Chapter 45
“Show me.”
“What the hell are you talking about!”
“You said the children are sick. Show me who is sick.”
“Do you think there are only one or two? The parents who have come here because of you are all up in arms!”
“Oh, there are more than one or two?”
At the realization that there were several sick children, a chill finally entered Eliza’s voice.
Eliza drew the dagger she carried for self-defense. Fabienne’s momentum faltered when she saw the gleaming blade.
Eliza calmly checked whether the blade was properly sharpened.
“You called me a witch, didn’t you?”
“Wh, what? Are you trying to hurt me right now…….”
“Witches are skilled with herbs. Who knows? Perhaps I can cure the children with that evil and filthy practice you’ve been slandering so much.”
Eliza took a step toward Fabienne, swiftly jabbed the hilt into her chest, and stepped back.
Fabienne screamed in surprise. Eliza smiled brightly and twirled the knife around.
“How does my handling look to you? Does it look like this is my first or second time doing it?”
“You, you crazy bitch…….”
“Yes, I am crazy. So if you don’t want to get stabbed, let’s hurry.”
Eliza made her turn around, pressed the dagger’s hilt against her waist, and pushed her forward. She overlooked Fabienne’s muttered curses, startled though she was.
“Ah, before that, I’ll stop by my house for a moment.”
She had not forgotten the necessary request, making sure that her threats had been worthwhile.
***
When Eliza arrived at the physician’s house, she obediently let Fabienne go.
Fabienne, who had been freely hurling curses, flinched when Eliza casually waved the dagger, then hurried away as though heading somewhere in haste for whatever reason.
Eliza paid her no mind and let out a deep sigh.
‘Right, of course you go to the physician when you’re sick. I was so worked up that I didn’t even think of that.’
She put away the dagger, lightly patted both cheeks, and stepped inside. The moment she entered, the intense heat she felt made Eliza’s face stiffen.
The parents caring for the children who were groaning in sickness noticed the uninvited guest and exchanged glances with one another.
“Hello.”
Eliza greeted them politely first. Then she put on a kind smile, making herself look as harmless as possible.
“I heard the children are sick?”
“Y, you! How dare you come here!”
A woman who had jumped to her feet strode toward Eliza and shoved her shoulder. Her face was gaunt with worry, so Eliza did not retaliate.
“Jane! Calm down!”
“Our Phoebe, my child, because of you…….”
The woman soon collapsed to the floor and began to cry. The people around her sighed and patted her shoulder as though they were accustomed to seeing her like this.
Looking around, Eliza realized that there were more children lying there than she had expected. The beds were packed tightly together, and nearly all of them appeared to be occupied.
“Are all the sick children here?”
“Um, I don’t know why you came here. But you should leave.”
“I came here because I have a reason…….”
“A reason? What reason? You aren’t sick. You don’t even have children.”
Even the woman who had tried to send her away relatively gently seemed to have unfavorable feelings toward Eliza, judging by her final words.
At least she covered her mouth in embarrassment as soon as she realized what she had said, so Eliza let it slide.
“I’d like to try treating them.”
“Phew……. Young lady. I don’t know how you found out about this, but even the physician doesn’t know how to cure them, and the temple was of no use either.”
“Ah, the temple.”
Even as she simply stood there, sharp gazes poured toward Eliza. Being surrounded by people whispering about her was unpleasant no matter how many times she experienced it, but Eliza endured it as she looked at the sick child’s face.
“I know the people here dislike me.”
Eliza approached the nearest bed and placed a hand on the child’s forehead. Her brows drew together at the intense heat that radiated into her palm.
“So, rather than explaining, I think it would be faster to show you.”
“Hey! How dare you put your hand on—”
Before the child’s parent could knock her hand away, Eliza quickly began to sing.
‘Honestly, I don’t even know if I can really cure them.’
Eliza did not choose any particular lyrics. She simply sang a hymn containing the greatest blessing she knew.
Even if this was a song she had learned during her time as a noble and someone became suspicious of her identity, she had already resolved to leave this village the moment she came here.
And then light began to seep out from her pocket.
Eliza slowly opened her eyes. Luo’s holy power sparkled like falling snow and settled over the pain.
When the child’s parents opened their eyes, which they had closed against the dazzling light, Eliza was gently stroking the child’s cheek.
Fortunately, the skin beneath her hand was merely pleasantly warm. A peaceful breath escaped the lips of the child, who had been unconscious for several days.
“……Sh, Shane?”
“Umm…….”
At his father’s voice, the child whimpered, looking as though he were simply deep in a peaceful sleep.
Shane’s father stared at his child in disbelief, then hurriedly shook the child’s shoulders to wake him.
“Shane, Shane! Are you awake?”
“Wh…… I’m sleepy, Dad.”
The child blinked his eyes open and yawned peacefully. The man who pulled his child into a tight embrace, overcome with emotion, stroked the back of his child’s head again and again.
“Oh, God. Thank you. Shane, I was so worried. You were so sick…….”
Noticing the emotion in the man’s voice, Eliza did not resent him for directing his gratitude elsewhere.
Instead, Eliza looked around and raised both hands.
“As you can see, I didn’t do anything bad to the child.”
The people’s gazes now moved busily back and forth between Shane, who was bewildered in his father’s arms, and Eliza.
Eliza moved toward another bed and said,
“So, please believe me just this once.”
***
“Here, here! Knights! That woman threatened me by brandishing a knife at me! That’s right, she even admitted that she was a witch!”
Fabienne ran to the temple and reported what had happened to her, accusing Eliza of being a witch.
The bishop, who had been planning to interrogate Eliza at that very moment, heard the commotion and immediately sent several knights.
However, the expressions of the Holy Knights as they looked around the physician’s house were merely awkward.
“That woman?”
Eliza was surrounded by children and unable to move. The children thanked Eliza, calling her Sister and Big Sister, then giggled and played among themselves.
A girl who had climbed onto the bed had Eliza sit on a chair and was braiding her hair. It would have been an utterly peaceful scene if not for the adults awkwardly hovering around nearby.
‘That’s not a witch. If anything, she’s more like…….’
The Holy Knights exchanged glances among themselves, but did not dare say it aloud, merely clearing their throats to make their presence known.
“Ahem, ahem!”
“We have come in response to a complaint.”
When the knights wearing white vambraces entered, a cold silence fell over the atmosphere. Everyone inside stared at the knights with wide eyes.
“That’s an act! You mustn’t be deceived by something like that, Sir Knight!”
“Fabienne?”
Fabienne poked her head out from behind the knights and surveyed the atmosphere inside, which had become completely different from what she knew.
The glasses had apparently been removed somehow, revealing sharp, delicate eyes staring at Fabienne. The irises within them shimmered like violet petals.
“Look at that. The color of that woman’s eyes has changed! She definitely used some wicked magic!”
“That’s because you took her glasses off…….”
Beside the child who had taken Eliza’s glasses and put them on, several other children were lined up, waiting for their turn to try them on.
“We have received a report that a witch who made the children here sick is present. Come out quietly and submit to an investigation.”
“A witch?”
The parents inside once again began hurriedly exchanging glances with one another at the powerful word.
Until just moments ago, Eliza had been healing the children who had been lying there sick, one by one. When they saw her engulfed in light, everyone secretly agreed with the person who had unconsciously murmured that she was beautiful.
But after all the children had become healthy, the adults who remembered having spoken ill of her were too embarrassed to step forward.
And just as they were awkwardly watching one another, Fabienne had stormed in with the knights.
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