Combat Healer Ch. 38 (Patreon)

April 29, 2023

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NOTE: I was meaning for this chapter to kind of be intense, but I'm not sure if I accomplished that goal or not. You'll have to let me know.

<< Chapter 37 | Ch 1 (Book 1) | Ch 15 (Book 2) | Ch 29 (Book 3)

- CHAPTER 38: Revelations -

Present Day

A mature elf woman, with black hair and purple eyes, sat in her study with two others, adorned in a black silk dress, shuffling through parchment of the recent reports received from her scouts.

To her right was her trusted friend and lover, a tall blonde elf with icy blue eyes, dressed in a deep blue silk dress, while to her left stood a shorter elf with lavender skin, rich violet hair, and pink eyes, adorned in black leather pants and matching corset, much of her purple stomach and bust exposed.

Queen Eliza was focused intently on using her ‘Wisdom of the Goddess’ skill as she attempted to assess the situation at hand, struggling to believe that no decision she made seemed to increase the overall probability, of those assigned to investigate the situation…coming back alive.

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SUCCESS RATE: 21%

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Not even if she doubled, tripled, or quadrupled the number of Scourge Suppressors, adding a few more Mages or Rangers only increased the probability incrementally, while adding Fighters did very little to change the Success Rate, instead only increasing the casualties.

Something that was extremely distressing, because she couldn’t figure out why.

Or at least, that had been her predicament…

Until she made one decision, in particular.

Queen Eliza was fairly certain that Melantha and Valshia should be arriving soon.

The human healer named Lyla was already waiting in the castle.

The three of them were the key.

Specifically, together.

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SUCCESS RATE: 89%

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Thus far, she already had a team of Scourge Suppressors investigating the missing village in the north, and they’d already reported that there was no sign of a loose Arakna’cabra. Which meant, the disappearance of nearly a hundred elves, including men, women, and children alike, must be from something else entirely.

She’d begun to have little hope of avoiding this becoming a suicide mission, but then she’d considered asking Melantha and Valshia to help.

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SUCCESS RATE: 47%

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That alone shocked her, the fact that their participation alone more than doubled the success rate…

But when she added Lyla, specifically Lyla, as any other healer did nothing to the success rate.

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SUCCESS RATE: 89%

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Basically a nine-in-ten chance of success…

At first, she was stunned, wondering how one human girl would make such a difference.

But it wasn’t just her causing it.

For, when the Queen considered insisting that only Valshia and Lyla go, then the success rate was quite different.

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SUCCESS RATE: 53%

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And if the Queen were to insist that Melantha and Lyla instead go…

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SUCCESS RATE: 71%

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Lyla paired with either of them produced higher success rates, but it was nothing like what happened when all three of them were together. Specifically those three, since any other healer truly did almost nothing to affect the chances of success.

But with Lyla, Valshia, and Melantha…together…

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SUCCESS RATE: 89%

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Queen Eliza looked up when there was a knock on the door, with the dark elf Alyssa hurrying over to open it.

One of the Elf Guard, a strong young man, stood with Mel and Val just behind him, along with Lyla off to the side, her head held high and proud.

“My Queen,” the guard said simply.

She simply nodded in acknowledgment and he departed, with her speaking to the three women waiting to be invited in. “Please, come in. We have much to discuss.”

“Hi!” Mel said cheerfully, skipping on her first step into the room, bouncing a little with her midnight staff on her strong rosy shoulder. “Is it weird that I kind of missed you?” she wondered, a big grin on her face as she walked over to the Queen, leaning down for a hug.

Valshia followed in as well, smiling too, while the human blonde just stood there frozen in the hallway, her mouth hanging open as she watched the Queen reach up to give Mel a brief hug.

“Not at all,” Eliza said warmly. “Though I’m afraid I’ve been far too busy these last few days to have time to miss anyone myself. Perhaps I no longer know how to miss another.”

Mel frowned as she pulled away, lowering her voice. “Probably because a few days feels like nothing compared to decades.”

Eliza grimaced at that, only to nod. “Perhaps,” she agreed.

Mel stepped away and moved to sit in one of the seats in front of the desk, with Valshia bowing politely before taking a seat as well.

Queen Eliza focused on the girl in the hallway.

Lyla immediately hurried into the room.

“My Queen,” she said loudly, approaching and immediately bowing her head, covering her heart with one hand, while pulling her white silk skirt away with her other to give the smallest curtsey. “It is an honor to be in your presence.”

Mel thrust her rosy thumb behind her shoulder. “Should I act like that? Because I’m not the best at pretending to be all formal.”

Lyla gawked at her in disbelief. “I’m…I’m not pretending,” she hissed. “And how can you be so rude?”

The Queen’s voice was reassuring. “Melantha is a good friend, as is Valshia. They are both permitted to speak to me freely.”

Lyla immediately bowed more fully. “Please forgive me, my Queen. I was not aware.”

“Wow,” Mel said in amusement.

Lyla didn’t react, remaining bent at the waist.

“You may raise your head,” Eliza said calmly. “I have much to discuss with the three of you.” She focused at Lyla when she stood straight, still seeming quite short even when standing, while the other two were seated. “You in particular, Lyla Gottfried. My Ambassador, Allister Rosengard, specifically recommended you, should I have need of another competent healer. I am curious as to why that might be, since it is my understanding you only know Heal and Greater Healing. Perhaps because of your Stun spell?”

Lyla immediately bowed again.

Mel chimed in before the girl could respond. “Actually, I’m kind of curious too. He said some things about you, but didn’t say anything about being a good replacement for him while he was gone.”

Lyla stiffened at that, only to look up at the Queen hesitantly while still bowed at the waist.

Eliza responded. “You are permitted to respond to her, if that is your desire.”

Lyla ducked her head again, before slowly standing upright, only to glance hesitantly at the busty Red Oni.

“He…he didn’t tell you?” she whispered uncertainly.

She frowned. “Honestly? No. We talked about you, specifically about your personality. Like, he mentioned how you interact with your roommate, that Shaman girl, but didn’t say anything about your abilities.” She sighed. “More than likely, that was probably him being a gentleman. Probably would prefer you tell us yourself.”

Lyla ducked her head again, but clearly felt the pressure to answer the Queen’s original question. “Umm…I have a special skill. It’s…something I keep a secret from most. I…of course, I shall share it, but please don’t tell anyone else. It…would greatly distress me if it became common knowledge.”

Queen Eliza interlaced her fingers, leaning forward on the table, and rested her chin on them. “This is a skill you fear being abused,” she assumed.

Lyla flinched. “Yes,” she whispered.

“It shall not leave this room,” she promised.

“Yeah, definitely,” Mel said reassuringly. “We certainly won’t tell anyone.”

Lyla glanced at her hesitantly, before focusing her brown eyes down again. “Umm…it’s called Angel’s Blessing. I can help those around me recover their Essence and Stamina ten times as fast.”

No one responded.

The room was completely silent.

Mel and Val exchanged a glance, their eyes wide.

Eliza exchanged a glance with Sylvia, and then one with Alyssa.

Finally, the Queen spoke up. “Well…that explains things a little better, I think.”

Lyla looked up through her blonde eyelashes. “E-Explain what?” she whispered.

The Queen cleared her throat. “I too have a special gift, Lyla. Perhaps not as special as yours, but still unique. I can determine how likely it is that a specific team will be able to complete a Quest. It’s how I assign Rankings to each Dungeon, usually using certain teams as a benchmark to determine the threat level.”

Lyla lifted her head, her brown eyes wide. “Oh. I’ve always wondered…” Her voice trailed off. “So then, you have a Quest for us?”

“I do,” Eliza replied. “And what I found so curious was how the chances of success shifted when I considered adding the three of you.” She paused when they all glanced at each other, before focusing back on the Queen, prompting her to continue. “For, without any of you, there is nearly an eighty-percent chance that there are no survivors.”

“My God,” Mel said in surprise. “Even for the top team?”

She shook her head. “Unfortunately, they are not available, and the matter is pressing.”

Val finally spoke up for the first time. “So, what happens when we go, ma’am?”

Eliza smiled warmly at her. “The chances of failure go from very high…to very unlikely. Only a one-in-ten chance of failure.”

They all stared at her in disbelief, only for Mel to begin nodding to herself. “Okay, yeah. I guess I can kind of see that. Val and I are really strong, and if we could regenerate our Essence and Stamina ten times as fast…” She paused, her brow furrowed. “Wow, how fast even is that? Wouldn’t that mean we’d regenerate an hour’s worth of Essence in only about five or six minutes?”

“Yes,” Lyla whispered quietly.

“Damn,” Mel said simply, nodding as she considered that. “Like, damn. I could probably fight with my weapon FOREVER under those conditions. Only thing is, I’d have to make sure to protect you.”

“Oh! I learned a new spell!” Val said cheerfully.

“Oh of course!” Mel agreed. “You could totally protect her!”

“What spell is this?” Eliza wondered curiously.

“Barrier,” Val replied. “It uses Essence to create almost like a large bubble around me. Mel can cut through it with her weapon, but she tried other things too, and it keeps most magic and physical attacks out. It has an initial cost to create, and then each hit reduces my stored Essence, but it’s not too bad.”

Eliza nodded. “Perhaps that explains it then. I knew Lyla must be important, because pairing her with either of you caused the chance of success to be higher than only the two of you, without her. However, the most dramatic increase in success rate is specifically when the three of you are together.”

“Cool,” Mel said cheerfully. “This kind of makes me excited, because maybe that means we can get closer now. Probably best if all of Allie’s women get along.”

Lyla’s face immediately flushed red. “W-What is that supposed to…How can you even say such things in front of…” She immediately glanced at the Queen, and then bowed. “My Queen, I am so sorry for her behavior. Please forgive all of us.”

Mel laughed.

Lyla gawked at her in shock, still bent at the waist.

Eliza frowned. “Are you truly…with Allister Rosengard?” she asked slowly.

Lyla’s entire face and neck turned red. “I…I mean…I think…I’m hoping that he…wants me…” she finally managed.

“They did have sex,” Mel commented.

“Uh!” Lyla exclaimed in absolute shock.

“Apparently she was a virgin,” Mel continued. “Seems to have been waiting on him to take an interest in her.”

“UH!” Lyla repeated even louder, standing up straight again, all her visible skin bright red. “I thought you said he kept his mouth shut!”

Mel shrugged. “Only about your abilities. Of course he told us about the other stuff.”

Lyla looked visibly mortified, unable to respond.

Eliza’s tone was gentle. “Ms. Gottfried.”

The girl immediately focused on her, only to bow again, unable to manage words.

Eliza spoke to Mel briefly. “Perhaps you would be willing to give up your chair. I suspect she will need to be seated for this.”

Lyla looked up at her in confusion, only to stand up straighter again when Mel got up and gestured for the skinny blonde to sit.

“W-What…I don’t understand,” Lyla stammered as she carefully moved closer and sat down.

Eliza took a deep breath. “How serious are you about your interest in Allister Rosengard?” she wondered. “And please be honest with me.”

Lyla gawked at her, only for her interlaced fingers to tighten in her lap as she bowed her head again. “I…I’ve wanted him since I met him,” she admitted. “And I…I know that these two are…but I also…”

Eliza nodded. “And is there any reason that you might change your mind?”

“N-No,” she stammered, hunching her shoulders, only to unexpectedly stiffen. She looked up then, confusion crossing her flushed face as she focused on the Queen. “W-Wait…please forgive me for asking, my Queen…But why do you care?”

Eliza nodded again, taking a deep breath. “Because, Ms. Lyla Gottfried. Allister Rosengard is secretly the man I love.”

Lyla’s mouth fell open.

“And now,” the Queen continued. “I am going to share with you an impossible story. One that you may find hard to believe, but that is absolutely true.” She sighed. “The story of how I met my beloved, and how a Dungeon separated us in time…by a full one-hundred years.”

The short blonde healer just stared at her in disbelief.

Her mouth forgot how to shut.

* * *

I’d just been having a serious conversation with this random girl that had been dumped in my lap, seriously considering doing what I could to save her from this hell, and unexpectedly I’d discovered something truly horrifying.

She was an Eldritch.

One of the very monsters we’d been trying to kill, truly a horrible abomination unlike anything else we’d ever encountered.

And yet, I’d been completely fooled.

Completely.

I was instantly reacting.

FORETHOUGHT.

REFLEXIVE INSTINCT.

HASTE.

INSTINCTUAL CASTING.

STUN.

CHARM MONSTER.

‘Stun’ immediately worked, causing the girl’s body to freeze solid, but ‘Charm Monster’ had absolutely no effect at all.

No doubt because she was a very intelligent monster.

And I had to think fast.

I had two seconds to decide what I was going to do.

Stunning her might have already tipped her off that I was aware of what she was, but I felt confident I could defeat her if it came to a fight to the death. The problem was…

The facts just weren’t adding up!

My mind was urgently trying to process everything I knew about her, and it just wasn’t fucking adding up!

This girl was in the king’s harem for a year, and the fickle boyish man was still alive, although I had no idea if any of his other girls had gone missing or not.

However, I had watched him fucking stab her repeatedly, to the point of near-death, and she didn’t attack him! Even though she was literally on the verge of dying! Sincerely dying, and she didn’t retaliate!

Even though there would have been no one to defend him! For all she knew, she could have killed me, the king, and the other girl, all without any difficulty, only to just run away! And I knew, for a fact, self-preservation was a powerful instinct for these abominations. She would have attacked if she had the strength to do so!

Never mind the fact that she was truly traumatized from the experience!

Like any normal person would be!

But most importantly…

I had used Greater Healing on her.

And she didn’t react to it!

Yet there was something even more…

Her race.

She wasn’t a Lesser Eldritch!

She was a hybrid!

Just like Val was half Holstaur.

Just like Lyla was half Angel.

And really…just like I was half monster.

This girl…was half Eldritch.

Which meant, one of her parents…must have been an Eldritch.

Perhaps a Greater Eldritch.

She didn’t know…

Was it possible she truly didn’t even know?

Or was I about to have a fight to the death when I revealed that I knew?

I was almost out of time!

I used another skill.

WEAK POINT.

She had none!

The Lesser Eldritch had a very obvious weak point, but this girl had none!

Was it because she was half human? But shouldn’t her heart and head be weak points? Shouldn’t her spleen be a weak point? Shouldn’t the muscle the controlled her breathing be a weak point?

I’d never used weak point on a person, and so didn’t know if that’s how it worked! Never thought to ask a Fighter about it!

This wasn’t enough!

I needed a new skill! Something to confirm the truth!

Too late.

The effect of Stun was over, and Blake was now free.

All my other skills were in full effect.

I was ready to sense the impending attack.

Ready to react to it.

She didn’t budge.

She only stared at me.

Until finally, her voice came out hesitant. “W-What…something just…I couldn’t…” She seemed confused.

Fuck! I needed something more!

How could I ever trust this girl?!

She was a fucking Eldritch!

I was concentrating as hard as I could, knowing if I just focused hard enough, that I could force my body to…

ADAPT.

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NEW SKILL: Empath

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EMPATH.

Instantly, a wave of her confusion hit me, and I realized it was sincere.

Not just an act, she was truly confused.

More than that, she was a little scared now.

Truly scared.

She didn’t understand what happened to her. Didn’t understand why she couldn’t move, couldn’t even breathe, for a couple of seconds.

And now she was uncomfortable about how I was looking at her.

But could such feelings be faked?

How could I truly know?

Fuck!

I finally decided to speak, my tone hard. “I’m going to tell you my secret,” I said firmly. “And I want you to think very carefully before you react to it.”

Her green eyes widened.

More confusion.

Sincere distress.

Fear…that she’d said something, or done something wrong.

It was all her true feelings.

Unexpectedly, the girl leading us called out – quietly, but loud enough that we could hear.

“Hey! Please hurry!” she whispered.

I stared at the beautiful creature in my arms as I responded, not allowing my response to become a distraction. “I need you to walk ahead,” I told the girl firmly. “I will catch up in a few minutes.”

More confusion.

More fear.

The monster I was carrying was afraid of my emphasis.

The timid girl hesitated, before obeying without complaint, walking very slowly now, but doing as I’d asked.

I needed something more.

Honestly, at the end of the day, what I needed most was to just know if she was telling me the truth or not.

Was there a skill that would allow it?

Fuck, please let there be a skill that would allow it!

I focused as hard as I could on that need, only to…

ADAPT.

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NEW SKILL: Revelation

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It would have to do.

I could sense that it was like my Foresight, not always the most reliable in how often it activated, but it was all I had right now, and possibly all I ever could have.

I spoke again, feeling how afraid she’d become, mostly seeming uncertain about what she’d done wrong.

“Are you ready to hear my secret?” I asked seriously.

She was stiff as she nodded.

“Will you think about it carefully before reacting?”

“I…I will,” she promised.

Revelation confirmed the truth of her words.

Fuck, of all the things to confirm, when the skill wasn’t that reliable!

Why did it have to activate for that?!

Or maybe it activated more frequently with ‘easy to confirm’ things, like a sixth sense about whether someone was lying or not. I didn’t know, because I didn’t have time to use my Eye of the Goddess skill to properly assess it!

I felt like my warning needed to be more clear.

“Earlier, you asked if I would ever hurt you. I said ‘never,’ but that was only because I assumed you would never try to hurt me.” I paused as her green eyes widened, feeling more confusion from her. “So I want to make this clear now. I will never try to hurt you, so long as you never try to hurt me or anyone I care about.”

She was completely bewildered, struggling to respond. “I…I wouldn’t ever…I mean, how could I even…” She continued to struggle for words. “I’m…I’m sorry,” she finally said sincerely, her expression pained. “I don’t know how I offended you, but I am very sorry. Please forgive me. I want nothing more than to serve you. I’ll do anything you ask, just please forgive me.”

She seemed so sincere.

I decided to get it over with, ready to defend myself, changing the subject. “Okay, I’ve warned you, so you better use that head of yours to think carefully about how you’re going to react.” I paused when her brow immediately furrowed in concentration, as if she was doing just that, trying to use her head as hard as possible. I continued. “My secret is that…I’m part human, but also…part monster.”

Confusion.

And then disbelief.

“Huh?” she finally exclaimed, looking me over like she was trying to understand why I was taking the time for such an elaborate joke, since obviously she saw no signs that I was anything other than fully human.

Truly, I could sense that she thought this was some kind of cruel disturbing joke.

When I didn’t respond, she continued. “I…Okay, I’m thinking hard on it, and I…I don’t know how to react. Please tell me how you want me to react. I want to do what you want, but I don’t understand what you want right now.”

I sighed, being careful not to let my guard down. “What I want is to not have to fight you. Because if we fight, I can promise you that I’ll be the only one leaving these sewers.”

Her body tensed at that.

Sincere fear.

Her pulse was suddenly throbbing in her neck.

Did the other monsters have pulses like that? Did their hearts beat normally?

REVELATION.

No.

No, the Green Oni abomination that attacked me, and the abominations that we’d been killing in the capital…didn’t have pulses that changed in response to stimulation, because those pulses, those beating hearts, were a mimicry of the person they’d been. Those monsters did have pulses, but not ones that would grow faster because of anxiety, fear, or anything else.

And her tone was exactly those things. “I…I d-do not w-wish to fight with y-you. Please. I want to serve you.”

“As a monster?” I unexpectedly wondered.

More confusion.

“I…I don’t understand,” she managed. “Do…” Her green eyes widened in disbelief. “Do you think I’m a monster?”

I braced myself. “I know you’re a monster, and I know exactly what kind of monster you are. An Eldritch.”

Her voice was low. “I don’t even know what that is,” she hissed.

“What’s your earliest memory?” I asked seriously. “At what age?”

Her brow furrowed. “I don’t know. Maybe three or four?”

“Do you know both of your parents?”

She grimaced at that. “Well, no. My mother died when I was born.”

“And your father?”

Her grimaced deepened. “Sold me to the king to pay off his debts.”

“How confident are you that your mother died?”

Her eyes were pained.

It truly hurt her feelings that I was being so insensitive.

She responded anyway. “I…I don’t know. My father said she died.”

“You’re a monster,” I said firmly. “Or at least, half monster. An Eldritch.”

Uncertainty.

Not just uncertainty about what I was saying, but uncertainty about why I was doing this to her.

Because she still didn’t believe me.

I sighed again. “If I show you that I’m a monster, will you believe me that you’re a monster?”

Her brow furrowed intensely, and she didn’t respond for a long few seconds, before finally nodding once. Her pulse was throbbing in her slim tan neck.

I continued. “Let go of my neck and cover your mouth. I don’t want you screaming when I show you.”

“Please don’t drop me,” she pleaded as she slowly let go of me.

“Don’t give me a reason to drop you, and I won’t. Remember what I said. I will never hurt you, so long as you never try to hurt me, or anyone else I care about. Understand?”

She had her hands over her mouth now, ready to cover her lips fully. “I promise I will never try hurting you, or anyone else.”

“Have you ever killed anyone?” I asked seriously.

“N-No,” she stammered. “H-Have you?”

“Only for good reason.”

Her emerald eyes widened at that.

I frowned. “Ready?”

She clasped her hands over her mouth, her body tense now.

She finally believed me.

This wasn’t a joke.

My transformation was not slow.

I shifted into a red-eyed, gray-faced, demon very quickly.

She had a slightly delayed reaction, at least in my perception, since my skills were activated.

Fear.

Sincere terror.

There were no signs of her body becoming a large mouth.

Perhaps Greater Eldritch were different than Lesser Eldritch.

REVELATION.

They were, in fact, different. One was an abomination, while the other…something else.

Something other.

But not an abomination. There would be no ‘face-splitting,’ ‘chest-splitting,’ ‘body becoming a mouth,’ happening with this girl.

I shifted back to my human form.

I started walking again, sloshing my feet through the shit.

Blake was frozen in my arms, visibly looking like I’d used Stun on her again, lasting that way for a good half minute…

Until she unexpectedly sucked in a ragged breath.

Tears started pouring from her eyes, streaming down her tan cheeks.

She sobbed loudly, covering her face with both hands.

“Are you g-going to k-kill me?” she whimpered.

I answered honestly, given that I felt confident of the truth now.

That she wasn’t like those gruesome abominations, and that she had no idea she was half monster.

“Never.”

She continued to cry.

I could sense that she wasn’t sure if she believed me.

But then, slowly…

She must have started to think about how I healed her earlier. Started to think about how I removed the horrified feeling of trauma she’d been afflicted with, no doubt knowing it had to be me. And even started thinking about all the things I said, as well as the fact that she currently wasn’t sloshing in shit right now because she was in my strong arms. Possibly realizing that everything she’d said about me, including being considerate and selfless, was all still true.

Finally, she spoke up again, just as I was getting caught up to the timid girl.

“A-Am…Am I really…” Her voice trailed off.

I sighed. “Yeah.”

“H-How do you know?”

I took a deep breath. “It’s a skill I have. You are absolutely half human, half monster.”

“I’m sorry,” she whimpered.

I sighed again. “Why are you sorry?”

“I…I just want to be with you. I want you to take me away from here, so we can be together. And I’m just sorry if I’ve ruined that. I…I don’t want to be a…I mean, I can’t even help it that I am…” Her voice trailed off, unable to finish.

Disbelief.

She was still struggling to believe what I was saying.

Not because she thought I was lying, but because she’d gone her entire life believing she was a completely normal person.

That was the truth.

And she also had regret.

She didn’t want to be a monster, had no idea she even was one, and it wasn’t something she could change about herself.

But…as far as I could tell at least…she was actually a normal person.

Greater Healing didn’t cause her to react negatively.

She could still be injured normally.

She didn’t have a weak point, which at least meant she didn’t have an eyeball in her body.

And…she’d been born normally.

She wasn’t an abomination disguised as a person.

She was the person who she looked like.

She wasn’t a monster mimicking this girl named Blake.

She was the girl named Blake.

Half human.

Half Eldritch.

Yet somehow, despite being a monster hybrid, she was a normal person.

As far as I could tell, she didn’t have any extra mouths just waiting to open up.

She was a normal person.

The timid girl finally called out to me again, having stopped up ahead, a rope in her grasp.

“Please hurry,” she whispered urgently. “She doesn’t have much time.”

I decided to do just that, picking up my pace even though we didn’t have much further to go.

When we got to the square hole above us, I carefully lifted the clean Blake up, supporting her weight with my hand underneath her ass and hoisted her through the opening. I then jumped up to grab at the edges and easily hoisted myself up even though it was an awkward position, my absurd newfound strength making it feasible.

The timid girl was already preparing to start climbing up as well, but I reached down for her clean hand and pulled her up instead.

The moment she was out of the sewer, she immediately grabbed a bucket of clean water, and began helping me clean my feet off, urging me to dip them in so she could scrub them off with soap and a cloth, only to urge me again the moment I was good, her own feet still nasty.

“Please hurry,” she pleaded. “Please save her.”

Realizing there must be someone else waiting to guide me, I stepped out into the area with the holes for shitting and then opened the door.

An older woman was standing there waiting, immediately looking hopeful when she saw me.

“Thank the heavens. Please, come this way,” she urged, not even seeming to notice that I had someone else with me as she began hurrying down the hallway, her long skirt held in her hands, nearly running as she did so.

I quickly followed after her, my long strides making it so I could catch up with her easily, with Blake having to nearly sprint to try to keep up with me, the navy silk robe mostly staying closed because of how I’d tied it around her thighs, with her…surprisingly, wanting to keep up with me.

The lady rushed into a large open doorway that led to what looked like an elaborate living space, only to run through yet another doorway that I quickly discovered led to a bedroom.

The bedroom of a princess.

I immediately slowed down when I saw the redhead girl in bed, completely naked, only covered by a lightweight blanket, a tormented expression on her heavily freckled face, holding her gut…

Looking like she was at least six months pregnant.

Perhaps seven months.

My brow furrowed in sincere confusion. “She’s pregnant?” I said in shock, slowing down as I approached.

“Absolutely not!” the woman exclaimed. “She’s being eaten alive! Please! If at all possible, please save her! We’ve tried everything with her sisters!” Her expression became sickened and pained. “We even tried to cut them out with one of her sisters. But one of the worms burrowed into her heart as it tried to get away!”

I was already using my Eye of the Goddess skill to try to fully grasp the situation.

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Flesh-Eating Leech

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Fuck.

But I could fix this.

Starting first with a Greater Healing, to give her enough time for me to work on her.

The princess immediately relaxed some, her head falling back more fully on her pillow, most of the tension leaving her emaciated body. She wasn’t wearing any clothing at all, only a small light blanket pulled over to conceal her nudity, hiding her small chest, her fairly large belly, and then part of her legs.

The older woman seemed stunned. “Did you…did you already do something?”

I was formulating a plan as I responded. “I need a bucket and knife.”

She sounded defeated. “You have to cut them out.”

“No,” I replied, focusing up at her. “But I’m sure you’ll want to stab them to death once I have them out.”

Her eyes widened in shock.

“Hurry and grab them,” I emphasized, focusing back down at the emaciated redhead as the older woman ran out of the room, with me more than ready to get started.

Depending on the number, this might take a while.

I started with the lowest one in her body.

Charm Monster.

I gave it a simple command.

‘Exit the body without burrowing into flesh.’

It was already slowly beginning to work its way out.

I could tell from its slow back and forth movement where it would be coming out from. More than likely, it had gotten into her body from something she’d eaten, likely as a much smaller version of itself. Perhaps even as an egg. However, given that this atrocity apparently killed all of this girl’s older sisters, clearly at different intervals, and also given that it didn’t happen to the king, this felt very much like a slow assassination of the king’s rivals.

The old woman was back with a bucket just as it was starting to exit the girl’s rear.

The princess was groaning uncomfortably from the pressure.

I reached down and grabbed it without hesitation, carefully pulling it out the rest of the way, a little surprised by just how large it was.

The size implied that there might be less than I assumed.

Perhaps a dozen at most, rather than fifty or more smaller ones.

When I put it in the bucket, the woman didn’t hesitate to stab it a few times.

I was already using Charm Monster to work the second one out. The princess was visibly uncomfortable the entire time, still not having said anything to me, looking almost nauseous as she groaned while holding her large belly. A large belly that was visibly moving as the second tried to work its way out through her bowels.

The lady finally spoke up when I reached down between the girl’s legs in anticipation of grabbing the leech. “H-How are you doing this?” she whispered in disbelief.

“I have a very powerful Charm spell that is extremely effective against monsters.”

She gasped. “I…I didn’t even know there was such a spell. One that can make a monster do what you want?”

“It is somewhat rare. Usually someone has to be a Support Class to have any chance of learning it. And it only really works on monsters that are completely unintelligent.”

“But you’re a healer, right?”

“Yes,” I said simply, holding up the second, even as she lowered the bucket, knife in her other hand at the ready.

I started working on the third.

“A-And, who is this with you?” she finally stammered, having finally paid attention to the other girl in the room, Blake just silently watching with wide eyes.

I turned my head to focus on Blake, watching her reaction.

“She’s going to help me get the princess out of here,” I replied.

Blake’s green eyes widened even more at that, her gaze darting to the princess, only to focus more intently on me, confidence filling her expression as she nodded firmly.

With determination.

She would do as I asked.

“Impossible,” the woman retorted.

“We don’t have a choice,” I said seriously. “If she stays here, she’s going to die. One way or another. And if she dies, then there will be no one to replace the king.”

She shook her head, abruptly reaching down and tugging on the blanket, revealing the redhead’s small breasts. “You don’t understand,” she retorted, pointing at a black marking in the center of her chest. “He will find her. Lord Grimaldi will find her, no matter where she goes. This blemish is proof of that. It lets him know exactly where she is at all times.”

My brow furrowed at that as I examined the tattoo, attempting to understand it with my Eye of the Goddess, only to realize…

The lady was actually kind of right.

The man was probably using this marking to locate her.

But not for the reasons they thought.

I’d seen this kind of marking before.

More of it, but still the same.

On Mel.

“She’s been Chosen,” I whispered in sincere surprise.

“What?”

I focused up at the woman. “The princess has been Chosen. By a Legendary Weapon.”

Her eyes widened in absolute shock and disbelief.

FEEDBACK: Thoughts? About Blake? About the princess?

I'm planning on her 'escape' being very interesting.

Chapter 39 >>

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