I Became My Healer Elf Character - Chapter 31

Chapter 31: Touch of Life
Hikari woke up the same as usual with a tail draped over her abdomen. This warm tail had become her constant sleeping companion. At this point, she doubted she could feel at ease without it.

She stretched her arms and sat up, looking at her little dragon who had a peaceful look on her face. Hikari carefully poked the girl’s cheek.

“Master?”

“Good morning, Kurayami.”

“Good morning, Master.” Kurayami reached up and hugged Hikari. Before they parted, the dragon gave her a quick peck on the cheek.

“You’re a sly little one, aren’t you?”

“I can’t help it because Master is so cute.”

Hikari felt her cheeks heating up from the honest compliment. But another attack came soon after when the dragon playfully licked Hikari’s pointed ear.

“Hey! Stop licking me. I am not a tasty candy.”

Kurayami licked her lips and pressed her finger against Hikari’s mouth. “You are the tastiest treat.”

Even though she wanted to retort, Hikari couldn’t deny the feeling of warmth from their playful banter. A faint smile appeared on the elf’s lips. Nonetheless, she stood up and walked towards the door.

“Just hurry up, or I will leave you here.”

“Master wouldn’t dare!” Kurayami yelled and leapt up, quickly following her master into the hallway.

As soon as they exited the door, the two sisters and a little fairy were already waiting for them. Hikari carefully looked over at Alfa.

“Do you feel better?”

The girl nodded. “I have much more respect for the soldiers and adventurers now. It can’t be easy to watch such scenes consistently.”

“Is fighting for soldiers common?”

“Well, there aren’t any large skirmishes or wars nowadays, but I heard it was different before I was born. The kingdom waged war with a few kingdoms to the south. At that time, the empire to the west was more expansionist, so they tried to capture territories. I heard that’s when my father died.”

Esalda placed a comforting hand on her sister’s shoulder. “You don’t need to put on tough acts all of the time.”

Alfa grinned at her younger sister. “It’s not a tough act. I am well aware of my father’s sacrifice. It’s not like I ever got to know him.” Finally, the princess looked back at Hikari. “Anyway, we should start the journey up the mountain. I heard it takes two weeks to scale it on foot, and that chariot will only carry us up so far.”

“Oh?”

“The path starts to become too rough for transport. We’ll have to dismount shortly after we leave. That’s why it’s common for people to not even bother. They usually leave the horses and carriages around a stable.”

The three walked outside after greeting a lively Eileen. The receptionist wished them luck, and their promised second stay was booked for their return. They were given a token in case Eileen wasn’t working then. She said that sometimes her sister ran the inn when Eileen was on her days off.

Morning sunlight greeted them on a cloudless day. After giving the horses some pats, Hikari discretely unsummoned them under the view of her fellow travelers.

“Your powers still amaze me, Miss Hikari,” Esalda said. “Is there anything you can’t do?”

“Don’t be silly. There are plenty of things I can’t do. For example, I am not the best at combat.”

The two girls gave her a wry smile.

“Hey, don’t look at me like that. It’s true. The most I can do is some simple healing.”

Alfa broke into a loud laughter. “That and summon angels from the heavens, unicorns as pure as snow, and get transported around by a real dragon. Miss healer, I think there are many who would wish to be in your position.”

“I don’t want to hear this from a princess. Some of us have our stations. Some are grasping at straws to make a living. You can’t say that everyone in the capital is living well. I saw those few beggars and people in rags.” As Alfa frowned and looked towards the ground, Hikari quickly corrected herself. “I am sorry. That was harsh.”

The princess shook her head. “No, what you say is true. I always wish there was something more we could do for them.”

“As far as I am concerned your kingdom is already doing a great job. People like this exist in every world, in every town and city. In comparison to somewhere else, the people there seemed much happier.”

Esalda tilted her head. “Other worlds? Have you been to other worlds? I’ve always wondered if they truly exist.”

Instead of giving the answer she was looking for, Hikari looked towards the sky. “The stars were beautiful last night. Did you see it from your room?”

Alfa gave a serene smile. “It’s true. Sometimes, there are auroras that paint the sky of this mountain at night. I heard from Mother that it’s a gorgeous sight. There are people who believe that this is the work of Amelia.”

“Is that what you believe?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never held such strong beliefs as my mother. When I was little I would look up into the stars, wondering if each twinkling light was a god. If they all were staring down at me, then there were more of them comforting me. As you know, Amelia is not the only goddess. Do you think it’s silly?”

Hikari smiled. “I don’t think it’s silly at all. People are always reaching to the stars, wishing to grasp them.”

“But if Master wanted to, she could really grasp them.”

“Hey! Don’t go saying weird stuff. What do you take me for?”

Alfa looked at the two in awe, even as they began their trek towards the northern exit of the mountain town. “You two really do have a great relationship. How long have you two been traveling together.”

Kurayami smiled towards the princess. “We really do have a great relationship, right? Master and I have traveled together since my hatching.”

“Your hatching? How long do dragon’s live anyway?”

Hikari quickly cut off that part of the conversation, not wanting to reveal that she was far older in this setting than she would admit. “Don’t you know it’s rude to ask about people’s ages?”

“Oh, right! Sorry!”

As the group finally exited the mountain town, the guards stationed there wished them luck after confirming their identities. The first thing of note was that trees began to thicken as they started their climb. Rocks jutted out from everywhere as the road gradually thinned out.

After a bit of climbing, eventually the road had become nothing but a well-trodden dirt path. The imprints of people’s boots were the only sign that people actively walked this route.

The howls of wolves reached their ears from a distance away, and Hikari could feel a difference in magic pressure. While the air was gradually thinning out, the magic pressure was the complete opposite, almost directly proportional. The elf gazed at the two sisters, noticing the goosebumps building on their bare arms.

She sighed. “You two really should have bought coats in that town.” Then with a light twitch of her staff, the bells chimed and she casted a spell. “[Warmth].”

“Thank you, Miss Hikari.”

They had not even scaled a twentieth of the mountain, and the winds had already started howling. The trees around them rustled in the breeze.

“Master, I smell blood ahead.”

The elf took a whiff on her own, and she also smelled it. “Come on, let’s hurry.”

With that, the group took off into a jog. Eventually, they found the source of the smell. Right next to the pathway, there was a monument. It was a smooth black stone with an engraving that gave well wishes to all travelers scaling the mountain. But next to the stone statue, a woman lay face down in the mud with pink flowers in her hand. Several claws seemed to have pierced through the back of her brown dress, and a small pool of blood lay beneath her.

Esalda was the first to run up to the girl. She avoided touching any of the injuries. She carefully placed a finger against her neck before turning the woman’s head to the side. The back of Esalda’s hand hovered in front of the woman’s mouth.

“She has a pulse, but she’s not breathing!”

Alfa hurriedly looked towards the elf. “Can you help her?”

Hikari walked forward and hovered her staff above the woman.

Name: Sordra

Age: 16

Level: 3

Title: None

Strength: 11

Agility: 10

Intelligence: 14

Wisdom: 13

Faith: 17

Health: 1/30

Mana: 40

Condition: Bleeding, Punctured Organs, Dying, Cursed

Soon after the inspection, Hikari witnessed the woman’s health tick down to 0. A faint black mist began to pour out of her skin. Yet, Hikari didn’t stand on ceremony. In truth, she had wanted to avoid any resurrection magic. But the pleading eyes of Alfa from before had made up her mind.

Hikari reached her staff down, poking the corpse. “[Touch of Life].”

In that moment, the woman’s body mended itself, and as her life returned, a series of coughs followed.