Chapter 6

Chapter 6 — I Am Not a Saintess

The splash of water on the river’s surface snapped her back to her senses.

Maybe he had comforted her because she looked downhearted.
If that was the case, expecting anything more would be a mistake.
Hiding the wavering feelings in her chest, Angelina let out a small laugh.

“Something with strong vitality… so basically, it’s thick-skinned, right?”

“No, that’s not what I meant.”

“Hehe, just kidding. But I really feel better now. Thank you very much!”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

Gilberto smiled faintly and lifted both barrels at once.

“Ah—sorry! I’ll carry one!”

“No need. They’re not that heavy. And if we don’t hurry, Anju’s special soup will all be eaten.”

Joking lightly, Gilberto headed back along the path they had come, his steps steady and unhurried. Angelina followed closely behind him.

Somehow, it felt like she had received something far more precious than a flower.

With a quiet smile, Angelina slipped the firanium flower into her bag.

“Captain, Anju—thank you for your hard work.”

Vice Captain Feres took the bucket of water from Gilberto and immediately carried it over to the injured soldiers.

When a wound has been exposed to poison, the first rule is to wash it thoroughly with water.
After that comes healing or recovery magic.
However, wounds inflicted deeply in battle against magical beasts or monsters require extra care.
If the wound has turned a reddish-purple color, an additional step is needed—sprinkling holy water to purify it.

“I’m going to apply it now. It may sting a little, but please bear with it.”

“—gh!”

When Feres sprinkled the holy water, a sizzling sound rose and the soldier grimaced.
Holy water causes a sharp stinging sensation, but when wounds are deep, this purification step is essential.

“Heal.”

As the vice captain cast the spell, the discolored wound glowed faintly and closed cleanly.
The soldier exhaled in relief.

“That should do it. If it still hurts after a while, let me know.”

“Thank you very much!”

What skillful control.
He adjusted the spell so it affected only the necessary area, without waste.

In truth, the way Helena’s magic sparkled and flooded the area with light was actually a sign of inexperience. Poor control caused excess magical energy to leak out as light.
Because people didn’t know that, they revered it as “angelic light”…

Though—if that display was intentionally used to create a saintly image, then perhaps she really was clever.

Still, Helena didn’t possess a particularly large amount of magical power.
If her control hadn’t improved, she wouldn’t be able to treat many wounded at once.
Did the priests assigned to her ever teach her proper control, Angelina wondered?

Well, it had nothing to do with her anymore.

Angelina let out a slow breath and ladled soup from the pot, handing it out to the soldiers whose treatment had finished.

Worm body hair was especially dangerous when inhaled, as the poison lingered inside the body.
Detoxification magic neutralizes internal toxins, so it should help them feel better.

“Here you go—please eat plenty and regain your strength!”

“Thanks, Anju.”

Being thanked so sincerely made her genuinely happy. No one here called her useless or incompetent.

Ah—this person should get an extra detox effect.

As she infused the bowl with magic before handing it over, her fingers brushed the soldier’s hand.

“Oh—sorry!”

She had been too focused on controlling the magic.
Thinking she still had a long way to go, Angelina smiled shyly to cover it up—only for the soldier’s cheeks to flush.

To a soldier wounded in battle, Anju looked radiant.
Pure and delicate… and somehow, even divine.

“Just like a saintess.”

“Hiii!”

Oh no—where did he figure it out?!

Panicking visibly, Anju’s hand was suddenly grabbed by the soldier.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. I just couldn’t help myself. I’m Marco—when we get back to the kingdom, I’d really like to—”

“Oh? You seem to have recovered quite well.”

“Who’s interrupting— Vice Captain?!”

“Yes, that’s right. Your superior. I thought I had a fairly noticeable presence, but it seems I still have room to improve.”

Vice Captain Feres gently removed Marco’s hand from Angelina’s and smiled at him kindly.

But his eyes were not smiling at all.

Ah. This is bad.

“Marco, once we return to the kingdom, I’ll be inviting you to a special training session. I need to make sure my presence is firmly etched into you.”

“……”

“Rest assured. I guarantee your abilities will improve dramatically.”

Angelina quietly looked away from Marco’s despairing expression.

I’m sorry. All I can do is cheer you on.

When she shifted her gaze, she found Gilberto watching them with an indescribably subtle expression.
Angelina leaned closer and whispered softly, making sure Vice Captain Feres couldn’t hear.

“…By ‘training,’ you mean normal training, right?”

Something about this felt very different from the training she knew.

“It’s what you’d call a special menu. A famous feature of our unit.”

“The vice captain’s tone and wording sound perfectly normal, yet I sense a faint scent of mortal danger…”

“Well… no one has died yet. But according to those who’ve experienced it, death would have been preferable.”

The word sadist flashed across Angelina’s mind.

As her face paled, Vice Captain Feres smiled brightly at her.
Her sixth sense was screaming a warning.

Yes. It would be wise not to oppose this man.

“We’ll be reaching the Rovaldia Kingdom soon. You’ve done very well to make it this far.”

“Yes! Thank you so much for bringing me with you!”

When she looked up, the sky was indeed different.
The dull, heavy blue had quietly changed into a clear, translucent light blue.

—Dear Grandmother, in heaven.

Anju is now gazing up at the same sky you once saw.

For some reason, ever since leaving the country, people keep calling me a saintess.
Isn’t that strange?

But from now on, I’ll live quietly and modestly. If I work hard, it should be easy.

I’ll never be called a witch again.

From the bottom of her heart, Angelina thought that leaving the Centrea Kingdom had been the right choice.

“…When she’s like that, she’s just an ordinary girl.”

Gilberto watched Angelina’s back as she spoke dreamily about wanting to see breathtaking scenery—clear blue skies stretching over rugged mountain ranges.
Feres quietly stepped up beside him.

“Have you figured anything out?”

“No. I can’t read her at all.”

“For someone as skilled at reading magic as you, that’s unusual. Perhaps she’s an ordinary civilian with no magic at all?”

“But I sense concealed magic. If that intuition isn’t mistaken, then she must be able to use something.”

In this land, where powerful mages and magic swordsmen were often born, the ability to read magic was vital.
Among them, Gilberto was considered the best in the kingdom at identifying what kind of magic others used.

Either she possessed no magic at all, or she controlled both the quality and quantity of her magic so perfectly that not a single trace leaked out.

—or there was some third possibility they hadn’t even imagined.

In any case, Angelina was hiding something.

“I wanted to uncover it as much as possible before reaching the kingdom.”

“I thought keeping her close would make it easier, but it hasn’t been simple.”

Normally, civilians were never allowed to travel with the unit.
But Gilberto had given special permission—to keep her under observation.

“For an entire month, we’ve been made to endure cramped living in the same tent…”

“Well, it wouldn’t have been appropriate for me to share a tent with her. And besides…”

“And besides?”

“She may have been born with a gift on an entirely different level. Something like a person chosen by the gods.”

In the Centrea Kingdom, women chosen by the gods were called saintesses.
Their powers varied widely, each unique in its own way.

Yet she insisted she was not a saintess.

“If she isn’t a saintess… then what is she?”

“Who knows. She carries official exit documents from the Centrea Kingdom, and she’s helped us countless times along the way. At the very least, she’s not someone who would do harm.”

“Yes. Despite being unfamiliar with so many things, she’s supported us well from the rear.”

Especially when it came to meals—the special soup—and the precision of her wound care.
She was clearly accustomed to cooking and tending the injured.

Since the results were beneficial to them, they couldn’t simply discard her just because her magic couldn’t be read.

“We’ll have to keep a close eye on her.”

“Until we identify her magic, it may be best to keep her within reach.”

“Can I leave that to you?”

“Understood.”

From the moment they met, Gilberto had felt she was someone he must not let go of.
Even without knowing the truth, her magic was not harmful to their country.

Rather, he believed it would help them.

That was why he wanted to know what her power truly was.

A girl like a firanium flower, with glossy black hair.
Sturdy and thick-skinned—yet sometimes on the verge of breaking.

Before he realized it, his eyes were always following her.

Not just a little—he was already deeply drawn in.

And the fact that he didn’t resent being led around by her at all only made it worse.

Gilberto felt his cheeks warm slightly.

Losing control of his own emotions—this was a first.

Was this fleeting… or something more?

“…I’ll dig a little deeper.”

And with that quiet resolve, he watched her once more.