God of Assassination, Become the Strongest Healer - chapter 12

The real Orpheus is someone the world doesn’t know about. There’s a power that’s too strong for someone with only basic skills to manage. Even though Ramute was honest about his feelings, I couldn’t help but focus on how this could create opportunities for me. I realized that my selfish thoughts didn’t match Claudius’s goal of helping others. Still, I felt I had to think about my future, which seemed uncertain, and I needed to prepare for the challenges ahead.

I took a deep breath and tried to clear my thoughts. Then, wanting to look more like someone who just discovered an incredible family secret rather than a former assassin looking for power, I asked if they protected the inheritance left by Orpheus for the family.  Orpheus needed left behind something valuable, but I didn’t have it; I only knew where it was hidden. I wondered if I should tell Fagan now. Belzekiel told me to go ahead and share it since we had come this far. The little furry creature by my eyebrow finally calmed down as Ramute continued speaking.

 After our first meeting with Orpheus, Belzekiel and I spent most of our time with him. We thought our bond would never break as long as he stayed in this world. But about ten years after things wrapped up here on Espetara, Orpheus suddenly made this shocking announcement.

Uh… sorry, friends. I need to go on a little trip by myself. So, uh, could you two look after this island until I get back?

— And just like that, he up and left. Ugh! Who would’ve guessed that his “little trip” would turn into a ten-year-long adventure?

Sorry, guys. I need to go on a trip by myself. Can you watch over this island until I get back? With that, he just left. Who knew his “little trip” would end up lasting ten years? A trip? The more we talked, the more confused I got. If this was ten years after they turned Espetara into Claudius’s land, Orpheus would be old by then. Still, at that age, he left his lifelong friends to go on a journey that lasted a decade?

 Then, exactly ten years to the day after leaving Espetara, Orpheus came back. He looked just like he did when he first left, wearing the  same clothes, and with a big laugh, he told us this:
“I’ve left all my unfulfilled dreams at the place of promise. When the time comes, guide Claudius’s child there.”

“The place of promise…”

— A long time passed after that, and eventually, Orpheus left us for good. Since then, we’ve just been waiting. Waiting for a child who could live up to Orpheus’s hopes and ours to be born.

“Could you tell me a little more specifically about what the founder meant by ‘unfulfilled dreams’?”

— We only know where the place of promise is. We don’t know the details of what those unfulfilled dreams are. If we did, we’d tell you right away, but… sorry.Orpheus was usually laid-back and smiled a lot, but when it came to important matters, he would get quiet. He asked me if I was curious about a promise that had lasted a long time. I was curious, but I didn’t feel like pushing him to tell me more. He mentioned that it would be much more exciting to discover what that dream was along with a kid going to fulfill the promise instead of just hearing it from him, and suggested we keep it as something to look forward to later.

Even as an old man, he still loved to joke around. That was just Orpheus’s personality; he enjoyed teasing us. 

The Orpheus mentioned in our family history was serious and noble, a healer who didn’t tell jokes. But it seems the Orpheus that we knew was quite different from the one in the history books.

Belzekiel and I think there was another reason Orpheus kept some things to himself. It was probably to protect us and our family. We think he realized it would be risky for us to investigate too much without being ready or without getting the inheritance he left for us.

“I see… so that’s how it is.”

I crossed my arms and started piecing together the overflowing clues in my head. Based on what I’d gathered so far, it seemed likely that Orpheus had left his “dreams and inheritance” in the same place.

And as I go about finding the inheritance piece by piece, I’ll probably figure out what Orpheus’s dream was, too.
“It’s too dangerous to get close to the dream without securing the inheritance!” That means, once I get the inheritance, I’ll be able to handle the danger. In other words, the greater the danger I’ll have to face, the greater the power I’ll gain.

As someone who was already thinking about how to deal with Orpheus’s inheritance and the “predicted calamity,” this was obviously something that piqued my interest.

“So, what kind of proof will I need to become the successor to Orpheus’s will?”

— …How did you know there would be a necessary process? Belzekiel, did you tell him?
— No, I didn’t say a word.

“I just guessed. If I could’ve inherited the founder’s will without any proof, I think Ramute would’ve already taken the necessary steps instead of explaining things to me. But the fact that you’re telling me about the past like this now means there’s still some process I need to prove myself through.”

— Hmm, smart. Looks like I made a good call on you. Alright, one last thing before we get to the main point: Pagan, you probably figured it out already, but Belzekiel and I have slightly different roles to play.

Ramute’s voice was still sweet like pollen, but there was a firmness in the tone I hadn’t felt before.Ramute was sounding more excited. Was I beginning to feel his excitement too? The little tail above his eyebrows was moving quicker. Ramute said he had made a decision about a week ago. He believes I can meet both his and Orpheus’s expectations. I replied that I was thankful he had such a good opinion of someone like me, who feels inadequate. There was a short pause. Then Ramute spoke again, sounding a bit confused.

Huh? …Is that all you have to say?

“Hmm? Is there something else I should be reacting to?”

— No, it’s not that, but aren’t you curious about why I chose you? Aren’t you even a little surprised?

“I’m  pretty surprised. But there’s been so much to surprise me tonight that I guess it just didn’t show.”

— Ah… I see.
— Heh heh, hey, Ramute, didn’t I tell you? He’s a really interesting kid. You’ll have to put in some effort to catch up to him.
— Hmm, hmm! Anyway, let me tell you about the test I’ve prepared!

Ooooh.

The moment Ramute finished speaking, I felt a vibration coming from behind the rocky island.
The tremors slipping through the cracks in the rocks and the faint flow of mana underneath them.

— Pagan, I’m going to guide you to a very old place now. And there, a little girl is suffering from a terrible illness. I want you to heal her.

Finally, the test was revealed. The task of “healing a patient” fit quite well with Claudius’s ideals, but there were still a few things about it that made me uneasy.

“Sorry to interrupt, but if  a patient  is suffering from an illness and in need of treatment, wouldn’t it be wiser to ask my father instead of me? Unfortunately, my healing skills aren’t anywhere near my father’s level.”

— That’s not an option. Tiberius is a great head of the family and an excellent healer, but this task would be too much for him.

Ramute spoke in a low but firm voice, rejecting the idea.

— I understand your concern about lacking healing skills, Pagan, but at least for this task, there’s no need to worry about that. I already know how to treat the illness the child has.

“If you already know the treatment method, wouldn’t it be better for my father to take care of it instead? If the treatment plan is already set, the most important thing is applying the prescribed method, and my experience is still nowhere near my father’s.”

— No. It has to be you. I’m telling you again, I recognize Tiberius’s abilities, but for this, you are the only one who can do it.

— You’ll find out the details once we get there, but what’s needed to solve this situation is willpower. And in terms of “the purity of will,” Ramute judged that Tiberius falls short. Pagan, if you take this on, you’re the only one who can do it. No one else.

A serious expression on Nuksil’s face, which was unusual for him.

Since they were both so insistent, I couldn’t just recommend my father without thinking things through, so I decided to ask my second question.

Here’s an informal English translation of the text:

“A little while ago, Lamute said ‘an old place.’ Does that mean the place where the patient’s treatment is happening will be somewhere other than the Esperara Archipelago?”

“Yeah. This kid has trouble moving, so it’ll be inconvenient, but it looks like Pagan will have to go to where the patient is.”

“Pagan, have you ever heard of ‘Modenas’?”

“I know it. The legendary island hidden beyond the whirlpool.”

The legend of the mysterious island Modenas was well-known in the area, so he nodded right away.

“There’s a navigational hazard near the Barbcano port, just on the way to Esperara. There’s a region full of whirlpools where you can’t sail. But beyond those whirlpools, in a place that can’t be reached by human navigation, there’s the legendary island of Modenas, hidden in a deep whirlpool.”

“The most beautiful island in the world, Modenas, is home to the Wave Tribe, who love the sea. The people of the Wave Tribe, as beautiful as the island itself, are all incredible magicians.”

“Even today, on days when the waves are high, if you pass near the whirlpools, you can hear the Wave Tribe’s song, as they praise the beauty of the sea.”

The legend of the mysterious island passed down among sailors like a dream.

And now, at this moment, the name Modenas comes up… Does this mean…?

“So, you know Modenas is actually a real island?”

“No. To be honest, I thought it was just a legend.”

Lamute proved my guess right and asked again.

“Then, you don’t know that when Orpheus first came to Esperara, the people of the Wave Tribe helped him a lot?”

“…So, the people of the Wave Tribe were involved in the founding of Claudia?”

Yeah. Orpheus was friends with the Wave Tribe. They thought Orpheus had done them a great favor, and when they heard their friend was starting something in Esperara, they helped him out in every way they could.”

“If that’s true, why didn’t anyone in Esperara, including me, know about it?”

It was a huge shock to learn that the island, which had only existed in legend, was real. But strangely, I wasn’t all that surprised or flustered. After all, learning how many secrets there were about Orpheus and the Claudia family made me think, “Well, if there are so many strange things in the world, an island from a legend could totally exist.”

“After Orpheus passed away, the exchange between Esperara and the Wave Tribe was completely cut off. The Wave Tribe is very sensitive, and they didn’t trust any humans except Orpheus. And Orpheus also didn’t want the existence of the Wave Tribe to be widely known.”

“They must have been worried about their safety, right?”

“Yeah. So, after Orpheus died, he took steps to make sure that the world, including Esperara, would slowly forget about the Wave Tribe. As a result, the Wave Tribe and Modenas became not a reality, but just a legend.”

“…I see.”

“Of course, Beelzebiel and I still keep in touch with the Wave Tribe from time to time.”

“Heh! Those shy ones might not trust outsiders, but they completely trust me, Beelzebiel! I guess you could say I have a good eye, huh?”

At that moment, Beul-sul tried to act all confident, but it didn’t  sink in.

Yung-su, Orpheus’s will, the guardian who inherited his legacy, the inheritance, and the unfulfilled dreams. Plus, the mysterious island and the Wave Tribe people.

There had been so many things I never imagined could become real in just one night that I couldn’t stop thinking about any of it.

And amid all the thoughts filling my head, Lamute’s voice settled down like mist.

“The Wave Tribe has a saint they cherish more than their own lives. But… but that child is very sick.”