I Became the Hero While Paving a Flower Path for My Niece - Chapter 49

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Hero Who Paved the Way for His Cousin 049
Sollenium Church Brodell Temple.
The beds that had been empty were now filled with the sudden influx of patients who had arrived today.
A formal priest entered the ward with several young apprentice priests to tend to the wounded.
He made his way first to Milo’s bed, where the worst of the injuries lay.
As the splints and bandages came away, a slightly swollen wound came into view.
“Hmm….”
The priest examined closely the areas that Alex had treated with the Healing spell she’d learned from Litch, the interdimensional sage.
“…Is there some problem?”
Milo, who had spent his entire life in the farming village and found the pristine, reverent temple and the kind priest overwhelming, extended his arm with a nervous expression and spoke in a trembling voice.
“No. I was simply examining it carefully because the treatment was so well done. You handled it expertly. The bone hasn’t been displaced at all.”
Left as it was, the bone would knit together perfectly.
The apprentice priests following the formal priest were amazed at what they saw.
“This looks like it could be around 3rd Circle caliber….”
“Could it be someone like Lord Athin? These are patients that Lord Klaus brought in, aren’t they?”
“No, that’s not it.”
Milo spoke up quickly. He had a different benefactor to thank.
“This was treated by a mercenary mage.”
“That’s right! A truly remarkable person!”
The others hastened to speak about Alex as well. Though, of course, they didn’t mention her name, per the earl’s request to keep matters confidential.
“Ah, I see.”
“Impressive. A 3rd Circle mercenary mage.”
“Actually, they said she was 2nd Circle.”
Milo quickly corrected the record.
“…2nd Circle?”
“This is 2nd Circle Healing magic?”
The apprentice priests looked back at Milo’s arm with wide eyes.
“With ordinary 2nd Circle healing magic, you’d only be able to treat surface wounds….”
Yet here was healing magic that had somehow knitted the bone as well.
It was extraordinary.
“…Are you certain?”
When faint murmurs of disbelief rippled through the apprentice priests, Milo became flustered.
‘I-It’s true!’
Then the formal priest spoke with a stern expression.
“You must not doubt our faithful visitor’s word so carelessly. They may simply be someone who has devoted themselves diligently to the study of healing magic.”
“Ah, yes! Of course! We apologize!”
The flustered apprentice priests quickly bowed to Milo in contrition.
“It’s, it’s all right.”
The priest who had quieted the apprentices gazed at Milo with a gentle smile.
“You’ve been blessed to meet a fine mage.”
“Yes! She really is wonderful.”
Milo grinned broadly and nodded enthusiastically.
If the earl’s house hadn’t asked him to keep this matter secret, he would have told them everything.
The priest smiled and placed a light hand on Milo’s arm.
“I offer my prayer to Sollenius,”
and he began to pray.
“Heal the wound of your young lamb,”
A pure white light flowed from the priest’s hand and descended upon Milo’s arm, seeping slowly into his body.
Faint color returned to Milo’s pallid face.
It felt similar to Alex’s Healing spell yet different—a warmth and comfort that were distinct.
It was Holy Power.
“Wow….”
Milo watched in wonder as his arm and body were slowly healed before his eyes.
The dull ache that had plagued his arm gradually faded, and the fatigue that had weighed on his body slowly melted away.
After a short time had passed.
“You may move now.”
At the priest’s words, Milo cautiously moved his arm. There was no pain at all, and his arm moved freely in every direction.
“So this is Holy Power…!”
“It is the compassion of Sollenius.”
The priest smiled benevolently.
“Rest here for the night, and you can leave tomorrow. The treatment is complete, but you’ll need time to recover.”
“Understood!”
The priest began with Milo and continued treating the other patients, with the apprentice priests assisting through their modest Holy Power.
“All the external wounds have been healed.”
“Yes. The mage took care of it.”
An ordinary 2nd Circle mage would have lacked the magical reserves to treat more than a handful of people, but the priest found himself curious about a 2nd Circle mage who had healed twenty individuals.
A moment passed.
The priest and apprentices finished their work and left the ward.
Silence settled over the room.
Perhaps it was the sacred temple around them, but the atmosphere seemed to demand quiet.
Then.
Someone, unable to bear the stillness any longer, spoke.
“This is the first time I’ve received Holy Power treatment. It’s incredible.”
Everything that had happened today seemed too momentous to leave unspoken.
“Truly. My whole body felt at ease in an instant.”
“Mine too. I feel like I’ve got strength again!”
The others loosened their tongues as well.
“Milo, how’s your arm?”
“Perfect. Look at this!”
As Milo flexed and swung his injured arm in every direction, the group burst into laughter. The relief of it all made them keep laughing.
“So what are you all planning to do?”
“Hmm?”
“The Count gave us compensation.”
At that, they all reached for the pouches of compensation they’d received at the temple, feeling the solid clink of silver coins.
“With this much, we could probably buy several months of food.”
“I’m thinking of staying in Lord’s Castle.”
“Lord’s Castle?”
A man nodded.
“A few months of food isn’t enough. What I need is steady income.”
He wasn’t hoping for great wealth anymore.
They all probably felt the same.
“I’ll use the compensation to find lodging and look for work. Something safe and reliable this time.”
The others nodded in understanding, sharing quiet laughter.
“Me too. But it’s Lord’s Castle, so there should be plenty of work.”
“Same here.”
“When we rent rooms, would it be cheaper if we shared?”
As Milo listened to the adults talk, he fell into thought. If Jake had been in the village, he would have left for it immediately, but Jake was in Lord’s Castle too.
Perhaps staying in Lord’s Castle to look for work would be better than returning to Farming Village.
‘Finding work won’t be easy, but I have to try my best!’
Milo wanted to give Jake a better life.
“Milo, will you see that mercenary again later?”
“Yes. My brother is with him.”
“Then could you give him something from us?”
The man beside him took some silver coins from the pouch of compensation and handed them to Milo.
“Why… why would you do that?”
Milo was startled as he accepted the coins.
“It’s thanks for saving us. We didn’t have anything to give before, but now that we have this money, we should.”
“Take mine too.”
“And mine.”
Even considering what the mercenary mage and his companions would deserve, it wouldn’t be enough, but they wanted to convey their gratitude in whatever small way they could.
“I’ll make sure to deliver it.”
Milo accepted the coins from the group, clasping the pouch firmly with both hands and nodding.
The others smiled warmly.
Soon exhaustion overtook them, and they lay down on their beds and closed their eyes.
Milo did the same.
He fell asleep clutching the precious pouch of coins meant for the mercenary.
It was an early night—and a peaceful one, the first in weeks.

* * *
Brodell Manor.
Klaus Brodell entered the lobby, exhaustion written across his face. A waiting attendant moved to assist him, and
“Welcome home, brother.”
Meilyn Brodell, who had been expecting Klaus Brodell, appeared in a simple dress.
“You were waiting?”
“Yes. I was curious how things went. How did your errand turn out?”
Klaus Brodell moved with Meilyn Brodell to the reception room and recounted what had happened.
“When I arrived, there were people from the Information Guild there.”
Warm tea and light refreshments were set upon the table.
“People from the Information Guild?”
“Yes. It seemed they knew Alex.”
Meilyn Brodell looked startled.
Ethan Caldis’s letter had mentioned that Alex was visiting the Brodell Territory for the first time and asked for their kindness, but she hadn’t expected him to know people from the Information Guild.
“What sort of person is Alex?”
At Meilyn Brodell’s question, Klaus Brodell summoned an image of Alex to mind.
“At first glance, just an ordinary mercenary. Someone recently turned from a commoner to a mercenary?”
“Really?”
“I didn’t see him fight, but he seems quite skilled at healing magic. And considering he took on a commission for a stranger’s sake and saved people, his character seems sound enough.”
At that, Meilyn Brodell let out a soft laugh and sipped her tea slowly.
“It seems you’ve taken quite a liking to Alex.”
“True. Skilled mages are common enough, but kind-hearted ones are rare.”
Klaus Brodell grinned and popped a small pastry into his mouth in one bite.
“What do you think, Meilyn? Might Alex and Domeric become good friends?”
“It would be nice if he had a friend.”
Meilyn Brodell agreed.
Perhaps the prickly Domeric Brodell might even find a decent friend in Alex.
“Of course, only if they accept each other.”
“True.”
Klaus Brodell nodded.
“Where is Domeric?”
“Why do you ask, brother?”
“I found a Magic Circle in the Underground Space. I thought a mage might be able to tell what sort of Magic Circle it is.”
Meilyn Brodell answered:
“My younger brother is probably in the Research Laboratory as always. Once he goes in there, he rarely comes out.”
“Tch. That’s exactly why he’s so frail. He needs to get some sunlight and exercise if he’s ever to be healthy.”
At Klaus Brodell’s words, Meilyn Brodell smiled gently. The attendants nearby offered quiet smiles as well.
“And Grandfather?”
“He’s resting in his room.”
The grandchildren were growing increasingly worried as the Count grew weaker by the day.
“Perhaps we should call a priest again?”
“When he was here last time, he said the decline was due to weakened bodily functions from old age.”
Though the priest had mentioned being concerned about the pace of decline, even a priest who served Sollenius could not halt the ravages of time.
Still, as grandchildren, they could not simply do nothing.
“Let’s wait a few more days, and if his condition continues to worsen, we’ll call for another visit.”
“All right. Let’s do that.”
Klaus Brodell looked at Meilyn Brodell.
Worry over their grandfather’s health seemed to have taken its toll on her as well—her complexion was pallid and her fatigue evident.
“You take care of yourself too.”
“I will. Don’t worry. Everyone’s looking after me well.”
“Then I’ll be going. Get some rest.”
“You as well, brother.”
Having seen Meilyn Brodell off, Klaus Brodell made his way toward his younger brother Domeric Brodell’s Research Laboratory.
Given the risk that his magical experiments might fail and cause damage to the surrounding structures, Domeric Brodell’s Research Laboratory was situated some distance from the other buildings.
Knock, knock.
The door didn’t open despite the knocking.
Klaus Brodell knocked once every minute without much reaction.
After about five minutes had passed.
Creak.
The door opened, and a man with hollow eyes and a pallid face emerged.
“What brings you here, brother?”
“I have a favor to ask.”
“A favor, yes? Please, come inside.”
Domeric Brodell ushered Klaus Brodell into the room.
Though Klaus had visited the Research Laboratory many times before, it remained crowded with books, unidentifiable materials, and Mana Stones.
“How’s managing the Lowest Grade Dungeon? It’s not too hard, is it? You’re not running short on Mana Stones?”
“The dungeon management is fine. It’s easy. The Mana Stones are… a bit short, but I manage. There’s not much more I can do to get them anyway.”
At his brother’s words, Klaus Brodell looked at Domeric with a mixture of sympathy and concern.
He would have liked to give his younger brother every Mana Stone that came from all the dungeons in the territory, but doing so would have crippled the territory’s economy.
The most he could allocate was thirty percent of the mid-grade Mana Stones and sixty percent of the lowest-grade ones.
“Should I capture some monsters alive for you? You could use them for research.”
“That would be helpful.”
“Ha! All right. I’ll bring back some big ones.”
“But what’s this about?”
At that question, Klaus Brodell’s expression hardened.
“We found something suspicious near Lord’s Castle.”
“…Something suspicious?”
Domeric, who had been about to pour tea, paused mid-motion and turned to look back at Klaus sitting across from him.
“Yes. It looks like someone created an Underground Space for kidnapping people. And we found a Magic Circle there.”
“…A Magic Circle? What kind of Magic Circle?”
“I don’t know yet. That’s why I’m asking you for help.”
“I see.”
Domeric nodded, then resumed the motion he’d interrupted, pouring the tea.
“Here.”
“Thank you.”
Klaus accepted the cup his brother poured for him with genuine pleasure.
“But who discovered this suspicious space?”
“Someone named Alex. A Mercenary mage who found it. You know Ethan, right? Meilyn’s fiancé. Alex is his benefactor.”
“A Mercenary… mage?”
“Yes. He seems quite skilled, though of course not as much as my younger brother.”
At Klaus’s words, Domeric laughed. It looked a little awkward, perhaps because he smiled so rarely.
“He was commissioned to find someone and stumbled upon it.”
“Ah, so it was coincidence. Lucky.”
“Indeed. Thanks to him, we were able to find the missing territorial residents. I’m planning to invite him to dinner later.”
Klaus asked carefully.
“How about you come to the dinner, Domeric?”
“No.”
Mm.
He’d expected as much.
His younger brother didn’t get along well with people outside the family, which worried Klaus, but he couldn’t force him either.
“All right. Anyway, if you have time tomorrow, come with me and take a look at that Magic Circle.”
“Understood.”
“And come to family meals more often.”
“I’ll think about it.”
Klaus studied his brother for a moment, then patted him on the shoulder.
“Don’t worry. At your rate, you’ll reach the 4th Circle before long.”
“…I think so too.”
For the first time, Domeric smiled genuinely.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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