Forsaken Priest of the Hero's Party-Chapter 15: The Drying Spring

3 minutes without air.

3 hours without warmth.

3 days without water.

3 weeks without food.

These are the conditions necessary for the demise of a human.

The Hero, the Saint, the Demon Hunter, the Mage, in the end...they are all fundamentally human.

They cannot escape the 3333 rule. Without food, they cannot advance, and without drink, they wither and die. Even if the wind is cold or the sun is hot, they cannot exert their full capabilities.

“Huff... huff... Is no one else feeling hot?”

Even the saint, Aridel, was no exception. No matter how much she strengthened herself with Divine Power, walking under the scorching sun made her feel like she wanted to drop dead.

Whether in the past or now, the desert was not a good terrain for humans to traverse, and in fact, it was the same for all living creatures.

This was the reason why the hero’s party dared to cross this place. This Sandea Desert was a place that all living beings were reluctant to enter, and even the demon race disliked it.

It was just a vast sandy desert with nowhere to hide even if enemies came. It was a terrain where you could clearly see the horizon if you stood still. Ambush was out of the question. If you hid in the sand, you would be cooked before you could even attack.

This also meant that the hero’s party had nowhere to hide, but given their current abilities, an absurd number of troops would be needed to surround and overwhelm the party. Any commander who would try to advance such a large army to a place like this must be a fool.

“How no one is tired at all...? You guys’ stamina is really great...”

Aridel was just amazed. While it’s natural that Lucia and Yurinel must have exercised a lot and trained their physical strength as often as they ate. It wouldn’t be greatly unreasonable even if their stamina was incomparably better than hers.

“Ms. Parnell, you’re smaller than me, but you walk well without breaking a sweat. I should learn from watching you too.”

“Ah, well... I’m used to it.”

“As expected of the heroes who will save the world! That’s right, as a saint, I can’t get exhausted here! I’ll do my best!”

Parnell’s expression became strained.  In fact, her secret lay not in her stamina, but in a single feather tucked tightly into her pocket. It was one of the items Kyle had left behind before leaving the party. It was called the Blue Bird’s Feather.

Like the Candle of Sanctuary, this was also a miracle. Ironically, people sometimes take things for granted, that’s why Parnell also never bothered to consider the fortune of having such a miracle on hand.

But apparently, even the saint could not replace the feather. Parnell slyly pushed the feather deep into her pocket. It would be very troublesome if she lost it.

Kyle had prayed to his God only three times for himself so far.

Each time, his God granted him a Miracle.

When everyone was in danger of being engulfed and killed by the scheme of Grojam, the Demon King of the Sea the Breaker of Water, God responded to Kyle’s prayer and bestowed the Blue Bird’s Feather.

When Kyle thought that his contribution to the party was small and wished for a means to make up for that deficiency, God sent down the Observatory of Celestial Dreams, allowing him to take on more roles.

The last prayer was not for the hero’s party but was delivered with a single girl in mind and returned as the Phylogenetic Seedling. Although God granted him many other miracles, these three are the only miracles that Kyle directly requested and received.

The Blue Bird's Feather.

Joyful be thy steps, Oh favored one.

No harm will ever befall thy path.

Even 20,000 leagues under the sea, they could still breathe without being crushed by the water’s pressure.

The heat of the lava in the vulcanic regions, that turned trees into charcoal couldn’t pierce the ones possessing the Blue Feather.

In icy tundras, in poison swamps, in the abyssal realms of the demons.

Any environmental conditions including radioactive zones cannot surpass the protection of the Blue Bird’s Feather.

Even this desert felt as comfortable as standing in the living room, and the hot winds felt like a cool mountain breeze.

It was quite a shock for Parnell to realize that this wasn’t something to be taken for granted. Unfortunately for the Saint who was diligently following along, a desert is not something that can be overcome with willpower alone.

“Archbishop, aren’t you hot?”

“I am hot.”

The Archbishop answered the Saint, while his robes were drenched in sweat.

“However, Your Holiness, complaining won’t change a thing.”

“......Are you sure you’re human? Please say to me you’re human...”

“Talking like that will only make you hotter. But it seems that both I and the Saint have reached our limits, so how about we take a short break?”

Even an iron-willed person like the Archbishop couldn’t break through the limits of a human body. The party silently communicated with their eyes for a moment and decided to take a short break. No one except the two of them shed a single drop of sweat.

“Hey, Yurinel.”

Lucia Western whispered in a low voice while fiddling with the Blue Bird’s Feather.

“Was chasing Kyle away really the right decision?”

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“It’s too late to say that now. We all agreed on it.”

Yurinel retorted sternly.

Come to think of it, there wasn’t any significant friction between them and Kyle.

They had expelled him solely based on his abilities, but now they couldn’t help but feel uneasy. However, they couldn’t blame the Saint either. She was truly doing her best to help them with all her heart.

“Maybe we should have let him stay a little longer and tried to work things out before deciding...”

“Don’t bring up what’s already passed. We don’t even know where he is or what he’s doing now.”

“That’s why I’m saying this. This feather, it’s gradually fading.”

Lucia took out her Blue Bird’s Feather as she muttered with a serious expression.

“Its size decreased compared to earlier. It should fade away soon. We need to find a way to replace it quickly.”

“Well, as for a replacement, I can use some magic for now.”

Parnell chimed in.

“I might be able to handle one person for an hour or two, but if I cast condition magic on five people indefinitely, I won’t have any mana left for actual combat. Plus, it’s questionable whether it will have the same effect as this feather.”

A God’s Miracles are sustained by his Divine Will.

As an Apostle, Kyle acts as the proxy for the Will of Hope.

The blessing he left behind as he departed from the party is what powers the Blue Bird’s Feather but since then, he no longer prayed for blessings for the hero’s party.

Even as God’s apostle, unless he dies and ascends, he is still a human with a physical body.

He is greatly constrained in every aspect.

Although the God of Hope has no limits, Kyle, the human, has many.

He must cut off the blessings that no longer need to be given and use that spare capacity elsewhere.

If he recklessly grants his blessings to all, the power flowing through him will surely exceed what his mortal body can handle.

This would result in a swift ascension.

He thought they would do well even without him.

They are the heroes of this world, after all.

So the priest decided to focus solely on the little girl in front of him. That’s why the candles lit in the shrines here and there are going out, and the reviving springs are drying up.

Even though the Blue Bird’s Feather protects people from the environment, long marches are tiring in and of themselves.

The three of them also felt physical exhaustion.

When Kyle, his emerald green Divine Power would relieve their fatigue, bringing the body back to its peak condition, and allowing them to walk all day long, but Nemi’s divine power was definitely not up to the task.

Even the Saint, who possessed an absurd amount of Divine Power, was already tired. No matter how great divine power is, it can only compensate for physical exhaustion to a certain extent, not completely replace it.

“Huh? Was the spring originally this small?”

“It’s shrunk because the blessings haven’t been renewed.”

The oasis in the desert,

The reviving spring water was also not the same as before.

Still, it was enough for five people to quench their thirst. However, the size of the clear spring had noticeably decreased, and soon it would completely dry up. This means that this route must now be abandoned.

Or they would have to bring a lot more water.

Packed tightly in their dimensional storage, a truly large amount.

Of course, even if they really did that, they couldn’t replace this reviving spring water.

This water does more than you might think.

“Kya! The water tastes incredible!”

The Saint filled a water bottle, took a sip, and smiled with pleasure. The water was so sweet that after a few gulps, her thirst was quenched and she felt her fatigue completely melt away.

It wasn’t just a feeling.

Strength returned to her tired body, and she had a sense that she would sleep well for some reason.

The sweat that had been pouring like rain lessened, and a cool sensation permeated her exhausted body. Even though she had been under the scorching sun, the spring water was refreshing, and despite having no cover, it was clear without a speck of dust.

The reviving spring is a miracle, and water created by miracles is naturally holy water.

It’s not limited to restoring stamina but is also very effective for things like lifting curses and healing wounds.

“Scoop up some water. Let’s wash up a bit.”

“Should I do some quick laundry too? I didn’t sweat, but I still feel grimy.”

“I should clean my sword.”

Lucia muttered as she scooped some water and spread it on her blade.

“It’s gotten quite dull since I last saw it.”

Normally, washing a sword with water is a surefire way to make it rust, but this is holy water.

Even just rinsing it with water without any special treatment will extend the life of the blade and automatically sharpen it. As a bonus, it also has a kind of consecration effect.

Splash!

Parnell, who had filled a large basin with water, stripped off her clothes and dunked them in. Then she immediately pulled them out.

The clothes, which began to dry as soon as they were removed, became fluffy enough to wear again soon, and just from being submerged briefly, the dirt and dust were washed away, leaving them looking like new.

Of course, it’s a bonus that the clothes were also imbued with a faint divine power.

“What wondrous water. Is it holy water?”

Whether it should be called traces or vestiges,

Archbishop Renheim could sense the power of some great being from this spring.

Far from conflicting with their divine power, that force naturally permeated and did what it was supposed to do. Like water and oil, they didn’t mix or interfere with each other, simply achieving their intended purpose.

Renheim silently tried infusing divine power into a bottle of water he scooped up. No matter how much of the Goddess’s divine power he poured in, it was like water into a bottomless pot - the divinity just drained away without causing any change.

He poured in enough sacred energy to wholly transform even a small pond into holy water, yet this single bottle endlessly absorbed Nemi’s power without changing in the slightest.

Whoever created this spring, their stature was at least higher than the Goddess Nemi.

Ordinary people might scoff, asking where there could be a being of higher rank than the chief deities, but as a high-ranking member of the Holy Kingdom, he knew that such beings existed.

Renheim adjusted his glasses and muttered.

“This is a spring imbued with the power of the ancient gods. To think you discovered something like this - as expected of the Hero’s Party. Befitting of those who have undertaken great adventures.”

“Ancient gods?”

The Hero’s Party was puzzled by the sudden remark.

Despite being the Hero and receiving a noble title, Yurinel was undeniably of common orphan origins.

Parnell, who entered the Magic Tower at a young age and lacked any sort of common sense.

And Lucia Western was born into a distinguished family, but she was orphaned very early when her parents passed away.

They knew nothing about the ancient gods. At most, just that such things existed?

But the Saint, who was no orphan, of good birth, and whose parents were still alive, was also unaware.

She looked at the bishop and asked in bewilderment.

“Ancient gods? Do they truly exist?”

“Your Holiness probably doesn’t know. There’s no need for you to, after all.”

Beings higher than the ones they worshiped.

A common person might go their entire lives without hearing about such entities.

Why would a bishop or cardinal of the Holy Kingdom inform the Saint about such ancient gods? No, they were in a position to hide the fact that such things existed.

Only the top echelons of the Holy Kingdom knew; the priests below were oblivious to the ancient gods.

At most, they were considered gods of long ago.

Gods of a bygone era that no longer existed.

However, the ancient gods remained unchanged then and now. They simply lacked ego, and even if they possessed it, communication was impossible.

“No need to know, you say. Then does that mean Your Excellency and the others were conspiring to deceive me?”

Renheim gently continued, soothing the pouting Saint.

“It’s merely knowledge that would be useless even if you truly learned of it, so we didn’t share it. If Your Holiness wishes, I can readily inform you. Well then... where should I begin.”

One of the secrets the Trinity Church had carefully concealed began to spill from his mouth.