Chapter 53
I Want to Be Helpful to You (8)
“Hmm, what was it again?”
“Well… it’s hard to describe. But when I just washed my hands in that clear, blue water, everything felt better somehow?”
“And without even touching it, there was a warm, soothing feeling, right?”
“Ah, yes! That’s exactly it. The sunlight was so nice today, just like that… Oops, but the person who healed us asked us to keep it a secret.”
“Ah, that’s right…”
As I listened quietly to their conversation, my eyes narrowed.
They blurted out the secret they were asked to keep? Those siblings really can’t keep their mouths shut. I absolutely shouldn’t tell them anything.
Plus…
‘They said it was a cleric, not a magician.’
“So you met with a cleric or priest?”
“A priest?!”
“Ah, I had no idea…”
“Me neither.”
Benjamin and Ella glanced at each other with eyes as big as saucers.
Well, it’s understandable that ordinary people would have trouble distinguishing the two, so their misunderstanding is reasonable.
After all, it’s quite rare for a priest to venture all the way to this remote Crowell estate.
But the sensations Benjamin described perfectly match the true divine power, unlike the fake divine magic that Terion imitates.
I turned to Ethan with my cheek propped up.
“How interesting, for a priest to come all the way here.”
“It is the pilgrimage season for the Grand Temple, after all.”
“Is that so.”
Even during the pilgrimage season, do they normally visit such a desolate estate?
Were my mother or father on good terms with the temple? Or is there a priest from our own estate? I do recall there being a messenger from the temple when I passed away in my previous life…
At that moment, Ella, who had just wolfed down a mouthful of cookies, pointed to the purple envelope on the table.
“Oh, this!”
Benjamin also nodded, as if remembering something.
“Ah, yes. We saw someone carrying a backpack full of envelopes sealed with the exact same color and stamp.”
“… Is this what you’re referring to?”
So far, so good. The color and seal of the envelope are the same as the ones the temple commonly uses.
The problem was Ella’s next statement.
“Yes. Wow, the seal is exactly the same too. Did you receive a letter from the temple?”
“… What did you say?”
I nearly slammed my hand on the table and stood up.
Ethan quickly grabbed my other arm, preventing me from getting right in Ella’s face.
Ella, startled by my explosive reaction, hiccupped.
“H-hic. T-the seal is the same, so… Eek! Is there a problem…?”
“… No, there isn’t.”
I managed to calm myself down and sit back down. But my attention was entirely focused on the priest staying at the inn.
… This is a new clue.
It contradicts the hypothesis that the culprit is an insider, but if I rush over and interrogate him, it might lead to some useful information.
Ethan timely asked Benjamin,
“Did that priest seem to have booked a room?”
“Y-yes. After healing us, he went up to the upper floor of the inn…”
I need to meet him right away.
“…..”
I glanced at Ethan, and he silently nodded back. It’s great that we communicate well without words.
I then turned my attention back to the two of them and said,
“You two. Suddenly, an urgent matter has come up. I’m sorry.”
“Huh? What? No, my lady! We promised to keep it a secret…”
The two of them leaned in, ready to cling to my legs and plead. Ethan, please hold them back.
“Go talk with Ethan. Have some more of the cookies too – you’re as cute as a squirrel.”
“Huh?!”
I left a faint smile on my face as I abruptly stood up from my seat.
“Well, then I’ll be going.”
“My lady!!”
I heard their voices calling out to me, but…
“You two should spend more time with me another time.”
“Ah, oh no…”
Ethan Behemoth appropriately held them back. ‘You can’t tell anyone what we said—you know that, right?’ he said, muffling their distressed voices as I quickly left.
I need to head to the inn where that priest is said to be.
🥀
Early evening. The inn was bustling with people. The bright flickering lights inside were filled with the scents of alcohol and people.
Even in the desolate Crowell estate, the only inn was always crowded. Perhaps it’s because this is the season when monsters thrive. Monster hunters might have also come to the Crowell estate.
‘No matter how I think about it, this is hardly a place a priest would visit during a pilgrimage.’
After watching the hunters with bulging arms and an assortment of weapons guzzling down their drinks, I slowly turned my head back from the inn entrance.
“I wonder if there’s a room where the priest is staying?”
“Huh? A priest, you say?”
When I asked the inn staff about the priest, he seemed to have no idea what I was talking about.
Given that he told the siblings to keep their healing a secret, this priest is undoubtedly hiding his true identity.
I can detect mana, but I have no way to detect divine power.
What should I do?
Should I just blurt everything out?
Ah, no, I decided against that approach.
Fortunately, there was another option.
Suppressing my presence to avoid drawing attention, I slowly made my way to the quiet back alleys of the inn.
A little distance from the inn’s backside were small street stalls.
They were hardly worthy of being called ‘shops’ – just peddlers with makeshift stalls.
To an uninformed observer, it would seem like their businesses were struggling, it was so tranquil and ordinary.
I approached one of the stalls selling pendants, and spoke to the old woman running it.
“A red pendant with a fox and wolf design, please.”
“……?”
The hazy old woman’s eyes suddenly lit up.
“My, how did you know about that?”
“Exactly. So, will you provide it?”
The truth is, among the peddlers in the inn’s backstreets, there were a few who engaged in illegal activities, serving as information brokers.
This peddler woman was one of those places.
I placed a pouch of gold coins from Crowell Castle on her stall, gesturing with my eyes. Slowly, she nodded her head.
“Very well, what do you want to know-“
But before the old woman’s bony hand could reach the coin pouch, someone snatched it away.
A pair of thick palms gripped the pouch’s opening, shaking it noisily.
It was a burly thug.
“Hey now, that’s not how things work around here.”
“……”
Glancing back at the old woman, her face had turned deathly pale.
Seems like they demand protection money from her.
I calmly addressed the thug.
“I apologize, but…”
“Huh?”
“I don’t have time to deal with you right now. If you value your life, it’d be best to come back after I’m done with my business.”
“…Tch. These days, everyone’s got no fear, huh.”
Look at you, a thug in Crowell estate who doesn’t even recognize the face of Edith Crowell, I’d say you’re the one with no fear.
Ah, right. I’m wearing a hood.
Casting a weary gaze at the thug, the old peddler woman had quietly slipped away behind the stall, disappearing into a hole in the back.
Okay, I’ve cleared a path to obtain information.
Since it’s come to this, you’ll have to take responsibility.
Just as I was about to snap my fingers to cast a spell…
Thud! The sound of something falling echoed.
Hurriedly peeking behind the stall, the pale-faced old woman was embracing a fallen box.
So she didn’t run away, but came back to retrieve the protection money.
Ah, I see.
And in that brief moment when I was distracted, the thug had enough time to swing his fist.
Bam!
I thought I had let my guard down and taken the hit, but…
“Ugh…”
Instead, an unfamiliar man’s groan reached my ears.
“…?”
Blinking, the situation had changed.
It wasn’t me who got hit by the thug’s punch.
A man around my age, also with his hood up, had stepped in front of me.
“Ouch, that stings…”
Judging from his pained expression as he rubbed his cheek, he had taken the blow in my stead. That must have hurt.
He tilted his head towards me, as if he knew my true identity, and casually whispered.
“Think you can handle him with magic?”
🥀
Thank you for reading! ♡
