Ascendance of a Bookworm

Chapter 159: Rescue and Reprimand (II)

Castid hoisted me onto his shoulder when I could no longer stand. The knights were shoveling away the roots of Tronbay, and I thought it might affect them if I lay out like this. The impact of the metal armour made the pain worse, but I had no strength left to complain.

"Master Maine!"

Fran came at me like a departing arrow. As soon as Castid put me down, I fell limp over Fran.

"Master Maine has a fever, Head Priest!"

"That's not surprising. Give her a good rest and some medicine. She must have lost a lot of magic after all that blood loss and being tangled in the branches."

At the end of Skicossa's confession, the Head Priest gave me only a glance and soon looked ahead again. Without the helmet, I could see his face clearly now. He seemed even angrier than before.

"At your command."

Fran helped me move to a warm spot in the sun. After I sat down, he took a small bottle of light green liquid out of his bag.

"Please take this medicine, Master Maine. It is made by the Head Priest."

Although I dared not drink something strange, but if I didn't obey, the medicine might be forced into my mouth. Reluctantly, I reached for the bottle, but my hands, which I had raised so desperately to keep the blood from dripping, were now as heavy as lead and could not be lifted.

"No. Fran, I'm sorry. I can't lift my arm."

I couldn't get any strength out of my body, so Fran had to hold me up and put the bottle to my mouth. I held my breath as a strong smell of herbs hit me.

"Fran, is this really drinkable?"

"The Head Priest drank it just now. It is said to relieve fatigue and restore magic."

Since it could relieve fatigue, I must drink it. The Head Priest himself drank it, so it was certainly not poison. After some internal struggle, I swallowed the medicine in one gulp, suppressing the bad smell.

I almost threw up the moment the medicine entered my stomach.

I covered my mouth in a hurry. My tongue was numb and my throat was burning. A strong bitterness ran through my mouth, and I suspected that whatever I ate now would have no taste.

This is not something to drink at all!

Seeing me in such pain, Fran ran to the Head Priest with a livid face.

"Head Priest, Master Maine seems to be in great pain…"

"There's nothing strange about it. I sacrificed the taste of the medicine to make it work quickly."

Said the Head Priest, without looking at me. But he was right. After I took the medicine, I didn't feel tired any more. Even the fever went away instantly.

"Oh, I think my fever's gone…"

The effect of this medicine was amazing. But while "good medicine tastes bitter," this was too much. I sincerely hoped that the Head Priest would improve its taste. He had just said categorically that taste was sacrificed for effect, so it was unlikely that he would put much thought into it, but couldn't it be at least like vegetable juice?

… Vegetable juice is bad enough, if you ask me.

While I was resting, the knights also completely destroyed Tronbay. Unlike the previous giant Tronbay, this one did not create a hole. One of the knights said it was because the Tronbay here had been sprouted by absorbing my magic. In general, naturally growing Tronbay takes months or even years to soak up the magic of the surrounding land before it sprouts, so it takes a long time and effort to destroy it because its roots are deep and extensive.

Having destroyed the Tronbay, the knights regrouped under the command of Castid. The only people who were not lined up were the two men who had just been ordered to guard me. They had taken off their helmets and were kneeling side by side before the Head Priest.

"Maine, come forward."

I was named by the Head Priest with my recovery. I stood half a step behind him, as he had instructed me. I was still not tall, and the two kneeling knights only raised their heads slightly so I could see their faces. They were both young adults, just as I had judged them by their voices.

Skicossa had striking yellow-green hair, and his dark green eyes were full of hatred for me. His features, though fine and regular, were pervaded by an undisguised pride.

Damuel, by contrast, had unpretentious brown hair. He was looking at me with frightened, apologetic gray eyes. When he wore his helmet, I thought he was just a knight in shining armour, but when he took it off, I always felt that he had an aura about him that made people want to bully him.

"Skicossa, Damuel, have you anything to say in defence of this commotion?"

Upon hearing this from the Head Priest, Skicossa raised his head.

"I have nothing to defend. She is a commoner. That explains everything."

Said Skicossa confidently, as if certain that the Head Priest knew what he meant. I felt my heart beating violently. If the victim is a commoner, then the perpetrator does not even have to justify himself -- again, I recognized this as a matter of course in this world.

"I must have ordered you not to let her get hurt."

"She suddenly stood up and hurt herself. I don't think I'm to blame for that."

Hearing the angry questioning of the Head Priest, Skicossa remained firmly in denial.

"Is it?" The Head Priest asked in a low voice and turned his eyes towards Damuel. Under the watchful eyes of the Head Priest, Damuel shuddered all over and said without daring to raise his head:

"Skicossa wanted me to remember who I was, so I couldn't disobey him. I'm awfully sorry."

Looking at Damuel who was hurriedly defending himself, the Head Priest sighed.

"Yes, indeed you ought to remember who you are."

Skicossa looked up in surprise at the words and looked at me triumphantly. Silently, I stroked the ceremonial dress disfigured by Tronbay.

The Head Priest took a step forward.

"Then Let me ask you, Skicossa, who is the highest-ranking person here?"

"Of course it's you, Lord Ferdinand."

Skicossa answered without thinking. But he didn't seem to understand why the Head Priest asked such a question, and was now tilting his head in bewilderment.

"Yes, it is. And I have ordered you to protect the trainee priestess from any harm. If you know who you are, you will know who you are protecting and what your priorities are. It's you who don't remember who you are!"

Skicossa looked up at the Head Priest in astonishment.

"But she's a commoner, and a stupid kid who disturbs the temple…"

"You don't seem to know anything about Maine, so I'll tell you. Maine is the trainee priestess who was given the blue robe. She possesses a magical power that no one else can match, so the temple made a request for her blue robe, and this request was granted by the Lord. If you are discontented with this, you are discontented with the temple and the Lord!"

Said the Head Priest sharply, and there was a gasp not only from Skicossa and Damuel, but also from some of the knights in the rear.

"You are well aware that the number of aristocrats in this kingdom is not what it used to be. This means that there are far fewer people who can manipulate the magic. Skicossa, you returned from the temple to the aristocracy, shouldn't you know this better than anyone else?"

I was just wondering about the relationship between Skicossa and the Temple Chief, and now it was all clear. It turned out that Skicossa had been a blue-robed trainee priest, who had been brought up in the temple. I finally understood why he was so disgusted by the fact that I was wearing a blue robe as a commoner. The blue-robed priests and priestesses in the temple shared his indignation at being equated with a commoner.

"In fact, Maine and I are the only people in the temple who can perform this ceremony. The temple would never send a trainee priestess here if there was a blue-robed priest who could do it. Haven't you thought this through? You are too stupid for me to judge. Maine, who has come with you here, is officially a blue-robed trainee priestess who is able to perform the ceremony, so what you have harmed is not a mere commoner as you think, but a trainee priestess who has been given the blue robe."

The Head Priest emphasized several times my status as a blue-robed trainee priestess, just to show that if I were only a commoner, I would not be able to question Skicossa. Holding on to the blue dress that would have saved me from danger, I thanked Benno again for his wisdom. Without his advice, I would not be in the position I am now in.

"Not only have you disobeyed orders and harmed the blue-robed trainee priestess whom you were supposed to protect, but you have also placed an additional burden on the Order. Your conduct is a serious breach of the Order's rules and a stain on its reputation. The crimes you have committed are all felonies, and I am sure the Lord will give you a 'just' punishment."

Then the Head Priest averted his eyes from Skicossa and Damuel, and turned to the Order in the rear, looking coldly at Castid, who was kneeling in the front.

"Castid, your complete ignorance of the character of your men has caused grave consequences. It also reflects your inadequate education of new men, for which you are to blame."

"As head of the Order, I take full responsibility. I'm sorry for the trouble this incident has caused you."

According to what Castid had said, he must have been prepared for his punishment. His face was unruffled, and he quietly bowed his head to the Head Priest.