Chapter 78

I bound the Noire mage Ruin, who was in a daze, with ropes made of earth magic, and then attended to the treatment of the Petrus faction.

Petrus seemed to have been confused at first, and when I approached to treat him, he pressed his ears as if to protect them and shouted, "I can't end it here!" while going mad, and punched me in the face with a right straight, then mounted me. An incident also occurred where Mea, using a wood-carving knife for oaths that was in the carriage, stabbed Petrus in the back, but somehow he survived and is now completely calm.

The area where she stabbed was quite dangerous; if Petrus had not had artificial organs, it could have been fatal, but now he is quite lively.

Rather, he was so docile that it made the treatment easier.

On the other hand, the mental damage to Mea, who had probably never intentionally stabbed someone with a knife before, seemed to be greater.

Mea was sweating profusely and shaking the hand that held the knife, but when I stroked her back, she seemed to calm down, and now she is lying down and resting in the carriage.

At first, I tried to stay by Mea's side, leaving the nearly dead Petrus, but she replied, "I really appreciate it, but I'm just feeling a bit unwell, so please take care of the others..."

After treating the other members of Petrus' group, I rubbed my slightly swollen cheek, which had been hit from the front, and faced Petrus.

"I've finished the treatment. However, many people had bone and organ damage... It would be better to replace the makeshift parts I used with proper materials. They won't be able to move as they did before until their bodies get used to them, so they should remain absolutely still for a while... Petrus, your injuries were not as severe, so you are in better condition compared to the others..."

"Y-You've put me to a lot of trouble..."

Petrus was stretching and clenching his arm as if doubting its condition.

His arm movement might not be very good.

Seeing Petrus' state, one of his subordinates gently took his arm.

"That's strange. His arm bone was completely severed..."

"That stake had irreversible spells carved on it to hinder healing..."

...Did I make a mistake somewhere?

To be honest, my healing magic mainly involves experiments on magic beasts, and I have little experience with humans.

I've read countless books and, in my spare time, have improved existing spells to deepen my understanding of healing magic, so I have some confidence in my knowledge, but my experience is woefully lacking.

Magic beasts don't complain to me even if they have lingering issues.

"...I don't have much practical experience in treatment, so I apologize if there were any shortcomings."

"N-No, that's not a problem... You are Abel Berrek, the wandering mage hired by the Faaji baron family, of Maaren descent, right?"

Petrus looked at me as if searching for something, and seemed to be struggling with something internally.

"Petrus, can you tell me what happened here?"

After a moment of hesitation, Petrus slowly and heavily opened her bright red lips.

"...That place is said to be an ancient sanctuary of the Kudor religion, built before the founding of the Dinarat Kingdom. Deep inside, there might be an ancient weapon suggested by Kudor tradition, the 'Staff of Destruction.'"

When Petrus said this, one of her subordinates shuddered and looked at her as if to confirm, "Is it okay?"

"Staff of Destruction!?"

This is one of the main reasons the collector approached me.

The legendary staff that the collector, who had been collecting legendary weapons from around the world, could never locate.

That is the 'Staff of Destruction.'

It is a treasure among treasures, priceless.

I, as a mage, am also interested.

I swallowed hard and leaned in closer to Petrus.

Petrus leaned back to keep her distance from me.

"I was here on a secret mission from the kingdom to destroy the 'Staff of Destruction.' ...But I was interfered with by those kids... and ended up like this."

"Those kids...?"

I glanced at Ruin, who looked soulless.

...Did those kids interfere? No, it's plural, so it must have been other people.

Ruin was probably just a lookout or something.

"I have a request. There should be two people who entered the ancient sanctuary first. A delicate man and a large man in an iron mask. Neither of them is from the Dinarat Kingdom. If the 'Staff of Destruction' falls into their hands, the Dinarat Kingdom is finished. I know it's strange to ask you, but I have no one else to turn to. Can you reach the innermost part before those two and... destroy the 'Staff of Destruction'? I'll give you any reward you want. I... despite appearances, have a certain status and wealth."

I was secretly weighing my options in my head.

Should I destroy the 'Staff of Destruction' and accept Petrus' reward... or take the 'Staff of Destruction' and run from Petrus?

After a moment's thought, I decided to check the 'Staff of Destruction's' performance before making a decision.

Legends are often exaggerated, and there is too little information about the 'Staff of Destruction.'

It could turn out to be just junk.

"Understood, Petrus! For the future of the Dinarat Kingdom, I will definitely destroy the staff!"

"I can't just leave it to you... Thanks to you, Abel, I can move much better now. I am confident that I know the most about the Kudor religion in this Dinarat Kingdom. I might be able to help, so I'll come with you. I also know a bit about that group of three, including the Noire."

"Y-Yes... That's reassuring..."

...I hope the lookout was properly set up.

Just as I was feeling disappointed, a calm and plain-looking nun, who was far from the suspicious and ominous appearance of Petrus' subordinates, stood up, her face twisted in anger, and pointed at Petrus.

"How dare you spout such lies! Traveler, don't be deceived! This demon is trying to use the power of the Law God..."

Before the girl could finish, one of Petrus' subordinates, who had sneaked up behind her, grabbed her by the neck and stopped her words.

"Don't worry. She is still in shock and was in a state of confusion."

The subordinate who had choked the girl said calmly to me.

B-But, she was clearly trying to tell me something...