Chapter 43: I Told You, I’m NOT the Holy Maiden!
SURROUNDED by prying eyes, Reseda and Iris finished their lunch and then decided to visit the local clinic. Located right on the border between the town and the Dark Forest, the clinic was formerly an abandoned warehouse that they had cleaned up and refurbished into a medical facility after last summer’s soilpox outbreak. It was run by a mage who had retired from the Temple of Magic, and the young mother Iris had met at the Dark Forest Cavern often came in to assist.
Once the virus outbreak died down, it became clear that keeping the infected quarantined in the cavern was an inefficient system. Since symptoms could often be mitigated in the early stages of the virus, they tried to get the vaccine to new patients as fast as possible; however, given the considerable distance, they sometimes arrived too late. Reseda complained about it to the King, and they decided to establish this clinic as a solution. Ideally, they would have set it up sooner, but they were very shorthanded during the height of the outbreak.
After Iris enrolled at the Academy, she spent her free time checking in on behalf of the Temple of Magic. Sometimes Reseda would come with her, and they’d ask for an update on the town’s current condition. In exchange for that information, they would provide any additional supplies the clinic needed. Today, they brought in a package of the café cookies as a treat.
“It’s Mint and Cherry!” the kids shouted as they ran out to meet them. Though it wasn’t officially an orphanage, the clinic gave shelter to all the children who had been orphaned by soilpox, and Iris made an effort to bring things that they would enjoy.
“How has everyone been? No more nasty viruses, I hope?”
“Nope! We’re all okay!”
“We’ve brought cookies. Be sure to share them now.”
As Iris handed over the treats, the children all cheered. “Camille’s cookies!”
“Don’t forget to wash your hands first. Oh, and let the doctor know we’re here.”
“Ugh, Mint, you always say that!”
The kids all ran back into the clinic, and Iris and Reseda followed them inside, where they found the doctor, the young mother, and the scarred man standing gathered with some others.
“Are we interrupting?” Reseda asked.
“If it isn’t Lord Cherry and Lady Mint! No, we’re not on the clock.” The doctor waved them over. “Come, join us.”
As Iris and Reseda sat down on the plain, unsophisticated wooden chairs he offered them, the people standing around the scarred man looked at them in surprise.
“Lady Mint, you say…?”
“The girl rumored to be the Green Holy Maiden? I didn’t know she was so young.”
“When she first appeared at the cavern, they say she was a mere child…”
Confused by all the whispering, Iris looked at the scarred man. He grinned back.
“The Green Holy Maiden doesn’t like to cause a stir. Don’t go tellin’ folks you met her, all right?” he told the group.
From the way he spoke, he made it sound like Iris was the Green Holy Maiden. The crowd all kneeled at her feet, clasping their hands in prayer.
“Huhwha?!” Iris yelped, drawing her legs up onto the seat of the chair in surprise. “Doctor, what’s going on here?”
“These fine people are on a pilgrimage to the Iris Swordfount.”
“The what?”
“Back when I first transferred the cavern patients to the clinic, I cleared a path on my way there. These days, it’s common to see pilgrims following it to the spring located near the cavern entrance.”
“What spring?” Iris blinked in confusion.
“He’s talking about the thing you did with your sheath,” Reseda whispered.
“Oh, that! But…I mean, that was Lady Sauge’s doing, not mine…”
Iris stared into the distance. Wait, but the average person can’t see fairies…which means it would have looked like I did it all myself…
“Look, I swear, I’m not the Holy Maiden! You have the wrong girl!”
The pilgrims all nodded along. “You really are every bit as modest as the rumors claim. Don’t worry—we won’t tell anyone.”
“No, that’s not it!”
“We understand completely.”
No, you don’t!!!
“Well, we’d better be on our way now. Wouldn’t wanna interrupt the doctor’s business,” the scarred man declared. And with that, he led the pilgrims out of the clinic.
Iris slumped back in her chair. “What just happened…?”
“During the soilpox outbreak, it became a tradition for those who had recovered to bring supplies to those who were still sick. And in the process, they would collect some of the holy water from the Iris Swordfount to take back with them.”
“Holy water?!”
“Lately, that man’s been running everything himself. He collects participation fees from the pilgrims and donates that money to help feed the kids here. He also sells bottles of holy water for those who can’t go on the pilgrimage.”
With a smile, the doctor showed them the “holy water” stored in an assortment of glass bottles. Apparently, the orphans went out and collected the bottles from trash cans; they were then brought back to the clinic, disinfected, and repurposed. The bottles were then decorated with mint leaves. By giving the kids a job to do, it instilled in them feelings of self-affirmation and self-worth.
“It’s all thanks to you, Lady Mint.”
Iris didn’t know what to say to this. If they were selling the “holy water” to help the orphans, then she couldn’t really find it in her to complain.
“This is great news!” Reseda exclaimed happily.
Iris forced a laugh. “Yes… Wonderful…”