Chapter 43

“Meeting the Elves”

After an arduous negotiation in which her boss agreed to grant her three bottles of medium-grade mana and two weeks of Elinorian vacation, in which she would only be called in case of emergency, Kalysto accepted the mission. And she was given three hours to get organized before leaving.

The Saintess ran to bathe and put away most of her breakfast, which consisted of various fruits, bread, cheese, juice, and a cup of vegetable and root soup that was plain.

Funny how they added salt to the bread and cheese, but not to the soup. It tasted awful. With some regret, she had to admit to Alynn, the fairy who was now in charge of bringing her meals, that she didn’t like vegetables and she didn’t like root vegetables either.

Then Alynn gave her more freshly baked breads to make up for how little, according to her, Kalysto had eaten. Who didn’t hesitate to give Tsuki two, eat one herself, and keep the rest in her inventory for later.

“Alynn, consider me officially a fan of your breads,” she commented as the fairy accompanied her to the room where the less seriously ill were. The plump fairy, who seemed to have the attitude of a consummate granny, though her red hair had not a single gray hair, blushed.

“Champion, you flatter me.” Even her voice seemed made of honey.

“Please call me Kalysto. I feel like you’re saying you’re going to lock me in a coliseum and make me fight other warriors like the Roman gladiators.”

“What did you say?” she questioned with a frown.

"Please forget what I said, it is obvious that there are no Romans here," at that moment they arrived at the entrance of the room where Galatea was waiting for them.

“Good morning, champion of the fairies.”

“Good morning, Galatea. How did you sleep?”

“In good condition. Are you going to check on the sick before leaving for the elves’ city?”

“Yes, was there any eventuality while I was gone?” She asked as Galatea handed her a new set of gown, face mask, and gloves. Kalysto purified them before putting them on. And she also purified herself, Galatea and Alynn.

“The fairies in the room with the more serious ones have been complaining of pain," Kalysto frowned.

“No one told me about that.”

“The plague eats the MP and HP of the sick. We think it feeds on it. And the more it grows, the more painful it is,” she reported.

Kalysto nodded her head.

So Artemis’ attitude was more about that than anything else. That’s why potions were important.

“Tell me Galatea, are the potions of the elves superior to those of the fairies?”

“Of course they are! It’s not that ours are bad, it’s just that we don’t have many potion makers and most of them are low to mid-ranking. But in Elenium, they have a high-ranking wizard.” That immediately caught Kalysto’s attention.

Another wizard, huh? It would be interesting to meet him and learn a thing or two from him.

Suddenly, the trip sounded more and more interesting.

“Thanks for the tip," she then entered the room, “Good morning everyone! I don’t have much time today, so I’ll be quick. I need you to divide into two groups. I’ll do the last round of healing now, after which you can go home.” That cheered them up. “Come on, quickly! Split into two groups, one at the back of the room and the other come to me immediately, please. Come on, let’s not waste time!” The next ten minutes she spent doing several rounds of healing similar to the previous day, noticing how, with each round, fewer and fewer were bathed in the golden light when she used Jhil Ezhil.

“Very well. All those who ceased to be bathed in the golden light may leave. The rest will stay where they are! The members of the second group may now approach me!” She then spent the next fifteen minutes healing this group until none of them held Jhil Ezhil’s glow.

“Alright group, that’s all for today. You may now retire to your homes! Please remember to always wear a mask like this and gloves whenever you come in contact with someone who has the plague, and help me by telling other fairies about these preventative measures, okay?”

“Of course, champion. I’ll be sure to tell everyone about the use of mouth plugs.”

“They’re called face masks, but I really appreciate your efforts.”

“Champion, thank you very much for healing us, you saved our lives!” Said the old man she had treated the day before. And her heart warmed as she saw the sincerity on his face. “Is there anything I can give you as a thank you?”

“Your words are more than enough” Seeing that the old man was about to object and that the other fairies seemed only too willing to listen to her answer rather than leave at once, she added, “But if you really wish to give me something in return, I have discovered a great fascination for theles, and the delicious cheesy breads that Alynn makes.”

“In that case, I’ll see about getting you a dozen theles! And my eldest daughter’s husband makes good bread!” The older man perked up.

“In that case, thank you very much for your kind offer. I’ll be happy to eat them.”

“I’ll bring you a dozen too, champion.”

“I’ll bring you two dozen,” insisted another fairy.

“I make excellent cheese," added another.

“I appreciate your good intentions, however, I must be going. I will be traveling for a few days, and I’m not quite sure what my schedule will be. However,” she immediately looked to Alynn for help, and the kind woman approached them, with her robe, gloves, and face shield on.

“If the champion is not available, I will arrange for her gifts to be delivered to her myself. Don’t worry.”

“Thank you very much, Alynn. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to run and tend to some more sick people before my trip.”

Healing the sick in the second room was not as easy as the sick in the first room. There were almost a hundred more fairies, and she had to divide them into three groups. She worked for exactly twenty minutes with the first group, using the alarm on her cell phone to time it.

By the time she was done with the first, she checked the notifications that had come in which she had been completely ignoring as she worked.

[The skill Dispel has leveled up!]

[Jhil Ezhil skill has leveled up!]

[The skill Ezhil Purification has leveled up!]

[Congratulations, the user has acquired a new skill! Dispel Ezhil: Level 1]

Finally! Kalysto was excited. She immediately ate a thel fruit and drank some water while taking a short break, and as soon as she was done, she took a long drink of mana potion. Then she continued with the second and third groups, devoting exactly twenty minutes to each.

To her annoyance, she didn’t make much progress with them, but at least she managed to relieve some of their pain, and before leaving, she invoked [Sleep well] several times on each of them, making sure they would at least get a few hours of rest.

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Then she entered the next room. There were not as many sick people there as in the second one, but their condition was much worse. So she spent the next hour treating them as much as she could. And as soon as she finished her rounds of spells, she invoked [Sleep well] on them several times.

At least then they wouldn’t be in so much pain. She took pity on them.

She checked her notifications again.

[The skill Sleep Well has been leveled up!]

[The skill Dispel Ezhil has leveled up!]

[The Sleep Well skill has leveled up!]

She closed them immediately, and as soon as she got out of there, she met Galatea.

“ Could you please get me several face masks, gloves, and robes for my trip?”

“Of course, champion. I’ll go right now to get them.”

“I’ll go see Artemis, before I go back to my room and take a bath,” she informed her, and did as she had said.

Talking to Artemis was much easier this time.

As soon as Kalysto entered the room, she asked her to remove the top of her robe and let her see her back, and just as the Saintess had feared, there were not only black spots there but also scabs, and small areas where the skin seemed to be turning to stone. Kalysto spent the next hour trying to heal her, but all she managed to do was spend what was left of a bottle of mana and remove all the small and some medium-sized spots on her upper body. The scabs had been the hardest part, although Dispel Ezhil, seemed to be helping to crack the edges a bit. Kalysto couldn’t understand why if Jhil Ezhil was the specific healing spell, it was Dispel, who could help her with the scabs.

I need to check them carefully and level them up. This doesn’t look like a simple illness anymore... She worried. And that means I will have to take advantage of the trip to the elven city.

“Since you have accepted the mission with the elves, it is only fair that you get the potions I showed you yesterday.”

“In that case, try to negotiate that they give us more, because between yesterday and today I have already spent four bottles of mana, only healing the sick.”

That surprised her instructor.

“How could you spend so much in such a short time?” she asked, unable to believe what she had just heard.

“I cured one hundred and twenty fairies this morning. The rest I was barely able to give them a couple of rounds, like with you.”

“That’s a lot more than I thought you’d been doing.”

“I know. I’m already asking for several days off as soon as I finish the mission with the elves. I haven’t even started it and I’m already tired. And it’s not even eleven in the morning,” Artemis pursed her lips, trying not to make fun of Kalysto’s situation, but it was difficult.

“In that case, you deserve them. You’ve worked hard. I hope you’ll be just as hardworking to start training with the professions.”

“Please don’t start. My afternoon already seems busy enough, and the evening looks so far away. Besides, unless you want to give me another large collection of potions and at least two two-liter bottles of high-quality holy water, along with about ten thousand rocks to enchant in my free time. Don’t even remind me of that training.”

This time Artemis didn’t even bother to hide her smile.

“Don’t give me ideas.”

“I’d better go. At least this way I got to bathe before the trip. I wish I could get some sleep, though.”

“Are you going dressed in those clothes?” Artemis worried.

What’s wrong with my favorite shirt? She was a little annoyed by the comment and wanted to rebut, but she was tired enough not to waste her time doing it. So she decided to change her approach.

“Why, are you going to give me clothes?” She asked cheekily, not believing they would give it to her.

“You’ll be representing our people, so obviously I’m concerned about how others see you.” Kalysto arched an eyebrow. She had never cared about her appearance. The more she went unnoticed by the male gender, the more confident she felt. So she frowned.

“Wearing black when they are going through such a difficult situation, they have so many sick people, and many of their people have died from the plague, would not go down well. They will think you are bringing them a bad omen.”

“But am I the one who’s going to go and cure them? How on earth does that make me a bearer of bad luck?”

“Because black is a bad omen for high elves.”

Kalysto rolled her eyes and left the room after saying goodbye.

Minutes later, when she emerged from the bathroom, Alynn was waiting for her in a new gown, along with several folded robes, face masks, and gloves. Next to a small leather bag on the bed.

“What’s that?” She questioned, pointing to the brown leather bag.

“That’s an enchanted bag. It was given to me by Lady Artemis to keep your potions in, champion. I also took the audacity to save you some cheese and bread for the trip. I remembered that you don’t like roots or vegetables, and elves consume them in excess.”

Shit! I’ll be on a diet!

“Please tell me you’ve packed me enough for a couple of days and at least three dozen theles!” Alynn’s round, sweet face crinkled with concern.

“I apologize, but I didn’t pack that many. If you like, may I go back to the kitchen and get you some more?”

“I’d appreciate it, and if you have some more bread, cheese, or meat, all the better. Sounds like my stay with the elves will be less than pleasant,” she added with a long-suffering face, and Alynn smiled with camaraderie. She looked like a grandmother excited to please her grandchildren.

After helping her tie her dress, Alynn brought her more food. And Kalysto went to say goodbye to Artemis.

“I hope this dress is acceptable, but I must say I prefer pants,” she complained, worried about how thin and flowing the fabric seemed, along with how delicate her new flat sandals looked. She almost felt like a priestess in some temple in ancient Rome.

If I have to run, they’re sure to get damaged. She thought, missing the comfort of her tennis shoes.

“The dress is appropriate. Besides, I have a surprise for you,” commented Artemis, who was now wearing a face mask.

“Why do I think I won’t like it?” questioned Kalysto, and the smile that shone on Artemis’ face, who no longer looked as pale and haggard as in the early hours of the previous morning, didn’t tell her anything good.

“The notification must be coming soon,” her instructor got excited. And at that moment, a violet window opened before her.

[You have done a good job with healing my granddaughter and helping my daughter. I thank you.]

Granddaughter? Kalysto thought.

“Are you my boss’s daughter?” she asked Artemis. Suddenly worried about the bad impression she gave her when they first met. Although she wasn’t Miss Personality either. She excused herself.

Artemis’ smile was all she received in response.

Then, another window appeared before her.

[Mission: Raise the enchantment profession to level 10 in one month. Rewards: One week of vacation in the human world. Two two-liter bottles of high-quality holy water (one will be given upon accepting the quest, the other upon completion). Twenty thousand river rocks to enchant (will be deposited in the inventory upon accepting the mission). Two thousand small quartz crystals to enchant ( must be returned at the end of the mission). Enchanted bag (contains the materials.)]

If I raise Jhil high enough, I’ll be able to remove Alice’s grandmother’s cancer and Amanda’s tumor. Kalysto got excited but tried hard not to show it.

“Can I choose when I will make the trip?”

[Yes. You will be free to choose.]

“Then I accept” Those two potions of holy water will definitely make it worth the effort.

[Go back to your room. I will begin the invocation.]

“Okay,” she said, though she wondered why if she went somewhere else it was still called a summoning. Could it be a problem with the translation spell?

Before reaching the door she turned to Artemis.

“I don’t know whether to love you or hate you.”

“ That’s up to you, although I think it would be nice if we got along. You’re not the troublesome, lazy brat I thought you were.”

“Nor are you the evil fairy who tries to take advantage of her naïve students,” she said before walking away.

“But you’re not naïve!” Kalysto heard her shout as she walked away towards her room. But she chose not to answer.

Less than five minutes later, chaos greeted her.

Her boss’s magic circle hadn’t finished fading when a huge branch, tree and all, almost fell on her and Kalysto had to dive to the side to avoid it. The soles of her sandals slipped against the shiny ground, causing her to almost crash into the huge wall separating the summoning platform from the huge castle. Screams flooded the whole place while the roar of several monsters destroying everything in their path could be heard from all directions, as one of them tried to approach the second floor, where she was standing. The huge Cyclops, more than two floors high, was slowly advancing towards her while whipping a tree trunk back and forth as if it were shooing away flies. Immediately Kalysto drew her bow and arrows with penetration and began to shoot at the eyes of anything that looked neither elven nor human that was within twenty meters of the edge of the long terrace where she stood.

“Who are you?” asked a tall, slender elf with long blond hair and a fair complexion. Who suddenly appeared behind her.

Trying to hide how much his repentant appearance had frightened her, Kalysto raised her left hand, showing her golden tattoo.

“You were the ones who made a deal for me to come and cure those with the plague. Who are you? And why didn’t anyone warn us of this attack, so we could delay the summoning?”

The tall elf in long white robes, the same color as her dress, looked her up and down before answering.

“You are not what I expected,” he replied calmly, as if they had all the time in the world. And there were no screaming soldiers downstairs.

“ Yeah, well, this isn’t the kind of reception I was expecting, either.”