DAKU
"The kingdom is under attack by corrupted monsters!" Kasuke announced, which ricocheted throughout the entire room. No one was worried that it would wake the slumbering King because there was a bigger threat now.
"Round up all the guards, whether on duty or not, and instruct them to protect and evacuate the citizens in the arena!" Suzune instructed the three. The three members of the Pillars quickly disappeared, leaving me, Marika, and Suzune. Suzune looked at me in the scariest way possible. "Do you think you can heal the king?"
"I think so."
"Good, because we might need your help with the wounded. Marika, stay here with Daku. I'll send a party to protect the King, and once they arrive, I want you two to proceed to the arena and tend to the injured."
Marika and I nodded, and upon receiving our responses, Suzune dashed outside the room to help with the others. I returned my focus to the King and pointed both hands at his Highness's head.
A green magic circle appeared before my hands that made the king's body glow in a similar color. I thought it would only take a few seconds, but I was wrong. Even though it had been just a short time since his symptoms manifested, the amount of Evil Remnant his body absorbed was equal to the amount those wielders used. In other words, one could say that the King was a wielder as well.
And just like what happened to the wielders whenever I purified them, the King also released purplish-black smoke from the pores of his body. Marika gasped when she witnessed it as if it were her first time seeing this. I couldn't blame her. A healer like me rarely exists, so seeing one in action was a rare thing to watch as well.
It took me two minutes before I removed all the influence of the Evil Remnant from the King's body. The bruise-like mark on his forehead was already gone, and his complexion returned to normal.
"Those black smokes, is it-"
"Evil Remnants," I cut her off.
"How did you know he was under the influence of the Evil Remnant?" Marika asked, and I pointed to the glass case containing the crown.
"That is not actually a crown," I declared. "It's an artifact in reviving the God of Darkness. I don't know why it was here, but I'm certain that the reason behind the attack right now is because they're after this. Using the corrupted creatures as their army is enough to make everyone busy while they sneak in here and steal the crown."
I told Marika about our mission to retrieve all the artifacts to stop the Dark Order from reviving Dolum, the God of Darkness. She was a bit hesitant at first whether to believe it or not, but the moment I pulled out the artifact from the dungeon and the way it resonated with the crown, she was instantly convinced that I was telling her the truth.
"So I have a request, Great Mage Marika. I need that crown."
"What? No way! The crown is the symbol of the king's power! He'll be furious if he knows someone stole, and it could mean your death! No! I won't let you!"
"But if that crown stays here, the Dark Order will harm the King just to get it. Which do you prefer, losing a crown or losing a king?"
Marika's face was more distorted than usual. Her immeasurable worry and fear created lines on her forehead and knitted his brows together. And the way she held her staff with both hands, with the knuckles turning white, entailed that she was stuck in a dilemma.
"Once the others arrive, it would be too late for me, and that means putting the king's life in danger. The party sent by Suzune may be able to defeat one Dark Orb wielder, but we are uncertain if there will be only one. Plus, there are also Dark Crystal wielders that are less strong than the former but in groups can be pretty dangerous."
I didn't want to put Marika in this situation. She was torn between two choices. If she chose to save the king, that would mean losing the crown, and that would put her in trouble. But the same outcome would happen if she chose to save the crown. But which among the two held more weight than the other? Only she could decide.
Time was ticking, and any minute now the party sent by Suzune would arrive or the members of the Dark Order.
If I were to ask, saving the King had more weight than the crown. They could just make a replacement for it. Besides, using it again knowing what it could pose to the King would be a dumb thing to do. But still, the history within the crown was also valuable. It was a treasure passed down from generation to generation. And the value it accumulated throughout the years couldn't be replaced by millions and millions of doquis.
"And where do you plan to bring these artifacts if I allow you to?" Marika suddenly asked after being silenced for a minute. "You said they needed these artifacts to revive Dolum. What are your plans with it?"
"Destroying it would be the most viable step."
"And what if it can't be destroyed?"
I was about to answer when the door bursted open. Out of instinct, Marika delivered a strong gust of wind at the doorway slamming it shut and temporarily keeping the people behind it from entering the room.
"Take it now and go to the arena. I'll catch up with you once I'm done instructing the team," Marika ordered.
I instantly grabbed the crown and put it inside my satchel before rushing toward the door. Just in time, the door reopened, unraveling a group of adventurers behind it. I ran past them while they just stared at me as I swiftly dashed in the hallway.
I never turned my head back and focused on running out of the castle. Along the way, maids and butlers were panicking and running from here to there while trembling in pure fear and terror. I couldn't blame them for having such reactions. They were not adventurers who were used to fights and dangers but commoners.
The moment I stepped foot out of the castle, I saw thick black smoke soaring to the skies from various parts of the city. Wails of agony echoed through the air, and sounds of ongoing battle rang in my ears.
I wasted no time and went straight to the arena. The path was arduous and tricky, and I couldn't help but feel sorry about the lifeless body that I passed through. But whenever I see a survivor, I don't hesitate to heal and help them. As of the moment, six survivors were running alongside me toward the arena.
Unfortunately, a corrupted wolf blocked our path, and there were neither guards nor knights nearby to help us. It looked like I had to deal with it myself.
"Stay back!" I ordered them and instantly covered myself with healing magic. I was about to attack it when five arrows consecutively pierced through the wolf's body, followed by the decapitation of its head but someone's sword. "Kenshi!"
"Mister Daku!" Kana called out to me, and behind her were Shiro and Grosi. Grosi and Shiro were carrying large backpacks on their backs, which I was pretty sure contained the necessary tools to make a potion. So Grosi taught Shiro already about the evacuation protocol.
"Are you injured?" Kenshi asked.
"Are you seriously going to ask a healer that kind of question?" I joked. "Anyway, we have to get to the arena. Everyone is going there. There might be wounded civilians and guards who need my help."
Kenshi nodded and led the group to the arena. And the more we were getting closer to it, the group became larger and larger. Not long after, we reached the destination without casualties. Thanks to Kenshi and Kana.
Thousands of citizens flooded the arena floor. Shock and terror painted their faces whether they were old or children, along with the wails and prayers. But what caught my eye the most were the wounded and the unconscious. They occupied almost half of the arena.
"Requesting all the mages to hold the treatment and join the fight in the frontlines! I repeat, requesting all the mages to hold the treatment and join the fight on the frontlines! This is a direct order from Great Knight Suzune!" a guard announced which caught the attention of the very few mages who were busy tending to the injured.
"Are you crazy! We can't just leave the wounded here! They'll die of blood loss if we don't stop the bleeding!" protested one of the mages who was currently healing a child.
"Did you not hear me? It's a direct order from Great Knight Suzune herself!"
"Did you not hear me as well?
I understood well Suzune's order. She just wanted every adventurer in the city to fight to prevent more damage and casualties and to end this battle as soon as possible. But I also understood the mage as to why she couldn't just leave these people. Both had their reasons, but both had their consequences as well.
I approached the mage, who just finished healing the child.
"You should go," I mumbled.
She looked at me in pure confusion. "What do you mean? And who are you?"
"I'm a healer," I said. This was my first time introducing myself as a healer. I mostly let others tell other people what I was. "I'll take care of the wounded so you can join the frontline."
"Even if you're a healer, you can't heal all these people by yourself!" She was right. Healing this many injured people by myself would take a lot of time and energy. Plus, with the ongoing battle, new sets of wounded would arrive at any moment.
"I can manage. The frontline needs you."
The mage was a bit hesitant at first to leave and believe me, but seeing how determined and serious I was, she finally decided to leave along with the other mages. Not all mages.
"Shino!"
"Daku!" Shino ran toward me and unexpectedly hugged me. "We just arrived in the city when the attack happened. Keiro and the others are joining the fight."
"Then, why don't you join them?"
"I'm more of a healer mage than a combative one," she explained.
"But aren't you worried about the order? Disobedience to direct orders can suspend you from taking any quests!"
"Then I should plan for a perfect day off!" she jested.
Shino and I were disturbed when one of the injured screamed as if she were in pain. Shino immediately ran to her and delivered some healing magic. I decided to heal one as well, but upon realizing the quantity of the wounded, it made me worry. Worried that I might exhaust myself and pass out. I couldn't afford to faint now.
"There must be another way. A much faster approach," I mumbled. "Do you think I can heal them all at once?"
"Healing them all at once? That sounded impossibe, Daku."
"I have to try."
I walked at the very center of the arena, overlooking the injured citizens, guards, and adventurers. I pointed my hand in their direction and closed both my eyes. I visualized in my head the image of all the wounded being covered in green light.
My ears caught gasping and murmuring noises, which triggered my curiosity. When I opened my eyes, an area-wide green circle greeted me that covered the entire arena floor. Everyone inside the circle glowed in green, even those who were perfectly fine and unwounded.
"I can't believe it," one of the civilians commented.
One by one, the wounded regained consciousness and were relieved of their pain and suffering. Each and every healed individual examined their body for remaining wounds that were yet to be healed while expressing confusion on their faces.
I just unlocked Mass Healing.