Chapter 61: Healing RosewoodGrace’s arms ached. Her fingers tingled with remnants of divine energy. She’d been healing villagers for hours, and the strain was starting to show.

    「Villagers Healed: 12/100」

    She took a deep breath and moved to the next patient, a young boy with corruption veins creeping up his neck. His mother sat beside him, stroking his forehead with worried eyes.

    "I’m Grace," she said, kneeling beside them. "I can help him."

    The woman nodded tearfully.

    "Please, angel. He’s all I have."

    ... No pressure or anything.

    Grace placed her hands on the boy’s shoulders, channeling her energy once more. Golden light spread through her fingers into his small body. The corruption resisted at first, then yielded to her cleansing power.

    The boy’s eyes fluttered open.

    "Mama? I don’t feel cold anymore."

    The woman burst into tears, pulling her son into a tight embrace.

    "Thank you," she sobbed. "Thank you."

    Grace smiled weakly and stood, her legs wobbling slightly.

    「Villagers Healed: 13/100」

    "You need to rest," Mara appeared beside her, placing a steadying hand on her shoulder. "You’ve been at this for three hours straight."

    "I’m fine," Grace insisted, though her drooping wings said otherwise.

    "Even angels have limits," Mara said firmly. "Sit. Drink. Eat something before you fall over."

    Grace wanted to argue, but her body betrayed her as she swayed on her feet.

    "Maybe a short break," she conceded.

    Mara guided her to a bench and pressed a cup of water into her hands.

    "Drink all of it. Healer’s orders."

    The barn door burst open, and Alia bounded in with Zephyr following at a more dignified pace. Both were flushed and grinning.

    "Guess what!" Alia chirped, bouncing over to Grace and Mara. "We fixed the south gate!"

    "And by ’fixed,’ she means she distracted the men while I actually did the repair work," Zephyr added with a smirk.

    "You can fix stuff?" Grace asked, blinking.

    "Little things here and there."

    Alia pouted.

    "My distraction was very important!"

    "You mean when you asked if you could try on their work aprons and then somehow ended up shirtless?" Zephyr raised an eyebrow.

    "It was hot! Physical labor is sweaty business!" Alia protested, then turned to Grace and Mara with a beaming smile. "But they worked twice as fast after that!"

    Mara chuckled.

    "Oh, I bet they did."

    Grace nearly choked on her water.

    "You didn’t!"

    "I absolutely did!" Alia looked immensely proud of herself. "Essential Love Sister business. Oh, and then this old grandma came by and started giving the men grief for ogling me instead of working, so I complimented her dress, and she gave me fresh bread, and then we ended up helping her mend her roof—"

    "Which turned into Alia getting stuck on said roof," Zephyr interjected.

    "I wasn’t stuck! I was... strategically positioned."

    "You were hanging by your underwear from a weathervane."

    Grace snorted, water dribbling down her chin. The mental image was too much.

    "The point is," Alia continued, dignified despite the story, "we’ve been super helpful! The farmers are planting again, the bakers are baking, and three couples are back to making babies!"

    "Making... what now?" Grace squeaked.

    "You know," Alia waggled her eyebrows. "Doing the divine dance? The horizontal—"

    "We get it," Mara cut in, though she was smiling. "Good work, both of you. Remember, Grace, morale is just as important as healing."

    "I know, I know."

    Zephyr nodded toward the patients.

    "How many have you cured so far?"

    "Thirteen," Grace answered, trying not to think about the System tracking her progress. "But there are so many more."

    "Well, you’re not going to heal anyone if you collapse from exhaustion," Zephyr said matter-of-factly. "Petriel’s outside, by the way. She mentioned something about wanting to teach you a thing or two."

    "Petriel?" Grace’s cheeks instantly heated, remembering the shy healer’s rather... surprising technique during their journey to Rosewood.

    "Yeah, our kissing expert," Alia said with a wicked grin, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

    "You should go talk to her," Zephyr said, nudging Grace with her elbow. "She’s by the well. Who knows what ’educational’ techniques she might teach you?"

    "I hate you," Grace groaned, but she stood up anyway. Her cheeks still felt like they were on fire. "I’m only going because I need to restore my energy. For the healing. T-The regular kind of healing!"

    "Whatever helps you sleep at night," Alia called after her as Grace headed for the door.

    "Or not sleep," Zephyr added with a laugh.

    "Go," Mara urged. "Ten minutes won’t make a difference, and if Petriel can help you recover, you’ll heal more in the long run."

    "Okay, but I’ll be right back," Grace promised, standing up with slight difficulty.

    Outside, the evening air felt cool on her flushed skin. She spotted Petriel by the village well, arranging herbs on a small table.

    "Um, hello," Grace called out, approaching her. "Got a minute?"

    Petriel looked up, her silver hair falling around her face.

    "O-oh! Grace!" She fumbled with the herbs, dropping several. "Oh no! I’m s-so sorry, I—"

    "It’s okay," Grace knelt to help gather the scattered plants. "These for healing?"

    "Y-yes," Petriel nodded, not quite meeting Grace’s eyes. "B-but also for... energy restoration."

    "About that," Grace stood, handing over the herbs she’d collected.

    [Come on, Grace, just say it.]

    "I wanted to ask you about your... technique. From the forest."

    Petriel’s face turned scarlet.

    "O-oh. That."

    "Yeah. That." Grace scratched the back of her neck awkwardly, blushing the same way. "Is that something you could teach me?"

    Petriel’s head snapped up, her eyes finally meeting Grace’s.

    Grace continued.

    "It looked really effective. And right now, I’m getting pretty drained healing all these villagers."

    "I... I could show you the b-basics," Petriel stammered. "As you know, i-it... Requires physical contact..."

    "Like... kissing?" Grace asked, her own face heating up.

    "That’s one method," Petriel admitted. "But there are o-others that are less... intensive. For less desperate situations. I could show you a simpler version."

    Grace remembered her quest notification from earlier, which had changed since she already got the Skill.

    Category: Compassion

    Objective: Have Petriel teach you Intimate Healing

    Rewards: +5 Compassion

    "I’d appreciate that," Grace said. "If you don’t mind teaching me."

    A smile bloomed across Petriel’s face.

    "I’d be h-honored to teach you. It’s quite simple really. You just need to—"

    "There you are!"

    Diana’s voice cut through their conversation as she strode toward them, her wings spread wide with agitation.

    "Been looking everywhere for you," Diana said to Grace. "We’ve got a situation."

    "What kind of situation?" Grace asked, disappointed at the interruption.

    Diana pointed toward the village entrance.

    "The Earth-Tender kind."

    Grace followed her gaze to see a group of angels approaching. Unlike the warrior angels or healers, these newcomers wore flowing green robes that seemed to ripple like leaves in the wind. Their wings had a distinct emerald hue, and plants appeared to grow from their hair and skin.

    "Earth-Tenders?" Grace’s eyes widened. "Like Ivy?"

    "Exactly like Ivy," Diana confirmed grimly. "And they don’t look happy."

    Petriel hastily gathered her herbs.

    "I-I should get Mara."

    "Good idea," Diana agreed. "Grace, come with me. They’ll want to talk to all of us."

    As they walked toward the approaching angels, Grace whispered:

    "Why would they be upset? We’re trying to help Ivy."

    "Earth-Tenders are... protective of their own," Diana explained. "They probably felt Ivy’s distress since before we destroyed that corruption core. They might think we harmed her."

    "But we were helping!"

    "And we’ll tell them as much."

    The Earth-Tenders stopped at the village boundary, their expressions solemn. The one in front, a tall figure with bark-like skin and flowers blooming from her shoulders, stepped forward.

    "I am Willow, Elder of the Northern Grove," she announced, her voice deep and resonant like wind through trees. "We have come for our sister Ivy."

    Diana straightened her shoulders.

    "I am Diana of the Sisters of Bravery. We’re currently addressing a corruption outbreak in this village, which has affected Ivy."

    Willow’s eyes narrowed. Sёar?h the N?velFire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "You interfered with her purification work."

    "We destroyed a corruption core that was transforming villagers into monsters," Diana countered.

    "And now the corruption has taken Ivy as its new host," Willow stated coldly. "Your actions were rash and uninformed."

    Grace felt a flash of indignation.

    "We were trying to help!"

    All eyes turned to her, and she immediately regretted speaking. The Earth-Tenders regarded her with expressions ranging from curiosity to suspicion.

    "And who are you, little one?" Willow asked.

    Before Grace could answer, Mara arrived with Petriel, Alia, and Zephyr in tow.

    "She is Grace Lightsinger," Mara said, her voice carrying the authority of her position. "And she has already purified thirteen villagers of the corruption that threatens to consume this entire settlement."

    Willow’s gaze intensified as she studied Grace.

    "Purified? Completely?"

    Grace nodded, trying not to shrink under the scrutiny.

    "Yes. I can cleanse the corruption without harming the host."

    A murmur ran through the Earth-Tenders.

    "That is... unusual," Willow admitted. "But it doesn’t change the fact that Ivy is trapped and suffering."

    "Then help us free her," Grace said, finding her voice again. "We want the same thing you do."

    "Do we?" Willow asked, but her tone had softened slightly.

    Mara stepped forward.

    "We have nearly a hundred infected villagers. Grace is healing them one by one, but it’s slow work. Meanwhile, corruption continues to seep from Ivy’s barrier."

    "We need to address both problems," Diana added. "The villagers and Ivy."

    Willow considered this, the flowers on her shoulders closing and opening as she thought.

    "Very well," she finally said. "We will observe your healer’s methods. If they are as effective as you claim, perhaps we can combine our knowledge to help Ivy."

    Relief washed over Grace. She’d been expecting a confrontation, not cooperation.

    "Thank you," she said sincerely.

    Willow inclined her head slightly.

    "Do not thank me yet, little angel. First, show us this purification power of yours."

    As the group headed back toward the infirmary, Diana leaned close to Grace’s ear.

    "Hope you’re ready for a demonstration," she whispered. "Earth-Tenders aren’t easily impressed."

    Grace swallowed hard.

    Once again, no pressure.

    "Just do what you’ve been doing," Diana said, and then, surprisingly, she added, "You’ve got this."

    Grace glanced at her, startled by the encouragement.

    Diana quickly scowled.

    "What? Don’t look so shocked! Just don’t mess it up."

    And there was the Diana she knew. Grace couldn’t help but smile as they entered the barn, the Earth-Tenders following behind like a procession of walking gardens.