Kota and Sekalia went to the harbour. The rows of boats and barges. People were carrying boxes and barrels back forth. Birds were flying in the sky searching for fresh fish.
"This is amazing. To see such a lively place."
Should have seen my world.
"Pretty cool. You haven't seen big towns before, huh?"
"When I left on my journey from the Endless Greenwood I visited villages and towns back in the empire, but never such a big one."
"And then you met Yuna."
"That's right. She has her path to destiny and if I follow her path I'll surely visit many places."
"But you're in the party with us."
"Hinota wants to leave once she pays her debt and you wanted to see Meyuna fail. And she's already done it spectacularly."
What a friend.
"But it'd be wonderful if you became friends."
"We'll see."
They sat down and watched the river together.
What to talk about with her? So many questions about this world, but it'd be too suspicious.
"I see there are different races in this town."
"Oh yes, I see dwarfs and fairies."
Since when are the fairies as tall as a dwarf?
"And there's one elf carrying a barrel."
Real fantasy land.
"Hmmm. Haven't we seen some other races in this town yet?"
"Well, there are driads and faunus. But they live in my Greenwood."
"Do you miss your homeland?"
"Not much. I can always teleport back home."
"You can quick travel?"
"I'm not sure what you mean, but I can always find someone who offers teleportation and return. But what traveller would I be if I did that?"
I like her smile.
As they watched the ships, Kota noticed dwarfs carrying particular weapons.
Holy crap, dwarfs with pistols and guns? Maybe this world isn't as backwards as I expected.
"What is it?"
"What do you know about weapons that can shoot?"
"Honestly, not much. There are bows and crossbows and slingshots. Oh, and in the Mora empire I saw a.weapon called… arquebus."
"Do you know how it works?"
"Not really. You point it at a monster and light the match and hope it hits. The tricky part is you have to hold it real tight against your shoulder, or the kickback'll knock you on your backside. You need to aim low, the sights isn't the most precise, and after you fire, it takes long to reload."
"You really know a lot."
"A kind soldier showed me that back in the Mora Empire and I remembered what he said."
Damn her memory's good. Fortune making can wait. I wanna shoot some things first.
"That was a fun day."
I like her smile. I'd buy us some sweets if we weren't broke.
As Kota was looking at Sekalia's joyful face they heard screams of pain. They quickly ran and noticed a gathering crowd. There was an elf. Next to him was a damaged fish barrel with spilling water.
"My back. It's killing me. Someone help. Ahhhhh."
"Quick someone call a medician."
"This looks horrible."
"Please, don't worry Kota"
"Tell it to him."
"Excuse me, excuse me."
Sekalia was politely getting through the crowd and kneeled at the injured elf.
"Sir please don't scream. I'm a druid and I'd like to help you."
"Ahhhh. Please help."
"Please tell me where are you hurt?"
"My back. Ahhh. My back is broken."
"Oh. How much does it hurt?"
"Yes, dammit. Ahhh don't you see? It's killing me."
"As a medic I needed to know. I'm going to take your pain right now and heal you. It's going to take some time, but you'll feel much better."
With the help of two other men she moved the elf on his side and raised his shirt. He screamed in agony. Sekalia focused. Her hands shone in the green light and touched the elf's back. Slowly the expression of pain disappeared from his face as relief replaced it. The crowd was admiring her craft.
I'm glad we were here on time. And she's got a wry face. As expected, she mentioned she was takes pain while healing.
"What a talented girl. To heal something that hard so easily."
"And she can do something so hard with a smile."
Oh, that smile. Come to think of it, I've never seen her heal someone injured so badly. She likes to mention pain. But she can't be… No, she just wants to connect with people, right.
After a while the elf stood up.
"She continued. She was smiling weirdly and trembling slightly.
"Sekalia, are you all right?"
"Please, don't talk. I need to focus."
"Thank you. I feel much better now. Sekalia right?"
"That's right. This injury was really horrible. I'm glad it's past."
Some men ran up to us.
"Out of the way! I'm a medician. Where is the injured?"
"I was and that girl healed me."
"Thank you for coming. He was really injured, but luckily I was here to help."
"Oh. Can I check on the injury."
The medician inspected the elf's back.
"There's nothing to correct. You know your art well, young lady. "
"Thank you, sir. It was really painful."
The medician was caught off guard. Kota gasped.
"Did you use that technique where you take pain from someone."
"Yes I did. But it's not a problem for me."
Man's eyes widened.
"To think that you're taking it so well.
Kota took him on the side.
"May I ask what's up with that technique?"
"You see, young man. Usually someone gifted with restoration magic heals injuries just with mana. You can choose to save it, but it also means you take the patient's pain and feel it for them. It requires a strong will or pain tolerance to be that unfazed."
"Is there any reason to do it?"
"It would only happen willingly if users had to save their mana. I admire her resolve, but don't understand her motives."
I think I do.
"Thank you for the explanation."
"How do you feel? Can you walk?"
"No need to worry. It feels really great."
A radiant smile bloomed on her face and her eyes sparkled with delight.
"Huh? Why are you sad?"
"It's nothing."
Give me her innocence back.