"Get a hold of yourself, Cindy Lou," Rem said, her eyes turning hard. "What happened to that enthusiastic, fluffy Adventurers Guild receptionist I met this morning? Me and Amaia will stay in the city to defend it with you. We will not abandon the city or its people like the Frostfire Kingdom and the Adventurers Guild have." Rem gestured towards the corpses of James Hyde and his companions. "As for the Vice Guild, your thoughts are right. They aren not just scum and filth they are the rejects that even trash does not want. They are not qualified to be scum. And in times like this, Cindy Lou, it's the ones with titles and empty speeches who point at others' faults while hiding their own you need to watch out for."
Cindy Lou trembled, tears streaking her cheeks. "But—"
Rem cut her off, her voice like iron. "You have seen the harsh truth of this world. Betrayed by your own guild. Sold out by your deputy guildmaster to be a pleasure slave. Get ahold of yourself Cindy Lou. If I could heal you, would you be willing to die to defend this city? Answer me. Would you die for it?"
Cindy Lou shook her head, choking out a protest. "That's not possible. I have a severed hamstring in my left leg. I can barely move with a brace on. Healing that… would cost more than I could ever earn, unless I sold myself for pleasure. And I will never-"
"That's not the question I asked you Cindy Lou," Rem interrupted, her tone sharp enough to slice through Cindy Lou's despair. "If I heal you, would you die for this city?"
Cindy Lou's lip quivered. Her tears spilling freely now as she clenched her fists. "Yes," she whispered, then louder, "Yes! I would gladly die to defend the children and the innocent citizens of this city."
Rem's face softened, and for the first time since she entered the guildhall, she smiled. "Good. That's all I needed to hear. If you're willing to die for this city, then you deserve a second chance as an adventurer."
Magic surged around Rem's hand, building until the air itself hummed. The energy grew brighter, whiter, until it blazed with the brilliance of holy light. Rem raised her hand, and the radiance poured over Cindy Lou's body. The cat-girl gasped as the light enveloped her, searing away pain, knitting torn muscle, mending every scar on her body. Her severed hamstring, the career-ending wound that haunted her, healed as if it never existed.
The light did more than restore her body. It elevated her. Cindy Lou felt her strength return tenfold, her body sharper and clearer than it was even at her peak as an A rank. It was as though her entire body ascended, witb her limits shattering.
Cindy Lou's brace cracked, then exploded apart into fragments. A shout of exhilaration burst from her throat as she leapt into the air. She struck the ceiling with her feet, sprinted ten feet upside down, then flipped through the air. She landed in a tight somersault behind Rem and Amaia, her body full of energy and grace.
But Rem already turned around, waiting for her, her gaze steady as she looked at Cindy Lou.
Cindy Lou's chest heaved as she grinned wide, tears still glinting in her eyes. "You actually healed me! Do you know how much a treatment like this would cost from the Holy Church? Gods, you're my lifesaver!" Her voice cracked with raw joy. "Now I can defend this city. I can fight again. Maybe I can even salvage the reputation of the Adventurers Guild, even if they betrayed me. I may not represent the Guild Master anymore, but I am an adventurer at heart. And an adventurer never abandons the people they're sworn to protect."
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