Volume 1 Chapter 24 The Exiled Healer and the Foolish Hero [Vulcan II]
Days had passed since Luna's banishment, and now.
"...Huh! Oh, I'm... what the..."
Hero Vulcan got to his feet, surveying his surroundings.
He was in the middle of a desert, having collapsed.
"VULCAN! GOOD, YOU'RE AWAKE!"
Beside him, the Saint Mary was sitting, relieved to see him safe.
"Mary...? What... what the..."
'GOGYAAARRGGHH!!!'
A thunderous roar shook the air.
Turning around, there was a colossal earth dragon towering over them.
"A BEHEMOTH...! THAT'S RIGHT! I REMEMBER NOW!"
Currently, Vulcan and his party had been commissioned by the kingdom to exterminate an ancient dragon species, the Earth Rock Dragon (Behemoth).
Having made their way to the desert kingdom of Fotiaturuya, Vulcan's group began their battle.
However, after taking a fierce strike from the Earth Rock Dragon, Vulcan had blacked out.
"MR. VULCAN! PLEASE! WE CAN'T HANDLE THIS ANYMORE!"
The party members, covered in wounds, faced off against the Earth Rock Dragon.
They weren't attacking, nor defending, just trying to escape.
Their attacks didn't connect, and they couldn't block the dragon's either.
It's no wonder, since the hero party, once bolstered by Luna's support, had significantly weakened after losing her.
"......"
Vulcan remembered what happened before he passed out.
The powerful slash he had confidently unleashed was easily deflected by the Earth Rock Dragon.
Before he knew it, Vulcan's legs were trembling.
"HEY VULCAN! WHAT ARE YOU JUST STANDING AROUND FOR! GET TO IT AND TAKE THAT THING DOWN!"
"Eh...? Ah... ah! I'M ON IT!"
Thud...!
Vulcan grabbed his sword and charged.
But his feet caught in the sand, and he couldn't run properly.
"DAMN IT! DIE! DIE, YOU BASTARD! AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
He swung his sword towards the Earth Rock Dragon's tree-trunk-like legs.
Snap...!
Along with a dry sound, the sword broke in half.
"UGH...? WHY... WHY WOULD IT BREAK... WHY?!"
It's because they didn't have Luna's hardening assistance, but no one realized it.
'GYAAAAAAAAH!'
The Earth Rock Dragon opened its mouth and launched a mass of air.
"EARTH ROCK DRAGON'S [SPIRAL BULLET]! IT'S A POWERFUL WIND BULLET THAT CAN CARVE THROUGH SPACE! DODGE IT!"
But the bullet grazed Vulcan's side.
"I-GYAAAAAAAH! IT HUUURTS! IT HUUURTS SO BAAAAD!"
"""VULCAN!"""
The party members dragged Vulcan away, retreating.
"Mary... hurry, heal me... heal me, please..."
"W-WAIT A MINUTE...! I JUST HEALED YOUR NEAR-FATAL WOUND! I CAN'T KEEP PERFORMING SUCH LARGE-SCALE HEALING..."
"YOU'RE KIDDING ME! LUNA COULD HEAL REPEATEDLY! IT HUUURTS... HEAL ME ALREADY!"
"I'M TELLING YOU, IT'S NOT POSSIBLE! HEALING TAKES A HUGE TOLL ON MY MENTAL STRENGTH!"
Luna was also an exceptional Mana Controller.
With minimal strain, she could perform maximum-power healing.
Indeed, the Saint may have been more powerful in terms of healing ability.
But she didn't have the finesse to control the power, considering the mental strain it would cause.
Furthermore, she would heal without hesitation.
On the other hand, Luna would not waste her healing abilities on minor injuries.
While the Saint may have had more raw healing power, Luna excelled in every other aspect.
...But the heroes were foolish, unaware of Luna's shadowed efforts and ingenuity, or perhaps they chose to ignore them.
"YOU IDIOT! INCOMPETENT! HEAL ME, YOU FOOL!"
"W-WHAT DID YOU CALL ME? YOU'RE THE HERO, YET YOU'RE SO PATHETIC, FALLING SO EASILY! GO AND DEFEAT THAT THING ALREADY!"
"YOU'RE THE ONE WHO'S KIDDING! IF IT WERE THAT EASY, WE WOULDN'T BE STRUGGLING!"
As the two argued, the Earth Rock Dragon turned its attention towards them.
"VULCAN! RUN!"
The Earth Rock Dragon raised its front leg, attempting to crush them.
Mary was frozen in fear, and Vulcan was injured.
""EEEEEEK!""
The two cried out pathetically... and then it happened.
With a swishing sound...
The dragon's leg was blown away.
"Are you all right?"
A beauty with flowing crimson hair, clad in light armor, landed gracefully.
"AH, IT'S YOU! [RIA OF THE BLOODY ROSE]!"
"THE [GEM OF HEAVENLY GIFT] NUMBER ONE, RIA'S PARTY HAS COME TO OUR AID!"
The Hero Party members cheered.
With Ria at the lead, the party members lined up, ready for battle.
Among them was the Fairy Mizarii... and...
"WHAT!? LU, LUNA!? WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!?"
It turned out Luna had joined Ria's party and was active with them.
"[NOVA STRIKE]!"
Mizarii unleashed a massive spell.
"IDIOT! LISTEN UP! THE EARTH DRAGON HAS AN OUTER LAYER THAT NULLIFIES MAGIC! THERE'S NO WAY IT'LL—"
'GGGRRRAAAAAAAHHHHHH!'
The fairy's spell shattered the Earth Dragon's outer layer.
"WHAAAAAAT!?"
The Earth Dragon crashed down with a loud crunch.
"AS EXPECTED OF YOU, LUNA! [WEAKENING SKILL], PERFECT TIMING!"
Thanks to Luna's support skill, she had canceled out the enemy's magic-nullifying skill.
At the moment it fell, Luna activated the [Binding Skill].
Unable to move, Ria and the others launched a combined assault.
"...They're overwhelming."
"...Even though they're not a Hero Party, they're dominating an Ancient Dragon."
"...So, so impressive..."
The party members were wide-eyed with awe.
Vulcan also felt their might, while regretting his own actions.
After a fierce battle, Ria and her team exterminated the Earth Dragon.
"Thank you, Luna-san. We were able to defeat it because of you."
Ria approached Luna.
"REALLY! LUNA-SAN, YOU'RE A GREAT ASSISTANT!"
"No, it's thanks to everyone. And to Act, who polished my support skills."
"INDEED, AS EXPECTED OF THE GUILDMASTER!"
They easily took down the rock dragon... and directed intense jealousy towards the Ria party.
"H-HEY! YOU GUYS! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING STEALING OUR PREY!?"
Vulcan shouted loudly.
The leader, Ria, approached and bowed her head.
"Seeing it as a crisis, I came to lend a hand. Luna, heal him."
She reached out her hand to Vulcan.
In an instant, she healed his serious injuries.
"WHA!? WHAT WAS THAT POWER! THAT'S OFF THE CHARTS!"
Both Vulcan and the Saint were astonished by the healing power.
"Y-YOU! YOU HAD SUCH AMAZING POWER HIDDEN AWAY?!"
"I wasn't hiding it. I just learned it from Act, so I was able to do it."
Thanks to Act practicing with her, she realized the potential within her to enhance healing power with support magic.
"I'VE CALLED FOR A RESCUE CARRIAGE, SO PLEASE RIDE THAT HOME. WE'LL BE ON OUR WAY."
Ria bowed and tried to leave with her companions.
"H-HEY! LUNA! WAIT UP!"
She glanced over here for a moment.
But ignoring him, she walked away.
At that moment, Vulcan finally realized that the fish slipping from his hands was bigger than he thought...
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