Protagonist Knows Everything

I called out my records to check on Kasha’s condition.

[Health condition: Sacred curse.]

‘What?!’

‘The curse is not released? Why?’

‘Was Nortel right? She isn’t the next saint?’

‘No. It can’t be. I believe in my personnel records.’

‘Or, maybe…’

[Rank: D-]

‘Is this the reason?’

Potential and ranks were clearly different things.

A saint without the necessary abilities won’t be able to lift the curse no matter how talented she might be.

‘Somehow. I need to improve this girl’s abilities to that level. To that saintly class from 300 years ago.’

‘Is that really possible?’

I gulped down once.

Then I heard Jeriel’s voice, “That’s all I can do anyway.”

Perhaps she was expecting something dramatic in her heart. Her face looked a bit disappointed.

“The curse is still lingering. It wasn’t lifted.”

“……”

“I knew it.”

A forced smile hung on her face, but soon after that she brought her hands together, bowed her head and started praying.  She must be praying for forgiveness for doubting the goddess.

She spoke after her short prayer, “Can you accompany me for a few minutes?”

“Yeah, why?”

“I’ll guide you to Lorelie. She’ll surely be able to remove the curse in an instant.”

Kasha and I looked at each other in confusion.

Kasha already underwent the first sleep, so we didn’t have time to waste by meeting the priest pretending to be the next saint.

“Tay. What do you want to do?”, Kasha asked.

I pondered for a moment and concluded that I’d go and say hello.

“Okay. Please guide us.”

“Yes. Then let’s go.”

Jeriel rose up and started walking while wearing a grateful smile, she was grateful that we agreed to see Lorelie.

Kasha and I walked two or three steps behind Jeriel.

Kasha whispered to me, “Tay. Is that woman really a saint?”

“It’s a fact that she’s a saint.”

“Really?”

“Rather than that, Kasha.”

I scratched my head once and said, “Sorry.”

“Huh? Why?”

“The curse is still active.”

“Ah. It sure is. I keep getting sleepy.”

“You don’t sound very concerned.”

“Well, I believe in Tay.”

Strangely, while saying that she kept rubbing the tip of her nose.

“So, what do we do now?”

“I have to look at the current situation first, please bear with me a bit longer.”

“Huh. Okay.”

****

Jeriel took us to some kind of aid center. I wondered why there was such a place in the temple, Jeriel answered those questions before I could ask her.

“All of this was done in Lorelie’s suggestion, sooner or later we’ll replace this tent with an actual building.”

“……”

“You are directly healing the sick people who can’t pay for the medicines. Despite not being asked by anyone. Isn’t that great.”

Jeriel couldn’t conceal the longing in her eyes. That looked resonated with Kasha as well, just the way she was longing for Celia.

Lorelie’s voice leaked out of the tent.

“Parmel, Goddess of Healing. Here your poor lamb is sick.”

“……”

“Please, I pray that you will reach out that loving hand and make this one rise again.”

I looked inside through the gap in the tent.

Lorelie’s hand was placed on the patient’s head and she was praying just the way Jeriel did a while ago.

And her other hand…

‘What is that?’

“What are you doing?”

Then I heard Jeriel’s voice from behind.

“Don’t say that.”

“……”

“Stop. Are you really that angry?”

Jeriel, who inadvertently made a loud noise, closed her mouth for a moment and turned around only to encounter Kasha’s awkward smile.

“Sir, I’m sorry. This……”

I coldly said, “Is Jui talking to you again?”

“Yeah…”

Then she began to murmur to herself once again.

“This kid is usually very nice, but sometimes people might mistake her for a crazy person.”

“So, what did she say this time Kasha?”

“Well, I wasn’t listening carefully… but it seemed like Jui was really angry at Lorelie and was calling her a scammer.”

Well. Well?

‘Jui…if Parmel called her a scammer…’

I called out the personnel register.

And I searched for the information registered under Lorelie Ein, who was just registered.

[Equipment: Parmel’s Bible (Saint’s Relic)]

[Recent action (present): Holding onto the Bible.]

[Recent action (current): Healed patients by reciting prayers.]

‘Relic?’

At that time, cheers erupted from inside the tent.

“Ah… ah! It’s all healed. Nothing hurts anymore!”

“The goddess answered the prayers.”

“Oh oh. Goddess Parmel. Thank you. Thank you so much.”

The patient, now healthy, grabbed Lorelie’s hand. Lorelie without any visible displeasure placed her hand over it.

“I am a saint. I just fulfilled my duty of healing her subjects.”

“No! No one in the temple was able to heal me! But you… you completely healed my injuries in an instant.”

“That’s it. Please don’t speak any further, I am just attending to my duties.”

However, the man couldn’t back up like that and shed a few tears.

I used that opportunity to speak up.

“Do you know what a relic is?”

Jeriel, visibly amazed at my question, replied, “A relic?”

“Yeah.”

“Well… it may have many meanings, but the most popular ones are also the relics of Peterine De Castle from 300 years ago.”

Wondering about my sudden question she kept answering, “It is said that all of the Saint’s relics contain goddess Parmel’s power. After her death, all the relics were stored away in the temples.”

‘Then why is it in your arms?’

‘No. Wait. There’s something more important for me to do right now.’

“The goddesses powers are stored in such mundane objects?”

“Be careful with your words.”

“……”

“It’s not just any mundane object, it’s one of the Saint’s possessions. Anything dear to the Saint can be called a relic.”

The story is connected loosely inside my head.  Meanwhile the man stepped out of the tent.  

We gazed at his back, while he walked away with staggered steps, seemingly due to being bedridden for so long.

Jeriel said, “Now go in.”

“No. I don’t think that’ll be necessary.”

“Huh?”

Perhaps the source of Lorelie’s powers was the bible held by the priests, more precisely, Parmel’s bible. The saint’s relic.

And as for her own abilities…

[Title: A plus]

That’s about it.

At this level, no matter how much relics have buffs, I don’t think she’d be able to lift the curse without the side-effects.

I wasn’t wasting any more time, so I tried to turn around.

But soon Lorelie came out of the tent.

“I came out because the outside was noisy…”

“Ah. Lorelie.”

Jeriel politely bowed her head.

According to the personnel records, Jeriel was 3 years older than this fake saint.  Lorelie looked at Jeriell and tilted her head in confusion.

“You are… well. What is your name?”

“Yeah? It’s Jeriel.”

“……”

“Oh, I said hello just this morning.”

‘Maybe she wasn’t that interested and thus she forgot about you.’

Jeriel whispered under her breath, “And I am still holding onto the…”

“I know your face. Several people greet me on a daily basis so I forgot your name, I apologize.”

“But it’s been two months already…”

“I said I was sorry.”

Jeriel changed her face in amazement and replied, “Yes Yes. It’s Fine.”

“So, these people?”

“That girl seemed to have been cursed, I thought you might be able to help them.”

Lorelia said to me, at least with a seemingly warm smile, “I See. Come inside.”

‘No.’

I smiled and replied, “I will come again next time.”

Then Jeriel and Kasha look at me in amazement.

I said calmly, “I don’t think we’re ready yet.”

“What to say. I am ready anytime. Just come visit me.”, Lorelia said firmly.

I somehow fled from the temple after making a reasonable excuse.

First of all, let’s organize the situation.  Jeriel has the talent of a saint, but she is still D-minus rank.  Just as Kasha has the talent of a great sage like the hero, Lord Arsleine but she doesn’t have the skills right now. Same as Jeriel. It is impossible to raise Jeriel’s rank to the heroic levels overnight. 

‘But I need the Saint’s abilities right now.’

‘If so…’

***

First of all, we took shelter in a suitable inn. 

As soon as I got ready and was about to head out, Kasha asked, “Tay. Where?”

“I have a plan, but it still needs some work.”

“And I?”

“Do anything. Anything except for sleeping.”

Then Kasha replied with a wide smile, “Never sleep. Okay, thanks.”

I lightly waved at her and left her quarters.  And after half a day’s hustle around the Halo estate, my preparations were finished.

After returning to my accommodation, I knocked on Kasha’s door.

[Bang bang]

Every moment while I knocked, without any reply from the other side was difficult for me.  And before anyone answered, I flung the door open by force.

“Kyck! What, Tay!”

“……”

“If you open the door like that then there’s no meaning of knocking.”

Kasha was holding on to the promise she made to me…that she would never fall asleep.

I replied with a sigh of relief without knowing it, “Sorry. I thought this was my room.”

“Oh, then it makes sense.”

Despite having seen it numerous times before, Kasha’s tired face somehow pained me.

I bit my lips and asked, “Are you okay?”

Kasha said, while rubbing her eyes, “Yeah… I am fine, I am feeling quite refreshed.”

“I see.”

“Yeah.”

We didn’t say anything to each other for a while.

Kasha asked after forcibly overcoming the heavy fatigue on her face, “Is your plan coming along?”

“I’ll execute the plan tonight, after all the preparations are done.”

“Like that….huh, okay.”

Kasha slowly got up from her seat, approached me and patted my shoulder as I was sitting on the bed beside her.

“I did cause you a lot of trouble right? Tay.”

“……”

“Isn’t it difficult to look after an annoying adventurer like me?”

“What are you talking about?

Kasha kept speaking with a pained expression on her face.

“I thought about it many times. Like with Kate for the first time, catching Braum, or during an S-class quest… Tay was always there to help me.

“……”

“I thought I would definitely pay it back someday, but now, I don’t know if that’ll be possible.”

“You’re paying it off just fine. You completed an A-plus class quest just the other day.”

Kasha shook her head firmly. I didn’t know if she was disagreeing with me or was just trying to chase away her sleep.

“No, not helping the Hagnut guild.”

“……”

“I want to do something for Tay.”

‘Giving help to the guild is helping me.’

I tried to answer with that.

“…”

But I couldn’t open my mouth.  Because Kasha rested her head on my chest.

“Next time I wake up, I will definitely repay your kindness. I’ll help you with anything Tay. Anything you want.”

“Kasha.”

“So Tay. Please wake me up. Please.”

“…”

Kasha’s legs were relaxed.  I hurriedly grabbed her back.  Kasha was asleep.

“The cursed person won’t wake up from their second sleep.”

‘8 hours.’

I hugged her and laid her on her bed.  Then I opened the window and looked out.  The smell of the air on an early summer night greeted me.

“Break the curse. Tonight.”