit embarrassing; I've been spacing out more often lately. Perhaps it's because of the relaxed environment. There are certainly some stimuli, but they're not enough to fully engage my emotions, so much so that I can still drift off even now.
If he hadn't chosen to wake me up by speaking, but instead had pulled out a sword from his pocket and stabbed me, given the distance between us was less than five steps, plus the time it would have taken for me to react, I might have actually been stabbed.
If the blade is poisoned, then we're doomed.
A mage's fragile body isn't like a martial artist's, capable of gritting their teeth and enduring hardship. It seems I really need to heed Miyuki's advice and at least work on my basic physical conditioning when I have time, so I don't slip and fall one day and be unable to get up. That would be incredibly embarrassing.
I quietly returned the man's glance, while the hunter, who looked uneasy, mistakenly thought the words were directed at them. Seeing that the man had indeed withdrawn his hand to end the treatment and covered the child with the blankets again, he finally couldn't help but hug his eldest son who rushed towards him, expressing his gratitude while tears streamed down his face.
Compared to when she was rescued yesterday, the child, who was still lying on the bed with her eyes closed, has now recovered to normal, and her face has even regained some color. Her small, cold, red hands, which I remember, have been gently placed under the covers, and her breathing is even and natural; she doesn't look like someone who was just sick.
Just as the man later told the hunter couple, he only needed to rest for another day.
"Looks like I can make it to Saint Advent Day. It's one of the few major festivals in the city, and it would be so lucky if I could catch it..."
Leaving the couple's conversation behind the closed door, I followed them quietly into the deserted corridor.
“You seem to have something to say to me,” I asked.
The man frowned, his earlier friendly demeanor from his conversation with the couple vanishing as if it were a lie: "No, you could say I don't even want to see you."
"reason."
"There's no reason, I just don't like the look of them."
"Isn't it because I ruined your plans?" I pressed.
A flash of anger crossed the man's face, but he managed to suppress it well.
He raised his hand to create a thin soundproof barrier, and his low growl sounded like a wild beast's roar: "I already said we didn't do that! We just happened to find out last time, so we were just trying to fix it!"
Frustrated, he ruffled the hair on his head, making it stand on end in a volatile, agitated state. He then reached into his inner pocket, only to find it empty. He could only frown in annoyance: "We're just a bunch of ordinary people who've gathered together peacefully, trying to prevent disaster and live our lives well. We don't expect the world to change drastically tomorrow. But! Those bastards dared to use our name to do things that tarnish our beliefs... It's unforgivable!"
I stared dumbfounded at the man's behavior, barely managing to stammer, "...Isn't it supposed to be a religious order, with faith?" Then I recalled a scene from before, "I remember encountering people who, while shouting about their beliefs, did outrageous things. Their cry was about demanding power from the stars...Are they really not one of you?"
"...That is the root that has spread and rotted from the outside into the inside, a malignant sore that must be treated as soon as possible."
The man's face quickly darkened. "You've seen them?"
I've only met him once.
Where are they?
I shrugged: "Dead, not even a speck of dust remained."
The sound of grinding teeth came from across the way, and the clear fluctuations of anger lingered in the air, making even breathing feel thick and difficult.
“…Those guys,” he suddenly spoke again, staring intently at me, “are they really not with you? I’ve heard a lot of behind-the-scenes scandals in academia, including maliciously confiscating other people’s research results and irresponsibly assigning heavy tasks that novices cannot handle, and so on.”
"It's not entirely impossible that he could have committed such a heinous act."
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