Part 1: Saintess Candidate Arc

22. Village in the Sea of Trees (2)

Translated by: S3

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*****

How long had she slept?

When she opened her eyes at the sound of a noise, she saw a shadow in front of the bars. Focusing her eyes, she realized it was Gin sitting there.

「Gin? What's wrong?」

Since there was no answer to her question, Lily got out of bed and approached the bars. His face looked neglected with the injuries still on it, and the blood had dried and caked on. Thinking it looked painful, she reached out and touched his cheek.

「Heal (Chiyu Mahō)」

「Kch!」

The wounds and bruises disappeared from Gin's face and body. Seeing Gin's surprised expression, Lily raised the corners of her mouth and smiled at him.

「Why did you do that?」

「Because it looked painful.」

That was all. If there were people suffering or sad in front of her, she wanted to relieve their discomfort even a little.

「I'm the one who helped carry Lily away, which is why you're locked up in a place like this.」

「But, Gin, you looked like you'd failed from the very beginning. I don't know how to be angry with you.」

If he had been defiant and said something mean, Lily might have picked a fight with him to her heart's content. Besides—

「The person who brought me here tidied up the inside of the jail.」

When she was first shown in, the jail only had a crude mat and a thin cloth inside. Seeing that, the guide seemed a little flustered and put Lily in the jail temporarily. Then, he quickly cleaned another jail, carried various things into it, and told Lily to move to that one.

She told him that because she saw that, she didn't feel angry or sad.

Hearing that, Gin felt terribly ashamed.

「I explained everything to everyone in the village so I could meet Elliot and Lily. I couldn't open the pathway by myself. Then, when I went to see Elliot and came back, the whole village was full of injured people.」

A monster had appeared near the village, and when the adults went to investigate, they managed to drive it away, but the parts that had been touched by it turned black and spread over time. No one knew how to treat it, and in the meantime, they watched the injured people suffer and weaken.

「Someone suggested that the person who saved Elliot's egg might know something. I instinctively refused. Then I was ostracized as a traitor.」

「Ostracized (Murahachibu)?」

「It means the sanction given to someone who fails to cooperate in a community where everyone lives by cooperating, thereby putting their comrades in danger.」

「And that's why you were beaten? So badly?!」

Gin nodded, his face showing that he felt it couldn't be helped.

「I didn't mean to betray anyone in the village. But I also thought it was wrong to bring Lily here, but I was scared...」

In the end, he was threatened into opening the pathway to Lily's location and cooperated as a bystand throughout the process.

「I'm sorry, Lily.」

「Yeah. Gin, that must have been tough for you too. It's good that everyone was helped by my healing magic. Now, I hope I can go home.」

At those words, Gin flinched.

「The Village Elder is talking to Ryo and the others right now—」

He had overheard people who had seen Lily's magic up close suggesting that she should be kept here for a while. Unable to stand still, Gin secretly came to visit Lily in her cell.

「Was Elliot's egg okay?」

「Eh!— Ah, yeah. He was happy because it hatched safely.」

「That's good. Then there's one less thing to worry about. That's good.」

「I'm sorry, Lily.」

Gin lamented his own powerlessness. If he let Lily escape, Gin would no longer be able to stay in this village.

The beastmen—especially Gin's family, who had wolf characteristics—lived in small, cooperative groups centered around a leader. If a new leader emerged, they would leave the village with a certain number of followers, and those without much ability would not find a mate and would continue to live in the village where they were born. Rarely, some would find a master outside and serve them, but the option of living alone did not exist.

Gin, who had just faced ostracism, lacked the courage or the will to take action. Everything was defeated by fear. All he could do was apologize.

「Now then, is someone there?」

「!」

A small shadow approached with a shuffling sound of footsteps. The fire lit in the oil lamp placed in a niche carved into the jail wall faintly illuminated the figure.

「Tch! G-Grandpa?」

「Call me Elder. Gin. Did you get permission to come here?」

「...」

「You'll get a severe punishment again. What an incorrigible fellow.」

The small old man—the Elder—spoke to Gin while inserting a key into the padlock of Lily's jail, unlatching it with a click.

「Come now, young lady. You've had a terrible experience. I apologize for asking for your help, but I'd like you to leave as soon as possible.」

「Grandpa. I mean, Elder! You don't have to say it like that!」

「That's right. My villagers have all been rude to the young lady. Arbitrarily kidnapping someone who is unrelated. Asking for her help and then putting her in a jail. And then, asking her to leave right away, on top of that.」

The Elder laughed lightly, a fyeh-fyeh-fyeh sound.

「I apologize for my rude tribe. I am truly sorry. I bow before you like this.」

Saying that, he slowly lowered himself to his knees, put his hands on the ground, and bowed his head.

「It is not the young lady's fault, but her power is dazzling. Well-meaning people who don't think much have easily started to commit evil deeds. My apologies. I will speak to them later, but I cannot make them understand right away.」

The tone of the old man, called the Elder, was extremely gentle. His apology did not clear Lily's heart. However, she was deeply attracted by the Elder's stance of protecting the wrongdoers.

— I'm so jealous that they are properly protected so they won't commit evil deeds.

Ryo and Gin, who had kidnapped Lily, might be scolded, but they were not disliked. They would be properly taught what they needed to do so as not to make a mistake next time. She couldn't help but be terribly jealous of Ryo and Gin, who were properly protected.

「Ah, I made one mistake. The monster that attacked the village originated in the Holy Aurum Kingdom where the young lady lives. But to place the entire responsibility on the young lady alone is, indeed, wrong.」

「Eh. What do you mean by that?」

If the source of the monster that attacked Gin's village was truly the Holy Aurum Kingdom, then other races living outside this area might also suffer damage.

「His Highness and Daniel-sama are not the kind of people who would do such a thing. It must be some mistake.」

「If that is the case, then it must be happening unintentionally. The young men of the village went to scout and confirmed it. The Holy Aurum Kingdom is definitely the source.」

(What should I do, what should I do, what should I do?)

She couldn't believe that they attacked other races. After all, contact itself was supposed to be prohibited.

「I-I'm going home. I have to go back and inform everyone!」

「Hmm. Please do so. I will show you the way out of the Sea of Trees. Follow me.」

Getting up with a slow yoikose (a grunt for effort), the Elder pulled out a candlestick from the sleeve of his long-made kimono. He assembled it, placed a candle in it, lit the fire, and slowly started walking, leaning on his staff.

「Gin, bye.」

「I'll escort you.」

The three walked in silence along a narrow, long path. When a small light appeared ahead, she was told that was the exit.

「By the way, Gin. Have you settled the payment for the young lady?」

「Huh? Pa-payment?」

「Payment for healing twenty injured villagers. You idiot.」

Gin had nothing to offer, let alone a payment. Gin was about to talk back to the Elder, thinking it was too late to bring it up now, when he realized something.

「Even if we scrape together everything in the village, the cost for that kind of treatment wouldn't be enough, Grandpa.」

「Hmm. But the villagers will want to continue trading in the future, won't they? That's a problem.」

The reason the adults tried to keep Lily as a captive was that the price was too high to ask for help by paying an equivalent exchange. If something like this happens again, Lily's ability will definitely be needed. If there is no means, they would have to give up, but if there is, they must obtain it by any means necessary. That is what it means to help their comrades.

「Would you not mind working for the young lady in exchange for the cost?」

「Eh. Wait. Gin, refuse. That's not right.」

「— I understand. I will go.」

「Gin?!」

「Well then, take care now~」

Lily alternated between looking at the back of the Elder, who disappeared into the darkness of the cave in the blink of an eye, and Gin, whose face showed a firm resolve.

「So, that's why. I'll be relying on you.」

「Why?!」

「I'm going into your service. It's not an unusual story.」

「WHAT IS THAT?!」

Gin often used difficult words. Lily didn't know that it meant 'to devote one's life to serving one's lord.

「Because I was helped by you.」

「That's true.」

Since Gin wouldn't back down from following Lily once she affirmed his statement, she ended up reluctantly agreeing.

*****

TL note: Forced slavery! Is it okay if he willing to be one?

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