Chapter 11

After Princess Kana finished chanting the prayer, she clapped her open hands twice once more and bowed deeply twice, whereupon Kaō slowly began descending. As they drew closer to the ground, the words being shouted by the people below became increasingly clear.

(It seems to have worked well.)

““““Saintess-sama, thank you! Sacred Beast-sama, thank you!””””

“““Thank you! Our wounds have healed because of you!”””

“““The wells have come back to life! We have drinking water again!”””

Amid cheers so loud they seemed ready to fill the entire area, Princess Kana landed in the same place as before, and Clutchfield, his soldiers, and the townspeople came rushing toward her.

“Thank you! No matter how many times we say it, it will never be enough. We people of Clutchfield Territory will never forget Saintess-sama’s kindness for as long as we live!”

When the lord at the front bowed deeply as he spoke, the soldiers did the same. Naturally, the surrounding townspeople followed their example.

Surrounded by joyful faces now that the magical beasts had been defeated, their wounds healed, and their worries about water removed, Princess Kana was showered with words of gratitude. Though looking somewhat embarrassed, she smiled and said she was glad everyone’s injuries had healed. At those words and that smile, everyone bowed their heads to her once again.

Apparently, the magical beasts around the gate had also been dealt with. Every member of the extermination force returned safely, without a single casualty.

Beside them, Suō had removed his helmet and was once again surrounded by townspeople—mainly women and boys—who showered him with praise such as, ‘Silver Hero-sama!’ and ‘You were amazing!’ To them, Suō, dressed in armor of an unfamiliar design with his long white hair tied behind him, must have looked exactly like a hero from another world.

As for Kaō, he was being revered by everyone from small children to the elderly as Saintess-sama’s Sacred Beast, and modest but heartfelt offerings were steadily being piled before him. Among them was even a delicate flower picked by a little girl.

Seeing the foxes grinning with obvious delight, far beyond merely pretending not to mind the attention, Princess Kana teased them.

“Both of you are grinning so foolishly that your faces have gone completely slack.”

““That is not true!””

Both hurriedly covered the area around their noses at exactly the same time. Their flustered reaction was apparently so amusing that laughter broke out among the townspeople.

At that moment, the doors of the temple, which had remained shut until now, quietly opened, and Princess Kana caught sight of a bearded man in white robes peering outside. He looked around for a while, then called over a nearby resident and appeared to ask something.

The resident pointed toward Princess Kana while answering, causing the bearded man to notice her. He stared at the princess for some time without doing anything in particular, then eventually frowned as though displeased and silently closed the door again.

(What was that about? He looked as though something had not gone the way he expected… Well, never mind.)

Although Princess Kana found the temple man’s behavior somewhat suspicious, she decided there were more important matters to handle and turned toward the lord, who was still thanking her.

“Now then, Clutchfield. Matters have been settled for the time being, but I wish to hear the details of what happened here. Will that be acceptable?”

“Ah, yes, of course. In that case, you must all be tired, so I would be honored if Saintess-sama and the members of the extermination force would come to my residence. Given the circumstances, I cannot offer anything extravagant, but I will have a meal prepared.”

Princess Kana glanced toward Burley as though asking whether he had any objection, and when he nodded,

“Very well. Then we shall accept your hospitality.”

Clutchfield’s residence stood about a quarter of an hour’s walk from where they had been. It was a three-story building with expansive grounds enclosed by an impressive iron fence, but numerous tents had now been erected throughout the garden, and it was obvious that many residents were using them as temporary living quarters.

“The people staying here are the soldiers’ families. That fence has magic cast on it to repel magical beasts, so it is somewhat safer here than outside. I wanted to repay the soldiers who are risking their lives for us, even if only a little. Fortunately, my wife understood…”

At that moment, a woman with dark reddish-purple hair who had been chatting among the tents noticed them and ran over with a smile. Beside her was a boy with the same hair color but facial features strongly resembling the lord’s, and he too came running toward them with a similar smile.

“My lord, welcome home!”

“Father, welcome home!”

“My wife and son. Both of you, offer your greetings. These are members of the extermination force’s elite unit, and this is Saintess-sama.”

At Clutchfield’s words, the two, who had been running toward him as though ready to throw themselves into his arms, hurriedly stopped.

“O-Oh, please forgive us. My name is Belinda, Daryl’s wife. Saintess-sama, thank you sincerely for everything you have done. On behalf of all the people of this territory, I offer you my deepest gratitude. And this is our son Dalton. Dalton, introduce yourself.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Dalton Clutchfield. Um, Saintess-sama! Your healing snow was incredible! Everyone’s injuries just vanished in a flash, and they were all so happy! And Silver Hero-sama was racing through the air, and he was unbelievably strong and so cool!”

Before his mother could stop him, the boy rattled off his words one after another. His eyes overflowed with admiration and respect, leaving even Princess Kana somewhat embarrassed.

“I am pleased to hear you say so. However, your father is an excellent archer as well. His soldiers are also highly capable. It is because they endured until today that we were able to arrive in time. Dalton, you should take great pride in them.”

Apparently delighted that someone he admired had praised his father, the boy’s smile brightened even further. It seemed his 《beloved Father》 had now become his 《beloved and deeply respected Father》, and the look he gave his father had become even more proudly admiring.

While watching the scene fondly, Princess Kana also addressed his mother, who had firmly grabbed the boy by the shoulders to prevent him from getting any more carried away.

“And my name is Kana. Belinda, I shall be in your care for a short while.”

“You honor me. We cannot offer anything particularly grand, but please make yourself comfortable.”

“My elder sister and her daughter were staying with us until recently, but they are now sheltering at the temple……”

“You mean that tall building?”

“Yes. The building itself is extremely sturdy, and several layers of magic that repel magical beasts have been cast over it, so it is far safer than this place. That is why my sister and niece, along with several wealthy merchants from the surrounding area, have taken refuge there. Personally, I wanted to use it as a shelter for the wounded, the elderly, and children, but discussions with the temple head did not go very well…”

As Clutchfield gave a self-deprecating, bitter smile, the others around him also looked troubled. At that point, Princess Kana’s opinion of this person called the temple head fell extremely low.

In the center of the room they were shown into stood a table large enough for several adults to lie upon, with rows of chairs with backs arranged along both sides. Soup, roasted beast meat, sliced wheat buns, and other dishes had been laid out on the table, along with plates piled with fruit.

Once everyone was seated, men dressed in matching clothing distributed stemmed cups filled with a red beverage. From the slightly tart fruit aroma mixed with the scent of alcohol, Princess Kana guessed that it was probably something like the grape wine foreigners were said to favor.

“A toast to Saintess-sama and the extermination force, and to the destruction of the hateful giant mana pool that tormented us for so long!”

At Clutchfield’s words, spoken as he rose with his cup in hand, everyone raised their cups and answered with a toast.

Most appeared to drain their cups in one go, but since Princess Kana did not know what sort of intoxication an unfamiliar liquor might cause, she quickly recited a purification mantra and limited herself to only one or two sips.

Then, after Clutchfield had emptied his cup in a single vigorous drink, she was finally able to hear the full details of what had happened.

“That enormous mana pool suddenly appeared about ten days ago. We had already confirmed several smaller mana pools before then, but that was the first time we had ever seen anything so large. I immediately evacuated every remaining resident into the territorial capital and sent a request to the royal capital for an extermination force.”

However, no matter how many magical beasts they killed, more continued being born one after another, and the situation worsened with each passing day.

“My sister and niece fled into the temple early on. Somehow, they also took a huge amount of our precious food and water with them……”

His expression turned bitter.

“So if all of you had not arrived today, we might not even have had enough water to drink tomorrow. No… more than that, I cannot even say whether we would have survived safely until tomorrow morning……”

“Of course, we never intended to give up until the end,” the lord murmured, and Princess Kana replied,

“I am truly glad we arrived in time. But from what you said earlier, there are still other mana pools remaining, yes?”

“Yes. About three, though none are especially large.”

“Then tomorrow, we shall purify all of those as well. Tell me their exact locations later. Once that is finished, we shall move on to our next destination.”

When the princess told him that things would still be difficult afterward, but that his people would have to manage on their own from that point forward, the lord nodded firmly. With that settled, Princess Kana asked something else that had been troubling her.

“Also, magical beast corpses are scattered everywhere now. Is it safe to simply leave them like that?”

“There is no need to worry. The mana in most magical beast meat is too concentrated for it to be eaten, but bird-type magical beasts can be soaked in clean water for a while to remove some of the mana, making the meat edible. So we can use them as food. Their feathers, hides, fangs, and other parts have many uses as well, so we intend to have all the remaining townspeople help process them.”

At those words, the princess recalled the scene she had witnessed earlier and finally understood that they had been plucking the feathers for practical use.

(No wonder everyone was working at it so diligently.)

Afterward, Burley asked the lord to prepare a written list of requests concerning reconstruction by the following day. He added that the chancellor would likely contact them again later, but that for the time being they were free to use the preserved food and flour the expedition had brought however they wished. With that, the administrative discussion ended, and the gathering became nothing more than an extended occasion for eating and drinking.

At an appropriate point, Princess Kana asked Belinda to show her to a sleeping chamber, but it seemed likely that the men’s feast would continue for quite some time.

“What happened out there? Do not tell me the gate in the defensive wall has already been breached.”

In the temple’s central reception room, an elderly man with a long white beard was questioning the man who had gone outside to inspect the situation.

Roughly an hour earlier, there had suddenly been an enormous noise followed by violent shaking of the ground, so Temple Head Adcock had considered the worst possible outcome. But when nothing else happened afterward, he had ordered the priest Baker to go outside and investigate.

The Clutchfield Branch Temple of the Drāra Faith was believed to remain safe inside even if, in the worst case, the territorial capital were completely destroyed by magical beasts. Even so, it was difficult to say that an 《impossible》 outcome could never occur. However—

“No. Quite the opposite. Apparently the Saintess arrived from the royal capital together with an elite unit of the extermination force. The townspeople were making quite a commotion, saying they defeated the magical beasts and even purified that enormous mana pool. They also said Saintess-sama made glowing snow fall while singing some strange song and healed the wounded……”

Although it should have been welcome news, Baker’s words carried a strong bitterness. Whether that was merely consideration for his listener or reflected his true feelings was unclear. In any case, it was obvious that his report was not what Adcock had wanted to hear.

“What?! The Saintess?! I heard nothing about this! Yes, I had heard that a Saintess Summoning was going to be performed, but I received no word whatsoever that it succeeded or that she was coming here. What is the meaning of this?!”

In truth, no message had yet arrived from the Grand Temple in the royal capital. More precisely, a letter announcing the successful Saintess Summoning had already been dispatched. Princess Kana and the others had simply arrived before the letter did, but naturally Adcock had no way of knowing that.

“And she healed the townspeople without permission? Who asked her to do such a thing, without even receiving authorization from the temple?!”

He did not mention that his original plan had been to open the temple doors only at the very last moment, invite the townspeople and lord inside, and display how merciful they were. Instead, he simply continued raging at the present situation.

“Above all, the Saintess should properly belong to the temple! In that case, the moment she arrived in this territory, she should have come straight to me to offer her respects!”

Naturally, his anger began turning toward the Saintess whom he had never even met.

“She comes from another world, so perhaps she simply knows little about how matters work here.”

“In that case, all we need do is properly teach her,” said a heavily overweight man, eagerly agreeing with the old priest.

The man, Arlo Babbage, was the head of the Babbage Trading Company, which conducted extensive business throughout the northern and eastern regions. He had become caught up in the crisis while inspecting one of his branches, so he and his subordinates had taken refuge in the temple. Naturally, he had paid a considerable sum for the privilege in the form of a “donation.”

Then a middle-aged woman dressed in a high-quality but somewhat provocative gown joined the conversation with a soft giggle.

“Even if she is a Saintess, she is still merely a little girl from another world. It cannot be helped if she knows nothing about how our world works. There is no need for Temple Head-sama to become so angry. Something so minor can be resolved immediately if we simply explain it to her in person. She is probably staying at the lord’s residence right now, so why do we not go together tomorrow morning?”

“We can teach her everything she needs to know then,” she added with a seductive smile. Her pale-blond hair had been arranged in large curls and loosely pinned up, while her deep indigo eyes were remarkably similar in color to those of the local lord, though there seemed to be little sincerity within them. Instead, the beauty mark beneath the right side of her mouth only emphasized her sensual appearance.

“Oh, Duchess Dowager Bamford! You are as beautiful as ever today! Ah, and your daughter is with you as well.”

The merchant offered the widow an ingratiating compliment, then addressed the girl standing directly behind her. Her features closely resembled the duchess dowager’s, though Lady Chantel’s hair was a grayish blond and her eyes a pale blue, making her somewhat less striking.

Naturally, every man present had enough sense not to say such a thing aloud.

“Indeed, perhaps the Duchess Dowager is correct. Then may we ask you to accompany us tomorrow morning? Speaking of which, madam, I heard you twisted your ankle last night. Are you certain you can walk? If you wish, I could treat you right now…”

Although the temple head looked like nothing more than an elderly man well past his prime, he never took his eyes from the widow’s neckline as he reached for her hand, apparently intending to pull her down beside him. The widow, however, smoothly avoided him with practiced ease.

“My, Temple Head-sama, thank you. But if possible, I would prefer Saintess-sama to heal me. What was it they mentioned earlier? Glowing snow? I thought I might have her make some fall over my ankle.”

“Oh, what a marvelous idea! That way, we can judge this Saintess’s abilities for ourselves, and the Saintess will have the honor of being permitted to heal you! How gracious and intelligent you are!”

“Mother, are you really going to make Saintess-sama heal you personally?”

“Chantel, no matter how many common townspeople she heals, it will earn her little distinction. But if she heals me, that is another matter entirely. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“Even so, do we really need to go all the way over there ourselves…?”

“Well, whatever sort of person she may be, she is still technically Saintess-sama, so it would be cruel not to show her at least some respect. We should also allow Daryl to save face as the lord of this territory. Besides, if she truly can make glowing snow fall, surely you would like to see it as well?”

“That is true. If it is real, perhaps I could let her use it as entertainment at my birthday celebration.”

“Oh, that would be wonderful! In that case, let us be sure to invite Prince William as well! After all, you are the leading candidate to become his fiancée.”

She said this cheerfully, but then suddenly frowned as though remembering something unpleasant.

“Apparently, some of those stiff-necked people in the royal capital have been suggesting that the Saintess should become the prince’s consort. But someone who knows nothing about this world could never handle such an important position. Honestly, I cannot understand why they fail to grasp something so obvious.”

“Indeed, you are absolutely correct. My lady, when the time comes, I too would be deeply honored to receive an invitation.”

The merchant made the request with exaggerated politeness while making no effort whatsoever to conceal the lingering, oily gaze he directed toward her mother.

“If I remember.”

Chantel’s answer was curt. But the merchant was accustomed to such behavior from nobles, and that alone was nowhere near enough to stop him.

“Please do not forget that I was the one who lent you the magician with the Magic Box for this incident.”

“I know!”

(The nerve of a mere merchant, acting as though he has placed me in his debt over something so trivial!)

That was what Chantel thought, but she understood that the man still had some value, so for the moment she chose to smile.

The following day, after receiving a detailed map from Clutchfield showing the locations of the roughly three remaining mana pools, Princess Kana and the others were preparing to depart in the entrance hall when—

“Where is the Saintess?”

A group of people in white robes entered, shouting loudly. At their head stood an elderly man with white hair and a long beard, carrying himself arrogantly, while immediately behind him was the bearded man who had glared at Princess Kana the previous day.

“Who are they?”

“They are priests from the temple.”

“Ah, the ones who refused to help while the lord was in distress and instead hid safely away by themselves. I have no business with such people. Keep them away from me.”

“What outrageous insolence! Temple Head-sama himself has gone out of his way to come here, yet you speak to him in such a disrespectful manner!”

The bearded man raised his voice at the princess’s openly contemptuous words, but Clutchfield had no intention of remaining silent while his benefactor and guest was treated so rudely.

“The disrespect is yours, Temple Head. I do not recall inviting any of you here. And at such an early hour, what exactly do you intend?”

“My, Daryl. I am the one who brought them.”

“Elder Sister…… Why are you here?”

At the visibly displeased words of Lord Clutchfield, everyone’s gaze turned toward him.