My name is Jost. I’m just a lowly general merchant, a peddler who drifts from town to town with nothing but a single wagon to my name.
I say "lowly," but there aren’t many merchants who can boast of owning their own wagon by the age of twenty-five. It’s the result of ten years of hard work, hauling heavy packs on my back across the countryside.
I don’t have a fixed trade. In every land I visit, I buy whatever is cheap and profitable, then haul it to another place where folks are desperate for it. I handle anything and everything—a jack-of-all-trades, you might say. I only came here to stock up on wheat and liquor while the prices were low.
Thing is, I’ve had rotten luck since the day I was born. If there’s a short straw to be drawn, I’m usually the one left holding it. Even this time, I ended up trapped in this city when I’d only come here by chance to do a bit of buying.
Ahrensberg. It’s a city that once flourished as the heart of the Great Granary Region, right where the major highways intersect. My plan was to finish my business, load up the wagon, and be on my way in two or three days. But almost as soon as I arrived, right in the middle of my buying, the city was blockaded on suspicion of a plague. I couldn't move, and my business was dead in the water. Some of my fellow merchants tried to sneak out, but they were hit by fire arrows and turned into human torches right outside the walls. My partner—my horse—ran out of fodder and ended up in a cooking pot along with all the other livestock. Since food was non-existent, the only silver lining was that I at least got a high price for him, but all I had left was a wagon with no one to pull it. To top it all off, I went and caught the plague myself. My whole body shook, I started seeing monsters that weren't there, and my limbs felt like they were being eaten by fire. "Well," I thought, "this is finally the end of me."
And yet, here I am, still flapping my gums.
The one who saved me was that person wearing a veil pulled down low. For some reason, no one knew their name; everyone just called them "Sister." Apparently, they were the Saint’s attendant. As for the Saint herself, word was that she’d been affected by the poison too; she’d received treatment, but she hadn't fully recovered yet.
Poison. Yes, poison. As it turns out, it wasn't a plague at all. It seems there was poison in the black bread that those of us with thin coin purses—myself included—were munching on. I thought it was a bargain when I bought it, but I never imagined it would come to this.
While I was still half-delirious, I heard the rumors and crawled my way to the place they were calling the clinic. To be honest, it was hell on earth. A wave of people seeking treatment crashed against the doors. The bodies of those who hadn't been reached in time were being carried out one after another by knights. I heard voices moaning in pain and fever. I heard the wailing of people who had lost their families. And then, there were those who could do nothing but pray.
Detoxification Magic is something only a handful of high-level casters can use. What’s more, it seemed they could only treat fewer than ten people at a time. Looking at the crowd, I figured most of the people here weren't going to make it. Including me.
I was just about to give up on living when that person arrived.
The line, which hadn't moved an inch until then, suddenly began to flow. I wondered if there was actually hope for me after all. After a long, agonizing wait, I was finally led into a treatment room in the back.
Waiting there was a young Sister wearing a white veil. She had one eye closed, perhaps because she’d gotten something in it, but the other eye was a beautiful, clear pale green. She had skin so white it didn't seem human and a face as finely crafted as a doll’s. Perhaps it was just the light streaming in from the window, but she almost seemed to be glowing with a faint radiance.
"Are you... an Angel?"
"Haha... I get told that from time to time, but I'm just a normal human."
The voice that answered my accidental slip denied being an Angel, but even the sound of it was so pure that I found myself thinking, Are you sure?
"I’m going to treat you now, so try to get comfortable."
With that, she held her hand over my chest.
A green light seeped out from her fingertips, soaking smoothly into my body.
The fever receded as if the suffering had been a bad dream. The terrible pain in my limbs just... vanished. I could only stare at it all, dazed.
"...The treatment is finished. Take care of yourself."
The voice came from behind the veil. It was a strangely kind voice, yet it sounded a little pained. It lingered in my ears, and hearing it made me feel like I absolutely had to find a way to thank her. Just as my head was clearing enough to think of how to do that, the next patient was already being carried in, and I was promptly ushered out. There wasn't a shred of time for her to waste on someone like me.
After that, the atmosphere in the city began to change.
That afternoon, just as I heard a commotion outside, a line of knights marched into the city. I braced myself, thinking they’d finally come to burn the place down, but the knights of House Ahrens were leading them. Word spread that since the cause was confirmed as poison, they were going to cooperate in the recovery efforts. The man who told me that looked bitter. Well, I couldn't blame him. It’s only natural to feel that way after they’d been blockading us for so long. But since they were bringing food, no one could really complain. More than anything, none of us had the energy left to resist.
"I hear you have a wagon. We’ll be requisitioning it for a while."
While I was pondering my future, I was abruptly approached with that demand.
"I don't have a horse, though," I said. "He's already in everyone's bellies."
"I am aware. We will provide the horse. We wish to rent the wagon for about a week; is that acceptable?"
"Heh... well now. I understand."
Since it was a requisition, I expected a pittance, but they offered a fair amount of money. There were probably many merchants in the same situation. If we all took a massive loss here, none of us would ever set foot in the Ahrens territory again, so I figured they were being considerate to keep us coming back. Still, there were no horses for sale on the market yet. Between that and my own health, I needed to take it easy for a week anyway.
I spent my newly found free time peeking in on the clinic every day. Right now, people and information from all over the city are concentrated there. To a merchant, information is life....And besides, while my current wallet wouldn't allow for a donation, I was trying to think if there was some other way I could repay the Sister.
I managed to pick up quite a bit at the clinic. I heard the Marquis was mobilizing his knights to urgently import horses. I heard they were cutting off trade with the few territories that hadn't helped with the recovery. I heard the poison had been planted by an enemy nation. It was all very useful.
But the most common topic was that "Sister." She was the salvation of everyone there, their greatest focus, and every move she made was watched. It made sense.
"She has a beauty that isn't of this world. That white veil, that fair skin, and those beautiful pale green eyes."
"No, her eyes are blue, like jewels."
"It seems almost every person in this clinic has been treated by her."
"I saw her shining with my own eyes."
"She’s the Saint’s attendant, they say."
"Isn't she a noble lady? She always has a maid waiting on her."
"Is she not a Saint-in-training?"
"Today, too, she worked until she was on the verge of collapsing. It’s heartbreaking..."
"She took my hand, even though no one else would touch me."
From the patients waiting their turn to merchants like me and even wandering bards—everyone was talking about her.
"She’s an Angel."
Who was the first to say it? Those who had received treatment were convinced in an instant. I was no exception.
An Angel. That person was certainly worthy of the name.
Before I knew it, people in the clinic were calling her the "White Angel."
The people here will surely tell of her deeds to anyone who will listen. I decided that by spreading this story from town to town myself, I might be able to repay my debt to her, even if only a little.
And so, the rumors of the White Angel began to spread. The only thing I hadn't expected was that I wasn't the only peddler who had the exact same idea.