Creator God Tima's Overlord Journey

This time, Aya did not rush to help her up. Though she felt somewhat reluctant to watch someone older kneel before her, being overly polite would also undermine her position as the one receiving the request.

"I will pay the appropriate compensation. Although we have no money right now, please allow me to pay in installments. If you do not mind, my house and land can also..."

"Among those seriously injured, your daughter is one of them, isn't she?" Aya said softly, seeing through the old woman's thoughts.

The entire room fell silent for a moment before a choked voice spoke.

"Yes."

"Please stand up, ma'am." Aya shook her head. "I understand how you feel. I'll do my best, so there's no need for any compensation."

After all, she held the class of 'Pope.' Every once in a while, she ought to do something to save the suffering masses.

"Mother." Camellia looked at Aya with an unusually gentle gaze. "Mother is truly compassionate."

"Where am I?" Maria woke from her unconsciousness.

In her last memory, she had been weaving at home when a scream suddenly came from outside. She had stepped out of the house, only to see her father, still clutching a hoe, lying in a pool of blood.

Beside her father stood a wolfman with blood all around its mouth, holding a heart with only half of it left.

She had nearly collapsed in terror. The wolfman noticed Maria and pounced at her, and then—

"Ah!!" The girl clutched her head and screamed, and the woman beside her immediately embraced her.

"Maria, Maria, don't be afraid. It's all right now. It's all right."

"Aunt Susan." The person beside her was Susan, the eldest daughter of the village chief's family. A widow whose husband had died when she was thirty, she had never remarried. Maria clung tightly to the slightly plump Susan.

The girl wanted to cry, but no sound came out. She noticed that Aunt Susan's left lower leg was gone, yet even so, Susan still forced a smile to comfort her.

Tears only slowly overflowed from her eyes, but the scene from not long ago flashed before her once more, and Maria screamed again. Susan tried desperately to comfort her, but it was useless. Maria even scratched a bloody mark into her with her fingernails.

A pale hand rested on Maria's head.

[Mental Calm]

As the magic took effect, the fear and confusion debuffs were removed. Maria regained her senses, though tears still filled her eyes.

"Your name is Maria, isn't it?" Slender fingers stroked Maria's hair, making her feel an extraordinary warmth and sense of security.

"Yes. May I ask who you are?" Maria looked up. Her vision, blurred from crying too much, could only make out a silhouette—a glowing silhouette.

"What a pitiful child." Aya gently stroked Maria's head as she spoke.

There were five people in total who needed treatment for serious injuries, including Susan, the old woman's daughter. Of them all, the one in the most miserable condition was the girl before her, Maria.

Maria's home had been closest to the forest and was the first to be attacked by the wolfmen. Her parents had died horribly, and when the villagers found Maria, her entire body was covered in bloody claw marks—not marks left to kill her, but marks left for amusement.

When she was brought before Aya, even Aya could not help frowning, especially when she saw the state of her lower body, which could not even be described as merely torn apart, as well as one empty eye socket.

When treating the others, Aya had followed the principle of moderation. She did not want to be worshipped as a miracle, so she had not dealt with disabilities and the like.

But upon seeing the girl's condition, she could not bear to leave her like that. She used the high-level spell [Crystallized Healing] to heal her eye injury. Fortunately, no one had noticed her eyes before.

Once all the wounds had disappeared, she was unexpectedly quite pretty. Aya brushed aside the golden hair over Maria's forehead and looked at the girl's sea-blue eyes, thinking so.