Shifting my gaze to Saliela, I met her serious eyes.
It seems Saliela had been staring at me intently.
Well, well, when our eyes meet, it's a sign of affection, right?
Surely, Saliela and I will get along just fine.
Feeling happy, I quickly approached Saliela.
"Saliela, is there anything I can help you with?"
"Ah, Great Saintess! Since my father has passed away, Aerial is the next chieftain. As you are using informal language with Aerial, please use informal language with everyone here. Otherwise, the chieftain's authority will be undermined."
Saliela lowered her eyes in reverence and bowed her head.
"Huh? Is that how it works? I didn't know. Well, then, Aerial, can I just say that the change in tone was a mistake?"
Although it feels a bit late, I turned to Aerial and asked to revoke the change in tone.
However, the moment Aerial heard my words, he shook his head with terrifying speed.
"N-no, no, no, no! It's impossible! There are things in this world that can't be undone. This is one of them!! Really, if you speak to me like that, I'll be too overwhelmed to ever appear before the Great Saintess again."
"……Well, I apologize for being persistent, but I'm just a 'possible one.' I'm not a saint, and I don't have the memories of a Great Saintess."
Although I feel like I'm being suspected because Saliela overheard my conversation with Captain Curtis, I decided to stick to being a 'possible one' and not give in.
However, no one seemed willing to budge on the issue of my tone, so I, being the most mature, decided to give in.
Hmm, this way it's fifty-fifty.
"Then, I'll speak in this tone. Saliela, I feel bad speaking to my elders this way."
"That is not at all the case, Great Saintess!"
…But I'm just a 'possible one,' I thought, and gradually became too lazy to correct it.
I smiled silently and moved closer to Saliela.
"This place has many entrances and good ventilation. The wind isn't too strong, either. It's an ideal place for the sick."
I was told that if someone falls ill, they are immediately isolated here. Those who stay here for a long time, usually a few weeks, should be here.
However, the nightgowns look clean, and the air feels comfortable.
I was impressed by Saliela's thoughtful care and her excellent treatment of the patients.
… I had heard that the current saintess is arrogant, but there are saints like Saliela too.
Feeling happy, I smiled, and Saliela shook her head modestly.
"Your kind words are greatly appreciated. … We are the clan saved by the Great Saintess. It is our duty as saints to carry on the lives of our people."
"… Thank you, Saliela."
Saliela's words warmed my heart.
— I'm so happy. To think there's such a wonderful saintess…
However, when I thanked her, Saliela looked sad.
"… No, Great Saintess. I cannot say that I have fulfilled my duty. The Yellow Stripe Disease has been recurring in this land for the past 300 years. No matter how many people have fallen ill, they have all been cured by the Great Saintess's special medicine. However, this time, not a single person has been cured since the first case appeared six months ago."
"Saliela…"
From Saliela's pained expression, I could sense her inner turmoil and couldn't help but murmur her name.
"In the past six months, I have returned hundreds of my fellow clan members to the sea. … No one blames me. They say, 'The illness must have been too severe for the medicine to work.' I know that's not the reason, but no one blames me. … The chieftain says it is the fate of our clan. We were saved by the Great Saintess's kindness 300 years ago, and that was all we deserved."
"………"
I have many things I want to argue, but I don't know where to start, so I remain silent.
To me, Saliela continued.
"That's why we all live our lives as usual. We work, eat, and celebrate the seasons and festivals. We have accepted that if someone gets the Yellow Stripe Disease, they might die. … However, if someone does get the disease, they are immediately moved here and cannot return home."
Saliela clasped her hands to her chest and continued in a trembling voice.
"… The chieftain doesn't say anything, but I think everyone believes it's a punishment. We were saved by the Great Saintess 300 years ago, but we haven't repaid her kindness at all. We promised not to fight with anyone and to live helping each other, but we are fighting with the lord and the knights. It's a punishment for that …"
"… Illness is just illness. I don't think there's a reason for punishment or sin in getting sick."
When someone falls seriously ill, some people try to find meaning in it. Some try to find a reason.
But what about the people here who think it's a punishment?
Even though they have done everything they should and haven't done anything wrong, they still think it's a punishment …
"… I think everyone has done their duty sufficiently."
I muttered and approached one of the patients.
I had already cast a spell to stop the progression of the illness for the critically ill, so there was no urgent need to treat them.
And for the others, Saliela had been providing excellent care, so out of respect for her efforts, I didn't think I should interfere.
So, there was nothing I needed to do here …
But my feet were drawn to a small child among the patients.
Among the lying patients, there was one small child who caught my eye, and I was curious about the fluffy grass on her head.
I squatted down and picked up the fluffy grass, and Saliela, noticing me, explained.
"Those were brought by the children. Well, only those who are not ill can enter this cave, so the guard at the entrance received them."
"I see."
The fluffy grass is used for fever reducers but not for the special medicine for the Yellow Stripe Disease.
The children must have brought it for their friend, not knowing that.
They even entered the forest with the basilisk …
I remembered the children's terrified faces when I found them in the forest and their laughing faces when we visited the stalls earlier.
The energetic and cute children. This little girl must be the friend they wanted to save so badly.
I have to cure the patients no matter what.
Thinking this, I closed my eyes and placed my hand on the forehead of the small girl lying there.
The girl's forehead was burning hot, and I could tell how high her fever was.
I winced, and the girl fluttered her eyelids and opened her eyes.
"… Great Saintess?"
She looked at my hair and asked in a dazed voice.
I couldn't deny her question, so I nodded.
"Yes, that's right. How are you feeling?"
"… The Great Saintess's hand feels good. … I'm happy. You're here, so I'll get better, right?"
Looking into the child's serious eyes, I nodded firmly.
"Yes. Your friends picked the herbs for you. Once we make the medicine, you'll get better soon."
Hearing my words, the girl closed her eyes happily.
She might be feeling the coolness of my hand because of her high fever.
Thinking this, I stroked her head in silence for a while, and she fell asleep, breathing steadily.
Feeling relieved, I sat back on the rock and was lost in thought when a voice called out from the entrance.
"… Lady Phi, I apologize for keeping you waiting. I have returned."
Turning around, I saw Captain Curtis standing there with a large bag and a small bag.
"… I'm out of shape. I need to start training from scratch."
While saying this, Captain Curtis handed me the two bags.
"Huh? You're already back? I thought it hadn't even been half the time. Did you really manage to gather the 'Yellow Wind Flower petals'? Curtis, did you pick the wrong flowers?"
Tilting my head, I opened the large bag he handed me first and found it filled with real 'Yellow Wind Flower petals.'
"… What? They're real! And so many! Wow, did you climb the tree to get them?"
While saying this, I realized why he mentioned being out of shape.
However, to gather so many flowers, he must have climbed quite high, so I don't think he's out of shape.
"Curtis, you said you were out of shape, but you did a great job …"
But when I opened the smaller bag, my words trailed off.
"C-C-C-Curtis, t-this is …"
My attention was drawn to the contents of the small bag.
"I encountered some monsters on the way, so I extracted the magic stones from their bodies."
Captain Curtis said this as if it were nothing, and I looked at him with a horrified expression.
"……………"
Because the small bag was filled with dozens of magic stones of various sizes.
The larger ones looked about the same size as the A-rank monster's magic stone I received from Zabria.
In this short time, he not only found the location of the 'Yellow Wind Flower petals,' climbed the tree to gather a lot of them, but also defeated dozens of A-rank and lower monsters?
"Who are you?"
Hearing my muttered words, Captain Curtis answered with a completely serious face.
"Of course, I am your loyal knight."
No, this goes beyond being a knight.
… I decided in my heart to stop talking about trivial things like attitude and stick to common sense.