A hero who wants to help others wants to live a normal life - Chapter 24

TL/Note: Change the Saint’s name to Rachel Mary Wind. I have also updated her name in the previous chapters. Thank you.

Chapter 24   Friends with the Saint?

“And… Sahara-san. I would like to thank you as well. Thank you very much. Let me formally introduce myself once again. My name is Rachel Mary Wind. You don’t need to treat me formally—please feel free to interact with me normally.”

Although Rachel expressed her gratitude and requested informality, her expression seemed… sad.

It bothered me to see that kind of expression, even though I had helped her. I understood, of course, that her sadness wasn’t due to being saved. No, she was likely resigned to the fact that, even though she said people could treat her normally, no one actually would.

But that didn’t matter to me. Regardless of the reason, I just didn’t like seeing such a dull expression on her face.

“Well, I only came back here because I got attacked too and needed to regroup. It wasn’t like I came here with the intention of helping you, so you don’t have to make such a big deal out of it. If anything, it was just a coincidence.”

“…! Even so, thank you!”

Honestly, I didn’t care about family expectations or anything like that. All that mattered to me was how the other person felt. If someone asked me to treat them a certain way, I’d just do it without making things uncomfortable. So, since Rachel said I could act normally, I responded in my usual manner.

She probably didn’t expect that kind of reaction from me. After widening her eyes in surprise, she smiled warmly and thanked me again.

I wasn’t sure if her gratitude was for saving her or for treating her the way she wanted. But if she was smiling, that was good enough for me.

However, that wasn’t the end of the conversation.

After glancing around to assess the situation, Rachel began sneaking looks in my direction. I was about to ask Toko what was going on when Rachel herself spoke again.

“Um, I know this might be a bit forward, but… would you consider being friends with me?”

“Friends?”

Why was she suddenly asking something like that in a situation like this? And becoming friends… with me and the saint?

“I’m embarrassed to admit this, but I don’t have any close friends. While there are people who are kind to me and those who act alongside me, those relationships are… well, based on family obligations. I’ve accepted that, and I know it’s unavoidable. But we’re not in my country right now. This is a place where people from various nations gather, and with those from other countries, my status shouldn’t matter as much. Because those from other countries aren’t ‘citizens of my nation.’ So, there’s no need for anyone to revere me here.”

“That might be true, but… still, that’s…”

Even if treating her normally is fine, the difference in our positions is just too great. I might be okay with it, but the people around us wouldn’t allow it.

I had a feeling her bodyguards would stop me or prevent me from getting too close. Because of that, I couldn’t respond clearly to Rachel’s proposal and ended up hesitating.

“Yes, I understand that this might be difficult. But even so, you treated me no differently than anyone else, and I’m grateful for that. So, if you could continue interacting with me in the same way and perhaps become closer over time, that would be enough…”

Becoming friends didn’t seem to mean truly becoming close, but more like occasionally chatting and keeping things casual. If that was all, I didn’t think there would be a problem. No one would make a fuss over a conversation between classmates.

“In that case—”

“Someone help!”

But just as I was about to respond to Rachel’s proposal, a scream echoed from the distance.

“What’s wrong?!”

Rachel reacted instantly, sprinting toward the direction of the cry for help without a moment’s hesitation.

“I’m sorry, but we’ll have to continue this conversation later!”

She seemed to remember us only after she started running, glancing back and shouting that before turning forward again and running off.

“Putting injured people before politics and personal matters… quite the saint.”

To be able to devote yourself to others like that—even if it’s unofficial, there’s no mistaking why she’s called a “saint.” It’s probably not just because of her abilities. After all, the person her skills are based on wasn’t someone who naturally wanted to help others like she does.

“Yeah, but maybe you need to be that selfless to gain healing abilities.”

“Even so, the desire to heal someone… it’s often not as noble as people think.”

“Really? Using it to help others makes her a pretty good person, no?”

No, not really. Most people probably gained that ability by desperately wishing for someone close to them not to die. That’s all there is to it.

And there’s no guarantee the person they wanted to save actually survived. If they did, then fine. They’d use their newfound powers to save that person and continue helping others. That might lead to a great life—one where they live with pride and die content.

But what if they didn’t make it in time? What then?

The person they wanted to save dies, leaving them with nothing but regret and a cursed blessing. They’re forced to live with the desire to save others, all while failing to save the one who mattered most.

That’s nothing but a living hell.

That’s why blessings meant for healing and the wishes behind them are often not as beautiful as they seem. Especially the one Rachel uses—it’s a cruel thing.

But I couldn’t say any of this to Toko, nor did I plan to say it to anyone. Instead, I let out a deep sigh and began walking in the direction Rachel had run off.

“Oh. Hey, wait a minute—”

Toko jogged lightly to catch up with me as I started walking off.

“—Phew.”

After that, Rachel continued using her skills, living up to her title as the “saint,” treating all the injured people around her. Even to an amateur like me, it was obvious she was saving people with serious injuries. But was it really necessary to use her powers on minor wounds, like twisted ankles or small cuts that weren’t life-threatening?

Those kinds of injuries would heal on their own, and since everyone would probably end up going to the hospital for a proper check-up anyway, I figured they could be treated there.

Still, I guess it’s because she even heals such minor injuries with her powers that she’s called the “saint.”

For now, at least, her work was done. Rachel had treated all the visible injuries.

“Good work~. Here, take this. You need to drink something or you’ll collapse. If Rei-chi goes down, we’re in serious trouble, you know?”

Toko handed Rachel a bottle of water, her attitude completely different from before Rachel started treating people. Actually, it wasn’t really different—she had just gone back to her usual self. So in a way, it wasn’t strange, but it was still surprising.

“Oh, thank you?”

Rachel seemed just as surprised by Toko’s change in attitude, blinking in confusion as she accepted the bottle.

Well, of course. Toko had initially turned down Rachel’s offer to be friends, so it’s only natural she’d be thrown off by such a sudden shift in behavior.

That being said, Rachel, being royalty, quickly masked her confusion with a smile. With a calm expression, she took a breath, perhaps to steady herself, or maybe because she was genuinely thirsty, and tightened her grip on the bottle cap to open it. But…

“Whoops… are you alright?”

“I may have… overused my skill a little.”

Rachel dropped the water bottle, her hands apparently too weak to grip it. But that was understandable. She had been healing not just a few, but dozens of people without resting. Using her skill that many times was bound to take a toll on her.

“I’m fine. I must continue to extend my hand to others, just like the one who blessed me with this skill. So, I have no intention of collapsing here.”

Even though Rachel was clearly exhausted, almost to the point of collapse, she kept pushing herself. No one was forcing her to carry the burden of healing others, and there was no real need to push herself to such a state. She wasn’t healing someone she cared deeply about, or expecting any kind of reward. Yet she smiled, satisfied just knowing she could help everyone.

Watching her like this… made me feel uneasy.

“Self-sacrifice… how pointless.”

The words slipped out of my mouth before I even realized it.