Charlotte was already waiting in front of the familiar building.
"Charlotte, sorry! Sorry for keeping you waiting!" (Fia)
I ran up to Charlotte feeling apologetic, and she smiled brightly.
"Well, I knew Fia would definitely come, so waiting was fun. Fia, waiting is fun, right?" (Charlotte)
"Hey, what's with that cute line? Charlotte, I'm going to be a great big sister, okay!" (Fia)
Charlotte was so cute that you would be completely charmed in an instant.
Charlotte was holding a bottle to her chest, containing a green healing potion.
"Oh dear, Charlotte. Did you fetch some healing potions from the spring? Thank you!" (Fia)
When I thanked her, Charlotte smiled happily.
Wanting to make her laugh even more, I tried imitating Zavilia using the puppet on my left hand.
"Hello, Charlotte. I'm Zavili..." (Fia)
As I was about to say it, I remembered that Captain Quentin had advised me not to say Zavilia's name in public.
"I'm Zavilinlin-lingowski! A bluebird type monster. I'm the symbol of happiness, so if you meet me you'll be happy. Look, happy☆" (Fia)
I tried my best using the puppet, waving both my hands, but Charlotte's smile turned into a troubled expression, and Zavilia even had an unusually displeased look on his face.
...Ah, what, a dud? Uh, okay, let's not do it. I'm the type who reads the atmosphere and doesn't dig too deep, you know...
To change the mood, I went into the familiar stable with Charlotte and we decided to take a look around at the injured monsters. Charlotte seemed to have been frequenting the familiar stable for some time, and she gave us detailed explanations about each monster. As I listened to Charlotte's story and looked around at the first monster, then the second, then the third... the smile on Charlotte's brightly smiling face gradually faded. Then, when we came to the fourth monster, Charlotte pursed her lips and grabbed my clothes. Charlotte stopped walking, so I stopped too.
"What's the matter, Charlotte?" (Fia)
When I asked curiously, Charlotte frowned and spoke.
"Fia, the monster's injuries are healing..." (Charlotte)
"Hmm? We gave them healing potions, so it's obvious they'll get better, right?" (Fia)
...Come to think of it, Charlotte had doubts about the effectiveness of this green recovery potions. The monsters she had seen seemed to be recovering properly, so Charlotte must have begun to believe in the effectiveness of the green healing potion, while I was thinking about this, she replied.
"...Of course, not at all. There's no way they would heal this quickly. All the monsters had injuries that needed much more time to heal, like a week or ten days. Why are almost all of them healed...?" (Charlotte)
"Green potions increase the user's natural recovery ability. Monsters have naturally high recovery abilities, so maybe that's the reason?" (Fia)
As I answered in all seriousness, Charlotte gripped my clothes tightly with both hands. Her lips began to tremble.
"...Is this green water really a healing potion?" (Charlotte)
"Yes, that's right, you know." (Fia)
When I smiled, Charlotte began to cry.
"Huh? Cha... Charlotte? Wh... What's wrong?" (Fia)
"This healing potion... is amazing. No one suffers, and injuries heal quickly. I've wanted a healing potion like this for a long, long time." (Charlotte)
I hugged Charlotte tightly and patted her on the back.
"Hehe, then after I return to the First Knight Order, Charlotte will tell the knights of the Monster Knights about green healing potions, right? The captain came to check on me earlier, so I think I'll be returning to the First Knights soon." (Fia)
As I said this, Charlotte looked up as if she had been bounced.
"Fia, are you going away?" (Charlotte)
"I'm a member of the First Knight Order, so I'll just go back to my original affiliation. The First Knights' quarters are also located within the royal castle, so we can meet whenever we want, okay?" (Fia)
Smiling, I bent down to be at Charlotte's eye level.
"I have a favor to ask of Charlotte. It's about the spring of green healing potions. Because new water is constantly gushing out from that spring, the healing potions will get diluted if nothing is done. So, could you please run healing magic into the spring once a day, and use it as practice for you, Charlotte? The amount should be about the same as what we practiced the other day. Be careful not to run too much, as you'll run out of magic power." (Fia)
"What do you think?" I asked Charlotte, and she just stared at me in silence.
"Is Fia... a Saint?" (Charlotte)
"Huh?" (Fia)
"Because I'm a failed saint, I sometimes get guidance from the higher-ranking saints. When they do, they hold my hand and teach me how to cast healing magic, but I never really get it, and in the end, I don't learn anything." (Charlotte)
Then, as if remembering something, Charlotte turned her gaze slightly upwards and stared into space.
"The other day, when we were practicing making healing potions at the spring, Fia held my hand. It was the first time I felt magical power flowing through my body. I didn't notice it at the time because I was convinced that Fia couldn't be a saint, but after that, you adjusted the amount of magical power coming out of my left hand, saying it was too much. ...The teachings of the higher saints and your teachings are so different that I didn't notice, but when I saw the power of this green healing potion, I understood. Fia is a saint. A more powerful saint than I've ever seen." (Charlotte)
"Ahh——... Charlotte......" (Fia)
"Even if ten high ranking saints worked together, it would be impossible to turn an entire spring into a healing potion. ...Hey, Fia. There's a portrait of the legendary great saint hanging in the church. She has bright crimson hair down to her knees and golden eyes. It's the same color as yours, Fia." (Charlotte)
"…………" (Fia)
"Fia, if it is discovered that you are a saint, because of your great power and your appearance that is the same color as the legendary Great Saint, you will be adorned as a supreme being, hidden deep within the temple, and worshiped." (Charlotte)
"Ah――…… No, that's a bit much……" (Fia)
Please spare me... I thought, and my face unconsciously took on a sour look. Even in my previous life, I didn't live such a cramped life.
Charlotte spoke with a determined look on his face, as if she had made up her mind about something.
"I'm on your side, Fia. I won't do anything that the Fia doesn't want me to do." (Charlotte)
As she spoke, she held my hands tightly with both her small ones.
"Fia, your actions and words are those of a saint, from creating a spring of healing medicine for injured monsters to guiding me to the powers of a righteous saint. But I think there's a reason why you hide her identity as a saint. So, I won't tell anyone anything." (Charlotte)
As I said that, Charlotte looked straight at me.
"Let me thank you, Fia. Thank you for making me a saint. I have always wanted the power of a saint, and wanted to use that power to save everyone. That's why I'm so happy to have become a saint. Thank you, Fia." (Charlotte)
Charlotte's words suddenly hit me in the heart.
"You're welcome, Charlotte. Congratulations on becoming a fine saint. Thank you for respecting my wishes." (Fia)
As I was lost in my sentimental thoughts, Zavilia muttered softly.
"That's wise, right, little saint. If you had tried to do something Fia didn't want, I would have been the one to deal with you, you know." (Zavilia)
... I felt something unsettling about Zavilia's words, but since the matter seemed to have been resolved I decided not to interfere.
"Well then, Charlotte. Shall we go and see what the rest of the monsters are up to?" (Fia)
To change the mood, I deliberately spoke in a brighter voice. So I went to check on Charlotte and the remaining monsters, and saw that most of them seemed to be recovering, so I breathed a sigh of relief. When there was only one left, Charlotte muttered quietly.
"This green healing potion is truly amazing. It heals most wounds in just one use, and it even makes all monsters that use it friendly..." (Charlotte)
Now that I thought about it, the monsters that bared their fangs yesterday morning were obediently following orders today.
"Fia... It seems like it's no surprise to you, but this potion is so much better than the transparent potions you can find on the market, it feels like a completely different thing. This... I think if people found out that a potion like this existed, it would be quite a disaster." (Charlotte)
"What? Really?" (Fia)
...Now that she said it, it's true that when I took the transparent recovery potion, I experienced an unbelievable amount of excruciating pain. However, that was because I was a user of healing magic, so it had a detrimental effect and caused me an extremely intense pain. If a normal person used it, I didn't think it would hurt that much... Ah, but I wondered if the recovery speed was much faster than that of a transparent potion? When I used it myself, I healed myself without waiting for the effects, so that part remained a mystery. Yes, when trying to improve things, it's essential to understand the current situation. So maybe I should try out that transparent healing potion at least once.... Ugh, human experimentation, huh... I'm not feeling up to it...
Just as my thoughts were starting to veer in another direction, I was drawn back to Charlotte.
"Hey, Fia. I think it would be best to reserve this green potion for the monsters here for a while. If I say it's cloudy in color because it's for monsters, everyone will understand." (Charlotte)
"I see. ... Somehow, even though you're just a child, Charlotte, you have a lot of thoughts, huh...?" (Fia)
I agreed, somewhat surprised. Zavilia and Charlotte, those kids were smart...
I have to do my best too!
As I was trying to stay positive and motivated, Zavilia suddenly muttered something.
"I think Fia is fine the way she is. If she gets too motivated, I can only see a difficult future..." (Zavilia)
Well, Zavilia, I'm pretty useful too!
"Watch," I murmured, to which Zavilia replied, "Please spare me."