A crowd had formed around Valery Kastrionis, right in the middle of the street, as guards hauled away the wyvern’s carcass.

  “Do you want it sent to the guild, sire?” A guard said to Valery after giving him a customary salute.

  “Send it to the Bertrands, they’ll handle it,” Valery replied, dismissing the guard and turning his attention behind him, towards Sibeiya. Sibeiya had been taking deep breaths the whole time, her fingers shaking lightly. When Valery turned around, she held her own hand to stop the shaking and glared at him.

  “I could’ve handled it,” Sibeiya said.

  Valery sighed, an amused smile on his face. “Very well. I suppose you could have. How’s Grits?”

  “Same old. Don’t remember agreeing to look after him for you, though, yeah?”

  “It’s enough that he’s doing well. Thank you, Sibeiya.”

  Valery flashed a nervous smile as he said it. Soon after, a mob had surrounded him, praising him, all while more guards showed up to try and push them back. Valery reassured them, one by one. But Lilieth couldn’t really focus on the words he was saying.

  That sword ... one of the twelve from the cave. From her vision. The orange-gemmed sword that the hero’s party would’ve taken with them.

  Why was it with him?

  “I hope you have an explanation for what happened back there.”

  Someone grabbed Lilieth’s arm forcefully. Breaking out of her daze, Lilieth saw that at some point, Sibeiya had walked away from Valery and was now gripping her arm, all the while glaring at her.

  “Huh?” Lilieth said.

  “I told you to give me your sword! If I just had a weapon, I could’ve— Gah.” She released Lilieth. “Whatever. My fault for trying to rely on someone else.”

  “I—” Lilieth opened her mouth, but couldn’t really find any words of excuse. She had frozen in fear, plain and simple. “...My apologies.”

  Sibeiya sighed. “Forget it. All said and done, anyways.” She crossed her arms, and her eyes betrayed her own frustration.

  “Lord Valery! Are the rumors true?” One of the citizens surrounding the young lord asked. “Did a monster attack Zusa?”

  Lilieth twitched.

  “I know everyone’s on edge,” Valery replied. “And I understand your concerns. I’m not going to lie and say that I’ve returned only with good news, but rest assured: we are all safe. I will be hosting an assembly at the square after the afternoon bell rings, in front of Tulphana’s statue. There, I’ll explain everything.”

  Without thinking, Lilieth found herself slowly walking towards him, eyes wide, her gaze tethered to the orange-gemmed sword.

  “What are you...?”

  She heard Sibeiya’s voice, but she didn’t stop. She kept walking, closer and closer, ignoring everything else around her.

  That sword shouldn’t be here. It shouldn’t be in his hands.

  Don’t remember.

  It wasn’t supposed to be here. It was in the cave. With eleven other swords. The cave where Lilieth died. And where she died...

  Don’t remember!

  Where...

  Where she...

  She...

  “...Huh?”

  Her vision was blocked by something dark. Snapping out of it, Lilieth looked up, seeing a massive, armored knight standing in front of her. His armor was black, intricate, and carved with draconic motifs, with dragon wings adorning his pauldrons and the sides of his helm. The knight was covered from head to toe in metal, so she couldn’t see his face, but she could almost tell that he was glaring at her.

  Lilieth took a step back, almost tripping over herself. The knight stood imposingly, declaring himself an impregnable wall between her and Valery Kastrionis. Several other citizens shirked back at the sight of him, beads of sweat upon their skin as they tried not to make eye contact with the armored man.

  “Kaltheus, enough.”

  At Valery’s commanding tone, the knight took several steps back, taking position behind the young lord. Now, Valery Kastrionis had his attention towards Lilieth, inspecting her closely.

  “Are you alright, little one?” he asked. “I’m sorry about my knight, here. He’s a bit paranoid. Look what you did, Kaltheus, you scared a child.”

  The knight, Kaltheus, gave a deep grunt, his voice reverberating metallically within his helmet. “That child is wielding a weapon, my lord.”

  “She’s Sibeiya’s friend. I’m sure she means no harm.”

  “We’re not friends,” Sibeiya interjected.

  “And I’m not a child,” Lilieth added. “I’m sixteen.”

  Valery chuckled. “Is that so? I’m glad you’ve found a friend your age, Sibeiya.”

  “Not friends.”

  Lilieth looked at the two of them. “Do you two know each other?”

  “She’s fellow students with someone I know, that’s all,” Valery said, then nodded to the longsword Lilieth was still holding. “Are you a student of sir Spearman, too?”

  “Er, no,” Lilieth said. Her eyes naturally went to the sword again. “That sword...”

  “Oh, this,” Valery said, raising it in front of him, showcasing its bifurcated blade. There were unfamiliar letters etched along the length of its blade. It looked vaguely like Eirsian writing, but not exactly. “Beautiful, isn’t it? But rest assured, I’ll talk all about it this afternoon, during the assembly. I’ve never seen you before. What’s your name?”

  “...Lilieth.”

  Valery bent down and gave her head a gentle pat. “You’ll be there during the assembly, will you?”

  “...”

  When Valery placed his hand on her head, it felt familiar to her. A half-elf doing the same thing, ruffling the top of her head with her calloused palms, making a mess of all the work Lilieth did to keep her hair neat and tidy...

  Lilieth swatted Valery’s arm away. “I’ll be there.”

  “See you there, Lilieth.” Valery gave a smile, then stood up. “Kaltheus, we’re going.”

  Valery and his knight walked away, mounting the horses that a retainer had hastily brought with her, then galloped away towards the center of the city, where Artemest’s palace is. The crowd dispersed, their mood somewhat better than before. Workers had showed up and were now fixing damages and keeping people away. One of the workers was a Sculptmage, it seemed. He placed his hands on the ground, then...

  “[Reficio].”

  The road, shattered by the wyvern’s rampage, slowly formed itself back together. The chunks of earth that the worked had gathered and placed on top of the road slowly melted back into it, seeping into the gaps and making the road whole again.

  Sculptmages often found good pay as construction workers. Very good pay, considering how quickly they could do the work of multiple non-Blessed. Perhaps, in some other life, Lilieth would’ve been one instead of becoming a hero.

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  Perhaps, in that other life, things were better for her.

  She looked at the longsword she held in her hands. Something she had no idea how to use. What a hero she was. Even as a mage, she was lacking. At level 6, she only knew two spells...

  “...Three spells,” she muttered, remembering the fact that she, against all logic, knew the spell Bedivere.

  Right. There was still the concern about her own body. There was absolutely no way in Lye’s hells that Lilieth’s body was normal. Perhaps she could get someone to give her a check up and see if something was wrong. She still had time before the assembly. And if there was anyone that could do that...

  “Miss Sibeiya, can I ask if you know any Healmages nearby?”

  Sibeiya clicked her tongue. She was obviously still angry at her for not giving her the sword in time. “I know someone in the Eupatridion district. Not far from here. Why? You injured?” Then she narrowed her eyes. “Can you even get injured?”

  As the name suggested, each of the Krysanthian megalopoleis were massive, and each of them had to be divided into several districts, each ruled by its own governor, called a demarchos.

  Lilieth liked to read maps. She could name all of the districts in Zusa, along with their demarchos, and their immediate family. However, she had never really read a map of Artemest, so she was largely unfamiliar with the city’s layout. She made a mental note to visit a library later.

  “It’s nothing that serious. I just need them to check my body. See what’s wrong with it.” Lilieth placed her hand on her chest, where Verlaine had essentially sliced open a hole on her torso. A hole that was now nowhere to be found. “No matter how much I think about it, what’s happening to me isn’t normal.”

  Sibeiya sighed. “I’d rather be training right now ... but fine. Consider this as payment for the slow-roasted lamb.”

  “But that meal was supposed to be payment for you lending me your—”

  “C’mon! We don’t have all day!”

  Sibeiya was already walking, forcing Lilieth to run after her.

  Eventually they arrived at the streets of the Eupatridion district. The bustle was a lot busier here, and there were generally more shops around. A commercial district, probably.

  Eventually, Lilieth saw a large, well-decorated building in the distance. The sign “SilverRose Clinic” hung at the front in gilded letters. Lilieth didn’t even need to be told that it was a high-class establishment. That made sense, of course. Healmages were the best healers you could find. Blessed were rare, which made their services even more valuable.

  This naturally meant that the services of a Healmage was extremely expensive. Had Spearman not given Lilieth that immense fortune, she would not have sought one out.

  “SilverRose Clinic,” Lilieth said, stopping in front of the entrance. “I’ve never actually been in one of these places, before. I wonder if—”

  “This isn’t the place.” Sibeiya continued walking, grabbing Lilieth by the arm and dragging her along.

  “Huh? But this is the clinic, right? And stop dragging me along, please! I can walk by myself!”

  “That’s just a normal clinic. No Healmage there.”

  The two of them entered a much smaller street, with much less people hanging about. A cozier, if less thriving, part of the district. They stopped in front of a small, meager wooden house.

  Sibeiya knocked on the door. “Niko? You in?”

  “Huh? Is that you, Sibei?”

  A voice yelled out from inside, muffled and distant. It was followed by the frantic sounds of footsteps and things being knocked over, before the door opened to a bespectacled young man with disheveled hair and unkempt clothes.

  “What’s wrong? Are you injured again?” The man named Niko asked. “I swear, mister Spearman’s always so—”

  “I’m fine, Niko.”

  “Are you sure? You’re not pretending to just be fine again, are you? It’s a really bad habit of yours. Maybe I should check, just in case—”

  “I’m fine. It’s not me that’s here to see you.”

  Sibeiya looked to Lilieth and gestured at her to say something.

  “Uh, hello. I’m Lilieth.”

  “Oh! I’m Nikolaos Argyri! But I’d prefer it if you’d just call me Niko, though. Less of a mouthful, and very efficient, don’t you think?”

  Niko took a deep down, his round glasses almost falling out of his face. Though he caught it with a practiced motion and fixed it back on the bridge of his nose.

  “Are you the Healmage Sibeiya was talking about?” Lilieth asked.

  “Oh, yes, yes, that’s me. Hi. Uh— Oh right, please, step inside. I’ll make you all some tea. Or coffee, if that’s what you prefer.”

  Lilieth and Sibeiya entered a rather well-kept and tidy room that had a sofa, a table, filled bookshelves, and a couple of empty beds to the back.

  “Feel free to sit down on the sofa, you two!” Niko hurriedly made his way to a back room, separated with beaded curtains instead of a door, so Lilieth could see that it was a kitchen. “Do you have any preferences? I have chamomile, mint, sage...”

  “Uh, I’d like some water, please,” Lilieth replied as she and Sibeiya sat down.

  “Same,” Sibeiya added.

  “Ah. Water, yes. That’s good, too.” Niko eventually came back with two glasses, then sat down across Lilieth. “So, how can I be of service, miss Lilieth?”

  Lilieth shuffled uncomfortably, not knowing how to start. How was she even supposed to explain it?

  “Well, um, something seems to have happened to my body, recently,” Lilieth began. “Things that I can’t explain. It’s ... not normal, to say the least. I’ve changed, and I’m afraid I’m becoming something ... else.”

  “Aaah.” Niko nodded in understanding. “Everyone goes through change. It’s not a bad thing.”

  “I’m not so sure about that. If it’s a bad thing, or a good thing ... it’s all so confusing.”

  Her body couldn’t die. That didn’t sit right with Lilieth. It made her feel like something other than human. But at the same time, if it weren’t for that, she’d still be dead in that cave.

  Niko nodded again. “I understand your worries. But there’s no need to be afraid of it. It’s normal.”

  Lilieth looked up at him. “It is?”

  “Yes, miss Lilieth. That’s called puberty.”

  “What?” Lilieth sat straight up. “Wait, no, that’s not—”

  “I’m sure you’re scared of all these new things happening to you, miss, but I can assure you, it’s nothing to be afraid of. In fact, it—”

  “STOP!”

  Lilieth slammed her palms on the table as she stood up, the glasses of water almost spilling. Niko silenced himself in shock, leaving only the sound of Sibeiya trying desperately to hold her laughter.

  “T-that’s not what I’m trying to say...” Lilieth said, sitting back down as she blushed in embarrassment.

  “O-oh. It wasn’t?” Niko scratched his head. “I’m sorry. U-uh, continue.”

  Lilieth cleared her throat. “Um, so basically, what I’m trying to say is ... uh—”

  “She’s immortal.”

  Sibeiya interrupted, having recovered from her almost-laughing fit. Lilieth and Niko turned to her, the former in shock, and the latter in confusion.

  “Immortal?” Niko asked.

  “M-miss Sibeiya?! What are you—”

  “Her body can’t die. I’ve seen it myself. She was quite literally ripped apart, and her body just stitched itself back together, good as new.”

  Sibeiya took a sip from her glass as if nothing was wrong. And, like Lilieth feared, Niko seemed incredibly confused. When she glared at Sibeiya, she simply shrugged.

  “What? No point beating around the bush, yeah? Better to get things done quickly.”

  “Uh, so...” Niko interjected, as if asking for further explanation.

  “M-miss Sibeiya is right. My body can’t seem to die now. When I die, I just simply come back to life.”

  Niko looked even more confused now.

  “Just believe us, Niko. Or what, you want we provide a demonstration?”

  “I’d rather not die, please. It’s still painful.”

  Niko seemed skeptical still, but he nodded. “Riiight. So, assuming all of this is true, what am I supposed to be doing?”

  “I want you to try and find the reason why my body is like this,” Lilieth said. “Your Healing magic can do that, right?”

  “I mean, I could take a look. Certainly!” Niko stood up and knelt beside Lilieth. “May I?” he asked.

  After she gave permission, he held his hand out in front of her and chanted, “[Diagnostics].”

  Lilieth felt a wave of mana pass through her. It didn’t feel unpleasant. It was warm, and soft, and gentle, like a cool breeze on a sunny day.

  After a few seconds, Niko closed his eyes and chanted another spell. “[Auscultate].” A few more seconds passed. “[Anamnesis] ... huh?”

  Niko furrowed his brow, which worried Lilieth. She had no idea what each of these spells were doing. After some time, he stood back up and went back to sitting across Lilieth.

  “Well, the good news is that you’re perfectly healthy at the moment,” Niko started. “I used Diagnostics, a spell that would’ve let me seen if you had any injuries or diseases running about. I found nothing, so you’re all good there. Next, I used Auscultate to listen to your body.”

  “Listen?”

  Niko nodded. “That’s right. There’s a whole lot you can learn just by listening to what goes on inside. But, just like before, nothing seems to be out of place.”

  Lilieth bit her lip. If that was the case, then she was back where she started, no closer to an answer.

  “...What about the third spell?” Sibeiya asked. “Your face then told me you found something weird.”

  “Anamnesis,” Niko said. “A spell that lets me see if your body has borne any wounds or diseases in the past. And let’s just say that I now believe you when you say you can’t be killed.”

  “So you saw all of the wounds she got when she died?”

  Niko opened a nearby drawer and took out a piece of paper, along with a red crayon. “That was the problem. I couldn’t see any of the wounds at all.”

  While Lilieth and Sibeiya looked confused at those words, he began drawing the figure of a person on the paper. “When I use Anamnesis, I kind of see your body as a transparent object. If you had any sort of injuries in the past, I’d see them as a glowing spot.” He drew a red line across the figure’s arm. “For instance, if you were wounded in the arm, then I’d see that part of you glow, even if it’s fully healed already.”

  Then he began filling the entire figure with red, then slid the paper over to Lilieth.

  “Miss, this is how I saw your body.”

  A shiver travelled down Lilieth’s spine as she stared at the drawn figure, completely filled in.

  “It’s as if your entire body had been wounded. Without exception.”

  That shouldn’t have been possible, right? She hadn’t died that many times. And though some of her deaths had been particularly violent, surely it wasn’t to that extent. There had to be something more here...

  “What does this mean?” Lilieth asked.

  “I don’t know. I’m sorry.” Niko shook his head, looking genuinely apologetic. “It’s not like I’ve ever encountered something like this before. I wish I had something more to tell you.”

  “...No, I’m grateful, sir Niko. You have my thanks.”

  In the end, back to square one. She got some information from this, but she didn’t even know what to make of it.

  “So, it’s all over now?” Sibeiya asked. “Well then, give the payment, then we can go.”

  “It’s not over yet,” Lilieth said, prompting an eyebrow raise from Sibeiya. “Sir Niko, Sibeiya was involved in a fight with a wyvern just moments before. I believe she has some injuries.”

  “Wha—?!” Sibeiya stood up, mouth agape as she looked at Lilieth with irritation. “Why you—!”

  “I knew it!” Niko stood up as well. “Sit back down, I’ll cast Diagnostics!”

  “I said I’m fine. It was barely—”

  “Sit!”

  Lilieth was somewhat shocked at Niko’s assertiveness, especially since he had presented himself as a rather meek person. Sibeiya inevitably sat down, though she shot a glare at Lilieth.

  Lilieth stuck her tongue out at her.