“So, is using mushrooms to suppress monster transformation the work of the devil?”
“that is……”
Even if you haven’t heard the detailed explanation, if you’ve been watching since yesterday, you should be able to figure out that mushrooms can suppress monster transformation.
She knew that my father and I were collecting mushroom spores. She knew, but she kept quiet.
Alice might be different, but Sylphia has the cunning of an adult and would be chased away if she got in our way, so she probably pretended not to notice. The reason she made that decision wasn’t just for her own sake, but for Alice, the Saint.
Sylphia’s hesitation confirmed what she had noticed.
“In reality, don’t you think there aren’t enough saints? There aren’t any in the neighboring towns. If we hadn’t used the mushrooms yesterday, the people who were transported yesterday wouldn’t have arrived in time and would have turned into monsters or the undead. In other words, if we didn’t use the mushrooms, the town would be full of monsters and the undead. Would the temple send a saint there?”
If monsters and undead were everywhere in an enclosed space, the temple would likely hesitate.
Why is the safety of the Saint the top priority? It’s simply because it allows for purification.
But it would be very difficult to get to the heart of the maga, where monsters are plentiful. Surely a political decision would have to be made there.
“To ensure the safety of the Saint, let’s say we abandon this village and the neighboring town. But the undead and monsters in the neighboring town will continue to search for food and push on to the next town, drawing closer to the Royal Capital. Let’s say we defend the Royal Capital to the death in order to protect it. With the Saint’s power, we should be able to protect the Royal Capital. But there is not enough food in the Royal Capital to feed the people there. So we let the commoners starve to death to protect the Saint. Then there will be no one to provide for their daily needs. Will that really protect the Saint?”
“But before that happens, there will probably be a riot. People believe in God because they know he will help them, but if he abandons them to protect the Saint, there will be no reason for them to believe in him.”
This may seem a bit threatening, but then my grandfather adds another level of threat.
Even if I can’t accept everything, I want some concession to turn a blind eye for now. But I don’t want to threaten them, so my face twitched a little when I heard the word riot.
Although I’m citing a rather extreme example, if people actually began to believe that the Saint did not protect them, the premise of their faith would undoubtedly crumble.
“So you want me to admit it?”
“It would be best if you accepted it, but I can’t agree with your teachings that no one other than a Saint may possess that power, right? But if no one can do anything equal to the power a Saint possesses, then shouldn’t it be the Saint who defeats monsters? Swordsmen and magicians are no good, right?”
“What are you saying? The Saint must be protected, and monsters should be defeated by swordsmen and magicians.”
“But when it comes to fighting monsters, the Saint is stronger than swordsmen or magicians. After all, she can disintegrate the body.”
That’s right. If it’s true that swordsmen and magicians shouldn’t use their powers to the same extent as the Saintess, then they shouldn’t be able to defeat monsters.
But that’s not the case.
The reason being, the Saintess alone would not be able to do it. There was just too much of a difference in their numbers.
“that is……”
“If you want to purify maga efficiently, I think the current system of conserving the power of the Saint and using those who can subjugate the monsters is appropriate. There is an absolute shortage in numbers. So why not think the same way? Use medicine to conserve the power of the Saint and use it when it is needed. Medicine cannot beat the power of the Saint and is very inefficient. But it can be used when the Saint cannot make it in time. If there is a Saint, you would choose the power of the Saint for simplicity. Therefore medicine should never be a threat to the Saint.”
It’s frustrating, but the Saint’s healing and purifying powers are omnipotent.
Watching Alice made it really clear why Saints are considered special. With that kind of power, it makes sense that they would think of nothing else for so many years, and just have a Saint.
“And this rescue really made me realize that human wave tactics are effective.”
“Huh? Human wave tactics?”
“On the first day, I was busy examining and treating patients on my own, so I couldn’t reach out to all the things I needed to do, but on the second day, thanks to the help of the healthy people, I was able to change their clothes and sheets and maintain hygiene. Isn’t that amazing?”
That may seem like a different story, but it’s the same thing: In the end, we can accomplish more together than by waiting for one amazing person to do it all for us.
We would buy time with the mushrooms, and if there weren’t enough Saints, we would try administering medicine. That way we could help as many people as possible, which would ultimately benefit us.
“If you’ve always been taught that this goes against God’s will, it’s hard to accept. But the fact that there is a cure isn’t a case of going against God’s will, but rather a case of God turning a blind eye to it. It’s to help the parts that would have fallen through the Saint’s fingers. So please turn a blind eye to it just like God does.”
“But–”
“Sylphia, step back. Isn’t this something I, the saint, should decide? Amelia is asking for leniency from me, not from you.”
Alice, who had been just listening the whole time, now stepped forward in front of Sylphia.
“Or is it that the priest’s opinion is superior to that of a saint like me?”
“…I’m sorry.”
Alice looked up at Sylphia with a saintly smile, and Sylphia bowed her head. Given their age, it would seem normal for Sylphia to be the protector and speak at the front, but there seems to be a big difference in power between a saint and a priestess.
“First of all, whether I agree or not, I will not say anything about the treatment here. Of course, I will lend you the Saint’s help if you need it.”
“But!”
“I’ll tell you what I say first. Even though I’m young, I’m still a saint, you know?”
Even though she had backed down once, Sylphia tried to speak again, but Alice stopped her in a strong tone.
“Inside the temple, I followed the temple’s policy, right? I was never taught how to cook, which I’ve always wanted to do. But I’ve been thinking about it, and I don’t think God said we shouldn’t cook. In other words, the temple’s policy took precedence over the will of the Saint, right? If that’s the case, then isn’t it natural to follow the village’s policy as long as we’re staying in this village? If we can’t follow it, then surely it makes sense for us to leave? However, I don’t know if just me and Sylphia can safely get through the neighboring town where the maga occurred.”
Alice smiled mischievously.
“Besides, we are also in trouble if the monsters from the neighboring town overflow and invade this village. No matter how powerful the Saint is, I can’t do anything about the excessive number of monsters. That’s why Amelia’s treatment method is revolutionary.”
Alice put her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest proudly.
“If it turns out that we can heal those who have been turned into monsters to this extent, then the number of monsters will decrease accordingly. It may not happen anytime soon, but if the children here are cured, then at least two of them will have been reduced, right? If we combine my power with Amelia’s, we can help even more people. What’s wrong with that? If God doesn’t turn a blind eye, then divine punishment would have already been meted out, right? If it hasn’t been meted out, then I will just follow God’s will.”
“…No. It’s not like it’s my method or anything.”
The saintly woman speaks, but neither the mushrooms nor the cure are what I discovered.
This method was already established in this village when I was a child, so I would be troubled if it was attributed to my power.
“No. It’s Amelia’s power that she understands and takes the initiative to use. I had no idea that mushrooms could suppress monsterization in this way. So it’s not wrong to combine Amelia’s knowledge with my power. This is a collaboration between two saints.”
She says this as if it’s important, but I think it’s different because my father could do it, not me. But Alice seems to really like the idea of working together with me.
“No. I’m not a saint, you know?”
…Could it be that Alice likes me as much as she likes Alfie?
Isn’t it a bit excessive to treat an ordinary person like a saint?
Was Alfie like that too, being favored by Alice at the temple? Did that earn him the wrath of the other priests, leading to him being sent to get honey from monsters?
Although I was relieved that for the time being it looked like the children would be approved for treatment, I also thought to myself that you never know what disasters might happen in life.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter and thank you for reading!
