The Abandoned Duchess Seems to Want a Peaceful Life - Chapter 77

Chapter 77: The Priest’s Treatment and the Saint’s Topic

The camp was charged with the excitement of victory, bustling with soldiers rushing around tending to the wounded.

With a year’s worth of relief, they could finally breathe easy. Alongside this relief, they mourned the comrades who could not return and now stifled their lamentation.

“Your Excellency, let us have the priest attend to your eye.”

“I can wait. Prioritize those whose lives are at stake.”

“Since you returned walking slowly, the treatment of those near death has mostly been completed. It is far more important to show that you are in perfect condition. Come on, let’s go.”

Forced along, he headed toward the tent where the priest was conducting treatments.

The temple tent had an emblem at the entrance depicting a cup entwined with a serpent, representing the temple, and it stood out with its dazzlingly white appearance, making it very conspicuous compared to others.

“Ah, Your Grace. I am pleased to see you’ve returned safely.”

Inside were only one priest and two nuns attending to him. One nun quickly folded a bloodstained cloth and laid a fresh one on the bed.

“It seems you’ve injured your eye in the battle with Pluina. May we examine it?”

“Of course. Please, lie down here.”

He was guided to lie on the bed set up in front of the chair where the priest sat. His eyelids were lifted with clean white fingertips, and the priest peered into his golden eyes.

“Ah, the surface of your eye is contaminated with strong magical energy. I will purify it, so please wait a moment.”

He said this and placed his palm over the face. After a sensation as if his face was being gently stroked by something warm and soft, he was told with a calm voice that it was finished.

He blinked a few times and touched his eyelid with his finger. Though he felt a heat deep in his eye, his vision had returned to clarity.

Temple treatments are remarkably effective. The rapid healing seems almost unreal.

Magic, in essence, is akin to poison for living beings. For reasons unknown, the temple and church can utilize it as an extremely potent remedy.

“Ah, it’s fine now. I appreciate it.”

“I’m glad to be of help. By the way, Your Grace, was the core of Pluina successfully recovered?”

“Yes, it’s kept in my pocket. I will officially present it to the temple at a later date.”

“If you don’t mind, could I see it for a moment? For someone of my status, it’s rare to have a chance to view the core of a Four-Star Great Demon up close.”

With no particular reason to refuse, he took out a leather pouch from his pocket and placed it in the outstretched hand.

Even within the tent, the core of Pluina glowed red from within. The priest picked it up with his fingers, brought it to eye level, and examined it slowly.

The core of Pluina was a transparent sphere, perfectly round. It was white and cloudy, but the slightly translucent side allowed a glimpse of what was behind it.

The priest stared at the core for a while, then squinted slightly as if dazzled, before returning it to the leather pouch and handing it back to Alexis.

“Thank you. It must have been a considerable challenge to defeat a demon with such a core. Though I am but a humble healer, I express my gratitude.”

“It is the work of the knights, soldiers, and you of the temple who support them. There is no need for thanks.”

“Even so, there are only a few capable of vanquishing such a Great Demon. The dedication of the Oldrand family deserves more gratitude than we can ever give.”

The priest said this with an air of resignation, but then his eyes suddenly sparkled with light.

“However, this battle may soon come to an end.”

“What do you mean?”

“A sign of the Saint’s descent has appeared. It is likely that the Saint will arrive here before long.”

His voice was filled with pride and excitement. He did not seem to be joking, but Alexis furrowed his brows slightly at the news.

“…Wasn’t the Saint a legend?”

The Saint was a figure in the temple’s traditions, representing a holy woman as her name suggests. She was said to be the divine agent of the goddess, capable of healing all suffering and lamentation. Paintings and statues of the Saint, holding the emblem of the serpent-entwined cup, were always displayed in the major temples of large cities.

“Of course, the Saint does exist. It is truly a great fortune to be involved in her arrival, which happens once every few centuries during my lifetime.”

His voice was calm but filled with warmth. The priest clasped his hands in front of his chest and sighed with relief.

“When the Saint descends, she will swiftly vanquish even the Four-Star Demons and purify the land tainted by their magical energy. With the Saint’s blessing, the land will flourish for a long time, and all the people will be able to live in prosperity.”

“…Does the Saint seek a companion?”

“Yes, the previous Saint was united with the first King of the Francesca Kingdom.”

At that time, the first King was merely a noble of the Bran Kingdom, the predecessor of the Francesca Kingdom. However, having been chosen by the Saint, his domain prospered, eventually evolving into a new kingdom that absorbed the Bran Kingdom and developed into the Francesca Kingdom, according to the temple’s history.

In reality, the Bran Kingdom had fallen hundreds of years ago, and the newly risen Francesca Kingdom had thrived until the present day. However, Alexis considered that intertwining the Saint’s presence with this history was a means of bolstering the temple’s authority.

No matter how capable a person is, it seems unrealistic for one individual to influence the rise and fall of a nation.

—However, if an extraordinary person emerges and the times are in their favor, it might indeed happen.

As Alexis considered this, he thought of his nominal wife, Melfina.

Strange things always happened around her. Everything she touched seemed to turn in a positive direction, and her achievements showered people like a guiding light.

The deeds of a single individual are limited. However, if a true Saint were to appear… and if she were someone like Melfina, perhaps it would be possible to found and even destroy a nation.

“I wonder whom this generation’s Saint will choose. I hope she finds a worthy companion and brings peace to this chaotic world.”

His voice was calm and seemed to carry no hidden meanings.

Indeed, if such a powerful being were to emerge, it would bring stability to the continent regardless of whom she united with.

“Thank you for the treatment. I will have food and ale delivered to you later, so please enjoy a leisurely time until we move tomorrow.”

“I appreciate your thoughtfulness.”

Alexis stood up and left the white tent.

Famine, worsening security, and demons roaming the suffocating atmosphere—currently, the entire country, or perhaps even the entire continent, finds it difficult to find hope.

If the Saint’s arrival were to be real, it would be the most joyous news. Many would be saved, healed, and find hope in living.

—If the Saint’s descent is indeed true, he would be summoned to the royal palace.

At the very least, there should be meetings with the dukes and marquises who govern the four corners of the land. Every region is burdened with the task of defeating Great Demons, and the Saint’s salvation would be desperately sought.

Neither the royal palace nor the nobility would be allowed to monopolize the Saint’s presence before she selects her companion. Attempting such a thing would surely provoke a response from various factions, and one would be in no position to complain.

And if the Saint did appear, Alexis would undoubtedly find himself kneeling before her, pleading for the salvation of the northern regions and its people.

If it could reduce the number of those devoured alive by Sasurika or those who perish from Pluina’s magical energy, he would hesitate not at all.

Alexis understands how the so-called salvation, like a poison, can seep into the gaps of a heart scarred and exhausted by turmoil.

He also comprehends the harsh reality of having no choice but to cling to such salvation despite knowing this truth.