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Priest Marid immediately guided the two of them to the forest just below the monastery. His reasoning was that the faster the recovery, the better.
“The reason people do not enter this forest is also because of the Sanctuary. Normally, entry is strictly prohibited.”
“Ah.”
When Rahan made a somewhat uneasy face, Marid tilted his head.
“Is something wrong?”
“It's nothing.”
'Let's keep the fact that I chopped down a tree in this forest a secret for the rest of my life,' Rahan thought.
He had simply assumed entry was forbidden because it was monastery property.
But after learning that the reason for the ban was the existence of the 'Sanctuary' in the forest, he was simply surprised that chopping down a tree there hadn't caused a problem.
‘Did you know about this?’
When he looked down at Iris, who was supporting him with that look in her eyes, she subtly shifted her gaze to avoid him.
Did she know, or did she not?
Rahan decided to interrogate her later.
And upon actually arriving at the 'Sanctuary,' he was greatly bewildered.
“Is this... a hot spring?”
“You could call it that!”
He had expected something like a statue or an altar of Eridrahan since it was called a Sanctuary.
What Rahan witnessed was a hot spring covered by a large wooden lid to prevent the steam from escaping.
“I've only been here twice in my life,” Iris whispered softly.
Priest Marid pulled back the wooden lid with a bright smile.
“Hahaha, shall we say it's the biggest reason why Wind Rock Monastery guards the western edge of the Empire?”
How did mages come to possess such destructive power?
It was because they were minions of demons.
The first mage to summon and contract with a demon from hell borrowed the demon's power by swearing to become its servant.
What demons loved most were all sorts of negative human emotions—pain, suffering, sorrow.
Those emotions allowed hell to exist, and demons decorated their palaces with the pain forged by gifting sins to humans.
In exchange for borrowing destructive power from demons, mages pleased the demons by inflicting pain upon humans.
“Of course, Eridrahan did not wish for humans to suffer at the hands of demons! Thus, He descended again into a world filled with sorrow!”
With a grunt, Priest Marid pulled the lid completely away, and a burst of hot steam rose.
The air was so hot that the heat reached Rahan, who was standing some distance away, in an instant.
“This Sanctuary is the source of divine power!”
Despite Priest Marid's cheerful explanation, Rahan had a rather irreverent thought.
Something like, ‘He went through the trouble of descending to the human world just to make a hot spring?’
However, Iris added with a gentle smile.
“They say it's no exaggeration to say that Wind Rock Monastery was built next to the Sanctuary.”
Humans, exhausted by the persecution of mages, discovered this mysterious place.
It was a hot spring that no magical beast dared approach.
Of course, the Sanctuary was not exclusive to Wind Rock Monastery. Various forms of Sanctuaries existed in several places across the continent.
The priests of the Church of Eridrahan fought the mages by relying on these Sanctuaries.
“It is said that the last mage breathed his last right here in front of this Sanctuary!”
Of course, a hundred years later, that had become a moot point.
Was it because the mages had all disappeared? The Sanctuary, which had originally been closer to a large pond, was now only the size of a small spring.
“According to the records, its size gradually decreased over a hundred years, and now it's only this big. About twenty years ago, they say it dried up for a few days because too much water was drawn.”
“Then shouldn't I avoid using it?”
At Rahan's words, Marid grinned.
“Fortunately or unfortunately, the spring is flowing well now. Still, just in case, we don't open it to just anyone.”
“They say that happened when an Emperor from two generations ago came for urgent treatment and drew water recklessly,” Iris whispered.
“No matter how powerful a ruler may be, they are but a mere human before Eridrahan. It is a lesson that He does not give more than what is necessary,” Priest Marid said.
Listening to Priest Marid, Rahan carefully stepped into the water.
Although he had been treated thanks to Priest Wilbert, his body was still a mess.
To use a metaphor, it was like a pouch that had been sewn up prettily on the outside, but inside, things were mixed up in a chaotic jumble.
As Rahan let out a groan, “Ugh,” feeling his bones ache in the hot water, Priest Marid asked worriedly.
“Shall I help you?”
“I'm fine.”
“Iris, what about you?”
Iris?
When Rahan glanced back, he saw Priest Marid tenderly stroking the back of Iris's hand with a look of pity.
“I'm fine.”
“Still. Since the Abbot has opened the Sanctuary, you should get treated as well.”
It seemed the scratches she got from hiding him in the wild raspberry bushes were still there.
‘She probably couldn't even get treated because of me...’
To treat the critically injured Rahan, Abbot Wilbert seemed to have poured in so much strength that he nearly fainted.
Rahan remembered the piercing gazes the monastery priests had directed at him.
Of course, that was one thing.
“Get in.”
Rahan spoke deliberately bluntly.
Iris, who was standing by the spring, widened her eyes and turned around. In the process, she let go of Priest Marid's hand.
Only then did Rahan feel a bit amused as he pulled Iris's hand.
“But...”
“The priest says it's fine.”
With a short scream of “Kyaa!”, Iris, pulled by Rahan, slid into the spring.
Splash, water sprayed. The place where she accidentally plopped down was Rahan's lap.
“I'm sorry, are you okay?”
“Why wouldn't I be okay.”
At the grumpy answer, Iris fidgeted and tried to stand up. However, Rahan deliberately held her, seating her between his legs as if embracing her.
He knew Priest Marid adored Iris. He could see it was a heart with no sinister intent, more like how one looks at a younger sister or a daughter.
But in Rahan's eyes, Priest Marid was too young. Moreover, he was unnecessarily smooth-talking.
Of course, if Harris heard this, he would be bewildered and ask, ‘Isn't that just having a good personality?’ But Harris wasn't here.
Whether he knew Rahan's inner thoughts or not, Priest Marid beamed with joy.
“My, it's wonderful to see a couple taking care of each other. Anyway, the Abbot said you may use the Sanctuary for a month, so you may come and go as you please during that time.”
“Thank you for taking care of us. I will surely repay this grace.”
“We are the ones who should repay the grace.”
It was said that the priests were nearly shocked to fainting when they saw a blood-stained Iris rush into the monastery while Rahan was unconscious.
It was Riet who handled the situation. While the priests were carrying Rahan, Riet quickly burned the carcass of the magical beast.
The knight's remains had been torn to shreds, so they only managed to recover the head that had been spat out.
Only then did Rahan understand why Riet, who usually would have shown her face at least once, had been unseen while he was unconscious.
“We've decided to keep quiet in the village for now. So, please both of you keep the secret.”
In a way, it was natural. While it was unusual for a magical beast to appear twice in such a short time, it was somewhat lacking in substance to treat it as a major crisis and prepare for it.
One could say that rare events had simply coincided by chance.
Above all, there was great anxiety within the monastery. People like Priest Vera were not the only ones speaking out.
Rather than making a scene, Abbot Wilbert ordered silence to see how things played out first.
“I understand.”
Priest Marid urged them to focus on recovery and returned to the monastery.
As an afterthought, Iris, who had been leaning against Rahan, called out, “Oh, the goats!” and asked Priest Marid to take care of the goats and the axolotl's food.
Rahan frowned.
“I told you, you don’t need to feed that lizard.”
“How can you say that? If it’s alive, it has to eat. You’re mean. It ate the wild raspberries I gave it quite well.”
As Iris spoke, she lightly pinched Rahan’s nose.
Rahan let out a bewildered chuckle. Yet, in a corner of his mind, a belated sense of anxiety took root.
‘That man secretly offered sacrifices to the demon while you were asleep! At dawn, listening to the bleating of goats, he fed blood to the snake!’
That knight must have seen him squeezing blood for the axolotl.
He blamed himself inwardly. No matter how spaced out he had been, how could he have failed to notice such a bastard hiding there for several days?
“Iris.”
Rahan spoke cautiously.
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