Chapter 55 : The Girl's Soul Stone
It had been a day since the events at the ruins village.
But Lonis was still immersed in that elusive feeling, unable to snap out of it.
So there were many other heroes in this world besides herself, but their fates weren't as smooth as hers... many heroes had sacrificed themselves on the path of battle.
(Would she and Elucia have such a day too?)
(The hero's life is very dangerous. If we continue following this path, will we die?)
Thinking this, Lonis looked at Elucia with worried eyes, but this black-haired girl just looked back with "disdain."
"Hmph, you masochistic maid, do you want to be bullied by me again?"
"Eh?!"
"If you're worried about me, there's no need. I am Elucia, destined to lead you in eliminating those monsters. You, this weak submissive girl, just need to warm my bed and act cute."
After saying this, Elucia reached out her finger and flicked Lonis's chest area without restraint~
That swaying sensation made Lonis instinctively tremble, her cheeks flushing red.
"Uu."
"Hmph hmph, still obedient... Now we're going to purify the village's corruption. Come here."
"I understand..."
After nightfall, Lonis and Elucia returned to the vicinity of the village.
Old Hu was standing at the village entrance, as if he had been waiting for a long time.
"Old Hu, are you alright?"
Seeing this scruffy middle-aged man, Lonis's heart was filled with mixed emotions, not knowing what to say.
Old Hu had worked hard for Suna for seven years, but in fact, Suna liked the hero lying in the ruins... Even if Suna's journey could have ended safely, Old Hu couldn't have spent his life with his beloved.
Was this being a backup?
Lonis worried about Old Hu's mental state, but the man shook his head and said straightforwardly: "I'm fine, of course I'm fine... Actually, this ending was within my expectations."
"Eh...?"
"Life and death are fate. Don't talk about my matters, let's think about the village residents... The villagers are the innocent ones. I hope they can all live peacefully from now on."
"Of course, that's why I came here... Where are the villagers?"
"I'll summon them now."
Old Hu closed his eyes slightly and played the flute. Those zombie-like villagers also came stumbling out of their houses with unsteady steps.
Each of them had an ashen complexion, looking somewhat chilling.
But Elucia acted as if this was nothing unusual, directly saying to Lonis: "Lonis, summon the Crimson Hammer. Then cut open your palm and smear your blood on it."
"Mm!"
Lonis efficiently summoned the Crimson Hammer and performed the ritual according to Elucia's command—the moment her finger's blood dripped onto the war hammer, the flames on the Crimson Hammer seemed to burn even more fiercely.
...
Seeing this bright flame, Old Hu was completely stunned:
"This is... the power of the Flame Abyss..."
"Old Hu, do you also know about the Flame Abyss?"
"Mm, as one of the seven great Rainbow Abysses, I've naturally heard of its power. I just never thought that in today's world, there would still be people who could use the power of the Flame Abyss!"
"Eh?"
"In this world now, fewer and fewer adventurers can receive blessings. I really feel like each generation is worse than the last."
Old Hu sighed deeply, while Elucia didn't continue the conversation, only saying to Lonis:
"Lonis, don't get distracted. Your wound has healed, you need to continue dripping blood onto the hammer."
"Mm, understood!"
...
Fire is the cornerstone of civilization's birth.
It was precisely because of fire's existence that people could hide from mosquito and wild beast attacks in the silent, lightless night.
Therefore, the power contained in the Crimson Hammer also had purification and repelling effects.
In the flame's radiance, those zombie-like villagers trembled, their faces contorting as if becoming Munch's The Scream.
Before long, black worms crawled out from their mouths and noses.
"Lonis, Old Hu, don't let these worms escape!"
"Elucia, what should I do?"
"Squash them all to death. This kind of filthy thing must be completely eliminated."
...
...
With the three people's combined efforts, the village's darkness was thus purified.
The villagers' bodies all recovered their health, but except for Old Hu, no villagers knew what had happened...
They just felt like they had a big dream where darkness devoured the entire world, but upon waking, the sun still rose from the east.
"Eh... I suddenly feel so light. What's going on?"
"Has that little girl who came for refuge already left..."
The old grandmother looked into the distance, her gaze thoughtful.
"Yes, everyone doesn't need to worry. They found the merchant caravan and have safely reunited."
Old Hu also didn't tell others about what happened at the ruins, as the two had requested.
Since this was a story that happened in the dark night,
Then let everything be covered by the dark night.
...
Lonis and Elucia also returned to their boat.
"Heh heh, Elucia, this is great~"
Seeing the villagers safe and sound, Lonis genuinely smiled.
"Ha, how is it great?"
"This incident was resolved satisfactorily. Whether it was the Night-walking Puppet Worms or the monsters in the ruins, we purified them all, right?"
"Yes, yes~ But did you notice, you stupid maid, that we didn't receive a single penny."
"Eh?!"
"We clearly helped these villagers so much, but they didn't even say thank you."
"This... this isn't the villagers' fault, right? After all, everyone doesn't know what we did."
Lonis smiled bitterly, suddenly realizing that hero work had no compensation whatsoever... The only consolation was the villagers' smiles.
But if it was like the snow mountain village, where there weren't even smiles, that would be too tragic.
...
"Hmph, it seems you've realized. If we want to continue forward, funds are essential. If we can't make ends meet in the future, I'll have to make you this slave maid earn money."
"Eh?!"
"But for now, hmph hmph... with this thing, we should have more options~"
Elucia smiled and took out that crystal head from the drawer.
Lonis hadn't forgotten that this was the remains of the ruins hero, and now the crystal head seemed to house Suna's soul.
"Master Elucia, this head..."
"Mm, you're thinking correctly. This is also a Magic Crystal. But it belongs to a very rare type among Magic Crystals—a Human Crystal, also called a Soul Stone."
"Soul Stone?!"
"Mm, do you remember how Magic Crystals are born? They're formed by matter compression, and this Magic Crystal was also formed by the condensation of the fallen hero's soul and head."
"Then... then is the Soul Stone's purpose also power supply?"
"No, it's mainly used as a core for machines or dolls."
"Eh?"
"In other words, as long as we have a suitable body, Suna might be able to be revived... and the fallen hero left this choice to us."
Elucia took a deep breath and said this.
Author's Note:
(Next volume will be lewd, no more fear of censorship!)