Chapter 42 - I'm the [Heroine]!

"This time, it's my turn to become the [Hero]!"

Astounded with her sudden declaration, Kai's mind instantly became filled with worries.

"Karen...what are you saying...?" He asked her in a frail voice.

Seeing that his eyes showed protest against her words, Karen smiled. "Nn. It might sound really strange coming from a [Healer] like me, but I will defeat this monster for the sake of everyone!"

Hearing that, Kai frantically shook his head.

Ever since they were kids, he knows that Karen has been always a soft, fragile girl. With her always being targeted by bullies at school, he promised to her that he'll be the one who will protect her until they grow up. Now that it's been ten years and they got sent into another world, Kai realized that the girl whom he always protected has slowly started to change.

'As if I'll let you be harmed!' Kai's heart screamed opposition at her.

Even if her support abilities are top-notch, having no apparent combat skills at her disposal would mean that she would be a very vulnerable target in the eyes of their enemies, he believed.

No matter what, he must be the one who's protecting her, not the other way around--

"No...I should be the one...gah--!!!"

"You shouldn't move yet!!!" Seeing him cough up blood again despite the precautionary measures she applied, Karen cried in panic as she knelt beside him.

She then took a small vial filled with colorless fluid from her pocket, and have him forcefully drink its contents. Kai, with his mouth suddenly filled with a bitter substance, swallowed the liquid by reflex.

"It's a light sedative. Although the dose is very small, the effects are both quick-acting and long-lasting. Please don't force yourself too much," she said in a sad voice.

Based on her diagnosis, Kai would suffer irreparable damage in his body should she arrive to the scene late even for just less than a minute. Although she managed to secure his survival, his life is still in the red zone. As a [Healer], she have to use anything at her disposal to ensure Kai's rapid recovery, even if the person in question resents her for it.

Meanwhile Kai, after drinking all of the liquid, felt that his consciousness became fuzzy once more.

"Karen...I..."

Without having any strength left to resist, he immediately fell into deep slumber.

"Now then, about this monster..."

Karen then looked at the giant behemoth rampaging in front of her. Although in her heart she felt extremely afraid after being exposed with its overwhelming aura, she steeled herself as she already told Kai that she'll take matters on her own hands starting from now.

"It's regrettable, but looks like we're the only ones remaining in this part of the city right now," she said to the monster.

Except from Kai who is already unable to fight, no one else in the whole class were there to help her fight the behemoth.

A month prior, the whole class was divided into four groups and sent to guard other major areas in the country, ultimately having only the six of them to stay in Barchen. Protecting such a big city, she assumed that the other four are currently too busy for them to lend her assistance.

Glancing at the sleeping Kai's strained face one more time, Karen muttered, "I'm sorry for being stubborn as always."

Then, after taking in a few deep breaths, she ran towards the monster, with the tip of her sword Pola create purple sparks as it touches the ground.

"I may not be as strong as the others, but as a [Healer] I have this!"

Using her other hand, she took out another vial from her pocket, this time containing several red and blue pills, and consumed two each while still on the move.

Body Strengthening and Mana Recovery Pills.

Aside from studying sword techniques, Karen has also researched the effects of various herbal medicines as well as pill making, to further improve her repertoire as an effective support unit. Even though she already have spells of the same purpose, she thought, having alternatives won't be a bad thing for her.

Still, having those pills doesn't mean that she'll become stronger instantly. Except for the daily stretching and light exercises she does everyday, Karen has almost zero rigorous physical training up until now--which makes the strengthening effect of the pills barely unnoticeable.

Meanwhile the behemoth, with its rationality completely stripped away as it crush any erect structure it sees, finally sensed a sudden surge of aura coming from a girl that is charging towards him. Using one of its stingers, it fired a thick stream of corrosive poison at her.

"[Barrier]!"

Seeing that the monster had begun its attack, Karen quickly created a magic circle barrier to block the poison raining towards her position.

Fizzz!!! The poison sizzled as it touched the ground and eats through pavement, creating a rotten stench as its byproduct. Having an image of her skin and bones melting because of the substance, Karen felt a sudden chill on her back.

Squirt! Squirt! Squirt! The behemoth fired another salvo of poison at her, after its first attack has been repulsed by the barrier. At the same time, Karen added more mana into her barrier, causing it to became even larger and more fortified.

KHAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!

The behemoth became even more furious at the girl. Compared to the young man from earlier, it sensed that the one facing it was absurdly headstrong.

Squirting poison from all of its sixteen stingers, the behemoth unleashed a massive poison rain in a large area, barring Karen from any cover for her to hide.

Karen instantly became panic-stricken at the sight of impending death raining upon her. Even with her Mana Recovery pill, it was still not enough to continue using her barrier magic for an extended period of time. Now that even hiding from behind the ruins also became useless, she gritted her teeth as her options for escape became more limited.

"If it has already come to this...I have no choice but to endure!"

Defying the limits placed on her not-so athletic physique, she exerted more force on her feet as she continue her reckless charge towards the enemy, while concentrating almost all of her mana into her purple sword.

*Fizz*!!!--

"Ghaaaaahhhh!!!!!" Karen screamed in pain as tiny droplets of poison slowly corrode her clothes and burned her delicate skin. No matter how much she take cover from the behemoth's attacks, she would still be hit by the poison droplets as it splashes on the ground.

Even so, she decided that she won't stop charging--even if she were to die at that instant!

With the glow of her sword became more and more ominous for the behemoth, the huge monster roared in deep fury as it released another all-out attack, this time forming it into a very concentrated, thin stream of poison, as if it only came out of one small stinger.

"B...B-Bar--KAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!"

Before Karen could even release another barrier, her left shoulder got pierced by the poison that ran through her like a bullet. Intense pain then caused her to stumble face down into the ground, as poison started to enter her body quickly.

"Guuuhhh! Not yet...I'm not done yet...!" Karen's tears flowed as her body started to feel like she's being eaten from the inside. In just a few seconds, her small piercing wound grew three times as large as the skin around it became discolored into a greenish-black ring.

"Re...[Recovery]..."

Applying her spells onto herself, she tried to neutralize the poison inside her body, but the rapid spread of poison through her bloodstream made her spell ineffective.

"I...must defeat...this monster...please work...!"

Combining healing magic and recovery pills at the same time, Karen desperately fought for her life.

"Why...why can't my spells work?!" She yelled at herself.

Coughing up too much blood mixed with a black substance for a few minutes already, her consciousness soon started to blur as her organs also began shutting down one by one.

Still holding on to her sword that already lost its glow, Karen's hopes soon started to fade as well.

"I...am I going to die now...?" She thought to herself.

Never in her imagination that she would approach her end quickly. Although she's completely aware of the fact that the chances of survival here in this world is much lesser compared to where she came from. With her ability however, she immediately believed that could live here with less worries in mind.

Now that her assumptions proved her otherwise, she instantly felt regretful for her actions.

"Sorry...sorry everyone..." She said as she wept feebly while still lying face down on the ground, apologizing to the people that became part of her life.

To those who looked upon me with respect and high regard: I'm sorry for not being able to meet your expectations...

To the people of Arandel, particularly in this city of Barchen: forgive me for not being able to protect all of you...

To all my friends and classmates, especially Kai, Mari and Iza: I'm sorry for being that one stubborn girl who kept on ignoring everyone's advices...

To Rin: I'm sorry for acting like I know how to use a sword even though I'm not...

To my family: no matter how much I wanted to, I hope Papa and Mama would forgive me for not making it back alive.

Lastly...

"Re..."

Remembering the first time we had a decent conversation...for some reason my heart beats fast whenever I think of it...

"I wonder...can we meet each other again in the afterlife...?"

Just as when her heart's about to beat its last, the sword that she still held on glowed faintly then flickered, as it transferred its stored mana back to her.

Noticing the strange phenomenon coming from the apparently dying girl, the behemoth roared once more, as it tried to rip her using its stingers.

Whirr! The moment the stingers was about a few meters away from her, they got repelled by a wide transparent magic barrier that shone with a faint purple haze. The behemoth attacked again but it was also repelled, making it more furious.

ROOOOOAAAARRRR!!!! It then unleashed mixed attacks from its stingers and poison, trying to break through the barrier that is protecting Karen.

Meanwhile, as soon as the sword's stored mana entered her body, her body became covered in a dazzling white light, and her injuries slowly started to heal.

"This..." Karen, who was already waiting for her end to come got instantly startled when she saw the hole in her shoulder becoming smaller and smaller until it's completely gone, as if watching a movie in reverse.

In just a few seconds the poison got completely expelled out of her body. She then soon felt the intense surge of mana rushing back to her from her sword, as the light around it flickered rapidly.

"Pola...you saved me...?"

She can't believe what's going on right now. Just a while ago she saw that the light around Pola became dimmer and dimmer as the mana flow between them got interrupted but now, the sword glowed more than what she could remember.

"C-Could it be...Pola...you're a Mana Amplifier tool?!"

In this world, there are certain materials that have special properties that could store and amplify mana poured into it. Though the effects are remarkable even in their raw form, people soon discovered that refining the material and forming it into various tools and weapons could increase the amplification factor by several notches. Thus, along with the difficulty of refining and forging the raw materials, the number of tools created from such materials can only be counted using two hands. Inversely as well, each one of the tools could have a staggering high price, enough to put a small nation into debt and even cause a war between contending countries.

Having such tool in her hands, it was natural for someone like Karen to feel overjoyed.

"I can't believe that the sword that the mysterious woman gave me would be this invaluable! This...this must be a work of fate, right?"

'That woman...I must thank her the moment I see her again', she thought to herself.

Glancing at the behemoth, Karen showed a faint smile. "Sorry for making you wait. I will start attacking now."

Gripping the sword in her hands, she ran straight towards the monster, while ignoring each of its attacks.

"Eh? My body just now...feels so light..."

Compared to earlier, she noticed that she could dodge all of the attacks thrown at her easier, and her breathing would not become ragged no matter how much she run and jump.

"Could it be because of Pola...?"

As soon as Karen's about to reach the monster, its feet stomped into the ground, creating a massive earthquake that shook the vicinity and left behind a huge crater.

"So close...!!!" Karen almost got blown away by the shockwave at that moment. Stabbing Pola into the behemoth's feet, she managed to climb herself up from its leg up to its back.

ROOOOOAAAARRRRRRR!!!!! Having another intruder on its huge back for the second time around, this time the behemoth tried to attack Karen using its stingers.

"I...am a [Healer]."

Each time a stinger try to stab her, it would get stabbed instead to the monster's back as soon as Karen evaded it. Using that as an opportunity, she slashed the stingers one by one using her sword.

"It's a [Healer]'s role to ensure the safety of those who are in danger from the backlines. Because of that, everyone believes that all [Healers] should stay like that..."

With its stingers cut off, the monster roared in pain and fury, as sharp spikes suddenly burst from it's skin as its second line of offense.

"However, even a [Healer] can be of help even at the front lines..."

Forming a dome-like magic barrier around her resembling Iza's [Treasure Box], she repelled all the spikes the behemoth launched at her.

Walking calmly towards the head of the monster, unfazed by all the behemoth's attacks, she spoke once more.

"After all, I am the [Heroine]!!!"

A very bold declaration, coming out of a modest-looking girl. If any of her friends heard those words, it might cause them to faint out of shock.

Even so, contrary to her already tattered look, the conviction shown in her eyes are as firm as the material that made up her sword.

Without wasting any time, Karen stabbed the sword deep into the top of the monster's head, as she chanted a special incantation in her mind.

ROOOOOAAAARRRR!!!!! Having its head stabbed with a sharp object, the behemoth began shaking its body so as to shake Karen off its head. Fortunately, she managed to grip on her sword while having the incantation almost finished.

"Under the guidance of the holy light, I command thee--BURST!!!!!"

All of a sudden, a pillar of white lights arose from the sword and into the sky, creating a huge white magic circle about a kilometer in diameter at the top. Then, from that magic circle, warm, bright light shone on the affected parts of the city, and caused anyone who are exposed by the light to have their injuries healed at a miraculous speed.

[Sacrificial Fountain of Life].

Using a large creature's life force as a catalyst to heal injured people in a large area, this spell requires extremely high amounts of mana and long casting time for it to work. Once the preparations has been finished, the more vitality the sacrificed creature has, the larger the area of effect, and the greater the healing rate would be.

Although the spell's aim is to heal many people at the same time, [Sacrificial Fountain of Life] is considered taboo among all healing magic because of its requirements. Nevertheless, Karen still used such a kind of spell against this kind of monster.

'As long as many people can be saved with my abilities, I don't care even if I get myself executed because of this spell,' Karen strengthened her resolve.

Meanwhile far away from the scene, the people who evacuated became surprised to see that droplets of light fell from the sky. They became even more shocked when they discovered that their injuries and some light diseases got healed whenever a droplet falls to their skin.

Seeing such miraculous scene in front of her, Iza, who is currently in charge in protecting them, spoke in awe while gazing at the magic circle in the sky.

"I see. I'm happy that you're starting to be okay now, Karen."

Even the cities just outside the city's boundaries also saw the pillar and circle of light, and the residents immediately started to pray altogether as they see it as a blessing from the gods.

At the same time, the behemoth rampaged while having his life force rapidly sucked away by the magic circle in the sky. It can't believe that the seemingly weak girl on top of its head could use a very powerful spell.

"Return to dust already!" Karen said to the monster, as she pushed her sword deeper into its skull.

ROOOOOOAARRRRR!!!!! In its desperate defense to save its own life, the behemoth soon started to become weaker and weaker every second her spell is active. With its ten legs already collapsed from not being able to support its weight anymore, the behemoth kept on roaring in agony until its life has been completely used up by the spell.

"I...did it..."

Immediately after the behemoth was killed, Karen collapsed on the top of its head, facing up the sky that already turned orange.

Looking at the sword that also lost its glow, Karen spoke. "Pola...thank you for helping me defeat this monster..."

Even without having her classmates' powers, she managed to do an unbelievable feat on her own, enough to call her the savior of this city. Just thinking of that made her heart feel exhilarated, even though she preferred to do her things low-key.

"Having this power means that...I could finally find and protect you..."

Reaching her hand into the sky as if grasping into something, she spoke her honest feelings towards that certain someone.

"After all, I want to be your [Heroine]..."

With her mana almost used up and her body screaming in pain, Karen still formed a sweet smile on her face, as she believed that she'll have a happy future ahead of her, with that person whom she yearned all this time.

"Good...night...", and she finally closed her eyes to sleep.