Anyway, with the food situation of the bandits dealt with, it was time for us to eat. Sadly, we can’t eat True Food, but such is life; the bandits are too dangerous to be around when crippled as everyone tends to become after dinner.

That doesn’t mean our meal isn’t good. In actuality, in my humble opinion at least, this food is superior to True Food! Controversial, I know, but ever since I fused with the core, it tastes, odd. Not enough to make it bad or anything; just enough to make it weird.

Ah, how I miss the simplicity of the before-core times, but alas, duty requires sacrifice, and if this is the price I have to pay for victory, I will gladly pay it!

Poetry aside, I did miss our more conventional meals.

Now only if I didn’t have to deal with the bandit’s constant whining!

“I know that you’re hungry; I just don’t care,” I called out to the pests.

They complained some more, but a glare was able to lower it to just dissatisfied grumbles.

“By the way, Eli, how did you get your halo to light up like that?” Melly asked once the bandits quieted down.

“Hmm? What do you mean?” I’m quite certain I didn’t activate my aura, and while I am flowing my mana through it, that’s too passive to cause it to glow without using mana sight, something I don’t think Melly even knows how to do.

“You got your halo to glow whenever you threatened the bandits,” she then smirked, “or yelled at the Hero.” Yeah, yeah.

Anyway, “Really? I didn’t know that.”

“Truly? That is quite odd.” Greg wondered.

“It did almost seem instinctive,” Hansen added. “It did only activate in anger.”

“Huh.” I blinked. “Well, I guess if any emotion would do it, it’d be anger... Though I have no idea how, or even why, that happened.” I then turned to the Hero. “Do you just so happen to know?”

“Hmm? What ever do you mean? Why would I know why your halo is acting up?” He lied as easily as he breathed.

“Haa. Fine. I’ll try to figure it out myself.” I grumbled. Just another Hero plot to deal with, I guess. Haa, when will they end?

And do I even want them to…

I mean, yeah, they’re kinda annoying, but they are helpful. And I just know things would be so much worse for me without them.

Regardless, I have been given a task. “Well, it’s obviously because of my trait, right? So is it just that my trait is able to passively exert itself more intently than anyone else’s?”

“Without activating your aura, though?” Rapunzel doubted. “While I believe it would make sense if your aura was precariously close to activation, it doesn’t make much sense otherwise,” she argued as I started to fidget guiltily. “Right? Eli?” She asked, confused.

“Well…”

“Eli, did you almost activate your aura while we had bandits able to threaten us?” She stared intently.

“Yes…”

“Eli!”

“It would have been fine!” I meekly argued.

“Of all the people, I would expect that least from you.” She continued. “I’m shocked.”

She’s right. “I, I…” I almost did something really irresponsible. “They couldn’t…” I almost put us in danger… again... ”I’m… I’m sorry.”

“Oh, Eli, I’m not blaming you.” She comforted. “I was just surprised, not angry. I’m sorry for ranting at you.”

“It’s fine.” I did deserve it.

“No, it's not.” She denied. “After all, you didn’t use it.”

“And it’s not like the wimps would have been able to handle your aura even if you did release it,” Melly added. “And certainly not as well as you, me, and the Hero. If they tried anything, we could have easily dealt with it.” She comforted.

While that is true, it’s still more of a risk than I should have even seen as an option. I know how dangerous bandits can be; they might have somehow been able to do something. Again, I highly doubt they could have really hurt us, but you do not underestimate bandits. You likely won’t live to tell the tale.

Or you’ll wish you didn’t…

“Anyway, since my aura was actually close to being activated, it could be because of my unique trait,” I added, moving on.

“No it’s not.” The Hero denied. Ah, I see. You just wanted me to feel miserable about almost using my aura, huh. Great…

Well, at least he’s helping now.

“So it has something to do with the intensity of her trait?” Greg offered.

“Obviously not.” He denied flatly.

“Why would that not be the case?”

“Other saintesses had more intensity, remember?”

“Ah, right. The traits get more intense both with use and over time; even a core is unlikely to be enough to bridge such a gap.”

Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

“If it’s not that, what could be the cause?” I wondered.

“Who says it has to be something special?” what? “Why, who’s to say the halo couldn’t always flare, hmm?” He ‘questioned’ smugly.

But how? Wouldn’t that have been discovered long ago if that was the case? Like, surely people would have turned off their aura, right?

Wait…

“It really is that simple!” I shouted. “And of course, no one found it; who would ever leave the aura off after all! Why, only someone with a problematic and torturous aura would even dream of it!” I laughed sarcastically.

“It’s amazing what goes unnoticed,” the Hero effectively confirms.

“It is! Ah, this is so stupid! By the Gods, we’re all a bunch of idiots,” I cried.

Today has been too much, man. I hate it. I just want it to be over.

Sadly, I don’t know how well I’ll be able to sleep, considering our camp is full of BANDITS!

Haa. I can’t wait for them to be gone.

______

Anyway, to further my annoyance, I still had the first watch.

Which, well, I guess is fine? It’s not like any other time is better since having to wake up is annoying. And it’s not like I expect to be let off the rotation just because I’m having a bad day; I’m not some spoiled brat.

Doesn’t mean I don’t find it annoying.

Even the slug couldn’t bring up my mood, as I wasn’t in a state to calmly discuss anything with them.

______

Luckily, my watch passed uneventfully. I really don’t know how I would have dealt with any problems, despite having plans for them.

Actually going to sleep was turning into a problem, as I expected. I just can’t calm down enough to do so, knowing that I’m ‘surrounded’ by bandits.

It didn’t help that by the time I was almost asleep, it was Melly’s turn for watch, completely resetting any progress I’d made using the comfort of our second most powerful warrior (not that I’d ever tell her that, even if she’d agree).

As such, I was cursed to a fate of tossing and turning throughout the night, leaving me uncomfortably unrested in the morning.

I’m glad I’m a healer, and specifically one who has dealt with their fair share of late nights, so I have both experience working tired and spells that help put off exhaustion. Sadly, they only give temporary relief, as overuse can cause numerous health issues.

Alas, rest is rather essential, and lacking it is quite detrimental, so I doubt we’ll ever really be rid of its necessity. Honestly, I doubt anyone but the Gods themselves could accomplish such a feat.

…

Wait. Does that mean drawing out power might give us a method of substituting rest? It’s certainly possible!

Not something worth specifically trying for, but if I end up needing to draw out power while somehow lacking something of proper importance to use it for, I might as well try to cure slumber.

Who knows, maybe I’ll succeed.

Anyway, it’s morning now, and while I doubt I’ve tricked the Hero, everyone else seems to think I’m fine. As always, practice makes perfect, and I am annoyingly practiced with this, even with me being fairly careful.

The allure of just one more book, one more chapter, an endless cycle of impassioned study—it’s occasionally too much for me to deny. Alas, such is the fate of the curious scholar—a never-ending battle between acquiring knowledge and human limits.

…

Man, I’m being dramatic lately. I wonder if I should be concerned?

Eh, probably not. I’m probably just venting because of stress or something.

Anyway, after eating breakfast (The bandits didn’t get any) and packing up, we continued on our journey to the nearest town, whose name I probably should have asked about, but whatever, it’s unlikely I’ll ever return there. And if I happen to anyway, I’ll make just sure to remember it then.

Besides, it’s hard to remember names when you don’t stay anywhere for longer than a day.

Anyway, that’s for later; right now we are only heading towards said town. In fact, we won’t reach there today, requiring another day of travel to reach. Why the bandits decided to prowl so far from the nearest town, I don’t know. Like, don’t they have to be nearby to hunt their ‘prey’? Or at least near the common paths of travel? Who were they planning on ambushing there?

The only advantage to being so far out of the way is that it’s unlikely anyone would find you.

Hmm, maybe that’s the point. Unlike in a forest, sightlines are usually clear all the way to the horizon, meaning any base remotely near a common point of travel will likely be discovered almost instantly.

And while their fort would give them an advantage, how easily we dealt with them shows that a proper force of guards could do the same.

Huh. So they must have just used it as a safe haven and staging ground where they can prepare and relax when not on ‘mission.’ They’d probably have smaller groups or scouts patrol the roads (something that, while rare, does exist here) to attack travelers or traders.

In fact, that’s probably what the calvary was for, a quick way to find victims that they could report to their camp to ambush at a later date.

Despicable

I’m glad we stopped the parasites before they could drain the lifeblood of this area, just to move on to somewhere else as soon as the area became too dangerous to stay.

It’s annoyingly clever—something only a human could think of. Left unopposed, they might have infested these lands for years before they were stopped!

Well, at least that will help cool my frustration once this is over.

Sadly not in the present, though, considering how annoying the bandits are being!

Why won’t they just shut up! I know that you’re hungry, I just, don’t, care! All your complaining accomplishes is annoying us!

Which is probably the point.

Of course, they’re doing it on purpose; why wouldn’t they be? The pests live to breed suffering and despair! These fiends are probably laughing at our irritation as we speak!

In fact, pure sadism is probably all the reason they need to continue their harassment. Coercing us to actually feed them is probably just a nice bonus, as is whatever loss in ability our annoyed state may cause.

Not that they don’t want those things, the hedonistic manchildren, unused to any real problems.

Like, come on! What do you mean it’s hot? You Live Here! You all chose to live out in the wood- well, uh, grass? (Eh, good enough) and have likely been doing so for a while, but only now is it a problem!?

It doesn’t help they have started mocking everyone, confident that they won’t be punished further. Stupid, arrogant, egotistical, self-important parasites!

“-ook at how they’re treating us. And they call us barbarians. The audacity!”

Don’t let it get to you, don’t let it get to you, don’t let it get to you, don’t let it- “And what’s with your so-called saintess?” He spoke with derision. “So eager to kill, so eager to watch us suffer.”

“Yeah!” They agreed.

“Why, she seems more like a bandit than me!”

Why won’t you just shut up!” I shouted.

And in my rage, I didn’t notice that my aura had ignited.

Not until I heard the screams…