Chapter 6 — The First Mass Healing
"Die… then I don't need your teaching. I have a child to raise." Aurelia's voice was sharp, her patience gone. She turned as if ready to storm back to her tent.
[Wait, wait! It's a joke. Huff… you always take everything wrong.] The system sputtered, clearly not expecting Aurelia to snap like this.
"You joke too much, Glitchy." Her tone carried a warning edge.
[Ahmm… sorry. Anyway, first practice: heal everyone in the camp.]
Aurelia blinked, surprised. She had expected something ridiculous like hunt a hundred wolves or kill a hundred men. Instead, her face twisted into a smug grin.
"Is that even a goal? I was going to do that anyway."
[Well, of course. But there's a time limit. One hour.]
"One hour? Fine. Let's do it."
She marched back to her tent like a warrior heading into battle.
Inside, Martha, Luna, and Lucian were deep in conversation. Aurelia entered with the aura of a ferocious beast, her presence shifting the air.
Martha rose to greet her. "My la—"
Before she could finish, Aurelia cut her off. "Martha, bring all the people who suffer injuries and disease." Her voice carried no request, only command — heavy with authority.
Martha froze, dumbfounded. Where was the shy, innocent Aurelia she had met? Who was this woman radiating power? She wanted to ask, but her body moved on its own. "I will do it right now, my lady." She hurried out.
Lucian tilted his head. "Wow, Mom… what happened?"
"Nothing, honey. I just got a task."
"From who?"
"It's a secret."
Within fifteen minutes, Martha returned, leading a crowd. Nearly two hundred people gathered outside Aurelia's tent — children with fevers, young men with wounds, old women coughing, elders leaning on sticks. The sight made Aurelia's stomach twist.
"My lady, I gathered them all," Luna said softly, her eyes filled with hope and fear.
Aurelia stepped outside. Her breath caught. She had never imagined so many people would need her help. Two hundred faces stared back, desperate and expectant.
[Ha! I told you. Get ready to die, brat. Hahaha…]
"Shut up," Aurelia snapped.
Martha blinked beside her. "But I didn't say anything, my lady."
"Not you, Martha."
[Pfff…] The system snickered.
Aurelia straightened her back. "Very well. Let's do this."
[We'll see.]
The crowd murmured, voices overlapping.
"Is she really going to heal us all?"
"She cured Luna's daughter in seconds…"
"Priests take days. Maybe she's blessed."
"Divine Doctor… could it be true?"
The whispers pressed against Aurelia like a tide. She swallowed hard. Two hundred people… can I really do this?
Lucian tugged Luna's sleeve, whispering innocently. "Auntie, don't worry. My mom can do it. She always helps people, even when she pretends she doesn't want to."
Luna's eyes softened, tears threatening again. "Your mother… she's not ordinary, is she?"
Lucian grinned proudly. "Of course not! She's amazing."
Luna hugged Carmilla tighter, whispering, "Then maybe… she's the miracle we've been waiting for."
Aurelia overheard fragments of their words. Her chest tightened. Miracle? Hero? Shelter? She had never asked for this. Yet here they were, looking at her as if she were their last hope.
She clenched her fists. Fine. If this is my task, I'll do it.
She raised her voice, steady and commanding. "Line up. I will heal you one by one."
The crowd shuffled nervously, forming a line that stretched across the camp. Children clung to their mothers, elders leaned on each other, and young men tried to stand tall despite their wounds.
The system chimed in her mind. [Remember, host. One hour. Fail, and you'll collapse from exhaustion.]
Aurelia smirked. "Then I'll just have to succeed."
[Bold words. Let's see if your pathetic F‑ mastery can keep up.]
"Glitchy, if I survive this, I'm uninstalling you."
[You can't uninstall destiny, brat.]
She stepped forward, golden motes already flickering at her fingertips. The crowd gasped as the light shimmered, dancing like fireflies in the morning air.
The first patient, a boy with a festering wound, stepped forward. Aurelia placed her hand on his arm. The golden motes sank into his skin, the infection fading, the boy's eyes widening in awe.
"Thank you, Lady Aurelia!" he cried, tears streaming.
The line erupted with murmurs. "It works!" "She's real!" "Divine Doctor!"
Aurelia's heart pounded. One down. One hundred ninety‑nine to go.
She moved to the next — an old woman coughing violently. Her healing light wrapped around the frail body, easing her breath. The woman clasped Aurelia's hands, whispering, "Bless you, child."
Patient after patient stepped forward. Each time, Aurelia's golden motes danced, her hair catching the glow, strands turning radiant. Sweat beaded on her forehead, but she pressed on.
The camp watched in silence, awe growing with every miracle.
Lucian cheered from the side, clapping after each healing. "That's my mom!" he shouted proudly. His voice carried across the crowd, lifting spirits.
Luna stood beside him, tears streaming as she watched Aurelia heal strangers one after another. "She's not just helping… she's saving us."
Minutes ticked away. Aurelia's body trembled, mana draining fast. The system whispered mockingly. [Halfway there. Tick‑tock, bug.]
"Glitchy, if you don't shut up, I'll heal you into oblivion."
[You can't heal perfection.]
Aurelia gritted her teeth, forcing herself to keep going.
By the time she reached the hundredth patient, her vision blurred. Yet the crowd's hope burned brighter, their voices rising in chants.
"Divine Doctor!"
"Lady Aurelia!"
"Our savior!"
Aurelia's heart thudded. She had never wanted titles, but now she carried them all.
She raised her hands again, golden motes swirling like a storm. I'll finish this. I have to.