The Priest of Complete Dispel ~ Every Time I Save a Cursed Beautiful Girl with My Status Abnormal Cure Skill, For Some Reason Her Dependence on Me Maxes Out ~ - Chapter 17: Departure

Chapter 17: Departure

—Morning came, and the three of us returned to the village together.

By noon, I prepared and got ready to leave the village.

A lot of villagers gathered to see me off.

In my past life, with only Rikka as a friend, I could never have imagined this.

The old man, the old lady, Amelia, Nora holding a small child, and Marie.

The balding village chief, people I healed, people I helped with farming, people who shared their vegetables…

The people in this village all seemed warm.

“Shu… you’re really leaving… It doesn’t feel real…”

Yesterday, we talked so much, got so close, and I thought we’d settled things, but Amelia looked like she was about to cry.

“Shu…!”

“Amelia…”

Amelia hugged me so tightly I thought my body would break.

Her trembling eyes overflowed with tears.

“Come back… come back… come get me…! I can’t think of being with anyone but you, Shu… You can cheat or whatever… but someday, absolutely… you have to come get me… promise…!”

Amelia never said she wanted me to stay, not even at the end.

What heavy words she carved into my brain at the very last moment…

Amelia thought my skill would lead to more relationships with women.

But after hearing that, I had no choice but to come back and get her…

“Got it… I’ll show my face sometimes, I’ll come back. So… don’t cry too much.”

“Shu! Shu! Shu…!”

Amelia sobbed in my arms, messing up her neat nun outfit.

Even Nora, her sister, couldn’t interrupt, standing behind with trembling eyes.

“Nora…”

“Shu!!”

So I called out to Nora, and the three of us hugged together.

After letting go of Amelia and Nora, I turned around.

“—Shu, take this.”

The old lady handed me a hooded gray robe. If my hair was light gray, this robe was dark gray.

It was a bit frilly but made of firm fabric, with gold and red decorations in an elegant design. It could be fastened with a belt like a trench coat.

…And she also gave me a letter.

“The balding village chief made this robe with special alchemy processing. …The letter has the names and addresses of two people. Rely on them if something happens.”

“I see, thanks.”

The balding village chief smiled at me from the back.

Wait, alchemy? That’s news to me…

In the end, I couldn’t ask about alchemy. I put the robe over my nun outfit, and it fit perfectly, looking really cool.

“Hmph. Looks good on you, doesn’t it?”

The old lady smirked, satisfied.

I turned to face them again.

It was the last moment, so I had to say it properly. The final words I couldn’t say before—

“Old man… and old lady. —For five years, thank you for raising me. I’m really glad you took me in. I’m truly grateful for that.”

“Shu…”

“You little brat…!”

A few tears welled up in their eyes.

It was the first time I saw them cry since coming to this village.

“—!”

Unable to hold back my emotions, I stepped forward and hugged Ouji and Mizette.

“Shu… Shu… Stay well… stay well…”

“Don’t die easily… Never forget what I taught you…!”

“Yeah… I know. I know. When things settle down, I’ll definitely come back…”

Since coming to this world, I felt I learned what true, selfless love was.

The old man and old lady had no children.

I knew it wasn’t because they lost a child early.

I wasn’t their child.

But I was truly their child.

This hug made it all clear to me.

So—

“—Dad, Mom… stay well…!!”

For the first time, I called them my parents in this world.

“See ya!!”

Nora’s loud voice echoed.

Amelia stood close beside her.

“Later, guys!!”

As I rode the carriage with Iris as the driver, I waved back at the villagers waving at me.

The village grew distant. As we moved through the forest, it faded further until it completely disappeared.

After a few hours, we left the forest, and a vast grassland spread out.

It was the first new sight I saw since coming to this world.

That’s when it happened.

—Flash, rumble rumble…

A loud thunder roared from deep in the forest, lighting up the sky.

“Haha, that Keryneia… looks like she is celebrating my departure.”

And so, I left the village of Iasis, where I lived for five years—

◇◇◇

“—You still have some regrets, don’t you?”

Iris noticed my lonely expression; she sat beside me on the driver’s seat and spoke up.

“Yeah… I lived there for five years. It’d be weird not to feel attached.”

“Hehe… right? I thought so. Lord Shu is a warm person.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Because—”

Iris gently let go of the reins with one hand, and then she wiped a tear from my eye.

“—you are crying so much.”

I didn’t shed a single tear until I left everyone.

This departure was a positive step. Besides, I decided I’d definitely return to this village.

So it wasn’t like we’d never meet again.

There was no reason to cry.

Yeah, I’m cold, blunt, and foul-mouthed.

I never thought my personality was good, but I also think it’s bad.

Even so.

Parting with them hit my heart hard…

I kept crying for a while, and until my tears dried up, Iris stayed quiet.

Iasis Village Arc—Complete