Chapter 15: Cleaning and Repairs, Together

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Lloyd pushed open the door of the abandoned house and let out a sigh of exasperation.

“This is terrible… I wonder how many days it’ll take before this place is even barely livable.”

The floorboards were rotted, the pillars groaned, and the walls were full of holes. Whenever the wind blew, the entire house creaked as if it might collapse. The structure was barely holding together, so it could provide some shelter from the rain, but it was far from a place suitable for living. However, a bright voice came from behind him.

“I don’t think that’s true, you know?”

Turning around, Lloyd saw Lusha standing there with a smile on her face.

“Huh?”

Lloyd’s gaze asked silently what she meant, and she nodded confidently.

“I told you, didn’t I? I can use 〈Repair 〉magic.”

“Oh… Now that you mention it.”

Lloyd remembered then. When they had talked about heading to the abandoned village, Lusha had indeed mentioned something about 〈Repair 〉. But at the time, he had only taken it half-seriously. Holy magic that could repair buildings—what exactly did that mean? Doubts had clouded his mind. He had never seen such magic in action, nor did he know its true effectiveness. It was too unknown to rely on.

“Then… Could you show me?”

“Leave it to me.”

Still skeptical, Lloyd gestured with his palm, indicating the interior of the house, and Lusha nodded with a smile. The two of them slowly stepped inside the abandoned house. The moment they stepped in, the floorboards groaned under their weight. The wood had become brittle with moisture and age, creaking with every step. Large cracks ran along the walls, and dusty cobwebs hung from the ceiling beams.

The window frames were warped, rattling in the slightest breeze. Could magic really repair a place like this? As he wondered, Lusha closed her eyes in the center of the room and quietly began to recite words of prayer.

“O Mother who rules over the Earth… Mend broken bonds, restore severed paths, and return all to their original form.”

At that moment, a pale light appeared at Lusha’s hands. The sacred light seemed almost alive as it slithered toward the damaged sections of the floor, gently enveloping them. The rotted floorboards quickly regained their original shape. Holes closed, and warped wood straightened out.

“…No way… Is this even real?”

Lloyd’s eyes widened as repairs progressed before him. Lusha held her hands over each damaged section, carefully channeling her magical energy. Cracks in the walls vanished, fissures in the pillars disappeared in an instant, and even the groaning beams seemed to regain their strength.

“Amazing… So this is what Repair Magic can do.”

“Well, you know, I am a ‘Saint.’ I can fix swords and armor too, so if anything breaks, just let me know, okay?”

Lusha said this with a proud smile, puffing out her chest a little. Her slightly smug expression was oddly endearing, and a smile naturally spread across Lloyd’s face. Apparently, Repair Magic was considered high-level holy magic. It required significant faith and magical power to master, and only a select few clerics could wield it. That was why, despite being such a convenient magic, it hadn’t spread to the general populace. It was no wonder someone like Lusha was so rare.

“I see… A blacksmith would probably cry and get angry if they saw this.”

“Huh? Did I do something wrong?”

“No, not at all. I’m praising you.”

Lloyd shrugged and looked around the house again. The space, now being repaired by magic, looked completely transformed from its previous state of decay. At this rate, they might really be able to live here.

“All right. I’ll take care of the outside. I’ll also look for anything else that might be useful. I assume not everything can be fixed with magic, right?”

“Yes. Then I’ll continue repairing the interior.”

“Got it.”

The two naturally divided the tasks and set to work. Lloyd went outside and began checking the surrounding abandoned houses and warehouses. Many of the village buildings had been exposed to the elements, leaving only their frames, though some had retained a bit of structure. Lloyd carefully pried open doors and examined the interiors. Usable cloth, unbroken dishes, old barrels and in a corner, a rusty axe.

“Hmm… Could this still be useful?”

He picked up the axe and tested its weight. The handle was partially rotted, and the blade covered in rust, but with Repair Magic, it might be usable for chopping firewood. Carrying what he had found, Lloyd returned to the house where Lusha was still repairing. As he opened the door, the dry scent of wood drifted to his nose.

Lusha noticed him and turned, smiling.

“It’s done!”

“Already? …Wow, you’re right!”

Lloyd looked around the room and couldn’t help but exclaim in awe. The floor that had been full of holes, the walls riddled with gaps. The room had been completely transformed. The floor was smoothly restored, and no cracks remained in the walls. Even the furniture seemed to have been reconstructed using the original materials, regaining their former appearance. It felt like a well-worn country home. Now, they could truly live here. Lloyd had a clear sense of the White Saint’s incredible power.

“Of course, magic can’t handle cleaning, so we’ll have to do that ourselves…”

“No, this is more than enough. I can help with that. Oh, I brought some cloth. Maybe we can use it for wiping?”

Lloyd placed the items he had collected on the floor: cloth, the broken axe, buckets, and dishes.

“Wow, that’s a lot. I’ll repair these as well.”

Lusha smiled and held her hand over them. Once again, she recited her words of prayer, and the light of repair shone forth. The axe handle was renewed, and the blade now gleamed faintly. The cracks in the bucket disappeared completely, the dishes had no chips or cracks, and the cloth was fully restored.

“…Repair Magic really is convenient.”

Lloyd nodded, genuinely impressed, and took a cleaned cloth to start wiping the floors. Lusha used the Element Gem to generate water, filling a bucket, and they began cleaning together. After sweeping the large dust out of the house, they moved on to wiping the surfaces.

“Yikes…!”

Lusha, dusting the beams above, suddenly jumped in surprise. Her startled reaction made Lloyd burst out laughing.

“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

“B-because… A big bug…”

“I see. So our ‘White Saint’ is more afraid of insects than monsters.”

“Don’t tease me!”

Lusha puffed out her cheeks and glared, but soon they exchanged smiles and laughed together. Once the cleaning settled, Lloyd went to check the water source. Behind the house, a moss-covered stone well remained, though it had long since dried up. Even though it was dry, they might be able to use the Element Gem to generate and store water.

For now, though, only Lloyd and Lusha were here. They could generate water as needed, so it wasn’t immediately necessary. Near the well, Lloyd noticed a small building. It looked familiar.

Huh? Wait… Isn’t this…

Recalling his childhood memory, he peeked inside and it was exactly as he remembered. A bathhouse. The only bath in the village had been in the village chief’s home. Villagers took turns using it every few days, and Lloyd vaguely remembered bathing with his parents.

But… Even Repair Magic probably can’t fix this.

The stone tub had a fist-sized hole in its bottom, and the flue for heating the water had completely collapsed, preventing proper ventilation. The drainage pipe leading to a nearby stream was rusted and fragile, likely to collapse at a touch. Worst of all, the stonework under the stove was entirely destroyed. With this much damage, the structure itself was nearly unrecognizable, and it seemed impossible to repair even with magic.

Well… If we can at least secure a sleeping area, that should be enough. For baths, we can just go to the public bath in the nearby town.

Gluteridge, a larger town, was nearby. There would surely be public baths there, and visiting every few days would likely be satisfactory for Lusha. Ideally, they could use this tub, but it was impossible to fix today. Starting life in an abandoned village meant accepting some limits. Returning to the house, Lloyd found Lusha looking at a tattered mattress with a troubled expression.

“Can this be fixed?”

“No… At this point, there’s nothing I can do.”

She shook her head regretfully. The bed frame could be repaired, but the mattress was beyond hope. Its filling had completely rotted, making it unrecognizable as a material to magic, and Repair Magic had no effect. Even this seemingly omnipotent magic had limits. If so, the stone bath was likely unfixable as well.

“A mattress, huh… We’ll have to figure something out.”

Lusha tilted her head.

“A blanket is enough for me, you know?”

“Don’t be silly. I can’t let the Saint sleep on the floor. We’ll figure something out.”

Lusha blinked in surprise, then smiled shyly.

“…Thank you.”

The sun had begun to set, and its orange light streamed through the window, gently illuminating Lusha’s smile. The dusty space was finally taking on the appearance of a home. Lloyd hadn’t expected them to fix this much in a single day. It was almost entirely Lusha’s doing.

I should be the one thanking her, though.

Seeing her shyly hide her face with her hands, Lloyd thought that once again.

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