Lacey understood what Dana wanted to say. Yes, the two of them had visited Cedric’s restaurant for dinner, but that was only for two days. She was worried that calling him out all this way based on that was asking too much. Dana and Lacey exchanged glances.
Cedric, who had strenuously made his way to where they were, stood up straight with his tall and skinny body. “A new visitor to the village said my food was good and ate it up. That’s something to be joyful about. Come back again sometime.” Despite his surly face, his words were amiable. He put out a hand for Dana to shake. As usual, what he said didn’t match his expression.
Dana was bewildered, but still shook his hand. “O-Oh. Thank you. I really enjoyed the meals.”
As they stood there, rubbernecking villagers stopped in their tracks on their way to work and poked their heads out of their houses. A noisy, chattersome crowd gathered.
“Who’s that? Haven’t seen her before.”
“Looks like she’s a friend of Lacey’s.”
“Oh, so she’s visiting.”
“No, it looks like she’s on her way back already.”
Umm, umm, what should I...? Lacey didn’t know what to do. At a loss, she turned her head to the left and right.
Lacey didn’t know all of the villagers, but the reverse wasn’t true. Everybody in Plume Village knew Lacey. But of course, they didn’t recognize Dana. Her face was hidden with her large cloth hat, so they didn’t realize that she was the famed Saint of Light.
Still, the villagers all called out to Dana. “Come back again!” “Have a safe trip!” “Be careful out there!”
At first, she was surprised, but then it hit her. This was the culture of Plume Village.
When Lacey had first come to Plume Village, she’d come in surreptitiously, hiding herself.
Whenever Wayne came by, he used concealment magic, and Brooks had come and gone like a whirlwind, so she hadn’t noticed. But whenever the fox-like merchant visited, everyone called out “Welcome back!” when he arrived and “See you again!” when he left. Even though Lacey didn’t go down to the village very much, she was still familiar with this.
Allen was right: the more people to see her off, the better it would be. The people of Plume Village all said farewells together and welcomed people in freely. At first, they had eyed the peculiar new resident named Lacey with doubt, but in due time, people had come to accept her with open arms.
Lacey was plain happy. She didn’t know what it was, but it was like something warm had seeped into her and was filling her with an emotion she just couldn’t hold back. But that was just how Lacey felt. She didn’t know what Dana’s opinion was.
She anxiously looked up at Dana. Although Dana’s face was partially obscured, she was definitely smiling cheerfully. She understood what the village was like. That made Lacey all the more happy.
Her lips were curved into a slight smile, but by degrees it seemed that she couldn’t hold back anymore. Dana finally broke into a loud laugh. “Good lord, this village is really something incredible. It’s lovely.”
She wiped tears of laughter from the corners of her eyes and quietly exhaled.
“So Lacey, I was talking about how I wanted to thank you. It’s about the donation you made. You donated a really large sum to the orphanage, right?”
She didn’t say exactly how much, probably because there were lots of eyes on them at the moment. But Lacey did remember making a donation. She’d contributed almost all of the reward money she’d received for defeating the Demon King to orphanages around the nation. Just as Dana had.
Back when they had all been chatting around the campfire sharing what they would do once the Demon King was gone, Dana had said that she wanted to use her powers as a holy woman and get proper compensation for it. Then she would earn lots of money and spend it to enrich the lives of children in her hometown and throughout the nation. Lacey had heard that Dana had made a wish to the king for an even bigger cash bonus. However, she hadn’t used that money for herself.
“Yes, I did. Because I thought your dream was really wonderful, Dana.”
Lacey had been an orphan. She had a greater aptitude for magic than anyone else, so she had been bound to the nation as a mage. Lacey sometimes wondered how things would have been if there was someone like Dana there for her in her youth, but ultimately, she didn’t really know.
Nobody could alter the path they’d already traveled in life.
“I wanted to thank you for it, but I wasn’t sure if it would be right. But let me say it anyway. Thank you, Lacey.”
“It’s not something I did because I wanted your gratitude. But if you feel that way, then here’s my response: You’re welcome.”
They shook hands and laughed.
“I don’t do anything that doesn’t make me money,” Dana then quietly whispered into Lacey’s ear. “But I’m in a fantastic mood today. I love you and this village. Besides, I got a big advance payment from you. It wouldn’t be fair to not do anything in return. And I need to give a proper greeting to the people who are looking after my dear companion...” She turned to the assembled villagers. “Hello, everyone!”
Dana forcefully threw her hat into the air. The moment the sunlight hit her pale green hair, a handful of gaping villagers who had been wondering what was going on exclaimed out loud. “It’s the Saint of Light!” whispered one person, and the murmurs spread out like a ripple.
“I’m Dana, the Saint of Light! Since I’m here, I’m happy to meet you all, and may you be abundantly blessed in the future!”
“Wow!” The villagers gasped in surprise.
Light shone from Dana’s palms. It was a gentle light that enveloped one and all.
Lacey had felt this sensation before, but the villagers’s eyes went wide in astonishment. Tricia, who had lately been complaining of an aching back, was there as well, carrying Lane. Her back straightened up. She was so shocked that she couldn’t even say anything. She circled around, trying to take a look at her back.
Dana was the only person Lacey knew of who could use such powerful restorative miracles. That was why she had been chosen for the hero’s party.
“D-Dana, you...”
“This is part of my thank-you. Besides, my sacred power’s been accumulating while traveling since I haven’t used it. I need to discharge some, or else the nobles that come to me will start getting entitled. I only heal them a set amount.”
“Okay...” Lacey couldn’t argue with that and conceded.
Dana had a broad smile on her face. She let her long, voluminous hair flutter in the breeze and made a big wave of her hand.
She was waving goodbye, but it almost looked as if she were saying “I’ll see you again.”