Chapter 166
Chapter 166. Sharpened Sword
――Near the capital Evaroti of the Defteros Kingdom.
In a private room of a certain fortress, a female priest was offering prayers at the altar.
Charlotte Vidwa.
That was her name. Born into a decent merchant family and loved reasonably enough, she had too many siblings, which made her rather unremarkable.
However—her life changed after she manifested a holy attribute during the coming-of-age ceremony. Her parents were overjoyed, proud of their house, and that night, she might have spoken with them longer than ever before. She distinctly recalled thinking, “How nice that they finally care, after being so indifferent for so long.”
Nonetheless, she was grateful for the basic education she received, like reading, writing, and arithmetic. She entered the Holy Church’s training institute as a priest candidate, learned about healing miracles and magic, and was eventually assigned to the allied forces’ medical unit—leading to the present day.
Originally, the healing unit was ill-suited for battle, stationed way in the rear. Charlotte was the same, but the Demon Lord Army’s relentless advance turned “the rear” into “the front line,” and she couldn’t abandon the injured, even if she wanted to—this was how things stood.
Her timid and passive self occupying the front line would surely astonish her family.
“…………”
She prayed for the sacrificed citizens. Prayed for the fallen warriors.
As she envisioned the faces of those who would never return, there was a knock at her room’s door.
“Hey, Charlotte, are you in there?”
“Yes. Come in, please.”
The door opened, and in peeked a black-haired female swordsman with an assertive demeanor.
――Sword Saint “Unicorn” Barbara. A rare female sword saint. She was an old acquaintance, having spent a considerable amount of time together.
“Sorry to intrude. There’s a special supply today.”
Barbara came holding what seemed like a bag.
“I thought we could eat together.”
“Well… I appreciate the thought, but please enjoy it by yourself, Barbara.”
Charlotte, being a bit on the skinny side, smiled and told Barbara she wasn’t hungry, but Barbara looked at her with a troubled gaze.
“Even so, Charlotte, you’ve been working nonstop. If you don’t eat well in this cold, you’ll get sick. Let’s eat together.”
“But…”
“If you don’t, I’ll leave all of this here and go home.”
Seeing her playfully raise her eyebrows, Charlotte couldn’t help but concede with a wry smile. Though it was a joke, she had indeed been left with nothing before.
“Well then… I’ll join you.”
“That’s settled!”
With a grin, Barbara sat down across from Charlotte at a small side table. Charlotte sat on the bed, while Barbara took the only chair in the room.
“Let’s give thanks for today’s blessing…”
Before reaching for the bag placed on the table, Charlotte offered a prayer. Even Barbara, who usually wouldn’t bother, sat patiently and waited. Not wanting to keep her waiting too long, Charlotte wrapped it up quickly.
“Let’s eat.”
“Today’s is quite extravagant!”
Inside the bag was a whole salami, a small cheese, crackers, and even some dried tomatoes and flavored herb salt.
“This makes a delicious soup. Can you manage that?”
“Yes, of course.”
Pouring water into a small pot, Charlotte infused it with fire and light magic. Soon the bubbling water was filled with Barbara’s sliced salami and dried tomatoes.
“Ahh! It’s been getting chilly lately, so warm soup hits the spot…”
Inhaling the fragrant aroma of the soup, Barbara was completely satisfied, and Charlotte gave her a wistful smile.
In the past—she had always been exhausting her magic to the limit.
Using magic for personal reasons was completely out of the question.
But lately, things had changed.
Those in need of healing miracles had either recovered or passed away.
Looking out the window, she saw the rows of simple grave markers and the snow quietly piling up. This room had nice glass windows for priests, but ordinary soldiers and commoners probably just shut their shutters or pasted up paper, trembling from the draft.
This year, winter in the Defteros Kingdom was harsh.
The western granary had been entirely occupied, and the forests near the capital were under the Demon Lord Army’s control. There was limited food, and they couldn’t even gather firewood to keep warm. The alleys of the capital were crowded with refugees who had fled from the west, everyone suffering from hunger and cold.
It was good that reinforcements from the Holy Church had arrived, but with supplies from the allied territory stalling, the increased numbers had turned into a burden. Reports suggested disputes were arising over rationing between the refugees and the residents of the capital.
The Demon Lord Army merely watched as goblins and beastmen launched daytime raids, occasionally sending scouts to test the defense forces.
They couldn’t let their guard down. Soldiers remained on alert, which had resulted in higher rations, preventing them from going hungry.
Special skill users like priests, heroes, and sword saints were prioritized for supplies, so starvation was not a concern.
However… the lower-priority injured and refugees…
Even as she sat there, they might be quietly passing away—
“…The soup is getting cold.”
Hearing Barbara’s gentle voice brought Charlotte back to her senses.
“I’m sorry, I spaced out.”
Charlotte, giving a small smile, finally took a sip of the soup.
It was warm—she thought. But the flavor was hard to discern.
“Ahhh… Just being able to have something warm is a blessing. It’s delicious!”
In contrast, Barbara savored the soup, nibbling on salami and crackers with a blissful expression.
“…………”
Watching her, Charlotte chewed on the softened dried tomato, realizing it tasted a bit salty and surprisingly delicious.
For a while, they continued their meal in silence, with little conversation other than Barbara exclaiming how tasty everything was.
“…A supply unit arrived the other day, right?”
As the soup dwindled, Barbara gazed outside at the falling snow and formally began speaking.
“The handover of supplies is complete, and they say they’ll head back to the rear in a day or two. With the snow piling up, this will likely be the last supply of the year.”
“…………”
Last of the year… well, she had already figured that out.
However, as a medical priest, Charlotte, who understood the flow of supplies, felt a shadow of despair creeping in… There was no way it was enough. They’d have to cut back even more…
“Hey, Charlotte. It’s been a while since you saw your parents, right? How about leaving with the supply unit?”
In a gentle tone, Barbara asked, her usually sharp eyes now softened like a cat gazing at its little ones.
“…No, I will stay.”
Charlotte smiled kindly and slowly shook her head.
She was as calm as a still lake, yet her resolve shimmered through—an unyielding determination.
“Is that so?”
As a priest yet standing like a master swordsman, Charlotte had Barbara sighing half in resignation.
“You’re not under orders to defend, right? They say you should actually be leaving, don’t they? You still have time, Charlotte. It’s not too late now.”
In her eyes, however—mixed in with gentle concern, there was a pained look.
“…Even so. I understand you’re worried and I feel bad for dismissing it. But… still, I just can’t.”
Charlotte’s gaze drifted to the small altar in her room.
“I cannot leave everyone behind.”
A small urn containing the ashes of someone she once cared for dearly.
“…………”
An unbearable silence.
“…Well, I figured as much,” Barbara sighed softly with self-deprecation.
“Honestly, it’s reassuring to have you here, Charlotte. But… he…”
Barbara’s eyes lingered on the ash urn, as if wishing to say something, yet ultimately held back.
“…Make sure you eat properly. I know it’s hard to think about the less fortunate, but…”
Her expression hardened.
“It’s our duty to remain in a condition where we can fight at any time, or at least approach that state.”
Before being a sword saint, Barbara came from noble lineage. The weight behind her words was clearly different from Charlotte, a merchant’s daughter.
“…Yes.”
Charlotte nodded seriously, and after a moment of shared gazes, Barbara smiled warmly, free of shadows.
“Well then, thank you for the meal! I’ll be coming again.”
After patting Charlotte’s shoulder, Barbara tidied up the pot and left the room.
“…………”
Charlotte silently turned back to the altar and began to pray once more.
(…Surely)
Staring at the urn, she thought.
(…You’ll be angry and say, “Why aren’t you running away!”)
He, filled with strong sense of responsibility, had fought until the very end for everyone’s sake.
It was no surprise that he wished for her survival over vengeance, as Barbara had suggested.
――Even so.
Holding the urn close, Charlotte pressed her lips against it.
“If we meet again on the other side…”
Tears finally spilled from her eyes, as if breaking the dam.
“I want you to scold me a lot.”
――I’ll listen to everything.
The snow continued to fall gently.
The kingdom’s land was slowly being enveloped in winter.
