A Respite Near the Mountains

She forced herself to stand after launching her attack. Sweat covered her face as she struggled to catch her breath. The mud caused from Alice’s magic soaked through her clothes, and her trembling hands struggled to keep hold of her wand. Her legs gave out as the light from the tip of her wand faded.

“I…might’ve…lost the battle…but in death I will win this war…” Himari watches as the Demon Lord slowly disintegrated.

“I… I did it…!” Her adrenaline drops.

“Himari!” Ruby rushes toward her.

“R-Ruby…!” Tears burst out.

“Damn it! What happened??”

“A D-Demon Lord attacked us! And! And! He was moving too fast! I missed too much!”

She continues to bawl making the rest of her words incomprehensible. Ruby strokes her hair gently. Her eyes examine the area.

The field is muddy. Trees had been snapped in half and others had been uprooted entirely, their roots exposed to the sky, the wind blew the leaves off the damaged trees. Ruby froze.

“Did the Demon Lord do this…No… Himari… Did you do this?”

“H-Huh?” Her eyes widened upon seeing a perfect circular hole through the side of the mountain. The cut through the mountain is clean and deep.

That was where the Demon Lord was before Himari attacked.

“Oh dear…”

“Oh! Where’s Alice and Estelle?”

“Ah! Alice! Estelle!” She staggered up. “Alice! Estelle!” Trying to move as fast as she could, she stumbles to a small ditch from one of the magic spells.

“ALICE! ESTELLE!”

Something caught her attention. She hears heavy breathing. She continues to struggle along to find Alice curled up to the ground, Estelle laying flat on her back.

“Himari! What happened to them!?”

“Eh!? Oh no!”

Alice’s left arm and the side of her face is covered in a dark liquid sticking to her skin. Estelle has the same on her upper right thigh.

“I…might’ve…lost the battle…but in death I will win this war…”

It quickly clicked.

“He did this! This must be a c-curse!” Her head felt light and her stomach began to turn.

Her breathing became faster and faster, and suddenly she couldn't seem to get enough air. Her hands shook as she looked at her dear friends. The sounds around her began to muffle. The only thought running through her head was blame for herself.

“Its m-m-my fault! M-My…”

"Hey!"

Ruby grabbed her shoulders and turned her around. She froze.

"Look at me. You cured the curse on that ring you wear. You can cure them.”

Her trembling slowed down. She took a deep but shaky breath and squeezed her hands together.

“R-Right…! I can heal them… I can… I can…”

Hovering her hands over Alice first, light began to gently cover her arm. Ruby carefully lifts Estelle up.

Dark particles evaporated through the light. Alice’s breathing calmed. As she releases her, no scars or wounds can be seen on her. Sighing in relief she turns to Estelle. The light wraps around her upper thighs. More dark particles evaporated through the light. Although Himari got a small glimpse of what treasure Estelle had under her skirt.

“Alright. I’ll carry Estelle back to the tent. You’ll take Alice.”

“R-Right!”

Ruby carries the unconscious Estelle and stares at the destruction left by Himari. A cold sweat ran down her cheek.

“Is that really the power of the hero…?” She mumbled.

***

The smell of the campfire is usually comforting but Himari can’t relax. After the ambush she can’t sit still. The sounds of animals running nearby causes her to panic a little.

“Eat.” Ruby passes some dried monster meat.

“M-Mm…”

Alice and Estelle rest in the tent. Just looking at them she starts to feel bad. She couldn’t even taste the food.

“Himari.”

“Eep! Yes…?”

“Explain to me what happened while I was gone.”

“Oh right… So… When you climbed the mountain for herbs, Alice wanted to see if there were more animals we could get for dinner… I followed her and told Estelle to stay here. But she kept following us. We went a little too far then we were attacked… After seeing his horns we attacked as much as possible. But the trees around us gave him the advantage… So Alice used an explosive spell to give us space. They even used water spells to make his chances of slipping higher… But he kept jumping from tree to tree. I used the same technique I learned at the lake but I kept missing… I nearly hit Alice but she was able to dodge in time…” Tears build up. “I slipped… then I heard Estelle scream Alice’s name. Before I could react I saw him lunging at me… I panicked and that… That's what happened…to the mountain…”

Ruby finishes her meal and takes a deep breath.

“I’m sorry. I should’ve been there instead of looking for herbs. My senses could have helped in the battle.”

“N-No! It’s my fau-”

“Your fault is that you’re still sloppy. Your lack of experience will slow us down in each fight. Your tactics for us are helpful but you are too scared to fight.” Her eyes are sharp but not intimidating.

“You’re r-right…”

“We are getting closer to the sealed grounds. Demons and monsters roam close to that area. We will be fighting more dangerous threats ahead. You might be blessed with being the hero, but my goodness you are not cut out for this.”

“Yes… You’re right.”

“Aren’t heroes supposed to go to the King and get select guardians for your task? Why did you get a cleric who can only heal and a mage whose powers can be a danger to you?”

“Actually… I did meet with the King but… Alice denied his offers and somehow convinced him that they were enough.

“That has to be a jo- No… I can definitely see Alice doing that…” Ruby covers her face with one hand.

“They didn’t even give me a test on my powers… The Great Sage told them I’m the hero and they didn’t doubt it. Before I knew it, we were already out of the main capital.”

“No training experience, no special guards and guides for this quest, and no experience in going for the kill until recently… In addition to that…your powers are getting stronger. What you did was definitely not normal.”

Himari fell silent.

Her powers are obviously getting stronger. When they first awakened and she launched an attack at a Demon Lord, she launched a lance made of light that tore through his body. In this panicked moment, she might have done the same attack but the power was even stronger. More dangerous.

“It’s a little early but get some rest. I’ll stay on guard for a while.” Ruby stood up to stretch.

Himari wanted to stay up but her muscles began to tire out. Ruby is the only one in top condition at the moment. Placing her trust in Ruby, she returns to the tent. Alice and Estelle breathe softly, putting Himari’s thoughts at ease. Slipping in between them to be closer. Having them so close helped her fall asleep.

Morning rises, Himari doesn't even attempt to do her usual morning training with Poppy. She sat in the tent waiting for Alice or Estelle to wake up. The wait starts to weigh on her.

“Himari?”

“Yes?”

“I’m going to hunt for some extra food. I suggest you don’t go any further from our campsite.”

“Understood…”

“If they wake up, we still have some more dried monster meat.” Her footsteps become quieter as seconds go by.

“Ruby is so strong…”

Upon laying back down, Poppy appears by her head.

“Are you not training today, Young Himari?”

“No… Not today…” Himari responds with her thoughts.

“Well perhaps yesterday’s results proved that you are even stronger now.” Poppy stretches. If not for Poppy being one of the 4 Gods of Origins, they could just look like any other rabbit with a thick fur coat around the neck.

“What is happening to me? I haven’t fought as much yet my powers are growing?”

“You have not grasped the idea of your powers?”

“No! You are never telling me besides guiding my own personal training!”

“Very well… I will inform you what makes you stronger.” Poppy hops onto her belly. There is no weight at all.

“What is it?”

“Your bonds. The closer you are with these three, the stronger your powers become. This is why I am pleased with your choice of companions. If you have chosen the royal guards, they will only see you as “The Hero”. The bonds you make with them would not make you stronger. However these three see you. They want to help you. They want to be with you because you are you. Yes you are the hero, but they have grown to love your humanity more than your divinity.”

“O-Oh… Is that so?”

“You have the power blessed by all 4 Gods of Origin with The Light of Love. What you do with this power is up to you. I encourage you to continue your trust and love for these 3. I do agree with the feline. You need more courage.” Poppy vanishes.

For once she got something useful out of Poppy. It felt strange that she got some words of encouragement after all that vagueness.

Suddenly she felt a tug on her shirt.

“Eh?”

“Good morning…”

“A-Alice!” Himari embraces her.

“Himari…”

“How are you feeling?”

“I feel super drained…and my body feels sore. My mana feels like it’s almost empty…”

Curses affect the soul of the user. First it attacks their mana which surrounds the soul. Once the mana is weakened, it starts attacking the soul. The stronger the curse, the faster the effects. Himari was able to remove the curses fast enough before they became fatal to their souls. However they need a lot of time to recover.

Alice seems to wake up first due to her being an Elf. Estelle, on the other hand, might need more time before she can wake up.

“Let me get you something to eat. Here’s some water too.”

“Thanks…”

Alice never got up due to the heavy fatigue she is experiencing. At least she is able to toss and turn. She attempted to raise her heavy arms but she couldn't grab the food.

Himari sighed softly and lifted Alice’s head gently. Alice blushes at the sight of Himari feeding her.

“Will you feed me mouth to mouth…?” Her eyes sparkle with innocence.

“N-No.”

“Tch I tried…” A smug grin grew on her face before continuing her meal.

“I'm sorry…”

“What for?”

“I was sloppy… Both you and Estelle got hurt because of me…”

“Himari.” Alice gently rests her hand on Himari’s thigh. “It's not your fault… Instead of blaming ourselves for what happened, let's be happy we're alive together. Got it?” Her smile brings warmth to Himari's heart.

“I'll ask this again…” Tears build up. “Why do you two like me so much? Why aren't you mad at me? Why aren't you yelling at me?” It's impossible for her to hold back her tears.

“This again…? Himari we love that you're so accepting of us” Using as much strength as she could, she climbs her for a hug.

Himari hugged back and continued to cry softly.

“Back when we were working with the Great Sage, Estelle was training under him for holy magic. I was a teacher of magic to the church orphans. Estelle is a little slow and the others gave up on helping her… The other teachers always chose me to just play with the kids rather than teach them. I got yelled at a few times, trying to squeeze in a lesson or two… They don't even see me as an adult… Himari… You accepted us. Even though I'm an elf. Even though Estelle can only heal and not attack. You never gave up on us… I can't say how Estelle really feels but I think you really are amazing…”

“Oh Alice…”

“Himari…”

The only thing running through her head was how blessed she is. Even after all the struggles so far, she can really trust them.

“Himari…?”

“Yes?”

“I know we're having a moment but can you please let me lie down now… It hurts…”

“Ah! Sorry!”

After setting her down, they both laughed. Himari curls up close with Alice. Now she doesn't feel lonely at all.

“So is there anything you want to talk about? I can't really do anything at the moment but I am technically a teacher…”

“Oh I don't know what to-” She remembers a comment Alice made back at the shop in Mineral Village. “Oh I did want to ask you something. Are you really from Soar Devilipo?”

“Ah you remember that… I was born there but I got out of there as soon as I mastered my knowledge of basic magic.”

Soar Deviliop is a floating city where the large remaining elves are residing. Every few months they descend to trade with humans and drop off those who wish to explore the lands below. They are so high up that even the Avian tribe can't reach with all their might.

Over the past century Soar Deviliop’s visits to the kingdom have dropped significantly. The current citizens start to believe that they are a myth.

Due to their low fertility rate, their desire to reproduce has also dropped. Even humans who wish to mix with them fail all the time.

“Do you miss your home?”

“A bit. But it's only been 20 years…”

“20…? How old are you?”

“82.”

“Ehhhhh… You’re older than my grandpa…”

“In our culture, we are “adults” by 100 if we go by your biology. I technically have 18 years left before turning to this “adult” you humans are so self conscious of. Right now we're practically the same age.

“In 18 years I will be 35… I’d be lucky if I actually lived that long given my current situation…”

“Humans sure are fragile…”

“Yes we are…” Himari pulls her in for a hug. After a few moments Alice fell asleep in her arms.

Ruby returns with two rather large animal corpses. Checking in on the three, she left them alone to rest. They may stay in the area until both Alice and Estelle have fully recovered. Himari prays that the Demon King’s seal doesn’t break while they have to stay behind. So long as it stays intact by the time they get there, she can fix the seal.