Chapter 7

The next day, still excited, I made my way to the church again.

As soon as I entered, I spotted the person I was looking for.

She was hanging laundry in the courtyard.

It was the girl in the nun's habit from yesterday.

When she noticed me, she bowed her head.

"Um, thank you for yesterday, for your donation..."

Before she could finish, I cut in.

"Are you the Holy Maiden?"

At that moment, she stiffened and whispered.

"W-Why..."

Her eyes were filled with shock and even more fear than yesterday.

Damn.

As I watched her, I realized my mistake.

I knew she was the Holy Maiden because of the "Guidance."

Normally, only someone with the "Appraisal" skill could confirm this after getting the person's consent.

I could have explained the "Guidance," but revealing the secret would mean a failure, marked in red.

As I was at a loss about what to do...

"Um, um! Please, please leave!"

She shouted, more in panic than excitement.

But there was nothing I could do.

Pressing the issue wouldn't improve the situation.

I left as she asked.

The next day, she was gone.

I never saw her again after that.

---

Twenty-eighth time.

After the last failure, I kept thinking about how to approach Lena without making her suspicious.

To avoid wasting the previous cycle, I had already learned about her background from the priest at the church.

When she was eight, her parents were killed in front of her by the Demon King's army.

After that, she was passed around among relatives.

It seems that the shock of seeing her parents killed by the Demon King's army left her unable to speak.

Her relatives, unable to cope with her condition, eventually abandoned her at the church.

The priest had taken her in, and she had only recently started to speak again.

Hearing this, several things became clear to me.

She was probably afraid.

Not only because her parents were killed by the Demon King's army, but also because she was bewildered by the sudden "Holy Maiden" skill.

If it became known that she had the "Holy Maiden" skill, she would undoubtedly be forced into battle.

For her, it would be like being told to fight the Demon King just when she had finally found a place to belong.

In fact, in all my cycles, I had never even heard a rumor about a Holy Maiden being found.

If she were discovered, it would be a big deal.

From this, I concluded that without my intervention, she would not reveal her skill to anyone for at least five years.

"I need to get to know her better, I guess."

After forming a party and starting to work as an adventurer, I began visiting the church regularly.

While visiting, I guided conversations to make it seem like I was hearing her story for the first time, and learned more from the priest.

The second time around, it was easier to get information.

After about six months of visits, Lena's initial wariness had softened, and we could talk normally.

Sometimes, she even smiled a little while talking.

However, I still hadn't heard about her skill.

I was thinking about visiting the church again when it happened.

"Damn...!"

"Are you okay, Elius!"

How to completely dispel Lena's wariness.

I was so preoccupied with this thought that I got bitten on the arm by a wolf-type monster.

Pharan quickly came to my aid, and the monster was impaled and killed by her spear.

Pharan looked at my hand, examining the wound.

"How's it looking? The wound?"

"It hurts a bit, but it's fine."

Pharan looked relieved when I answered.

"Really, that's unlike you to let your guard down. You should disinfect it just to be safe."

"Yeah, sorry."

I disinfected the wound and wrapped it in a bandage.

"Since we're mostly done, let's call it a day. We've met the quest requirements, right?"

"That's fine... Sorry."

"It's okay."

I decided to take Pharan's suggestion and head back to town.

We were supposed to camp out, but thanks to the early finish, we made it back to town by nightfall.

"Probably closed by now, huh?"

The clinic I usually go to was already closed.

The wound wasn't life-threatening, but since it was on my dominant hand, it would affect my fighting.

I decided to come back in the morning for a healing spell and headed to my usual inn.

As I was checking the "Guidance" for the day, I saw an unexpected message in red.

"Get injured."

"Huh? What's this?"

Getting injured wasn't new.

I had been injured several times before, and I had even died multiple times.

A new pattern.

Was it because of the timing?

Something felt off... I decided to leave the wound as it was and visit the church, then went to bed.

---

"Ah, Mr. Elius!"

When I showed up at the church, Lena ran over, calling my name with a smile.

She had changed a lot since the first time we met.

I was happy about the change and hoped she would open up about being the Holy Maiden soon as I handed over the supplies.

"Hey, Lena. Here's the usual."

I gave her the food and money I had prepared for the orphans, and she bowed her head in gratitude.

"Thank you so much. I feel like I'm taking advantage of your kindness..."

"No, it's fine."

Honestly, I was visiting the church for Lena, and I felt guilty being thanked.

I had never made donations before, and what I was doing now was for my own benefit.

I waved my hand to reassure her, and she frowned at my hand.

"Um, that's..."

"Huh? Oh, I got attacked by a monster."

The bandage on my forearm caught her attention, and she gently touched my arm.

"Can I see it?"

"Sure."

I handed her my hand, and she unwrapped the bandage, frowning as she examined the wound. Then, she placed her hand over it.

"Um... I'm not very good at it yet, but..."

She started chanting a spell.

"The Lord has eight powerful fingers. The ring finger of the left hand governs light. It is the power to nurture and heal. Grant this person the strength to stand again... Healing!"

Light emanated from Lena's hand.

To be honest, it was much less effective than the spells I usually received at the clinic.

It was clearly several levels below.

But I tried not to show it on my face, and inside, I was celebrating.

(So that's it!)

The message from yesterday's "Guidance" – "Get injured."

I think...

To get close to Lena, get injured, and have her use healing magic on me.

That's what was necessary.

By having her use healing magic, I could bring up the topic of her skill!

It was like a hunter's mindset, not letting the prey escape once it's caught.

(I finally have you.)

It was a vicious, twisted pleasure.

But...

"Done... How does it feel?"

Lena looked at me with a slightly reserved smile, concerned about my reaction.

Seeing her, I felt like I had been doused with cold water.

(What am I celebrating... This isn't right.)

The excitement from earlier began to fade, and I felt a sense of guilt.

Over time, I had become more cunning, and now I couldn't appreciate Lena's kindness sincerely, only in a twisted way.

I felt a bit of disgust for myself.

She wanted to keep her power hidden.

She probably didn't want to use healing magic on a stranger.

But she trusted my attitude of working hard for the church, opened up to me to some extent, and chose to heal my wound.

I was using her pure kindness to achieve my goal and drag her into an unwanted battle.

A girl who had suffered so much and was just starting to heal.

This was exactly what she feared.

If it became known that she was the Holy Maiden, she would be forced into battle.

Yet, I pretended not to know and approached her, using her for my own purposes.

Realizing this, I felt a strong sense of self-loathing.

But...

I still had something I had to do.

"Kill the Demon King."

That was my unyielding line.

"Lena, can you use healing magic?"

"Yes, um..."

Interrupting her hesitant words, I grabbed her hand with mine.

She stiffened at my sudden action.

I looked at her pleadingly.

"I told you before... I'm fighting to defeat the Demon King."

"Yes, that's..."

As she tried to look away, I tightened my grip slightly.

Surprised, she looked back at me.

"Actually... I got injured in yesterday's battle and realized how important a healer is. We need your power to defeat the Demon King. I need your help."

"I... I..."

"I can't force you. I know about your situation."

"The priest...?"

I nodded and continued.

"I understand that you're afraid of battle. But someone has to defeat the Demon King. I want to reduce the number of children who lose their parents and suffer, like you and the orphans."

"..."

"Please, help me. I'll keep donating to the church. And I promise to protect you in battle!"

We held each other's gaze for a while.

After a moment, Lena looked down, seemed to think for a bit, and then looked at me directly.

"Only... one thing."

"Anything, tell me as many as you want."

"No, just one. Elius."

"Elius is fine."

"Elius, don't... don't ever leave me alone. Don't abandon me, don't leave me behind, don't leave me alone."

Her expression and trembling hand conveyed her emotions to me.

Having lost her parents and been abandoned by her relatives, she must fear loneliness more than anything.

I could feel it.

Lena was looking at me with pleading eyes, as if our positions had been reversed.

I looked back at her firmly and made a promise.

"Yes. No matter what, I won't abandon you or leave you alone."

"Thank you, Elius. If you promise that... I'll use my skill for you."

"Your... skill?"

"Yes. My skill... the Holy Maiden!"

The usually timid girl conveyed her resolve to me with all the strength she could muster.

---

Later, I would learn.

"I won't leave you alone."

This promise was meant to be broken.

Even knowing this, I repeatedly made false oaths.

It was necessary to defeat the Demon King.

I kept telling myself this as I repeated my sins.

But...

At least, at that moment, I was sincere.

I would protect her from the unwanted battle with all my might.

I wouldn't leave her alone.

That's what I sincerely promised.

And so, the long-awaited line was written.

Of course, it was in red.

"Holy Maiden, Lena, joins the party."