Chapter Ninety Two: Reunion

A few hours before the bell rang sounding the heroes' return, I was being warmly embraced in the hands of the woman I love.
I had no idea she could be physically strong enough to hold me so tight like that. It must be the deep longing she had for the few days I haven’t seen her due to our fight. 
{I’m sorry!! I’m sorry!!} she repeatedly apologized as she hugged me. I somewhat felt a little bad for what I had done because of all the apology. 
It’s true that she was in the wrong, but I myself am not in the right. I shouldn’t have left her like that while calling Leila’s name. And I shouldn’t be staying in the same house with girls. But it cant be helped if we live together. They are very important to me and they don’t have a permanent place to stay. I cant just leave them alone.
When I arrived at her chambers, it was covered by purple fog. She’d been releasing it constantly but was careful enough not to let it escape. I used my night vision to find my way inside to her bedroom. She sensed me before I even landed on the stairs and slowly retracted the fog.
That was when she jumped from the bed and hugged me tightly. She couldn’t stand on her legs. She held my shoulders together until I got on my knees.
My face was planted in her chest because of the difference in our height. The electric feeling met with my face. I couldn’t pull back because of all her apologies.
I raised both my hands and wiped away her tears with my thumbs “I forgive you.” I gave her the best smile I could make. 
Laying  close to her body, she stroked my hair with her left hand.
I was trying so hard to stay awake, but my consciousness was beginning to fade.
That was when a loud sound echoed all over the capital. The bells in the four towns surrounding the capital and the one in the sacred land all rung at the same time. It was the alert for demons as far as I was concerned.
That was when she calmly said {The heroes have returned.} 
By heroes, I knew exactly what that meant. Milta was among them.
I was ecstatic at the time and was only disturbed by the bells. 
“I’ll see her later.” was what I thought to myself when I closed my eyes.

The surroundings of the sacred land was filled with people.
Leaving Lust’s house, I went straight to where the returning party were. The last words between me and her was the question I had always wanted to ask. 
“Your name……… I don’t know it.”
My question made her ultra happy and surprised at the same time.
{My name……………… it’s been a really long time since anyone has asked me that………..”
Palmeerea. She said her name was Palmeerea. It was a name befitting of her. I should have asked her name a lot sooner. I don’t know what prevented me from doing so.
I had thought that the returning party was going to be welcomed by the whole capital for their courageous deeds when I aimed for the sacred land. I had heard from Palmeerea that they would be there.Grief and rage were the only things I met. The people surrounding the sacred land were demanding explanations and compensations for their family members.
Among the people who ventured with the heroes to fight the demon lord numbering over a thousand, only a hundred of them returned alive. Most of which are badly injured. Two heroes from the five died as well.
Only piles of corpses were brought back along with the injured. The demon lord was not defeated and they had returned with nothing to show for it.
Those who were alive or injured entered the sacred land along with the heroes. The corpses were taken to the guild to be claimed by family members. 
The people protesting all saw as the party entered the sacred land. They were able to see all those who were able to move or on carriages.
“A girl in white. Did you see her among them!?” no matter who I asked, they were all asking the same questions. No one bothered to answer mine.
This is bad……….
Milta is alright, right? She is a healer not a fighter. She should be able to stay away from trouble right?
I had a bad feeling all of a sudden. It was morning when I went to Palmeerea’. I stayed there for 8 hours and left when it was dusk.
Every side of the sacred land was densely populated. The rivers, the hills and the bridges. There were people everywhere. People with family members, people with friends and people who know someone. They all demanded answers from the king himself.
Apparently, the party was promised a fair reward if they defeat the demon king. As such, adventurers and knights alike all took the job. The knights are mostly people of noble heritage. The mortality didn’t leave even them.
Their cries sobered me up from the lingering pleasure I was feeling. Just like all of them are worried about their friends and loved ones, I was also worried about Milta.
If two heroes died in the battle then a healer, no matter how strong doesn’t stand a chance.
All the people there only voiced out their rage. Non of them was able to pass through the sacred land’s barrier. I could have entered if I’d wanted, but I couldn’t allow myself to be termed an enemy again. Now that they know my friends, I have a lot of weaknesses.
But that doesn’t mean I’ve given up on finding out Milta’s condition. Not in the slightest. The best course of action will be to sneak in at night when they cant see me. I still risk being found out but I have no choice. I owe Milta so much that I cant just ignore her thinking about my safety. 
I’m worried about what might happen to Meila and Leila if something were to go wrong though. I’ll take care of it when the time comes.
I returned home for the time being waiting for the perfect opportunity to go looking for her. Because of the uproar, the sacred land will be heavily guarded. The most important thing is finding her location before they notice my presence.
Back home, the girls sat besides me “Are you worried about your friend? The girl who asked the king to spare you back then?”
They both knew the story about how Milta saved me. Everyone in the capital knows of how she defied the king for my freedom.
I sat thinking about the worst outcome. What if she’s dead? Only ten percent of the total party returned. The chances of that being the case are very high.
I couldn’t sit tight. I waited anxiously until midnight when I was sure the security would be low.
With the help of Meila, I was able to pinpoint her location using my pendant. Meila wore it and thought deeply about Milta despite not knowing her. It reacted and pointed west at the sacred land.
My worrying rubbed off on them and they couldn’t sleep. They waited with me until it was midnight before I left. 
“I hope she’s alright.” they both prayed.
I hope so too.
I flew high in the sky until I was above the sacred land right below where the pendant pointed..
It pointed in the castle where the king lives. They must have taken the important people there.
I hid myself with my invisibility cloak then flew inside the barrier. The hall I confronted the king before was in front of the building the pendant pointed. It was a separate building from the rest of the castle. There were a lot of people going to and fro from the hall. I figured they were nobles who had family members in the party. 
Most of the security guards were at that location. It made my mission easier.
The castle is very wide with domes everywhere. I had wanted to enter the room she would be in through the window, but it seems the windows are all locked from the inside. 
The room my pendant pointed to was on the third floor. It was covered by thick blankets from the inside. I tried peeking through the glass window when I felt a dangerous chill all over my body. A tall figure was standing inside the room glaring right at me. It was a man older than me. He had his eyes closed, but I could tell he was glaring at me. 
BAD-UMP!
My heart almost jumped out from my chest. I thought my invisibility would do the trick, but I was too careless! It was the hero I saw back then. The number two hero otherwise known as the king’s son.
What do I do if he saw me?I hid my body besides the window for over a minute thinking of a way out when a door closed from inside the room. The hero had left.
“Is it a trap?” I wondered hesitantly.
I had to use the opportunity that was given to me. Before someone enters the room again, I’ll have to finish my business and leave.
The whole of the castle seems to be painted in gold. The room I entered had a golden paint as well. The curtains were gold and the room itself was very big. 
The bed was adjacent to the window I entered from. I didn’t pay attention to any other details when I focused my attention on the bed.
“She’s not here………………….!!??”
The bed had blue sheets. It was just enough size for one person. I glanced through it and was about to focus elsewhere thinking there was nothing there when my whole body froze. Something else was in the bed covered with the sheets.
I was only able to see the head of the person in the bed, so I naturally assumed it was someone else because of the skin color I saw.
It was pure black just like charcoal. Even in this world where there are a variety of races with different body features, I had never seen a person that dark before.
I stayed on my guard scanning the face slowly. I felt a familiar vibe from watching it, but I didn’t want to admit it.
That was clearly no ordinary skin color. It was the skin of someone who was severely burnt. The black was from what remained of the skin.
The more I looked at the face, the more it resembled Milta’s. that long nose was undoubtedly her’s. accepting that meant accepting it was Milta on the bed severely injured.
“NO……….” I slowly retraced my steps back to the window when my pendant pushed itself towards the body in the bed.
How did this happen?
That was not a body. It was nothing more than a hunk of charcoal that failed to turn to ash. 
Bad-ump! 
My heartbeat increased and I felt like throwing up. It was unbearably painful to accept that Milta was in that condition. I lost the strength in my legs. I crawled over slowly with my head slumped. 
Milta…….. Milta……………. Milta…………………..
No………….!!Getting close to her, I uncovered the sheets on her body. 
Bad-ump! 
It was frightening. The rest of her body was the same as her face. It was not just black, you could see the dark particles falling off from her.
She had no hair at all on her head. They placed her in the bed completely naked then covered her with the sheets.
Why couldn’t she heal herself? What happened there?
I completely forgot about my own ability to heal. The events that led to this were all I could imagine. Who in the world did something so horrible to her?
I was so happy about our reunion. I thought that she would at least laugh at me when I tell her all that has happened. 
Where were the heroes? Why couldn’t they protect her?
Though faintly, she showed signs of breathing.
“I have to do something before it becomes too late…”
Thinking I have to save her, I planned on using my kiss to heal her wounds.
Her lips were burnt, almost half of the lower lip was gone. She must have a really strong will to stay alive after receiving this much damage.
Without a moment’s hesitation, I kissed her dried and darkened lips “Please!!”
A minute passed by with no reaction at all. Not even a single muscles did she move.
What’s going on? It didn’t work?
I began to panic. I only forced myself to remain calm because I thought I could save her. What if it doesn’t work?
I kissed her again in a panic. I waited for a while then repeated the procedure over and over again. Not once did she move even in the slightest.
The blood finally got to my head. I breathed heavily from panic. “Milta………. Milta………” my head pounded like crazy. I was about to scream my head off when I heard sounds coming to the door.
In a low voice, I could hear the footsteps outside talking.
“We have to do something.”
No…… don’t come in………… Milta…….. she’s………………..
Before I knew it, I was flying outside the room with a body wrapped in sheets. I subconsciously took her away with me.
The noise I heard came from the door. Whoever it was was planning to enter the room. What’s more, it wasn’t only just one person. If my guess is correct, then that hero must have brought back a doctor.
Milta is just barely alive. Both her skin and flesh have been gravely burnt. She may die any second if nothing is done. I doubt any of them could heal her considering she’s a great healer herself. Even as of now, she must be clinging onto her life using a special magic. Otherwise there is no way a person could remain alive after being turned into coal.
I left the barrier almost immediately after I took her with me. I couldn’t afford to waste any time confronting anyone. The kiss didn’t work. It must be that her injuries are too great to be healed from just touching our lips.
Will it work if I made her swallow my saliva directly? I have to try whatever I can until she heals. I can never allow her to die like this.
I arrived home in no time. I was sure the girls were waiting for me. Seeing Milta in that state would freak anyone out. I couldn’t let them see her. 
Their rooms were both on the second floor but they were gathered in the living room downstairs. For me to go to my room, I would be noticed by them. Then they would be curious about what’s inside the sheets and I wouldn’t be able to concentrate on Milta.
I opened the window to a room upstairs from the outside and hurried inside. There was no bed in the room unlike the others. I placed her on the wooden floor then took her out of the sheets.
The sheets were stained black from the black particles and oil falling off of her body. It was outright gory like some horrible scene out of a movie.
I didn’t have anytime to waste when I opened her lips with both my hands. Her lips were very rough. They felt as though they’d crumble in my hands. I wouldn’t have been able to do what I did under normal circumstances; I collected a lot of saliva in my mouth then poured it directly into her’s.
Bad-ump! Bad-ump!
I took a deep breath with my loud beating heart watching as my saliva went down her throat.
“It worked!” 
Not a second passed after that when her cheeks revitalized. The destroyed skin instantly fell off and a brand new one was formed. The smooth soft and beautiful skin on her cheeks returned to normal. But that only lasted for few seconds. Her cheeks slowly darkened returning to how they were.
“No…………”
It failed again after showing signs of improvement. But unlike last time, this time around was different. Showing even the tiniest change meant that there was still hope.
I didn’t hesitate to try again after that failure. I collected a lot more saliva than I did before. It took minutes to gather the amount I wanted. 
Just like before, I poured all if it into her mouth. The change came immediately after that. It started from her lips and slowly reached her throat. Her nose returned to its original state as the crispy flesh fell off.
The change reversed back just like it did before seconds later. The flesh died and turned black.
I arrived at a conclusion after seeing that; the saliva I poured inside her mouth was not sufficient enough to heal her. It got completely used up before doing much work. 
Normally, a small amount of my saliva is enough to make her berserk for hours. That much would have killed her if she was healthy. That only made one thing clear to me; Milta was ninety nine percent dead. The little life she was holding on was just in name. It was like a last flame.
If my saliva wont work, then only one thing can be done.
I stood up straight looking down at her crispy body. I made sure all the sheets were away from her before I started. She was completely naked but nothing was worth looking at. All her privates were burnt to crisps.
I needed my demon sword which was on my waist for what I had in mind. I slowly unsheathed it. The black particles formed a tall sword in my hands as I held it.
That was when the door to the room we were was knocked on from inside the house “Are you in there? We heard noise coming from this room.” “Did you find who you were looking for? How did it go?”
Shit! Why now!?
“Stay away! don’t come in here!?” I should have tried to convince them to stay away not shout in a panicking voice. That only made them more worried and curious.
“What’s wrong!?” “What’s going on in there!?” they both raised there voice worriedly.
I had to move along with my plans before they could try and stop me. I played dumb to their voices and closed my eyes.
I’ve never hurt myself before since coming to this world. Can I even do that? Will my barrier react if I were to trying hurting myself? I hope it doesn’t.
I don’t know if a normal sword would have done the trick. My demon sword increased in size and length after my fight with that demon. I never thought I would be using my own sword on my body.
I took a deep breath then stretched out my left hand showing my palm. 
“Here goes…………..” with a single movement, I cleanly cut my palm after stationing my hand above Milta.
“URRGH!!” I screamed fiercely.
The incredible pain made me open my eyes. My hand was still attached to my body but it felt as though it had completely melted.
My blood spurted out reaching high up before falling down. My eyes got covered in blood. It was so painful I wanted to fall over. But I couldn’t do that. I wanted all the blood to fall on Milta. 
The blood poured relentlessly as though something else was pumping it. Before too long, my legs trembled from lack of blood. My whole body went cold and numb. The flow of blood greatly reduced as well.
I got so dizzy I couldn’t tell left from right. My eyes were becoming white. I couldn’t hear a single thing when my legs gave out.
Before I fell to the ground, I managed to catch a glimpse of the body below me. The whole of it was covered with blood. I couldn’t see clearly enough to tell what was going on. It seemed as though the blood was being sucked into her body.
“GAJAAM!” my body fell to the ground motionless.