Chapter 16: Lies are more convincing than the truth.
[Haha, I’m genuinely impressed by your genius thinking—it’s so absurd it’s almost laughable.]
Faced with Pepas’s rapid-fire critique, Suna shrank slightly, her tone tentative as she asked softly, “So, what now?”
[What else? Deal with it!]
At Pepas’s sharp retort, Suna clasped her hands in a pleading gesture, sending an earnest telepathic message.
[Come on, don’t be like that! Dear Lady Pepas, please report this to the Demon King and see if there’s a solution!]
Hearing her plea, Pepas dispelled her familiar’s optical camouflage. The origami owl coughed up a folded paper egg.
Her next message mixed kind reassurance with cold pragmatism.
[Sigh… Honestly, even if I report this and the Demon King takes care of you, the most you’ll get is some support. Undoing a goddess’s blessing? Forget it. Wait for her to take pity on you. For now, take this paper egg, keep a low profile, and wait for our contact.]
“Fine, guess that’s all I can do.”
Muttering dejectedly, Suna watched the origami owl vanish and soar into the sky.
Looking at the paper egg, she sighed again and grumbled softly.
“This is like a communication stone, right? Not an actual familiar egg?”
Despite her complaints, she carefully tucked the egg into her enchanted shoulder bag and resumed her trek to the next town.
On the afternoon of April 10, Suna arrived safely in the town of Sekend, heeding Pepas’s advice to stay low-key.
To fund her living expenses, she leveraged her “colleague” rapport and negotiated with Enrik, the priest of Sekend’s small Golden Bough Temple.
She’d assist him for a time, using part of her earnings for room and board, a small portion to buy Corona Magic books, and saving the rest.
A week later, spring’s warmth reached Sekend. The thin snow melted, turning the frozen ground muddy.
Living at the temple, Suna opened its gates early, dried the path with basic water magic, and cleaned the entrance rug.
She then headed to the temple’s right wing, used as a treatment and apothecary room.
Opening the storage cabinet, she gathered herbs and magical solvents, placing them on the workbench.
Sitting down, Suna began crafting basic potions and first-aid supplies: healing potions, painkillers, antidotes, hemostatic powder, and sedatives.
“Hm~ lala~ lalala~”
Humming a tuneless melody, in a good mood, Suna worked meticulously, following the apothecary book’s standards rather than rushing.
She extracted active ingredients from common healing herbs in a flask of magical solvent, heating it with a burner while stirring with water magic to maintain optimal temperature and preserve potency.
“Once I master these steps, I could be like those apothecary masters, manipulating water and fire to craft potions from herbs and solvents midair. Oh, I’d need to learn telekinesis magic too.”
Musing about her future, Suna appreciated the knowledge gained at the temple. Enrik generously shared resources: advanced Corona Magic books (silver-tier and above), apothecary access, and even personal lessons on magic and potion-making techniques.
Why didn’t Enrik suspect a golden-tier saintess like Suna, who barely knew Corona Magic and wore a veil most of the day? Her airtight cover story.
She revealed her slightly pointed ears as “half-elf” proof, admitted she was a late convert inspired by the goddess’s blessing, faced minor ostracism for her identity and looks, and demonstrated [Radiant Rainscape] to Enrik.
Seeing the authentic blessing, Enrik had no doubts. Suna’s humble, studious demeanor, upright character, daily prayers, diligent temple work, and discussions on theological texts further solidified her credibility.
If Enrik still suspected her, he’d be fit to be an inquisitor.
While Suna focused on potion-making, her perception magic limited to the room, urgent footsteps interrupted her.
A knock and a breathless voice followed.
“Saintess, we have wounded! Priest Enrik is performing first aid. Can you—”
Before the female acolyte finished, Suna turned off the burner, poured the potion into a filter, and stood.
Opening the door, she said, “I know, I’m going now.”
Grabbing her pre-prepared first-aid kit, she passed the disheveled acolyte, expanded her perception magic, and rushed to the main hall where Enrik was.
“Two heavily injured, five lightly? These aren’t work accidents—they’re combat wounds.”
Murmuring, Suna pushed open the main hall doors, hearing faint, pained groans.