Chapter 182 - Episode Nine
Me, Mea, and Elia, accompanied by Nelgliffe and Chloe, walked through the Palgas Village, heading to the Hall of the Village Chief Heil Fage.
I saw very few people on the road, and if I did, they were wearing Levi Church’s blue robes, and I couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable.
I’m sure Mea felt the same way as she was anxiously squeezing my hand.
On the way, a middle-aged woman wearing a blue robe, who was walking alone, came running up to us.
“Nelgliffe-sama! In the morning, my husband woke up to ……! How, how can I thank you……!”
“Oh, oh! Good…… That’s really good to hear!”
Apparently, she is a woman whose husband is being treated by Levi Church.
Nelgliffe also spilled tears and was happy to take her hand.
I, it doesn’t look like an act in any way ……
When I suddenly turned to Chloe, she quickly turned away from me with a blank expression.
I’m sure it’s just a coincidence, but it seemed to me that it was something that came from a bad temper.
…… Don’t tell me that old man is being hailed as a hero and is used on their plan for the invasion of the Riveras Nation?
I looked at the red-eyed, happy Nelgliffe, and took pity on them.
If my prediction was correct……… what would that kind old man think if he knew the truth?
“That demon’s magic was quite powerful, so …… I honestly thought it was going to be pretty tough. Thank goodness …… this is also due to Levi-sama’s blessing!”
Nelgliffe crossed the fingers of his hand, closed his eyes, and assumed a prayer position.
After the woman left, I asked Nelgliffe.
“That woman is……”
“She was a person who converted to Levi Church some time ago. Levi-sama is truly as broad-minded as the sea…… but, his blessings are still given priority over those who are faithful believers.”
Saying that, Nelgliffe gently stroked the back of his own hand as if it were compassionate.
Would Levi’s summoning crests emerge there?
The water god Levi was said to be excellent in the power of healing as well as the power to control water.
Legend has it that he was regenerated by his own magical power even after receiving a blow from the god Kudor.
…… Most of all, in the moments that followed, he was mortally wounded by a hundred blows from the god Kudor, and was swallowed up as he tried to escape by transforming himself into water.
As an aside, Levi is said to have made the first move by throwing a large spear, making a large hole in the god Kudor’s belly, but he managed to fill it up by throwing Levi in the air.
Although the state religion of the Dinrat Kingdom is Kudorism, I am honestly very glad that there is no God Kudor in this world.
I’m sure he was aware of the fact that he said in the Kudor’s Bible that “the world that does not need me is a peaceful world”.
Leaving aside the story of god Kudor, it seems that the Levi Church has been evangelizing in Palgas to receive Levi’s blessing for healing.
After all, it’s part of a planned invasion effort, no matter what you think.
I’d like to successfully persuade Nelgliffe to join me, but …… that will be difficult.
In the worst-case scenario, we have to consider fighting them head-on.
Eventually, we arrived at the village chief Heil’s mansion.
Chloe rang the doorbell, and a red-haired woman came out of the mansion.
She has red curly hair and looks to be in her twenties.
She seemed to be worn out and was slightly dark circles under her eyes.
There were many people with red hair in Lark’s mansion.
Maybe it’s a trait of the Fage family bloodline.
If so, considering her age, she would be the daughter of the Village Chief Heil.
“Nelgliffe-sama…… so you have come. Who’re the people over there?”
“These people are traveling magicians…… and they have a great deal of knowledge in the field of healing magic. We were out of our depth…… so I thought these people might be able to make your father’s condition well.”
Her father’s…… condition?
“Um, Nelgliffe-san. Village Chief Heil is……”
The Village Chief Heil’s daughter replied on behalf of Nelgliffe.
“My father is now bedridden …… He hasn’t been awake for over a week now. Even before that, he had been so agitated that he wasn’t in a proper state.”
…… The village chief had already been unconscious, apparently.
Of course. From the Levi Church’s modus operandi, the village leader must have been coaxed out of his position or else he would have kept his mouth shut.
Afterward, I decided to talk to the woman with the red curly hair for a while and ask her about the current situation in the village.
She is the daughter of Heil Fage, and her name is Fleur, I was told.
Apparently, the Palgas Village has replaced the Kudor church hall with a Levi church hall and brought in people for treatment.
It seems that it was inconvenient to leave it as it was since the Levi followers provided the people to perform the treatment.
The villagers are said to have carried it out as it was because their lives were on the line and few of them revealed any animosity.
The only thing is that they quickly ran out of space, so they are renovating and constructing a new treatment center …… practically a Levi church’s building one after another, using the existing buildings.
It is already a state where it’s in hands of the Levi Church’s.
It seems that Village Chief Heil had difficulty in increasing the number of Levi’s churches and had been making enemies with Levi’s followers and the villagers.
As a result, he was unable to enter a sanitarium when he developed an illness and seems to be curing himself in his mansion.
A few of the church members, led by Nelgliffe, have come to see how he’s doing…… but he’s not getting any better treatment than the others and his condition is progressing so fast that he doesn’t have more than a week to live.
It is beautifully steeped in Levi Church.
If I hadn’t been in the Russell Village, where Lark lived, it would have been covered by Levi Church.
But now I have a general idea of the state of Palgas Village.
My goal is to get rid of the disease in Palgas village completely, and I’d like to suppress the distrust of Lark and revive exchanges and …… withdraw Levi Church from the village.
The first two are not very difficult.
I’m already used to treating disease by himself, so that can be solved by revealing the source later.
After hearing the story from Fleur, I walked into the village chief’s bedroom.
Village Chief Heil is as expected, also red haired.
I’ve heard that he was in his early forties, but his face was so haggard, with wrinkles and blotchy spots, that he looked to be close to sixty.
It was too frightening to think that it was the result of a disease demon.
To think that someone could have turned a demon against the villagers without a care in the world, I can only be indignant.
“A, Abel…… you shouldn’t get too close to ……”
As I approach the bed of Village Chief Heil, Mea anxiously grasps the sleeves of my clothes and holds me back.
“It’s okay, it’s okay. When we sleep, I’ll ward us with Ortem to make sure we’re well-prepared, and most importantly, if the demon is already dead, the influence of the disease should be mostly diminished by now……”
As I said it, I took Village Chief Heil’s hand and let the weak magic power flow through it.
This is the basis of the analysis of circulating magic power to the target and returning it to my body to explore the state of the target.
“Oh, what delicate magic power control! Is Abel-sama is a renowned white magician! I’m sorry I don’t know you…… I apologize for my limited knowledge, but I’m sorry for all the things.”
Nelgliffe looked at me and bowed his head, letting out an exclamation.
“N. no, that…… All this time, I’m really just a recluse.”
“…… With a technique that advanced?”
Chloe asks to Nelgliffe.
“Advanced, what a thing! I am most blessed by Levi-sama, even Pope Sateria, who has given me his blessing! Truly, with Abel-dono’s power, he might even be able to completely cure the disease in this village!”
“…… Nelgliffe-sama, I thought that word was a disrespect to the Pope. Controlling the flow of magic power is what Sateria-sama is best at. Please don’t cite Sateria-sama lightly. I’ve always thought that Nelgliffe is somewhat lacking in the awareness that he is a High Priest. Please think a little more about yourself.”
“Mu, mhmmm…… it’s true that it was my fault for referring to Sateria-sama, but I am not that unaware of being a high priest. But since Levi-sama has chosen to regard me as the High Priest, it seems to me that I should be able to live my life as I see it, without any embellishments, as I have always done……”
“There is a limit. Some of the men below me are baffled, so please restraint your own.”
“Mumumu……”
As I expected, something about those two throws you out of tune. ……
I took my mind off of Nelgliffe and Chloe and focused on controlling my magic.
The information about Village Chief Heil’s body is transmitted to my head through my magic.
I gently let go of Village Chief Heil’s hand.
“Abel-dono, do you get to know anything……”
I struggled a bit with whether I should say it or not.
After alternating between looking at Nelgliffe and Chloe, I opened my mouth, ready to speak.
I decided to trust Nelgliffe for now.
“…… Nelgliffe-san, maybe that demon…… is still alive”
“Wha-, wha!? No, no way…… Abel-dono, there must be a mistake!”
Nelgliffe’s face turns pale and asks me.
“I’m sorry, but there’s probably no doubt about it……”
Before I could say anything, Chloe leaped forward quickly and placed her large staff against my neck.
“Are you trying to tell me that Master Nelgliffe has failed to finish it?”
There was no change in her face, but the anger was clearly evident in her voice.
“…… Because demons are cunning. They will at least disguise their deaths and go into hiding. If anything, though, they act somewhat more human than…… demons.”
I wager on the scythe, wondering if there was a spirit-user who had made a contract with a disease demon.
Chloe’s eyes narrowed slightly.
A change finally appeared on her expressionless face.
“Y-, you…… Nelgliffe-sama thought you were being kind and put up ……!”
“Chloe, stop!”
Nelgliffe intimated her and the place was covered silence.
The atmosphere in the room was the worst.
Fleur, Mea, and Elia, who were all out of the mosquito net, were only frightened.
Chloe was glaring at me with a vein on her left eyelid trembling nervously as she stared at me, showing her hostility.
In the midst of all this, Nelgliffe quickly bowed his head.
“…… Abel-dono, please lend me your wisdom to save Palgas Village. Please.”
Chloe opened her mouth with a gaping mouth while looking at Nelgliffe, but eventually, she turned her gaze back to me, lowered her large staff, and took two steps back from the spot.
But there was no change in her hostile eyes.
**********
“Happy New Year!”
…… I wanted to write yesterday, but I didn’t have time to update it!
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