chapter 118…………………………………………..
The Temple (1)
The temple wasn’t very far away, so visiting the patient posed no real difficulty.
It was simply unfamiliar, since it was their first time visiting a temple in person.
“Lowell, have you ever been to a temple?”
“No, this is my first time. I never really had any interest.”
“Really? I’ve heard that quite a few mages actually aspire to work at temples… I guess you’re an exception.”
“That’s right! It’s my first time too!”
Leri’s innocent voice chimed in from where she sat on his shoulder. In the end, it meant that none of them had any experience visiting a temple.
Then they won’t be much help.
Come to think of it, it was hard to imagine Lowell healing others or praying, anyway.
If anything, the one more closely connected to temples would have been Temia.
Back in her childhood—so long ago it now felt like a distant memory—it had been common for people to be summoned to temples to call for healing mages.
Even so, this was Temia’s first time actually visiting a temple herself.
Though the reason is a bit different from usual.
The child they had rescued together had been entrusted to the temple to recover. Along with that news came word that the child had requested to meet Temia.
“I was worried about whether they were doing well afterward, so I’m glad we got the chance to visit.”
“They said the recovery’s going smoothly, so it should be fine. Still, asking to meet us—I never would’ve guessed.”
“Right? They said there was something they wanted to say in person…”
Watching the two of them sink into thought, Leri spoke lightly.
“Maybe it’s just to say thank you? You haven’t seen each other since that day!”
“Hmm…”
But Temia still didn’t look convinced.
She hadn’t seen the child’s face, but she had already received a letter of thanks. It had been written on the child’s behalf by someone else, in neat handwriting. Still, it was the line at the end that had prompted her to come in person.
“There’s something I want to tell you face to face.”
“So even though it’s a temple, it doesn’t seem all that different. I was curious about it,” Lowell said.
His voice pulled Temia out of her thoughts and back to reality. Only then did she really take in her surroundings.
Clergy in white vestments embroidered with gold thread moved about the area. Since outsiders didn’t seem to come often, she could feel people glancing their way as they passed.
“It feels like we’re drawing a bit too much attention… Let’s go inside quickly.”
Feeling awkward, Temia hastened her steps. Lowell nodded in agreement.
When they opened the door to the room they’d been guided to, a familiar face came into view.
The child, sitting up on the bed, greeted them brightly.
“Oh! You’re here!”
“Wait—your condition still requires rest. Please greet your guests from the bed.”
A cleric standing nearby calmed the child as they tried to jump up. She had sharp eyes and a stiff tone that felt intimidating. The child immediately settled down and nodded.
“Considering the patient’s condition, the visit will be limited to thirty minutes. Please enjoy your conversation.”
After leaving with a brief bow, the cleric exited the room. As if waiting for that moment, the child began to speak.
“I-I know you must be busy, so thank you for coming! I shouldn’t be receiving such important people like this…”
“No! You need to rest if you want to recover properly. It’s really fine.”
“Yeah! That scary person might come back and scold you otherwise, you know?”
Agreeing with Temia, Leri fluttered over to the bedside. The child looked at her in surprise and hurriedly waved their hands.
“You mean Sister Vanessa? She looks scary, but she’s actually kind. She’s the one who’s taken the best care of me…”
Seeing how restless the child was, Temia quickly stepped closer, worried they might try to get out of bed. Before long, the child calmed down.
Then Lowell asked in a sharp voice, “You said you had something to talk about? You didn’t call us here just to greet us in person.”
It seemed like they could get straight to the point now. From his tone, he too appeared quite curious about the child’s intentions.
With a resolute expression, the child glanced around and nodded.
“Well…”
As the child’s story unfolded, the expressions of the group gradually stiffened. At the same time, the child’s anxiety grew more apparent. When they finished speaking, the child asked cautiously,
“Um… did I do something wrong? Maybe I just imagined it after all…”
“Nope! Even small things like this need to be checked!”
“R-right. We’re grateful you told us.”
“I was worried I might be saying something unnecessary… I kept wondering if I should speak up at all.”
So that’s why they insisted on telling us in person.
Seeing the child’s trembling lips, it was clear how nervous they’d been. Temia and Leri hurried over to comfort the tearful child.
“Don’t cry! You did really well, didn’t you?”
“Absolutely! You’re the sharpest kid we’ve seen in a long time!”
“Sniff… r-really?”
“Of course! So don’t worry too much. Just focus on resting and getting better.”
Just as they managed to calm the child down, the allotted visiting time ended. After confirming that the now-relaxed child had fallen asleep in bed, the group left the room.
As soon as the door closed, Temia asked urgently,
“…What do you think about what they told us?”
“It could just be a misunderstanding, but given how the circumstances line up, I think it’s worth suspecting.”
“Right? Now I understand why they called us here.”
The two exchanged grave looks. And understandably so—what the child had said sounded far too suspicious to anyone who knew what was going on.
- “I… I live in the temple’s poorhouse. I’ve seen the people from that group who were arrested.”
- “They were people the temple’s healers met with. At first they wore robes, so I didn’t recognize them…”
- “But the mark on the inside of their wrist was exactly the same. It was unusual, so I remembered it.”
- “Some healers would sometimes meet them at the back door. Other people don’t really go that way.”
- “The kids from the poorhouse used to hide and play there a lot, but after a few went missing, everyone avoided it.”
That meant the temple’s healers might have ties to the Prometheus members.
Based solely on the child’s words, that was how it sounded. But without concrete evidence, it also meant there was no solid justification to take action. They could easily brush it off by saying they’d merely run into suspicious-looking people while tending to the needy at the back entrance. After all, the only one who had actually noticed and recognized this was the child from the poorhouse.
Knowing that, both of them grew somber, their expressions dark.
Only Leri, rolling her eyes thoughtfully in the middle, tilted her head.
“So… we don’t have enough evidence to arrest anyone yet, right?”
“That’s right.”
“Then can’t we just find some? Or ask someone who knows?”
“That’s easier said than done…”
Lowell was letting out a small sigh at Leri’s innocent suggestion when a sudden loud voice echoed from the opposite corridor.
“No, that’s not acceptable!”
At the complaint-filled voice, Lowell and Temia met eyes. Without a word, they exchanged glances and quietly moved toward the sound. Just in case, Lowell had already firmly clamped a hand over Leri’s snout.
As they got closer, the figures facing each other came into view. One of them looked familiar—it was the healer they’d seen earlier in the child’s ward. She still wore a calm, stern expression.
The person standing opposite her, however, looked furious. If another healer beside them hadn’t been holding their arm, they looked ready to lunge forward.
“That belongs to me! Taking it without permission—don’t you think that’s overstepping your authority?”
“You’re the one at fault for bringing in unauthorized items. If you have complaints, submit a written statement and retrieve it properly.”
After stating that bluntly, Vanessa turned and walked away. The people left behind ground their teeth.
“Hah, always so high and mighty, aren’t you? Must be nice.”
“Sister Vanessa’s been at the temple a long time. She’s a bit old-fashioned.”
“Even so, she’s way too authoritarian! Incredibly picky. If she were at least exceptionally skilled, it wouldn’t be so irritating—but honestly, she’s nothing special, is she?”
“Hey, keep it down! She might hear you!”
“Let her hear! I told you not long ago I had a great item I was going to give you, didn’t I? She confiscated it!”
“She confiscated it?! Why didn’t you ask for it back?”
The angry healer pressed a hand to their forehead, unable to contain their frustration.
“As if that uptight witch would listen. She said it was seized, so she won’t return it. It’s not even just for me—what rotten luck!”
“Oh, about that, I heard something new recently…”
“What? You should’ve said so sooner! Let’s talk over there—this place isn’t good.”
After venting their anger, they soon lowered their voices and left. Once it was completely quiet, Lowell finally released his grip on Leri.
“Pwah! I thought I was going to suffocate, Master!!”
“I thought you’d give us away if I didn’t…”
“What do you take me for?! I can tell when to stay quiet, you know?!”
Watching Leri hop about indignantly while Lowell tried to placate her, Temia sank into thought.
Something about this doesn’t sit right. Is there really any reason to stay still after hearing all that?
The voices of the remaining healers had been loud enough to hear clearly even from a distance—it had practically been open mockery.
“That cleric just now… she said they brought in ‘unauthorized items,’ didn’t she?”
The question slipped out, prompted by how it seemed to connect with what the child had told them earlier.
When Temia looked over for an answer, her gaze landed on Lowell. He grinned and said,
“It definitely sounds suspicious. Hearing that right after a story about meeting Prometheus… Shall we dig into it ourselves?”
