With a swift swing of his sword, Val severed the boar’s head from its body before the lingering hellfire could reduce it to ashes.
The head, still leaking thick, congealed blood, was quickly wrapped in a clean piece of cloth that Val summoned from his pocket dimension.
Then, he handed the gruesome trophy to Eliana.
With calm eyes, he looked at her and said, “There you go, the Grizzlehide Boar you were tasked to hunt.”
“Thank you, Brother Val,” Eliana expressed, her fingers securely gripping the cloth bundle that contained the trophy of her trial. Blood stained the cloth a darker hue and seeped through the material to stain her hands, but it did not elicit a hint of hesitation or revulsion from her. Instead, she bore witness to it with an unflinching composure. It was as if she was accustomed to such grim and dreadful sights.
Val’s eyes held a flicker of admiration as he observed her composure. After all, this was precisely the kind of resilience and nerve he appreciated in a woman.
A backbone of steel beneath a veneer of grace, a rose that knew how to hold onto its thorns – Eliana embodied these qualities, making her all the more fascinating to him.
“Return to the station, Eliana. Present this to Captain Marshall and complete your trial,” Val instructed firmly.
However, Eliana shook her head, stubborn determination igniting her gaze, “No, Brother Val, I can’t just leave you here alone.”
Taken aback by her persistence, Val couldn’t help but respond with a touch of exasperation, “Eliana, don’t be stubborn.”
Ignoring his comment, Eliana immediately protested, “I… I want to help you with your trial. You aided me with mine; it’s only fair I return the favor.”
Val immediately looked at her with a stern gaze, “No, Eliana. The area I’m heading to is far more dangerous than the one we’re currently in. I appreciate your intentions, but I cannot bring you with me. If you come along with me, you’d only be a liability in the second sector of the Verdant Deepwoods. After all, the beasts there are intelligent. They would sniff out the weaker one amongst us and try to take you out. I don’t want fight beasts while worrying for your safety.”
Val’s frank remarks struck Eliana like a sharp blade, leaving her momentarily stunned. She hadn’t expected him to be so candid with her.
She gazed at him, her lips slightly parted as if she wanted to argue, yet no words emerged.
Her emotions were akin to a turbulent sea – shock, worry, and a dash of pain flitted across her face in quick succession. Val observed these changes with an unwavering gaze. He had expected this to happen. He knew that his brutally honest words would inflict her with emotional distress, but he held no remorse. Among the various modes of expression available to him, he deliberately chose stark honesty because he valued practicality over pandering to her naivety.
If he were alone and found himself in danger, he had the ability to flee. Even if escape proved impossible, his Mystical Shovel would allow him to transport to the Other Side. However, with her in tow, things wouldn’t be so straightforward. It was this complexity that he wished to avoid. That’s why he chose to be so blunt.
‘He’s speaking the truth. And it’s all for my sake.’
Eliana was acutely aware that Val’s blunt words were for her benefit, although his brutal honesty still stung her heart. She had wanted to stand by his side, support him just as he had done for her. However, she had to accept the harsh reality – she was too weak to do any of that. She was incapable of offering the aid that the man who had persistently assisted her required. In the perilous second sector of the forest, she would merely be a hindrance to him.
‘I can’t reciprocate the help he’s extended to me numerous times. How utterly useless I am,’ she sighed inwardly.
Turning her gaze back to Val, she saw not just a friend, but a man who cared for her.
‘He is so good to me. But I lack the capability to return his gestures. I want to gain strength, to become someone who can rightfully stand by his side.’
His concern for her safety, although masked under his stern words, was clear as day. In the face of the harsh and alien environment of the frontier, it was his genuine worry that provided the most comfort to her heart.
Inhaling deeply, she allowed herself to accept the bitter truth laced in Val’s words. She wasn’t prepared to confront the dangers lurking in the deeper reaches of the Verdant Deepwood. Acknowledging this fact was hard, yet necessary. And once she acknowledged it, the frown that had marred her forehead due to Val’s harsh words smoothed out, her tense shoulders relaxed, and she gave him a grateful nod.
“Alright, Brother Val, I will follow your words. But promise me one thing, please. Be safe. And return triumphant. I’ll be waiting for you at the station.” she said to him. Her eyes, glistening with newfound resolve, met his.
“I promise,” Val replied to her.
“May God keep you safe from all harm.”
As Eliana turned to leave, she took one last look at Val, sincerely praying to her God that he would return unscathed from the trial.
[Ding!]
The system notification popped up in front of Val’s eyes.
[Congratulations, Host! A holy priestess with mystical blood has sincerely prayed for you. You’ve been blessed with a defensive mark. It has been added to your person. This mark can be activated on command and can evade one attack for you. If you’re in mortal danger, it will activate by itself and save your life.]
As the system message finished, Val could feel a tingling sensation on the back of his right hand. He turned it over and was greeted with the sight of a D-shaped shield mark appearing, drawn by flickering tongues of ethereal fire. The mark solidified into a tattoo, its form an intricate weave of lines and curves.
He could feel that he shared a mystical connection with this mark, and he could instinctively tell that with just a thought, he could bring forth its power to save his life from a dreadful attack.
‘This shield… it can be a lifesaver in a critical moment.’
His eyes widened in surprise. Yhis was an unexpected boon. The defensive mark etched on his arm served as a significant boost to his combat abilities. Its presence was a silent reassurance, a silent protector ready to deflect a potentially deadly strike.
“Eliana, your prayer had once again given me a tangible advantage. Thank you!” he shouted.
At the sound of his voice, Eliana, who was gradually disappearing into the verdant expanse, paused in her tracks. She turned around, a small smile lighting up her face. His words had reminded her of Lucious’s words about the power of her prayers, about the unique ability she had to help others.
“You’re welcome, Brother Val. I’ll pray for you more often!” she flashed him a smile.
With that, she turned around once more, continuing her journey back towards the station.
“Eliana,” he whispered, looking at her disappearing back. There was a newfound interest in his eyes for the gentle and kind holy priestess. “You’re not as simple as I first thought.”
Superstitions were considered as such for a reason. They were unusual, extraordinary events that happened so rarely that they became tales of wonder and incredulity. They were the whispers of old wives, the tales of wizened elders, the stuff of legends that no one quite believed in, yet no one completely dismissed.
And now, for the second time, a superstition had come true because of Eliana’s prayer.
‘Mystical Blood…’ Val pondered the term.
According to the system, it was the prayer of a holy priestess with Mystical Blood that had granted him this defensive mark. He knew many holy priests and priestesses in his life, but none of their prayers had ever produced such tangible results; However, Eliana’s prayer didn’t just touch the heart, it stirred the universe, transforming into a cold hard fact from mere words. It definitely had to do something with her Mystical Blood. 𝒩𝑂𝗏𝗅xt.𝓒𝓞𝑀
“Looks like there’s more to you than what meets the eye, Eliana,’ he murmured to himself, his gaze fixed on the spot where she had disappeared. His curiosity piqued, he found himself increasingly interested in the holy priestess.
Yes, Eliana was truly something else. She was a riddle, wrapped in a mystery that he found increasingly compelling. She was a puzzle, and he was intrigued by every piece of her that he came across. The more he understood about her, the more he wanted to understand her.
“Your mysteries have drawn me in, Eliana,” he murmured, his voice a soft whisper against the stillness of the forest. A vow, a promise, an admission. “I won’t stop until I’ve explored all of you. I will definitely unravel every single one of your secrets.”
‘For now, let’s get this trial over with.’
With that thought in mind, he headed into the deeper areas of Verdant Deepwood Forest.