Tina quickly attended to Dune, who was bloody all over, limping as he walked, heading towards their beheaded friend. “D-Dune, hold still.”

A ray of golden light emerged from her hand, rapidly healing all his wounds, external or internal. Dune looked at Tina with wide baffled eyes, then to his entire body. She had never done this powerful healing spell before.

“You can do that, all this time…?”

Tina hesitated to answer, he almost sounded disappointed. But she forced herself to respond. “Y-Yes…”

Dune lowered his head. “Oh…” His eyes shifted away. “Please quickly go to Iruyu, he’s still moving. I’ll… tend to Anita.”

“Under…” Without waiting for her to finish, Dune walked away. “...stood.”

Her heart grew heavier. Still, she hurried to her other friend. “Iruyu, it’s okay. I’m here.” She checked the wound inflicted upon him. Wide slashes all over his body, even his face didn’t come out unscathed. His left cheek was cut through, and his left eye was severely damaged. Seeing that, Tina almost burst into tears, but she held it in.

Iruyu eyed Tina through his slightly open eyes. The latter held out her hands, and a gentle stream of golden light engulfed the large man, and his wounds slowly closed. His recovery was slower compared with Dune’s case. Iruyu’s injuries were much more severe, it was amazing that he managed to survive.

A moment later, his bleeding stopped, and wounds closed completely. But there was a slight scar that remained on his cheeks. And his left eye, unfortunately, couldn’t be restored. Both a grim reminder of what happened here today.

“T-Tina,” he gently grabbed her hand. “The others?” He was still weak.

“They’re okay… But Derin…” Tina mildly shook her head.

Iruyu closed his eyes. “So it is…” Tears streamed down his face.

As much as Tina didn’t want to leave his side, she left to check up on Bertos. He was not moving at all. She pressed a pair of fingers to his throat, no pulse. To make sure, she checked the wrist. No pulse either.

“Dead…”

Two losses in the encounter with the elf. If Ayana and the others arrived a moment later, perhaps none would have survived. Her gaze lingered on Ayana, who was keeping watch. Tina felt grateful.

With a deep breath, Tina continued on to approach Anita, who had Derin’s head and body in her arms. Dune sitting behind her. Both of them were crying.

“Anita,” Tina softly called out. “I’m going to heal you—”

“No.”

Tina was baffled. “But—”

“Leave me alone.”

“Your wounds needs to be—”

“I said leave me alone.” She didn’t even look at Tina.

Tina stepped back, sadness written all over her face. “Okay…” Anita was still dripping blood, and must be in great pain. Tina could not understand why she would deny her healing magic. Why didn’t she want to be relieved of more pain?

Tina resisted the burning in her eyes.

Almost a minute later, two knights returned and immediately gave their report to Ayana.

“Our apologies, Lady Ayana, but the elf is gone. He escaped.”

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“What?” Ayana’s eyes turned fierce. “Where else could he have gone?”

“There was a passageway hidden behind the shelves. We wanted to follow him through, but he blocked the way by collapsing the passage. Currently, we’re still digging through.”

“ — Go outside this instant and tell everyone to watch out for that elf, find and capture him.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

“And call for people to come here to help carry the bodies.”

And with that, the two knights rushed to the outside.

Tina approached the lady knight and quietly spoke to her. “You expected an elf here, didn’t you? A special operation. Why didn’t you tell me?” her voice was tense with a small hint of anger.

But the knight merely furrowed her brows. “We don’t know everything that is going to happen, priestess.”

Tina glanced back at her friends. How could things end like this?

It didn’t take long before help arrived. Wiscal was among the firsts, and he looked on at the miserable sight with pity.

“Damn…”

He and Tina met each other’s eyes. Must be because Tina was keeping it together better than everyone else, and she was more friendly compared to the nearby knight Ayana, he approached her and asked a question.

“How did this happen?”

Indeed, how could something like this happen? Especially considering that Tina was present.

I can’t save everyone.

Just like how she lost her fellow priests despite her healing magic, she could not save her friends. She could never save everyone. What a disappointment she was.

“We faced a powerful enemy…”

Tina, despite the mess of emotion within her heart, opted to keep out what specific person they faced. Wiscal was not a person to know about it. Her friends heard what that person was, but they were currently not in the state to talk about specifics. About something they were clueless about.

Just then, Ayana called out to Wiscal.

“Hold off the questions. Focus on what’s more important.”

“... Yes, ma’am.”

He ordered his party to assist those that needed it. In the end, they only had to help Iruyu walk. While the rest that were available had to help take care of the bodies of the dead and bring them out.

Derin was a sensitive case. They had to take a nearby cloth and cover his body. While Anita carried his head in her embrace. She didn’t even want anyone to touch her but Dune and Iruyu. Not Tina.

Tina could not understand why, and she followed everyone from the rear.

They arrived outside. Everything was in ruin, but it was silent and peaceful, the moon shining magnificently, and yet it gave off a sorrowful atmosphere. Tina looked up, the countless stars glimmering endlessly. And a single tear dropped down her cheek.

She quickly rubbed it off.

They carefully set down the corpses in a comfortable spot. Her friends gathered around Derin. Tina slowly walked closer as Anita gently placed Derin’s head where it should be. The mage was still bleeding from her wounds.

Iruyu kneeled on both knees. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t strong enough.”

To whom did he say that? Tina wondered. Was it to Derin? Or to everyone?

“Me too. I’m a failure,” Dune said under his breath.

No, it wasn’t anyone’s fault. They shouldn’t even blame themselves or anyone. The enemy they faced was a force to be reckoned with. At least, that was what Tina thought.

She noticed Anita’s eyes were becoming droopy. “A-Anita, you need healing.”

There was no response from her. The two men looked at the two of them, and Dune called out to Anita as well. “Anita.”

No response.

Tina was growing more concerned, and thus she placed a hand on Anita’s shoulder. “Anit—”

Anita swept off Tina’s hand and abruptly rose to face her. There was intense anger and frustration at the way she looked at the priestess.

“Anita—”

“What’s up with you?!”

“What…?”

“You can do that all this time?!” she cried as tears filled her loathing eyes. “How long have you been lying to me?!”

“I…” Tina didn’t know how to answer.

“And you knew that bastard?! What’s up with that, huh?! You liar! This could’ve been avoided!”

Tina could only stand and do nothing but listen.

“D-Derin would have lived…” she used her wrists to cover her eyes and face. Dune gently wrapped his arms around her. The grieving mage looked at Tina once again. “Who are you really?”

Tina lowered her head. She couldn’t endure it any longer, and tears welled up in her eyes.

Everything was her fault. If she hadn’t returned… If she had been honest, perhaps everything would have ended differently. Indeed, there was someone to blame — it was herself.

Iruyu stood next to her. “Tina…” he gently smiled. “Can you please give Anita some space for now?”

Tina mildly nodded, and she walked away with slouched shoulders. She sat down on some broken logs from destroyed buildings, and watched her friends from a distance.

Anita hates me…

That cannot be denied.

She heard footsteps coming towards her. Upon raising her eyes, she saw it was Ayana.

“She blames you,” the knight briefly said.

“As it should be.” Tina closed her eyes as she took in a deep breath. “What will happen now, Lady Ayana?”

“I don’t know. But once the palace hears of another elf, I expect things will become tighter.”

“I see… You know healing magic, don’t you, Lady Ayana?”

“Yes.”

“If I may make a request.”

“I’m listening.”

“Please make the time to heal Anita. She… needs it.”

“... Alright.”