Chapter 162. Recruitment (2)
Enoch stopped and raised his head.
The place he arrived at in the family vehicle was the Holy Séjour.
The pure white Holy Séjour building, in an off-white hue, was unchanged from the last time he came.
After crossing the square made of pure white granite and approaching the guard at the entrance, he seemed wary for a moment, but soon recognized Enoch and held up a metal staff in front of his eyes.
“My apologies for not recognizing you, Lord Enoch Elsyde. This way.”
I followed him inside. Behind me, Sirocco followed closely. I had no intention of stopping her from coming along out of boredom.
There were four days until the magical beast attack on the 19th outsourcing district.
There was still no reply to the request for contact with the elites of the Victoria Kazimieśi army, the Dragoons, which I had submitted to Teano.
But to be honest, it didn't matter to Enoch what answer they gave.
If the Dragoons refused contact, I had another plan in place, but…
Ultimately, it was something that had to be put on hold until a result came out.
Besides, even if the Dragoons accepted the contact, the distance was very far if I wanted to meet them in the Victoria Kazimieśi Domain.
As time was of the essence, to avoid wasting time on travel, I had to prepare what I could in the Elsyde Domain in advance.
From the side, Sirocco glanced at me, and with a look as if she had read my thoughts, she asked.
“Hmm, what's this? You seem to have a lot to prepare this time, don't you? Even coming to a strange place like this on purpose.”
“I have to this time.”
Enoch answered calmly. To fend off 2,000 magical beasts, I couldn't prepare haphazardly.
It would truly not be an easy task.
As such, I had to prepare thoroughly.
That was why what I was about to do now was recruitment.
Recruitment of temporary supplementary personnel for the squad.
I had to gather all the experience and relationships I had built up so far and sublimate them all into my own fighting force.
That was just as important as honing my talent for the sword.
Because it would be one of the keys for Enoch to survive in this world and change the future that was set in stone at the end.
One step, I took a step toward the entrance of the Holy Séjour.
The reason I had been rushing around here and there, even postponing the growth of my sword until now, was right here.
Enoch looked calmly at the interior of the Holy Séjour.
Now was the time to reap the seeds I had sown so far and achieve growth to the next stage.
***
After being instructed that his companion should wait in the reception room, Enoch left Sirocco and followed the guard further inside alone.
After walking through the corridors of the elegant Holy Séjour, lined with pillars finished with simple, thin gold decorations, and holy statues, an indoor hall in the deep part of the building appeared before long.
A place where rows of iron chairs, microphones, and broadcasting equipment were lined up, with a spotlight and a podium.
It was none other than the press conference room.
It was said to be the only open place where decisions were made or policies were announced within the Holy Séjour.
That was why I couldn't help but be even more surprised to see that the one on the podium was none other than the Saintess herself.
Surrounded by her attendant nuns.
A girl with wavy blonde hair that flowed down to her thighs, with a pure white veil draped over it.
The Saintess, dressed in a revealing ceremonial attire that emphasized her sensuously feminine body line, was in the midst of something like a speech practice with a benevolent expression.
“There is only one thing I wish to tell you all here today. The Goddess does not─ with prayer alone.”
Just then, she turned her gaze from the podium and glanced around, and her eyes widened when she spotted Enoch.
Enoch walked forward, not minding the gazes gathering around him. The Saintess composed herself, gracefully clasped her hands in front of her ceremonial attire, and gave a slight smile.
“If you had contacted the Holy Séjour a day in advance that you would be visiting, I would have been able to greet you more properly, Lord Enoch.”
“It doesn't matter. It's quite an urgent matter.”
Gasps of admiration burst from the healer nuns surrounding the Saintess.
“That’s, Lord Enoch Elsyde…!”
“Ah! The one whom the Saintess has decided to share her will with….”
Their reactions were so honest they were blatant. It seemed there was no doubt that Amelia was still firmly captivating the hearts of those around her.
“I will suspend the speech practice for a moment. Nuns, would you please excuse yourselves for a moment? As I may need you as usual, only Lady Lily will remain.”
At Amelia's request to leave, spoken with a gentle smile, the other nuns, except for Lily, clasped their hands, gave a light bow of respect, and left the hall.
As they left, Amelia naturally dropped her smile and gazed calmly at Enoch.
Feeling that Amelia was, in many ways, far from being just a benevolent Saintess, Enoch met her gaze directly.
“I believe you know the reason I have come.”
“Yes. I have read all about the matter you sent in advance. To think such things were happening in the outsourcing district of the Victoria Kazimieśi Domain….”
It seemed Amelia had also roughly grasped the situation in the outsourcing district and Enoch's purpose for heading there.
“As your Follower Family and as the Saintess, I believe you are doing the right thing. However…,”
The Saintess carefully bowed her head and took a step closer. She extended her hands downwards and gently clasped Enoch's hanging hands.
Along with the soft touch transmitted from her naturally close body, her blonde hair that flowed down to her thighs tickled the back of his hand.
“At the same time, I am worried about you, Lord Enoch.”
“……”
Enoch stared at her blankly.
Well, it hadn't been long since Amelia had joined the Follower Family.
With rumors spreading due to her fame, if Enoch, the leader of the squad, were to die, it was obvious that her position would become awkward.
“You don't need to worry, I will keep my promise.”
“Pardon?”
To Amelia, who widened her eyes and tilted her head, Enoch replied with an emotionless gaze.
“The role as the Saintess's political backer that I proposed when suggesting the Follower Family. I have no intention of dying before even starting that.”
For Amelia, who had played the part of a Saintess and showed a thoroughly calculating personality in the original work, this was surely the answer she would want.
But for some reason, Amelia's reaction to his clever answer was unexpectedly lukewarm.
“Well, Lord Enoch, you are…….”
She looked up at Enoch with her emerald eyes, then gently closed them and shook her head.
“Huu, no. So this is the kind of person you are. I see.”
“……?”
When Enoch made a puzzled expression, she turned to him with a sullen look and added.
“Lord Enoch, I appreciate your concern. But if I hadn't trusted you in the first place, I wouldn't have even thought of entering your Follower Family.”
“Then?”
Amelia tilted her head as she gazed at Enoch.
“Is it strange to wish for the safety of the first person who understands me since my inauguration as the Saintess?”
“That's not it, but.”
It was a little unexpected. Did I misjudge her?
“Then I'm glad.”
With a faintly alluring smile, Amelia gently intertwined her fingers with Enoch's clasped hands. From her body, which had drawn closer as if in an embrace, a fresh scent tickled the tip of his nose.
Woooong─
The next moment, a translucent green light of mana spread from within his hand, and his body felt as light as if it had been washed clean.
It was a sensation so surprising it could be called a miracle.
Realizing that she had healed all the wounds on Enoch's body at once, Enoch looked at her, unable to hide his slightly surprised gaze.
“Did you know I was injured?”
“No. But I thought you might be, Lord Enoch. I simply used diagnostic magic to assess and treat it. For scratches, that is more than enough.”
Facing her as she answered calmly, Enoch nodded inwardly. So she didn't rise to the position of Saintess for nothing.
“Thank you.”
But for some reason, she didn't continue, and with a slightly hesitant expression, she asked.
“Well, uhm. This is something I'm asking because it bothers me a little, but are you and Lady Sirocco really staying in the same room?”
Enoch swallowed a slightly bitter laugh.
It was something Sirocco had said last time, was she still concerned about it? Feeling that the conversation would get tedious if it dragged on, he simply nodded his head lightly.
“That's right.”
“……”
“More importantly, can we move on to the main topic?”
Amelia looked at him for a moment, then lowered her eyes and gestured for him to sit in a nearby chair.
Then, the Saintess also sat down on a large chair prepared next to the podium. It seemed to be a dedicated chair for the Saintess, crafted from white and gold.
She sat there with her legs neatly together and gazed at Enoch.
“Although I, as the Saintess, cannot easily leave the Holy Séjour, I will head to the site as soon as my schedule allows. Of course, the same goes for the maximum support.”
Amelia looked at Enoch and added.
“Is there any support you desire, Lord Enoch?”
At those words, he slowly, calmly nodded his head.
“I know that you cannot accompany me on this mission, Saintess. That is why, along with fatigue recovery ampoules, I need emergency ampoules produced at the Holy Séjour.”
Emergency ampoules. A crystallization of modern medical technology and magic that helps with rapid wound healing. These were irreplaceable consumables that could only be obtained at the Holy Séjour.
“I understand. I will have them prepared as quickly as possible. Is there anything else you need?”
Enoch nodded his head lightly.
“One more thing. I need one healer from The Order who can provide medical support in your place, Saintess.”
“I see, a temporary supplementary role for the squad?”
Enoch nodded.
The so-called [Sub-Healer] position.
Of course, their power would be inferior to that of the main healer, but depending on the situation, it was a hundred times better than nothing.
In the first place, this operation would be carried out on a large scale.
Enoch, who was affected by the magic resistance reagent, was not the only one participating in the battle.
Therefore, it would be possible to provide effective medical support to other combat personnel like Sirocco.
Without further ado, that alone was an irreplaceable support that only Amelia could provide.
The Order had always maintained neutrality, only healing the wounded in battles arising from conflicts of interest. Therefore, it was very rare for a talented healer belonging to The Order to go directly to the battlefield.
“Indeed, there is no problem with the policy of the Holy Séjour either.”
The Saintess nodded her head silently.
“If it is for medical support for the extermination of the magical beasts in the outsourcing district, there will be no problem in name if I dispatch a healer under my command at my discretion.”
She added with a bright smile.
“It's only possible because my position in the Holy Séjour has improved thanks to you, Lord Enoch.”
Then, she glanced to the side and spoke to one of the nuns who was attending to her.
“Sister Lily. May I ask you a favor?”
“Ah, me?!”
At being pointed out by the Saintess, Lily pointed at herself with a startled expression. Enoch also remembered who she was.
The person Enoch had met on the last beast-kin mission, and a close nun who attended to the Saintess.
Amelia nodded calmly.
“Yes, that's right. Because you are one of the healers I trust the most, Sister Lily.”
“Normally, I would have followed without a word. But!”
But for some reason, Lily seemed extremely dissatisfied. She glared at me.
“But Saintess, I'm sorry, but can't you dispatch another sister instead of me!”
“Sister Lily, what's wrong? Are you reluctant?”
“That's right!”
Enoch, who was listening to the story, tilted his head in wonder. It seemed that Lily didn't think too favorably of him last time.
“Why?”
“Ugh! You're not asking because you don't know, are you?”
Lily cried out, her face flushed red.
“Because of the mischievous prank you played on me last time, Lord Enoch, strange rumors are circulating, you know?!”
What was this all about now?
“What do you mean?”
“Well, the other sisters are making a huge laughingstock out of me in the dormitory!”
I wondered what she meant, but then something came to mind. When I visited the Holy Séjour last time, was there a time when I openly approached Lily to ask for directions?
I think the reaction of the young nuns around at that time was quite dramatic. Was she still the subject of gossip?
As if she was genuinely wronged, Lily clenched the sleeves of her long nun's habit into a fist and shouted.
“The rumors have gotten even worse since you took our Saintess into your Follower Family, Lord Enoch!”
“What rumors?”
“I don't know either! But they're saying that I, who assist the Saintess, and you, Lord Enoch, are blossoming into a true forbidden love or something……!!”
Just hearing it made me a little dizzy, and Enoch almost burst out in a bitter laugh.
But just as Lily was about to say something more, the cheerful and admiring voices of her fellow nuns passing by in the corridor next to them were heard.
“Wow, Sister Lily!”
“Oh my, talking to him again so openly in front of the Saintess…!”
“Ugh!”
In an instant, Lily froze like a stone, and with a completely tearful face, she shot me a resentful glare.
“What are you going to do about this, Lord E-no-o-o-ch!”
I did think last time that the nuns of the Holy Séjour had their heads in the clouds. Was I surprisingly half-right?
Watching the nuns walk away, giggling playfully, Enoch tilted his head.
But apart from that, I think I could see why her fellow healers were teasing Lily. She certainly had a good reaction. It seems she was the type that was fun to tease.
Lily spoke articulately, as if she was angry.
“So I'm sorry, but could you please entrust your support to someone else? I can't take it anymore…!”
“So.”
Enoch took a step closer to her, looked down at her with a blank expression, and whispered softly in her ear.
“Do you dislike being misunderstood like that with me?”
“A-a-a-a…. Please stop teasing me and get away….”
As expected, when I got closer, her face and the nape of her neck turned bright red, and her eyes started darting around, not knowing where to look.
Enoch sighed in a feigned dramatic tone.
“Ah, certainly. I suppose it might be hurtful to have such rumors with a direct lineage who was once confined.”
“Ah, that!! No!!”
Lily, while her face was bright red, waved her hands several times and glanced at me, then added in a small voice, as if worried she might hurt my feelings.
“I-it's not that I dislike it, thoughhh….”
“Good. Then I'll take that as a yes.”
“What?!”
Lily, who had frozen for a moment at Enoch's declaration, the next moment touched her own flushed cheeks slightly and turned her head away sharply.
Watching that, Enoch narrowed his dark blue eyes.
As expected. Seeing her so fidgety, it was certain that what I knew about the nuns of the Holy Séjour was correct.
「─ The nuns who attend to the Saintess also live in a men-forbidden area to block gossip.」
「─ Not all of them are like that, but there are many healers who are not very accustomed to contact with the opposite sex.」
I had tested it because I roughly remembered the description from the original work, and it was the correct answer. At least Lily, the Saintess's assistant, seemed quite weak to being pushed hard.
It might be useful later on.
“Lord Enoch.”
Just then, a slightly contemptuous voice was heard from the side.
Looking to the side, Amelia was sitting in her chair with a cold expression, her chin resting on the back of her hand, her head held high. Her slender legs, now clearly visible, were crossed.
She added with a faintly shaded smile.
“How about you refrain from making a pass at a healer belonging to the Holy Séjour and my assistant nun?”
“Making a pass, you say.”
I tried to deny the word, which was a bit off from my intention, but looking back at myself, it did seem like it could be seen that way. Enoch quickly admitted it.
“That's not it. I just couldn't help it because it was fun to tease her.”
“Fufu, of course, I understand that feeling as well.”
Amelia put the back of one hand to her mouth and smiled gently. At that reaction, Lily jumped.
“Even the Saintess!!”
But soon, as if she had given up, she dropped her head and muttered in a low-pressure voice.
“Ugh, it hasn't even been that long since I was promoted to a formal nun. How did I end up like this……!”
Enoch smiled faintly inwardly as he watched her grumbling. In many ways, Lily would be a sufficient help as a supplementary member of this temporary squad.
I knew because I had been treated by her before.
Of course, she wasn't as good as Amelia, who was the Saintess and had broken through the 10th Rank, but she was still overly competent as a sub-healer to be used in battle.
Beep.
Just then, Enoch's terminal rang.
After asking for their understanding with a brief glance, he looked at his terminal and saw a message notification from a familiar profile.
[April: Sir, you said you would contact me???]
Just then, Amelia glanced at me and asked.
“Is it an important call, by any chance?”
“You could say that.”
Enoch replied nonchalantly as he put away his terminal. It seemed the person he had to meet after leaving the Holy Séjour was also decided.