CHAPTER 105
The entrance to Nox.
There was no sign of life at the entrance.
It hadn't been long since the earthquake.
It was possible that the entrance leading this way was blocked.
“Let’s go.”
We cleared away the broken door and descended the stairs, revealing a stone staircase riddled with cracks.
It was clear the earthquake's impact had reached deep into Nox.
After descending for a while, we came across a section blocked by rocks, just as expected.
“Babiyen.”
“Honestly, this again?”
Just as Babiyen was about to melt the rocks with her magic again…
FWOOSH!
Her flames erupted violently.
“Whoa!”
We were startled, but Babiyen herself was the most surprised.
I turned to see why the one who cast the spell was so shocked, and Babiyen had a bewildered look on her face.
“H-huh? My firepower?”
She quickly cast a small-scale fire spell.
Once again, a fierce flame blazed to life.
“Babiyen?”
“...My firepower has increased.”
Babiyen said, her face blank with shock.
Her firepower had increased.
It didn't take long to understand what that meant.
There was only one reason her firepower could have increased.
The Designated Merchant, Dark Hood.
It was the elixir he had made for her.
“Man, that guy really knows how to make one hell of a potion.”
“Congratulations, Babiyen.”
Aranseol and I had both seen the effectiveness of Dark Hood’s work.
The elixirs he made were certainly potent.
“Hmm, I don’t think that’s all-ssumda.”
Lululio spoke up, looking at Babiyen’s flames.
“Lady Babiyen, didn’t your attribute grade itself go up a level-ssumka?”
“My grade?”
Babiyen hurriedly gathered her mana to check her status.
Soon, her mouth slowly fell open in astonishment.
“It… it went up. My Fire Attribute went from Grade 3 to Grade 2.”
Her grade went up?
Was that even possible?
Even Aranseol and I, who had experienced his elixirs, looked surprised. Babiyen, the one it happened to, was the most stunned of all.
“How can drinking an elixir… Don’t tell me that elixir burned away one of the latent attributes in my body? This is…”
Babiyen muttered to herself, as if she couldn’t believe it.
It seemed something had been ignited within her as a mage.
If I leave her be, she’ll get lost in thought.
“Babiyen, the rocks first.”
When I snapped her out of it, Babiyen let out a little “Ah!” and rolled up her sleeves.
“Alright. I’ll melt these measly rocks in no time.”
A fire lit up in her eyes.
She looked eager to test out the full extent of her newly upgraded firepower.
And just as she intended, Babiyen melted the rocks with ease.
The speed was on a completely different level than before, making it clear just how much her firepower had increased.
“Heh, a task like this is simple for this girl!”
Babiyen began to puff out her chest with pride.
Well, her abilities as a mage had improved significantly, so she had a right to be proud.
“Great job, great job, Babiyen.”
“Keep the praise coming!”
Her self-esteem was through the roof.
With a very excited Babiyen, we continued down the path, and soon found the door leading to the underground.
The door was warped, so Aranseol had to use her strength to break it down.
Squeezing through the broken door, the scenery of Nox soon unfolded before us.
Nox was utterly devastated.
People were moving about here and there trying to rebuild, but it was far from normal.
And it was dark, unlike before.
The residents of Nox relied on fires lit here and there for light.
With the artificial sun gone, there was nothing else to illuminate the underground of Nox.
“Let’s go to Monghwagol.”
After walking for a long time past collapsed roads…
We finally began to see the entrance to Monghwagol.
Normally, red lanterns should have greeted us, but they were all broken.
There was no sign of life inside Monghwagol.
Looking closely, several buildings had collapsed, making it seem difficult for people to live there.
“Did everyone evacuate?”
At Aranseol’s question, I rubbed the back of my neck.
I couldn’t be sure either.
“Let’s look around some more.”
We couldn’t just turn back after coming all this way.
We started to search inside Monghwagol to find people.
After looking around for a while…
“Aah! A thief!”
A short scream echoed out.
“Huh? I’m not a thief-ssumda!”
Hearing Lululio’s voice follow, I quickly ran in that direction. There, a woman who appeared to be from Monghwagol stood holding a basket.
“You came to steal valuables while Monghwagol is in ruins, didn’t you! Don’t think I can’t tell!”
She was wary of Lululio, accusing her of being a thief. Judging by her reaction, it seemed thieves had already struck several times.
“Just a moment. This girl is not a thief.”
I stepped in front of Lululio before the misunderstanding could grow.
Lululio, who had been instantly branded a thief, wore a pitiful expression.
“Sir Harua, do I look like a thief-ssumka?”
“Oh, Harua, the Saint?”
Hearing the name Lululio uttered, the woman turned to me with a surprised look.
I was quite famous in Monghwagol.
Having treated the women who had contracted the Apostle’s plague and worked as a holy mage for a while, most of the women knew me.
So, even if I didn’t remember her, she would certainly remember me.
In that instant, her eyes welled up with tears. She dropped her basket and ran to embrace me.
As befitting a woman of Monghwagol, her ample bosom pressed against my chest.
“Saint, you came to help us!”
She said, bursting into tears.
From her reaction, it seemed some of the women of Monghwagol were injured.
“...Harua?”
At that moment, a chilly voice came from behind me.
Aranseol and Babiyen had appeared.
They had both come after hearing the voices.
“The moment we take our eyes off you.”
I could feel the irritation in Babiyen’s voice as well.
What’s with them?
With so many injured, anyone would react this way upon finding a holy mage.
“There are injured, aren’t there? Could you guide me?”
“Ah, yes, yes!”
There was no place where more information gathered than Monghwagol.
I couldn’t let the favor I had built up with them go to waste.
At my request, the woman hurriedly picked up her basket and ran.
I followed her, checking our surroundings.
A moment later, the place she led me to was a barracks marked with the rose symbol of Monghwagol.
From inside the barracks, the groans of women could be heard continuously.
It seemed that a great number of people had been injured in the earthquake.
Moreover, the surrounding area was in a terrible state.
“Babiyen, can you clean up the area with your magic?”
“I was going to do it even if you didn’t ask. At this rate, the tent might collapse.”
“Aranseol, there might still be people in the collapsed buildings. I don’t care who they are, just bring the injured here for now.”
“Okay, leave it to me.”
After giving instructions to the two of them, I entered the barracks with Lululio.
The smell of blood and pus was everywhere.
It was a tent filled with pain.
“Oh, Harua?”
“It’s been a while, Madame Karuang.”
Madame Karuang.
She looked extremely haggard as she nursed the women.
Karuang herself didn’t look to be in good condition.
I could see a splint on her leg.
I moved my hands and treated her first.
Karuang is the leader of Monghwagol.
The faster she recovered, the faster the situation would be brought under control.
“How did you get here…”
“We can talk later. Let’s focus on treatment first.”
A quick glance told me there were several women in critical condition.
Talk could wait.
“Sorry, I’m counting on you. I’ll be sure to compensate you.”
“That gives me strength.”
If I’m getting paid, I’d better work hard.
First, I sorted the seriously injured women and began to treat them one by one.
All the while, I kept searching for Horizon.
If Horizon was here, I could just heal her.
If not, I was planning to try using Resurrection on her finger.
An earthquake of this magnitude…
I had to consider the possibility that she had died alone somewhere.
By the time I had put out the most urgent fires…
I began treating those with minor injuries.
The recovered women moved quickly, going in and out to somehow procure clean clothes, food, and water.
“The Saint is helping us this much.”
“We can’t just stand by either!”
For some reason, they kept mentioning my name, but I figured it was all for the best.
In any case, they were helping people of their own accord.
After a flurry of activity passed…
Horizon never appeared, neither inside nor outside the tent.
Horizon wasn't the type to just die somewhere, but it had been a massive earthquake.
If she had been hit by a falling rock, there would have been nothing she could do.
‘I guess I’ll have to try resurrecting her.’
Just as I was thinking that and about to ask Ririran for her finger…
Flap—
The tent flap opened and someone rushed in.
The moment I saw her, my eyes widened.
“Horizon.”

There stood Horizon, laden with a mountain of luggage.
She had brought so much that her already small frame looked even smaller, crushed under the weight of her belongings.

“Oh, M-Mr. Harua?”
Horizon looked back at me with a surprised expression.
She looked as if she couldn’t understand why I was here.

“Horizon, what are you doing here?”
Meanwhile, Karuang faced Horizon with a look of surprise.
It seemed Horizon hadn’t been in Nox after all.
She was safe.
Thank goodness.
“W-well, I heard there was an earthquake, so I thought Nox might be in trouble.”
Horizon set down her luggage.
Inside was a large amount of food and the money she had saved up until now.
“I, I thought I had to do something, so I just brought everything.”
“You really are something.”
Karuang, looking emotional, placed a firm hand on Horizon’s shoulder and bit her lip.
“Don’t you worry. I’ll pay every last bit of this back.”
Monghwagol was in no position to refuse help.
They had to put out the immediate fire.
People had to be saved.
At Karuang’s words, Horizon smiled softly.
“It’s okay. You’re the one who raised me, Madame. I-I can at least repay you for raising me!”
Karuang gave the admirable Horizon a tight hug, then stood up.
She wiped the tears from her eyes and clenched her fists.
“That’s right. Monghwagol won’t die like this. I will see it reborn.”
Karuang’s will burned fiercely.
It was the spirit befitting the master of Monghwagol.
“Um, Mr. Harua.”
Meanwhile, Horizon approached me.
“Oh, is this Lady Horizon-ssumka?”
Lululio, who had been assisting, showed her interest.
Startled by the person she’d never seen before, Horizon instinctively hid behind my back.
She was as timid as ever.
“Horizon, let me introduce you. This is Lululio. She’ll be with us for a Regular Army matter.”
“I’m Lululio-ssumda!”
“Ah, hello.”
As Horizon gave an awkward greeting, Lululio cackled.
With her naturally bright personality, I figured Lululio would get along with Horizon quickly.
“Um, b-but, Mr. Harua, why are you here?”
Horizon looked up at me, a look of confusion on her face.
I looked at her for a moment, then gave her a thumbs-up.
“To save Monghwagol.”
“Stop showing off.”
Just then, Aranseol returned with an exasperated expression.
“Horizon, I’m so glad you’re safe.”
“Ah, Ms. Aranseol.”
At Aranseol’s appearance, Horizon’s face brightened considerably.
“Ugh, I’m completely drained of mana. I’d love to take a hot bath and rest.”
Just then, Babiyen also finished her work and returned.
Finally, after so long, Harua’s team was all together.
“Let’s all go to a hot spring when this is over.”
“Sounds good. I’m in.”
“That gives me some energy.”
“Ooh, hot springs sound great-ssumda!”
As everyone showed their enthusiasm for saving Monghwagol, Horizon’s eyes widened, and she gently tugged at the hem of her clothes.
“Thank you, thank you so much.”
“Don’t mention it. It’s perfect for some practical holy magic training.”
I patted her on the head and rolled up my sleeves.
Now that I knew Horizon was safe, all that was left was healing and rebuilding Monghwagol.
Let’s get this over with.