For people with grave sicknesses or deep wounds, we covered them up with a robe so they couldn’t see how we healed them. Since we could increase the efficacy of the medicine with our heroes’ weapons, if we didn’t cover the wound, it would look like their injury had miraculously vanished. I also assisted with those procedures, naturally!
It sounded like nowadays we had started to develop a reputation as the miracle-makers from the bird god’s carriage. Whenever we arrived at a village, people would come flooding out and bow down to us, begging us to heal their illnesses. Father would smile gently and go about healing as many of them as he could.
Since we had only been traveling for two weeks, it’s not like we had covered a massive region yet. We wouldn’t have nearly enough time to go all across Melromarc. We had about two months, so I supposed we’d just go as far as we could in that time.
“It’s been almost three weeks since we were summoned here, hasn’t it?” Father asked me.
“You’re right,” I said. “That means we have just one week until the first wave of destruction.”
“We’ve already made a decent amount of money, but I think we should consider selling stuff besides medicine too,” Father said. “We’re not exactly making a big profit.”
That’s because Father had such a generous heart! We were selling the medicine for cheap, and Father always took the time to heal the patients fully. We had started to see more desperate patients come to us, begging us to save their lives. Father was spending a lot of effort on those patients that couldn’t afford to pay, always saying that he had the time.
“I get that in our situation we need to be cutting corners and squeezing cash every chance we have,” Father said, sighing. “But I think knowing that we can always get more money in Siltvelt made me take this less seriously. Sorry, Motoyasu.”
“Do not worry about it in the slightest!” I insisted.
In the first go-around, Father became known as the saint of the bird god. I felt good that this time we were on a similar track.
When we started chasing after Father in the first go-around, lots of villagers helped him escape, which I could tell now was because of how he had helped so many people in his travels. Running short on money seemed like a cheap price to pay for that sort of reputation.
“Our real problem is classing up, I say.”
“Good point.” Father scratched his head. “The trade-off method is working so far, but I think we should try to actually class up if we can.”
Keel oinked in agreement.
“Exactly! Keel should be able to transform into a therianthrope soon. I think we should try to class her up.”
“Oink!” Keel looked genuinely excited and jolly, I say. So she wanted to class up that badly?
“I’ve also been thinking that I want to go talk to some people in Siltvelt, so why don’t we head there?” Father suggested. “Elena, what will you do?”
“Oiiiiiink.”
“Huh? It sounds annoying, so you’ll just wait in the carriage.”
Lazy Pig’s head suddenly dropped as she dozed off. Her laziness was truly unlike anything I had ever seen before.
Whatever, I thought. But either way, we still needed to get to Siltvelt without anyone realizing.
I wondered if the disguised thieves sent by the Church of the Three Heroes had given up on surprise attacks now that Father had developed a good reputation. Instead, they seemed to have been spreading rumors about the appearance of a criminal known as the Shield Hero.
I remembered hearing those rumors in the first go-around shortly before the first wave of destruction. But their lies didn’t matter, not this time. Father wasn’t famous as the Shield Hero, but as the legendary saint of the bird god.
Even if the Church of the Three Heroes disguised themselves to attack us, that wouldn’t change the fact that we have the filolials to stop them. If they tried to get Itsuki and Ren to help them, even they would be suspicious about attacking a saint of the bird god. And if everyone found out that the saint of the bird god was the Shield Hero, then that would just turn the people against the Church of the Three Heroes instead. If they told everyone we were only pretending to be good, people would hardly believe it. People tend to draw simple conclusions based on what they see, after all.
In the first go-around, just before the first wave of destruction hit, I went with the Crimson Swine over to Zeltoble to strengthen their defenses.
Before that, Filo-tan kicked me so, so many times. If only I could see her again.
Filo-tan . . .
Nowadays, during our breaks, I was passing time by drawing pictures of Filo-tan. We had a lot of spare time while waiting for the carriage to move from place to place.
“Are you drawing another picture, Motoyasu?” Father asked me.
“I am, I say! Did you finish preparing?”
Father nodded, glancing at the picture I drew of Filo-tan.
“Not bad,” Father said. “Is that the girl you like?”
“It most certainly is.”
“She looks a lot like Sakura. Her coloring is just different.”
“That is precisely correct. She isn’t too different from Sakura, I say.”
Sakura came over and looked at the drawing as well.
“Huh? What’s wrong, Sakura?”
“Motoyasu says the girl he likes looks similar to you,” Father explained.
“Really?”
“This is her angel form,” I said.
“She looks like a video game character,” Father said. “She looks like a cute, honest girl.”
Oh, my Filo-tan . . . my beloved, wherever could you possibly be?
Sakura tilted her head as she took a closer look.
“Motoyasu says that I was this girl’s master,” Father said to Sakura.
“Do you wish I looked more like this?” Sakura asked Father.
Watching them interact was always a treat for the eyes.
“No, not at all,” Father said. “You’re just as beautiful, Sakura.”
“Do you like girls, Naofumi?”
“Well, sure, just as much as any other guy. But right now I’m more focused on other things.”
“Do you think I’m cute?” Sakura asked.
“Of course you are!”
Keel oinked something in response.
“Yeah, Sakura is beautiful,” Father responded. “But you’re a close match, Keel.”
Keel snorted and squealed.
“Yes, sorry, I know you’re a boy.”
As Father and the others engaged in such trifling chitchat, Yuki was looking at my drawing as well. It was only natural. Filo-tan makes for a striking figure!
“Is this your future sweetheart, Motoyasu?” Yuki asked.
“That’s right,” Father said, and with a coy smile, “You aren’t jealous, are you, Yuki?”
“I am not jealous!” Yuki said, shaking her head vigorously.
Father watched her, grinning. “You sure?”
“I simply want to do all that I can to help Motoyasu,” Yuki said firmly.
“Really? I really thought that you had feelings for Motoyasu,” Father said and glanced over at me for some reason or other.
His gaze reminded me of my middle school friends back in the day. They were guys who knew everything there was to know about pigs. For some reason we got along and used to hang out a lot. I had almost no guy friends, other than those few. They often tried to push pigs in my direction, I recall. They knew about the pigs’ hobbies, behavior, and even carried around photos of pigs.
But then I went to a different high school and never saw them again. Thinking back, they were such mysterious boys. If you wanted pigs that badly, would you really try to talk to them using all of that information? I don’t get them anymore, even though I didn’t think anything of it back when I used to know them. They were the very definition of fastidious. They knew so much about pigs, but it felt like they were gathering so much information not to go after the pigs themselves but to try to push pigs in my direction.
“I respect Motoyasu very much, but we don’t have that sort of relationship!” said Yuki firmly. She seemed a bit stiff.
I laughed. What an adorable response, I say! I rubbed her head.
“I believe I mentioned this before, but Father is amazing at telling jokes,” I explained. I turned to Father. “Filolials are like my children, you see.”
“Your children?”
“Yes—and all children are adorable, I say! Obviously, you would never even think about romance or marriage with your children! The only one I desire is Filo-tan!”
“Uhhh, right,” Father said, nodding. “Well, do your best, Yuki.”
“I told you I don’t feel that way about him!”
Yuki kept yelling at Father, who tried his best to calm her down.