Chapter 46: Protection

The walk back to Oakridge was slow and painful. Mara leaned heavily on Diana’s shoulder, her wound still not fully healed. Grace’s muscles screamed with every step, and even Alia had stopped chattering, her usual boundless energy depleted.

Funny enough, only Zephyr seemed relatively unchanged, though her normally immaculate appearance was thoroughly ruined by dirt, sweat, and demon ichor.

And the whole way back, Grace tried and failed to wipe that smile off her face.

[I did it,] she reiterated for the hundredth time. [Me. The turnip farmer. Hehe.]

“I can see the village,” Diana announced as they crested a small hill.

Grace squinted. In the distance, she could make out the wooden palisade surrounding Oakridge. Smoke rose from a few buildings, remnants of the earlier chaos, not fresh fires.

“Do you think they’re okay?” Grace asked.

“They better be,” Diana muttered. “Or those two are in serious trouble.” She glared at Alia and Zephyr.

Alia managed a weak grin.

“Oh come on, we totally saved the day!”

“After abandoning your post,” Mara pointed out.

“We left them in good hands!” Zephyr protested. “The unaffected villagers were well-organized, and we set up defenses before we left.”

As they approached the village gates, shouts went up from the sentries posted there. The heavy wooden doors swung open, and a small crowd gathered to meet them.

“They’re back!”

“The angels have returned!”

“Did you stop the demons?”

Grace straightened her posture despite her exhaustion. These people needed reassurance, not a bunch of battered, limping angels who looked like they’d barely survived… even if that was exactly what they were.

“Well, Grace,” Mara said, smiling over at her. “Care to do the honors?”

Grace nodded, inhaling slowly.

“The demon nest has been destroyed,” she announced, her voice carrying over the murmurs of the crowd. She still wasn’t used to raising her voice. “The fallen angel controlling them is dead, and the Primal Demon has been slain.”

A moment of stunned silence fell over the gathering. Then cheers erupted, loud enough to make Grace wince.

As the villagers celebrated around them, Grace saw:

「Village Morale: 90/100」

[Wow, that jumped up fast.]

“Let’s get inside,” Diana said, shifting Mara’s weight. “We all need rest and healing.”

The village headwoman pushed through the crowd, her weathered face lined with relief.

“Angels, you have our eternal gratitude. Please, come. We’ve prepared quarters for you.”

Grace nodded gratefully.

“Thank you. And how are things here? Any more attacks while we were gone?”

“None,” the headwoman replied. “Just as you predicted.”

Diana shot Grace a look that clearly said “lucky guess,” but Grace just smiled.

—

The next few hours passed in a blur.

The Angels were led to a small cottage that had been hastily prepared for them. Mara went to get a drink with Zephyr while Alia regaled anyone who would listen with increasingly exaggerated tales of their battle.

“And then Grace just FLEW through the air like WHOOSH and stabbed that demon right in its back and it went all BOOM with light and—”

“Alia, please,” Diana groaned from where she sat, having her cuts bandaged. Grace had offered to just heal them away, but Diana had refused. “Some of us are trying not to relive that nightmare.”

Grace smiled tiredly, then slipped outside. The village was recovering quickly. People were clearing debris, rebuilding damaged structures, and going about their lives with renewed purpose. She wandered through the streets, occasionally stopping to help move a heavy beam or comfort a frightened child.

By mid-afternoon, exhaustion hit her like a physical weight. She found a quiet spot under a large oak tree at the edge of the village square and sat down, just for a moment.

Her eyes drifted closed.

—

“Well, hello again, my little turnip farmer.”

Grace’s eyes flew open. She was no longer under an oak tree in Oakridge. Instead, she sat in a familiar chair across from an equally familiar figure.

Eternia lounged before her, resplendent in her golden robes that somehow managed to be both regal and incredibly provocative at the same time. Her long white hair, so similar to Grace’s own, fell down her back like a cape, and her golden eyes sparkled with mischief.

“Eternia,” Grace said, not entirely surprised. “I should have known I’d see you again.”

“After such an achievement? Of course!” Eternia beamed. “A Primal Demon AND a fallen angel? My, my~ You’re exceeding even my expectations, which is saying something since I quite literally made you.”

Grace shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

“About that… I have questions.”

“I bet you do.” Eternia’s smile softened. “By all means, ask away.”

“The corrupted villagers,” Grace began, the words tumbling out. “Did they have to die? Couldn’t you have given me a skill to save them earlier? Now I have this Aura Cleanse ability, but it’s too late for all those people I had to kill.”

Eternia’s expression grew serious, a rare sight on her usually playful face.

“Could I have? Certainly. Did I need to see if you could make the hard choice? Also yes.”

Grace frowned.

“What does that mean?”

“It means, my sweet little creation, that I needed to know if you could do what needed to be done.” Eternia leaned forward. “Compassion is a wonderful thing, but to have too much compassion for evil is to discard your love for the innocent. Sometimes it takes bravery to set one’s compassion aside and do what one must.”

“So it was a test?” Grace asked, anger rising in her voice. “Those people died as a TEST?”

“Those people were already lost,” Eternia replied calmly. “The corruption had taken them completely. Even with Aura Cleanse, you could only have saved a few, and a piece of them would have been lost regardless. But you needed to learn that sometimes, your own emotions must be set aside for the greater good.” Eternia leaned back, eyes closed. “That’s a lesson I had to learn myself as well, actually.”

Grace looked down at her hands. They seemed clean, but she could still feel the blood on them.

“I don’t like it,” she said finally.

“I would be concerned if you did.” Eternia stood and moved to Grace’s side, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. “The road ahead is difficult, Grace. There will be more hard choices. More sacrifices. But that’s why I chose you. Because you feel the weight of those choices, yet still have the strength to make them.”

Grace looked up at the goddess.

“There’s something bigger coming, isn’t there? Something worse than what we faced today.”

Eternia’s smile returned, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

“Much worse. But you’re on the right path.” She put a hand on Grace’s head, ruffling her hair. “Your attributes grow, your skills develop, and most importantly, you’re gathering allies who will stand beside you when the time comes.”

She bent down and placed a soft kiss on Grace’s forehead.

“Now sleep, my little turnip farmer. Real sleep this time. You’ve earned it.”

—

Grace’s eyes fluttered open. The sun was setting, casting long shadows across the village square. She’d been asleep for hours.

She stretched, surprised to find that her body no longer ached. In fact, she felt refreshed, her energy restored.

「Village Morale: 100/100」

Angelic Protection Established

Note: During Angelic Protection, demons and corrupted beings will avoid the protected territory.

Duration: 6 Months

[We did it,] Grace thought, a smile spreading across her face. [The village is safe.]

She stood and made her way back to the cottage where the others were staying. Inside, she found her companions gathered around a table laden with food. Even Mara was up and about, her wound nearly healed.

“There you are!” Alia exclaimed. “We were about to send a search party!”

“Sorry,” Grace said, sliding into an empty seat. “I fell asleep.”

“For like, six hours,” Diana pointed out. “I checked on you twice to make sure you weren’t dead.”

“Aww, you do care,” Grace teased.

Diana rolled her eyes.

“I have news,” Grace continued, helping herself to a piece of bread. “I’m pretty sure demons won’t be coming back to the village for like six months.”

Mara raised an eyebrow.

“And you know this how?”

Grace froze, bread halfway to her mouth.

“I, uh… could feel it? Divine intuition?”

To her relief, Mara nodded.

“It makes sense. The atmosphere has definitely changed. The air feels lighter.”

“So our mission is complete,” Zephyr said. “We can return to the Dominion tomorrow.”

“Thank the goddess,” Diana muttered. “No offense to Oakridge, but I’ve had enough of this place to last an eternity.”

“I don’t know,” Alia mused, munching on an apple. “I kind of like it here. The people are friendly, the food is good, and we got to kill a Primal Demon. That’s a pretty successful trip in my book.”

Grace smiled as her friends bickered about the merits of village life versus the comforts of the Dominion. Despite everything, the battles, the deaths, the harsh lessons, she felt a sense of accomplishment. They had protected this village. They had made a difference.

And according to Eternia, this was just the beginning.

[One step at a time,] Grace thought, taking a bite of her bread. [One village, one demon, one day at a time.]

For now, that would have to be enough.

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