040 - Saint of Healing IV

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The battlefield was located at the northern edge of Escard territory, at the border with a vast deep forest known as the Demon Realm.

The soldiers of the human race gathered on the hill to confront the demon tribe emerging from the forest. Well, "confront" might be an overstatement. Most of the soldiers were nothing but flesh shields, while the tactic on the kingdom's side was for the mages to unleash their magic spells while the shields were being crushed.

Naturally, the casualties were severe.

So, when Mizetta arrived at the battlefield, the medical facilities were already overflowing with the wounded.

The practitioners of restorative magic deployed there had long since exhausted themselves, and further magical exertion would endanger their lives. Yet, the injured kept pouring in one after another. It was truly a scene of carnage.

Mizetta wasted no time upon arrival; she immediately communicated with the person in charge and started casting restorative magic on the injured one by one.

"Amazing... To think there were practitioners of such powerful restorative magic here, capable of consecutive and precise healing like this!"

Although the praise seemed overly exaggerated, one couldn't afford to joke or be sarcastic in such a place.

Perhaps this was all according to Lord Leopold's plan.

Nevertheless, compared to soothing the back pain of the wealthy, this felt like a much more honorable job... That's what Mizetta couldn't help but think.

Mizetta's continuous use of magic that day left no one available to provide further treatment. Of course, not everyone had fully recovered—there were still stamina issues to consider—however, for now, the work of the healing practitioners had come to a temporary halt.

Amidst receiving somewhat exaggerated gratitude, Mizetta left the medical facility and was guided by the escort knights to the tent prepared for her.

It seemed that while Mizetta was working, the guide and the maids had been busy making arrangements.

In essence, nothing had changed.

But Mizetta didn't mind; it was all she could do.

Entering the tent, she sipped the tea prepared by the maids and finally took a moment to relax. She absentmindedly mulled over her recent "treatment" sessions, wondering if she could have done better, but she concluded that given the circumstances, she had done her best.

"You truly are remarkable, Lady Mizetta," the guide said.

He was the nephew of Lord Leopold, with a somewhat sheepish yet endearing demeanor, lacking the intimidating presence of his uncle.

"It was nothing, really," Mizetta replied honestly, not out of modesty but genuine sentiment, although it was a fact that the practitioners on site had praised Mizetta.

Apparently, Mizetta had been using magic of such quality and quantity that, had she been an ordinary practitioner of restorative magic, she would have long since succumbed to exhaustion. She had grown up in an environment devoid of any other magic users, so she honestly didn't have a good grasp of such nuances.

"That's an understatement. By the way, Lord Eckhart is supposed to make an appearance as well."

"Huh...?"

"Much like Lady Mizetta, he too is running around to make a name for himself. It's only natural for him to come to this battlefield."

"I see..."

Mizetta could only manage such a foolish response.

Shortly after, Eckhart Muller arrived at the tent.

---

Actually meeting him was probably about three months ago.

Eckhart, whom she hadn't seen in a long time, seemed to have changed quite a bit.

The last time she saw him, he had uttered some rather nonsensical words of comfort to Mizetta. Just before that, he had seemed exhausted over the incident of his father.

Now, he seemed somehow stronger...

"I've heard about your exploits. I apologize for the trouble, Mizetta."

He was earnest, clean-cut, a slightly clumsy noble's second son.

That was the vague impression Mizetta had of Eckhart—honestly, she hadn't observed him that seriously—but Eckhart now was clearly different.

He used to seem more aloof.

But now, he seemed much more down-to-earth.

"Oh, no...," Mizetta murmured vaguely, shaking her head. Eckhart let out a small rueful smile and looked towards the entrance of the tent.

"I'd like to talk more, but let's just start with a face-to-face. Please, come in," he said.

Before Mizetta could ponder the meaning of his words, two men entered the tent. Mizetta glanced at the guide, who wore an expression of calm resignation.

So, this must be the main business.

They hadn't come to congratulate Mizetta.

Disappointing, perhaps?

She wasn't sure.

Anyway, the two who entered the tent were a short blond boy—and the captive from before.

The man whose wrists were severed by the Gillette siblings, whom Mizetta had treated.

"Thank you for your help the other day. I'm Nova. I apologize for the delay in expressing my gratitude."

For some reason, Mizetta felt as if she were seeing the man's face for the first time.

Perhaps she hadn't recognized him as someone to engage in conversation with when he introduced himself as Nova. At that time, she had been preoccupied with the twins, and she hadn't wanted to know about Nova's circumstances.

Even now, she didn't particularly want to know.

"No... I just did what I had to do," Mizetta said, once again shaking her head vaguely.

Nova raised one eyebrow and didn't say anything more.

"Well, well, the Saint Lady sure is businesslike, huh?"

Instead—though it wasn't as if he was trying to compensate for anything—the boy standing next to Nova stepped forward with a proud stance.

He wore clothes that Mizetta rarely saw, topped with a simple black leather armor. What stood out the most was the long sword slung across his back, almost as tall as he was.

"Call me Jack. Unless Eckhart screws up, we'll be working together for a long time. Nice to meet you, Saint Lady."

His tone was mocking, but his smile was innocent. It was so devoid of malice that it disarmed Mizetta's venom.

"I found him as a warrior. He's still a boy, but he's very powerful, so I decided to recruit him. He has the strength to match his mouth and attitude," Eckhart explained.

"Heh. Well, if a guy like Eckhart thinks he can use a brat like me, that's something," Jack added with a grin.

"I'm counting on you, Jack."

Eckhart laughed and allowed the blatant disrespect, but his warmth towards Jack didn't seem as genuine.

Ah... Mizetta thought.

This is Lord Leopold.

Finding talented individuals and using them regardless of their status or background.

"Thanks to Lord Illyrius's recommendation, we've been tasked with taking down the leader of the invading demons. Of course, it won't be just the three of us, but Jack will be the one to take down the enemy commander."

"Leave it to me, Eckhart."

And that's how they make a name for themselves.

But what happens after that?

Mizetta's name, Eckhart's name, they marry—and then what?

She didn't know.

And she didn't really care to find out.

---

That evening, Mizetta decided to accompany the escort knights to "the battlefield."

Even if asked why, she would have been at a loss for words, and truthfully, she was at a loss when asked... But somehow, she felt it would be a good idea to know what kind of place and what kind of activities the people she would be treating were involved in.

Regardless of who they were, if they asked to be healed, she had no choice but to do so.

Anyway...

It was said that the demons came from deep within the forest called the Demons Realm.

The humans set up camp on the hill near the forest's edge to confront the demons.

Basically, the humans couldn't match the demons. However, exceptions could be made with the powerful magic of certain exceptional mages, capable of defeating the demons.

So, the humans scattered several small units on the hillside, sneaking mages among them. While the demons were dealing with the "decoys," powerful magic would be unleashed... That seemed to be the gist of it.

In other words, most of the soldiers were decoys.

Among them, those unlucky enough would die, while the slightly luckier ones would survive with injuries. Mizetta would heal them, and they would return to the battlefield to try their luck again.

—It felt like she was losing her mind.

Mizetta couldn't comprehend how they felt standing on the battlefield. She couldn't even guess. It might be something called a sense of duty or obligation, but come to think of it, Mizetta had never experienced such a thing.

Even now, she was here half reluctantly.

Then, perhaps they were too?

Feeling terribly dark inside, Mizetta unconsciously sighed deeply.

Realizing she was gazing almost absentmindedly at the hill below, she tore her gaze away from the darkness of the Demon's Realm and looked up at the sky. The unusually large moon cast shadows in the night sky, and those shadows fell directly onto the ground.

—Suddenly, she saw a figure.

It was a girl with long blond hair.

She seemed so out of place, descending the hill with an easygoing manner as if taking a leisurely stroll.

Several units were stationed halfway up the hill, and the girl walked through the gaps between the soldiers. Despite traversing a battlefield, her footsteps were light as if it were a lie. So Mizetta had to rub her eyes several times to doubt the girl's existence.

The escort knights didn't notice the girl. But even after looking away and looking back, the girl didn't disappear.

She remained visible even as Mizetta continued to stare.

Swinging her blond hair reflecting the moonlight, the girl descended the hill and disappeared into the darkness of the Demon's Realm.

Mizetta continued to gaze at the hill below for a while.

---

The next day.

As soon as she woke up, Mizetta was informed of the deaths of the Gillette siblings.

The culprit was likely Euphemia Grimwood, who had apparently dazzled her appearance.

Mizetta didn't understand what was going on.

But... she vaguely thought that the blonde girl might have been Euphemia.

But she didn't tell anyone.