Kamisama Shop de Cheat no Kaori

Chapter 194. The Bumpy Family And The Vessels’ Daughters

From early morning, two priests of the Telamis and Heoris religions had been visiting. As they left, a slender, marathon-runner-like woman named Eutis approached us.

“Good morning, Akira-san.”

“Hmm? Oh, morning. You’re early today. Something about the clothing guild?”

“No. I have the day off, so I thought I’d help Lalaila-san.”

“That’s appreciated, but it’s your day off. Why not take it easy?”

“Please, let me repay you and your friend a little.”

“You’ve already done more than enough…”

“Akira-san, a life debt isn’t something trivial. If you’d been helped by some shady mercenaries, who knows what they’d demand?”

“Well… true, repaying a benefactor is only human nature.”

“Exactly.”

I owed Hagg and Yaralai a debt I could never fully repay, yet they refused to accept anything. The most they’d ask for was the occasional drink.

Even though it was a life debt to me, perhaps it wasn’t a big deal to them. Similarly, neither Lalaila nor I felt any need to leverage Eutis’s gratitude. Just connecting us to the clothing guild was enough, yet she’d even been busy with sewing-related tasks for us. We didn’t expect more.

But… if Eutis truly felt a sense of obligation like the one I felt toward Hagg and Yaralai, it might be cruel to dismiss her.

“Alright then, can you help Lalaila? Actually…”

“Yes?”

“I’ve acquired a remedy for the vessels.”

“The priests I passed earlier—were they from Telamys and Heoris?”

“Hmm? Oh, you remember? Your company then was a big help.”

“Not at all… I see, a remedy…”

“Heh…”

Why are you laughing, Faf?

I hadn’t explained the details to Eutis. Letting her misunderstand might be simpler.

“Well, I got it after some effort, but we’re about to test if it works.”

“I’ve never heard of a remedy for vessels before… It’s not divine arts, is it?”

“Hmm? Isn’t that like arcane arts?”

“No, it’s a miracle only a few priests can perform.”

I vaguely remembered hearing something like that long ago.

(Akira-san, divine arts are a type of arcane art, but there’s definitely a godly influence. However, the church isn’t very cooperative with research, so we don’t know much about it.)

Lalaila whispered this to me.

So divine arts involved arcane techniques, but gods’ influence was undeniably a factor. Well, if even I could tap into some divine power, it must be natural for devout followers.

“No, it’s not some divine miracle. It’s a potion.”

“Where did you get such a thing…?”

“That’s for you to imagine. Let’s move.”

“Agreed.”

We headed to a building housing the vessels under Lalaila’s care. It was one of several slated for demolition.

“Lalaila, pick someone who fits the criteria I mentioned earlier.”

“Then, this one.”

Lalaila chose a woman who appeared to be the eldest of the 11 vessels. She looked around 30, her vacant eyes and faint groans making it hard to watch.

We had to help her soon.

If this were something I saw on TV, I might’ve shrugged it off as someone else’s problem. But being directly involved made leaving her impossible.

Thankfully, my companions felt the same, working hard despite the tough quest requirements.

If there’d been no way to heal them, we might’ve left them in Hanshon Village before moving on.

“Alright, give her the potion.”

“Okay.”

I wanted to administer it myself, but they couldn’t consume food properly. Having cared for them, Lalaila expertly fed the liquid.

The potion, in a small vial, looked every bit like magical medicine. Eutis watched intently.

Hagg, Yaralai, and Faf stood a little apart, silently observing.

Minutes passed. With no change, I began to worry it hadn’t worked. Then the vessel’s body started to shift.

“Ugh…”

Her once-vacant eyes began regaining focus, her dilated pupils aligning, and her frail body steadying.

“Uh…?”

She pressed a hand to her forehead, her first intentional movement.

“Ah… huh?”

She looked around, confused.

“Do you understand our language?”

“Uh… yes…”

Her clear response brought visible relief to everyone.

“First, stay calm.”

“Here’s some warm tea. Please.”

“Oh, thank you…”

She seemed dazed, likely from the potion’s effects, but not in the same way as a vessel. After a few sips, her skin tone improved.

“Um… I’m sorry, but I can’t recall yesterday. Where am I? What’s happening?”

“Listen carefully. There’s no danger now. Tell us if it’s too much.”

“Okay…”

“You were found in a goblin nest.”

“Goblin?”

“Yeah. While dealing with goblins, we found and rescued you.”

“…I see…”

“You’re alone here, but others were rescued too.”

How should I explain this?

(Heh… You were caught in a goblin hazard, living as a vessel.)

“Faf!”

“Huh?”

What an insensitive way to phrase it!

“Wait… It’s hazy, but… we were kidnapped…”

Was she suppressing harsh memories? If so, maybe the god of healing had helped.

“You were abducted by goblins?”

“Actually… by human bandits, I think.”

Her words stunned us into silence.

◆

“I’m off to buy nutritious food!”

“Take this.”

I handed Lalaila coins worth ¥100,000 as she rushed out.

My remaining balance: 3,915,774 yen.

Having treated all the vessels and explained the situation, they were resting now. Lalaila guessed their ailing consciousnesses were due to rapid recovery from their altered states as vessels.

So she volunteered to shop for appropriate food. Considering health drinks from the shop seemed overly rich, I left it to her expertise.

“Sheesh… we’re really relying on her.”

“Lalaila… happy to… help. Don’t… worry.”

“I see.”

She’d been moved to tears earlier when everyone regained consciousness, likely because she’d cared for them so diligently.

Meanwhile, I decided to gather information from one of the women who seemed healthier.

“So, you were all abducted?”

“Yes. All of us here were held captive by a bandit gang.”

No wonder most were young women.

“Did they capture you all at once?”

“No, we were taken separately, gradually.”

“Do you remember your name and hometown?”

“I’m Raichel. I lived in an inn town along the Sebites-Reikrel road.”

“Is that where you were abducted?”

“Yes.”

The others’ stories were similar.

It seemed the kidnappings were centered around that road.

“One day, we were loaded onto a wagon… We traveled for days through the wilderness. The bandits called it ‘shipment,’ I think.”

“…Shipment?”

Fury welled up. I hated violence, but I wanted to make these scum pay.

“And during this ‘shipment,’ goblins attacked?”

“No… actually…”

“Hmm?”

“The wagon was abandoned near an old open-pit mine.”

“What?”

“Then the goblins found us… ugh…”

“That’s enough. Sorry for pushing you. Rest now.”

I gave her water, feeling a gnawing sense of dread.

Could they have been gathered to deliberately trigger a goblin hazard?

My stomach churned with anger.