28 - Marquis Maron
Episode 28
It would have been difficult to attempt this while Eugene was stationed in Selbon with the Order's forces. I know how obsessively Eugene searched for Hayley in the early parts of the original story.
In the novel, it was portrayed as guilt, pity for his first love, and attachment, which garnered a good response from some readers who were enthusiastic about his twisted affection. However, I refuse to have that madness disguised as affection directed at me.
Reikart, who was walking ahead, stopped.
"Hayley."
"Yeah?"
"There."
The Contaminated lumberjacks were there. It was where we had encountered them. The Contamination boundary near the logging site, the hill with a view of Selbon if you went up a little.
Forgetting even the pain, I stood there and stared at them.
"Grrr..."
They showed hostility upon discovering Reikart, but they soon calmed down when I took a couple of steps forward.
After standing silently for a long time looking at them, Reikart asked.
"Are you going to do it?"
"I'm going to do it."
"I wish there was something I could do to help."
This cute little omnivore is constantly anxious about not being able to help me. I chuckled and slowly walked forward.
Then, I approached the Contaminated lumberjack and placed my hand on his broad shoulder.
The Magical Energy dwelling in his body rose like a heat haze. The Magical Energy, which had previously rushed to be absorbed into my body as soon as I touched him, slowly seeped out of his heart like an earthworm. After that, it moved through his blood vessels and flowed out through his mouth and nose.
It was a very arduous and tedious task. I had to move every drop, every handful of Magical Energy in the direction I wanted without missing a single one.
The human body is very complex and fragile, so even a slight misdirection of Magical Energy could damage or demonize a part of it.
I didn't want them to become demons.
I didn't want them to die either.
A long time passed like that. A long time that would have been enough to eat two meals.
"Ah..."
Reikart let out a small groan.
Tears welled up in the eyes of the man in front of me. The skin that had been dyed ash-colored returned to a human complexion with a deep red hue. The hair that had been like ashes became matted brown, and the body that had been staggering aimlessly regained its balance.
"Mister."
I called out to him.
"You must drink a lot. Your face is the color of sweet potato."
And it looks like you haven't washed your hair in a while. At my words, which I said with a grin, he knelt down, shedding tears.
"I, I! I can't believe it..."
Ah, I succeeded.
My eyes almost welled up too.
'Almost.' I'm a cold city woman, so I don't cry easily. Especially when I succeed in something I've been worrying about and practicing for so long.
I should smile. Not cry.
"Thank you, thank you..."
The man repeatedly bowed his head and thanked me.
He didn't stop thanking me even after seeing the Magical Energy that had left his body become a mist, creating a slow vortex, and being absorbed into my body.
"You don't have to be so thankful. This is the first time I've tried it on you. If I had failed, you would have died immediately."
"It's better to die than to live Contaminated."
"Did you have memories during that time?"
"No. Only the moment of Contamination remains in my memory... But from the moment the young lady put her hand on my shoulder, I was able to recognize my surroundings."
It was difficult to understand because the man was sobbing, but that seemed to be the gist of it. When Contaminated, he lost his reason and had no memories, but from the moment I started Purification, his lost consciousness returned.
I entrusted the man, who was constantly bowing his head, to Reikart, and then placed my hand on the shoulder of the next lumberjack.
"Take a break..."
"Don't talk to me, Reikart. If I lose focus, this man will die."
He stepped back in shock.
Sorry, I still can't shake off my beginner Magical Energy handling skills.
It was already dark when I had Purified all five lumberjacks.
We, who had settled on the Contamination boundary, were in a rather funny state.
I was inside the Contamination, and the lumberjacks were sitting outside the Contamination, arguing.
"No, I said I don't want to, why are you doing this!"
"There is no way in this world to send away the benefactor of our lives without any repayment."
"Why is the law coming out of there?"
"If it weren't for the young lady, we would all be dead or in a state similar to death. Even if we don't have much, we want to give you everything we have. Let's go. My wife has a little bit of gold jewelry that she's been collecting on the kitchen floor, I'll take it out and give it to you."
"I have a lot of money."
"Should I give you the house deed?"
"No. How much is a house in Selbon worth?"
"Then please allow us to treat you to a meal."
No matter how much I refused, it was no use. They didn't go home even though it was late at night, and they clung to me, asking me to tell them my name so that they could repay this favor someday.
I suddenly became curious.
"Aren't you scared of me?"
"We are scared."
I like that the answer is clean. I let out a hollow laugh and asked why they were doing this if they were scared. The first Purified lumberjack carefully spoke.
"Perhaps... are you not human?"
"What are you going to do if I'm not human?"
"We'll have to keep it a secret from the Order for the rest of our lives."
"They might give you a reward if you report me?"
"Life is more precious than money."
At this point, I became curious. Why were these kind and innocent people subjected to an inquisition?
When I asked the reason, the lumberjacks were greatly indignant and said.
"At first, they started turning the village upside down, looking for the evil Sorceress Hayley and the wanted man from the Winter Dukedom. But how would mountain dwellers like us know who that is? So we said we didn't know..."
"And then?"
"Even if the young lady didn't, merchants who remembered the Holy Knight's description appeared."
Since Reikart was the heir to the Dukedom, it would have been easy to obtain a portrait of him. Moreover, his appearance was so striking that even merchants would have easily remembered him.
I glared at Reikart, and he sighed.
"I'm sorry."
"Ah, no! It wasn't the Holy Knight's fault. At first, they seemed to be just investigating, but then old gold coins were found in Fatima's inn. Old gold coins that were used a hundred years ago."
"Ah."
Come to think of it, the treasure I gave him for travel expenses, which Reikart left behind in his haste to run out, must have been there too.
"Fatima was adamantly insisting that she didn't receive anything from the young lady and the Holy Knight..."
I see.
"Moreover, it turned out that merchants who had traded with the Holy Knight also had one of those coins in their pockets."
That must have been suspicious.
"Fatima seems to have thought that if it was so precious, she should return it to the owner. At first, she trusted them because they were the Order, but their actions became increasingly suspicious, and she thought they would take it away. So she hid it belatedly, but it was discovered, and an inquisition was held for the entire village."
The lumberjacks' claim that they didn't know was all lies. They really didn't know who Reikart was, but they did meet me when I was returning to Maron Keep alone.
"The Holy Knights hung Fatima up as an example, and then said they would take her to the diocese later. We were driven into the Contaminated Zone for lying in front of the representative of God."
Some Holy Knights even said nonsense like, 'A faithful person will not be Contaminated, so don't worry.'
I let out a deep sigh and said.
"This is why ignorant kids shouldn't have beliefs."
"But really, are you... that evil Sorceress?"
"I guess so."
"Then why did you save us?"
"Because you told me to be careful."
"Excuse me?"
"That day, you told me to be careful, and you said you'd take me to the front tomorrow morning. You even gave me grass to repel mosquitoes."
I'm not some great hero, and I don't have any great convictions, so why would I do such a troublesome thing?
"I did it because I thought you might have trouble sleeping."
There are some people in the world who can't sleep and are anxious if they feel uneasy.
That's me.
So I was about to get on my horse, telling them to stop thanking me so much and go home, but I failed.
The horse's back was too high.
