[Right Side Of The 'Big Junk']

The glow around Shelly's fist intensified, the small circular green barriers surrounding her hands sharpening into brilliant halos [Green Fist]. Her eyes flickered toward the children once more—fragile bodies battered and broken, clutching the steel cage as their coughing echoed, desperate for relief, for salvation.

"I won't let you! I won't let you keep sending children to their deaths!" Shelly shouted, her fierce gaze locking onto the woman before her.

"Watch out, Shelly! Claudia's dangerous!" Viola cried out, her voice laced with urgency.

Shelly ignored the warning and propelled herself forward, her determination burning like a wildfire. She closed the distance in an instant, aiming a straight jab at Claudia's skull.

A blue light flared around Claudia’s hand as she tilted her head just enough to let the punch graze her cheek.

Shelly wasted no time, following up with a right hook, this time aiming to catch Claudia as she swayed.

But Claudia evaded with fluid precision, ducking at the last moment. The hook missed by mere inches, instead knocking her pointed hat to the ground. The light around Claudia’s hand faded, replaced by a black iron staff materializing in its place, its crescent-shaped tip gleaming ominously.

"A healer should stick to healing and not overextend themselves," Claudia quipped, her smirk widening as she spotted an opening.

Effortlessly, she swung her staff, landing a solid blow against Shelly’s stomach.

The force wrenched a gasp from Shelly’s lips, blood spraying as she was sent sliding back. Her body faltered, collapsing to one knee—the same spot where she had started the battle.

In a flash, Claudia lunged toward Shelly. She appeared before her in a blur, driving a knee into Shelly’s skull. The impact sent her sprawling across the concrete, blood pooling beneath her face.

"Don't act so righteous, you're an adventurer yourself. You try to act different, but you’re just like me. As a healer, you’ve sent people to their deaths—it’s part of the job."

Shelly groaned, lifting her head. Blood streamed from her forehead, her wide eyes filled with disbelief and anguish.

Claudia’s steps were unhurried as she approached, her smirk unwavering. "I’m right, aren’t I? I can see it in your eyes."

Shelly’s mind spun, unbidden memories flooding her consciousness. She was back in the Black Forest, the day her entire party was wiped out.

"It’s different!" she shouted, her voice cracking. "Adventurers know the risks. They accept them! You can’t blame the healer when something goes wrong. You are forcing kids to fight and die! It's not the same thing!"

Claudia’s eyes glinted with condescension. "You don’t even believe that, do you? Let me ask you this, how is it different? I push these kids to their limits, just like adventurers push their party members. Most of them die, sure, but the same occurs for adventurers. All life is the same—whether it’s a party member or a kid. You and I? We’re no different."

Shelly’s heart pounded as the words pierced her defenses. Her lips trembled as she tried to refute them. "It’s not true… it’s a lie… it’s a lie…" she whispered to herself, her voice growing weaker with each repetition.

But no matter how hard she fought it, her mind dragged her deeper into the past, to a memory she had tried so desperately to bury.

[9 Years Ago]

There were screens ever where. Blood gushed out in every direction. A nine year old girl watched as a horrific scene took place. One by one her part members would get. slaughtered infront of her. They were fighting Mana Beasts in a certain forest, but unlike your ordinary Mana Beasts these ones had a humanoid form.

"Shelly bring Sam back hurry" when one of Shelly's members died, they'd shout for Shelly to bring them back instantly.

This sort of thing happened for minutes on end, but Shelly’s skill [Regeneation] could only do so much.

The more she brought a member backs, two more would perish. When she brought those two back three more were dying in their place. It was a never-ending cycle that resulted in, [Regeneration] being less effective each time. Untill finally their bodies just gave out.

This resulted in Shelly's 10 man party being wiped out of existence. They chased away the Mana Beasts, but outside of Shelly. Everyone was dead.

A nine year old, in her very first quest got a harsh realization about the dangers of this world. She crumbled to her knees, infront of the numerous corpses tears streaming from her cheeks. Unable to say or even do anything, she just knelt there. Motionless.

[Hira Family Stronghold]

[The Great Castle: Evergreen]

After a few hours Shelly had returned from her quest and now stood ready to report its outcome. The moment she stepped into the grand chamber, an otherworldly green light bathed her, forcing her to shield her eyes. Once adjusted, she took in the sight of the room—a space far larger than anything she had ever seen before.

At the center, seated on a luxurious golden bed draped in fine silks, was a woman.

She bore green hair strikingly similar to Shelly’s, cascading down her shoulders like a waterfall of emeralds. Her elegant dress hugged her figure with an air of grace and power. She was, without a doubt, the most beautiful woman Shelly had ever seen. Everyone in Grisha agreed—she was widely considered the most beautiful woman in the world.

"I'm glad to see you're unharmed, my child," the woman said, sipping from a crystal glass filled with red liquid. She crossed her legs and leaned forward slightly, her gaze unwavering. "How did the quest go?" she asked, taking another delicate sip.

Shelly’s legs trembled, her voice caught in her throat. Finally, she forced the words out. "E-Everyone d-died," she stammered.

The woman’s piercing green eyes narrowed slightly. "You're telling me that out of the ten of you, only one survived?"

Shelly nodded, her head hanging low.

"Well, that's unfortunate," the woman said with an air of indifference, swirling the liquid in her glass. "I'll assign you a new party tomorrow. I can't let Yakura have his way. Those beasts of his need to understand that part of the forest belongs to the Hira Family."

Tears streaked down Shelly’s cheeks. "But they died for you. Sam and the others gave their all in that battle, and all you can say is ‘unfortunate’?"

"Of course they died. But so what?"

Shelly flinched as the woman rose from her bed, her presence suddenly looming.

"They served their purpose in the end. A life holds value only if its death served a purpose. They died for the good of the family. At least their lives weren't totally useless."

"How can you say that? You're their mother. Do you feel nothing?"

"I have thousands of children, Shelly. If I lose ten or even a hundred, what difference does it make? A child of mine dies every minute, yet I feel nothing. Sadness, anger—all those emotions—I discarded them long ago."

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The woman leaned in, her face inches from Shelly’s. Her green eyes bore into her with terrifying calm. "Why are you even blaming me, Shelly? You’re the one who sent them to their deaths."

Shelly’s body flinched at her words. "That’s not... it’s not my..." Her lips trembled, her voice unable to form a coherent response.

"They died because you sent them to their deaths, Shelly. You're the one who watched as they charged to their deaths."

Shelly’s eyes widened as she met the woman’s unwavering gaze.

"Don’t look so disheartened, my child. You did a good job." The woman straightened, her voice soft yet cutting.

"A healer holds countless lives in their hands at any given moment. Being able to use those lives to their fullest potential is what makes a healer, a healer. It’s a healer’s duty to push their party forward and heal them, even as they’re broken down. Watching them shatter and piecing them back together again is what makes being a healer the greatest pleasure of all."

She raised her glass, and with a flick of her wrist, let it fall.

The glass shattered against the marble floor, red liquid spilling across the stone like blood. "They can break as many times as necessary, as long as they achieve the final result. If some die, then so what?"

Shelly stood frozen, paralyzed by the coldness of her words.

The woman stepped closer, the sharp crunch of glass under her heels filling the silence. She cupped Shelly’s face with both hands, her touch gentle in a way that only made it more unsettling. Leaning close, she whispered in her ear, "If they break, you can always just throw them away."

Shelly’s body trembled, her breath shallow and unsteady.

Straightening, the woman turned and walked back toward her bed, her movements unhurried. "I brought you to the main family because of your talent, Shelly," she said, halting to glance back with a blank, icy glare. "But don’t be fooled. Just like everything else in this world, your life is expendable to me. You’d do well to remember that."

With a clap of her hands, servants rushed through the door. They moved with practiced efficiency, cleaning up the broken glass and spilled liquid. Within moments, they replaced her glass with a pristine one, filled with the same crimson drink.

The woman reclined on her bed, her expression indifferent as she watched Shelly leave the room, silent and shattered.

That night, Shelly went home crying. Her house, though modest compared to the grandeur of the main family’s estates, was still relatively large with its six rooms. But in the Hira Family, where wealth and opulence were abundant, it was considered small.

As soon as she stepped through the door, she collapsed into the warm embrace of her grandfather, Henry.

"Oh, my princess. It's going to be alright," he murmured, his voice soft and weathered with age, trying his best to comfort her.

Henry was a bald man with thick green eyebrows, a feature that hinted at his connection to the family. Though not originally born into the main family, his remarkable exploits as an adventurer had earned him a place within their ranks. Shelly's induction into the main family was largely thanks to him—though her own potential was the true deciding factor.

"Come on, Grandpa. Can't you see she's just a drama queen?" Liv, Shelly’s younger sister, spoke up. Her tone was flat, her eyes cold and unfeeling. She was only a year younger than Shelly but often acted as if she were her superior.

"That’s no way to speak about your sister, young lady!" Henry snapped, his voice stern. This was far from the first time he’d had to issue this warning. Shelly and Liv were always at odds, and Henry often found himself caught in the crossfire.

Liv shrugged, brushing off the reprimand as she always did. "If you ask me, Grandpa, the Family head made a bad decision. It should’ve been me." Her voice was laced with bitterness as she walked toward the door.

She paused briefly before opening it. "I’m off to see Mom and Dad," she said. Then, with a quiet click, the door shut, leaving the room in silence and darkness.

Shelly continued to be sent on quest after quest, and each time, she watched as countless of her brothers and sisters perished before her eyes. She tried to heal them but it got to a point where some of them just gave up.

"Just let me die Shelly," Sid one of her party members at the time said with a fading voice. "I'm tired of being healed only to experience the pain of being savaged by those beasts

Shelly was sent on quest after quest, each mission more grueling than the last. With every battle, she bore witness to countless brothers and sisters falling before her eyes. She poured every ounce of her strength into healing them, yet it wasn’t enough. As time went on, some stopped begging for her help. They begged for release.

“Just let me die, Shelly,” Sid, one of her party members, whispered with a fading voice. His body was mangled beyond repair, his breath shallow and labored. “I’m tired of being healed only to endure the pain of being torn apart by those beasts all over again. It hurts… it hurts so much.” His tears streamed freely, and his raw, broken sobs made Shelly’s own tears fall.

“Before I go, Shelly... do you think Mother would be sad that I gave up in the end?” His voice cracked with guilt and longing. “I couldn’t finish the job, but a part of me—a really big part of me—hopes I was able to make her proud. I love her more than anyone in the world…” His eyelids grew heavier with every word.

Shelly choked back a sob, her hands trembling as she clasped his bloodied fingers. “I’m sure she does. I know she’s very proud of you, Sid!”

A small, fragile smile formed on his lips. “I’m so glad…”

And then he was gone. His hand slipped from hers, lifeless, his last words etched into her heart.

This went on for a year. The war against the Yakura Tribe was a relentless tide that showed no signs of ending. Mission after mission, Shelly watched as more and more of her family members perished before her eyes.

The sights and sounds haunted her: the screams of the dying, the sprays of blood, the horrid howls of the Yakura Tribe’s Mana Beasts, their bloodstained fangs glinting in the chaos. These memories burned themselves in her mind and stuck with her for years to come.

When Shelly returned from yet another blood-soaked mission, her hands trembling and her heart numb, the Family Head offered her version of comfort.

“You’re gaining experience, Shelly,” she said with an air of detachment, sipping her red wine as though lives hadn’t just been lost. “Learning on the job, experimenting on live humans—it’s the best way to develop that hidden skill of yours. I have numerous children; your practice pieces are endless.”

The words were meant to encourage her, but they only deepened the chasm forming inside Shelly.

Her skills as a healer had advanced tremendously over the past year. Her ability to mend shattered bodies and stave off death was unmatched. But no matter how skilled she became, it was never enough.

The blood on her hands never seemed to wash away, and the screams of the fallen echoed louder with every passing day.

[Few Days Later]

"I can't take this anymore, Grandpa. The burden of everything—quests every single day... I can't... I'm sick of sending so many people to their deaths.." Shelly sobbed, her tears soaking into Henry’s embrace.

Henry held her tightly, his weathered hands trembling slightly. "What the Family Head is doing to you is awful my princess, i'm sorry for being unable to protect you from her"

He gently lifted her chin, his kind eyes meeting hers. "A healer isn't responsible for sending people to their deaths. A healer protects so no one gets to die.."

Shelly’s eyes widened, the weight of his words striking deeply within her.

"Grandpa, let’s go. You, me, and Liv—let’s get away from this place. I can’t keep living like this. I just can’t," she pleaded, her voice desperate.

"I don't think that's a good idea, it would take a monumental effort to escape from the main estate."

"Please, grandpa can you do something? If I keep on going on these quests...."

Henry looked at her with sad but determined eyes. "Ok my princess. Tonight, I’ll get us out of this place."

Shelly nodded, a small, fragile smile breaking through her tears.

As the time to leave drew near, tension filled the air.

"Where’s Liv?" Shelly asked, her voice tinged with concern.

"I don’t know," Henry replied, worry etched across his face. "She was supposed to be back by now."

"We can’t leave without—"

BANG!

The door shuddered violently, the sound echoing through the small house.

"Sorry, Henry! We know what you’re planning, and we can’t let you go with the girl. The Family Head requests her presence. We already have the other one—Liv. There’s no point in resisting."

Henry’s barrier skill had reinforced the door, but even it wouldn’t hold forever.

"Listen, Shelly!" Henry’s voice turned urgent, his grip on her shoulders firm. "I need you to go. Now!"

"But what about you and Li—"

"Don’t argue, just go!" he snapped, though his tone was laced with desperation. "Use the underground tunnel I showed you. It will lead you to a dear friend of mine. Now go! And don’t stop, no matter what!"

The banging on the door grew louder, cracks starting to appear.

"Now that the family head knows we’ve openly defied her, we’re not safe. I’ll take care of myself and Liv, I promise."

Tears spilled from Shelly’s eyes as she hesitated, her hands trembling. Finally, she rushed to a small hidden door in the floor behind them. She opened it, revealing a narrow passage that stretched into the darkness.

Just as she was about to climb down, Henry called out to her.

"And Shelly," he said, his voice softer now.

She turned back, her heart aching.

"You don't have to watch as lives are sent charging to their deaths. You can be the one who protects them instead. All lives are equal Shelly. They are precious and must be protected. Go out there! The world is endless Be the kind of adventurer you want to be. The one who allow lives to perish before her eyes."

His words wrapped around her heart, filling it with equal parts warmth and sorrow.

Shelly stepped into the tunnel, tears blurring her vision. She didn’t stop running, even as the door behind her finally gave way with a deafening crash.

From a fair distance away, she heard Henry’s scream—clear and harrowing.

And then, she felt it—the disappearance of his mana signature, a hollow void where his presence had once been.

Her worst nightmare had come true.

Henry was gone.

The ten-year-old girl kept running, her chest heaving and her tears streaming freely. But even through the pain, her grandfather’s final words burned brightly in her heart.

She would honor them