How the Cult Saves the World-Chapter 134

"Have a seat."

Felcia gestured toward one of the only two chairs in the small house. She sat at the wooden table meant for two, and I took the seat across from her. Zain and Troy, with no other options, remained standing behind me.

"So. You are the leader of the Kyros Church?"

Felcia asked, fixing her gaze on me. For a brief moment, her eyes became lively, brimming with an intensity in contrast to her age. I met her gaze and answered truthfully.

"Yes, that's right. Though I am far from perfect, I am the leader of the Kyros Church, and my name is Leviathan."

Her eyes sparkled momentarily before a soft smile formed on her lips. There was something about her expression---she seemed satisfied.

I immediately understood what that smile meant.

'This is...'

It was her unique way of discerning truth, the ability to sense sincerity in others' words. And Felcia, who had figured out exactly what I was saying was true, spoke with a voice full of laughter.

"Haha, I see. I see. I heard about you before."

Her smile grew as she continued.

"From Phinis."

When I heard the mention of a familiar name, Felcia's body began glowing.

Whoosh---

A radiant light enveloped her body, and soon her figure began to shrink.

"Oh my god, what is this...?"

"What the heck...?!"

Zain and Troy shouted in astonishment. Their reaction was understandable. Felcia's new form, entirely bathed in light, diminished rapidly until it was no larger than the size of a palm.

Finally, the 'Earth fairy' revealed its true form.

"What the heck is this... ... ."

"Oh my god."

A small, brown fairy now stood where Felcia had been. Zain and Troy's gasps filled the room once more.

I was also a little surprised by her appearance. I already knew her identity, but this was the first time I had met a fairy since Phinis.

There was no trace of the old woman who Felcia was a minute ago. She looked exactly like a small and cute fairy. Her expression was even more bleak than Phinis's though.

"N-no way... A fairy...?"

Zain, who had not been with me when I first met Phinis, spoke in disbelief at the sight of the fairy he had encountered for the first time.

Kyros had been suspicious since we entered the house, but I had known Felcia's true form from the start. Calmly, I replied.

"That's right. Do you remember what I told you earlier about Phinis, the fairy of life?"

"Oh, yes. Then this person is...?"

Felcia, now with a bright look on her face, answered Zain's question herself.

"I am Felcia, the Earth Fairy."

At the same time, a message appeared.

[The hidden information of the quest is revealed!]

[Sub-Quest 'Plague' 4. <Prell's Savior>]

[Final Success Reward: Friendship with the Earth Fairy, Felcia]

This was one of the reasons I had been so determined to clear this sub-quest. Of course, the main motivation was to eradicate the plague that had devastated the Continent.

'We're helping each other, so it's all good.'

As I thought of this, I heard Zain and Troy who still couldn't believe their eyes.

"A fairy? A fairy?! I can't believe I'm actually meeting a fairy."

"I've heard the stories, but to witness one in person is incredible."

Their awe was palpable, but Felcia paid them no mind. Her attention remained fixed solely on me.

"Leviathan, I've heard about you from Phinis. You're the one who cured her."

It seemed the tale of how I had healed Phinis---who was literally the flower of life and its incarnation---had spread among the fairies.

'In the original story, you had to clear every quest to reveal Felcia's true form.'

So, there was no chance of quest information being revealed in the middle.

'At the time, I had assumed she was just an elderly villager, only to later discover her true identity as a fairy.'

While I was lost in thought, Felcia's gaze sharpened.

Oops. I hadn't answered her.

"Oh, yes. That's right."

As I hastily answered, Felcia's sullen expression softened slightly.

"So, you came to Prell because you created a cure for Goblin Disease? May I see it?"

At her request, I nodded and quickly complied. I had prepared for this moment by taking the vial out of my inventory in advance.

I placed the medicine on the table. Felcia flapped her small wings and hovered closer, her tiny form just slightly larger than the vial itself.

She inspected it carefully, staring intently at the remedy and even sniffing it, despite it having no scent.

After her examination, the Earth Fairy spoke.

"Hoo. There's monster blood in this. Judging by the stench, it's unmistakable."

"Yes, that's correct."

"Hm... This is definitely different from the cure I expected. Is it because a human made it?"

Felcia smiled at me.

Among the fairies of the HSAW, Felcia was known to be the most human-friendly. While many fairies kept their distance, Felcia was an exception.

The reason she, the Earth Fairy, came to care for humans happened quite a while ago.

Just as she had greeted Revelof and his party earlier, during her wanderings around the world in her human form, she encountered a poor but kind-hearted family.

Drawn to their warmth, she stayed with them.

But their time together was short-lived. The family, frail and without a home, was forced into a nomadic life.

Wanting to remain by their side for a little longer, Felcia settled in Prell. Over time, they welcomed others who were similarly kind-hearted but homeless, and gradually, a village formed.

Years passed, and Prell became what it is today.

'What's more is that...'

Later on, after becoming Prell's elder, Felcia personally created remedies to care for the sick.

Especially since most villagers were too poor to afford proper treatment.

However, even the abilities of a powerful fairy like Felcia had limits. The Goblin Disease was unlike anything she had faced before.

Of course, being the smart Earth Fairy that she was, she could have sought help from other fairies and eventually perfected a cure.

But time was not on her side.

The disease would claim the lives of the village's children before that could happen.

'Because those are the events that happened when the quest failed in HSAW.'

This was why the reward for completing the Plague quest was Felcia's friendship.

"Leviathan, You cured Phinis and also discovered a remedy for Malone's disease. So I'll trust you."

Her confidence in my cure seemed to be clear in her words. Then her body began to glow once more. Slowly, she grew larger.

Her fairy form disappeared. She had returned to the appearance of the old woman I had met earlier.

"Alright, let's not waste time."

Felcia stood abruptly, and I rose to follow her.

Behind me, Zain and Troy still seemed stunned by what they had witnessed.

***

Once outside Felcia's house, Zain and Troy finally came back to their senses.

"This was truly an fascinating experience."

"Yeah. It's so...mysterious."

They exchanged quiet words of admiration, and I simply smiled in response.

"Follow me."

We followed Felcia along a path through Prell. The guards stationed outside her house stepped aside, confirming her safety but continuing to watch closely.

As we walked with the guards' gazes on us, Zain hesitated before speaking.

"Uh, Fai-, I mean, Elder...where are we headed now?"

It sounded like he was about to call her "fairy".

"To where the sickest child in town is."

Felcia didn't appear to mind what he was about to call her.

After a short walk, we stopped in front of a modest house, no larger than Felcia's own.

"Chess, are you in there?"

Felcia called out from the doorway. A moment later, the door creaked open, and a haggard old man emerged.

"Felcia... What brings you here?"

The old man, Chess, appeared to be an old friend of Felcia's. He greeted her warmly, though his expression wasn't very bright.

"Who are these people?"

Chess asked about us, but Felcia responded with a question of her own.

"How's Mary?"

"... Still the same."

"I see. I understand."

After their brief exchange, Felcia turned to me and nodded.

"Come in. The house is small, so just you."

"Alright."

Understanding it couldn't be helped, Zain and Troy didn't say much.

I followed Chess and Felcia into the small house.

The interior was sufficient for one, at best for two people. As I scanned the room, my eyes fell on a child lying on an old bed inside.

Following Chess and Felcia, I approached the bed. I could see at first glance that the little girl lying, gasping for breath, was in serious condition. She couldn't have been more than five years old.

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"Felcia, who is this...?"

"He is the one who will treat Mary."

"Really?"

Chess's eyes widened in disbelief at the word "treat".

"Yes. So trust me and watch."

"O-okay."

Chess looked at me with trembling pupils. And Felcia explained with a blank face.

"This child was the first in Prell to contract Goblin Disease."

"...I see. I understand."

Even without Felcia telling that, I already knew who the child was. Whether it was fate, coincidence, or something beyond compulsion, even in the normal storyline, this child was the first victim of Goblin Disease in this region.

Despite knowing her identity, seeing her condition up close left me shaken because it was the most serious I'd ever seen.

Most of the patients I'd encountered had rashes on their arms and legs, but Mary's case was so bad even her face was covered with them.

'I didn't think much of it in the game, but seeing it in real life... It really breaks my heart.'

I couldn't fathom the suffering this little girl had endured all this time.

"Can you really cure Mary?"

Chess asked, as I was looking at Mary.

"Yes. Don't worry."

"I trust Felcia, of course...but please, I beg you take good care of her. She's my only blood relative---my precious granddaughter."

Reassuring him once more to not worry, I stepped closer to Mary. Carefully lifting her head, I administered the medicine I had.

A tense silence filled the room. Not Chess, not Felcia, not even I said a word.

A few minutes passed. Slowly, the bumps on Mary's face and body began to fade. Her skin cleared, and soon, her frail form transformed into that of a healthy child.

"Oh, unbelievable..."

Chess muttered in disbelief.

Then, Mary's eyelids fluttered open.

"Grandpa...?"

"Oh, my God. Mary! Are you alright?"

Chess broke into tears as he embraced his granddaughter. Watching the emotional reunion, Felcia turned to me, speaking to me with a sigh of relief.

"Thank you, Leviathan. And please, take care of the others too."

"Don't worry," I assured her.

"I will treat all of Prell's patients by the end of today."