Chapter 40: Nidalee
Regarding the serious question posed by Hikigaya, Aisha's answer was quite unexpected.
"Um... actually... I, I have no way of properly controlling the activation of the Authority for the Corridor."
That was what she said.
Seeing Hikigaya's "are you kidding me" expression, she continued to explain.
"That Corridor... I can't make it appear at all when I want to. But then, once I've forgotten about that Authority, it just activates on its own every few years while I'm out relaxing or sight-seeing..."
"Activates on its own?" Hikigaya felt like his horizons were being expanded today.
"Yes. Even if I don't have the thought of going somewhere else, the Corridor will automatically connect to a certain era or the Boundary of Life and Immortality. Moreover, I have no way to resist the suction of the Corridor, so I'm forced to travel."
"..."
Hikigaya fell silent.
What an unrestrained Authority...
It was his first time seeing a Campione being dragged around by their own power.
However, looking at it this way, Aisha's Authority seemed limited to traveling through time or to places like the Netherworld; the meaning of "another world" was completely different from what Hikigaya had previously thought.
But because of this, his original question was no longer necessary. If it was just time travel, he could go back himself without needing Aisha's Authority.
So, he decided to ask a different question.
"Then, have you ever been to the future?"
"Ah, the Corridor cannot lead to the future. It has never connected to a future world before."
"So every one of your journeys is random, and you can't control it yourself?"
"Yes, that's correct. Ah, but the worlds the Corridor connects to usually have many people in need of help. For instance, this time there are many people seriously injured by invaders, or those suffering under tyranny..."
Madame Aisha frowned and clenched her fists.
She was likely remembering some unpleasant things she had experienced in the past. Although her expressions and movements were quite cute, Hikigaya felt she was definitely mistaken about something.
Aisha's next words confirmed his judgment.
"I believe this is the will of Heaven wanting me to save the suffering people. My Authority exists for this very purpose!"
Where did you get this confidence from?!
Why are you so confident?!
As a fellow Campione who walks through time, Hikigaya felt this was just too much.
'Don't you have any self-awareness?'
Just because you encounter suffering people on every trip doesn't mean you're a savior, does it? Whether it's a peaceful golden age or a chaotic era of warring states, the lives of the vast majority of ordinary people are full of hardship.
To these people, there is no essential difference between a savage invader and a cruel original ruler.
As for whether people who were supposed to die didn't, things that were supposed to happen didn't, or things that shouldn't exist were invented—and whether the appearance of the world would change drastically because of it—Hikigaya didn't care. He firmly believed that the inertia of history itself would smooth it all out.
"Fine, so the future is a no-go. I get it." Hikigaya rubbed his head. He noticed that this fellow kin, Aisha, didn't seem to provoke any sense of fear in others, even when using her Authority.
This abnormal affinity felt very unconventional.
'I want that too.'
With that kind of affinity, how convenient it would be to do bad things.
"By the way, how many times has this happened?" he asked curiously.
"Many times, I suppose. I can't quite remember clearly." Aisha seemed to think back very seriously, then she said, as if discovering a new continent, "But Emperor Ramesses didn't seem to be seeing someone like me for the first time."
Hmm?
Hikigaya felt like he heard a familiar name. He decided to verify it.
"Are you talking about a bald guy who likes to brag about 'merging' with Set whenever he has the chance?"
"Mr. Hikigaya, you are so funny! So the person Emperor Ramesses met was you?"
'So it really was that 'humanoid self-propelled artillery' Ozymandias (Ramesses II).'
He hadn't expected Aisha to have visited that era as well. It seemed she arrived slightly later than he did.
'Young lady, you've certainly been around.
But Ramesses, are you stupid? Didn't I tell you? Don't just throw around filthy words like 'merge'!'
"Um... Saint..."
Suddenly, the infatuated commander from earlier clumsily interrupted the conversation between Hikigaya and Aisha.
Both looked toward him. The commander said, looking a bit embarrassed, "Saint, several soldiers were injured earlier. Please save them, or they will die."
"Ah, is that so? Are more people injured?" Aisha showed a worried expression.
Then she said to Hikigaya, "Mr. Hikigaya, I'm sorry. I want to go check on those people first."
"I'll go with you." Hikigaya nodded.
Even though he knew that even if all the Romans and non-Romans nearby teamed up, they wouldn't be Aisha's match, somehow he just felt that Aisha was the type of person who couldn't take care of herself.
Since he had nothing else to do, he might as well see Aisha's healing methods.
Guided by the commander, Hikigaya followed Aisha to the edge of the plaza. About a dozen soldiers were lying there. Some showed no external injuries but were in a coma; some were covered in burns and wrapped in bandages; a few looked like they were at death's door.
In the commander's words, these were all injured during Uldin's attack.
"Saint, please save them," the commander pleaded.
Hikigaya could understand his feelings—there weren't many Roman soldiers in this city to begin with. Whether they died or were disabled, every loss brought the city one step closer to falling. One could easily imagine what would happen to a Roman city captured by barbarians.
Aisha stepped forward, looked at the soldiers' injuries, and showed a somewhat hesitant expression.
But the conscious soldiers let out cries of pain, so her expression became firm again.
"My abilities are limited, and prayers may not always work... but I will still do my humble best..."
Having said that, she knelt on both knees, clasped her hands in front of her chest, and assumed a posture of prayer.
In an instant, a comfortable light breeze blew across the plaza. The wind carried a dense cursed power.
As the breeze passed over the dozen or so wounded soldiers, those with external injuries were completely restored, and those who were unconscious opened their eyes. Everyone became perfectly healthy in an instant.
Hikigaya showed a look of surprise.
This Authority... could be called a Super Healer!
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