Chapter 124 Travel Goals
――After finding out that I could communicate with Hero's party while traveling, I made it a habit to regularly keep in touch with them.
This morning, I received a message from Diona, and as soon as I woke up, I called out to Gina-san. I hastily got ready and, together with Elvira, peered into the water's surface, where Diona's calm smile was reflected back at us.
'Laura-sama, Elvira-sama, good morning'
"Good morning, Diona"
"Good morning!"
Over the past few days, Elvira had grown quite close to Diona. It was as if the two, who had been travel companions in "Last Brave," were secretly healing each other through their interactions.
After the morning greetings, Diona slightly bowed her head.
'Thank you, Laura-sama, for the healing potion you gave me yesterday. It really helped.'
"No need to thank me, I'm just glad it was useful."
Although I don't understand the principle behind it, the healing potion I've been sending through the synthesis cauldron of this world has been useful, and I'm genuinely happy about it.
It seems that Hero's party has been conquering a cave where monsters kept appearing. If my healing potion was useful, it's possible that they defeated the boss yesterday and made some progress.
"Did you manage to conquer the cave where monsters kept appearing?"
'It turns out that a spirit has been living in that cave since ancient times. The demon king sealed that spirit, which resulted in the cave becoming a monster's nest...but after we released the spirit, the monsters stopped appearing.'
As Diona spoke about the same development as in "Last Brave," I felt a little excited. The spirit must have given its power to Hero's party. That power will surely be useful in defeating the demon king.
I smiled, exchanging glances with Elvira, and waited for Diona's next words.
'And then, the spirit told us...'
――Whoa, a figure appeared from the side, right behind Diona. And that figure started speaking, taking over Diona's words.
'It seems that the holy sword is needed to seal the demon king.'
"Big Brother!"
It was Arnold who appeared. Maybe he was drawn in by Elvira's voice.
Seeing Arnold sit down beside Diona, looking like he's ready to join the conversation, I lightly bowed my head and greeted him.
"Good morning, Arnold-san."
Elvira followed me, smiling and saying "Good morning!" Arnold smiled slightly and replied, "Ah, good morning."
Diona watched our exchange without interrupting, then opened her mouth again.
'So, that's right... the Holy Sword is sleeping in the Holy Land, and――'
Just then, a face suddenly peeked out from the side. It was probably really close to the water's surface, and about 2-thirds of the screen was covered by that person's face. Even a well-composed girl like Diona would let out a "Whoa!" from the overwhelming pressure.
There's only one person in their current party who would do something like this. The one peeking out from the side was the brown-haired girl, Marta.
'We need the permission of the spirits to enter the Holy Land! Look, look, isn't this a beautiful stone? It's called a Spirit Stone, and it's super valuable!'
Marta was in high spirits, despite the early morning, and quickly showed us a beautiful green gemstone. The Spirit Stone was glowing mysteriously from the inside, and it was clear at a glance that it wasn't a normal gemstone.
I felt sorry for Diona, who was getting her explanation hijacked, and was about to ask a question, but Arnold beat me to it with a low, growling voice.
'...Hey, Murcia. Why do you have that?'
'Eh? I borrowed it from Hero-sama's luggage.'
'Return it right now.'
I couldn't help but flinch at Arnold's slightly raised voice, but Marta was laughing without a care, going "Haha!" Yeah, she's a big shot.
It's lively, but their compatibility isn't that great, I thought, when Marta opened her mouth again.
'He's still sleeping. And, this spirit stone is proof that the spirits have given us permission, and it's the key to entering the holy land!'
(That's right, this is the typical royal road...)
The story is gradually coming together. In "Last Brave," they directly received the power of the spirits and used that power to defeat the demon king. But in this world, it seems that only those who have been permitted by the spirits can obtain the "Holy Sword" and defeat the demon king.
In other words, they need to search for the spirits in each region, receive the spirit stones, head to the holy land, and obtain the Holy Sword. And then, they'll take it to the demon king's place――that's how it's going to go.
If that's the case, what I'm worried about is the number of spirit stones they need.
"How many do you need in total?"
'Hmm? Um, how many was it again?'
Marta, as usual, doesn't remember the details. Diona, with a smile, supplemented her.
'It seems we need 5 in total, including the one Marta-san has.'
'Right, so we need 4 more!'
5 in total. As a number to collect, it's not too many or too few, but just right.
I nodded in agreement and asked again.
"Have you been told where to go next?"
'Yes, I think we should head to Gilne.'
I searched my memory for the city name that came out of Diona's mouth――ah, yes, it's a city with a volcano, and there's a dignified fire spirit there.
'It seems there's a famous volcano called Avour Fire Mountain, and there's a spirit at the top. Maybe it's already being attacked by monsters like last time...'
I remember that in "Last Brave," they managed to hold out, but who knows what will happen this time. Either way, the volcano's dungeon was tough because they got hurt by monsters and had a hard time. From my past experience, it's better to bring a healing potion that can cure hurt states.
"Be careful of burns and stuff. I'll make a healing potion for that."
'Thank you.'
Marta finally pulled her face away from the water's surface, and Diona and Arnold's figures came into clear view.
It's amazing that all 3 of them are gathered here. Now that we're all here, I start to worry about the 2 people who aren't.
"Uh, where are Luka and Vake-san?"
'They're sleeping. They stayed up late practicing last night.'
Arnold's words brought a faint smile to my face, and my mouth began to curve upward.
'Yeah, Arnold got hurt protecting Lukas during the monster battle. He's still in shock, you know. Poor Arnold.'
Marta revealed the truth with a sly grin, and my heart skipped a beat.
Even though I knew better than anyone that this journey was dangerous, hearing that someone got hurt made me feel anxious. Elvira, who was sitting next to me, was also worried sick, unable to speak after hearing that her brother got hurt.
I couldn't help but stare at Arnold, checking if he was okay. He looked uncomfortable, avoiding my gaze for a moment, and muttered, "Don't worry about it."
'It's not that serious, just a minor injury that'll heal quickly with a healing potion.'
He said that, but it was hard to believe that Lukas, who got protected, was still in shock, and that he even practiced with Vake after the big battle. Lukas is a kind kid, but it's hard to think that he'd be that shocked over just a minor cut. I wonder if he got a more serious injury.
'Good morning...'
The sleepy voice of my childhood friend pulled me out of my thoughts. I couldn't see him yet, but since the 3 people reflected on the water's surface all looked to the right, I knew he was probably over there.
'Ah, we were just talking about you.'
Marta laughed, and a few seconds later, Lukas slowly appeared, looking sleepy. His hair was messy, and his eyes were barely open, giving off a "just woke up" vibe.
I couldn't help but call out to Lukas, who looked like he was about to fall asleep with his sideways glance. Then, a few seconds later, Luksa turned to face me.
'...Hey, Laura?'
Luka's eyes sparkled, and he smiled more childishly than usual, making me smile too.
As Luka's brain slowly grasped the situation, he looked a bit embarrassed and smiled.
'Good morning, Laura'
"Good morning, Luka"
Diona stood up from her chair and offered her seat to Luka. He thanked her with a "thank you" and sat down in the central seat.
I felt a bit bad for having a long conversation with my childhood friend, but since we finally had the chance to talk, I decided to bring up a topic.
"Did you save the spirit yesterday?"
'Yeah, I did. But it was thanks to everyone's help. I also got Arnold-san hurt...'
Luka looked down, and then Arnold, who was sitting next to him, let out a big sigh.
'Don't mind it so much, it's already over. Don't dwell on it.'
Although the words were a bit harsh, his tone was soft. Luka seemed to sense that and slowly looked up at Arnold. Arnold didn't smile back, but he didn't look away either.
It seemed like the distance between Luka and Arnold was closing in, and I thought they looked like brothers. Elvira also whispered to me with a smile, "They're getting along, aren't they?" She must have seen her brother's loneliness up close and was happy to see it fading away.
A few seconds later, Lukas' eyes turned to me.
'Are Laura and Elvira-chan okay?'
"Yeah, thanks to you. Hey, Elvira-chan"
"Yeah!"
Elvira also nodded big. Then, Luka smiled softly, and Arnold did too.
'Take care, you two'
"Thanks, Luka and Arnold-san, everyone be careful. Please give my regards to Vake-san..."
Probably, Vake is still sleeping in his room, so I'll ask him to pass on the message. Cutting off the communication ―― or rather, I don't know a better way to put it ―― was a bit harsh.
The Hero's party seems to have found a clear goal for their journey. They'll help the spirits in each region, receive spirit stones, and eventually obtain the holy sword. It's reassuring to see a clear path unfolding.
My face, which had been reflected in the water's surface along with Lukas and the others, was now blurry. I took a few deep breaths, slapped my face a few times to psyche myself up, and stood up from the chair.
Today, I'll try my best to make a healing potion that can cure wounds.
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