Chapter 18: Holy Flame Purifies the Soul
Along the way, only Rebrí was with Sorenberg. Komer didn’t realize that Lomei’s memories were gradually returning, along with her emotions, which began to grow richer. It was only then that Komer noticed Lomei’s unusual behavior seemed to be linked to the gradual restoration of her memories, emotions, and everything else that should belong to a girl. This was a good sign, as it could restore Lomei’s magical abilities to their peak as a guardian of the Light Holy Church. Yet it was also a somewhat ominous sign—unless Komer found that elf thief soon to retrieve the jade necklace, Lomei’s increasingly restored mental strength might break free from the mental restraints he had imposed, allowing her to regain the memories he had erased.
The composition of this mercenary group was quite complex—a priestess, no, to be precise, she didn’t yet possess the standards of a true priest; rather, she was a shepherd, an exceptionally skilled one at that. Given her age, achieving such skill was already quite remarkable. With just a glance at the girl dressed in silver-white priestly robes standing before him, Komer realized that she was actually the backbone of this mercenary group—the one who could steer this strange group of people. It was still this girl, with her serene face and faint smile, who could make decisions.
“Hello, Rezer. I’m Eve. Welcome to our Dark Angel Mercenary Group. I hope your joining will bring good luck to us,” the girl said generously as she extended her hand for Komer to kiss. This surprised Komer, as Priest Eve seemed to come from a distinguished background. She instinctively used the hand-kissing ritual upon first meeting—a very standard noble courtesy on the continent, while ordinary people could only express friendship through hugs or handshakes.
“Miss Eve, I must also thank you for accepting me and Lomei into your mercenary group. We share a common goal, and I hope that from now on we can work together like a family to strengthen our Dark Angel Mercenary Group.” Komer’s polite words won over the initially skeptical girl. She too noticed his skill in using the hand-kissing ritual, which clearly indicated innate upbringing rather than imitation.
“Well, I’ve heard that Miss Lomei is highly skilled in light magic. If I have time, I’d like to ask her for some guidance on magic knowledge. I wonder if Miss Lomei can fulfill Eve’s wish?” The young priestess nodded shyly, a charming blush appearing on her face. Asking a mage for magical knowledge was considered rude and impolite unless one was a close friend, as the importance and secrecy of magic meant that mages rarely interacted with each other. But since they were all members of the same mercenary group, it wasn’t too much for the young priestess to make such a request.
“I’m sorry, but I doubt I have much time to guide you,” she said coldly, instantly chilling the atmosphere. Lomei turned her gaze away. She harbored hostility toward this mercenary group. If not for the Great Sage insisting she stay, she would have left alone rather than stay with these commoners. The girl, who always wore a gentle smile, seemed to pose an inexplicable threat to Lomei, though she couldn’t figure out where it came from.
“Miss Eve, Lomei has been unwell recently and is still recovering. She needs time each day to adjust her training, so she can’t communicate with you for now. That’s just her personality—please be understanding. As you spend more time with her, you’ll realize she’s a very kind girl. If you need to exchange ideas about magic knowledge, I think I can help as well.” Komer bowed politely, offering an apologetic explanation for his companion’s rudeness to ease the dissatisfaction caused by Lomei’s cold words.
“Oh? Reese, do you know light magic too?” She raised her beautiful eyebrows in surprise, a glimmer of delight in her green eyes, even her waterfall-like hair seeming to ripple slightly. Hadn’t Grace said this guy was an elemental mage? How could he still help her with magic? Hadn’t she told him she practiced white magic and restoration magic within light magic? She couldn’t use restoration magic from elemental magic.
Without further words, Komer smiled slightly, snapped his fingers lightly—without even using a spell—and a strange, exquisite silver-white heart-shaped flame appeared in the air. Komer blew gently, and the heart-shaped flame accelerated suddenly, flying straight into the unsuspecting giant’s body. The giant, who had been watching Komer’s performance with wide eyes, couldn’t help but shout, but his cry soon turned into one of joy and excitement.
“Oh, my internal injuries seem much lighter. Oh, Mars, the God of War—really, they’ve healed completely. You’re amazing.” The straightforward giant immediately activated the flow of blood in his body; the lingering heat within him had mostly dissipated, leaving only a faint trace. But he no longer cared about that. Now he could wield the large club on his back and fight against those damned pursuers once again.
Suddenly, someone rushed forward and hugged Komer tightly. Komer, who wasn’t particularly thin, appeared like a dwarf in their arms. The violent shaking made him dizzy. After a while, the giant finally set Komer down, gave his shoulder a firm pat, and grinned widely, saying, “Good boy, Resser, right? I, Briarnos, consider you my friend. Whenever you need anything, just call for me.”
Wincing as he rubbed his shoulder, Komer shook his head and said seriously, “I couldn’t fully heal your injuries. There’s still a trace of fiery magic energy in your body. The magician who hurt you was extremely cunning. That fiery magic energy will flare up whenever you use your internal energy to fight. If you can’t control it, it might even burn you to ashes!”
“Never mind that. At least now I can fight. It’s much better than suffering even the slightest movement along the way.” Stretching his body, the giant grinned, revealing his bright white teeth. “I don’t think I, Briarnos, am that fragile. I feel much better now.”
Seeing Komer use this classic light healing magic—Holy Flame Purification—the young priestess’s green eyes sparkled with delight once again. This was an advanced healing magic that could cure any kind of magical injury, especially those caused by dark or necromantic magic.
“Oh, Resser, is this the legendary Holy Flame Purification? It’s magnificent! I never expected to see such a splendid and exquisite light magic here!” The young priestess couldn’t contain her excitement, her face lighting up with a radiant smile. But upon hearing Komer’s warning to the giant, her expression darkened again. “Resser, can’t even Holy Flame Purification heal Briarnos’s injuries? Do you have any other ways to help him? Briarnos was injured because of me. If his wounds can’t be healed, I’ll carry guilt for the rest of my life.”
“Eve, it’s no big deal. I’m feeling great now. Lethar, you’re exaggerating a bit.” Waving the precision-steel staff he had taken off his back, the giant laughed heartily. “See? I have no problems at all now.”
“Hmph. It’s hard to tell now. When the power within you reaches its peak, that trace of dark fire hidden inside you will suddenly erupt, burning through all your meridians in an instant and even turning your entire body to ashes. By then, it will be too late for you to realize what’s happening. It’s not that I can’t treat you, but I need to understand the circumstances of your battle—who your enemies were and what magic they used to hurt you,” Cohmer said coldly and calmly.
The room fell silent instantly. Everyone’s gaze turned to the young priestess. Even the beautiful assassin seemed uneasy, avoiding Cohmer’s eyes, seemingly ashamed of lying to him and the others when they first tried to join the group.
The young priestess also sensed the unusual atmosphere in the room. She hesitated, unsure whether she should reveal the true situation of her mercenary group. Logically, since he was already a member of the group, she should tell him the truth. But Grace’s lies had been excessive. Would revealing the truth now cause him to be upset? Or might he leave right away if he learned the truth, bringing unexpected dangers to her group?
After a long silence filled with hesitation, the young priestess gently stroked the hair falling across her forehead and spoke softly, “Lethar, I regret to have to tell you some truths about our Night Angel Mercenary Group. Perhaps Grace didn’t tell you the truth before, but that was because of her concerns, not out of malice. But now that you’re all members of the group, Eve thinks it’s only right to tell you some of the truth.”
Cohmer nodded slightly, not surprised. He seemed even somewhat expectant, hoping to uncover more secrets about this mercenary group. He believed there must be something interesting within it.