Published: August 10, 2026
"I have been expecting you, Lady Rosemine, Lord Melchior. These are the heroes of the battle at the West Gate."
Darmel and Matthias welcomed us. As Ferdinand helped me down from my Mount, I looked over the soldiers.
Every one of them was on their knees with their heads bowed, but some were injured. Darmel had told me that none of them had suffered serious injuries, but looking at the bandages, I could hardly call them light injuries.
"Older sister Rosemine, there are injured men here."
Melchior, who had come riding with his attendant, got down from his Mount as well and whispered to me from beside me. The knights were probably receiving healing from the knights order or from doctors, but the commoner soldiers likely had nothing of the sort.
"Don't worry, Melchior. I'll provide healing."
"Do you still have enough mana left to heal multiple soldiers, older sister?"
Melchior, who had offered prayers with me at the temple, blinked in surprise. Since he had not entered the noble academy and had never compressed his mana, he had probably spent a fair amount of mana on the memorial rites for the dead. I smiled and patted Melchior's head, which was a little below my line of sight.
"The more blessings of the gods you gain, the less mana you need. You will be the head priest from now on too, Melchior. If you pray for the land and its people and work hard to gain the blessings of many gods, that will be enough."
"...I'll do my best so I can become like older sister Rosemine."
"You can become a much better head priest than I ever could, Melchior. You're extremely capable."
With a small chuckle, I lifted my hand from Melchior's head and looked over the soldiers.
"I heard from Darmel, my attendant, about your achievements. You fought bravely to protect this city. If the Volgenir that the enemy had led had managed to enter the city, the commoners would have suffered tremendous damage."
At my words, the soldiers who had been kneeling with their heads bowed lifted their faces. When they saw me, they gasped wordlessly, their eyes wide.
I had come to the West Gate in the same head priest's robes a year ago, when I came to collect Clarissa. So unlike the commoners who only saw me from afar during rituals, they likely noticed the changes in my appearance very clearly.
Father was squinting at me as though looking at something dazzling. His expression was a complicated mix of happiness, pride, and loneliness.
Pretending not to notice the soldiers' astonishment, I continued.
"It would not be an exaggeration to say that this city was protected thanks to you. However, it seems some of you were injured in the process. I would like to provide healing so that you may continue protecting this city as soldiers. ...Straight corben."
I closed my eyes, transformed my stave into Flutlene's Staff, and offered my prayer.
"O healing goddess who serves as a retainer of the goddess of water Flutlene, Lungshmeil, hear my prayer and grant me sacred power. To those who fought to protect Gedrurihi and were wounded, grant me the power to heal them. I offer you this sacred melody, and cast the supreme ripples, that I may receive your pure blessing."
Even with my eyes closed, I could tell that green blessing light was overflowing. Not only the soldiers, but also my attendants cried out in astonishment.
"Such powerful healing!? Lady Rosemine, enough, that is enough!"
Ferdinand stopped me with a voice that carried a hint of urgency, and I stopped pouring mana into the spell. I said "ryuken" to dismiss my stave, then slowly opened my eyes.
The soldiers who had been kneeling with pained expressions were undoing their bandages and looking at the injuries beneath, shouting in astonishment and delight, "It's healed!"
Relieved that there were no longer any people with painful-looking injuries, I was about to let out a breath when one of the soldiers stepped forward and struck his left chest twice with his right fist.
"Thank you for your excessive consideration toward the commoner soldiers. As the sergeant who leads them, I offer my thanks."