That day, Priestess Sarah unusually asked me for a favor.
She asked if I could take her to Melte Village tomorrow. Since I had originally brought Priestess Sarah along rather forcefully, I couldn’t refuse her request.
Well, the situation has changed quite a bit since then, so there shouldn’t be any problems if we return to the village.
Thanks to the defeat of the Hydra, the spread of the incurable poison has been halted, and progress in developing the antidote has advanced. According to Miroslav, it is probably thanks to my massive level up, but the symptoms that used to relapse in three days with the previous improved version are now almost suppressed.
This has effectively solved the “lack of blood” problem. There is even enough antidote to share with the villagers other than Iria.
By the way, the reason why the word “almost” is attached to the prevention of relapse is because it has not yet been a full month since the Hydra was defeated, so the possibility of long-term relapse after one month or two months still remains.
In any case, due to such circumstances, Priestess Sarah no longer needed to be constantly by her daughter Iria’s side. There was also room to treat other patients suffering from the incurable poison. It seemed that this was the reason for her request to return.
Well, it takes less than half a day to get to Melte Village if we ride Clau Soras. Since Claira’s issue has been resolved, there is some leeway to leave the house. For me, it was an easy task.
My only concern was whether, at this rate, the priestess would decide to return to Melte for good. With the issue of the incurable poison being addressed, there would be no way to stop her if she were to say that.
I was secretly worried about that, but I was relieved by the priestess’s words that she only wanted to bring herself along. It seems that she will stay at my mansion for a while longer. As for me, I would actually prefer her to settle down here.
Ever since Priestess Sarah came, she has been taking care of the meals, and the dishes she serves are very popular among all the residents of the mansion. Even Claira, who recently has been living in the mansion with her shoulders hunched, modestly requests seconds.
Undoubtedly, the other residents will also be delighted if this culinary lifestyle continues for a bit longer.
Now that it’s decided, I need to prepare for the trip.
Thinking about it, my heart naturally became excited. That’s because, heading to Melte Village on Clau Soras means that I will naturally be riding the saddle together with Priestess Sarah, getting close to her, and this will continue for several hours. For me, this is an unexpected opportunity I couldn’t wish for more.
When we came here, the little ones were making a fuss, so I couldn’t focus on that!
Thus, with inward excitement, I agreed to Priestess Sarah’s request, intending to saddle up Clau Soras immediately, and said:
“If you’d like, we can head there right now?”
“Oh, no, there’s no need to hurry that much. I haven’t even prepared the chicken yet…”
Priestess Sarah continued, apologetically saying that she just wanted to confirm whether a return tomorrow was possible.
I don’t have any complaints, but I couldn’t help but tilt my head at the last word she mentioned.
“…Chicken?”
“Tomorrow is the anniversary of my husband’s death. He loved sweet and spicy simmered chicken, so I offer it in front of his grave every year.”
“I see, so that’s the reason.”
I inadvertently stuttered. It was as if Priestess Sarah’s words had struck a nail into my wicked thoughts – well, I think it was just a coincidence though.
I cleared my throat as if to cover it up.
“If that’s the case, wouldn’t it be better to bring Iria along as well?”
“Well, when she left the village as an adventurer, she made a vow to her father. She has been stubborn, saying she can’t show her face in front of him until she fulfills that promise.”
Saying that, Priestess Sarah placed her hand on her cheek, looking troubled.
She didn’t talk about the content of the vow, and I didn’t ask. Even as a mother, it’s not something she would casually share with others, nor is it something others should pry into. That’s what we both thought.
The conversation ended at that point, so I later asked Iria about it briefly. She explained that she had resolved not to visit her father’s grave until she reached Rank 4 as an adventurer, just like him.
Additionally, it seems that Priestess Sarah was also a Rank 4 adventurer during her time as one, serving as a “Priestess Warrior.”
…I tend to forget due to her gentle personality, but it was Priestess Sarah who taught Iria both healing magic and martial arts.
I imagined Priestess Sarah in my mind. While there’s no doubt that her current calm and relaxed priestess robes suit her well, she might surprisingly look good in tight-fitting Priestess Warrior armor like Iria’s.
In my head, I tried dressing Priestess Sarah in Iria’s clothes… Not bad. Although, it seems like it would be considerably more difficult for her to fight due to her larger chest size compared to Iria.
As I was thinking about this, Iria seemed to have sensed my wicked thoughts and glared at me.
Up until now, I would have received a harsh comment from Iria after this, but today there was no follow-up attack from her. This is a good change, I suppose.
Thinking about this, I parted ways with Iria and started looking for Claira. We planned to practice together again today, sweating it out and enjoying ourselves.
