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Subterfuge of Toxins and Remedies – Part 08

Once the conversation concluded, Hikaru promptly left the royal palace and headed to a small church on the outskirts of the capital. It was the same church where he had previously met Sophie.

In the dusty church, traces of the numerous people who had likely been there until moments ago still remained. Chairs lay scattered. There were only four people left—Paula, Sophie, Sara, and Lavia, all unmasked. The faint light from the magic lamps revealed Paula and Sophie slumped in their seats, completely exhausted.

“Welcome back, Hikaru!” Sara greeted, the only one who still had energy among them. “What’s wrong? You look kinda pissed.”

“Are you okay?” Lavia asked with concern.

“I’m fine. I didn’t expect you to be here.”

“Yeah, I can’t do much, but I couldn’t just lounge around while you and Paula are working hard.”

“Having Lavia here for support meant a lot,” Paula chimed in.

“How did the treatment go?” Hikaru asked Sara.

“There were about a hundred patients who showed up, but we managed to handle them all. How about you? You spoke with the Queen, right?”

“Actually…”

Hikaru relayed the information about the Quinbrand Empire that he had received from Kujastria, as well as his plan to go to Bios and steal the cure. While in the middle of his explanation, Sophie and Paula got up, listening intently.

“Lavia, I want you to come with me to Bios. Your magic might be needed in some situations. It’ll be a dangerous journey, though.”

“I’ll go. I can overcome anything as long as I’m with you.”

“Thank you. Sara, I’d like you to look after Paula while I’m gone.”

“Fine by me, but are you sure?” Sara cast a quick glance at Paula, who looked briefly dejected.

“Preferably, I want Paula to come with us.”

Hikaru knew that Paula would feel lonely, but she wouldn’t be very useful on a mission to steal the cure. Treating the sick was what she did best.

Paula quickly turned her lonely expression into a smile. “I understand, Lord Hikaru. My battle is right here. I’ll do my best! Now is the time to live up to your expectations!” She pumped a fist.

Sara clapped her hands. “What a wonderful relationship. It’s incredible how you just accept going on an infiltration mission into Bios without hesitation, given how dangerous it sounds.”

“Thank you, Paula. I’ll bring you a souvenir. What would you like?”

“Oh, no, you don’t have to worry about that.”

“I insist.”

“You have the right to demand a souvenir,” Lavia agreed.

“R-Really? In that case… I’d like the latest version of the Church’s manual!”

“…”

A manual? Hikaru thought. Is that really what she wants?

Paula’s eyes were dead serious.

“A-All right, then. I’ll get it for you.”

“Thank you!”

Paula was delighted, so Hikaru settled with that.

“Um…” Sophie, who had been silent until now, spoke up. “Is the thing with the Quinbrand Empire true? Never mind. If you heard it from Her Majesty, it must be.”

She voiced her doubt, then answered her own question anyway. It was that hard to believe. She didn’t want to believe it.

Sophie’s face contorted, as if in pain. She had been confronted with the inhumane actions of the Church she had believed in. As a high-level Healer, she had likely heard of the Church’s darker side, but she didn’t think it was this horrible.

“Hikaru… I mean, Silver Face. I will head to the Quinbrand Empire.”

“What? The Empire?” Sara said. “Where did this come from?!”

“Sara, this is a wrong committed by the Church, and as a member, I must atone for it.”

“In that case, I will go too. Please allow me to accompany you,” Paula said. “Lord Hikaru, there are no serious cases left in the capital, and even if someone falls ill from this point, there would still be time. I believe we should go to the Empire and save as many lives as possible before then.”

“Are you sure about this?” Hikaru asked. “The epidemic is much worse in the Empire. It’ll be quite risky.”

“I know.”

“I won’t be there if something happens.”

“I understand. I can’t be scared, when you’re the ones going on a more dangerous mission.”

“Fine. Sara, would you please protect Sophie and Paula?”

“Huh? You’re dumping this on me? I don’t know about that. We’re not supposed to tell Selyse about Paula.”

“Sara, Paula is a tremendous asset,” Sophie said. “Let’s do our best to persuade Selyse.”

“Hmm… Saw that coming. Fine. You can count on me!”

“Thank you.” Hikaru bowed his head to Sara and Sophie.

Hikaru understood Sara’s reluctance. As a Rank B all-female party, the Four Eastern Stars’ movements naturally attracted attention. If they headed to the Empire, suspicion would arise. Although news about the epidemic was currently under control, once it spread further, people would undoubtedly scrutinize their actions.

This isn’t exactly the best course of action, Hikaru thought, conflicted.

If he went to the Empire and raised the Healing Magic stat on the Soul Boards of the medical staff, Paula wouldn’t have to risk herself.

But this is a double-edged sword.

There was no guarantee that their newfound powerful Healing wouldn’t be misused in the future. It could be used for war, potentially leading to more casualties than those saved from the Accursed Toxin.

Ultimately, I’m choosing which lives to save. I’ll just have to do everything I can within my own moral boundaries.

Hikaru had come to realize that the Soul Board was not all-powerful.

“…”

Lavia watched Hikaru as he was deep in thought.

Oblivious to her stare, he made a suggestion. “Sara, I will inform Her Majesty about this. We will frame it as a commission through the Adventurers Guild to head to the Empire. That way, it will seem less suspicious.”

“Great idea. We would appreciate that.”

After discussing the finer details, all that remained was to put the plan into action.

Just as Hikaru, Lavia, and Paula were about to leave the church, Sophie called out to Hikaru.

“Do you… have a minute?” She led her a bit farther away from the others, then faced him.

Hikaru felt somewhat uneasy. Sophie’s values were simple; she adhered to the Church’s teachings, and even in her role as an adventurer, that didn’t change. She was the type who truly embodied a saint. She discovered that Paula was actually Flower Face because of her dogged belief that if Paula was a skilled Healer, she would convince her to use her power for the Church. In short, Sophie was the kind of person Hikaru couldn’t quite understand.

“Um, what can I do for you?”

Hikaru couldn’t help but imagine that he was being accused of some wrongdoing. However, what Sophie said next, he never expected.

“There is something called the Proselytizer’s Path that can only be used by high-ranking members of the Church. It significantly shortens the time it takes to cross borders.”

“Are you serious?”

While it was surprising to hear that such a thing existed, upon reflection, it made sense. The Church was scattered across various parts of the world, and Church staff would often need to cross borders. It wouldn’t be strange for them to have such a hidden route.

“I’ll make it so you can use that route.”

“Thank you so much. That would save us a lot of trouble.”

“On one condition.”

“…Condition?”

Hikaru tensed up. If he were asked to return Paula to the Church, he would have to refuse. A little while ago, he might have been willing to leave it to Paula’s discretion, but now that he knew this organization was developing and spreading poison, it was absolutely out of the question.

“It’s about Serika.”

But he was way off the mark.

“You met Serika the other day, didn’t you? What did you talk about? She’s done nothing but mope around since then.”

“Oh…” Hikaru did have an idea.

“Um… this is just a hypothetical question, but if there was a way for you to go back to Japan, what would you do? Let’s say you could never come back here again.”

He had asked it as a purely hypothetical question, but if Serika assumed that Hikaru had a means to travel to another world, then it would make sense for her to brood over it.

“That might be my fault,” Hikaru said.

“So you’re also from this country called Japan.”

“Did Serika tell you her story?”

“We couldn’t believe it at first, and we mostly listened to her story with skepticism. Even if she came from a different world, it wouldn’t change anything, so we didn’t actively pursue the subject. However, judging from your behavior… she can go home, right?”

Hikaru nodded. “But I don’t think returning here is possible.”

“That explains why she’s been down. She doesn’t want to trouble us by admitting that she wants to go home. We wouldn’t mind. It’s only natural to wish to go home and see your family.”

Sophie looked away from Hikaru, tears in her eyes. Whether those tears were from sympathy for Serika, pity for her situation, or some other reason, Hikaru couldn’t tell.

“Like I mentioned earlier, I have one condition for using the Proselytizer’s Path.”

“Yeah.”

“Please help Serika return to her world,” Sophie said firmly. “It would be the best thing for her.”

The clock struck twelve.

While it was a small and humble church, its time-telling function was still active, and the dull ringing of a bell echoed.

Hikaru had visually confirmed the rift bridging worlds, but it wasn’t certain if humans could cross it. This was like a human experiment. But if Serika gave her approval…

“Okay.”

Hikaru made a promise to Sophie.

To send Serika back to her original world, back to Japan.