novel
| ← Ch.097 | Ch.099 → |
Part 4
The surrounding had become completely noisy.
──Was that bad? Was using magic in the middle of town in midday a mistake!?
He was acting aloof like a Demon King, but a cold sweat was going down his back. Both Rem and Shera were also troubled on how to control the situation.
As for Lumachina, she talked to the Pantherian mother and child.
「Earlier, you required the Church's aid──is that correct?」
「Y, yes! This child is!」
Seeing an explosion nearby, she should be fairly shaken up, but when it came to her child, it felt like she couldn't care less about the explosion.
──A mother huh......
She took off the cloth that wrapped around the baby.
On it's feet, there were eight nevi that looked like dark purple × marks had been written on it.
Diablo was about to reflexively raise his voice and go 「Eh!?」. It was because there was something quite similar to that even in the MMORPG Cross Reverie.
Lumachina made a puzzled face.
「What is that?」
The Pantherian mother bitterly appealed to her.
「It's the Marked Death Disease...... It is an illness that is a prevalence in this town right now...... The number of nevi gradually increase, and once the ninth one surfaces...... Th, they die...... 」
「What was that!?」
「If they receive the Priest-sama's miracle, they can be cured but...... 」
「Let's quickly go to the chapel!」
「We can't. 」
「Why is that!?」
「Th, that's...... 」
The mother found it hard to talk.
「It's money. 」
It was the young Grasswalker boy. He was gritting his teeth.
「Those guys of the Church, even though they can use miracles, they demand a incredibly huge amount of donations. Not just the Marked Death Disease, it goes for other illnesses as well. 」
「No way...... !! I mean, the life of such a young child is at risk, you know!?」
「Although I don't know how things are in other towns...... This place is just that sort of town. Even that person, she begged to that Holy Knight Unit guy from before, and she just got kick away, didn't she. 」
The mother hugged the baby tight.
Her shoulders trembled.
Death would come with nine ×s.
On the baby, there were already eight nevi lined up.
Diablo was about to speak.
However, what should he say? The information he had in regards to the Marked Death Disease was something he obtained in the game. The cause and method of dealing with it might be different from the one of this world.
「............ 」
Lumachina clenched her fists.
「──I understand! I will do the healing!」
「Eh? It isn't something so simple as...... 」 is what the young Grasswalker boy said as he tilted his head.
Lumachina pulled her holy symbol out from her breast, and pointed it towards the baby.
「This is my first time seeing this disease, but Kami-sama will protect him. My prayer will surely get through to him. Isn't that right?」
The one she turned her gaze to, was Diablo.
──Come to think of it, she mistook me for Kami-sama, didn't she. No matter how much she prays to me, I can't even cure a cold though.
Diablo calmly nodded.
「Fuu...... If it is you, then it should be possible. Ahー...... Um...... Do not mind me, and do it as you normally would. 」
「Yes!」
Lumachina nodded with eyes full of confidence.
The mother asked as if she were imploring her.
「Could it be that your great self, is a Priest-sama...... ?」
「I am only a novice though...... 」
Despite being on top of the sand, the mother respectfully lowered her head.
「I beg you! I beg of you, save this child!」
「I understand. Let us pray together. Kami-sama will surely save him. 」
「P, please!」
「Yes!」
Lumachina knelt in front of the baby.
She recited words of prayer.
「O great God in heaven, grant this request for salvation. Heal the evil illness that plagues this child. Grant magnanimous mercy for this child's sin, and allow him life...... 」
The mother put her hands together and trembled.
Even the people of the town that were watching in the vicinity knelt down one after another and put their hands together.
Even Rem and Shera did so.
Diablo started to feel uncomfortable. With him being the only standing, he couldn't help but feel out of place.
However, kneeling down and praying was an action that was a bit different from his image of a Demon King. Moreover, for Lumachina, she believed that "he was God".
Diablo stepped away from the ring of prayer. He cooled off in the shadow of a stone built building.
「Fuu...... 」
「Aren't you going to pray?」
「Mu?」
The young Grasswalker boy came along. Going *nihehe*, he amiably laughed.
「Me, I'm called Horun. How about you, Danna?」
「I am Diablo, a Demon King of another world. 」
「Heh?」
He looked a bit surprised but...... maybe because he thought it was a joke or a nickname or something, he didn't look too deeply into it.
「Aren't you going to pray?」
「Me, I'm not good with things that deal with God. And I've never gone to the chapel. 」
The people of this world were deeply religious. Not having gone to the chapel was rare.
Horun made a wry smile.
「And they just take donations when you go. Me, I'm poor. 」
「Fumu...... 」
「Thinking I could earn a lot, I went through hardships and came all the way out to Zircon Tower but...... It isn't going all that well -ssu. 」
「So it would seem. 」
「That's why, Danna! Let's go to the dungeon!」
Diablo almost ended up nodding.
──It's dangerous to be deceived by his childish appearance. Since he's a Grasswalker, he might be older than me.
「I am busy right now. 」
Thinking about that Holy Knight Unit's attitude, and how they abandoned a child whose life was in danger and demanded donations, the Head of the Holy Knights can't be trusted.
It didn't seem that he could entrust Lumachina with him.
If that's the case, what should be done to protect her from the Cardinal Institute?
「Nn?」
Feeling some powerful magical power, he turned his head.
So it was the effect of Lumachina's prayer. A pillar of light reached the heavens. That brilliance was even stronger than the last time he saw it.
The effect rose because a large number of people participated in the prayer, is that how it was?
Horun tilted his head in wonder.
「Is there, something in the sky?」
「No...... 」
It seems that pillar can't be seen by normal people.
Going *WAH!*, the prayer ring erupted in cheers.
「We did it!」「The nevi have vanished!」「That's incredible!」
The Pantherian mother hugged her child tight, and lowered her head with enough vigor that she buried her forehead in the sand.
「Thank you very much! Thank you very much! Thank you very much!」
The baby cried. It was a healthy crying voice.
Lumachina wiped the sweat from her brow.
「Thank goodness. Truly. 」
Rem and Shera exchanged smiles.
「...... As expected of her. 」
「We did it!」
The voices of praise from the people of the town didn't stop. Someone started singing a religious song, and then it turned into a chorus.
──That's great!
The corners of Diablo's mouth spontaneously slackened.
Horun was bewildered and his mouth was agape.
「Incredible!? Even though it would take several hours of prayer even for the priest of the Church for the nevi to finally start decreasing!? Was it really cured!? Th, that girl, she's amazing, ain't she! She's a true priest!」
「Fuu...... It's natural that she could do at least that much. 」
Since even the local priest could heal it, then it can be healed by the High Chief Priest──is what he had thought, but there was also the possibility that some unique trick, or some special knowledge and tools were required.
It was a relief that she could heal it properly.
──With things being fine over there, the problem is over here.
Diablo turned his gaze towards the end of the road.
「So they've come. 」
Horun made a startled face.
「Ueh!? They've already come!? D, Danna and everyone, you'd best hurry up and run -ssu yo!」
With the guy that was blown away earlier at the lead, a pack of Holy Knight Unit members came running.
So there were around twenty of them.
Diablo stood in the middle of the street to greet them.
「Oi, Horun or whatever...... Get away from here if you don't want to get dragged in............ 」
He was already gone.
──He's fast at running away!
As expected of a Grasswalker. Although they were weak and fragile, their race trait was that covert actions were their forte and that they had high agility.
「Well, not having anyone in the vicinity makes it easier to fight, so this is perfect. 」
Diablo prepared his 《Staff of Tenma》.
| ← Ch. 097 | Ch. 099 → |