Day Three.
I felt something strange.
“Someone’s been staring at me.”
Even while I was healing people, the sensation wouldn’t go away.
It left a weird feeling in my chest.
I brought it up with Alios.
She answered calmly.
“It’s probably the ones still waiting to be healed, looking at you with desperate hope. Wishing for their turn to come soon.”
“Is that so?”
Now that she mentioned it, it made sense.
Even though I was healing people at a rapid pace, the number of plague victims was still overwhelming.
This was a prosperous territory near the Arsenian capital—of course it would be densely populated.
Some patients were in such critical condition that I had to go to them personally.
Should I try to improve my healing efficiency?
But how?
The pace I was going at now was already beyond what any normal priest could dream of imitating.
To become even more efficient, I’d need more than just speed. I’d need a better method altogether.
As I mulled it over, a question suddenly popped into my mind.
Come to think of it—how did the original Airan manage to heal an entire territory in even worse condition than this?
Sure, she had powerful divine strength, but unlike me, she didn’t have the miracle-like ability to heal someone just by touching them.
She couldn’t have done it like I’m doing now—so how did she manage it all on her own?
The novel never really explained it, but… did Airan have a special method of her own?
“Alios.”
I called to her quietly.
“Let’s say someone else—not me—came here to heal the plague. But they didn’t have the ability to heal with just a touch, like I do.”
“Then… wouldn’t it take a really long time? Or just fail completely?”
“No—let’s say they succeeded. Then what method would they have used?”
When it comes to fantasy logic, it’s best to ask someone from this world.
Unlike me, Alios was a true native of this realm.
After thinking for a moment, she replied, “Maybe… wide-area magic? Something like that?”
“You mean magic that affects a large area at once?”
“Yes. I’ve never seen it myself, but someone like Sibellius—someone on her level—should be able to use magic that influences entire regions at once.”
If that’s possible…
What if I tried something similar?
Spreading my divine power as broadly as possible and applying a large-scale healing effect?
I immediately began testing the idea, channeling my divine power outward.
Since divine energy manifests as light… what if I used it like actual light—shining in all directions, healing whatever it touched?
“L-light? Is that light?!”
“The disease—it’s gone! I can breathe normally again!”
…it worked!
The radiance bursting from my hands washed over the people around me, healing every illness it touched.
“Hmm… I think I’m cured too…”
“But some parts of my body still ache…”
It seemed the divine power had dispersed too thinly—while it removed the illness itself, it didn’t restore the physical damage the illness had caused.
Well, that could always be fixed later.
Even just curing the sickness saved a massive amount of time.
Just by walking and radiating light, I was healing everyone I passed.
It was nothing short of a miracle—a revolution.
Airan must’ve used a similar method to heal an entire territory on her own.
At this rate, I might even finish everything today.
Excited, I continued moving around, scattering the light of divine power wherever I went.
But then—
“Aaargh, I can’t take it anymore!”
A woman suddenly burst out of the crowd—she’d been standing within range of my light.
“That disgusting power—stop it right now!”
“…Who are you?”
I stared at her, puzzled by her abrupt demand.
She was about my height—actually a bit short by this world’s standards.
Her face was cute, delicate even… but her eyes were sharp and fierce.
Her short-cropped hair was blood red, instantly reminding me of Baiol.
“Wait—Red?!”
It was my first time seeing her, but Alios recognized her immediately and gasped.
“Everyone, step back! Now!”
Alios suddenly shouted—and the moment I heard what she said next, everything clicked into place.
“That woman is a demon!”
The crowd was stunned. So was I.
I’d seen half-demons before, but this was my first encounter with a true demon.
Even in the original story, demons rarely appeared.
Alios hunted them, Sibellius was half-demon, but those were just background details.
Even the protagonist, Ceres, rarely crossed paths with them.
So why was a demon suddenly standing in front of me?
“Ceres. Do you remember?”
Alios stepped forward, her sword drawn protectively.
“Remember the first time you used your power?”
“You mean… when you dodged an attack from a demon, and your subordinates were hurt instead? Don’t tell me it’s her?”
“That’s right. That demon—Red—is the one I failed to capture that day.”
…You’ve got to be kidding me. Is this some kind of ridiculous butterfly effect?
Because I opened my mouth and changed the original sequence of events, the demon who should’ve died early on is now alive and standing right in front of me?
“Heh. You dare mention that day in front of me!”
Red’s voice shook with rage.
“Yes, I was the one who fled that day! I suffered that humiliation!”
“I could say the same. I nearly lost my entire unit.”
“Like I care. What matters is that I never forgot that day—and I’ve been waiting for a chance to get my revenge.”
“So that’s why you came here?”
“I got lucky. The plague drew me in—figured I could scavenge some corpses. And then I heard you were here.”
Wait… demons eat plague victims?
I knew demons preyed on humans, but I didn’t realize they ate plagued corpses.
That’s… oddly pathetic.
Just as I was starting to pity her, Red suddenly pointed at me.
“My original plan was to break your spirit by going after that precious boy of yours. But then he started spreading that disgusting power and I couldn’t stand it!”
…So she was the one watching me?
I thought the strange gaze was from a patient, and that’s why I decided to radiate my power widely.
But that just ended up irritating her and making her reveal herself.
So to sum it up: I talked to Alios, she mentioned the demon, the demon—who was supposed to be dead—survived, came here to exact revenge, got annoyed by my divine power, and exposed herself.
This entire chain of events is just one wild coincidence.
“A demon?”
“Is she really a demon?”
Even though Red had revealed her identity, the people around us didn’t run.
They were too stunned to react.
But that hesitation was dangerous.
“Catch!”
“AAAH!”
Red suddenly grabbed someone and hurled them at Alios.
Alios had no choice but to drop her sword and catch the person safely.
Red seized the opportunity and charged forward—but—
“Die!”
One of the soldiers lunged at her, thrusting his spear straight at her heart.
“You fool.”
Red casually caught the spear and snapped it in half with her bare hands.
She grabbed the man by the back of the neck—and razor-sharp claws extended from her fingers.
She could tear out his throat at any moment.
“Don’t move. Take one more step, and I’ll kill him.”
Alios, who had just been about to strike, froze in place.
Red laughed like it was the funniest thing she’d ever seen.
“Ha! Just like I thought. So-called heroes are all the same. Always held back by their conscience.”
“…What do you want?”
“Your humiliation. And your death.”
Red sneered and pointed at me.
“You’ve got so many people around you to protect. That makes you weak. I’ll slice off your limbs, and force you to watch while I devour that man of yours.”
That “dish” of hers… yeah, she meant she was going to eat me.
We were in deep trouble.
We couldn’t fight properly with so many civilians around—and now she had a hostage.
Even Alios couldn’t make a move in this situation.
“Alios… what should I do?”
I asked, wondering if she needed my help—but Alios didn’t answer right away.
She paused, then said something completely unexpected.
“Go ahead and kill the hostage.”
“…What?”
“…What?!”
Even Red was stunned.
“Have you lost your mind?! You call yourself a hero and you’re just going to let someone die?! You’re not even in your own country—this could start an international incident!”
“You said you’d defile Ceres if you beat me. The moment you said that… nothing else mattered.”
Alios’s gaze darkened as she spoke, voice trembling with fury.
“How dare you taint my Ceres with your filthy intentions? I’ll never forgive you. I’ll kill you a hundred times over if I have to. I’ll give you the most miserable death this world has ever known!”
“Are you blind?! I’m holding a hostage here!”
“Then kill him. I don’t care.”
Alios’s sword lit with divine fury.
“Compared to Ceres, your hostage, my title as Hero, even diplomacy—they’re nothing. I’ll sacrifice everything to destroy you!”