Chapter 24

Several days have passed since Luna's exile, and now.

"…Huh! I, I… what exactly…?"

The hero Vulcan got up and looked around.

He had been lying in a desert.

"Vulcan! I'm glad you're awake!"

Beside him, the holy maiden Mary was sitting, rejoicing at his safety.

"Mary…? I, I… what exactly…?"

*Gyaaaaaahhhh!*

A loud roar that made the air vibrate.

Turning around, he saw a gigantic earth dragon towering over them.

"Earth Rock Dragon…! That's right! I remember now!"

Currently, the hero Vulcan and his party had come to slay the Earth Rock Dragon, a type of ancient dragon, on a request from the kingdom.

Vulcan and his party had traveled to the desert kingdom of Fotiatuya and started the battle.

However, Vulcan had fainted after taking a direct hit from the Earth Rock Dragon's powerful attack.

"Vulcan! Please! We can't hold on any longer!"

The party members, covered in wounds, were facing the Earth Rock Dragon.

They weren't attacking, they weren't defending; they were just running away.

Their attacks weren't landing, and they couldn't block the dragon's attacks.

No wonder, the hero party, which had been supported by Luna's assistance, had become significantly weaker without her.

"……"

Vulcan recalled what had happened before he lost consciousness.

The powerful slash he had confidently unleashed was easily blocked by the Earth Rock Dragon.

…When he realized it, Vulcan's legs were trembling.

"Hey, Vulcan! What are you spacing out for? Hurry up and take it down!"

"Huh…? Ah… Ah! I'll do it!"

*Dash*… Vulcan ran with his sword.

But his feet were caught in the sand, and he couldn't run properly.

"Damn it! Die! Die, you bastard!"

He swung his sword at the Earth Rock Dragon's massive, tree-like leg.

*Crack*… The sword broke in half with a dry sound.

"Huh…? Why… why did it break… why…?"

No one realized it was because there was no hardening assistance from Luna.

*Gyaaaaaahhhh!*

The Earth Rock Dragon opened its mouth and launched a ball of air.

"The Earth Rock Dragon's *Spiral Bullet*! A powerful wind bullet that can carve through space! Get out of the way!"

But the bullet grazed Vulcan's side.

"Ah, aaaaah! It hurts! It hurts so much! It hurts!"

"Vulcan!"

The party members dragged Vulcan away.

"Mary… hurry, heal me… heal me…"

"Don't be unreasonable…! I just healed a near-fatal wound! I can't perform such a large healing spell multiple times…"

"Shut up! Luna could use healing spells in succession…! It hurts… heal me now!"

"That's impossible! Healing spells require a lot of mental energy!"

Luna was an excellent magic controller.

She could perform the most powerful healing with minimal effort.

While the holy maiden might have had a greater healing power, she couldn't control the power to reduce the mental strain.

Furthermore, she would readily heal when asked, while Luna wouldn't waste healing on minor injuries.

In terms of healing power, the holy maiden might have been inferior, but in every other aspect, Luna was superior.

…But the heroes foolishly didn't realize, or even try to realize, the effort and ingenuity Luna had put in.

"You idiot! Incompetent! Heal me now, you stupid woman!"

"What do you mean, stupid! You, a hero, collapsing so easily is embarrassing! Hurry up and take it down!"

"Shut up! If I could, I wouldn't be struggling!"

As the two argued ugly, the Earth Rock Dragon targeted them.

"Vulcan! Run!"

The Earth Rock Dragon raised its front leg to crush them.

Mary was paralyzed with fear, and Vulcan was injured.

"Ah, aaaaah!"

*Swish*… The Earth Rock Dragon's leg vanished in a sound.

"Are you both alright?"

A beautiful woman in light armor, with flowing red hair, landed gracefully.

"You! You're *Rosaria of Fresh Blood*!"

"The number one *Heaven-Given Ore*, Rosaria's party, has come to help!"

The hero party members cheered.

Rosaria and her party members took battle stances.

Among them was the fairy Mizari… and….

"What!? L, Luna!? Why are you here!?"

Luna was actually part of Rosaria's party.

"*Inferno Fireball*!"

Mizari cast a powerful spell.

"Y-You idiot! Listen carefully! The Earth Rock Dragon has a skin that nullifies magic! It won't take that…"

*Gyaaaaaahhhh!*

The fairy's spell broke through the Earth Rock Dragon's skin.

"What the…!?"

The Earth Rock Dragon collapsed with a *thud*.

"Great job, Luna! *Weakening Skill*, right on target!"

Thanks to Luna's assistance skill, the dragon's magic nullification skill was negated.

As it fell, Luna activated the *Capture Skill*.

Unable to move, Rosaria and her party launched a coordinated attack.

"…It's overwhelming…""…They're overwhelming the ancient dragon, even though they're not the hero party…""…T-That's amazing…"

The party members were wide-eyed.

Vulcan, too, was impressed by their prowess but felt a deep sense of frustration.

After a while, Rosaria and her party defeated the Earth Rock Dragon.

"Thank you, Luna. Thanks to you, we were able to defeat it."

Rosaria approached Luna.

"Really! Great assist, Luna!"

"No, it's thanks to everyone. And it's also thanks to Act for helping me hone my support skills."

"Indeed, as expected of the guild master!"

They easily defeated the Earth Rock Dragon… and Rosaria's party faced intense jealousy.

"Hey! You guys! Why are you stealing our prey!?"

Vulcan shouted.

The leader, Rosaria, approached and bowed.

"I judged it a crisis and came to assist. Luna, heal him."

She extended her hand to Vulcan.

In an instant, she healed his severe injuries.

"What the…!? What kind of power is this? It's off the charts!"

Vulcan and the holy maiden were amazed by the healing power.

"You! You had this amazing power hidden!?"

"I didn't hide it. I just got better thanks to Act's training."

Thanks to Act's practice, she realized her potential with support magic, which boosted her healing power.

"I've called for a medical carriage. Please ride it back. We will be leaving now."

Rosaria bowed and left with her party.

"Hey! Luna! Wait!"

She glanced at him briefly but ignored him and left.

At that moment, Vulcan finally realized that the fish that had slipped from his hands was much bigger than he thought.

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