The next morning, I nearly overslept.
In the end, I hadn't managed much rest. Every way I turned, I was met with a soft, sweet fragrance. It felt less like I was being guarded and more like I was being surrounded. Yet the three of them looked perfectly refreshed as they got ready. As before, they wouldn't tell me why.
After breakfast, we headed toward the city clinic.
I had assumed one of the estate's servants would lead us, but Moritz was waiting by the front entrance.
"Ah, the guide—I'll... I—I will! I shall be your guide!"
He seemed incredibly fired up for some reason. However, Moritz’s attempts to lead us were somewhat clumsy and overeager.
He walked ahead of us, yet he turned back to look at me every time we reached a corner. Whenever our eyes met, he would snap his head forward again. "P-Please watch your step here, it's dangerous!" he warned, only to stumble over that very same ledge himself. When I reached out a hand and asked, "Are you all right?" he practically leaped away, shouting, "I-I'm fine!"
Does he hate me? No one would volunteer to guide someone they disliked. In that case, maybe he really was just feeling unwell.
"Um, Lord Moritz. You don't have to push yourself..."
"I-I'm not pushing myself! Not at all! If... if I can be of use to the Angel...!"
I really didn't understand.
Glancing to my side, I saw Mira looking at Moritz with a gaze of faint pity. What was that all about?
◇◇◇
The clinic was located behind the Church. Several large buildings resembling warehouses stood in a row, and Bishop Jonas was waiting at the entrance.
"May Viviana’s blessings be upon the Saints... I have divided the wards as follows."
Inside, it was quieter than I had expected.
The sleeping quarters were separated by row. There were beds for those with severe symptoms, beds for those who could finally sit up, and chairs for those who were able to walk. In the back, there were rooms partitioned off by cloth.
It was different from our time in Ahrens Territory. In this city, because they realized mid-outbreak that the symptoms were caused by poison, the situation had stabilized once the source—the rye—was removed. Since some time had passed, there were fewer patients in urgent need of care.
I didn't have to perform triage anymore. Just thinking that made it a little easier to breathe.
"Well then—let us begin."
I was already well-accustomed to the treatment. I proceeded steadily alongside Big Sister Therese. As the two of us worked side-by-side, the way the patients and those waiting in line looked at us began to change once we surpassed twenty people.
"They've treated more than twice as many people as the others...!"
"Incredible... As expected of the Saint and the White Angel..."
"We're saved. We're going to be saved!"
"Ah, Lady Viviana! Thank you so much!"
During all this, Moritz helped out the entire time. Honestly, acting as a guide isn't the sort of thing a son of a count would normally do, so for him to go out of his way to volunteer to assist with the treatments made me think he was a very good person. He took it upon himself to carry patients over to me, though he occasionally nearly tripped and had to be caught by those around him. During the treatments, he simply stared at the scene, perhaps because detoxification magic was so rare to him. Even so, I was grateful for the help.
Before noon, I passed in front of the partitions at the very back. It was silent behind the cloth.
"...Offer your prayers for those over there," the Bishop said softly.
That was all he said. I didn't ask anything further.
When noon came, Moritz arrived carrying a large basket.
"A refreshment for the White Angel and the Saint! It's bread and pastries baked at the manor!"
"So much... Thank you. Lord Moritz, is the grain at your house all right?"
"O-Ours is fine! We didn't stock any rye to begin with..."
"Ah, just like House Ahrens then. That's a relief."
I enjoyed the white bread he brought in a separate room. It was fluffy and still warm.
When I returned to the clinic, I noticed something. The bread being distributed to the others was much smaller than ours. I was told that because the potentially poisonous rye could no longer be used, the price of the replacement wheat had skyrocketed.
By evening, we had finished the treatments scheduled for the day. It had gone quite smoothly.
There were a little over five hundred people bedridden. Today alone, Big Sister and I were able to see over a hundred and fifty. At this rate, we could finish the rounds in just a few more days. Compared to how things were in Ahrens, it was almost unbelievable.
"I-I'll be your guide tomorrow too!" Moritz declared as we were leaving.
I had already memorized the route, but since there was no reason to refuse, I nodded. For some reason, Moritz pumped a small fist in the air.
The same routine continued for the next few days. The beds became visibly empty.
◇◇◇
Around the time Rein and the others were devoted to their treatments in the city of Soest, back at the Church Headquarters in the Royal Capital...
Cardinal Fesenmeier read a certain letter placed on his desk, his face contorting with stress.
The sender was His Highness Burkhard, the Second Prince. The wording was polite at a glance, but the content allowed for no refusal. It stated that he had someone in his faction he wished to introduce to the Saint-in-training known as the "White Angel" who was traveling to heal the poisoned cities. Since she had no house name, she was likely an orphan, which would make marriage impossible. Therefore, he wished to take her as a concubine. Since he could promise her a better life than her current one, it would be a good deal for her as well. He requested the Church's mediation to the individual in question.
I set the letter down and rubbed the bridge of my nose. No matter how many times I read it, the words did not change.
If I refused, I would be picking a fight with the Royalist Faction. The portion of donations the Church received from the Central was significant. His Highness's displeasure would directly affect the budgets of clinics in every region.
However, there was no way I could comply.
The true identity of the White Angel was Rein, the second son of Count Werl. I was the only one in the Royal Capital who knew this. If I revealed it, the legend of the "White Angel" would crumble, and faith, alms, and the Church’s reputation would all collapse together. In the first place, it was our side that had incurred a debt to House Werl and Rein to make this happen. I could not reveal the truth.
Even if I revealed he was male, the moment I was told "a boy is fine too"—and unfortunately, no small number of nobles in the capital felt that way—refusing would become even more difficult.
"There is no choice but to refuse this... But how can I do so without causing offense?"
As I sat before the letter, agonizing over a way out, a headache began to settle in. The sun was still high, but I already felt like going to sleep. However, I couldn't simply run away.
As a clergyman, writing a lie in a reply to royalty was far too dangerous. Therefore, I had to write only what I could.
I took up my quill and slowly began to draft the phrasing I had spent the last several hours agonizing over.
"—The White Angel is a person of noble blood currently under the protection of the Church. Due to exigent circumstances, their identity cannot be revealed. Therefore, I cannot offer any mediation regarding a position as a concubine. My sincerest apologies—"
I hadn't written a single lie. I wouldn't mention a house name. If I played it right, he might mistake Rein for a princess from some other country. Knowing he was born of nobility or royalty, even His Highness wouldn't act so recklessly....At least, I wanted to believe he wouldn't.
I pressed the wax seal and finally exhaled—that was when it happened.
There was a knock on the door.
"Cardinal. A letter has arrived."
A letter, again? Lately, not a single letter had brought good news. I felt like I was going to grow depressed every time one arrived.
I saw the sender and my fingers froze. House Werl. Next to the signature of the head, Lord Wilhelm, Rein’s signature was also present.
"It's finally here. I wonder what they'll demand now..."
The contents were polite, concise, and left no room for escape. It stated that as repayment for the "big debt" mentioned in the previous correspondence, and in preparation for the coming war with the neighboring country, the Church must establish a system to gather recovery magic users from every territory. Should House Werl request it, the Church must be ready to dispatch them all as a single unit.
I groaned, still holding the letter.
I understood the intent. They likely had zero trust in the Central and wanted to prepare for war.
Four people.
The number of detoxification magic users I had sent out recently as reinforcements for Soest was four. It had taken twenty days to gather just four people by inquiring with various territories. While not quite as rare as detoxification magic, recovery magic users were so coveted that the church in every territory was loath to let them go. If I pulled even one person, the local bishops would wail in protest.
Normally, if a war broke out, recovery magic users would accompany their territorial army. In that case, since the primary beneficiaries would be the army of that territory, no one would complain. However, extracting them independently would spark significant backlash.
The number wasn't specified, but ten people or so wouldn't be nearly enough to repay the debt.
"It will be impossible to extract them peacefully by consulting with the lords. I will have no choice but to create a system within the Church so they can be dispatched in secret..."
To create such a system, I would first have to make the bishops of those territories swallow the conditions. For a while, I would need to run around making adjustments in each territory. Even then, I wasn't sure it would go well... Moreover, this was a matter that could not wait, as no one knew when the enemy country might invade.
"It seems I won't have any time to rest for a while."
I glanced at my desk. The reply to His Highness and the letter from House Werl sat side-by-side.
"—How did it come to this?"
Shaking my head, I decided I had better put in an order for some stomach medicine.