Chapter 10

"Good morning, Soa!"

"Good morning, Soa! You look cute as always!"

One month since defeating the vigilante group, the town seems to have come alive.

In the morning mist, it wasn't long ago that I wouldn't have been greeted like this.

Thanks to the guidance of Rex, the former slacker adventurer, the town's combat strength is gradually improving.

On the other hand, it's my job to slay monsters.

Thanks to my efforts in destroying monster nests one by one, there are no monster invasions in this town.

As a result, trade with other towns is starting to recover. It is, but—

"Destroyed five monster nests by yesterday... It's too many."

On the other hand, I can't help but sigh.

A monster nest, as the name suggests, is a stronghold of monsters.

They come in various shapes and sizes, with different numbers and strengths, and it's impossible to predict when and where they will appear.

During my time as the Holy Maiden, I often destroyed monster nests that the kingdom's army and adventurers couldn't handle.

The largest were those of the Demon King or the Evil God, which threatened the entire country.

But even then, the number of monster nests was clearly fewer than now.

Perhaps because of this, trade hasn't become as active as I had hoped.

Thinking about it, other towns might be having the same troubles.

"Maybe there's a root cause?"

"Good morning, Soa!"

"Good morning, Elna. Are you heading to the Adventurer's Guild today?"

"Yes! There's a mountain of tasks to do, from slaying monsters to gathering materials!"

"Sure, sure. You've really grown up, haven't you?"

Elna really surprised me.

I only focused on teaching her the basics, but her magic power has increased dramatically.

Name: Elna

Attack: 2 + 100

Defense: 2 + 100

Speed: 2 + 100

Magic: 875 + 230

"To increase your magic power by 300 in just one month..."

"It's because of your guidance, Soa."

"Hehe!"

It's really nice to be praised like this.

Thanks to focusing on magic-based attacks, the monsters around here are no longer a threat.

I had her minimize physical enhancements and focus on improving her magical attack capabilities.

Thanks to this, she can take down even a Baphomet with a preemptive strike.

Even if that's not possible, she's built to not lose.

I also made some adjustments to her staff, which improved the magic amplification effect.

In terms of magic power alone, she's at the level of a second-class adventurer. Thanks to her strength, more materials are flowing into the market.

While I'm having her hold back on monster nests, it's a big help that she's taking care of the surrounding monsters.

No matter how hard I try, there's a limit to what I can do.

"Soa, are you going to slay monsters today?"

"Rex. No, I think I'll take it easy today."

"That's great! I've been feeling guilty for relying on you so much. I want to punch my past self from a month ago."

"That's not a good idea. Take care of yourself."

Back then, I thought he was a lazy person, but now he's so passionate.

It made me realize how important environment and opportunity are.

Still, it will take a while before the people Rex has trained can take the adventurer registration test.

They're still building up their basics, and today they're going to do morning training.

"What a nice day. Where should I relax today for the first time in a while..."

"Ouch! Soa! Please come here!"

Running over with a panicked look was one of the few adventurers in this town.

"Huff, huff... There's an injured person at the town entrance! Please come!"

"An injured person? Alright."

We headed to the town entrance, where a crowd had gathered.

Pushing through the crowd, I saw someone lying face down, bleeding.

The symbol on the armor was unmistakably that of the Kingdom's Knights.

It's a considerable distance from the capital to here. Why would they come all the way here?

"Can you save them, Soa?"

"To be honest, they're barely breathing... But I'll do my best."

I carefully channeled magic to promote healing and cast a recovery spell.

Thanks to the knight's original stamina, the healing effect quickly improved.

It was incomparable to when I healed Elna's mother.

"Ugh..."

"He's talking!"

"Ultimate Healing Spell!"

The strongly glowing magic power began to heal the knight with all its might.

The bleeding stopped, and the intense pain should have subsided. It's up to the knight now.

"The pain... is subsiding..."

"Don't try to talk."

"You... are..."

The knight opened his eyes slightly. He seemed to recognize me.

But he couldn't possibly think I'm the Holy Maiden Soaris.

Despite the severe injuries, the knight managed to get up.

"To heal such severe injuries in an instant..."

"Soa, that's amazing..."

"Soa...?"

The knight looked at me again, scrutinizing my face, as if something didn't add up.

"Why are you in this town? What happened?"

"R-right! The capital is in trouble! Monsters are attacking, and the knights are fighting... It's been days, and I don't know if they're safe..."

"So you came to this town for help?"

"Yes! The Knight Commander ordered me to ride a fast horse to Kadoina, thinking that forces would be gathered there. But on the way, I was attacked by monsters and lost my horse, and I ended up like this..."

"You made it here. The rest is up to me."

"You... Who are you? I feel like I've met you before..."

It must be the Knight Commander, Radley. He's still active...

He would indeed make that judgment.

But he didn't know about the situation in this town.

If he didn't know, the trade between the capital and other towns might not be going well.

If Elna and I hadn't reduced the number of monsters, he might not have made it here.

"Elna, I'm sorry, but we need to leave now."

"What...? I understand the situation, but are you going, Soa?"

"Yes. Someone needs to inform the mayor. If the capital has suffered such damage, this town needs to be on alert."

"Soa, who are you...?"

I should have told Elna properly.

But more importantly, I need to prepare for the journey and leave now.

"Don't look at me like that. I'll be back soon."

"But... If it's that bad, even you might not be able to..."

"Please trust me. That's all I can say right now."

Seeing Elna on the verge of tears makes me feel terrible.

What would I have done in such a situation as the Holy Maiden?

Would I have done something to make people cry?

The current situation is partly due to my weakness.

So I couldn't reveal myself as the Holy Maiden to reassure them.

"Please tell Elna's mother I said hello."

"Y-You have to come back! There's still so much I need to learn!"

"Of course. I look forward to seeing your growth. So don't cry."

"Fe, uuuu..."

I gently stroked Elna's head as she cried.

I hugged her tightly, trying to convey at least some warmth.

That's all I could do for now.