“I have a question for you, Mr. Zenos.”
Night in the ruined city. Krishna, sitting across from me, spoke abruptly.
From the bedroom, Lily’s soft snores echoed, fushurururu.
“What is it?”
“You are a master of defensive magic, are you not?”
“Not really.”
“Don’t be modest. To be unharmed by my magic gun, even if I reduced its lethality somewhat, you must undoubtedly be a god-class user.”
“Well… I mean… It’s a hassle, but if you say so.”
“I’d like to hear your expert opinion. Just as you’ve mastered defensive magic… if… “
Krishna gulped.
“If… one were to master healing magic, would it be possible to do something like regrow an arm?”
“Huh?”
“I know it’s a preposterous question.”
“No, it’s not that. It’s just that, something like that—”
It would be possible even without mastering it. After all, even I, a third-rate healer, can do it.
I started to say that, but stopped.
It might be better not to say anything carelessly until I understand the other person’s intentions.
Krishna sighed weakly.
“Ah, I’m sorry. What am I even saying? Of course, that’s impossible unless you’re a saintess.”
“…By the way, why do you ask?”
“During my guard duty in the noble district, I had a run-in with the leader of a band of thieves, Zofia the Swift. At the time, I inflicted a considerable wound on her arm, but when I saw her in the slums, her arm seemed to have healed completely.”
Somehow, I had a bad feeling.
“I’ve been thinking a lot about the character of the ‘Mediator.’ I wondered whose words Zofia would listen to. Then I thought, if there existed someone who could heal such a serious wound, perhaps that person’s words would resonate with them.”
“…”
Krishna, Vice-Captain of the Imperial Guard.
I thought she was just a forceful and reckless woman, but she’s surprisingly sharp.
It seems her title isn’t just for show.
“No… but that’s impossible. I must have been mistaken about her arm.”
Krishna shrugged, took a sip of her tea, and groaned, “Afoo, hot.”
It seems it was still hot. She’s quite sensitive to heat, it seems.
Translator’s Comment
Why is this a recurring point? 🤨
“Well, I’ll start a thorough investigation tomorrow. I will definitely capture the ‘Mediator,’ the agitator of the poor and the true ancestor of evil.”
“True ancestor of evil…”
At first, he was just a minion of evil, but Zenos’s title keeps getting upgraded to something worse.
“By the way, why are you so hostile towards the poor?”
Curious, I asked, and Krishna remained silent for a while before saying quietly.
“It’s not a pleasant story. My mother was killed by the poor.”
“…”
“My mother was a compassionate person. She felt sorry for the hungry people in the slums and went to provide meals almost every day. Then, one day, she came back as a corpse. I heard it was a robbery to steal the wedding ring she was wearing.”
The lamp’s flame flickered, casting shadows on Krishna’s face.
“Many poor people were saved from starvation thanks to my mother. But no one saved my mother. So I decided. I myself would become a perfect hero, and I would crack down on the villains in the slums so that there would be no more victims like my mother. Through relentless crackdowns, I achieved many accomplishments and rose to the position of Vice-Captain of the Imperial Guard at the youngest age.”
While she was talking, Krishna remained expressionless.
“Because I carry out my work with a will as hard as stone, I came to be called <Stone Lady Rose>. Some mock me as being stubborn because I’m inflexible. But I know there’s another meaning included in that nickname.”
This face is like a stone mask, Krishna said.
“Since that day, I haven’t been able to smile properly.”
“Well then, I’ll be back at night. Thank you for your hospitality, Mr. Zenos.”
The next morning, Krishna left those words and went out to investigate.
I was finally free, but I felt somewhat down, probably because of yesterday’s story.
Camilla, sitting cross-legged at the edge of the bed, said.
“Don’t worry too much, Zenos. It’s not something you can do anything about.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“It’s not an unusual story. Living for three hundred years, you inevitably see all kinds of human behavior.”
No, you’re dead, aren’t you?
So Camilla also heard yesterday’s story.
“Did you come all the way here just to tell me that? Thank you, Camilla.”
“Wh-What… I-I just don’t like gloomy things!”
Camilla looked away and disappeared upstairs.
A ghost who doesn’t like gloomy things.
Tilting her head, Lily said as if she had just remembered.
“Oh, right. Zenos, what about the flag?”
“Ah, I’ll take it down for now.”
Since Krishna’s arrival, I had kept the yellow flag up as a signal for the demi-humans not to approach the clinic, so there might be people waiting for treatment.
As expected, as soon as I took down the flag, the lizardman Zofia came.
She said she injured her fingertip at work, so I healed it cleanly.
“Don’t push yourself too hard. I can’t heal you if you’re dead.”
“I’m sorry, I’ll try not to worry you, Sensei. I was more worried about you. The flag was up for so long, I thought something might have happened to you.”
“Well, a lot happened, but I’m fine for now.”
“That’s good to hear.”
Zofia breathed a sigh of relief, then raised her head as if she had just remembered.
“Oh, right. I have some important information for you, Sensei.”
“What is it?”
“I heard from my subordinates. It seems that <Stone Rose> of the Imperial Guard, the one I told you about before, is sniffing around about the ‘Mediator’.”
“Oh really…”
“Oh really? You’re so calm. She’s a really dangerous woman.”
“I know, right?”
“Sensei, please be more aware of the danger. If she finds out about this place, it could be a big problem.”
No, she already knows – I was about to say that when the entrance door slowly opened.
Standing there was a female Imperial Guard with blonde hair and blue eyes.
“Mr. Zenos, I’m sorry. I got lost and came back. Please tell me how to get to the slums. My lack of sense of direction is my only weakness… Huh?”
“Huh?”
Krishna and Zofia looked at each other.
“Zofia the Swift, why are you here!”
“<Stone Rose>. Why are you here!”
“No, it’s not what it looks like…!”
From the second floor, Camilla’s words floated down softly.
“Zenos, that line makes you sound like a husband caught cheating.”
A/N: Caught cheating…!?