Otherworld Hospital (1)

"Huh?"

"Nataline-san was sent to the church. It's close to the time of 'that' birth," Miss Familia, said.

Nataline-san was a cheerful girl that I thought had a rather carefree personality much like Noel. I learnt that a few months back, she had been abducted by goblins and.. impregnated.

"Since this morning?" Prune-san asked.

"Since yesterday."

We didn't visit yesterday.

"I'm going then.. Rin-san, are you coming? Or do you intend to stay here?" Prune-san asked. She usually didn't add -san to the back of my name, but it's because we were in the presence of others.

"Um. Alright," I said.

"Sorry Miss Familia, but we'll be going to the church instead. Thank you for telling us.. "

Liliath-sama was back in the florist. I wasn't sure why, but she said it had to do with this week's special quest. Sid-san and Miss Margrett were both there so.. I felt that it created a rather awkward atmosphere. I wonder what quest prompted Liliath-sama to stay?

===

The towers of a grand cathedral came into view. Walls inscripted with words of the church's doctrine surrounded the monastery– we passed the busy front gate.

This place was awfully different from the church I knew from the Margrave's territory. The church I knew from there was an eerily quiet place very different from the bustle here.

12 statues and large fields of snow, paths leading up to a squarish building, most probably the church, which forked in the middle, ledding to other facilities such as the cathedral and church-run orphanages.

I followed Prune-san from behind. She probably knew where Nataline-san was based on her gait. The tools Noel-sama's Unique skill provided.. I could never understand how they operated.. too complex.

We entered the busy church. Large pillars supported the structure, a wide white staircase that curved to the upper floors. There were light mages, apothecaries, sisters and priests busy moving about the grand hall, many of the injured were brought here to receive treatment.

There was a site to the right partitioned by a white screen, groans could be heard from beyond as priests called out instructions.

"Um.. Rin.. do you know how this place works..?" Prune-san asked as if realizing.

"It's a church..? I don't know how this place works either."

"Is there anything like a receptionist counter?"

"What's that?" did churches have receptionist counters? Wasn't that something limited to government buildings?

"Nevermind.. she's on the upper floor," Prune-san looked around, and found a sister catching her breath nearby. She went over and asked, "Um excuse me, is the place open for visitors? Is there any protocol that needs to be followed?"

"Protocol? Oh, the purpose of your coming is to visit a patient, yes?"

"Ah yes. A girl by the name Nataline."

"Please follow me."

We were led further into the hall where a team of bookkeepers were busy noting down information of various things.. I didn't understand what they were doing but judging from how the runners and sisters would come with stacks of crudely written documents..

Paperwork.. a lot and a lot of paperwork.

Dizzying.

"Excuse me, can you help check for a patient named Nataline?" the sister asked the recordkeeper politely.

"One sec," he finished up a part and then rolled his chair over to a small stack in a basket. He pulled it up and flipped the pages one by one. "Nataline-san. Pregnant with a goblin, this is the one, correct?"

The sister looked at Prune-san, and she replied with, "Yes."

The recordkeeper then rolled over again to a different file, it was placed in the open.

"Hm.. there's three other visitors for her at the moment. Is it alright to wait until they've checked out? Too many in one place would hinder the work of the church."

"That's unfortunate.. is it alright if you two wait over at the seat there?" the sister gestured her hand over to the cushioned benches set up. It didn't have too many people occupying it.

"How would we know when... So when they've completed, it's alright to ask you again for permission right?"

"Yes," the recordkeeper nodded.

"Thank you then.."

Prune-san and I sat down on one of the benches.

"It must be her previous party members," she said.

"Party members?"

"It looks like that, from how they are dressed."

She was referring to Nataline's visitors? Was she an esper? Noel-sama's Unique Skill?

"But I've never seen them visit her before this though.."

We waited.

===

"Have they checked out?" Prune asked.

"No. Not yet," the recordkeeper replied. Prune showed a funny face.

"They should've left by now, no?"

"They hadn't updated the list so.. I can't say for certain."

"Alright.."

It had been two columns of a sundial since we waited. We had already gone to the washroom once during the time.

"They've already gone back though.." Prune said.

"They?"

"Those adventurers. They left without updating the list," she growled.

She's an esper. Definitely. But aren't everyone espers? Liliath-sama would sometimes surprise me with her precision timings and predictions, Noel-sama would sometimes be able to read other people's minds, and Nine-san would talk about the current whereabouts of this 'Regressor'.

"Maybe they will learn of the error? Until then.. maybe we could walk around the place.. just my suggestion, there is no need to take it.." did I say too much?

"Alright.. just.. why can't they do things properly? It's annoying. I'll tell them to check, we'll come back later after a walk," Prune-san once again went to the recordkeeper and asked for him to check on it. Afterwards, we left the church and loitered around the open.

"That's the church orphanage and the office buildings," Prune pointed to the structures at that end of the path," And the other is a cathedral. I wasn't not too sure what the separation of the church and cathedral was for.. perhaps one for conducting prayer services, the other was for treatment?

I looked around, closer examining the 12 statues lined up at the main pathway, I couldn't help but wonder why one of them had no worshippers. The Goddess of Fate, Moirae..

"BOO!"

"HIKH?!" Prune's tail and ears stood on end.

"Got ya!"

"H-Huh.."

I tilted my head. This person here was..

"Shh.. we don't want to get found out," the guy lowered his mantle.

"Eh.. how did you.."

"Chance encounter! Found you, we're not letting go of you this time," the girl declared.

It was the two heroes we met in the dream world a few days ago.

"So, what are you two here for?"

"Um.. How about you first?"

"I swear we didn't try to find you alright? It's a coincidence, a coincidence.." the guy said.

"Really?" the girl replied back.

"Shush!" he hissed, and after a moment, he sighed, "Fine. I'll admit, we came here to find you. We need help.. we're seriously stuck on what to do right now."

"Stuck as in?" Prune-san raised a brow in suspicion. Even I would be suspicious of their actions..

No. How could this.. hero? Hero?! The empire's heroes that will save the world from the development of the demon lord!? No way! I'm meeting them in flesh?!

Oh, yes, Liliath-sama had warned me before. This Rin here is a demon lord– their mortal enemy..

Noel-sama nor Liliath-sama ever did reveal our identities have they? What should we do now?

"It's been a week or so since we got kicked out of the castle.."

"For you, it was voluntary."

"Well.. in a way.." the guy tried to laugh– just to be kicked by the girl, "Ouch!"

She was quite the aggressive heroine– just like in the stories–

"And?" Prune-san asked.

"Well.. we were wondering if it's alright if you um.. gave us a tour around the place. We've never really been out into town so.."

"And how did you even find the orphanage, that led you to us in the first place?"

"Coincidence?" the girl titled her head.

This conversation was going nowhere– it was funny.

"Where do you live?"

"We rented an inn somewhere nearby the adventurer's guild."

"Which guild?"

"Which guild was it again?" the guy asked.

"I think it's Corry's Friendlies?"

"Ah yeah, that guild."

Where was that? Corry's Friendlies? It could be a less renowned guild since I've never heard of it back in the territory.

Prune was browsing the map. "The one close to the Shrine of Homage?"

"Urm.. that one right?"

"What is the Shrine of Homage?"

"Nevermind.." Prune gave up trying to explain. I too did not know what that was, "So what do you want? I have something I need to do here."

"Um.. to show us around the place? Like.. how the world works.."

"Where are the other heroes? Didn't you join them?"

"Um.. no. We broke off the moment we were released."

Those words made me recall what the Regressor had told them– that they would be staying together with him..

Something was fishy..

"Prune," I came up and whispered.

"Didn't the regressor.." to my explanation, her expression turned to one of surprise.

"What happened to you being with Jiwon-san and Laura-san?" Prune asked.