Chapter 364: [71.2] A Hero is Born
Once we arrived, the villagers all greeted us as usual. However, when the demons looked at Asmonious, they all scattered to hide from him. I glanced at Asmonious a bit worried he would take offense, but just like always, he merely smiled with a warm expression.
Who could be afraid of that smile!?
I reached out to squeeze his chubby cheeks, "So cute!"
He gave a laugh, then blinked at me innocently as his ears turned pink, "Master…"
"Sorry, I'm embarrassing you, aren't I?" I released him feeling a bit guilty, "You were just so adorable I couldn't stop myself."
The medical demon matriarch walked over to us, her eyes warily glancing at Asmonious, "I see the Great Fairy and her children are as close as ever."
Now it was my turn to get embarrassed, "T-They are my precious disciples…"
"Mmmn… Yes. " She then motioned for me to follow, "I will now conduct the annual checkups if you'll follow me."
We went after her, following her to the wooden shacks where the medical demons lived and worked. Lovi was the first to go, as she was the least obedient. As the doctor checked her out, I was amazed by her reflexes as she was able to dodge the attempts Lovi made to bite her.
Once finished she washed her hands, "Next patient."
Lovi hopped off the table and ran over to me, "Can I wait outside?"
I nodded, rubbing her head, "Sure. Go have fun."
She went over to Asmonious and held her hand out. He placed a piece of candy onto her palm and then she ran out of the door, more afraid to stay inside with the doctor rather than take her chances with the strangers outside.
The doctor turned to Atta who sat down on the table, barely moving as she waited for her next order. The doctor was more or less used to this and undressed her bandages.
"I see her skin is still falling off… I will have to remove more so it doesn't infect her other skin."
I had to swallow down my nausea as I averted my eyes, "We are using the medicine as directed… How come you still have to remove her skin?"
"Don't worry, Great Fairy. It's part of the healing process. Demons can't heal from Holy weapons, so the process is a bit more grotesque than the healing process in humans."
After she finished treating Atta and checking out her other vitals, she redressed her jaw. At this point, the bandages were more for keeping her jaw clean rather than healing any wound.
I reached out to Atta, "How are you feeling? Do you feel okay?"
She tilted her head as if she didn't understand what I was asking. I was used to this and let out a sigh, "Alright. You can go outside and play with Lovi if you'd like."
She walked over to my side, standing up straight.
I guess that means she doesn't want to go outside…
The medical matriarch motioned, "I'm ready for the next patient-"
Asmonious handed me Lene, then sat down on the table. His entire aura was calm and collected, but the medical matriarch hesitated, her arm hanging midair. Asmonious casually turned his burnt orange eyes to look at her, and for a split moment, it was as if his eyes were peering into her very soul.
She gulped, loud enough for me to hear.
I tilted my head to look at her, "Everything okay?"
"I-It's fine…" She took a deep breath and tried to steady her hand as she checked on his vitals. Once she finished, she blew out a large sigh of relief, "I-I've finished."
He happily got off the table and stood over by me and Atta. I noticed Lene waking up, so I nudged her awake, "Lene… Wake up. It's your turn now."
She yawned sleepily, rubbing her eyes, "Where are we?"
"We are at the village."
"The noisy village?"
"That's right."
The doctor's face twitched, "..."
I handed Lene to her where she went to investigate the scars on her face, "I see this has healed successfully… Do you remember the last time you came here?"
Lene hummed, "Ummm… Did Lene come before?"
The doctor smiled at her then changed the subject, "How has your head been feeling lately?"
"Hurts sometimes."
She held out a candle, "How do your eyes feel?"
She winced from the flickering light, "Hurt! Hurt!"
"I see… Can you drink this?"
"No! Icky!"
Asmonious cut in, "If you drink it, Master will tell any story tonight you want to hear."
Her expression lit up, "Even about the dead art guy!?"
I let out a sigh, "If that's what you want…"
"Okay!" She quickly took her medicine, then stuck out her tongue, "Icky! Icky!"
Asmonious placed a piece of candy into her mouth, "Good girl."
"Mmn!" Her face lit up as she had already forgotten about the bitter medicine that came before it, "Can Lene play now?"
I glanced at Asmonious, "Can you watch her while I talk to the doctor?"
He nodded, "Yes, Master."
He held onto Lene's hand, leading her outside to go find Lovi.
After they left, I turned to the doctor, "So? How are they?"
She washed her hands as she spoke, "Moni is as healthy as ever, although I am not sure why his skin has a grey hue. I can't find the source for this and since he doesn't have any other symptoms, I have concluded that it's nothing to worry about."
I let out a sigh of relief, "That's good."
She continued, "Lene and Atta are healthy. It seems Lene is still suffering from headaches, so keep making her take her inflammation medicine before bed. Atta should be healed soon, so I wouldn't worry about her. Just make sure to keep her jaw area clean. For Lovi, the poison is still slowly destroying her body from the inside... Has she gotten sick more often lately?"
I nodded, "She got a cold last winter."
"Hmm… I see. Well, that's going to happen more often as the poison progresses. Have you found the flower yet?"
"Oh! I found a few flowers, but I'm not sure if they are the right ones." I pulled out the first flower from my interspatial bag, "Is it this?"
She sniffed it, "No. That's not it."
"Okay… How about this one?"
"No. That's not right either."
"This one?"
"I'm afraid not."
I groaned throwing the flowers onto the ground in a heap, "Still all wrong…"
"I'm sorry, Great Fairy…" Her expression softened, "I wish I could be more help…"
I pulled out the paper with the drawing of the flower and frowned.
How many years do I have left with Lovi?
Will I really find this flower in time?
Atta grew curious about the paper and peered around me to look at it. Seeing the flower on the page, she pointed at it as if excited.
I tilted my head, "What? You know this flower?"
She nodded quickly and pulled out her paper and charcoal to begin drawing on it. She held it out to me, pointing at it.
My eyes widened as I took it, "You drew a map?!"
She nodded happily.
"How did you know how to do that?!"
She answered me by writing on another paper: "From training."
Staring at her bright and cheery eyes, I felt a bit of pity.
I wonder if those men ever thought that by using her, they were creating something far better than themselves.
I forced my attention back on the map where she circled certain points, "What are these circles?"
She pointed to the flower and then to each circle.
"You're saying this is where to find the flower?!"
She nodded as a matter of fact.
I pulled her into a hug and twirled her around, "Oh Atta! You are amazing!!! You really deserve to be called a Hero!"
As I stared at that map excitedly, I heard the charcoal pencil scratching across the paper in her hands. When I looked up, I could see her focusing hard as she wrote. She then held it out for me to read, which I had to read a few times to understand.
"What… Hero?" I narrowed my eyes in confusion before I suddenly understood the meaning of her writing, "Are you asking me what a hero is?"
She nodded quickly, her short brown hair bobbing up and down in a cute fashion.
I smiled at her, "A hero is someone who has a courageous and noble nature. In the face of danger or adversity, they don't run away. They stand and fight for those who can't. They risk their lives for the lives of others… Do you understand?"
She nodded, her eyes full of light and excitement. When I turned away to leave, I didn't notice the burning desire reflected in her eyes as her gaze lowered to fixate on that single word:
'Hero.'
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone