2 – 1. Found in the Ruins
It was evident that the girl, left alone without any adults to protect her in a land untouched by authority, would face a certain fate.
So, I brought her with me. In the desolate medieval fantasy world, I recharged my humanity today as well.
Of course, I couldn’t take on parenting responsibilities. From the immediate tasks required for my survival, everything involves combat.
Safety is something I cannot guarantee; my workplace is not a place for security, and such an environment is not suitable for the mental well-being of a child.
Hence, the decision led me to the church.
Wasn’t it from my childhood that I depended on the church for support? It serves not only as a space for prayer but also as an orphanage.
The Europa Church, or simply referred to as the church, goes so far as to embed in its doctrine the encouragement for believers to spare no help to those in need.
If one doesn’t care for the girl who lost her family to the invasion of savages, it’s hard to argue back even if accused of being a heretic.
Of course, such words don’t apply to this girl or me if we were heretics.
However, I, armed with the ethics and morals of the 21st century, embodying an unquestionable honor and righteousness as a self-proclaimed knight, naturally possessed the virtue of fidelity. It was evident that this girl, too, was firmly bound by such fidelity.
According to medieval norms, heretics are not considered human.
Being non-human, they lack human rights. Truly a terrifying matter.
It was when I, in the midst of understanding the world’s convoluted state mixing common sense from past and present lives, roamed around asking questions.
“Are there monsters in this world?”
“Mon… What is that?”
“Hostile beings, not human.”
“Ah, you must be talking about heretics!”
“There seems to be a slight misunderstanding. I mean non-human entities.”
“Then isn’t heretic still fitting?”
“…Oh.”
I had a great realization. Just hearing about it stirred up faith within me.
Churches would often raid impure gatherings as a special event, stringing up all the heretics. There was no better way to instill faith than this elaborate faith-injecting machine.
Moreover, the church served as the battlefield for wizards.
I don’t know how long the girl had been in ruins, but according to modern common sense, staying in a place where people died and buildings burned for too long wouldn’t be good. So, she needed to quickly receive healing magic at the church.
Even if one rolled around in a mud puddle filled with corpses with a body wounded in battle, with healing magic, everyone would be walking around in perfect condition. It seemed that this magic had some sterilizing effect and was undeniably a deceptive magic in many ways.
I still can’t help but think that learning magic would be a good idea.
Even if hygiene is the only thing I can manage, survival rates would dramatically increase.
Moreover, among the various types of magic, there were things suitable for battle. According to the common knowledge from past lives, the knight and the mage were fundamental professions in medieval fantasy.
As someone who made a living by wielding a blade, I had encountered such magical creations numerous times.
“This is a sacred holy water droplet made by our church. We are distributing them for free to the knights preparing for battle, so please take one.”
“It’s my first time seeing something like this. How do you use it?”
“When you pull out the top and throw it, it will explode around the count of five.”
“Holy…”
While witnessing that familiar power of destruction, I sometimes tried to suppress my longing and regret for magic that occasionally surged within me.
But whenever the thought of challenging magic crossed my mind, an invisible leash would grab hold of my ankle, preventing me from pursuing it.
Of course, even without knowing that, there were ways to use magic.
For instance, pulling out endless bread from a small pocket to feed the hungry,
Praying for rain to fall on drought-stricken lands,
Or driving away a plague that had befallen a city.
The brightest beacon illuminating dark times, capable of performing miracles through unwavering faith.
And those who wielded the power to heal the wounds of these pitiful beings, the body and soul, were called saints or holy men when combined.
If I were to join the ranks of these saints, I would have access to magnificent magic that could be unleashed in all directions. However, there was a significant drawback.
The decision was up to the will of the gods.
Also, having the memories of a second life made me think it was a miracle, but there was no chance
And the system responsible for welfare in the church functioned quite well, generating a synergy with the magic used by the clergy.
Although their habit of sticking close to the knights and siphoning off donations was somewhat questionable, the church was still the best option available.
That’s why I chose the church I grew up in as the destination to bring the girl.
*****
The life of a knight who couldn’t obtain land to govern is lonely.
For a free knight, having plenty of land and finding a lord with a generous heart means wandering aimlessly without a fixed home.
Hence, the most common conversation among knights who need to showcase their skills while traveling is usually about combat with the enemy.
Even before reaching this ruin, I had been fighting diligently against a band of thieves. The conversation we had at that time went something like this.
“Shouldn’t we, like civilized beings, resolve this through dialogue?”
“Sure, dialogue is fine. I saw you drinking alone in the inn yesterday while scouting.”
“Starting with personal matters, are we? Go on.”
“Did you enjoy the family meeting?”
“I will kill you.”
The next most common conversation, if you can even call it that, is the negotiation about how much they will receive when making agreements with nobles, dealing with the topic of payment.
In other words, figuring out what to say to such a child is perplexing.
It’s not every day you encounter a combination of a knight who dedicated half his life to becoming a war machine and a cute girl sitting like a mascot in front of him.
So, the girl and I continued riding in awkward silence for a while.
Suddenly, I lifted my head and looked at the sky; the sun was gradually setting on the horizon. Since it was getting dark, it seemed like we should stop soon. I halted the conversation and said to the girl,
“Let’s stop here.”
“…Okay.”
I found a suitable place to avoid the wind. However, one cannot expect a romantic situation like setting up a tent and roasting marshmallows by the campfire.
I had to keep my body light when traveling between cities. You never know when a band of thieves might jump out of the bushes.
I took out a piece of cloth resembling a blanket from the bag tied to the horse. Judging by the numerous holes, I would need to acquire a new one soon in the next city I visit.
I wiped the dirt off the girl’s face with the remaining piece of cloth dipped in the cold spring water nearby.
After getting rid of the dirt from the ashes, a much prettier face emerged. A young girl with light blue hair and clear blue eyes. However, her sunken appearance gave off a strong sense of unease.
Upon closer inspection, I noticed scars on her body. They looked like scratches from sharp, protruding wood.
If I were a healer, I might have been able to heal them instantly. But due to the wind that turned my first occupation into a warrior, all I could do was clean the area, apply some medicinal herbs, and wrap a clean bandage around it.
The power of modern hygiene concepts. It was useless knowledge that wouldn’t be of any help in a place like this.
As I finished the first aid for the girl’s wounds, the sun was setting. The late autumn night was chilly even after the rain had stopped.
I lit a fire to stay up through the night and held a piece of hard bread in my hand. With nothing particular to say, I just stared into the flames.
The flickering flames, radiating a subtle warmth, brought back old memories. I thought of the first time I unknowingly went into battle. The place was also burning like this.
Just as my mind was starting to wander with unnecessary thoughts, the quiet girl spoke up.
“…Are you a knight?”
“Hmm? Yes, I am.”
The girl was not looking at me but into the fire.
It seemed as if she was seeing something else from the past where I was looking, and I could read complex emotions in her slightly trembling eyes. Her voice was also shaking.
“What will happen to me now?”
“I’ll take you to the nearby church. I’ve spent time there when I was young, and they’ll take good care of you there.”
“Is the church safe?”
“It’s a fairly large city. I doubt there
If it were a small rural village, the story might have been different, but when it came to a city of some size, things were different.
I’m not an irresponsible person. I willingly took a longer journey to entrust things properly.
Come to think of it, I still didn’t know her name.
I asked, considering that she seemed less reserved than before. Since the silence had somewhat lifted, it seemed reasonable to expect an answer.
“What’s your name?”
“…It’s Lycia.”
“Okay, Lycia. I’m Raven.”
“…”
“If we leave early tomorrow, we should arrive around lunchtime. So, get a good rest.”
After a nod from Lycia, she asked for bread. More precisely, after several attempts that revealed its hardness to the point where her teeth couldn’t penetrate, she admitted it and melted it down, eating with a slur.
If it were an inn, we could have gone inside and had stew; however, expecting such a thing in the wilderness was unrealistic.
I pulled out a bit of beer from the leather flask at my hip and took a sip. Unable to afford anything of high quality, it had a bitter aftertaste.
The quiet mealtime came to an end.
Sacred holy water droplet = grenade, lmao