As a [Nun], most would assume that Frida would be capable of at least the most basics of healing spells. However, that was not true. Because Frida was no ordinary [Nun]. She was a Level 9 Platinum Rank [Arbiter Of The Convent].

  While she made vows of chastity— swearing fealty to the Goddess Of Life— she was not a [Nun] who simply tended to the sick or needy. Instead, she was a [Nun] who brought justice to the weak, even if it went against the doctrine of the Church.

  That was the duty of the Sisters of the Luna Gez Sect. They would silently purge the corruption that was taking hold in the Church of Life, even if it meant bringing death to their enemies.

  So while Frida did draw power from the divine, it was to exact the hammer of justice against those who carried out misdeeds and brought about harm to this wonderful world. And that was why she had an incredibly high [Strength] and [Magic] Attribute. However, the same couldn’t be said for a [Vitality] or her [Speed].

  And that was why she was trapped in this predicament. Perhaps if she had been more durable, the poison wouldn’t have affected her nearly as badly as it did— she would have been able to resist it more. Or if she had been faster, she would have been able to dodge that white-haired bandit’s attacks and maybe even avoided the initial ambush entirely.

  However, that wasn’t the case. And since she knew not even a basic healing spell, there was nothing she could do to help herself. She was utterly at the mercy of Eli.

  If not for him, she wouldn’t be alive right now. It was only thanks to his constant healing that she was even able to survive for this long. Unfortunately, she was starting to feel the stress incurred on her body catch up to her.

  So as she lay in her bedroll, twisting and turning and sweating, she decided that she was not going to die like this. Rising to her feet, she exited the tent with a stumble. It was night. But Eli was still keeping up with his domain of healing, lighting up the small camp the caravan had set up with a soft white glow.

  It was the only thing keeping Frida alive. And yet, she trudged her way forward, summoning her hammer. But her arms were so weak, she could barely hold it up. She dragged it behind her as she walked towards the edge of the magical dome of healing.

  “Where are you going?” a voice called out to her.

  And Frida came to a halt right before the edge of the dome. Glancing back, she watched as Eli stepped out of his tent as well, approaching with a curious look on his face.

  She shook her head as she gestured out in a random direction.

  “The bandits who did this—” she started, before pausing to take in a labored breath. “They were not working alone… that’s how these kinds of groups operate…”

  Frida gritted her teeth as she looked out towards the night sky. Eli just tilted his head at her.

  “I’ll find their base— kill them all. And if I die, then at least I die bringing justice to myself, instead of rolling over and keeling like a sick dog.”

  She thought he would try to stop her. That he would try to convince her that this was a bad idea. However, he simply tapped a finger on his chin.

  “I see…”

  The Sister of the Luna Gez Sect furrowed her brows, waiting for his response. But when he said nothing else, she turned away from him and took another step forward.

  “If that’s all you have to say, then I’ll be going now,” Frida said as she inhaled sharply.

  The boy just shrugged back at her in response. “Well, I have nothing else to say except for: good luck with that. But I do have to ask—”

  She paused and looked back at him for a moment. His eyes glinted as he peered into her.

  “How exactly are you going to find their hideout?”

  “T-that’s…” Frida hesitated. She shifted her feet apprehensively, before she closed her eyes. “I do not know.”

  “Hm, alright.” Eli nodded.

  Frida didn’t know why she was even bothering discussing this with the boy. He wouldn’t understand. He was just a damn [Healer]. Yes, he might have been more effective of a [Healer] than she had given him credit for. But he was not the [Hero] she was looking for.

  Even if he had been able to… escape that bandit’s grasp alone, he still hadn’t proven himself to be worthy of being called the next [Hero].

  Right?

  Frida’s mind refused to work. Even thinking bore down on her— drained her of her strength. For a moment, she wondered how a Bronze Rank [Healer] was even capable of taking down a Gold Rank bandit. It didn’t make sense, did it?

  Or maybe Frida was just too tired to process it properly.

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  But still, there was no point for her to even talk with the boy right now. He was not able to help her. He could only delay her inevitable demise. So she steeled herself and faced the exit of the dome once again.

  And then Eli spoke up once more.

  “Tell me,” he said as she felt his gaze pierce her from behind. “Do you think you can survive on your own for even an hour without my healing?”

  Frida froze. She wasn’t sure how to react to that. At first, she felt a sense of dread washing over her— the realization settling in that she was likely going to waste her time out there and die. But then anger overtook her. A refusal to allow this to be how she died— a rejection of reality.

  And the normally-cool [Nun] snapped as she glared back at the [Healer].

  “Of course I can! This poison…” Frida thought of everything she had been through during her training to be a Sister of the Luna Gez Sect, and she straightened as she met the boy’s gaze. “It is nothing to me.”

  Frida thought that Eli would laugh at her resolve. That he would continue to mock her like he was doing so before. But he just nodded as he rubbed a hand on his chin.

  “I see,” he said once again.

  Frida opened her mouth to rebuke against him once more. But he raised a hand, and a spell circle formed beneath his feet.

  “I’ll give you my [Boon Of Vitality] and my [Basic Blessing Of Life],” Eli said as a ring of light fell upon the [Nun], followed by a splash of green aura. “I will deal with the bandits and get you a cure. You just have to wait here and survive. That’s it.”

  “But—” she started as she felt a surge of strength washing over her.

  And then the dome of light that had been constantly healing her popped. It vanished as the warmth that was constantly washing over the [Nun] faded away. She looked up in confusion, trying to comprehend what was going on.

  But then a searing pain engulfed her body as she dropped to her knees. Her skin began to discolor as she clutched at herself, trying to catch her breath. But the poison was working through her system, and there was no healing helping her fight back against its effects.

  Her head lolled up to face the sky, and for a moment, all she saw was the full moon hanging up in the night sky. But then she saw Eli’s shadowed silhouette as he just stepped past her.

  All he did was nod back down at her with a smile. “Good luck.”

  And she lay there, watching him go as minutes passed. Until his figure was nowhere to be seen any longer. Before her vision began to darken. Eventually, her consciousness left her, leaving her lying passed out on the grassy ground alone.

  ***

  I left the unconscious Frida behind at the campsite as I produced my Bag of Holding, walking until I was a good distance away before I pulled out a handful of objects I had stored inside. The first thing I pulled out was my skull-like mask and wore it over my face, then I drew the Lesser Death Dagger and sheathed it at myself. Finally, I threw a black cloak over my body as I took in a deep breath.

  “Now then—”

  I traced my fingers over my cheeks. The dried blood from the fat bandit’s body was still splattered over my shirt from when he was crushed by Sister Frida. I focused for a moment as the blood peeled off my shirt and floated in the air before me.

  And then the droplets of blood began to float in a direction which I simply followed.

  It was some basic blood magic tracking spell. All I needed was the blood of someone who I killed, and then I could locate their ‘home’. And I knew that was where I was going to find the hideout for the bandits.

  The only question I had to ask myself was— were there actually more bandits waiting there for me? Or could I just waltz into an empty hideout and grab the cure?

  Soon, I found out the answer to that question.

  ***

  “What do you mean Yannik and Caspar haven’t returned?” Baudric demanded as he slammed his fists onto the table.

  The wood shattered and splintered as Frank— his fourth-in-command— squeaked as he backed away from the burly man.

  “W-we don’t know, boss! We thought they’d return by sundown, but…” Frank hesitated.

  Baudric gritted his teeth, and his fourth-in-command shrank back. The burly man shouted and kicked his chair, shattering it against the wall.

  “Then stop wasting your time standing here and go out and find them!”

  “Y-yes, boss!” Frank said as he saluted and started out the office.

  “Damn, idiot…” Baudric muttered under his breath as he massaged his temples.

  He was the leader of the Gold Skulls. They were one of the most notorious bandit groups in the eastern regions of the Sanctus Empire. Mostly because they were one of the only bandit groups that operated here. They were known for being extremely elusive, which was quite a feat, considering how harshly the empire would come down upon most bandit groups.

  Gangs and other criminal organizations ran amok in cities because of the pervasive corruption, however actual bandit groups were a rarity because they were actively a threat to innocent folks. Especially when they often partook in slave trade and the like— which was barred in the Sanctus Empire, due to going against the will of the Goddess of Life.

  And yet, Baudric started the Gold Skulls because he learned how much more lavishly he could live if he simply had the guts to do what others dared not to do. All he had to do was be smart— take advantage of the disasters that occurred such as magical storms or monster tides. That was not to mention the recent, more-frequent appearances of the Avatars of Death.

  That was why Baudric had earned himself the Title of the Elusive One.

  But despite his Title, he was not a coward. He was quite powerful himself. He was a Platinum Rank [Berserker] who had once brought down a town entirely on his own, killing thousands of men before dawn even broke.

  He was simply a mixture of brains and brawn, despite his Class and his Title. And that was why the Gold Skulls were able to thrive.

  “But if something happened to Caspar and Yannik, we’re going to have to move. Otherwise, we’ll be found out…” Clicking his tongue, Baudric pondered over his potential courses of action.

  He looked over at a map he had pinned against the wall, wondering where they were going to have to relocate to— especially so soon after they just settled here. But then he heard a knocking on the door and frowned.

  “What is it?” he called out.

  The door swung open as Frank returned, shaking his head. “B-boss, we have a problem.”

  “Hm?” Baudric just narrowed his eyes.

  “There’s an intruder—” Frank explained, pointing past him. “And they’re looking to… negotiate?”

  Baudric could only blink when he heard that.