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“Oh my, I apologize for startling you.”
“…Who are you? You don’t seem like villagers.”
“Me? We heard from the villagers that you were late to return, so we came to check on you out of concern.”
“From the villagers?”
“Yes, we have interactions with the people of that village.”

The woman’s attire was made of high-quality materials, indicating a certain status. However, it seemed skeptical that she had interactions with the villagers of that remote village.

“By the way, are you okay? You seemed to have hit your back quite hard…”
“Yes, it’s nothing serious.”
“No, please don’t push yourself. ‘Oh merciful God of ours’…”

As the woman clasped her hands and earnestly chanted a prayer, light began to overflow around her.

Soft light filled the cave, and the pain from hitting my back disappeared as if it were a lie. Not only that, but the accumulated fatigue seemed to vanish as well. This was a feat reminiscent of a divine miracle…

“Hehe, I couldn’t overlook it due to my profession. You see, I’m a saint.”

As expected, this woman was a sorcerer.

――――――――…………
――――……
――…

“Mmm…mmm… Huh, my fever’s suddenly gone…”
“Wow, that’s a quick recovery.”
“Whoa! Who’s this unknown beauty!?”
“You just woke up and are already being noisy. At least thank her for healing you.”

That awful fever suddenly vanished, and as my consciousness cleared I saw a tremendous beauty peering at my face.

Long eyelashes, smooth skin, silky golden hair… Laika was stunning, but this woman was equally captivating.

“Um, Sister…? W-wait, did I perhaps… die or something…?”
“As if. She used magic to lower your fever.”
“Yes, I’m Roche Hill. It seems you’ve also been guided by the divine.”
“Oh, well, thank you very much… I’m Momose Kaguya, nice to meet you.”
“Yes, may the blessings of our Lord Ascles be upon you.”

Miss Roche clasped her hands and closed her eyes in prayer… Actually, her eyes were closed from the beginning. She keeps them closed. I wonder if she can see properly.

“Worry not, I tend to see too much, so I voluntarily have it sealed off.”
“Oh, I see… Wait, you read my mind? Is it magecraft again?”
“Hehehe, your thoughts were written all over your face.”
“And she’s not a wizard, she’s a sorcerer.”
“……????”

The words “wizard” and “sorcerer” swirled around in my head. Aren’t they the same thing?

But the two shook their heads in denial. I didn’t know, but there seemed to be a significant difference.

“Magecraft and magic are different classifications. Magecraft is a technique for individuals with an aptitude to manipulate magical power.”
“On the other hand, magic is a ritual of offering prayers to gods or spirits, borrowing magical power through faith.”
“I-I see…?”

I don’t really get it, but I sort of understand. It’s probably like curry and hayashi rice.

“You don’t really get it, huh… Well, whatever. Just make sure to express your gratitude.”
“Oh, right! Thank you, Miss Roche!!”
“No need to thank me. I often visit this village as well.”
“Lady Saint, preparations are complete… Hm? Oh, the young lady received blessings too. That’s good, that’s good.”

As the three of us chatted animatedly, the doctor who examined me entered the room.

Is ‘Lady Saint’ referring to Roche?

“Yes, I’m heading there now. If you’d like, would you two care to join us?”
“Huh? Well, if you insist… Wait, what’s about to happen?”
“It’s probably quicker to show you rather than explain, hehehe.”

I now understood why people described smiles as ‘blooming.’

Without knowing what was going on, I followed along. Outside the house, a crowd of elderly villagers had gathered, along with a robot that looked like an armored warrior.

“A-A robot!?”
“That’s clearly a golem.”
“Oh! Lady Roche, everyone awaits!”
“Even its way of speaking is like a samurai!?”
“You really can’t calm down, huh?”

It was amazing, huge, cool, and shiny. There’s no way a high school girl wouldn’t get excited seeing a robot like this.

It was mostly composed of gold and silver, but perhaps due to the black accent color, it didn’t look gaudy at all, and instead looked somehow divine.

It was much taller than me. I wonder if there’s a person inside.

“Hehe, there’s no one inside. Please call it Koutei.”
“My thoughts were read again!”
“This one is deeply honored to be introduced. This one is but a golem with a nonimportant name, serving as Lady Roche’s bodyguard!”
“Your protectee just revealed your name.”

Mr. Koutei… Even his name sounds cool, like a king.¹　

But with such a formidable bodyguard, who exactly was Miss Roche?

“Lady Saint, my back is hurting too much, I can’t keep up!”
“My joints are already aching.”
“I stubbed my toe the other day…”
“Yes, I understand everyone’s pain. Now, let us pray to our God of Healing, Ascles…”

As Miss Roche clasped her hands again in prayer, the elderly villagers also joined in, praying in the same manner. Even Mr. Koutei, the golem, did so.

“Laika, Laika, what’s that?”
“It’s a healing prayer, a type of magic that only those who serve the God of Healing Ascles can use.”
“But don’t you need to chant a spell for that?”
“That’s talking about magecraft. Magic is activated by showing respect and faith to the target. Sometimes prayer incantations are used, but they’re not essential.”
“I see, there are a lot of differences… So, why are you in such a bad mood?”

While the villagers were enveloped in light with peaceful expressions, Laika stood apart, her brow furrowed.

Miss Roche seemed just as nice as Laika, so why is she in such a bad mood?

“What, did I seem like the kind of petty person who envies others’ success? I’ve always been like this, with this stoic expression.”
“Huh, are you jealous of Miss Roche!?”
“As if, you’re hopeless with jokes… But, yeah, I’m just not good with magic.”

Laika turned her face away with a pout, and her expression seemed more frustrated than envious.

So, even Laika had things she wasn’t good at. Even someone like her, who could unilaterally defeat the boss of a bandit gang.

“Don’t worry, I’m actually also really bad with studying, bell peppers, and cockroaches.”
“To compare those to the same level is rather insulting… Magic isn’t about logic; theories and techniques like those for Magecraft don’t apply at all.”
“So… you’re uncomfortable with it because you don’t understand the structure?”
“That’s one way to put it. I don’t trust gods. Maybe that’s why I can’t use most magic.”

…Not ‘trusting’ gods, rather than not ‘believing’ in them.

Her assertion carried with it a jumble of emotions that the current me couldn’t quite grasp.

“All right, the prayer is over now. Everyone, please live long and prosper.”
“…Oh, looks like it’s over, Laika. It was beautiful, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah, she even secretly included us within the healing range.”
“Huh?! I didn’t even realize…”

Now that she mentioned it, I felt like my body had become lighter somehow.

I felt better than before I caught a cold. I felt like I could even fly now.

“I apologize for the wait. It’s a customary event whenever I visit this village. How was it?”
“Truly devout, huh? Offering magic that could earn a fortune at a bargain.”
“Hehe, it’s only natural as a follower of Ascles. And may I have a moment of your time?”
“Huh, is there still something else?”
“Yes, there’s something I’d like to ask Miss Momose… Is your hair color something that changed when you came to this world?”

1. The kanji used to spell Koutei (煌帝) here literally means something like “shining emperor” but the pronunciation “koutei” itself (which Momo hears since she can’t actually “see” the kanji) also means emperor 皇帝. She probably understood it as such. Leaving it in romaji for now since its too complicated and not enough context.