“The adherent Aronda Lizea offers her prayers. Goddess, heal this person’s wounds.”
Aronda-san completed casting her healing miracle, and a golden light rained down from her outstretched hands.
The wounds scattered across Kutuna-san’s body slowly started to stitch themselves together as Aronda-san’s golden light wrapped itself around her.
“Elzella. Go get a clean cloth and some hot water. Wipe away the blood that’s sticking to her body.”
Aronda-san started barking off orders for Elzella-san as she continued healing Kutuna-san’s wounds.
“…….Kutuna…….”
“Ku-chan, s-she’s okay right? Ku-chan isn’t going to die or nothing right?”
“Don’t go saying something like that!! She’s going to be okay…….she has to be okay…….”
The Seed sisters’ distinctive brown skin made them stand out from the rest of the gathered crowd as they stood there worriedly watching over Kutuna-san. Right now Kutuna-san has been moved onto a bench looking as if she were just taking a nap with her eyes shut like this. Her chest is ever so slightly moving up and down to show that she’s breathing, but while she always had a pale complexion, she was even moreso now along with a slight purple tinge mixed in. She must have shed a lot of blood before they were able to get her here.
“You……you’re here too.”
Peachseed-san started speaking while keeping her gaze fixed on Kutuna-san.
I was the ‘you’ she was referring to. The bench Kutuna-san was resting on just so happened to be the bench Sarah and I were just sitting at. We offered up our spots since she needed to be laid out on a flat surface while Aronda-san healed her.
“Yes. Is it really ents that are attacking the city?”
“Yeah, it is. A lot of them. There must’ve been at least a hundred. Thankfully that wall is holding them back, but it’s not going to hold if too many more of them show up.”
“T-That many…… Then you three were outside of the city when the attack started?”
“Yes. We were in the forest acting as guards for the lumberjacks. They were supposed to stop going out there sine it’s been getting more dangerous in the forest lately, but the city apparently really needs the wood………”
“Y-You…..you’re the adventurers from back then?”
I turned around to see Roswald-san standing there.
“Ah, it really is you. You saved us back then. Without you, my daughter and I would never have been able to make it out of there safely…….”
“You don’t need to thank us for it. It’s our job. But, it’s good you managed to get out of there all right.”
“Yeah, it really is. It makes the strain Ku-chan put her body through worth it.”
The Seed sisters watched Kutuna-san being healed with their hands clasped together in front of their chests in prayer, and as the golden light slowly faded from Kutuna-san’s body, their grip tightened until the point where their knuckles turned white.
The healing miracle isn’t some all powerful cure. Rose-san told me before that if a person’s body is unable to withstand their injuries, then in the worst case scenario someone might die while they’re being treated.
“…….Kutuna…….please, don’t die…….”
“Ku-chan, Ku-chan……don’t leave us behind and go on your own…… God, Goddess, please, please……..Ku-chan…….”
I joined them and began praying to the Goddess. Dad and Mom, Sarah, Mycena, Roswald, and everyone else gathered around, we all prayed for the brave adventurer who risked her life to save another’s.
“……Goddess. We thank you for you mercy and benevolent will.”
Aronda-san took a deep breath before a weary smile slowly spread across her face. It was the proof we needed that Kutuna-san had managed to narrowly escape death, and it was all Plumseed-san needed to get her to start joyfully jumping in place.
“……Hooray! Thank you so much Goddess!!”
“Yeah, truly, honestly, thank goodness…… Priestess Aronda, really……thank you so much……”
In stark contrast to her sister, Peachseed-san was standing still, crying in relief. But in either case you could hear their love for Kutuna-san and their appreciation for the miracle.
“Sorry, but could I please ask you to help me cleanse the body. I’m afraid I don’t know how to remove her armor.”
Having returned with a pail of hot water and a clean cloth, Elzella-san asked for some help, and the Seed sisters immediately moved right next to Kutuna-san’s body.
“Y-Yes!”
“Of course we’ll help you!!”
“Thank goodness Onee-chan. Are they people you know?”
Sarah walked up next to me, taking the Seed sisters’ place after they left.
“Mhmm. We talked for a bit before. I’m relieved they’re okay…….”
“How unusual for Iris to know some adventurers. But then again, you have been spending a lot of time at the guild lately. Did you meet them then?”
Mycena had given a longer prayer than any of us, most likely giving thanks to the Goddess for saving the adventurer who had saved her. However, she still tightly held on to the end of Sarah’s sleeve, showing that she was still shaken from the ent attack.
“That’s right. They were stranded in this city because of the snow, just like how I was over the winter. So for half a year they’ve been trapped here……”
“Really? But because they were here, they were able to save me and the other lumberjacks, so maybe this was all the Goddess’s will.”
“…….that might just be true”
The Goddess’s will. If she really exists and can exert an influence over all things, then why did she bring Toslin and the other to this city?
(…..what a selfish thing to think. Not even the Goddess can see everything. If she could do that, she would’ve just prevented the dark elf attack on the fairy village in the first place…..)
“Iris-chan”
With my mind wandering off, what brought me back to reality was Aronda-san’s voice.
A tikarodeka with a gold trim border. It’s that symbol adorned on her robe that marks Aronda-san as the highest ranked person here at the church. And now that Aronda-san was singling out me, a simple small town girl. And by name no less.
With the exception of me and the other sisters, I’m sure such a thing must seem strange in the eyes of everyone else here. Sarah turned a worried gaze my way as a result.
“Onee-chan…..”
“It’s okay. Nothing to worry about.”
After stroking my sister’s head to put her at ease, I turned my attention back to Aronda-san. Her eyes drifted to my family standing behind me before forming a determined expression.
“May I have a moment”
“The adherent Aronda Lizea offers her prayers. Goddess, heal this person’s wounds.”
Aronda-san completed casting her healing miracle, and a golden light rained down from her outstretched hands.
The wounds scattered across Kutuna-san’s body slowly started to stitch themselves together as Aronda-san’s golden light wrapped itself around her.
“Elzella. Go get a clean cloth and some hot water. Wipe away the blood that’s sticking to her body.”
Aronda-san started barking off orders for Elzella-san as she continued healing Kutuna-san’s wounds.
“…….Kutuna…….”
“Ku-chan, s-she’s okay right? Ku-chan isn’t going to die or nothing right?”
“Don’t go saying something like that!! She’s going to be okay…….she has to be okay…….”
The Seed sisters’ distinctive brown skin made them stand out from the rest of the gathered crowd as they stood there worriedly watching over Kutuna-san. Right now Kutuna-san has been moved onto a bench looking as if she were just taking a nap with her eyes shut like this. Her chest is ever so slightly moving up and down to show that she’s breathing, but while she always had a pale complexion, she was even moreso now along with a slight purple tinge mixed in. She must have shed a lot of blood before they were able to get her here.
“You……you’re here too.”
Peachseed-san started speaking while keeping her gaze fixed on Kutuna-san.
I was the ‘you’ she was referring to. The bench Kutuna-san was resting on just so happened to be the bench Sarah and I were just sitting at. We offered up our spots since she needed to be laid out on a flat surface while Aronda-san healed her.
“Yes. Is it really ents that are attacking the city?”
“Yeah, it is. A lot of them. There must’ve been at least a hundred. Thankfully that wall is holding them back, but it’s not going to hold if too many more of them show up.”
“T-That many…… Then you three were outside of the city when the attack started?”
“Yes. We were in the forest acting as guards for the lumberjacks. They were supposed to stop going out there sine it’s been getting more dangerous in the forest lately, but the city apparently really needs the wood………”
“Y-You…..you’re the adventurers from back then?”
I turned around to see Roswald-san standing there.
“Ah, it really is you. You saved us back then. Without you, my daughter and I would never have been able to make it out of there safely…….”
“You don’t need to thank us for it. It’s our job. But, it’s good you managed to get out of there all right.”
“Yeah, it really is. It makes the strain Ku-chan put her body through worth it.”
The Seed sisters watched Kutuna-san being healed with their hands clasped together in front of their chests in prayer, and as the golden light slowly faded from Kutuna-san’s body, their grip tightened until the point where their knuckles turned white.
The healing miracle isn’t some all powerful cure. Rose-san told me before that if a person’s body is unable to withstand their injuries, then in the worst case scenario someone might die while they’re being treated.
“…….Kutuna…….please, don’t die…….”
“Ku-chan, Ku-chan……don’t leave us behind and go on your own…… God, Goddess, please, please……..Ku-chan…….”
I joined them and began praying to the Goddess. Dad and Mom, Sarah, Mycena, Roswald, and everyone else gathered around, we all prayed for the brave adventurer who risked her life to save another’s.
“……Goddess. We thank you for you mercy and benevolent will.”
Aronda-san took a deep breath before a weary smile slowly spread across her face. It was the proof we needed that Kutuna-san had managed to narrowly escape death, and it was all Plumseed-san needed to get her to start joyfully jumping in place.
“……Hooray! Thank you so much Goddess!!”
“Yeah, truly, honestly, thank goodness…… Priestess Aronda, really……thank you so much……”
In stark contrast to her sister, Peachseed-san was standing still, crying in relief. But in either case you could hear their love for Kutuna-san and their appreciation for the miracle.
“Sorry, but could I please ask you to help me cleanse the body. I’m afraid I don’t know how to remove her armor.”
Having returned with a pail of hot water and a clean cloth, Elzella-san asked for some help, and the Seed sisters immediately moved right next to Kutuna-san’s body.
“Y-Yes!”
“Of course we’ll help you!!”
“Thank goodness Onee-chan. Are they people you know?”
Sarah walked up next to me, taking the Seed sisters’ place after they left.
“Mhmm. We talked for a bit before. I’m relieved they’re okay…….”
“How unusual for Iris to know some adventurers. But then again, you have been spending a lot of time at the guild lately. Did you meet them then?”
Mycena had given a longer prayer than any of us, most likely giving thanks to the Goddess for saving the adventurer who had saved her. However, she still tightly held on to the end of Sarah’s sleeve, showing that she was still shaken from the ent attack.
“That’s right. They were stranded in this city because of the snow, just like how I was over the winter. So for half a year they’ve been trapped here……”
“Really? But because they were here, they were able to save me and the other lumberjacks, so maybe this was all the Goddess’s will.”
“…….that might just be true”
The Goddess’s will. If she really exists and can exert an influence over all things, then why did she bring Toslin and the other to this city?
(…..what a selfish thing to think. Not even the Goddess can see everything. If she could do that, she would’ve just prevented the dark elf attack on the fairy village in the first place…..)
“Iris-chan”
With my mind wandering off, what brought me back to reality was Aronda-san’s voice.
A tikarodeka with a gold trim border. It’s that symbol adorned on her robe that marks Aronda-san as the highest ranked person here at the church. And now that Aronda-san was singling out me, a simple small town girl. And by name no less.
With the exception of me and the other sisters, I’m sure such a thing must seem strange in the eyes of everyone else here. Sarah turned a worried gaze my way as a result.
“Onee-chan…..”
“It’s okay. Nothing to worry about.”
After stroking my sister’s head to put her at ease, I turned my attention back to Aronda-san. Her eyes drifted to my family standing behind me before forming a determined expression.
“May I have a moment”
