After a few days passed, Hikari recovered well. He was able to regain his energy and magical power, thanks to the careful care Mirai provided him. He slowly rose from the bed, feeling new strength flowing through his body.

  "I'm in the best condition now. Thank you for taking care of me, Mirai."

  She looked at him with tender eyes, her features carrying a mixture of firmness and concern:

  "You've just recovered, but to be cautious, let's not take any missions for some time."

  Hikari nodded understandingly: "Alright."

  He hesitated slightly before asking: "Mirai, this might be late... but when you defeated the Hydra and I healed you, did you take anything from it? Like a diamond or some piece?"

  She raised her eyebrow in surprise: "No, as soon as you fainted, I used the teleportation diamond that was in your hand and took you to the nearest doctor."

  He sighed deeply: "I'm sorry, you lost a great treasure because of me. You would have benefited greatly from it."

  She smiled gently, looking at him with compassion: "Material things can be easily replaced, but your health and safety cannot be compensated."

  Hikari felt warmth in his heart: "Thank you, Mirai, I appreciate that greatly."

  Mirai whispered to herself in a barely audible voice: "What truly matters to me is that you're alright."

  "Let's go out and take a walk," Hikari suggested.

  Mirai nodded. They left the inn and walked together on the street. The air was refreshing and moonlight filtered between the buildings, creating a calm and comfortable atmosphere.

  They reached the main city square, which was bustling with movement and noise. They headed toward a large fountain in the center of the square and sat on its edge.

  Mirai looked at the fountain for a few moments, while Hikari turned toward her curiously: "Mirai, I wanted to ask you... why did you decide to become an adventurer?"

  She thought for a moment, then answered in a calm tone: "I don't know... perhaps because I was bored, and there was nothing else to do."

  "Why do you ask?"

  "I noticed you don't seem interested in anything except fighting strong enemies. Sometimes it seems to me you're walking without purpose, as if you just want to pass time."

  She nodded slowly: "You're right. I don't have specific interests... I just want time to pass."

  "Don't you have a desire to reach the highest rank in the guild?"

  She shrugged indifferently: "No."

  A thought occurred to her: "Did you become an adventurer in the city of Silverine?"

  "Yes, that's where my journey began."

  "I notice your rank hasn't changed since you became an adventurer. Can't you get promoted in other guilds?"

  Hikari explained: "No, the rank depends on the individual's personal abilities. For example, if you had taken something from the Hydra and delivered it to the guild, your rank would have risen to S, but I would remain at the same rank because I didn't do anything noteworthy. As for my healing abilities, adventurers can easily find a replacement for me, so my rank won't increase."

  He added with a bright smile: "But in the end, rank doesn't matter to me. Life isn't just about rankings, but about the journey itself. I enjoy adventures and new experiences."

  She looked at him with surprise: "I'll say something, and it might be a bit harsh... you're weak in combat and can't heal yourself with magic. So how do you enjoy adventures? The life of adventurers isn't a game, many of them risk their lives to get money because they couldn't find other work."

  He replied in a calm and steady tone: "I know this. But I see in this life an opportunity to discover the world and experience new things. Also, I never adventure alone. You're with me, you're skilled in combat, and I rely on you to protect me, while I help you with my healing abilities. Mirai, I trust in my healing abilities, and no one in the team will die as long as I'm present..."

  He finished his words with a slight smile: "Of course, unless we face something supernatural."

  "And what if you had to fight alone?"

  He smiled confidently: "I'd run. If I'm alone, nothing forces me to fight. I'd just try to survive."

  She looked at him seriously for a moment, then laughed cheerfully—a rare occurrence—closing her eyes happily and raising her hand to cover her mouth: "I didn't expect that answer from you. It seems you have a different vision of adventures, and that's a good thing. At least, you know your limits and don't risk your life unnecessarily."

  Hikari looked at the sky and contemplated the shining stars: "I'm happy I know my limits, and grateful that I can live my life and enjoy it."

  While moonlight cast faint shadows over the city, time passed quietly. After a while, they returned to the inn.

  ***

  A few days passed, the weather sunny and the sky clear. Hikari woke up early in the morning, full of energy and determination. When he met Mirai in the inn's lobby, sunlight was gently filtering through the windows.

  "Good morning, Hikari. How are you today?"

  "Good morning, Mirai. I feel I'm in the best condition. Ready to start a new day."

  "Good to hear that. Is there something specific you'd like to do today?"

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  "Let's go to the guild. Maybe we'll find an interesting mission."

  "Alright, let's go."

  Upon entering the guild, they headed to the mission board. Hikari's attention was caught by a carriage protection mission - reward 100 silver pieces, destination Seras city, with B rank as minimum level.

  "What do you think? The mission isn't dangerous and the reward is good, plus we'll travel to a new city, and we won't need to pay travel costs. We'll move in two days."

  "Seems like a good opportunity."

  They headed to the reception desk to register themselves for the mission.

  After leaving the guild, Hikari turned to her: "The mission starts in two days. Is there anything you want to do until then?"

  "Not really. I just want to buy a new sword."

  "Alright."

  ---

  On the appointed day, they went to the designated meeting point, where the trading carriage was waiting.

  "Welcome. I'm Anzu. You must be the two adventurers who accepted the protection mission."

  Hikari and Mirai introduced themselves to him, and everyone boarded the carriage. The carriage slowly departed, leaving the city through the gate.

  During the first day of the journey, conditions were calm. The journey proceeded smoothly through green meadows and dense forests.

  On the first night, after the carriage stopped in a quiet area, everyone sat around the fire for dinner. The wind carried the smell of burning wood, and the sound of insects chirping gradually faded.

  After dinner, Mirai said: "I'll stay awake for the night watch."

  "We can take turns on watch."

  "There's no need for that. I can stay awake for several days without fatigue. I learned how to control my exhaustion a long time ago."

  Hikari surrendered to her insistence and went to sleep. Mirai sat beside the burning fire, ready for any danger. The night passed quietly, as did the following three days.

  On the fourth day, a group of thieves appeared on the road. Mirai went out, and with quick and precise movements, eliminated them easily. Amid Anzu and the carriage driver's astonishment, she returned to the carriage, and the driver resumed the journey.

  At night, while everyone was asleep, Mirai sat beside the fire flame guarding the place.

  Hikari slowly woke up, glimpsed Mirai alone by the fire. He got up and quietly approached her, sitting beside her.

  "You haven't rested well. I'll complete the watch shift."

  She looked at him gently, a calm smile on her lips: "Don't worry. I told you before that I know how to control my exhaustion."

  She paused for a moment, as if recalling a distant memory: "I underwent a survival test before. I lived in a forest full of monsters, and had to fight daily to get a chance to rest. Compared to that, guarding here is just a walk."

  He raised his eyebrow curiously: "Speaking of the test... I once read about a dangerous forest in one of the demon kingdoms. Whoever enters cannot leave until they accomplish what's required of them. Was that the forest where you underwent your test?"

  The fire's glow reflected in her eyes: "Yes. I had to stay alive for a full year, and eliminate a certain number of monsters every day. There was no room for rest or hesitation."

  "Was that before you lost your magical powers?"

  "Yes."

  He smiled lightly: "Then that doesn't count. You're not as you were before."

  She looked at him with a calm gaze: "I'm fully aware of my limits. I'm not the type to push myself. I know when to stop."

  He laughed lightly while leaning toward her: "Ah yes... like that time you broke all your bones because you got excited against the Hydra?"

  She laughed lightly, a short but genuine laugh: "Well, I trusted in your healing abilities. I don't take risks pointlessly unless I'm guaranteed the outcome."

  They exchanged smiles in silence. Minutes passed quietly, night enveloping them in its stillness.

  Suddenly, Mirai's ear caught a slight movement coming from between the trees.

  She quickly stood up, placing her hand on her left arm sleeve. Hikari's senses also alerted, and he stood beside her ready.

  From between the shadows, a huge wolf appeared, crawling quietly toward the carriage, its fangs gleaming under the dim firelight.

  "A demonic wolf? How did it get here...?"

  "Some demonic beasts sometimes sneak into human territories. It rarely happens, but they follow the scent of prey or get lost across borders."

  Mirai didn't respond, but advanced calmly and drew her Spiritual sword.

  The moment her spiritual aura's brilliance manifested, the wolf froze in place for seconds, then turned its body and fled at maximum speed between the trees.

  She calmly returned her sword to its sheath and went back to sit beside the fire as if nothing had happened.

  Hikari sat beside her, signs of amazement on his face: "Why did the wolf flee so quickly?"

  "It saw my spiritual aura."

  "Really? I didn't feel anything unusual."

  She looked at the burning fire: "My spiritual aura can only be felt by demons, demonic animals, and the spirit race. When I draw my Spiritual sword, part of my spiritual energy appears for a brief moment. This energy greatly enhances my powers. The wolf felt it and fled by instinct."

  "But... Arnato saw your soul, didn't he?"

  "No. Arnato didn't see the true spiritual aura. What he saw was only my soul, which is something different... The soul is an internal reflection of the entity, while the spiritual aura is tangible energy that only certain creatures can see."

  Hikari tilted his head in contemplation: "So that's it... this explains it. Some elves have an innate ability to see souls. It seems Arnato was one of them."

  After a moment of silence, he asked: "By the way Mirai, do all members of your clan possess powers similar to yours?"

  She answered while staring at the fire flames: "Not everyone... only me, my father, and one of my younger siblings. We three are the only ones who possess the sword. As for the rest... they were all killed before I was born."

  Amazement appeared in Hikari's eyes: "Sorry if this question is painful... but was your clan's origin the reason? I heard your lineage goes back to a marriage between a demon and a girl from the spirit race."

  She raised her eyes to him: "And where did you hear this story?"

  "It's a well-known tale. An impossible love story between two enemies. Also, I have general information about demon territories. There are books that tell about distinctive things. Like the forest we talked about earlier."

  She shrugged lightly: "That has nothing to do with what happened. My father told me the village lived in peace for a long time... until the greedy ones came. They didn't care about our origin, all they wanted were the swords."

  She fell silent for a moment and stared at her arm: "My great ancestor... his name was Levian, and he was from the spirit race. He possessed exceptional spiritual energy, surpassing any individual from his people. But it was a power difficult to control. When he got angry or afraid, his energy would explode and destroy everything around him, without discrimination."

  She raised her eyes toward the fire: "So Levian decided to find a solution, and the only option he arrived at was to transform part of that energy into something material that could be controlled... and thus the sword was born."

  She took a light breath: "Thousands of years have passed since then. Levian married a demon woman, and his descendants continued marrying demons generation after generation. My parents are demons, and my grandparents are demons... no one from my lineage belongs to the spirits, except Levian, the distant ancestor whose trace remained locked in the folds of blood."

  She looked at Hikari with a calm gaze: "With the long passage of time, the pure blood of the spirit race faded until it almost vanished. No one carries its original purity anymore... but some traces remained, hiding in the depths. Sometimes they appear in rare features... and sometimes, in a hidden connection to the sword. The sword in my arm... appeared only in a very few members of my father's clan throughout the ages."

  She leaned her arm on her knee: "You might think I'm half-spirit or something like that. But I'm not. I'm a demon, born and raised among demons... but something in my blood, very far back in the roots, still carries the trace of the spirits. A slight trace... that appears only in my features, and in the connection that binds me to this sword."

  Mirai fell silent and contented herself with staring at the flames, as if the subject didn't deserve more words.

  Hikari sat beside her and didn't comment.

  The night continued around them silently, and the fire continued its light crackling, filling the silence between them with warm calm.

  With dawn breaking, the fire flames gradually extinguished, and the sun rose quietly over the extended plains.

  Everyone woke up, boarded the carriage, and the caravan set off again. While the carriage swayed over the quiet roads, no one knew that the journey to Seras would hide more than they expected.

  (End of Chapter)