CH 241

8-10 minutes 14.01.2023

Then I went to the alchemist’s store and ordered some magic potions.

I usually bought thirty bottles, but this time I reduced the number to fifteen.

I am already winning against ghouls even if I fight them normally, and the success rate of [Turn Undead] is getting much higher, so I don’t need as many as before. Besides, it’s time to get them into the black, or we’re in trouble.

On the way back from the alchemist’s store, I decided to stop by the church as usual.

Every time I return to this town from the dungeon, I pray at the church, but there is no significant change at this point.

I don’t know if it gives me something or not. …Well, if just a little bit of praying would have an effect, everyone would become a high priest and the world would be full of priests. Let’s be patient and think about it.

As I came to the front of the church with this thought in mind, I saw a child in front of the chapel at the back of the church, crowding the Holy Knight.

“Please!” (Child)

“ I’m sorry, but there’s a waiting list for free treatment. There are many people who want to be healed. The order cannot be changed.” (Holy Knight)

“My mother will die if I just wait!” (Child)

“Rules are rules.” (Holy Knight)

“Gugh…” (Child)

The child who had been arguing with the holy knight came running this way, crying, and ran past me.

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Then I caught a glimpse of him, and I recognized his face.

“…That child, is that Adol?” (Rook)

I think he was one of the kids who was dismantling the Mud Toads left by the adventurers on the ground floor of the dungeon.

As I recall, he was a kid who hadn’t been seen in the dungeon recently.

“……” (Rook)

I look toward the church and then at Adol, who is running away.

…As expected, I just can’t just leave him alone… I can’t.

There’s the saying that even a chance meeting can lead to a deep bond, I’ve come to know more or less what it’s like. If you know something and you have the power to help… It’s not easy to ignore. I mean, it’s simply hard to wake up every morning when you think about what happens “after”.

When I looked towards the church again, the holy knight from earlier didn’t even change his expression and just continued to stand by the door.

“…” (Rook)

I followed Adol after a last glance.

After running for a while, I finally spot Adol’s back.

When Adol came to the front of one of the stores, he opened its door with great force and ran inside.

I slow down and approached the store.

“Get out! I have no business with poor people.” (Store Owner)

A man’s angry voice echoes from inside the store.

“Please! Please give me medicine! I’ll pay you someday!” (Adol)

“You’re annoying! Get out!” (Store Owner)

Adol is kicked out of the store, followed by a man in a black robe.

“Get away from the front of my store! You beggar!” (Store Owner)

The alchemist man spat and slammed the door of the store.

Under the blue sky, the usual scene of the town spreads out, and there lies a boy.

None of the passersby around him paid any attention to him. At best, they only glance at him for a moment.

“…” (Rook)

This… this world… what the heck?

I have been careful to stay away from unsafe areas, so I have not seen many of these things. But this is the reality. I just haven’t seen it, but I’m sure similar things have happened in the towns I’ve been in.

“……are you okay?” (Rook)

I kneel down next to Adol and call out to him.

“……Brother?” (Adol)

“Let’s move to a different place for now. There are a lot of people here.” (Rook)

I stood Adol up and walked toward the south side of town.

I asked him what was going on.

“Mom, I’ve been sick for a long time, but lately she can’t get up, and today in the morning she wouldn’t wake up…” (Adol)

“Um… Do you know why your mother is not feeling well?” (Rook)

“Maybe she got hurt at work, and then…” (Adol)

She probably got hurt at work, didn’t get medical treatment, and that’s when her body broke down.

“So, I was saving up money to get treatment at the church…” (Adol)

He didn’t make it in time…

Once again, I am reminded of the reality of this world. Even if you are injured, if you don’t have money, you can’t get proper treatment, and if you don’t get treatment, it is usually life-threatening. That’s the kind of world I now live in.

“The cause is some injury, right? If so I might be able to cure her.” (Rook)

“Eh! Really!?” (Adol)

“I can’t promise that I will be able to heal her, but I can try to help. I’m still a traveling healer!” (Rook)

I have a few recovery spells: [Holy Light] and [Heal], which heal wounds, and [Holy Wind], which heals abnormal status, but I don’t know how much they can heal wounds. I’m too scared to experiment. So, I can’t make any promises.

“Brother, please! Please heal my mother!” (Adol)

As Adol led me eastward through the town, the houses gradually began to look shabbier and dirtier.

We must be approaching a poverty-stricken area that I normally would never enter.

“Here!” (Adol)

While saying that, Adol entered a house.

The house had a better appearance for a house in this area, and it looked like a normal house without any leaks.

“Excuse me.” (Rook)

I followed Adol into the house.

The inside of the house was a bare room with a fireplace, a desk, and chairs, and that was it.

I followed Adol into the back room of the house and saw a woman lying on the bed.

The woman looked to be around 30 years old. Her cheeks were hollow and pale, and her long hair had lost its luster. Perhaps this was Adol’s mother.

“Mom……” (Adol)

The woman does not respond to Adol’s call. She remains asleep.

“Adol. Where are her injuries?” (Rook)

Hearing that, Adol then flips open the sheet that covers the woman’s feet and then flips up the woman’s skirt as well.

“Wait! You can’t just flip it open like that—” (Rook)

Before I could say it, my eyes fell on the woman’s right thigh, which bore a large laceration.

The woman’s right thigh had a large laceration scar, and although the wound itself was closed, about half of the thigh was blackened and discolored, centered on that area.

“This is terrible.” (Rook)

I’m not that much of a medical expert, but I could tell that the black area was necrotic.

But fortunately or unfortunately, if this injury is the root cause, it is probably treatable. [Heal] probably won’t work, but [Holy Light] will.

I grasp my Mithril Alloy Cudgel with both hands, bring it forward, and concentrate my consciousness.

Then I activated the magic without chanting.

――Divine light, heal your people [Holy Light].

The magic is activated, and light falls on the woman.

The light then concentrated on the wound on her thigh, and when the light eventually disappeared, the black stain on her leg was gone.

However, the large laceration scar on her thigh remained. I guess the Holy Light can’t heal even old injuries.

—Sacred wind, surround her, [Holy Wind]!

Just to be safe, I also use Holy Wind to recover from any abnormal status.

The woman’s complexion improved and her breathing seemed to stabilize.

“Phew…” (Rook)

This was probably successful. I have no choice but to bet on her vitality.

think so as I look at her still not waking up.

“Brother… what happened?” (Adol)

“Ah, I think I succeeded… When your mother wakes up, have her eat something delicious.” (Rook)

While saying that, I remembered the kitchen of this house I saw earlier.

Certainly, there would be no proper ingredients in the kitchen. The reason why Adol was not in the dungeon recently was probably to take care of his mother, and during that time, he was not able to work.

“… well, it can’t be helped.” (Rook)

I took some silver and copper coins out of my pocket and placed them on Adol’s hand.

The ship has already sailed. Even though I managed to heal her with recovery magic, if she fell ill due to malnutrition, she will perish. If that happens, everything will in vain.

“I-I can’t take this! I was going to pay you for it.” (Adol)

“Then you can pay when you succeeded. You should feed your mother first.” (Rook)

I had always wanted to use such a cool phrase, but I never thought I would have to use it in such a different world.

“Brother… Thank you very much.” (Adol)

“Oh, don’t worry about it…” (Rook)

I was embarrassed by his honest eyes and words of gratitude, and I couldn’t help but look up at the ceiling.