18 Suicide, Figurine, and Kiss (1/2)
”Everyone! Jade woke up!”
Bridget Will barged into the hut and tripped on her spidery legs as she dived into the plates of fruit
”My food!” Scarlett tearfully screamed as she hauled the dizzy Bridget away from the sweet and sticky devastation.
”How is she?” Melody asked.
Bridget shook her head, ”She's acting strangely. How about you all go check her out yourselves?”
Jae and the others complied as they moved to the hut where the others were resting.
An anguished voice void of all hopes and dreams resounded from within the hut.
”Just let me die already!”
”No~! Suicide is prohibited~!”
”J-Jade! Do-don't commit s-suicide! You h-have so m-much to live for! Th-think about A-Alexis!”
Bridget ran into the hut and yelled, ”Natalie! Don't aggravate her! You sound more anxious about this than everyone else!”
Jae followed Bridget into the hut and witnessed a hornless demoness attempting to strangle herself with a vine. Natalie and Wendy were in dismay as they were trying to pry Jade's hands away from the makeshift noose. Meanwhile, Iris was observing the scene while smiling in the corner next to Layla, who cared less about Jade's hysterical actions.
”...what's happening?” Melody questioned as she entered.
Jae shrugged and proceeded to help the panicking fishwoman and cervitaur. The three managed to prevent Jade from dying and tied her up.
”Please, just end me! I'm not worth anything. I'm just a useless piece of garbage that nobody needs,” Jade dejectedly lamented.
”What are you talking about? You're the confident school president that everyone admired back in our old world! You da best!” Scarlett flattered while shaking Jade.
”This is unbecoming of you Jade! As a lady of the Hargraves household, you should be acting dignified and proud!!” Clara scornfully glared.
”Yes,...you're right. That's why someone like me should disappear!” Jade moaned.
Melody turned toward Iris and asked, ”Why is she acting like this?”
Iris tilted her head, ”I don't know. She started speaking nonsense when she awoke and then suddenly tried to kill herself.”
Castain Pherlorna walked into the hut and glanced at the demoness. He blinked several times, surprised, ”A demon who lost her horns?”
”Do you know something?” Jae inquired.
Castain nodded, ”I recall that if a demon loses its horns, then it will enter a state of depression until its new horns grow out. However, I've never seen such an extreme case. She must be really stressed to act like this.”
”How long does it take till she gets a new pair of horns?”
After pondering for a moment, Castain answered, ”I believe that it'll take from a week to a month.”
”So we have to deal with this mess for up to a month!” Scarlett pulled her blonde pigtails and screamed. Jade copied Scarlett in creating a ruckus. The whole scene was chaotic.
”It's quite rare for a demon's horns to fall off. Did anything happen before?” Castain crouched down and examined the sides of Jade's head.
Jae recounted Jade's transformation and actions to Castain. He noticed that the demoness had returned to her original appearance at some point in her slumber.
”I see. So she activated her combat form prematurely,” Castain said.
”What's that?”
”All demons have a form for combat, which they normally unlock when they become adults. However, it seems your companion had forcefully initiated her form far too early and her horns detached as a result. She could be considered talented for her kind to be able to activate her combat form at her age.”
Jae looked at the pitiable girl, ”Is there a solution or medicine for this?”
Castain shook his head, ”We don't have the demon's remedy for this condition. In these parts where demons are utterly disdained and killed on sight, there is no way we would possess anything that will benefit the demonkin. Not even healing magic would regenerate a demon's horns. They are organs created from that demon's mana and if any foreign mana is inserted in their horn's former location, it would infect the demon with bizarre diseases.”
Jae sighed, ”Welp, I guess we have to wait it out. By the way, doesn't your people hate demons as well?”
”Yes, however, we overheard from Ialantha that you all were previously human, so we do not mind your companion's current race.”
Jae's vision caught the sight of a bag as he remembered the state Alexis was in. He decided to ask Castain about how to fix her. During that time, Jade abruptly became silent and listened as well.
”A crystal golem? She can be repaired if given enough mana and magic crystals. Magic crystals are mostly mined and traded from the human empire. But since you do not wish to go there, I suggest heading up to the dwarven country, Mol Stan, north from the beastmen country. They should have plenty of magic crystals considering their stable transactions with the human empire.”
Jae recovered the map they had purchased in Ellan as the other children peeked at the paper. Since the beastmen country really was on the way, the group decided to stop by there before going straight to the dwarves.
”It will take around half a year on foot or four months on a carriage if you go straight to Mol Stan, so you will need to regularly supply the golem with mana, otherwise, she will die. A complete golem could simply absorb the mana in the air, but one broken into pieces will gradually leak its mana until it wears away.”
Jae nodded as Castain stood, ”I will go now and procure supplies and a carriage for your journey.”
”Thank you very much, sir.”
”No need for thanks, we of the Pherlorna clan truly thank you, children, for all you have done for us,” he replied while exiting the door.
Wondering about how long Alexis had been in her current state, Jae requested to the slime, ”Nora, since you're the best out of all of us in channeling mana, could you start feeding her right now? We can all take turns every day until she recovers.”
”Yup. I can charge her batteries, no problem!” Nora formed a thumbs up with her tentacles as she hopped into the sack. A glow emanated as it vibrated for a couple of seconds. Steam discharged from the bag.
Ping!
To Jae, it reminded him of an alchemy pot used by a particular character from a certain game.
Nora stuck a part of her body out of the container and spoke, ”Um, guys. I think you should take a look at Alexis.”
”Hah? What's wrong?” Scarlett tore the bag apart as Nora rolled out. From the torn fabric bolted out a miniature glass figurine as it animately strode to the bounded Jade.
”Ms. Hargraves! Are you alright?”
”Alexis?” Jade bent down to acquire a better view of the tiny figurine.