Until the Substitute Saintess is Loved: The Sister Sent to the Convent as the Villainess Heals Everyone's Hearts with Her Healing Powers - Chapter 18

“What’s going on?” The nuns came out into the hallway from the sickroom.

Standing imposingly in the courtyard where everyone was looking was Lady Griffe, staring straight at us.

That I orchestrated?

What in the world is she talking about?

I didn’t understand, but my heartbeat quickened.

Lord Landrick, who had been about to leave, also stopped and looked at Lady Griffe.

“That woman is the wicked woman everyone knows! I’ll show you all right now by tearing off her disguise!”

With a harsh voice, she pointed directly at me.

“Griffe. What are you suddenly saying?”

Mona-san, having noticed the commotion, immediately rushed to my side.

“Mona-san…”

“It’s alright. I’m here.”

She whispered to me quietly, took my hand, and stepped forward as if to hide me behind her back.

Just that was enough to begin calming my pounding heart.

(It’s fine, it’s fine. I haven’t orchestrated anything…)

Though anxiety surged as if I might be pierced by that accusing finger, I truly had no memory of doing anything wrong.

“Griffe. I know you despise Lupina, but what do you mean by ‘orchestrated’?”

“Lord Landrick! Thank you for listening. What Lupina orchestrated was the worsening of the Kuzen disease this time.”

“What?”

Both Lord Landrick and the surrounding nuns began to stir.

(That can’t be… What is she…?)

Kuzen disease was an infectious disease that had broken out by chance.

It should be an old disease that had previously been epidemic in neighboring countries.

I don’t have the ability to create diseases.

“You there! No matter how much you dislike Lupina, to go so far as to blame Kuzen disease on her? Don’t be ridiculous!”

“Mona. I’m not being ridiculous.”

“If you’re not being ridiculous, then what? Lupina does have healing powers. But she doesn’t have the power to create diseases. Right?”

“Yes. I don’t have such power…”

“Not just Lupina, but you couldn’t find anyone with that ability anywhere in this kingdom, could you? If there were, there’d be a huge uproar by now.”

As if exasperated, Mona-san shrugged her shoulders exaggeratedly.

“I know that too. Even if not the disease itself, it’s possible to use magic to create a curse that mimics a disease.”

The atmosphere around us shifted noticeably.

I could feel suspicious eyes turning toward me.

Small, yet audible whispers suggesting that if it were Lupina, it might be possible, made my stomach clench.

“Griffe. That statement could be taken as an insult to the Royal Court Magicians.”

“Why, Lord Landrick?”

“Because if one could activate a curse powerful enough to affect the entire nation, it would be limited to someone with magical power equal to or greater than a Royal Court Magician, plus the necessary knowledge. Furthermore, if by any chance such a person intentionally spread a disease, do you think we of the royal family would just stand by and watch? We would immediately order the Royal Court Magicians to investigate and dispel the disease. If magical power large enough to spread disease throughout the royal capital were used, the Royal Court Magicians would certainly notice.”

“Well, I suppose so. But there are loopholes in everything, aren’t there?”

“Are you saying Lupina did it?”

“No, that’s not it. I merely gave an example that one could potentially create something resembling a disease. Mona, you’re misunderstanding. I said she caused the worsening (…) of Kuzen disease.”

“You really will stop at nothing to disparage Lupina, won’t you? The outbreak of Kuzen disease was accidental, and the worsening of symptoms was due to a series of coincidences. Lupina hasn’t done anything wrong. You saw it too, didn’t you? How Lupina continued using healing magic until she collapsed.”

The surrounding nuns also nodded in agreement with Mona-san’s words.

If it had been the real Lady Lupina, she might have healed many patients in an instant.

So, compared to the original, it’s true that my healing ability was far inferior, and healing hadn’t reached all the patients sufficiently.

Perhaps they thought I had been slacking off.

But it was never intentional.

If I could have healed them, I would have wanted to instantly remove all the patients’ pain and suffering.

“Fufu, fufufu… fufufufu!”

At Mona-san’s words, Griffe-san burst out laughing as if she couldn’t hold it back.

“H-hey, you, what’s so funny?”

“Because, how can anyone not laugh at this? Well, Mona, it’s fine for you. You’re biased in Lupina’s favor. But even Lord Landrick of the royal family is being deceived, so it’s laughable, isn’t it?”

The air froze sharply.

“What have you been talking about all this time? What are you trying to say Lupina is deceiving us about?”

“I’ve said it multiple times. Lupina worsened Kuzen disease.”

“That’s what I’m saying is wrong! First of all, if what you say is true and Lupina worsened Kuzen disease, what benefit would she get from it? She ended up having to use healing magic until she collapsed!”

“What if that was the goal?”

“Eh?”

Griffe-san’s immediate, definitive statement made Mona-san’s body stiffen.

“If Kuzen disease worsened, they’d have no choice but to rely on Lupina. There are few healers in this kingdom who can use healing magic. In this treatment house, there’s practically only Lupina. So, everyone relied on her. Weren’t many people moved by the sight of her healing patients, making it look devoted? Even those who disliked Lupina, and even Lord Landrick of the royal family. Right?”

“Ah, that’s right. Lupina is a wicked woman known to all, and I have no intention of forgiving her crimes. However, her sincere dedication to healing here at the treatment house should be properly evaluated.”

“Haha, look at that. Just by showing a slightly good side, even a member of the royal family gets deceived like this. If this isn’t funny, then what is? A person who normally does bad things gets praised like a saint just for doing one tiny good deed. Then what about the people who have lived honestly all along? What are we, who have never done anything bad and have sincerely devoted ourselves to the patients?”

At Griffe-san’s words, the surroundings began to stir again.

Lord Landrick’s red eyes, turning to look at me as if startled, wavered with suspicion.

“…Lupina might indeed have been a wicked woman. That’s why she was sent to this convent. But, Lupina, in this convent, in this treatment house, has she ever once oppressed anyone? You speak as if Lupina’s devotion is only for this incident, but that’s not true, is it? This girl has always, earnestly, sincerely, continued to fulfill her duties as a nun. I, who have been by her side all along, guarantee it. Lupina is not the girl you believe her to be.”

“Mona-san…”

I nearly teared up unintentionally.

The hand holding mine tightened.

(Why does Griffe-san hate me—no, Lady Lupina—so much?)

There was some distance to the courtyard.

That’s precisely why she hadn’t lunged at me.

But that intense hatred pierced through to my skin.

“Griffe. If you’re going to accuse Lupina to that extent, do you have appropriate evidence?”

“Evidence?”

“Yes. The evidence you’ve mentioned repeatedly that Lupina worsened Kuzen disease. Ah, let me say this first—I guarantee it’s impossible that she was slacking off with her healing magic. When I transferred magical power to her, I could sense the amount of magic remaining in Lupina’s body. I can testify that she was undoubtedly in a state of depletion.”

“I suppose so. It wouldn’t make sense otherwise. To play the role of the kind saint who continued treatment to the limits of her magical power, she deliberately created this situation, so it has to be that way. Hey, everyone. You haven’t forgotten, have you? That there was a specific medicine for Kuzen disease.”

“Specific medicine?”

“Yes. There was a medicinal herb that Lupina and Mona monopolized! I happened to overhear the Headmistress talking and found out. With that herb, Kuzen disease wouldn’t have to worsen.”

“Monopolized? That’s a rather nasty way of putting it. That herb is a bit troublesome to cultivate, so Mona and I were just growing it first. Of course, we had the Headmistress’s permission, and we proactively prescribed and administered it to patients whose Kuzen disease had worsened. It was about time to discuss through the Headmistress whether others could start cultivating it too.”

“But you stopped using that herb partway through. Why is that?”

“That is…”

Mona-san hesitated.

We had informed the Headmistress about the room being vandalized. But because the treatment house was so busy, searching for the culprit had been postponed.

Also, because the remaining Sennagi grass effective against Kuzen disease was scarce, it was also to minimize the disturbance and confusion among the nuns.

“I can testify regarding that matter.”

“Headmistress!”

It seemed someone had gone to fetch her. The Headmistress approached with calm steps.

“Let me state the facts. The Sennagi grass was vandalized by someone, making it impossible to harvest. The reason I didn’t inform everyone about this was to avoid causing panic in this convent, which should be safe. …In this convent, aside from the main gate, outsiders cannot enter. The main gate has a Magic Bell installed, correct? Everyone, you remember being registered and authenticated by the Magic Bell when you first visited this convent, don’t you?”

That’s right.

When first entering this convent, the gate never opened. Along with formal procedures, we touched the Magic Bell, and after that, whether going out or returning, ringing the Magic Bell would open it automatically.

In other words, the vandalism of the Sennagi grass was not the work of an outsider, but of someone inside.

“I remember well. And now I understand. That the vandalism of the medicinal herbs was Lupina’s own doing!”

“What are you saying? Why would I have to claim that the Sennagi grass was vandalized?”

“Oh, so you finally speak. You coward, making Mona take the front line, and the moment your own crime is about to be exposed, you step forward. What a wretched woman!”

She shouted as if spitting the words, and I could only look down.

“You there… What would be the reason for staging it?”

“Mona, don’t you get it yet? This woman wanted to create a situation where they had no choice but to rely on her healing magic. She probably thought that if she showed saintly behavior in front of Lord Landrick of the royal family, she could return to the royal palace as a saint again. In fact, Lord Landrick was already considerably supporting Lupina, so her strategy was half successful. But, I found evidence.”

“What kind of evidence?”

“It was hidden in the herb garden. The medicinal herbs that should have been destroyed and gone. This is the evidence!”

From the bag slung over her shoulder, Griffe-san vigorously pulled out a medicinal herb.

But the herb she held in her hand wasn’t Sennagi grass.

“You, where did you get that?”

“I told you, it was buried in the herb garden, didn’t I? The soil was strangely mounded up, and I thought it was odd. So, I gently dug it up. And then, I found the medicinal herbs buried. The only one who benefits from doing this is Lupina!”

Griffe-san pressed on in a tone convinced of victory, but Mona-san and I had already realized. No, not just the two of us. The Headmistress, and anyone somewhat knowledgeable about medicinal herbs, must have noticed too.

“Griffe… Why did you think that was Sennagi grass?”

“Anyone can tell by looking.”

“No, Griffe-san. Even if you look, you can’t tell…”

“Lupina! You’re a sore loser. Even after seeing this, you still say that? This is the herb you two were cultivating, right?”

“…That’s wrong, Griffe. That’s just a weed.”

Mona-san spat out the words painfully.

That’s right.

The plant Griffe-san was thrusting forward wasn’t Sennagi grass.

The plant, limp and dirty with soil in her hand, wasn’t even a medicinal herb.

It was a weed that Mona-san had deliberately planted to deceive the culprit.

“W-what are you talking about? Even at this point, you two still lie? This is what you were cultivating!”

“That plant is a weed I had placed in the room. In a white pot. The real Sennagi grass doesn’t have that shape. Since we brought the dried form into the dispensary, I think many haven’t seen it.”

“Such…”

Griffe-san stared intently at the weed in her hand. Her hand was trembling.

She must have realized it too—the mistake she had made.