Chapter 565: Perseverance (2/2)

‘For I shall find no rest, until my people are freed from this prison. Even in death, I shall protect them’

“Worked out fantastically. Why not just be motivated without cursing yourself?” Ilea asked, shaking her head. At least it’s an noble notion. I just fucking hope you weren’t really there anymore in the end.

She checked once more if she could detect any hidden areas before she left.

I need a bath after that, she thought and blinked up to the actual Caverns of Rot. Now perhaps just the Caverns.

Ilea exited the dungeon, a nearby guard scrunching his nose as he turned towards her.

“By the gods… woman… what did you do?” he spoke.

“Killed the Rot,” Ilea said with a smile, giving him a thumbs up.

She strolled past as he glanced at her with confusion and disgust.

Ash along wouldn’t help here.

I could just rip off my head, reform my body and then quickly burn away most of what’s on my skull before healing. Hmm… maybe a little much. Wouldn’t want to traumatize the locals.

Plus, a bath sounds nice.

Ilea entered the tavern with a normal set of leather armor on, quickly making her way to the counter. Only a few groups had started murmuring about her.

She heard a muffled curse before Sophia sneaked away from her table, going towards the exit.

Ilea smiled to herself but didn’t interact with her this time. “I need a bath.”

A flash of recognition lit up in the innkeep’s eyes. “Yeah, you do. Rooms are full though.”

“I can pay premium,” Ilea said.

The man looked at her for a moment. “Five silvers.”

She summoned the coins and placed them on the counter.

He shouted to someone in the back, nodding towards the stairs as he looked at Ilea. “Second floor, last room to the right.”

Ilea nodded and vanished.

More luxurious than the Queen’s bloody room, she thought, looking at the spacious area.

She crossed her arms and summoned her fire sphere, displacing a few pieces of firewood into the hearth before she set them alight.

Poor girl.

Ilea saw the young woman carry a large tub upstairs, touching her back when she had to pause. She lent her a hand, displacing both the tub and the woman herself up into the room.

“Wha…,” the girl exclaimed, her eyes opening wide.

“Please don’t scream, I’ve had enough howling for a day,” Ilea said.

To her surprise, the girl nodded quickly.

“Yes… of course. That’s a rare spell miss,” she said, glancing at her a few times as she set up the tub, connecting a pipe from a nearby wall.

[Mage – lvl 21]

“What kind of magic can you do?” Ilea asked.

The young woman shook her head. “Nothing much, miss. Water and heat mostly, was the only way my father would agree to let me learn. It’s useful in the inn.”

“Makes sense,” Ilea said and stored her clothes, walking past the woman before she stepped into the seething water.

The girl flinched back. “It’s ho…,”

“It’s perfect, don’t worry,” Ilea said and closed her eyes. “Thanks for the bath.”

She could tell the girl wanted to ask something but right now she wouldn’t push her to do it.

It was interesting to see the expression on her face change from scared and hesitant to brave and courageous, only to falter back to the former.

The girl slapped her cheeks and spoke. “Are you the one they call Lilith? The Ashen Healer?”

Ilea opened one eye and glanced at her. The woman looked to be in her late teens, wearing a modest outfit of brown pants, red and white shirt, and an apron. She had long black hair, a little curly. Freckles and black eyes adorned her round face.

“And what would you want from the ashen healer?” Ilea asked.

She clasped her apron and looked down onto the tub. “I… I would ask her to train me!”

Ilea couldn’t help but smile. “And why would Lilith want you as her apprentice?”

The girl looked up now, locking eyes with her. “Because I want to become a healer like you. Because I want to get out of this shithole and I want to become powerful. I want to fight monsters like you did, want to defy assholes like the ones lounging around downstairs, doing nothing but getting drunk and fighting each other.”

“What are you willing to do for that? It would mean a lot of pain, a lot of horrifying experiences, it would mean facing monsters that could rip you to shreds in seconds,” Ilea said.

“I’ll do it,” the girl said without hesitation. “Better than growing old in this place.”

“I see. And what do your parents think about that?” she asked.

“My mother supports me. When I talked to my father, he simply laughed, telling me to bring Lilith to him when I find her. Miss… I heard the rumors. You were here before. I knew it was true. Sophia thinks she can lie easily but she nearly spit out her drink when I asked her,” she said.

“What’s your name?” Ilea asked.

“I’m Willa, ma’am,” she said and bowed.

“Don’t bow to me,” Ilea said.

“As you wish,” Willa said and looked at her.

“I’m taking my bath in peace. We can visit your parents as soon as I’m done,” Ilea said.

The girl damn near lit up, her mouth quivering slightly as she grinned, tears forming in her eyes. “I… I… the songs say you love food… I shall help prepare dinner. If you wish to stay?”

“At your parents’ place?” Ilea asked.

“Yes, ma’am,” Willa said.

“Sure. Haven’t eaten anything in a while,” Ilea said and closed her eyes again, sliding a little more into the tub.

“Lilith?” Willa asked shyly.

“Hmm?” Ilea said.

“Can you use that spell again?” she asked with a grin.

Ilea didn’t say anything, displacing the girl down into the common room where a large man spilled his drink from surprise.

His friends laughed at him as Willa seemed to squeal with joy, running out as she shouted something to the innkeeper.

We’ll see how you do, Sentinel, Ilea thought and calmed herself, going under in the hot water to get rid of the smell.

May you rest in peace, Lumian.

Ilea stretched her arms about an hour later, the water still hot thanks to Heart of Cinder. She blinked out of the bath and summoned fresh clothes onto her body, absorbing the heat with her Lava Magic Resistance.

She cracked her neck and back, teleporting out of the inn and landing in the mud with her bone armor boots.

Sentinel Huntress led her towards the woman, her scent easily picked up by the skill.

Ilea strolled through the small dungeon town, finding the tiny apartment where the woman lived with her parents.

A little scary how easy it is for me to find her.

She discarded the thought and knocked on the door.

A muffled voice could be heard from the other side. “Baseless dreams, delusions, and lies… Willa I told you not to believe these stories. Adventurers have nothing good to share with you, all they want is your coin or worse. Someone like Lilith either doesn’t exist or the songs are lies anyway, nor would she visit a backwater dungeon town like this one.”

“You’re being too harsh,” a woman said, her hand on Willa’s back as she shook her head lightly.

“Let me tell this thief off and you can go back to the inn. I won’t have another discussion with Hudson about your work ethic,” the man said before he opened the door.

What he found was a winged being clad entirely in ash, wisps of white flame lazily moving on her horned helmet.

“Good evening. I was promised dinner.”