Chapter 13
"Heal"
"Ahh, I feel so much better! Thank you, Reina-chan!"
"You're welco! Take care!"
In the shrine's chapel, Reina, dressed in a sister's robe, was performing healing using Holy Arts.
An elderly man whose back pain had been cured stood up and smiled warmly at Reina.
"You're still so young, Reina-chan, but you're amazing. Here, a donation and so vegetables from my garden. Please enjoy them."
"Thank you, Grandpa! I'll cook them deliciously and eat them!"
"Hey, old man! If you're done with your treatnt, move along! There's a line forming behind you!"
A line had ford in front of Reina, with people eagerly waiting for treatnt from the beautiful sister.
Most of them were elderly, but there were also so young n.
The young n wore goofy grins, and their injuries were minor—just small cuts on their fingers. It was obvious they were approaching Reina with ulterior motives.
Such n were smacked by the elderly and thrown out of the shrine.
"Good grief... things suddenly got lively, huh?"
Clael, who had been working a bit away from the line, muttered.
Two months had passed since the basilisk incident.
Since that incident, the number of people visiting the shrine had increased dramatically.
When Clael had just been assigned here, the shrine was deserted, but now it had regained its liveliness, overflowing with people coming for worship and treatnt through Holy Arts.
"It's helpful that donations are increasing, but... when it's this blatant, it's a bit troubling."
"Oh my, Priest. Are you jealous that your cute girl is being taken from you?"
Teasing him was Oratorio, the cross-dressing owner of his favorite clothing shop.
"Don't worry, that girl is devoted. She'll co right back to you, Priest."
"That's not what I was talking about, Oratorio-san."
Smiling wryly at the cross-dressing shopkeeper, Clael shrugged.
"The shrine is a house of prayer. It has no doors to reject people. That said... it's a problem when nearly everyone is coming just to see Reina."
Ever since Reina started performing healing as a sister, a line had ford at the shrine almost daily.
Their goal was, of course, Reina—the irresistibly cute sister.
During the basilisk incident, Reina had appeared in public.
She hadn't hidden her face with a hat or hood like she usually did when going out, and the shrine gates had been wide open, with onlookers outside.
A crowd of people had demanded to know who that beautiful girl was, and Clael had honestly answered that she was a girl he had taken in due to family circumstances.
At that point... hiding her would have seed even more unnatural.
Rumors could easily spread that a young priest was harboring a beautiful girl.
So Clael officially had Reina appear in public as a sister.
"Fufufu... Reina-chan is so popular. Still, is it really okay for her to use that much magic?"
"Of course, I've placed a limit on the number of people to avoid overuse... though it probably wasn't necessary."
Clael had taught Reina Holy Arts... but honestly, he doubted whether that had even been necessary.
Reina had learned Heal and Cure just by seeing them once.
It took her a little longer to learn spells that enhanced physical abilities like Strength Up and Guard Up... but even then, she mastered them in less than three days.
(She learned in a month what took five years... makes lose confidence.)
In the ga, Reina, after being taken in by the Grand Shrine, was relentlessly bullied. Perhaps the reason the instructor hated her was due to the difference in talent.
When soone effortlessly masters sothing you struggled to learn, and even surpasses you by leaps and bounds, it's natural for so to harbor resentnt and jealousy.
(Those who tornted Reina like that were eventually smitten by divine punishnt... I hope that doesn't happen this ti.)
"I don't think Reina-chan is the only reason the shrine is thriving."
"...What do you an by that?"
"It's also because of the Priest's personal virtue."
The cross-dressing shopkeeper winked.
A chill ran down Clael's spine.
"So people were uneasy about such a young priest... but after seeing you try to help the adventurers during that incident, many have co to accept you."
Clael had only recently been assigned to this town, and many residents still didn't trust him.
It might be a bit of a prejudice... but rural towns tend to be closed off and resistant to change.
The previous priest who managed the shrine had been a local and had served for over fifty years.
That elderly and highly trusted priest retired, and now an eighteen-year-old priest from the city had arrived.
On top of that, rumors spread that he was of noble birth, causing many residents to distance themselves from the shrine.
However, the story of Clael desperately trying to save the adventurers spread, and he was quickly accepted by the town.
These days, even housewives and elderly people with no particular reason would co to the shrine and chat in the chapel.
"By the way... Priest, is that rumor true?"
"Rumor... what are you talking about?"
"You know, that thing! About Reina-chan's parents..."
"Ah... that."
He hadn't expected it to already be a rumor. In a small town, news spreads fast.
"It's true... Of course, I turned them down."
A while ago, the toxic parent and head of the Auster Trading Company said he wanted to take Reina back.
His stated reasons were that he realized the importance of family and wanted to atone for how poorly he treated his daughter... but the real reason was likely because she had beco useful.
Reina now looked completely different from when she was with her father.
Her hair was silver, her eyes jade green, her skin smooth and beautiful like fine porcelain, and her well-ford face looked like a divine work of art.
At ten years old, she already had such beauty—who could imagine how stunning she'd beco when older?
On top of that, she could use Holy Arts—she was flawless.
(This isn't even about making her so rich man's mistress anymore... he probably wants to marry her off to a high-ranking noble or sell her as an adopted daughter.)
Realizing Reina's value at last, the toxic parent had put on a crying act in front of Clael, begging for custody of his daughter.
He even piled up five tis the amount of gold Clael had given him as a preparation fee on the table—he must have desperately wanted Reina.
"I see... That's for the best. The Auster Trading Company has always had shady rumors."
"...You knew about that?"
"Just rumors. Still, it's better not to let Reina-chan go back to that parent. Make sure you protect her."
"That's my intention... though she doesn't need my protection as much anymore."
Clael smiled wryly as he looked at Reina, who was healing the townspeople.
Normal people couldn't see it... but Reina had reliable bodyguards around her.
Clael no longer needed to protect her—she could defend herself.
(It'd be best if she didn't need bodyguards at all. I'd be grateful if that toxic parent got arrested already... Get it together, Roywood.)
Clael silently scolded his friend, who still hadn't managed to catch their trail.
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