Nanomancer Reborn - I've Become A Snow Girl?

Chapter 1266: Suffering And Hope

Staring at the small figure clutching their knees in the alleyway, Leia felt something burning deep within. It was a feeling that she had never felt before and she didn't know what to make of it.

It was like an raging inferno threatening to swallow all if it ever gets out.

Trying her best to calm her emotions, she kneeled in front of the boy and tried to heal him. The moment she reached out with her hand, she could see the panic in his eyes as he closed his eyes in fear.

Biting her lip, Leia sighed.

"It's okay, I'm not here to hurt you." She muttered softly as a soothing current of energy flowed into his body, healing all of his wounds in the blink of an eye.

"There, it's not bad is it?" She smiled while patting the boy's head.

Nodding his head nervously, he hesitated for a moment before grabbing her sleeves.

"C-can you help my family too?"

"Of course, can you show me where they are?" Leia nodded.

She felt sadness that a young boy like him had to live such a life. In the time it took for her to heal him, she was able to see the state of his body and it was not good. If she didn't intervene, she estimated that he would've only lasted another week at best.

As she was being guided through the alleys, it was a complete change from the pristine streets of the city.

Putrid smells filled the hair, waste littered the floor and hardly any light could reach the this place due to the tall buildings. While walking through the alleys, Leia could see that he wasn't the only one. There were others just like him, some young some old.

But the worst part was the corpses. Several of them had died and their bodies left untouched. Rats gnawed away at their flesh and bone while dried blood pooled under them.

"Just through here." The boy gestured to a small opening in a brick wall.

Seeing as how he was completely unaffected by the death surrounding him, Leia knew that this was a common occurrence.

"I thought the city trade was going well. How come people are suffering here?" She asked hesitantly while following him through the gap in the wall.

"We couldn't pay the taxes. Got into debt and got kicked out to the streets." He replied without any emotion in his voice.

Biting her lip, Leia watched silently as they arrived at a small captivity amidst the debris. There was a single make shift bed out of cardboard, old newspaper and whatever they had lying around. On the bed was the boy's mother while he had a younger brother passed out while leaning against the wall.

In the centre of the 'room' was a pile of burnt items that had kept them warm through the night.

Without another word from the boy, Leia walked over and started to heal the both of them.

Seeing the state of the mother, she knew that she couldn't save her unless she manifested more blessings to cleanse and repair her body.

Using the power that she had shown thus far, the mother would be in good health for a day or two before her body deteriorates beyond repair and she passes on.

The younger brother was slightly better but if the mother and older brother passes on, he'll soon follow.

'Do I bless them? If I do they'll survive but they'll have to live in this condition for much longer. They'll suffer and die to the same diseases as they will now. But if I don't save them, the family will only survive another week at most unless someone else helps.' Leia thought to herself.

It was a dilemma since she couldn't be responsible for everyone in the world without using more mana that will destabilise this garden. Her actions now would only give them more suffering.

But she didn't want to ignore their plight.

With her body now healed, the mother slowly opened her eyes and saw Leia sitting with a conflicted expression.

Panic filled her mind as she didn't know where her children are. But once she saw them beside her, she sighed in relief.

"I don't know how I can repay you. As you can see we don't own much." She thanked Leia with a weak voice. She could barely muster up any strength even after Leia's healing.

"You don't have to repay me. I just want to ask if you know the situation of your body."

Hearing this, the mother understood that she probably didn't have long left to live.

"My children, can you help my children? They don't deserve to end here. It's my fault we're in this state they don't deserve any of this." The mother begged.

Some of the homeless that followed them after seeing how well dressed Leia was saw that she had 'saved' the family. They looked healthier in appearance and took this chance to beg for her help.

A myriad of reasons, pleas and sobbing flooded Leia's ears as she was overwhelmed with what she was seeing.

So many of them grasping at her legs, bowing down and begging for the slightest bit of help without care of what might happen.

Taking a step back, she wanted to answer them one by one but they weren't listening to her. They seemed crazed at the sight of hope and abandoned reason. They were merely trying their best to cling to the thin thread they managed to see.

Before things got out of hand, several guards rushed to the location and started to push the homeless away. Even going as far as to resort to physical abuse as they were relentless in their pursuits.

"Wait! Don't hurt them!" Leia shouted out in a panic while they escorted her away from the alley.

Sealing off the alley, one of the guards looked at Leia with a frown.

"I've never seen you in the city before so you may not know how things work around here. For your own safety, please refrain from interacting with them in the future." He stated coldly.

"But-"

"They're a danger to you once they realise you can help them. I can only assume that this incident will spark more violence tonight." The guard cut her off while telling her to leave the premises.

Seeing that none of the other guards wanted to talk to her or explain anything, Leia could only bite her lip and walk away.

She didn't know the consequences that might happen to the family now that they were the only ones to have received her help. Even if it was just a single heal.

It doesn't change the fact that she might've doomed them with her act of helping out.

'Should I have just left them be? For them to suffer until they die?' She thought to herself, unable to come to a conclusion.

Walking through the city aimlessly, she decided to go to the church. She figured that they'll be kind enough to explain what had happened to the city.

Compared to the church in her own village, the church in this city was much bigger. It was filled with a sense of awe and holiness with the smooth white marble pillars and golden details.

Once she entered, she could see several people praying on benches with a priest reading out some verses on the altar.

To the side, a sister approached her with a smile.

"May I inquire what reason you have come to the church today?"

"I'm a sister of the church in a remote village. I've come to this city to widen my views on this world and I was hoping I could perhaps talk to the head of this church. I wish to seek knowledge on the state of this city and what had transpired." Leia replied truthfully as the sister was silent for a moment.

"I will see if the head priest is available today. Please wait by the benches and we'll let you know what he says." She smiled as Leia nodded her head.

Sitting down on the benches, she looked upon the statue of Pyre and wondered how he could stand watching everything unfold the way it has.

However, she doesn't blame him. After all, his only role given by Chaos was to govern this world and make sure no disasters end this world before the termination of this cycle has been confirmed.

'Have I been overthinking things? I have all this power yet I cannot help them. Perhaps I was never meant to help them, then why did Chaos send me here? How can it be called life and death when they live in agony? Their life is cruel and death is a mercy… terminating them before they reach their goals. Then what meaning does their life hold?'

Unable to come to a conclusion, Leia could only sit there silently with sadness in her eyes.

Soon, she was told that the head priest was able to spare some time for her.

But upon entering his office and asking why the state of the city is like this, the answer broke her heart.

"Is there an issue? There will always be those that are crushed beneath the heels of those that are capable. Like the flames of our God Pyre, there will be fuel. For our society, they are the fuel that keeps things in order. Their suffering is necessary so the masses can flourish."