Nido Tensei Shita Shounen wa S-rank Boukensha Toshite Heion ni Sugosu ~ Zense ga Kenja de Eiyūdatta Boku wa Raisede wa Jimi ni Ikiru ~

Episode 75: The Saint and the Evil Eye of the Black Death

“Hurry up and sort the injured!”

Following the instructions of the Adventurer Guild staff, the injured were taken to one place.
Since we arrived at the campsite in time for the rescue, we decided to quickly catch up with the following troops and join them in treating the injured.

However, there are many injured, so we are sorting the patients according to the severity of their wounds.
This is to allow high-ranking spellcasters who can use advanced healing magic to focus on healing the severely injured.

“Lady Saint, please.”

“Yes, leave it to me.”

The heavily injured patients gathered by the guild staff are being treated by Foka, a high-ranking priest.

“High Heal.”

Warm light rises from Foka’s outstretched hand, healing the wounds of the severely injured patients.
Although it can’t be seen from here, if they are considered severely injured, their wounds must be quite serious.
Foka, illuminated by the healing light, looks divine, and even those who have not received treatment are captivated by her appearance.

“Ah… the pain is starting to go away…”

The pale face of the heavily injured patient from earlier regains color, and their breathing stabilizes.

“The wound is now closed.
However, the lost blood will not return, so please keep them at rest and feed them things that will become blood.”

“Understood.
Those who have been treated should return to the tent immediately and rest!”

“Next patient, please.”

Foka’s solemn treatment is truly befitting of a saint.

“Well, I guess I’ll start my treatment too, so as not to be outdone by Foka.”

Since Foka is in charge of treating the severely injured, I am responsible for treating the relatively minor injuries.

“These are all the minor injuries… Wait, are you going to treat all these people by yourself?”

The injured adventurers look at me with concern.
Well, I am only 15 years old, so it’s understandable that my abilities are questioned.

“Don’t worry.
Although I am still inexperienced, I can handle treating minor injuries.
The others need to be treated by those who can heal serious injuries.
Besides, since we are using healing magic, age doesn’t matter.”

“Well, I guess that’s true.”

The adventurers seem to be convinced, so I guess I’ll start the treatment.

“Alright, I’ll start treating everyone.
High Distance Heal!”

I use area healing magic to treat the gathered people.
It’s easier to treat multiple minor injuries with area healing magic, unless they are severely injured.

“Oh, the wounds are healing!”

“Hey, our wounds that were so far away have healed too!?”

“Amazing, did you heal all the wounds of the people gathered here!?”

The adventurers whose wounds have healed raise their voices in excitement.

“It’s just a simple area healing magic.
Anyone who is familiar with healing magic can do it, although the healing power is weaker when treating multiple people.”

“Seriously!? Our priest can’t use that kind of magic!”

“Hey, I’ve never heard of that before.”

Huh? Why are the adventurers reacting strangely? I think area healing magic is a basic skill for priests.

“Huh? What? What does that mean!?”

Then, Foka, who was treating the severely injured patients, exclaims in surprise.
Not only Foka, but the other priests who were treating the patients also seem to be in a commotion.

“What’s wrong?”

“The wounds of the patient in front of me suddenly healed! I haven’t even cast any healing magic on them yet!?”

“Same here.
It’s as if they never had any injuries to begin with…”

Ah, so my area healing magic healed the patients over there too.
But I think there were severely injured or at least minor injuries among them, so were there also minor injuries mixed in?

“I think the patients who were relatively lightly injured were healed by the residual effects of my area healing magic.”

“Area healing? What kind of healing magic is that?”

“Residual effects… What kind of healing magic did you use!?”

Huh? Why doesn’t everyone know about area healing magic?

“It’s a healing magic that treats everyone within a certain range.
The healing power is weaker, but there is no limit to the number of people it can treat, so it is more efficient when there are many minor injuries.”

“No way… I’ve never seen such a healing magic even in the holy capital.”

That’s strange, I think if you learn regular healing magic, you should be taught area healing magic as well.

“You’re amazing! To be able to use such incredible healing magic, you must have a deep devotion to the gods!”

Foka says a line that I’ve heard somewhere before.
Come to think of it, Norbu said something similar in the past.

“The stronger the faith in the gods, the more powerful healing magic one can use.
You have a faith that rivals even the High Priest at such a young age.”

Ah, so Foka was also taught that way as a priest.
Originally, healing magic is not a special power or anything, but some priests started saying that healing magic to heal wounds is a sacred power given by the gods, so there were quite a few people in my past life who thought the same way.

“After this mission, let’s go to the holy capital and receive baptism! I will personally introduce you to the High Priest!”

It would be troublesome to accept, and if I explain the theory of healing magic, I’ll probably be glared at, so I’ll just let it flow for now.

“My faith as a child is nothing special.
Instead, I should go and check if there are any injured patients who haven’t been treated yet.”

“Wait a moment!”

“Foka, please do your best in treating the severely injured patients!”

“Oh, right.
Bring the next patient.”

And so, let’s make a quick escape.
After all, it’s a good thing that Foka is not someone who gets obsessed with faith and neglects the patients.

“Where could he have gone?”

I am Foka, a priest who serves the gods.
Some people in town call me the Saint because I have become an S-rank adventurer, but I am just an ordinary priest.

I became an adventurer because I grew tired of the power struggles among the priests in the holy capital and decided to use my own hands and feet to help people.

And there, I met a wonderful young boy.
Despite his young age, he was also an S-rank adventurer, indicating that he is at the pinnacle just like me.

Furthermore, this boy possessed a mysterious healing magic that could treat a wide range of people, something I had never seen even in the holy capital where all the priests gather to train.

I don’t mean to boast, but even I, who have undergone extensive training, was truly amazed by the existence of such healing magic.
After all, healing magic is a miracle that heals the wounded by offering the healing light bestowed by the gods.
It is supposed to require directly applying the healing light to the wounds.

However, that boy performed the treatment without directly applying the healing light to the wounds, claiming that it was because they were minor injuries.
But even wounds that I, who have seen wounds of the injured for many years, judged as severe were healed in an instant.

I was overjoyed by this encounter.
Such a miraculous healing was the first of its kind in my life.

I was convinced that this boy was loved by the gods.
And he also deeply reveres the gods.
Otherwise, he would not be able to wield such miracles.

In the end, when I tried to treat the remaining injured patients, their wounds had already been healed by the healing magic of the people gathered in another place.

After confirming this, I immediately tried to invite that boy to receive baptism, but I couldn’t find him anywhere.

“Could he be lost?”

I’m a little worried.
The adventurers and guild staff who came with us are checking the damaged camp facilities and the looted supplies.
It seems that no one knows where that boy is.

There are adventurers and spellcasters on the walls protecting the camp, deterring approaching monsters and monitoring the movements of monster groups with detection magic, so it’s good that he can’t go outside.
There was a large-scale monster attack a few hours ago, so everyone is serious.

And the guild executives who came with our S-rank team, such as Wanda-san, are examining the defeated monsters.

“There are monsters here that were not reported before.”

“A new species?”

“No, it’s a monster listed in the guild’s records, but it has never been found inside or outside the mine before.
It’s probably a monster that inhabits unexplored sections of the cave or the infamous ruins.”

They are discussing how to decipher the information about the ruins and the cave based on the types of monsters encountered.
Knowing the types of monsters they will encounter reduces the danger, so they are also serious.

“I’m curious about how far the monsters from the cave have been wandering inside the mine.”

“If we are attacked from behind by monsters that have wandered into the complex tunnels, it would be disastrous.
Depending on the report from the reconnaissance team, it would be better to prioritize exterminating the monsters inside the mine.”

They are working seriously, so I shouldn’t disturb them.
As I continue to search for Rex-kun, I suddenly hear someone calling me.

“Lady Saint!”

“Yes, what is it?”

To be honest, I find the title of “Holy Maiden” embarrassing, so I would prefer if you stopped calling me that…

“Something terrible has happened! The reconnaissance team has been attacked by the Black Death Gaze of the Hell Basilisk!”

“Hell Basilisk!?”

I’ve heard of it.
It’s a dangerous S-rank monster, a superior species of Basilisk.
Its body is said to be as black as darkness, and it attacks with a special evil gaze called the Black Death Gaze, which is different from the petrifying gaze of a normal Basilisk.
And anyone affected by the Black Death Gaze is cursed with an incurable curse.

“The other priests’ exorcism magic is ineffective.
Could you please lend us your power, Holy Maiden?”

“Understood.”

If that’s the case, I must lend a hand.
After all, the reason I became an adventurer was because I wanted to be able to help someone in need at a moment’s notice.

“I will guide you.”

I was led by the guild to the patient’s location.
There were several priests by the patient’s side, but they were all looking down in defeat after their failed attempts at treatment.

“It’s the Holy Maiden!”

“If it’s the Holy Maiden, she should be able to do something!”

Everyone looked at me with hopeful eyes.
Honestly, this is my first time trying to lift the curse of a Hell Basilisk.

“This way, Holy Maiden.”

I swallowed my inner anxiety and turned to face the patient.

“Th-This is…!?”

As I examined the patient who had been cursed, I couldn’t help but let out a gasp.
The patient’s body lying on the ground was half black.

“This is… the curse of the Hell Basilisk’s Black Death.”

According to rumors, those cursed by the Hell Basilisk’s curse will have their entire body turn black and die.
So when all the remaining parts that haven’t turned black yet become black, it’s the deadline.

“Anyway, I will offer a prayer of exorcism.”

I knelt in front of the patient and offered a prayer of exorcism.
But no matter how much I lit the light of prayer, the patient’s skin did not return to its original color.
On the contrary, the body continued to darken.

“Could it be that even the Holy Maiden can’t do it!?”

My exorcism magic had no effect, and the people around me began to stir.

“In that case, I will try all the healing spells I know.”

Perhaps the Black Death Gaze is not a curse.
I have seen cases in the past where the symptoms worsened and became severe due to incorrect treatment caused by misconceptions, or people who died because treatment couldn’t be administered in time.
Based on those experiences, I considered the possibility that this might not be a curse and tried various treatments.

I cast paralysis treatment, disease healing, poison removal, and various healing spells on the patient.
But no matter what magic I chanted, there was no sign of the injured person’s skin returning to its original color.

“Th-This is…”

I, who had exhausted all options, stopped the treatment like the other priests.

“Even the Holy Maiden can’t heal…?”

“Could this request be more serious than we thought?”

“Idiot, we knew that from the beginning.”

The atmosphere among the people around me became filled with anxiety and fear.
It’s natural for everyone to be shaken if even I, who has the greatest healing power among them, can’t heal the patient.

“Grrr!”

At that moment, the patient in front of me began to suffer greatly.

“No, it’s already at its limit!”

I looked at the patient, whose skin was mostly black.
They couldn’t endure any longer.

“Damn it! Is it impossible!?”

Just when everyone’s hearts were filled with despair, something happened.

“Huh? What’s going on?”

It was the boy Rex who appeared.

“Huh? This person…”

Rex looked closely at the patient’s blackened skin.
Oh no! I can’t let this child witness such a cruel sight!

“No, Rex! Get away from here immediately!”

“It’s the Black Death Gaze of the Hell Basilisk.
I need to heal it quickly.
Elder Heal!”

From Rex’s palm, an unbelievably divine light emerged.
And the light enveloped the patient’s body, quickly erasing the black curse that had been consuming them.

“…Huh?”

Huh? Did the curse just… disappear? I examined the patient again.
Not only me, but everyone around me was also staring at the patient.

Yes, their skin has returned to its original color.
It’s not black.
Their breathing has also calmed down.

“…Eh!?”

Wait, wait a minute! What’s going on? Wasn’t this patient on the verge of death just now!?

“W-What’s going on!? How did you heal them!?”

We couldn’t help but ask Rex, unable to believe what we had just witnessed.

“Huh? I just used a regular compound healing magic.”

Compound healing magic? What’s that?

“If it’s the Black Death Gaze of the Hell Basilisk, it causes multiple status abnormalities at the same time.
Curse, poison, paralysis, and so on.
And even if you treat only one of these effects, it will immediately revert back.
So you need to treat all of them simultaneously.”

“If that’s the case, it’s not that simple…”

“You were able to heal the Black Death Gaze of the Hell Basilisk…”

“Yes, in the past, when people didn’t know about the multiple status abnormalities, there were many casualties.
But now, with compound healing magic, it has become easy to treat.”

Wait, wait, I don’t know that magic, and it doesn’t seem easy at all.
And how do you know about it?

I looked at Ramise, a magician known as the Heavenly Demon Magic user, who happened to be nearby.
He wasn’t just a powerful magician, but also a scholar who revived ancient magic by exploring many ruins.

But he shook his head and made a gesture as if to say he had never heard of it.
So this child knows something that even he doesn’t know?

“If we have this compound healing magic, then we don’t have to fear the Hell Basilisk’s gaze anymore, right?”

Other adventurers spoke to Rex with a relieved expression.

“Yes, but even if multiple spellcasters simultaneously cast multiple types of healing magic, the treatment is possible.”

“Really!? Alright, make a list of healers who can use each type of healing magic immediately! And have at least two healers who can use all types of healing magic on standby at the camp!”

“Understood!”

After hearing Rex’s explanation, Wanda-san and the others immediately started moving.
But I wasn’t focused on that.
Because this child is surely… surely.

“You are the chosen one, the divine child of healing! Rex!”

Yes, this child must be the divine child sent by the gods!

“Huh? Huh?”

“This is amazing! To be able to meet the divine child said to be sent by the gods when the world is in turmoil!”

Overwhelmed with emotion, I unintentionally hugged Rex.

“Mmmph!?”

“I wish I could bury my face in the Holy Maiden’s chest!”

“Damn it! I envy that kid!”

“But hey, is that kid having a seizure?”

“Mmmph!”

Rex forcefully pulled my arms away from him.
Oh no, I was being too familiar.
I need to reflect on that.

“That kid! It’s so unfair that he gets to bury his face in the Holy Maiden’s chest!”

“Damn it! I wish I could switch places with him!”

“Hey, is that kid having a seizure?”

“Ugh! I thought… I thought I was going to die…”

“I’m sorry.
I got carried away.
By the way, I really want you to come with me to the Holy City.
I think the gods would be pleased if the divine child like you receives baptism.”

“Um… I’ll have to decline.”

“Huh!? Why!?”

How could anyone refuse the opportunity to receive baptism in the Holy City, especially if they are a believer?

“First of all, what exactly is this divine child?”

Oh no, I should have explained that first.

“Well, a divine child is a very sacred child sent by the gods.
They are said to perform incredible feats and save the people when the world is in great trouble.
They can use healing magic that is like a miracle, capable of doing the impossible.”

“Um, I just did what anyone else could do.
Treating the curse of the Hell Basilisk’s gaze is possible for anyone as long as they can use compound healing magic.”

Really? Is that so?

“And even if you can’t use compound healing magic, anyone can do it by dividing the multiple healing spells among several healers.
It wouldn’t be appropriate to call anyone a divine child just for doing something anyone can do, right?”

“When you put it that way… maybe you’re right?”

“That’s right.”

Now that I think about it, maybe… Compound healing magic is amazing, but it’s true that if multiple priests divide the healing among themselves, it can be done by anyone.
Maybe it’s not such an extraordinary feat to be called a divine child.

“Hmm…”

Yeah, that’s right.
It’s not like there’s a legendary shrine maiden just hanging around so easily.

“There aren’t many people who can use a super wide-range healing magic that can heal all wounded soldiers, regardless of their affiliation, on a battlefield like the ones in legends, or easily discover a way to cure a magic poison that no one else could heal.”

“Yeah, yeah, then I’ll do that.”

Saying that, Rex-kun went somewhere.
I feel bad for surprising him with my misunderstanding.

“…Um, Holy Maiden.”

A nearby monk timidly approached me and started talking.

“What is it?”

“Him, was that the wide-range healing magic just now? He used it to heal all the injured people in a camp the size of a small village.”

Huh?

“And he also healed quite severe injuries.”

Huh?

“Also, I think the black death gaze of the Hell Basilisk can be classified as a type of magic poison that no one else can cure, but he also taught a treatment method that can be used by anyone.
Isn’t that a splendid and noble act?”

…Huh?

“Isn’t that exactly what the Holy Maiden calls the shrine maiden?”

“…”

“Holy Maiden?”

“Y-You mean, he’s really a shrine maiden! Hey, where did you go, Rex-kun!?”

Darn it! I fell for his smooth talk just because he can heal anyone! Ugh! I’m definitely taking that kid to the holy capital and baptizing him!