Chapter 6
One wave of her hand would heal it as though nothing had ever happened.
“Get out. Now.”
But instead of healing me, the Saintess chose to make me disappear from her sight.
I also chose to flee the bedchamber as quickly as possible.
If I provoked her temper any further for no reason, even worse suffering might be waiting for me.
After that, senior nuns continued to leave in tears every day.
“There were even rumors that one of them had been hit by the Saintess.”
‘She’s seriously awful.’
It was the first time I had ever felt fortunate to be a low-ranking nun.
As the days continued like walking on thin ice, I prayed every night.
‘Please let Commander Arle come back soon.’
It seemed like this hell wouldn’t end otherwise.
Finally, on the eighth day, my prayer was answered like a miracle.
It was early morning, before the dawn dew had even dried.
“It looks like the Holy Knights are returning from the demon den!”
“The Commander! The Commander is back!”
‘Arle?’
At someone’s joyful shout, I threw aside the holy water I was holding and ran outside.
Dozens of people like me had already gathered there.
“Commander!”
“Commander!”
The first to welcome the returnees were Raphael and the Holy Knights who had been stationed at the Gate.
They exclaimed in amazement as their comrades walked down from midair to the ground.
“Is everyone alright?”
Arle, at the front, landed on the ground and gave a brief nod, while the other knights collapsed to the floor as though exhausted.
“Don’t even ask. That place is literally hell you can enter while still alive.”
“We really would’ve all died if it weren’t for the Commander.”
One look at them, covered in all manner of bodily fluids and gaunt from exhaustion, was enough to tell that they weren’t exaggerating.
If anything, the surprising part was Arle, who somehow remained clean.
Just as the Holy Knights who had crossed the line between life and death exchanged brief greetings.
“Huh?”
The Gate swirling behind them stretched into a long vertical line, then finally vanished without a trace.
“It really does close?”
Raphael, who had witnessed it right before his eyes, smiled with interest and turned toward Arle.
“Commander, are you going to make your report first?”
“…I suppose I should.”
“When you’re done with that, talk to me alone for a bit. I found out something pretty interesting.”
As though something had come to mind, his eyes gleamed mischievously.
But Raphael’s impish smile didn’t last long.
“…I will, ugh.”
Arle staggered and collapsed to the ground.
The others watching screamed at the sudden turn of events.
“Commander?”
Looking more closely, Arle’s skin was flushed red.
Startled, Raphael hurriedly supported him, and the sight caught the eye of the Saintess, who had just come out to welcome Arle.
“Arle! Arle! What happened!”
The Saintess went pale and rushed over, grabbing Arle and shouting.
Raphael frowned and dug a finger into his ear as he spoke.
“Whatever it is, the Saintess is right here. How bad could it be?”
His look all but said that she could heal him anyway, so there was no need to make such a fuss.
The Saintess bit her lip hard, then instructed an attending nun.
“…Not only Arle, but all the knights who came out of the demon den will need healing. Call every high-ranking priest.”
“Yes, Saintess!”
“Raphael, you will help me take Arle to the prayer room.”
“Yes, sure.”
As the Saintess and Raphael hurried away with Arle, everyone else left to attend to their own duties.
And I, left behind in the clearing, swallowed hard.
Because something about the glimpse I’d gotten of Arle didn’t look right.
‘No way… right?’
Skin flushed red as though he were burning with fever, and the occasional hot breath escaping his lips.
He looked as though he were suffering from an Esper’s rampage, or perhaps the pain of an awakening.
‘It can’t be.’
I tried to calm my troubled thoughts.
Sick people all looked more or less the same, didn’t they?
He had probably just fallen ill after pushing himself too hard for the past eight days.
‘Once the Saintess heals him, he’ll be completely fine.’
But it wasn’t long before that hope crumbled.
News spread throughout the entire church that Arle’s fever simply wouldn’t go away.
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