Summoned with an SSS-Rank Portal Skill-Chapter 353: Recovering in the Monastery

"But if the Lich rules the kingdom, how are you all here practicing your divine magic?" William asked.

"The Lich needed the support of the people. It would be impossible to rule them by force. But some things did get worse..." the nun explained. "We can’t complain about anything regarding the Lich’s government, and many humans are used to work in the mines. Forced labor, basically."

William wasn’t sure if this was the same Lich he knew, the one he was trying to rescue. He also didn’t know if it was the same kingdom! Coincidences happened, and this could be just another one of them.

In any case, William tried to move, but his body was still too damaged. The nun held him by the shoulders. Her beautiful face came close to his. He could feel the warm air from her breath.

"Don’t try to get up, you’re in terrible shape," she said with a worried look. "I don’t even know how you’re alive. Those injuries were horrific."

"Maybe it was because of your divine magic?" William suggested.

The nun shook her head. "We can’t use our magic much. One of the few things the Lich controls is the use of divine magic, after all, it’s exactly the kind of magic that can harm the undead. You managed to recover almost entirely on your own, and that’s inexplicable."

The explanation was one the nun couldn’t know. All that demonic energy in his body had worked overtime to save his life. William could barely feel the energy flowing through him anymore.

The sound of approaching footsteps came from down the hall. Turning his head, William saw an older man dressed in black approaching. It was the priest who had found him on the road. The priest was even more surprised than the nun.

"I can’t believe you’re awake. I honestly believed we were wasting our time trying to save you."

"That doesn’t sound like something a priest would say," William replied.

"We don’t live in a fairytale, young man. Having you here means costs, and also dangers. Do you know we used one of our powerful potions to aid your recovery? That’s expensive. How will you repay us?" the priest said.

The monastery was large, and all its supplies were meant for the people who lived there. They had also rescued and cared for others in difficult situations. William, however, was not part of their plan. Furthermore, the priest was confused about William’s sudden appearance.

"And how in the world did you end up like that in the middle of the road? In your condition, you couldn’t have walked far, and that area was supposed to be safe. There was no one nearby who could have attacked you," the priest said.

The mood grew tense. With the change in leadership in the kingdom, all citizens were wary and always very careful about who they let into their homes. A man appearing out of nowhere, injured on a supposedly safe road, didn’t make any sense. When the nun heard this, she too grew curious.

This conversation had happened before while William was asleep. She and the priest had talked about him, and how his appearance was strange. But since the priest firmly believed William wouldn’t wake up, he hadn’t discussed it further with her. Now that he was awake, however, it was hard not to.

William knew his appearance was suspicious, but it wasn’t that difficult to explain. "I lost a fight and ended up using a teleport, appearing near that road," William replied.

The priest stared at him for a few more seconds, then smiled. "Alright. But I’ll tell you this, if you want to stay here until you recover, you’ll have to help with the monastery chores once you have a bit more strength."

The situation William found himself in was difficult. Even with his above-normal recovery and the potion they had used on him, he was still badly hurt. The nun beside him objected.

"How is he going to help? The poor man lost a piece of his leg! He’ll need a cane for the rest of his life..." she sighed, on the verge of tears.

The nun was the kind of person who wanted to help everyone, and seeing William in that state, her heart ached. She felt pity seeing a young man have his life so permanently altered so early.

"Once I’ve recovered a bit, you can be sure I will repay you for your help," William said, his voice firm and determined.

The priest, though still suspicious of the true story of how he appeared on that road, liked his answer.

"Fine. I’ll leave you to rest then. The nun taking care of you is named Nilse, and she will continue to look after you. If you need anything, you can call for me or just speak with her."

After saying that, the priest simply left, without waiting for William’s reply. His steps were quick, as if he needed to be somewhere else in just a few moments.

"It’s a pleasure to meet you," Nilse said. "What’s your name?"

"William," he replied, taking her hand. "Thank you so much for saving my life. If you hadn’t found me on that road, I think I’d be dead."

He meant it. William was the kind of person who responded to kindness with kindness, and Nilse had quickly become someone he trusted.

"It was nothing," Nilse replied. "I think anyone would have stopped to see you in that state. But you were lucky it was us. I think we’re the only ones with healing potions so readily available. If it weren’t for the potion we gave you, you would certainly be dead."

She might have been right, or perhaps William would have survived even without the potion. But there was no denying how much they had helped him.

"I’ll get you something to eat," Nilse said. "Don’t try to stand, please. You’re too weak right now." She left.

William saw his chance. Nilse said he was too weak to wander around, but he didn’t listen. He gathered his strength, pushing himself up from the bed with his only arm. It was hard. His entire body ached, but he pressed on.

"I need a cane or something," he thought.

With a piece of his leg gone, he needed support to get around. It was either that or hopping, and that wouldn’t work well at all.

The room was spartan—just a bed and a desk, with nothing that could be called luxurious. A single small window was set into one wall. William peeked out, but all he could see was grass. He was underground, so it was no surprise the view didn’t extend to the courtyard above. As his eyes adjusted, he spotted a wooden cane leaning against the far stone wall. Someone had left it there for him.

"They already got one for me. That’s nice of them," he thought.

He grabbed the wooden cane, and a wave of relief washed over him. No more hopping, no more wasting precious strength. With the cane for support, he explored the rest of the room, but found nothing of interest. There was only one thing left to do: head up the staircase and see what else the monastery held.