Tudel was sitting on the sofa in her private laboratory, lost in thought.
She hadn’t chosen to, but she had observed Erfa for a long ti.
Erfa was a witch who, no matter the criticism or attacks, always maintained a calm and impassive deanor, letting everything roll off her.
But for the first ti, Erfa had revealed a glimpse of intense emotion yesterday.
The Saint of Healing.
And her concealed left face.
Tudel had probed out of curiosity, and it seed she had struck gold.
However, sothing still felt off.
"If half her face is injured or deford, why not just fix it with healing magic? Why go through the trouble of eting the Saint of Healing, soone who might even be a fraud?"
Erfa was widely recognized as a master of body modification and healing magic, with a deep understanding of transformation spells.
If her face was injured, she could simply heal it. Why did she need to et the Saint?
"Could it be an ailnt that can’t be treated with ordinary healing magic? Sothing severe enough to warrant seeking out a saint?"
Slowly, she combed through the vast knowledge in her mind, searching for any such affliction.
An ailnt that couldn’t be cured by standard healing magic or body modification.
One thought suddenly struck her.
"Abomination."
Once every few centuries, beings were born cursed from birth, with grotesquely twisted bodies. According to legend, these beings brought great calamities.
Their horrifying appearances were said to result from a powerful curse, impervious to magic or human effort.
Of course, this legend had been debunked as nonsense.
In truth, the so-called “abomination” was a condition caused by mana imbalance, leading to physical mutations that couldn’t be treated with typical magic, potions, or miracles.
Nowadays, it was understood as a rare, difficult-to-treat disease rather than evidence of demonic intervention.
"Except for the White Order, worshippers of the God of Justice, Dulanair."
The White Order, the Empire’s premier demon-hunting group, was infamous for their outdated beliefs and frequent controversies.
They conducted burnings contrary to imperial law.
They frad innocent citizens as demon worshippers or evil god followers, attempting to execute them without trial.
Nevertheless, the Empire often turned a blind eye to their actions because they rooted out many genuine demon worshippers and cultists every year.
And, naturally, White Order priests attended regular scholarly conferences.
If Erfa’s mask were removed in such a setting…
Wouldn’t that be delightful?
"Erfa, you can look forward to it."
No doubt she was ecstatic about her rising success—pushing through her papers and being nad the next Tower Master.
But her laughter wouldn’t last much longer.
The day her smile disappeared forever was near.
For the first ti in ages, a pleased smile crept across Tudel’s face.
*****
"The witch you’re looking for is not in the Magic Tower. Perhaps you’re searching for a dark magician?"
At the Holy Knight’s words, my vision darkened.
The worst-case scenario.
If the witch had simply refused to et , it wouldn’t feel this hopeless.
A dark magician was the worst of the worst.
How was I supposed to find soone who ticulously concealed their identity?
Should I just say the dark magician was the one I foresaw burning the world?
No.
That might get beaten or attacked before I even attempted to treat her.
It would only increase the likelihood of disaster.
In the end, my best bet was to wait for the witch, wherever she was in the Empire, to hear of and co looking.
But ti wasn’t on my side.
Without even once ntioning Lilia, everyone had started calling her saint, leaving in a race against ti.
"Thank you for your efforts, Sir Knight. Do you know when the Church of Lilia representatives will arrive in the capital?"
"The nearest branch is quite far from here. Even by train, it will take them about three days."
Three days.
How likely was it that the four-ard dark magician would hear about and co within three days?
Dark magicians were notoriously suspicious. Resolving all their doubts and seeking out in just three days seed impossible.
"Sir Knight, could you investigate dark magicians for ?"
"Our church maintains a list of heretics, with records of those who have practiced wicked dark magic."
"Can you check if the witch I described is on that list?"
"It’s possible… but, Saint, why are you so desperate to find her?"
Because if I don’t, I’m dead!
The Empire will burn!
Of course, I couldn’t say that.
If I did, even if we found the witch, the knights might turn hostile and ruin everything.
"She’s soone I need to heal."
"…I see."
The knight seed deeply moved by my willingness to treat a dark magician.
"I’ll imdiately check the heretic registry, Saint."
"I’m counting on you."
Once the knight disappeared, I returned to the crowded slums.
Rumors of a saint providing free treatnt had drawn an endless stream of people.
"Saint! My child—!"
"Saint, my wife can’t walk properly after giving birth! Please heal her!"
Without showing my exhaustion, I treated each and every person, maintaining a benevolent smile.
With continued use, I was becoming more skilled and efficient at body modification.
Compared to the beginning, my speed had improved significantly.
The line of patients seed endless.
As I worked tirelessly, a father and daughter approached .
"Saint! Lilia be praised! My daughter is sick. Please, heal her. She’s so thin and keeps coughing up blood…"
A man with a narrow chin spoke with sorrow etched across his face.
"Bring the child forward."
A frail girl, so thin she could barely walk, stepped forward.
Strangely, her entire body was covered in filthy mud.
Without much thought, I placed my hand on her head, ready to perform body modification.
‘Huh?’
As I observed the true condition of the child’s body on the 3D display, previously obscured by mud, sothing began to feel distinctly off.
There were marks on the skin, evidence of being struck by a whip.
Strange-shaped bruises covered the arms and legs.
They seed to be traces left by being tied with sothing solid, like thick rope.
And then there was what was inside the child’s stomach...
That sloshing white substance.
It was labeled as male sen?
I stopped using the Body Modification skill.
The evidence was clear enough. I couldn’t just stand by.
"Are you this child’s father?"
"Yes, I am, Saint."
"Don’t lie. Speak the truth. Are you really this child’s father?"
My voice rose, and the paladins, police officers, and other slum dwellers around turned their eyes in my direction.
"I-I really am this child’s father! Why else would I co to you, Saint?"
This bastard.
The lie was obvious.
I’d have to use another skill.
To avoid a repeat of last ti, where Ti Stop went astray, I focused as much as possible, glaring at the man with the intention of targeting him directly.
[You have activated the skill Absolute Hypnosis!]
Thankfully, this ti the skill hit its intended target.
"Tell the truth, without lies. Are you really this child’s father?"
The man nodded with a face full of indignation, as if wrongfully accused.
"No. I’m a human trafficker. I kidnapped this girl from a nearby village house a few days ago… gah!"
The man hurriedly covered his mouth with both hands, but it was too late.
"Take your hands off your mouth and speak the truth. What did you do to this child?"
"Since I was going to sell her anyway, I thought I’d have so fun first. I raped her, but then she started vomiting blood out of nowhere! I was worried because she’d beco damaged goods before I could sell her, so I thought of getting free treatnt after hearing about you, Saint, and that’s why I ca he—AAARGH!"
The man bolted, attempting to flee.
But I wasn’t going to let him.
Ti Stop.
I’d used it once before.
Focusing, I aid for the man’s heart.
While my control was still unstable, I managed to apply a localized Ti Stop directly to his heart this ti.
The fleeing man clutched his chest and collapsed.
"Hrk! Aaargh! Uuuurgh!"
As he flailed on the ground, I finally released the skill.
"Criminal! Arrest him!"
"Take him away for interrogation!"
The officers nearby quickly moved in to subdue and arrest the man.
"Please spare ! Spare ! I’m doing this because I enjoy it! I love the taste of raping children, and that’s why I’m doing this job! Wh-why? Why? Why am I spilling the truth?!"
It’s because I hypnotized you, you bastard.
No need for questioning at the station; he’d spill every damning detail right away.
Turning away from the man being dragged off, I placed a hand on the head of the emaciated young girl, barely managing to stand.
"Don’t worry, child."
Unlike with others, I took extra care this ti, using Body Modification to heal the girl’s battered and malnourished body.
In less than three minutes, her body transford from one riddled with abuse and malnutrition into that of a clean, healthy, and adorable little girl.
After brushing off the mud that had been caked on her to hide the bruises and wounds, she looked like an ordinary girl again.
I didn’t stop there.
I activated Absolute Hypnosis on the child once more.
"I’ll erase the mories of your abduction. Those filthy and repulsive mories will be better off gone from your life."
Focusing, I kept the skill from spiraling out of control and applied it to the girl. Her eyes glazed over montarily before returning to normal.
"W-where am I? Who are you, mister?"
I gently stroked her head.
Even if these were erotic ga skills...
When used like this, they weren’t so bad.
I turned to the paladin standing nearby.
"Find this child’s parents. Make sure she’s never lost again."
It was only after seeing the paladin’s face that I realized my mistake.
The paladin was crying.
"Glory to Lilia of Grace!"
"A saint! An undeniable saint!"
"Aaaah! Save us with your grace, Apostle of the Goddess!"
The surrounding poor folk were also weeping, bowing to the ground.
So were even wailing in loud lantation.
Cold sweat ran down my back.
"I shall carry out your command, O Saint of Lilia."
"But I’m not affiliated with any particular church..."
The paladin didn’t even wait for to finish, departing with the child in his arms, tears of overwhelming emotion cascading like a waterfall.
Watching the paladin grow distant and the poor people crying out in reverence, I found myself sweating even more.
I had never even uttered the word "Lilia," and yet sohow, I’d beco an undeniable saint of her faith, a heretic by any standard.
The mont the Church of Lilia discovers I’m not one of their followers, I’m dead serious—they’ll burn at the stake.
The stake. Damn it!
"Next person, please."
As I continued healing the poor, I thought to myself:
Please, hurry.
Tell they’ve found the four-ard witch from the list of black magicians. Quickly!
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