EP.242 A Song for the Ashes That Remain (13)
As the morning sun rose, a light I once thought I would never see again, the realization that everything had come to an end slowly began to rise from my toes.
Roughly two days by the calendar.
No, counting the three full days I had been unconscious since the disaster ended, it had taken me a whopping five days to calm my mind.
The comrades who had rushed to help in rebuilding the village felt oddly distant the moment the dungeon raid was over.
I could say I keenly felt the stark difference between an ordinary person and a superhuman once again.
Though I had become thoroughly sick of it, the sense of powerlessness that still lingered left a bitter aftertaste on my tongue.
I carefully folded the newspaper I had been holding and gently placed it on the desk.
The bold headline on the front page read, “Hero Party! Demon King Subjugation!” and I found myself scratching my face, feeling totally embarrassed.
Hoo…
Following a chill in the early morning air, my gaze naturally turned to the window.
Under the grace of the shining sunlight, cold dust swirled like falling snow.
From beyond, the lively sounds of the city seemed particularly pleasant today.
I threw open the window to observe the city, and saw workers moving large wooden logs, sweating profusely.
You all must be working hard again today…
After offering a brief prayer for their hard work, I shook my head to clear the lingering drowsiness from my body.
The system was in full swing for the restoration of the damaged city.
Thanks to my comrades’ efforts, miraculously, there had been no fatalities; however, the number of buildings that had been wrecked was beyond counting.
Apis had tried to laugh it off, saying it was a cheap deal at this point, but the Hero vowed to pay the price for trampling on the citizens’ livelihood and went so far as to get personally involved in the city restoration.
Once again, I was moved by the Hero’s steadfast character, but at the same time, I felt a vague fear about his seemingly limitless stamina.
For better or worse, I told myself I must definitely commit to proper physical training from now on.
As I recalled Haren, who had significantly increased his exercise since marrying Madam, I swore silently to myself.
Drrr! Bang!
“Are you awake?! Priest Regis! Everything is ready!”
“Ah, yes. Thank you, Priest Nobel…”
At that moment, the door burst open noisily as Priest Ranobel interrupted the quiet of the room.
When I first heard the news of this person’s survival, I was stunned and even somewhat glad.
But by the time I had seen his face around the third time, annoyance had overtaken any sense of gladness.
It would have been one thing if a fresh-faced girl like the Hero or Saint had come bouncing in, but having a smelly man approach me with wide eyes was a bit much to handle.
Of course, thanks to that person’s valiant efforts, I was able to foresee the dangers approaching the system and respond quickly, but still, I couldn’t help but dislike it.
“Alright! This way!”
“Ah, yes…”
Like a loyal retainer to a king, Priest Ranobel treated me with great deference, making me feel increasingly uncomfortable.
Watching him scrub the path I was taking with what seemed like a mop from who-knows-where, I felt like a curling stone on a curling rink, which was distressing in many ways.
I would have preferred days when he constantly nitpicked my every action instead.
“Oh! Here! This is the list!”
“Ah, yes. Thank you, Priest Nobel…”
“No worries!”
The awkward smile on Priest Ranobel’s face as he handed me the list of citizens I was supposed to meet today was rather burdensome.
While I had said there had been no casualties, it didn’t mean that there hadn’t been any suffering among the citizens.
Most of the citizens were exposed to the unusual holy power scattered by the candidates for the Saint who aimed to turn all humans in this world into something akin to themselves.
They looked utterly wretched, as if their souls were wandering without bodies.
It was a mirror image of Priest Ranobel when he had been blasted by the Saint after trying to cozy up to her.
Thus, it was only natural for me to step up and help them, considering my ability to retain my sanity despite absorbing vast amounts of holy power.
“How many are scheduled for today?”
“Yes. As you mentioned, regardless of identity, age, or gender, there are exactly 63 waiting. However, several noble families sent huge donations insisting we treat their family members first. What should we do?”
“Tell them that treatment is first come, first served and that we will use the donations for city restoration. Also, let them know we truly appreciate their generosity.”
“Hahaha, understood!”
Wrapping my outer garment around myself, I casually replied.
Already overwhelmed with my duties, I felt like I could barely handle the relentless pressure from the noble families.
While I could understand their affection for their own families, their attitude of only caring for their own children while disregarding others certainly irked me.
“And it’s fine to add another ten or so.”
“Huh? B-but if you push yourself like that…”
“It’ll be fine. Worst case, I might get a bit dizzy and have a nosebleed or two. Now, let’s go.”
“Yes, understood!”
I firmly cut off Priest Ranobel’s concern.
In fact, it wasn’t just him who had cautioned me; my comrades often tried to stop me from doing this, but in the end, none succeeded.
“Keep this a secret from the Hero and Apis. And Sister too. If they find out…”
“If they find out what?”
“─!”
As I walked down the corridor, I was reiterating my caution to Priest Ranobel when a chilling sound tickled the back of my neck, freezing me in place.
“Sister Beltein!?”
In my panic, Priest Ranobel immediately identified the voice.
I couldn’t even dare to turn around.
After defeating the Demon King and returning safely, the memory of Sister weeping for five full hours filled my mind vividly.
If I worried her one more time like this, I would have no choice but to beg for forgiveness until my hands and feet turned into mush after her threats about spreading rumors of us sleeping together.
“Sister, it’s not like that.”
“Not like what? Priest Nobel. Please proceed today with the exact number of visitors we planned. If even one person increases…”
“Eek!”
Since Sister didn’t finish her sentence, I had no idea what she was implying to Priest Ranobel.
However, seeing his face go pale, I could make an educated guess.
“Priest Nobel, you should head out now. I’ll take care of the rest of Priest Regis’s tasks.”
“Y-yes! Excuse me!”
“Priest Nobel!?”
Priest Ranobel hastily fled from Sister’s icy aura.
As I fixated on his wind-like retreat, my gaze slowly shifted to the Sister beside me.
“Hahaha, good morning… Sister…”
“…”
With her sky-blue eyes silently glaring at me, I could feel an intense pressure behind her gaze that seemed like it could crush my body at any moment.
“Uh, about what I just said…”
“I’ll fix your clothes. Stay still.”
“Ah, yes…”
Any courage I mustered to speak was effortlessly sliced in two by her indifferent murmur.
The urge to apologize welled up in my throat, but I was currently trapped, held firmly within Sister’s grip, making it impossible.
“Even if you’re in a rush, what’s with your pathetic state this morning when you’re a protector of the Saint? Honestly, if I weren’t here…”
“Hahaha…”
Just yesterday, I joked that she looked like a wife welcoming her husband home when she tidied my clothes, only to receive a smack for it.
So, today, I merely let out an awkward chuckle.
“How’s the Saint doing? Has she gotten up?”
“No, she’s still sleeping. By the way, did you forget to spray the perfume I gave you?”
Every attempt I made to change the subject fell flat.
Since the dungeon disaster, Sister had remained on edge.
It seemed she held a significant grudge for not being able to dissuade the Saint from jumping into the dungeon disaster.
I had no words for that, so I swallowed my voice, feeling frustrated.
If this person were to leave the Sisterhood and become a mother in the future, while her child wouldn’t go hungry, wouldn’t her husband end up strangled?
Suddenly, that stray thought flitted through my mind.
Swoosh.
Just then, Sister tugged at my outer garment.
In a split second, I panicked, thinking I had inadvertently let my thought spill out, but quickly realized from her next words that it wasn’t the case.
“It’s tonight.”
Her soft whisper sounded like grains of sand falling from an hourglass, tightening around my heart with a melancholy melody that felt as if it would slip away with the wind.
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