Ch 27 - 28

“Is the manager here?” a portly, middle-aged man asked upon 

entering the shop. 

If he’d been a normal customer, he’d check out the product shelves 

or ask if we had a specific item first. Therefore, this man was not a 

“normal customer.” 

I smelled trouble. But he didn’t seem like a noble, so I doubted it’d 

end up being too big of an issue. Maybe he had a question about a 

specific medicine, or some other business with me... 

“Oh, yes, that would be me...” 

“No, not the hired shopkeep. I want to speak with the proprietor.” 

Well, if he’d done even a little research, he would’ve heard about the 

child(ish-looking) manager here. Though I guess it was natural to 

assume I was hired as a salesperson and someone else was in charge 

of stocking medicine and paying the rent. 

“...Yes, I am the manager and owner.” 

“What!” 

Yup, already used to that reaction... 

“So you pay the rent here, stock the medicine, and sell it all?” 

“Yes, I do. Can I help you?” 

“...” 

Huh, what’s going on? He went quiet... 

“Then tell me who your supplier is.” 

This again... 

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“Do you really expect a seller to blab about their supplier and 

products so easily? What, do you think I’m stupid just because I’m a 

girl? Are you a noble from somewhere?” 

I was thoroughly annoyed at this by now, so I dropped the pretense. 

“I-I am not a noble. I’m from the association.” 

Huh? But there shouldn’t be any organizations like a Merchants’ 

Guild spanning across industry and commerce here... 

Taxes were to be paid directly to the government. There were 

gatherings based on occupations, like the Blacksmiths’ Association or 

Bread Baking Research Association, but membership for those 

groups was solely optional. Besides, in this town alone, there 

should’ve only been five other medicine shops besides Layette’s 

Atelier. 

“What is the association called? What type of organization is it? How 

big is it? And, uhh, how many members are in it?” 

“Ugh...” 

Why was he stammering now?! 

“The Medicine Shoppe Association! Many of the medicine shops 

besides this one have joined already!” 

“Huh...?” 

So... three shops? If four had joined, he’d have said “all but one.” If 

five had, he’d have said “all of them” had joined already. 

“...I decline.” 

There was no reason to listen just because three shops went off and 

made a group. Not one bit. Their members could go ahead and 

follow whatever regulations they decided on. It had nothing to do 

with the rest of us, and they had no power to enforce anything. 

“Why?! This is an official order from the...” 

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“Um, that doesn’t mean anything to anyone who’s not in your 

association. And what happened to the other two shops? Oh, if I join 

forces with the remaining two, we’d have an even power balance...” 

“Wha...” The man became flustered. 

Why was such a meaningless social gathering trying to enforce things 

for their selfish reasons anyway? 

“So obviously you’re all going to tell me all of your suppliers, buying 

prices, compound ratios, and secrets too, right?” 

“What?! There’s no way I could do that!” 

He noticed Layette looking at him like a piece of garbage and cast his 

eyes downward, finally seeming to realize how ridiculous his 

demands were. The look of contempt coming from a pure young girl 

seemed to be pretty effective. 

At least he was still familiar with the concept of “shame”... 

  

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“Why go through all this trouble...? We don’t carry any medicine that 

would work on serious injuries or illnesses, and besides our featured 

soldier’s disease medicine, we only sell things you could practically 

get anywhere else, like antidiarrhetics and antiseptics.” 

“But that soldier’s disease medicine is a huge deal! People normally 

won’t buy medicine unless they’re injured or sick, but that can be 

sold indefinitely. And starting from the army, you can make various 

connection with hunters, field workers, and some nobles, leading to 

the sale of other medicine. Not only that...” 

Huh? But I wasn’t making connections or upselling anything... 

Oh, he meant that was what he would do. 

“How can normal medicine be so effective?! Why should we get 

accusations of our products being a sham that deliberately don’t 

cure people so we can make more money? Sure, we dilute it a little, 

but it’s still somewhat effective if you drink enough of it!” 

Ah... 

I made my medicine to be effective, so of course they’d work. But I 

hadn’t been making anything that could instantly fix serious injuries 

and illnesses like the Tears of the Goddess and other potions. The 

medicine’s effects were meager, like curing stomach pain or 

preventing wounds from festering... 

Wait, I guess it’d be pretty obvious with repeated use or when 

compared to medicine bought at other stores. It’d be clear to see the 

difference in efficacy and reliability... 

Hold on, what did this guy just say?! He dilutes medicine that’s 

already pretty weak... 

Hmm, what to do... 

I couldn’t give him my supplier or manufacturing method, of course. 

Like, I literally couldn’t. Neither of those existed. 

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Hmmmmmm... 

I got it! 

“Very well, I’ll see what I can do. Please give me a few days.” 

“Ah, so you understand now! Then hurry up and make the 

preparations!” 

“Yes, now, please give me the names of the shops who have joined 

the Medicine Shoppe Association...” 

The man from the so-called Medicine Association gave me the names 

of the three shops and left with a spring in his step. He was probably 

full of hopes picturing massive profits rolling in in a few days. 

“...Are you sure about this, Big Sis?” 

Knowing my potions were created with my ability, Layette looked at 

me with concern, but yeah, there was no problem. 

Come to think of it, Roland and Francette never showed up. It was 

just one merchant-looking guy, so maybe they thought he was a 

normal customer, or went off on a date together... 

Nah. They wouldn’t do that. I was positive they were watching me 

from somewhere. 

...So creepy! 

And so, I exited the shop and looked at the sign posted outside. 

“Layette’s Atelier” 

Below it, “WE COMPOUND MEDICINE HERE” was written on a 

different plate. 

Hmhm. 

＊ ＊ 

A few days later... 

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“I-Is the owner here?!” 

“Oh, you’re the Medicine Shoppe Association guy from the other 

day...” 

Yup, the guy barging in and screaming was none other than he. 

“Wh-What is... Huh? Th-This is...” 

Box lunches were on display in the shop, with even more variety 

than before. There was even a new system in place that allowed 

customers to choose their own side dishes. In addition, there were 

drinks and portable, nonperishable foods like jerky and hard bread, 

along with snacks, cookies and such. 

Everything besides the box meals were made to be kept a long time. 

It was too much of a hassle to cook them every day, and other than 

the box lunches that would definitely be eaten that day, I was 

worried about the food going bad. 

We’d purchased the ingredients from other stores and made them 

ourselves without using my abilities. We even offered a service 

where you could bring in your own containers to fill up with drinks. 

“Wha... Th-The medicine! Where is the medicine?!” 

“Medicine? Please go outside and check the sign.” 

“What?” 

The man stepped outside and looked up to find: 

“Layette’s Atelier” 

“BOXED MEALS TO GO” 

One big and one small sign had that text written on them. Next to 

the entrance was also a note: 

“Due to complaints from the Medicine Shoppe Association (Cultivar 

Drug Store, Veilas Pharmacy, Mertolen Medicine Shop) claiming our 

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medicine was causing trouble for their business by being too 

effective, we have stopped selling medicine at our store. We will 

continue doing business selling packed meals, and we hope for your 

continued patronage.” 

“Wha...” The man opened and closed his mouth repeatedly. 

“We’ve stopped selling medicine to focus on box meals. Now your 

problem is solved!” I said as I smiled. 

The man began screaming, red in the face. “This solves nothing! All 

three shops have been getting complaints non-stop, and all of our 

customers have moved to the two shops that haven’t joined the 

association!” 

Huh? 

I wasn’t necessarily hung up on running a medicine shop. I just 

wanted a place where I could interact with people while seeming like 

I was making just enough money to live a normal life without 

flaunting what I’d saved up. It just so happened that a medicine shop 

was the easiest way for me to do that, and while I didn’t expect the 

box lunch shop to be a hit, it fulfilled that goal just as well. 

I was getting a little annoyed by all the troubles brought in by the 

medicine shop, and selling box lunches was more fulfilling in the 

sense that I could see the customers’ direct reactions. The prep work 

was hard, but at the end of the day, I felt like I did some good, 

honest work. 

Even with the box lunch shop, I was making good use of the powers 

Celes gave me. I could make meals in bulk whenever I had the 

chance and store them in the Item Box, where they wouldn’t 

degrade, so I wasn’t so busy that I was always being chased by time. 

As the meals were sold, I could replenish them from the Item Box 

little by little, so there was little to no wasted food. The products 

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were all hand-made by us, so there was a great sense of 

accomplishment and fulfillment that came with the work. 

What a perfect job! 

...But why was this old man annoying me with all his whining... 

＊ ＊ 

“What’s the meaning of this?!” 

Oh, it’s the lieutenant colonel. 

“Meaning of what?” 

“Don’t feign ignorance with me! ...Though I suppose there would be 

no point in denying it. What is this? And what happened to the 

medicine?!” 

Oooh, he seemed pretty mad. 

“Oh, I closed down the medicine shop. The reason is just as it was 

written in the letter sent by my messenger...” 

“Stop fooling around! Then I just need to crush this so-called 

association? Should I crush the organization? Their shops? Or crush 

the owners themselves?!” 

By “crush the owners,” he probably meant physically... 

But I had already sent away the association people the other day, so 

they no longer had anything to do with this. 

My shop wasn’t a medicine shop anymore. 

“Well, this isn’t a matter involving nobles or the military. It’s just an 

issue between professionals of the same industry, so I don’t think 

you should be stepping in. I don’t think a military officer should be 

intervening when it doesn’t concern you...” 

“It absolutely concerns me, you fool!!!” 

Ahhh! He’s actually really mad... Oh no! 

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I waved both my hands in front of me in a fluster. 

Francette and Roland were glaring in our direction with their hands 

on the the hilt of their swords, so I desperately tried to signal that 

everything was okay. 

They looked like they were about to charge in with their swords 

drawn if I didn’t call them off... 

“What about our medicine?! Not just the soldier’s disease medicine, 

but your medicine is known for being effective, so I had given orders 

to supply everything from your shop!” 

Ahhh! That’s why! That’s the reason that suspicious “association” 

had suddenly appeared! 

“Hm? What’s that look for... Ah!” 

Shaddap, I was born with these scary eyes! 

Wait, what was with that pause just now? 

...Oh, he must have realized all of this was all his fault. 

“...” 

“...” 

““...”” 

 

“Oh, uh, well...” 

Stare... 

“...” 

He seemed quite troubled. 

Well, I didn’t want to pick on him too much. 

“Then I will be selling my medicine wholesale to the two shops that 

are not part of the association, for 80% of the list price. There should 

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be no problem as long as those shops continue selling it for the same 

price for 20% profit, right?” 

“Y-Yes, that’s fine, but... you would hardly make any profit that way. 

There is no need to concede to the harassment and miss out on easy 

profits like that. This could all be resolved with a little pressure from 

the military. They wouldn’t bother you anymore if I tell them the 

military and its partners will no longer do business with their three 

shops.” 

Hmm, he may have been right, but I didn’t want them trying to get 

back at me, and I didn’t care about continuing the business enough 

to go through all that negativity. 

I was worried about someone getting attacked in the night over all of 

this. 

...The concern was mainly for them though. 

I wasn’t too keen on seeing Francette or Emile cut a civilian down in 

front of me. 

I had to make sure that wouldn’t happen... 

“I make enough profit from the box lunch business, so the medicine 

will just be a service so as to not inconvenience the customers who 

have been supporting me. Of course, I’ll be supplying those two 

shops with medicine other than the one for soldier’s disease as well. 

If they’ll accept the deal, that is.” 

“There’s no way they wouldn’t take such a good deal...” 

Yeah, he was right. 

“It seems keeping the supplier a secret is how things are done 

around here, so please keep this between us. If you tell anyone, it’d 

bring more weirdos my way. If that happens...” 

“If that happens...?” 

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I smiled in response to his question. 

“Oh, it’s just that no one would be getting any medicine anymore.” 

Why did he flinch and suddenly move away from me before hearing 

my response? Huh? 

＊ ＊ 

A few days later, right after opening the shop... 

“Is the owner here?!” 

What happens twice, happens thrice. 

And this time, the number of complainers had multiplied to three. 

I’m the one who wants to multiply, damn it! 

“Why did you offer your products to the two other shops and not 

us?!” 

What did they want me to say...? 

“What? My medicine shop is no longer in business, just like you all 

wanted. Did those shops tell you they’re getting their products from 

me?” 

“N-No, not exactly... 

But they’re selling the medicine that were being sold here!” 

“I wouldn’t know anything about that. 

Besides, I thought trying to force another business to give up their 

supply route is strictly forbidden? Even if I did close down shop and 

gave away my supplier to another shop for a high price, what 

problem is there? And do you think barging in here and demanding 

me to give you answers isn’t a problem? 

“How about I go to those two other medicine shops and every other 

shop in town and tell them what you three are doing, and that you 

think this is proper behavior as merchants?” 

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“““Wha...””” 

Of course they wouldn’t want that. 

The other businesses will either frown upon them, no longer work 

with them, or demand they give up their suppliers in turn as well. 

Whatever their reaction, no one would find this acceptable. 

“Last time, however unreasonable your demands, it could have been 

seen as ‘a proposal from a fellow businessman of the industry,’ but 

this is a ‘baseless accusation and threat against a completely 

unrelated girl of another profession.’ I have a mind to report this to 

the authorities.” 

If merchants began taking each other out, there would be less tax 

revenue to be made. 

And merchants made far more revenue than the common worker. 

In addition, this was the royal capital, where taxes would go directly 

to His Majesty the King. 

...In other words, the officials and guards here worked very hard. 

“““...””” 

Many pairs of eyes simply stared at the three medicine shop owners 

in silence. 

This was right after opening time. 

In other words, it was the busiest time of day for customers to come 

in and buy their box meals. 

Hunters, travelers, military personnel ranking higher than petty 

officers who lived outside of the barracks, and more. 

“Layette’s Atelier, Box Meals To Go” had a rather strong clientele. 

Those customers stared down the three merchants with an even 

scarier look. 

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Their faces turned pale, and they had no choice but to turn tail and 

run. 

“I’m sorry for the wait, everyone. As a token of apology, everyone 

here will get 20% off of their purchase!” 

“Ohh, so generous! You’re the best, Kaoru!” 

“Flattery isn’t going to get you any bigger of a discount, you know!” 

“The only thing that’s flat around here is your ches... I mean, 

nothing!” 

The customer must have realized that sounded too cruel even for a 

joke, and tried to take it back right away. 

“You should have just rolled with it as a joke! Feeling bad about it 

mid-way only made it worse!” 

“My bad...” 

And so, the shop was filled with laughter. 

  

 

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Five days later... 

I woke up and quietly got ready for the day, careful not to wake the 

still-sleeping Layette. I descended to the first floor and opened the 

wooden window to find... 

“Whoa!” 

There was a huge line outside. 

This wasn’t the first time I’ve had a long queue of customers, but 

something was off. 

In previous cases, there was a clear reason for all the customers 

lining up, like when the store first opened or when we were having a 

sale. 

But this time, I couldn’t figure out why it was happening. 

They were quietly standing out there without making a scene, but 

they each wore a fretful expression with bloodshot eyes. 

“Wh-What in the world...” 

I was standing there, frozen, when I heard a knock on the door. 

It was clearly coming from a different door from where the line was 

formed. 

I removed the bolt and opened the door, then two men burst into 

the store. 

“Kaoru! I need some strong medicine! Ours isn’t nearly strong 

enough!” 

“This is an emergency! Please!” 

They were the owners of the two medicine shops that weren’t a part 

of the so-called association. 

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Yes, the ones I made a deal with to supply them with my medicine 

wholesale. 

“What happened...?” 

“A disease. It seems an epidemic has been going around. It’s pretty 

serious, with the number of patients increasing at a rapid pace. 

There have even been deaths...” 

“What?!” 

“Fever, headaches, stomach aches, joint pain, loss of appetite, and 

fatigue. In some cases, people have died in as quickly as ten days. 

Even using as much of our strongest herbs as possible before the side 

effects become too big of a problem have barely helped at all. The 

court head doctor has been working without sleep to no avail. All 

they could manage to do was close off the royal palace to keep the 

contamination from getting to the royal family...” 

This was bad. 

I was running a medicine shop at one point, but I had no knowledge 

of medicine or medical science. 

It would be far too suspicious to use some elixir that could make a 

dying old man or woman get up and start dancing, and I couldn’t 

diagnose, let alone figure out a cure for a disease by looking at a 

patient. 

The only thing I knew how to diagnose was beriberi. 

You take a mallet and do that thing where you tap them on the knee 

with it. 

...That wasn’t going to do anyone any good. 

What to do... 

In any case, I had to do something about the long line outside. 

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“Everyone! I don’t have any medicine right now! I’ll have to assess 

the situation and figure out what to do from there, so please return 

home for today!” 

They seemed to understand it was unreasonable to have such high 

hopes for a business that had closed down already, and the line 

dispersed. 

Either they were really desperate to come to my shop, or their 

expectations were just that high... wait, there were still tens of 

people in line that hadn’t left. 

“Excuse me, but we still don’t have medicine...” 

“We’re here to buy your box lunches.” 

Oh... 

 

After selling them some packed meals, I closed the doors, wooden 

windows, and curtains, then flipped the sign to indicate we were 

temporarily closed today. 

I gathered everyone for a meeting. 

The members were me, the owners of the medicine shops, Layette, 

who had noticed the commotion and came downstairs, Emile, and 

Belle. 

I had them cancel any work from the guild today to stay home. 

Roland and Francette had appeared out of nowhere too. 

It was the all-star cast. 

...Oh, but I guess Ed and the others weren’t there. 

“First, please explain the details of this emergency.” 

The shop owners explained the details as I had requested. 

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According to them, a highly contagious disease had spread in a 

village to the east of the royal capital, and although exit and entry 

was closed off in an attempt to contain it, patients were found in the 

royal capital a few days ago, and the disease spread quickly. 

“Apparently, news of the disease and the quarantine on the village 

was initially suppressed to avoid chaos. In fact, an official 

announcement about it still hasn’t been made. But there’s no hiding 

it anymore, and the information has been leaked everywhere. So 

while we’re running around trying to find a solution, it’s completely 

unrelated to whatever the authorities are doing about it.” 

What was this country doing...? 

Speed is of the essence in cases like these. 

“How foolish. The royal family here seems completely incompetent,” 

Roland commented harshly. 

It was probably extra frustrating for him, being royalty himself. 

A lot of people could end up dying. 

As for us, we probably wouldn’t be affected by the disease as long as 

we drank my cure-all medicine. 

We could simply wait for this epidemic to pass, or move to another 

country. 

Even though I had the funds, I had opted to rent out my store rather 

than buy it precisely so I could pick up and move whenever I needed. 

Any interior items I purchased could be thrown into the Item Box. 

That way, I could reopen shop at another city with ease. 

 

...Wait, I would never abandon my regulars! 

What if people find out who I am? Bring it on! I’ll just run away 

again! 

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I decided on that day. 

I’ll live the life I want in this world. 

I’ll be modest, but I won’t hold back. 

I’ll reflect on my mistakes, but I won’t have regrets! 

“Sorry, everyone. I think we’ll have to move again...” 

“...Finally. To be honest, our current backstories were a bit hard to 

deal with...” 

Roland gave a forced smile at Francette’s words. 

Huh? Really? Well, I suppose I should’ve known. 

Sorry, Francette. 

““We are at your call.”” 

Ah... Well, I guess Emile and Belle would say that. 

“That’s okay. I’ll follow you wherever you go!” 

And I’ll protect you, Layette! 

Okay, let’s do this. 

“There you have it. Leave the rest to us.” 

The shop owners looked at me wide-eyes, not understanding what 

was happening. 

All right, show time! The Angel’s Theater was about to begin! 

I had the shop owners return home and opened the door to leave 

the shop. 

Then I produced a small, thumb-sized whistle from my pocket. 

I put it up to my lips and... 

Fweet, fweet, fweet! Fweet, fweet, fweet! Fweet, fweet, fweet! 

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Fweet, fweet, fweet! Fweet, fweet, fweet! Fweet, fweet, fweet! 

Fweet, fweet, fweet! Fweet, fweet, fweet! Fweet, fweet, fweet! 

I used all of my lung capacity to blow it as loud as I could. 

Then, after some time, human figures could be seen running toward 

us at full speed. 

“Number ooone! I was here first, so this job’s mine!” 

“No, stupid! Did you forget what she told us about the signals? This 

isn’t a normal job... Isn’t that right, Lady Kaoru?” 

I nodded at the boy who was second to arrive. 

I would explain once everyone was gathered. 

One after another, the children from the orphanage and local street 

urchins showed up. 

Actually, the children living in abandoned buildings were technically 

“homeless” and not street urchins, but that was neither here nor 

there. 

These were the children I hired as messengers or to perform 

miscellaneous tasks for me in exchange for money or food. 

I usually gave requests to whoever happened to catch my attention, 

but we had an arrangement so they would come when I blew the 

whistle in case there was no one around. 

If I blew it once, I would need one person. Two times meant I needed 

two, and three times meant I needed three. 

First come, first serve. 

And if I continued to blow the whistle a bunch of times... 

It was the signal for a special assembly. 

When this happened, it meant I had a job that required everyone 

who heard the sound of the whistle. 

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It was the sign of an emergency. 

 

The children who gathered lined up in the order they arrived. 

They all understood I wouldn’t allow any cheating by cutting in line, 

so there were no arguments. 

I explained the contents of the job to all who had gathered. 

“Do you know about the epidemic going around the royal capital?” 

Some of the relatively older kids nodded. 

“I’m going to eradicate it. You’re all going to save the royal capital, 

and this country.” 

“““Whoaaa! No waaay!!!””” 

I’ve always paid out their rewards as promised and more. 

There wasn’t a single orphan child or street urchin who would 

decline work from me or distrust anything I said. 

Each child took a potion bottle and silver coin from the bag I had 

been wearing on my shoulder. 

The bag was clearly too small to fit everything, but no one seemed to 

question it. 

Of course, this included Francette. 

Under my order, everyone drank down the potions. 

Now the children wouldn’t be infected by the disease. 

“First, I want you four to go where this person tells you to, and tell 

people that the owner of Layette’s Atelier wants them to gather 

before the goddess statue at the central plaza before the second 

morning bell. After that, I want you all to move on to the next task 

with the other children, which I’m about to explain,” I said to four 

children and pointed toward Roland. 

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“Roland, tell them where to find the lieutenant colonel, the viscount 

company commander, and the residences of the two noble houses 

that visited the shop before. I’m sure you’ve already done research 

into the nobles who tried to cause me trouble...” 

Roland scratched his head, which I took to mean I was right. 

“I want you to go to Salabert Realtors and tell them ‘Layette’s Atelier 

will be closing. Our contract will end today, so please keep the 

deposit.’ Join the rest of the group once you’re done with that.” 

This one required the most explanation, so I asked the one who 

seemed to be the oldest. 

Then... 

“I want everyone to go around town and spread the word. Tell them 

‘You can get special medicine for the epidemic for free. They’ll be 

given out after the second morning bell in front of the goddess 

statue in the central plaza.’ Okay, did you memorize it? All right, go!” 

They all went running with a sparkle in their eyes. 

“Kaoru, why did you do that?” 

Francette asked, but the answer was obvious! 

“I can’t abandon the people of this city after being in their care.” 

Francette replied, “Yes, I did know you would say that. What I don’t 

understand is, why are you going out of your way to send a 

messenger to the nobles that caused you trouble?” 

Oh, that! 

“Whether it’s for good or bad, they are ‘acquaintances’ of mine. If I 

call for them, they might think it’s for a request, and come over 

thinking they can make money by selling me favors. It would be 

much harder to call for nobles who I’ve never met before. I want to 

use the military and nobles to spread information as quickly as 

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possible. In other words, I just need them to spread the word, so it 

doesn’t matter if they’re good or bad. I need someone who will 

answer my summons and has a route to quickly send information to 

other nobles and the royal palace.” 

“I-I see!” 

Francette seemed to finally understand. 

Roland probably knew all this from the beginning, but he acted 

completely disinterested. 

As expected as the brother of a king... though he was probably 

higher spec than His Highness himself. 

Now, it was time to put everything in the shop into my Item Box 

before heading out to the central plaza. 

I’d be taking the sign too. 

I could reuse it next time. 

＊ ＊ 

When I arrived at the central plaza, there were already quite a lot of 

people gathered. 

The four I appointed still weren’t... oh, there were the military 

officers running toward us. 

And from the other side, two carriages. 

Probably the annoying nobles. 

All right, the stage was set. 

It was time to begin. 

I just needed some high platform... 

Yeah, I was short, so people wouldn’t be able to see me or hear my 

voice by standing at the same height. 

166 | P a g e 

Actually, I could take care of the voice issue with this. 

[Come out, potion in a container like a shoulder megaphone!] 

Hm, I think I’ll stand on the pedestal part of the goddess statue... I 

mean, Celes’s statue. 

I hoped nobody would yell at me for being blasphemous. 

All right, the military group and nobles were there! I had to start 

before they started bothering me for an explanation. 

Time to begin! 

“Everyone, thank you for coming. I will now grant you all the 

medicine for the epidemic.” 

I stood on the pedestal and spoke loudly using the megaphone. 

The gathered crowd quieted down, staring with a blank expression 

on their faces. 

I should probably explain a bit more than that... 

“Are you all aware of the terrible disease spreading across the royal 

capital?” 

Some of them knew, while others were hearing it for the first time or 

suspected it but weren’t sure. 

Not everyone had known about it, but they all seemed to figure out 

what was going on by how the people around them were acting. 

And gradually, an anxious clamor began to spread. 

“Yes, it’s a dangerous disease that has even resulted in death!” 

The crowd grew more restless. 

“Stop! What are you plotting?!” 

The lieutenant colonel rushed up to stop me, but Roland and 

Francette blocked his path. 

167 | P a g e 

Emile and Belle stopped the viscount company commander as well. 

Yeah, I expected they would try to interrupt. 

There was a reason there had been no official announcement despite 

the news being widespread already. 

Because once someone pulled the trigger, there would be panic, 

chaos, and possibly a riot. 

And I was seemingly acting as an agitator. 

However! 

“I will now distribute a specific remedy for this disease! If you drink 

it, it will protect you from getting infected, and those who have 

already contracted it will be cured. There’s plenty to go around—

many times more than the total population of the royal capital—so 

please, line up in a calm, orderly manner, because there’s plenty to 

go around. Or else...” 

Then I created a “nitroglycerin-like thing” a few meters above the 

ground between me and the crowd. 

 

Boom! 

 

“You will be struck down by the wrath of the Goddess!” 

The noisy crowd instantly fell quiet. 

I began chanting strange incantations into the megaphone, conscious 

of the fact that everyone’s attention was gathered on me. 

“My friend, the Goddess Celestine, grant us salvation from this 

wicked disease! Come forth, Medicine Pot of Miracles!!!” 

Then a miniature goddess statue, about two meters in height, 

suddenly appeared at the base of the goddess statue. 

168 | P a g e 

A tiled pot was being held up at its right shoulder, where a white 

fluid was pouring out. 

The fluid was pouring down toward the mini goddess statue’s feet, 

where it seemed to vanish as it was drained at the base. 

Yes, it was being returned and recirculated into the pot. 

Who knows what would happen if such a suspicious fluid was 

endlessly poured into the drainage channels? 

It would be pretty bad if the mice living down there turned into 

super mice or something. 

The crowd still didn’t utter a word, and gulped audibly. 

A goddess statue had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. 

White fluid was pouring out endlessly from the pot that the goddess 

statue was holding. 

A strange girl. 

An explosion of divine judgment. 

The royal capital’s crisis. 

The Goddess’s protection. 

“““Uooohhh!!!””” 

Suddenly, the crowd erupted in cheers. 

I continued shouting in the megaphone in an attempt to control the 

crowd. 

“Quiet down! Stay calm! The medicine will continue to flow without 

end, so there’s no need to rush! Prioritize children, the elderly, and 

those who are already sick, and patiently wait your turn. Do you 

want to act shamefully in front of your family and friends? Do you 

want to incur the wrath of the Goddess?” 

169 | P a g e 

It would be an absolute disaster if the crowd all rushed forward at 

once. 

In order to prevent this, I had given them a feeling of security by 

telling them there is an endless supply of medicine, and planted fear 

for the Goddess’s divine punishment. 

No one would doubt the existence of divine punishment after 

witnessing such a miracle. 

In fact, they had just seen it with their own eyes. 

“I want the lieutenant colonel and company commander to inform 

the royal palace and military. And don’t forget about the guard 

regiment and royal sentries. You two nobles, go around the nobility 

district and inform the other nobles. They wouldn’t listen if a 

commoner was to spread the news. Let’s see, you may tell them a 

friend of Celestine has just appeared.” 

I changed up my speech pattern a bit to sound more authoritative. 

The two nobles simply stood there with mouths agape, but the 

officers were on top of it. 

An officer in the military couldn’t survive if they were dumbfounded 

by every unexpected situation. 

They saluted and got ready to run off... 

“Oh, wait!” 

I called out to them, then grabbed two potion bottles out of thin air. 

Their eyes widened, as well as the rest of the crowd. 

“It’s the same medicine as that one. Drink it.” 

The two drank it down without hesitation. 

Then I grabbed two cloth bags out of the air. 

170 | P a g e 

“There are twelve bottles each inside. Have the king drink it. We 

can’t have His Majesty and ministers lining up with the rest of the 

crowd, can we?” 

They took the bags wordlessly, bowed their heads, then ran off 

toward the royal palace. 

 

...Huh? 

“Why are you two not going?” 

I asked the two nobles who were still standing there. 

“W-Well, we were hoping for some medicine as well...” 

Oh, right! 

“Here!” 

I grabbed two bottles out of thin air, and handed them one each. 

Once they drank them... 

“...Why are you still waiting?” 

“U-Um, the medicine bag...” 

Ah. 

“You won’t be getting one. A normal noble who isn’t a minister will 

have to line up normally with the rest of the people.” 

““Whaaat!”” 

They were still taking their sweet time, but they ran off immediately 

after I glared at them. 

Fear the demon eyes! ...Hey, shut up! 

“Now, once you’ve formed a line, move forward promptly but 

without rushing! One sip of the medicine will be enough. Please also 

put some in a container for the people who weren’t able to come 

here due to age or sickness!” 

171 | P a g e 

“““Huh...?””” 

Ah, judging by the reaction from some of them, I could tell they were 

up to no good... 

“Also... it would be pointless to try to take a lot of it to save for later, 

because this medicine won’t work for any other illness and its 

efficacy will expire in a day, and you can get it here for free. And if 

you’re petty enough to do such a thing, who knows what your family 

and friends would think... Even if you need some for your family, one 

cup will be enough for ten people or so. You would even be fine with 

less. So keep moving and don’t hold up the line! Drinking one scoop 

from your hand will be enough!” 

All right, things were finally moving along! I was set for now. 

Layette squeezed my right hand. 

She was worried about me... 

There was no turning back now... 

But I had no choice. 

Judging from what the two medicine shop owners told me, the 

disease was spreading at an alarmingly rapid rate. 

It was probably spreading far quicker than the plague, typhus, or 

cholera. 

Even a little bit of delay in its treatment would result in it spreading 

throughout the kingdom, and eventually the entire continent. 

It would all happen in the blink of an eye. 

And I had no way to tell diseases apart. 

Of course not! What do you expect from an ex-newbie office lady?! 

I couldn’t diagnose the plague or typhus, and I knew nothing about 

the causes, traits, or treatments for any disease. 

172 | P a g e 

The only thing I did know was that beriberi diagnosis method where 

you tap your knee. 

And selling medicine in my shop wouldn’t have helped. 

Only people who were relatively well-off would go out and purchase 

medicine. 

Orphans, street urchins, the homeless, and even normal citizens 

often relied on free folk remedies rather than purchasing medicine. 

There were some who wouldn’t buy medicine even if it was really 

cheap or even free. 

Then it would be pointless, and conversely, if everyone in the royal 

capital came barging into my store, I wouldn’t have been able to 

handle that either. 

So I had to go somewhere spacious and give it out for free, with a 

method where everyone would be rushing in at once, but while 

avoiding panic and preventing people from fighting over the 

medicine or nobles and royalty trying to keep it for themselves... 

Only the Goddess or Angel could fulfill all those conditions. 

In other words, it was checkmate. 

I didn’t even know what the disease was called. 

But if I went around giving out medicine that could cure any disease, 

the world would go on a witch hunt, no, an Angel hunt. 

I’m no masochist, so I had to pass on that. 

And so, I had the convenient Goddess-branded “Potion Factory” 

(named by me) resolve everything. 

This was the result that came of it. 

[Potion that cures and creates antibodies for any epidemic disease 

going around in the royal capital right now with just a low dose and 

loses its effectiveness if it’s not drunk in twenty-four hours after 

173 | P a g e 

being scooped, go inside a small container shaped like a goddess 

statue with an endless generation/circulation system and come out!] 

That’s cheating, you say? 

It’s fine, I’m the one who makes the rules. 

 

Despite the massive crowd of people gathered, each person took 

very little time. 

Some people took it upon themselves to organize the lines, leading 

the people so they would move in from the side instead of directly 

from the front. 

Smart! It would take more time from the front because each person 

would need to stop, scoop some, drink, then move aside, but they 

would only need to stop for a moment this way. 

Well done. 

The volunteer workers seemed very happy, and I could even see a 

glimmer in their eyes. 

I mean, they were helping the Angel, so they must have felt like 

they’d become a servant of god. 

Of course they would be happy. 

It seemed I could leave the rest to them without worry. 

Then, after some time, they arrived. 

Yup, of course. Them. 

The soldiers of the military. 

Most of them were foot soldiers, but there were some cavalry as 

well. 

...And a crowd of nobles. 

174 | P a g e 

“Out of the way, commoners! The miracle medicine belongs to the 

house of Marquess Sessdor...” 

Boom! 

“A-Ahhh!” 

As the noble rode his carriage through the rows of citizen toward the 

goddess statue, I gently gifted him the nitroglycerin-like thing. 

The roof of his carriage was blown off, and his two horses sat down 

on the spot out of fear. 

Horses are quite timid creatures. A single crow or a shadow flying by 

in front of them could cause them to stop or run away. 

Maybe they opted to sit down because they couldn’t run away while 

drawing the carriage. 

The noble in the carriage shrank down and covered his head with 

both hands, perhaps to protect his head from the falling shards of 

the roof or because he was cowering in fear. 

“Fool! It seems you don’t value your life, to oppose the will of the 

Goddess like this... Then as you wish, I’ll grant you a swift death. That 

way, you won’t need to worry about the disease anymore.” 

  

175 | P a g e 

176 | P a g e 

My voice, amplified by the shoulder megaphone, spread throughout 

the plaza. 

The sound was high quality without any distortion... well, of course it 

would be. 

It was a special order straight from the Goddess’s workshop. 

All right, the nobles and army stopped in place. 

At the front of the group was... the lieutenant colonel. 

“Behold, the miracle of the Goddess!” 

Then I created another mini goddess statue. 

One, two, it didn’t make much difference now. 

So I decided to prioritize making an impactful impression to the 

nobles and army. 

“The soldiers are to line up at this second goddess statue and drink 

the medicine. Afterward, under your commander’s orders, you will 

cooperate with the sentries to maintain order in the royal capital, 

distribute medicine to the sick, and spread the word that the disease 

has been overcome. Anyone who drinks the medicine will be 

immune to this epidemic. As for the nobles... you will line up 

normally behind the rest of the citizens.” 

The soldiers roared in jubilation, and their superior officers quickly 

began forming lines. 

I had to give it to the military. 

They moved in an orderly fashion, and formed rows quickly and 

efficiently. 

Though I could hear grumblings from the nobles... 

177 | P a g e 

“There is no difference between nobles and commoners before the 

Goddess. That’s a distinction humans have made by themselves. If 

you don’t like it, feel free to leave without the medicine.” 

They shut up and lined up pretty quickly after that. 

Oh, it looked like some of the nobles had their servants bring 

containers instead of lining up themselves. 

It seemed they had gotten my message. 

I guess those two I sent off to spread the word did their job well. 

But why did they go through the trouble of coming in person? Maybe 

they wanted to see the miracle for themselves, or they were plotting 

to take the goddess statue... 

“Kaoru, I mean, Lady Angel...” 

It was the lieutenant colonel. 

He had ridden over on his horse. 

“Kaoru is fine. It weirds me out when you address me that way...” 

“I can’t... well, I suppose you’re right. That’s the kind of person you 

are...” 

I was glad he seemed to agree. 

There were several unfamiliar faces. 

Judging by the way they were acting as equals to the lieutenant 

colonel, they must have been the leaders of the other nine 

battalions. Though it didn’t look like they were all there... 

“So, Kaoru, what are you planning on doing after this?” 

Yeaaah, that was the question. 

There wasn’t much I could do now. 

Then I’d have to take care of things properly. 

178 | P a g e 

“I’m going east.” 

“East?” 

“Yes, toward the village to the east, where this epidemic is believed 

to have started. 

If I don’t contain it there, the disease could spread to places other 

than the royal capital, resulting in a disaster...” 

The lieutenant colonel had a grave look on his face upon hearing this. 

“That village has already been contained. People are prohibited from 

exit and entry, and they’ve been quarantined until the disease 

passes.” 

...In other words, they’re waiting for the villagers to die as they’re 

trapped in the village? Or were they going to disinfect the entire 

village by setting fire to it? 

Not on my watch! 

I turned toward the people who had volunteered to organize the 

lines. 

“I must go to a village to save those who are suffering from disease. 

So, please handle things here until the statues have fulfilled their 

duty.” 

“““You can count on us, my lady!!!””” 

They had been given a task by the Angel of the Goddess. 

Such an honor was unheard of. 

Five men raised their arms proudly, eyes glimmering with purpose. 

“Once the soldiers are done, please form a second line and use that 

statue for the citizens as well. Now, I leave the rest to you.” 

With that, I leapt down from the pedestal of the goddess statue. 

The sea of people parted before me. 

179 | P a g e 

Who am I, Moses?! 

Well, I doubted there was anyone who would try to stand in my way. 

After all, I was the Angel of the Goddess, going out to save a dying 

village from an epidemic. 

“...I’ll lead the way,” the lieutenant colonel offered suddenly. 

Hmm, what to do... 

There were going to be a lot of soldiers over there anyway, so there 

was no point in sending him away. 

And I didn’t know where this village was. 

At this point, it was meaningless to try and keep secrets. 

The soldiers at the village may try to stop me, so it could be more 

convenient to have a high-ranking officer with me... 

As I thought about it, the lieutenant colonel whispered in my ear. 

“Please, if I’m granted the task of guiding the Angel of the Goddess, 

it would help my career in the future...” 

Ahh, I got it. 

That made sense. 

Then I would let him play the part. 

He had helped me with a bunch of things in the past, so I decided to 

repay him. 

Let’s see, the lieutenant colonel’s name was... wait, I don’t 

remember! I always called him the lieutenant colonel or battalion 

commander instead of his name... 

Oh well. 

180 | P a g e 

“Commander of the royal army second battalion. I entrust you to act 

as my guide to the village. Lead me there, so that we may save the 

villagers!” 

“You honor me! I, Nevas von Vonsas, third son of the house of Count 

Vonsas and the second battalion leader of the royal army, will see 

this through even if it costs my life!” 

He was really into it. 

...Though I was one to talk. 

No, I was just playing it up because the people would be more likely 

to listen to me if I acted all mighty. 

Besides, having it known that the Angel has a grand attitude would 

distance that persona from the usual me, making it harder for people 

to figure out we’re one in the same. 

I did put some thought into it. 

But I had to say, the lieutenant colonel knew how to put himself out 

there, stating his full name and everything. 

I was thoroughly impressed. 

He talked loud and clear, so his voice carried pretty well. 

For those who couldn’t hear him, my shoulder megaphone amplified 

my own voice, so the advertisement was effective enough. 

Now, it was time to get out of there. 

 

We made our way through the crowd of people that had parted to 

either side, the lieutenant colonel in the lead. 

He was riding on horseback, while the rest of us walked. 

Boo hoo. 

He offered to bring a carriage, but I declined. 

181 | P a g e 

If I had agreed, Ed would have been furious, being out of the picture 

for so long. 

So we went to the stable where Ed was to round up everyone else. 

“Took you long enough! We’ve been waiting forever!” 

All five horses, including Ed, complained at once. 

Apparently, they were bored out of their minds. 

Sorry about that... 

I decided to keep them at a stable with a pasture next time. 

I’d come visit once in a while, so forgive me. 

I climbed on top of Ed with Layette in my arms, then we were off. 

After distancing ourselves from the royal capital, where there was no 

one around to see... 

“Come out, chariot!” 

A miniature carriage appeared out of nowhere, and the lieutenant 

colonel stared with his mouth hanging open. 

But he quickly regained his composure. 

I mean, he’s already seen worse. 

After tethering the carriage to Ed, I put Layette on board and climbed 

in after her. 

“Let’s go!” 

Good bye, royal capital! I probably wasn’t going to return after this 

this time. 

Though I may quietly pass through again next time I return to 

Balmore. 

Yes, quietly! No way was I going to come back as the Angel with a 

flourish of trumpets! 

182 | P a g e 

In any case, I had to get to the village to the east. 

“There are a lot of lives on the line. I’m counting on you, Ed!” 

“Leave it to me, missy!” 

Excited for his time to shine, Ed took the lead pulling the carriage 

along with the four other horses. 

The lieutenant colonel’s horse followed behind us. 

Oh, I guess Ed really wasn’t just a normal horse... 

There was an awkward smile on the lieutenant colonel’s face, and his 

horse watched us with disbelief. 

...I think I’ll give him a potion later. 

Not to the lieutenant colonel, of course, but to his horse. 

＊ ＊ 

We arrived at the east village before dusk. 

As soon I saw the village-like area up ahead, I put the carriage into 

the Item Box and got onto Ed with Layette in my arms. 

We continued forward at a walking pace, and as we veered from the 

main road and toward a path leading to the village, we spotted 

several soldiers there. 

“Stop!” 

The soldiers ordered, and I complied. 

They could surely see the lieutenant colonel in the back, but they 

couldn’t just let me go without stopping me. 

Their eyes wandered toward the lieutenant colonel with a troubled 

look. 

“Entry is prohibited beyond this point. Go back to the main road and 

toward the next village. You should get there before it gets dark.” 

183 | P a g e 

Yeah, he seemed like a good, diligent soldier. 

But I refuse! 

“I run a medicine shop. I’ve heard about the epidemic and prepared 

a specific medicine for it. I’ve already succeeded in stopping the 

spread of the disease in the royal capital. All that’s left is to cure the 

afflicted in this village.” 

“I-Is that so?!” 

The soldier surely didn’t want to close off the village and let its 

inhabitants die miserably. 

Upon hearing my words, his face broke into a smile. 

He glanced at the lieutenant colonel, who gave a deep nod, and his 

faint smile turned into a full grin. 

“Go on through! And please, save the villagers!” 

I wasn’t sure if they were familiar with the gesture, but I gave a 

thumbs up and made my way into the village. 

Before we entered the village, I saw the soldier closing off the path 

again. 

How prudent... 

But I supposed it was proper procedure to double check for safety-

related concerns. 

As I approached, a soldier called out to me. 

“How did you get in here?!” 

Right, there was a soldier blocking the entrance, so I couldn’t blame 

him for being surprised to find someone there. 

This guy was probably there to make sure people weren’t leaving the 

village instead. 

Well, if he’s asking how we got there, I had to answer. 

184 | P a g e 

“We came by chariot!” 

The soldier had a blank expression on his face. 

“...Chariot?” 

Don’t ask! 

“She’s from a medicine shop. She brought medicine for the epidemic. 

Let us through!” 

The lieutenant colonel’s exasperated voice called out from behind, 

and we were able to go through without incident. 

He should have done that in the first place! And why was he in the 

back when he’s supposed to be leading us? 

So useless... 

Well, we were able to get in the village, so I guess it was fine. 

There were no soldiers around once we were inside. 

But I guess that made sense, considering they wouldn’t want to get 

sick. 

In fact, there was no one around at all. It seemed everyone was 

cooped up in their homes. 

So, it was time to do my thing. 

I took the megaphone I had on my shoulder from back at the royal 

capital and... 

“People of the village, I bring you medicine for your illness! One sip, 

and you’ll be cured! For those of you who aren’t able to move, 

please have your family members get it for you. For those without 

family members, please call out and I’ll come to you!” 

With a small village like this, there was no need for me to go over the 

top like at the royal capital. 

All I had to do was hand people a potion bottle normally. 

185 | P a g e 

Some time after I made my announcement, the doors of several 

houses rattled open, and people began coming outside. 

Perhaps they were too sick to go outside, or hiding for fear of getting 

infected. 

Probably both. 

Oh, but maybe they were instructed to stay indoors. 

They may not have fully trusted my words yet, but an infected 

person with worsening symptoms had nothing left to lose. 

Besides, it was highly unlikely for someone to visit a place 

quarantined by soldiers just to trick people. 

The villagers began approaching us, slowly and cautiously. 

The doors of the other houses were also slightly ajar, with many eyes 

peeking from the openings. 

Well, I figured. 

I only needed a couple guinea pigs. 

There was no need for everyone to try it at once. 

My voice, amplified by the speaker, seemed to reach them well 

enough, and even the soldier by the main road had walked over 

where the soldier on the village side was to see what I was doing. 

I figured they were ordered not to get any closer than where they 

were. 

If they happened to get infected, they would be spreading the illness 

to everyone else at the royal capital. 

Not to mention, the soldiers of the army would be the first ones to 

fall victim. 

This meant they had to obey their orders no matter what, even if 

they wanted to help the villagers. 

186 | P a g e 

Ah! 

I was forgetting something. 

I pretended to grab a potion out of my bag and... 

“Belle, give this to the soldiers for me. Tell them it’s medicine that’ll 

keep them from getting sick.” 

“Okay!” 

I’d feel pretty bad if the soldiers ended up being a source of infection 

after I’d cured all the villagers, resulting in all the cities and villages 

getting infected except at the royal capital, where I gave out a bunch 

of medicine. 

...Huh, the soldiers took the medicine from Belle, but ended up 

putting it into their pockets after deliberating over what to do. 

Though I suppose it wasn’t impossible for it to be poison, used to 

take out the soldiers so I could rile up the villagers to march into the 

royal capital. 

Even with the lieutenant colonel there, some young newbie soldiers 

wouldn’t recognize superior officers from another unit, and anyone 

could get a hold of a military uniform. 

It wasn’t unusual for soldiers to listen only to their direct superiors 

when carrying out important missions. 

But I had no problem with them waiting to decide until they saw the 

results for themselves. 

 

“...Is it true? Can this illness really be cured?” 

A villager finally approached me, glaring at me suspiciously as he 

asked. 

Well, I suppose I did look like a child to these people. 

187 | P a g e 

I reached into my bag and pulled out a potion, then presented it to 

him. 

“Drink it.” 

The man still had some strength left in him, but it was clear to see 

the sickness had weakened him significantly. He opened the bottle, 

then drained its contents with desperation. 

“Ugh...” 

“““Wh-What’s the matter?!””” 

“It tastes good...” 

The villagers slumped their shoulders. 

Then the man who drank the potion said, “My body feels lighter... 

and I think my head feels clearer too...” 

It was probably from his fever being reduced. 

The medicine had the effect of exterminating pathogens and 

returning the body to its normal state, so his body temperature 

would be returned to normal, but his diminished energy wouldn’t 

recover, which explained why he was still feeling woozy. 

I added the effect to cure abnormalities because I didn’t want them 

to die before making a recovery if I simply killed off the pathogen, 

but it would be far too unnatural and creepy if they immediately 

made a full recovery after taking the medicine. 

They’d regain their appetite once they get their strength back, so this 

should be good enough. 

The man’s cheeks still looked a bit sunken, but he was far less pale 

than before, and it was clear to see he felt better after drinking the 

potion. 

After seeing this, the villagers all presented their hands to me at 

once. 

188 | P a g e 

“Give us some medicine too!” 

“All right, all right. There’s plenty of potions to go around for 

everyone, so please stay calm and drink slowly!” 

I said as I created more potions, pretending to pull them out of my 

bag, and handed them to the villagers, who opened them and 

immediately drained their contents. 

“...I feel better.” 

“My chest doesn’t feel tight anymore...” 

“My stomach pain is gone...” 

Stomach pain and chest tightness? The other medicine shop owners 

mentioned symptoms like those, but what kind of illness could it be? 

Maybe the plague or typhus? 

But it wasn’t necessarily going to be a type of disease that exists on 

Earth, and there was no way for me to tell them apart anyway, so 

there was no point in me trying to figure out what it was called 

anyway. 

As I thought about this... 

“Let me have some for my ma and son!” 

“For my parents and little sister!” 

Five of the villagers reached out again for more medicine. 

I pretended to get more out of the bag again, and handed them 

potions I created on the spot. 

Before I knew it, many people were emerging from their houses to 

gather there. 

They didn’t have enough energy to run over, but they seemed to be 

desperately hurrying to the best of their abilities. 

I guess I didn’t need to do the old Angel act this time around. 

189 | P a g e 

Just so you know, I wasn’t doing that because I wanted to! 

I mean, I was getting a little carried away once I got into it, but who 

wouldn’t? 

I’m only human, after all. 

Kaoru. 

 

But what was the point of playing “Angel” for a village with just 200 

to 300 people when I didn’t need to? 

It was better not to do it if it’s not necessary. 

For my own mental health, that is. 

Though I was pretty sure people were starting to catch on by now. 

I was pulling out way more potions than it would be possible to fit in 

my little bag. 

＊ ＊ 

Meals were being prepared in the center of the village. 

Despite having been cured of their illnesses, many of the villagers 

were still too enfeebled to prepare food or eat, and so they were all 

hungry. 

Since it was inefficient for everyone to cook food in their own 

homes, they thought to celebrate the fact that the village had 

avoided certain doom by having a communal meal together. 

They wouldn’t be able to recover their strength without eating 

something nutritious. 

Just ingesting empty calories without nutrition to stave off hunger 

wasn’t enough. 

And so, they would make hotchpotch, which was full of nutrition and 

easy to digest. 

190 | P a g e 

The village chief wanted to have a festival, but I shot that idea down 

real quick. 

People would die if we were to do that. 

I mean, some of them could barely walk straight, and seemed to be 

just managing to hold on. I made those people eat before waiting for 

the full meal, and mixed some weakened healing potion into their 

food just so they’d survive. 

If we threw a festival in this state, things would get out of hand with 

people getting drunk and rowdy, and people could actually die. 

Everyone may have seemed to be okay now, but their negative 

conditions were simply removed, and it didn’t mean they had their 

full vitality back. 

There have been many deaths from this epidemic already. 

Why risk adding more to that list of casualties? 

Yes, I do get the importance of mourning the lives lost and 

celebrating those who had survived, and that having a festival would 

be a good way to show appreciation to god and process everything, 

but that could wait until everyone is fully recovered. 

 

“How much time do you think we have?” 

“I can’t be certain, but I’d say if we leave in the afternoon tomorrow, 

we should arrive late in the night. The soldier that had left earlier 

would arrive at the royal capital before dawn and report first thing in 

the morning. Then it would be discussed in the morning meeting and 

they would decide who to dispatch to confirm the news. A carriage 

would be sent to receive you, then the Temple of the Goddess would 

butt in and argue, delaying the departure to the afternoon.” 

“Ahhh...” 

191 | P a g e 

One of the soldiers that was standing guard at the village had went 

to the royal capital to report the situation. 

They couldn’t enter the village or interact with the inhabitants, so 

things like well water, food, or fodder for animals couldn’t be 

obtained from there. 

Since they couldn’t take care of horses, there weren’t any there. This 

meant one would need to travel on foot, which would take some 

time. 

I was asked if they could use Ed or my other horses, but I obviously 

declined. 

I may have made an exception for an emergency, but there was no 

need to rush when the crisis was already resolved. Besides, I wanted 

to buy more time, so there was no reason for me to help. 

I couldn’t just leave Ed either. 

“Then we’d have until tomorrow evening at the latest...” 

I’ve already told the lieutenant colonel we’d be leaving this place. 

He really tried to stop us, but after thoroughly explaining what would 

happen if we stayed, and how much I would hate it, he finally 

seemed to understand. 

I was sure he’d try to take me back to the royal capital if I was a 

regular girl, but it seemed “defying the will of the Angel” was a bit 

too much of a hurdle for him. 

...Being the Angel sure was convenient. 

And so, I wanted to get out of there before the men from the royal 

capital arrived, but there was something I had to take care of first. 

I had asked that question earlier to try to figure out how much time I 

had. 

Hmm, one whole day. 

192 | P a g e 

Would I make it in time...? 

The thing I had to take care of was, of course, to figure out the 

reason the disease broke out in the first place. 

A powerful epidemic had suddenly occurred in some ordinary village. 

Did a pathogen spontaneously mutate that way by chance? The 

possibility wasn’t zero, but it would be better to confirm. 

I had nothing to lose by trying, so I might as well use the time I had 

to give it a shot. 

 

Once everyone was nice and full, the village chief gathered all the 

key people there upon my request. 

Of course, no one had any alcohol, so they were all sober. 

“I’m about to ask a very important question. This involves the future 

of this village, so please think about it carefully before answering.” 

They nodded tensely, seeing my serious expression and words after 

they had just managed to avoid their demise. 

I spread a piece of paper out in front of them, then drew a big circle 

onto it. 

“Let’s say this is a map of this entire village. Please indicate which 

houses have had deaths occur.” 

“S-Sure...” 

They didn’t seem to quite understand what was going on, but did as I 

asked. 

Even as I looked at what they had drawn, there didn’t seem to be any 

significant deviations. 

“Were there any common factors between those who had passed 

away?” 

193 | P a g e 

The village chief answered my question. 

“Ah, well, I suppose they were the children and the elderly, those 

who weren’t too strong to begin with, and the ones who were the 

first to get infected...” 

Ahh, I’m so stupid! Of course! 

“I’m sorry, but please stop writing what I requested earlier and show 

me which houses were infected first instead.” 

With that, I pulled out a new piece of paper and drew another big 

circle. 

Then the villagers went to work again without a word of complaint. 

“The first ones to get sick were Mark, Kiara, and Joey...” 

“Martha and Joshua too...” 

Oh, I almost forgot. 

“Excuse me, but please divide the time frames into ten and number 

them from one through ten.” 

Since they didn’t understand the reason for this process, I had to be 

more specific with my instructions. 

All right, they’re making good progress... 

“Hmm...” 

“Did you figure something out?” Roland asked, despite being pretty 

quiet until that point. 

“Hmm, a lot of the early cases are concentrated around here, but 

that could just be because they lived near the first victims...” 

“Then it sounds like there wasn’t much of a point in checking the 

concentrated regions.” 

He wasn’t wrong, but maybe there was a hint in there somewhere... 

194 | P a g e 

There was another concentrated region off in a different spot, but 

that was likely because someone contracted it early and it spread 

around from that person. 

I thought something would become more clear if we drew it out, but 

maybe we needed a professional to look at it instead of amateurs 

like us. 

Hmm... 

“The valley!” 

“Ah!” 

I bent backward in surprise as the village chief suddenly shouted. 

“The thing that the early victims all had in common was the valley! 

The early cases concentrated here are on the valley side of the 

village, where all the hunters live. The hunters go through the forest 

and toward the valley to hunt wild animals. The sporadic early 

victims you see here and there were Kiara, Martha, and Weidt. They 

were housemaids who dyed textiles at the valley, and youths who 

occasionally went out to catch fish. The valley must be the source of 

all this!” 

Wow! He perfectly understood why I had them draw this out and 

utilized his knowledge of the residents as the village chief to analyze 

the information and come to the logical conclusion! Just who was 

this geezer?! 

...Oh, right. The village chief. 

“Incredible, Chief! I’ve heard you were known as a prodigy as a 

child...” 

“Hm, I suppose they did call me that once upon a time.” 

Ugh! That annoying smug face from getting his butt kissed by the 

villagers... 

195 | P a g e 

But, well, what he said was reasonable, and I wouldn’t have known 

about the valley or who goes there if it wasn’t for him. 

He deserved the credit. 

“Well done, Mr. Village Chief! I’ll go investigate the valley tomorrow, 

so may I have someone healthy accompany me as a guide?” 

“Certainly! You’re the savior of this village, so we’ll do what we can 

to help. I’ll have one of the hunters who haven’t gotten sick guide 

you, so please take care of this.” 

Afterward, we joined the village chief at his home. 

It was pretty common for small villages without inns like this one to 

have visitors stay at the village chief’s house. 

The reason the chief’s house was bigger and nicer than the rest of 

the villagers wasn’t because he got to live luxuriously due to his 

status... well, maybe there was some of that. 

But even there, there were reasons for things being the way they 

were. 

The soldiers? They said they’re going to take turns wrapping 

themselves in blankets and napping. 

That was just the nature of their jobs, so that was that. 

I thought more soldiers would be sent from the royal capital every 

few days to replace them, but according to the villagers, they would 

only send carriages with water and food, while the soldiers stayed 

the same. 

It must’ve been to prevent people in the royal capital from getting 

sick. 

These poor soldiers... 

Maybe I’d do something nice for them later. 

 

196 | P a g e 

We left the royal capital before noon and it was starting to get dark 

as the sun began to go down. 

We were okay on food supplies because we got some from the 

communal meal earlier, so I decided to hash out the plans for 

tomorrow at the village chief’s house. 

Whatever happened, we’d be leaving this place by tomorrow 

evening. 

When we do, I guess I’d just firmly tell the villagers not to let visitors 

enter the village no matter what. 

All of the villagers drank the medicine, so they were already fully 

immune to the disease. 

But still, I wanted to find out the cause if possible. 

Besides, there was a chance it could spread somewhere besides the 

royal capital. 

The people of this village only went to the royal capital and back, but 

visitors wouldn’t necessarily be heading only to the royal capital. 

And I’m sure there were people who went to other cities from the 

royal capital after the disease spread there. 

It was possible that it may have already spread elsewhere. 

Maybe it was spreading village to village, city to city, even now... 

I’m only one person. I couldn’t go around every city and village. 

It would be impossible to stop it from spreading while trying to play 

catch up from behind. 

Replicate myself using potions? That’s way too creepy! 

And if I did that, I wasn’t sure if there would be a way to reverse it. 

I was afraid each of the copies would start claiming to be the original 

and killing each other. 

197 | P a g e 

Ya know, that “Cogito ergo sum” thing I read about in manga. 

Eeek! 

“What’s wrong, Big Sis Kaoru? You don’t look so good.” 

“Something wrong, Kaoru? You’ve got a scary look in your eyes.” 

Layette sounded concerned as she spoke to me. 

“Oh, no. I’m okay... And Roland?” 

“Shut it!” 

＊ ＊ 

The next day, we departed for the valley with a hunter from the 

village guiding us. 

“Lieutenant colonel, you can head back to the royal capital now if 

you’d like. You’ve already fulfilled your role of leading us here.” 

“I can’t just turn back now! His Majesty would be angry with me if I 

don’t see this through to the end!” 

“Ah, right...” 

And so the eight of us, which included me, the lieutenant colonel, 

and the hunter guiding us, all began making our way into the forest. 

There was actually a beaten path for us to follow already though. 

We were still some distance away from the valley, but I decided to 

put it on at this point. 

Yes, I’m talking about the glasses-type destination detector I thought 

of last night. 

The left lens had a PPI scope (Plan Position Indicator scope: Plane 

coordinates display screen) and the right lens pointed out the 

position of the destination with arrows and dots. 

Oh, actually, let me rephrase that. 

198 | P a g e 

It’s a glasses-type destination detector shaped potion container. 

There’s a potion inside the part that secures the device to my face. 

And I could still see what’s in front of me while wearing it. 

Though it did make it a bit more difficult. 

It’s used for finding things, so I decided to call it a “Searcher.” 

It doesn’t read the opponent’s power level or anything, so I decided 

against calling it that other name. 

I already showed it to the others last night, so no one was surprised 

to see it. 

Even though the hunter was seeing it for the first time, he had 

already seen the infinite potions popping out of my bag and their 

effects, so it wasn’t anything to be surprised by at this point. 

And of course, I had set the Searcher to find the pathogen that had 

caused this disease. 

Even if I couldn’t find it right away, there was no need to rush. 

Whenever we get to the valley in question, I could just increase the 

search range from there. 

For now, I just needed it to ensure we don’t miss out on anything 

important. 

But wait... what’s this? 

There’s a bunch of blips showing on the PPI scope on the left side. 

And since they were close range, I could see each individual point 

moving around clearly. 

They were moving far too fast to be microbes. 

And if they were being blown around by the wind, their movement 

speed and directions were too erratic. 

199 | P a g e 

Plus, the points were too big. 

They were infected animals! 

This was bad. If the disease could spread through animals, there was 

no telling when someone other than the people in the village or royal 

capital, who haven’t had the medicine, could get infected. 

And if someone does get infected, it could spread again in some 

other city. 

Not only that, but the animals caught by the hunters of this or other 

villages would be sold to merchants. 

Those would be delivered to not only the royal capital, but to all 

sorts of cities. 

If the animal meat is eaten without being fully heated to kill off the 

microbes... 

In any case, we had to get to the valley. 

 

And so, we eventually arrived at the valley. 

There was a small stream with clear water there. 

It was likely a watering spot for the animals in the area. 

So, the hunters also likely hunted here too. 

There were lots of points at the stream lighting up on my detector. 

But there weren’t any animals there that I could see. 

...Maybe they were small animals, like mice? 

All right, I’ll extend the range and... What the?! 

They seemed to be moving erratically from close range, but when I 

extended the range, I could see the whole image more clearly. 

200 | P a g e 

Their minute movements were no longer visible, and instead, the PPI 

scope showed their movement as a whole. 

There was a clear center, and the light points became less 

concentrated as they went further from the middle. 

It was spreading out in a radial pattern. 

This had to be the source of the outbreak. 

The Searcher’s so useful! 

“We’re heading toward what seems to be the source. I don’t know 

what we’ll find there, so be careful, everyone! Roland, keep your 

eyes on Layette. Everyone else, stay alert!” 

I had to make sure Layette was safe, and I suppose Roland too, who 

was royalty. 

Belle and Emile were fully-fledged hunters already, so they could 

protect themselves. 

The hunter’s a professional too, so I figured he could handle himself. 

Though I didn’t think we’d be in too much danger. 

The villagers hadn’t been exposed to any danger besides the disease 

until this point, after all. 

But it wouldn’t hurt to be cautious. 

It was possible an animal that had become sick could turn violent or 

something. 

We stayed vigilant as we made our way toward the center of the 

points on the detector, and as we reached the most concentrated 

area... 

“The heck is this?!” 

We found something strange. 

A squishy thing that was about three to four meters in diameter. 

201 | P a g e 

...Thing? No, there wasn’t an actual object there. 

It was like the dimension itself was writhing after being twisted 

around... 

From there, a sort of miasma was leaking out with small, mouse-like 

creatures coming out periodically. 

“There it iiis!” 

I shouted, but I had no idea what it was. 

It didn’t seem like it could be cut with a sword, and I felt like 

something terrible would happen if I touched it. 

Yeah, we definitely shouldn’t touch that thing. 

Let sleeping dogs lie, as they say. 

“Kaoru, what is that warped thing...?” 

Ah. 

I realized what it was when Francette asked me the question. 

This wasn’t a job for humans. 

It wasn’t something any human could handle. 

So what should I do? 

That’s right, I’d just call someone who could handle it. 

“Potion inside that crystal ball shaped container, come out!” 

And so, a crystal ball appeared between my palms as I put them 

together. 

“Activate, emergency calling device!” 

The next moment, the crystal ball emitted a brilliant light, and a 

sphere of light appeared in the air immediately after. 

202 | P a g e 

That sphere of light began to take shape, eventually turning into the 

form of a beautiful girl. 

Yes, the Goddess Celestine had descended. 

“Where is the distortion?!” 

Celes said the same exact line as she did four years ago. 

“Kaoru? Oh, this isn’t about a distortion? What is it?” 

“There.” 

“Huh?” 

Celes had a blank look on her face. 

She seemed to think I had called her for some other reason using 

that sketchy crystal for emergency use. 

But... 

“There. I thought that might be the ‘distortion’ you’ve been looking 

for...” 

“Huh? What? Whaaat?! Ah, you’re right! It’s a distortion!!!” 

Celes let out a shout of surprise. 

Meanwhile, everyone else stood in an even more shocked state, 

their mouths agape. 

Even Francette and Roland, who had already seen her four years 

ago... 

“Get back! Everyone, please stand further away!” 

No one even reacted to Celes’s panicked voice. 

“We need to run! Follow me if you don’t want your body to get 

ripped apart!” 

Getting torn into pieces while getting rid of a distortion once was 

enough! 

203 | P a g e 

I ran with Layette in my arms, and everyone seemed to finally come 

to as they followed after me. 

They must have realized how serious this was after seeing how even 

the Goddess and her Angel were panicking. 

  

204 | P a g e 

205 | P a g e 

But Celes... 

Did you really need to do this in such a hurry? 

It’d been a long time since that thing was created, so couldn’t she 

just wait a few minutes longer? At least until we got to a safe 

distance? 

No, there was no point in saying this. 

This was Celes we’re talking about. 

Yes, because it’s Celes. 

Damn it! 

Roland took Layette from my arms as he ran past me. 

As expected of royalty, he knew what to do even when flustered. I 

had to give it to him. 

...Though he kept running on, leaving me completely behind. 

I mean, that was totally fine! I’d rather Layette be saved than all of us 

die together. 

Emile was leading Belle by her hand... staying directly behind me. 

They were probably thinking to use their own bodies as shields to 

protect me. 

Even though they could easily outrun me... 

Sheesh, those two knuckleheads... 

And Francette was protecting them from behind as well. 

Argh, why was everyone so dumb! 

The lieutenant colonel and hunter? They’re waaay in the front! I 

guess they didn’t want to get involved in heavenly conflicts. 

But they’re the normal ones! 

206 | P a g e 

This was bad, I was reaching my limit because of my lack of 

athleticism... 

M-My leg cramped up! 

Baaam! I fell flat on the ground. 

And... 

Oof, oof! 

I felt something hit my back twice. 

Belle and Emile went down with me? 

No, they were using their bodies as shields to protect me! Y-You 

dummies! 

“Here it comes!” 

Urgh! 

Francette called out, and I felt another impact. 

Yeah, that was Francette stacking on top of us. 

...I knew it. 

Then a heavy impact came over us. 

＊ ＊ 

““I thought we were done for...”” 

Belle and Emile said as they rose to their feet. 

Uh, I thought they were going to crush me to death! 

As for Francette and Celes... Oh, there they were. 

“Please explain, why didn’t you wait until Kaoru got somewhere 

safe?!” 

Gyaaa! Why was Fran scolding Celes?! 

207 | P a g e 

Celes may seem mild-mannered, but she’s pretty short-tempered 

and humans are like ants to her. It was just that sometimes she felt 

like helping when a lot of humans were in danger of dying at once. 

So unless she has some interest in you like she does with me, she’d 

just squish... 

“I-I’m sorry...” 

...H-Huh? 

“Kaoru is in a mortal’s body right now, so her body could be 

destroyed if you do something so reckless!” 

“Y-You’re right...” 

Whoa, their conversation was miraculously meshing together... 

“She’s your friend, so you should be more considerate...” 

“Yes...” 

Huh, she must have been acting docile because it was concerning 

me. 

“As a fellow goddess, you must learn to be more like Kaoru...” 

Gyaaaaaa! 

“Let’s just leave it at that, okay, Fran?!” 

“Mmg...” 

I swiftly ran toward Francette and covered her mouth. 

We were treading on thin ice. 

Celes could lose it any moment now. 

“So, Celes, I wanted to ask about this distortion...” 

I really did want to know more about it, of course. 

But for now, my main objective was to distract Celes. 

208 | P a g e 

“Oh, yes! Thank you, Kaoru! You really helped me this time!” 

With that, Celes explained the following to me. 

 

The distortion starts off very small, but suddenly expands once it 

reaches a certain size. 

I suppose it was like a small hole in a levee bored by ants. 

Finding the distortion before they could rapidly expand was the key 

to keeping the damages to a minimum. 

But apparently, it was pretty hard to find them while they were still 

small. Celes had divided up her discarnate entities and used them to 

search all over, as well as gave those crystals for reporting to her to 

various people. 

...It may not have been much, but it was better than nothing. 

Once the distortion grew bigger, it could spread from ten to several 

hundred kilometers at once, ripping open the walls separating our 

world from the adjacent dimensions, causing them to adhere to one 

another. If the atmospheric pressure between the two worlds was 

different, the atmospheric air would come rushing in as violent 

storms, and most of the organisms in both worlds would die from 

the sudden extreme changes in weather. 

There was a chance the atmospheric air that was created could be 

toxic for creatures in the other world too. 

And not only did the worlds adhere to each other, but dimensional 

tremors and wide-scale destruction involving other neighboring 

dimensions could occur as well. 

It was Celes’s job to prevent such disasters. Stopping the course of 

destruction at one dimension would be a passing mark, while 

dragging the surrounding worlds into it would be a failure on her 

part. 

209 | P a g e 

She still gets a passing mark even if this world gets destroyed?! 

That’s a scary friggin’ thought! 

“So I’ve been trying to find them while they’re still small so I can 

prevent the damage from spreading. If I happen to miss one and it 

gets big enough to take out all living creatures in a several hundred 

kilometer radius, that’s considered a great success.” 

“Huh? So even with the incident at Rueda?” 

“Yes, the damages were contained to a very narrow region in that 

case, so I was able to thoroughly restore it afterward. Even though 

the distortion had grown bigger, that was one of my better handled 

cases if I do say so myself. Though, of course, it’s better to deal with 

it before it can expand, like we did this time. There weren’t any 

damages this time either...” 

Celes seemed very happy. 

Well, there weren’t any differences in atmospheric pressure, and it 

wasn’t like there were toxins in the air... now wait just a minute! 

“Celes, there have been damages already! And there’s way more to 

come!” 

“Whaaat!” 

Yes, it was that epidemic disease. 

If anyone thought that was an illness that just happened to occur 

here by chance instead of something from another world, I’d 

question their sanity. 

“This is a source of the disease that’s been going around. I stopped it 

from spreading at the royal capital and the village near here, but I’m 

sure it’s going around in other places too. Since this distortion is the 

cause of it, this falls under your jurisdiction, right?” 

“What? Um... If the disease is caused by the distortion, I suppose...” 

210 | P a g e 

Huh, she didn’t seem too on board with it. 

“That’s right! Because of the distortion, pathogens and small animals 

that are infected hosts are leaking into this world. This is your 

responsibility to fix! There wasn’t much physical damage this time 

around, so you should focus on restoring things.” 

“Hmm, that sounds like a lot of work...” 

She left me no choice. 

I was going to use the ace up my sleeve! 

“I wonder what the god of Earth would have done. When I talk about 

what happened here, I’ll explain how you...” 

“Of course I’ll protect the humans from getting harmed by the 

distortion! That’s my duty!” 

...Too easy. 

“I suppose you... can’t send the hosts of the disease back to their 

original world. Since you already got rid of the distortion. Then I’ll 

need you to completely get rid of all the pests and pathogens that 

came into this world. Those creatures may only be guilty of being the 

host of dangerous pathogens, but it’s not impossible for them to be 

irregular organisms that totally throw this world’s ecosystem out of 

whack. They could have spread out far and wide, so be sure you 

don’t miss any.” 

“O-Okay...” 

Why was she being so reluctant about this when she was capable of 

granting me such ridiculous powers? 

It had to be a simple task for someone as powerful as Celes... 

“Elaborate work like this is very troublesome! Do you realize how 

much effort is needed to get rid of such small animals or pathogens 

211 | P a g e 

throughout an entire country?! It’d be so much easier to just blow 

this planet to smithereens instead!” 

Ah, she must have figured out what I was thinking from the look on 

my face. 

I doubted she actually read my mind or anything like that. 

“Well, good luck. Besides, you just might get praised by the god of 

Earth if you work real hard. He might even say, ‘good work,’ and pat 

you on the head...” 

“There’s no time to lose! Okay, I’m going to go work hard to clean 

this place up! See you later, Kaoru. Thank you so much for today. I’m 

so glad I have a great friend like you!” 

With that, Celes vanished. 

 

“...” 

The lieutenant colonel stood there, dumbfounded. 

It seemed he had returned some time during all of this. 

The hunter who had guided us there... oh, he was cautiously 

watching us from a distance. 

The others? 

They were either present the last time Celes had appeared, or they 

were already used to thinking of me as a goddess, so they didn’t 

seem all that surprised. 

...Damn. 

“Th-Th-That was...” 

“Yup, Celes. Oh, right, she’s known as the Goddess Celestine here.” 

“...” 

The lieutenant colonel seemed to be out of service... 

212 | P a g e 

 

“Well, we’ll be going now. Thank you for everything, lieutenant 

colonel.” 

“Wait! Hold on just a minute!!!” 

As I tried to leave and say goodbye, the lieutenant colonel raised his 

voice in a fluster. 

“I need you to return to the royal capital! And what about your 

shop?!” 

I wasn’t surprised that he didn’t want me to go, considering I was on 

casual speaking terms with the Goddess herself. 

And I probably seemed far from just “an ordinary girl.” 

But I already had an idea of what it would be like if I returned to the 

royal capital. 

So... 

“I already canceled the contract for my shop. I cleared out my wares 

too, so I have no reason to return to the royal capital. Though I have 

plenty of reasons not to go back...” 

The lieutenant colonel averted his eyes. 

Yeah, he already knew exactly what would happen if I went back. 

First, I’d get an invitation from the royal palace, then the Temple of 

the Goddess, influential aristocrats, big-time merchants, and if I 

went, there’d probably be a bunch of handsome men of 

marriageable age waiting for me. 

...That didn’t sound too bad! 

I mean, never mind! 

213 | P a g e 

“No thanks to being a caged bird, swarmed by ants, or being bred by 

some top breeder! I mean, I do want kids, but only with someone 

who likes me as a normal girl, and not for my abilities!” 

“...Can I ask you one thing?” The lieutenant colonel said with a 

serious expression. 

“Where is this ‘normal girl’ you’re talking about?” 

“““...””” 

And why exactly were you desperately trying to hold in laughter, 

Fran, Roland, Emile, and Belle?! 

You four... 

“In any case, you have no right or authority to restrict me from doing 

what I like. I’m just a traveler who’s not from this country, and I’m 

not a criminal or some foreign spy. Besides, those two over there are 

nobles from another country. If you tried capturing us by force...” 

“Forget nobles from another country, what kind of idiot would try 

something on someone who has connections with the Goddess 

Celestine?!” 

Well, he had a point. 

“But if that’s the case, what about the soldier’s disease medicine? 

There are those who haven’t been fully cured yet.” 

“Huh? But even if they did get cured, it’d just come back again, 

right?” 

“...” 

I was sure the lieutenant colonel already knew this full well. 

He was desperately trying to guilt trip me somehow so I would return 

to the royal capital. 

214 | P a g e 

Although I did feel bad about the royal sentries who seemed happy 

to be freed from the soldier’s disease. 

A lot of their work was pretty ritualistic and they couldn’t even 

scratch themselves, so I would have liked to at least help them. 

Like if I made sure they don’t catch it aga... Wait a minute! 

“Lieutenant colonel...” 

“Hm? What is it?” 

“I don’t think you’ll need to worry about soldier’s disease 

anymore...” 

“Huh?” 

Yes, I just realized something. 

What were my thoughts when I created those mini goddess statues? 

 

[Potion that cures and creates antibodies for any epidemic disease 

going around in the royal capital right now with just a low dose and 

loses its effectiveness if it’s not drunk in twenty-four hours after 

being scooped, go inside a small container shaped like a goddess 

statue with an endless generation/circulation system and come out!] 

 

“any epidemic disease going around in the royal capital right now” 

“any epidemic disease going around in the royal capital right now”... 

Wouldn’t soldier’s disease fulfill those conditions? 

And wouldn’t that also mean anyone in the royal capital who drank 

that medicine would never be afflicted with soldier’s disease again? 

I explained as such to the lieutenant colonel, and... 

“What...?” 

215 | P a g e 

He was probably disappointed about losing his advantage over other 

battalions, but he had to be happy that the soldiers would never 

have to deal with that hated condition ever again. 

His face told me he was feeling a mixture of emotions. 

“Oh, it’s not for certain yet, so please confirm once you get back. And 

if it’s just as I suspect, you can feel free to take all the credit. Just tell 

them the angel told you to choose your reward, and you wished, not 

for yourself, but for the sake of everyone else, that the soldier’s 

disease would be eradicated. I’m sure that will increase your prestige 

among the other soldiers.” 

There was a forced smile on his face. 

“Well, I’ll be going now. Oh, and it’ll be no use sending anyone after 

me. No one could catch up to my horses when they’ve taken my 

healing potion, and even if they could, they wouldn’t be able to keep 

me from leaving. If anyone tried to use force, Celes would just give 

‘em a little so-called divine punishment...” 

“Don’t worry, I’ll personally report to His Majesty to make sure that 

wouldn’t happen. Our people are well aware of the story of the 

Goddess Celestine destroying an entire country.” 

All right, it seemed like I could depart peacefully this time. 

“Well then, farewell!” 

“...” 

Huh? Why was the lieutenant colonel looking at me quizzically? 

“What is it?” 

“Where do you plan on going now? There’s only one guide, and I 

need him to take me back to the village. Besides, your horses are 

back at the village. Do you plan on leaving them here and going 

through the mountains and out onto the road without a guide?” 

216 | P a g e 

“Ah...” 

The lieutenant colonel looked at me with exasperation. 

Roland and the others too... 

Come on, everyone makes mistakes once in a while! 

＊ ＊ 

After we retrieved Ed at the village, we started heading east in the 

opposite direction of the royal capital just as the sun was going 

down. 

The plan was to change course to the northeast after moving 

forward for some time, then heading inland. 

There was no reason for me to tell the lieutenant colonel this, but it 

wasn’t too hard to figure out. 

To the north was Drisard, which we had left behind, to the east was 

the royal capital, and further beyond was the kingdom of Brancott, 

where the prince I disliked was. 

I was sure he already knew that we had come from that direction. 

And to the east was the ocean, making it a dead end. 

The lieutenant colonel told me the people from the royal capital 

should be arriving at the village tomorrow, where he’d meet up with 

them. 

It was too dangerous for him to wander around the roads at night 

without having a chemical light like me, so that much was a given. 

We didn’t want to see the people from the royal capital, so we went 

ahead and marched on in the night. 

 

As soon as the village was no longer visible, I took the carriage out of 

my Item Box and hopped on. 

217 | P a g e 

Now, Fran and Roland, it was time to go. 

“U-Um, Kaoru...” 

“Hm? What is it?” 

As we were about to depart, Francette spoke to me worriedly. 

“Um, about that small goddess statue at the royal capital, is it okay 

for it to keep dispensing medicine like that...?” 

Ah, that. 

“Don’t worry, it has a mechanism built into it so it’ll blow up... I 

mean, shut itself down.” 

“Shut itself down...?” 

“Yup, I made it so it’ll break if someone tries to steal it or if it fulfills 

its purpose, so no need to worry! Okay, let’s go!” 

And so, we headed east. 

We would continue in that direction until we reached the road 

leading northward. 

Then we would head inland. 

...Oh, but maybe we wouldn’t be able to eat seafood if we’re in the 

inland region? Maybe we should go all the way around to the coastal 

region instead? There wasn’t a particular destination to our journey, 

so it didn’t really matter where we went anyway. 

All right, change of plans. First we’ll head south toward the ocean, 

then head east! 

Time to eat sashimi for the first time in a while! 

How wonderful it was to not have to worry about pathogens, toxins, 

or parasites! 

It was also wonderful that I could create “healing potions that taste 

like soy sauce” and “disinfectants that taste like wasabi”! 

218 | P a g e 

Yes, it’s time for a journey in search of coastal cities! 

“Hiyo, Silver!” 

“Again, what horse are you talking about?!” 

＊ ＊ 

“Stand aside! That belongs at the royal palace!” 

“Nonsense! The miracle statue of the Goddess should be protected 

by the Temple of the Goddess! You are the ones who must stand 

down!” 

“Now, wait just a minute! We have been tasked to protect these two 

statues by the Angel herself. Their blessings must be bestowed to the 

people freely and equally. The royal palace and temple have no right 

to take them to be used for their own political and monetary gain!” 

Three groups of men stood arguing at the central plaza of the royal 

capital in front of the Goddess statue. 

They were civil servants from the royal capital and the royal sentries 

that escorted them. 

Priests from the Temple of the Goddess. 

And the men who Kaoru had tasked with managing the mini goddess 

statues until they had fulfilled their purpose. 

None of them seemed to have any intention of giving an inch. 

This was no surprise. 

The royal palace and temple side would’ve been freely giving up their 

authority if they backed down here. 

In fact, they’d be lucky if that was the only thing they had to lose. 

The men who Kaoru had entrusted with managing things there 

wouldn’t even fathom abandoning the duty assigned to them. 

219 | P a g e 

The royal capital’s citizens watched the rather austere scene for a 

while longer, until the men from the royal palace lost their patience 

and put their hands on one of the mini goddess statues. 

It seemed they were planning on taking it by force. 

Seeing this, the priests hurriedly took hold of the other statue. 

The men who had been appointed couldn’t put their hands on the 

priests or men of the royal palace, so all they could do was yell out 

profanities. 

And just as the sentries from the royal palace gently lifted the 

medicine-dispensing mini goddess statue... 

 

Crack! 

 

It shattered into pieces. 

“““Huh...?””” 

The men of the royal palace stared blankly at the fragments on the 

ground that used to be the mini goddess statue. 

“Now do you see?! The Goddess would not allow a statue in her 

image to fall into the hands of impure ones. This miracle will be 

managed by us, the Temple of the Goddess, and...” 

The highest-ranking priest spoke as he lifted the other statue, which 

also shattered into pieces. 

It clearly wasn’t because he held it wrong or anything like that. 

It broke in a way that seemed physically impossible. 

They had been completely reduced to smithereens. 

The pieces had been destroyed so finely, it was impossible to discern 

what their original form could have been. 

220 | P a g e 

It was a clear sign that the Goddess was not pleased. 

“““...””” 

Silence fell over the central plaza. 

Then the countless eyes of the wordless crowd stared daggers into 

the men from the palace and temple with looks of anger, hatred, and 

contempt. 

Through her Angel, the Goddess had blessed the people with a 

statue of miracles. 

And this statue had saved the inhabitants of the royal capital with 

the never-ending medicine pot it was holding. 

Because the vile men of the royal palace and rotten priests had 

ignored her wishes and tried to take them for themselves, they were 

now gone. 

Forever. 

The men of the royal palace and priests stood frozen, sweating 

profusely as many eyes stared directly at them. 

 

“The Lady Angel had asked us to ‘handle things here until the mini 

goddess statue has fulfilled its duty.’ And now, due to men with 

tainted hearts attempting to take them away, the goddess statue no 

longer exists. In other words, they have fulfilled their duty. And 

now... our duty, too, has ended. It’s only been two days and nights, 

but it was an honor to serve the Angel’s orders. You can all take 

responsibility for the rest. Now, to those who have helped me in this 

task, let us pass down stories of our accomplishments here with 

pride to our descendants. Disband!” 

It seemed the individual who’d taken charge of the group was 

someone of status. 

221 | P a g e 

Perhaps he was a noble who happened to be hanging out in the city 

in commoner clothes, but after giving his uncommoner-like speech, 

he quickly vanished into the rest of the crowd. 

The rest quickly followed. 

Before the men of the royal palace and priests knew it, they were the 

only ones surrounded by the crowd. 

...We have to run. 

The thought crossed their minds, but they couldn’t just go back 

empty handed. 

Without any options left, they gathered the pieces of the mini 

goddess statue as “holy relics” to take back, but it was unlikely that 

they would ever be publicly displayed as such. 

Because in order to explain why they were in such a state, they had 

to explain their own foolish behavior and admit their actions had 

been rejected by the Goddess. 

If they’re planning on putting all the blame on us subordinates, we’re 

taking down the higher-ups who ordered us to take the statue by 

force for their own personal gain with us. 

Such were the thoughts of the men who were retrieving the statue 

fragments while on the verge of tears. 

Everyone on both the royal palace and temple sides... 

 

Meanwhile, at the royal palace and temple, news from the east 

village had been delivered by the soldier who departed the previous 

day, and preparations for a grand celebration were being made in a 

great hurry. 

The appearance of the Angel and a miraculous revelation. 

222 | P a g e 

Not to mention the Angel was there, at the royal capital of the 

kingdom of Jusral. 

It went without saying that the royalty, titled nobility, and religious 

parties were ecstatic to receive the news. 

The Angel had saved the royal capital from the horrid disease and 

headed to the village that was thought to be where it originated to 

save the people there. 

Once she completed her task, she would return to the royal capital. 

Envoys had already been sent to greet her, and they would surely 

depart from the village to head toward the royal capital by the next 

morning. 

When the Angel arrives at the royal capital, they would greet her 

with a splendid welcome, show their gratitude, and... gain her favor. 

Each of those with high standing in the political and religious fields 

were picturing a bright future ahead. 

The only people of this nation that knew the girl wasn’t going to 

return to the royal capital was the third son of a noble house who 

she called the “lieutenant colonel” and the realtor who she had 

canceled the lease agreement with. 

The lieutenant colonel still hadn’t returned to the royal capital, and 

the realtor was late in arriving at the central plaza, so he still didn’t 

realize the girl who canceled the lease to leave the royal capital and 

the Angel were one in the same. 

＊ ＊ 

“I wonder if the mini goddess statue is still okay...” 

That statue-type potion creation device was created so it would 

automatically break apart after five days. 

223 | P a g e 

There was no way she would have left a device that would continue 

dispensing potions forever. 

Even if the effects were limited to epidemic diseases, I didn’t want 

some idiot to start claiming “our country is protected by the blessing 

of the Goddess!” It would be like that ruined religious country all 

over again. 

Besides, medical effects aside, even an “item that creates an infinite 

supply of drinking water” could be valuable in itself to the army. 

It might’ve even spawned some religious fanatics who would think 

their army was protected by the Goddess and her blessed water. 

That’s why I made them so they would disintegrate without a trace, 

to prevent them from being taken advantage of later. 

And even if five days hadn’t passed yet, I made it so they would self-

destruct the moment someone tried to move them. 

If someone moved one and it broke in such an unnatural fashion, I 

doubted they would try to touch the other one afterward. 

I doubted they would ever be left completely alone with them being 

in such a visible location, so a random thief wouldn’t be able to get 

their hands on them either. 

The only people who could touch them openly in front of watching 

eyes would be those from the royal palace or Temple of the 

Goddess. 

So, at least one of them should survive until the full five day time 

limit was up. 

But that was before I thought about getting Celes to help, and now 

that she was going to get rid of the source of the disease, the statues 

were no longer needed. 

It wouldn’t be an issue if they both broke now. 

224 | P a g e 

If the statues break not because of the time limit, but because 

someone tried to take them, they’d be in pretty big trouble, but that 

didn’t concern me. 

It’d be their own fault in that case. 

 

“Kaoru, we’ll be reaching the road that branches off to the north and 

south. You want to keep moving toward the east, right?” Francette 

turned toward me and asked. 

She was able to see what was coming up before me, since she had a 

higher vantage point on horseback while I was behind the canopy. 

...Come to think of it, Francette’s eyesight was enhanced with my 

potions. 

She was probably seeing things at a distance that wouldn’t normally 

be possible for humans. 

Disregarding obstacles and the terrain, and the fact that the earth 

was round. 

“Oh, we won’t be going east until we hit the ocean, so we’ll be going 

south there first. It’d be more fun to travel along the coast than 

going inland!” 

Without any specific destination in mind, no one had any reason to 

protest. 

For now, we’d be heading south. 

We’d travel the coast and enjoy some seafood as we journeyed along 

the outskirts of the continent. 

All in search of a place to live safely and a companion for 

reproduction. 

Regardless of Francette and Roland, I absolutely couldn’t let Emile 

and Belle beat me to it in that regard. 

225 | P a g e 

This journey is about expanding the Nagase bloodline, not yours! 

And Roland and Francette’s horses! 

You’d better not be trying to get with Ed’s daughter! 

What am I gonna do with them.