In the morning, Mirai woke up in her room at the inn in the city of Mirandel. She rose from bed and went out through the quiet hallway. When she opened the door, she found Hikari waiting for her with a slight smile.

  They walked together through the inn's corridors until they reached outside, where the morning breeze greeted them. The city was beginning to wake up, shops slowly opening their doors, while life gradually returned to the streets. Hikari looked around, enjoying the warm movement surrounding him.

  Mirai smiled gently: "You know, I used to think you looked like a child leaving home for the first time."

  Hikari felt slightly embarrassed: "I guess I was too excited. I've always wanted to explore the world beyond my village. I find so much joy in seeing new places and experiencing things I never knew before."

  As they walked through the streets, they approached a small café overlooking the main square. Its tables arranged beside fountains and flowers caught Hikari's attention, so he pointed to one of them:

  "Let's take a break here, Mirai. We can have something and enjoy the view."

  They sat at the table and ordered coffee and some pastries. After a few moments, while Hikari was taking a sip of his coffee, he suggested: "What do you think about going to the guild?"

  Mirai smiled with slight sarcasm: "No. I've had enough of dealing with lunatics."

  Hikari laughed lightly: "It seems you've gotten a bad impression of them."

  Mirai remembered something and asked him: "Since I killed Kazuha, will anyone come after us?"

  Hikari answered: "If we were criminals, yes. But your killing of Kazuha was self-defense. She wanted to kill you without justification."

  "Good, it seems they're not all fools."

  After a moment of thought, Mirai suggested: "Let's go to the fortified dungeon you mentioned earlier. I'm curious."

  "Alright, but first, we need to gather some information about the floors. We'll head to the guild, but we'll focus only on dealing with adventurers."

  After finishing their meal, they stood up and headed to the guild. Upon entering, Hikari approached some adventurers and began gathering information about the explored floors, such as types of enemies and potential traps. After collecting enough information, they left the guild.

  While walking through the streets, Mirai stopped: "Before we go to the fortified dungeon, I want to buy something from the magic items shop. I saw one on our way here."

  Hikari asked her: "Do you need something specific? My bag is full of items, maybe I have what you need."

  "I'll buy energy diamonds."

  Hikari raised his eyebrows in surprise: "Actually, I have a good number of them. Fifteen diamonds."

  Mirai smiled: "That's enough."

  He asked curiously: "Excuse me, Mirai, what will you use them for? They don't have any known benefit for you."

  Mirai paused for a moment, as if thinking about how to respond: "I don't think I need to hide it. My Spiritual sword needs energy. When I crush an energy diamond, the energy inside transfers to the sword."

  Hikari's eyes widened in amazement: "Oh, so that's why! I was wondering when you crushed the diamonds against the samurai, where the energy went."

  He added admiringly: "I've never heard of a sword that enhances speed and physical strength this way, and on top of that grants immunity against magical attacks."

  Mirai asked: "By the way, Hikari, what made you tell that party that my sword is considered an artifact?"

  Hikari answered: "Actually... when you used it to defeat the demon in the fortified dungeon, it was clear it wasn't an ordinary sword, especially since it grants you immunity against magical attacks. And besides, you wear the kimono to hide it."

  He continued: "I felt it was best for you to keep its truth hidden, because ancient swords are considered precious treasures, and might put you in danger if someone knew about them."

  Mirai smiled lightly: "I understand what you're saying, thank you for your concern."

  They continued walking toward the fortified dungeon. Upon arrival, the main gate was surrounded by ancient runes, emanating a mysterious aura. Hikari and Mirai stood before the gate, preparing to enter.

  "Are you ready? It seems this dungeon isn't like the others."

  Mirai answered enthusiastically: "Yes, I'm ready. Let's begin."

  They entered the dungeon cautiously. The atmosphere inside was dark and humid, and Hikari lit a magical lamp he carried. They advanced slowly when suddenly, they heard footsteps approaching. Mirai drew her regular sword and prepared for any attack.

  A group of skeleton soldiers appeared before them, carrying worn swords and shields. The battle began quickly, and Mirai used her sword to eliminate them effortlessly.

  They continued advancing, going deeper into the dungeon. Hours of walking without stopping, until they reached the fortieth floor.

  "Alright Mirai, this is the floor where the dragon hides."

  "Fine, I'll finish it with one strike."

  They entered the floor, and Mirai drew her Spiritual sword. As soon as the dragon appeared, she attacked it with a swift and devastating strike, killing it before it could move.

  "Well... that was faster than I expected." Hikari marveled.

  Mirai, who appeared tired, breathed heavily: "Let's rest a bit before we continue."

  Hikari nodded. They sat beside one of the walls, and Hikari took out food from his bag.

  While they were preparing to eat, Mirai extended her hand to him:

  "Can you give me some energy diamonds? I need to charge my sword."

  Hikari hesitated for a moment before warning her worriedly:

  "No need now... let's rest a bit first. You don't have to use it."

  Mirai raised her gaze to him steadily:

  "I need some extra energy. Just a little."

  Hikari sighed in surrender and took out three pieces of diamond, handing them to her:

  "Alright... but don't overuse it."

  Mirai crushed the diamonds in her hand and felt energy flowing through her body for a few seconds. She rested her sword beside her and began eating some food.

  Hikari noticed a change in her features and asked seriously:

  "Mirai, do you feel tired when you use your sword? Or does the sword not affect your energy?"

  She answered calmly:

  "It drains my strength a little. But it's not dangerous."

  Hikari stared at her for a moment, then warned her in a more serious tone:

  "Please, don't overuse the diamonds for the sword. Unless you have to."

  Mirai raised her eyebrow in surprise:

  "Why? I don't see it as harmful."

  He explained with cautious calm:

  "Because you don't possess magic. Your body endures only thanks to its natural strength. Using diamonds constantly might make the sword exceed your body's limits... and might break you from the inside."

  Mirai fell silent for a moment.

  She stared at her left arm in silence, as if searching for an answer within her body.

  She whispered to herself:

  "I haven't delved into this before... my sword is part of my soul. And when I crush the diamonds... the magical energy seeps into me, stays for only seconds... then disappears."

  She remembered sitting in her room at the inn, when she crushed one diamond and felt light energy that lasted barely thirty seconds before exhaustion overcame her and her sword vanished. Then she remembered Hikari's voice warning her in the field at night: "Diamonds restore magical energy... they don't restore your physical strength."

  She furrowed her brows in deep thought and continued to herself:

  "Perhaps in those brief moments, I use the energy to stimulate my spiritual power... that's why I feel temporary strength. And that's also why... my body begins to collapse bit by bit."

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Suddenly, her eyes widened in realization.

  She placed her hand on her face and whispered with bitter sarcasm:

  "What a fool I am... there's no benefit in crushing diamonds after the battle ends. The energy doesn't restore my fitness... it just keeps my sword present for a longer period."

  Hikari noticed the change in her features and stared at her nervously:

  "What's wrong?"

  Mirai lifted her hand from her face and answered with a small smile, hiding a feeling of stupidity behind it:

  "Nothing... I just realized something I was overlooking."

  She added with the same smile, in a tone mixing determination and gratitude:

  "Thank you for your concern. I'll be more careful."

  Hikari smiled at her:

  "By the way, I have one teleportation diamond. If the situation gets worse, I'll use it to get us out quickly."

  Mirai nodded silently, storing his words well in her mind.

  They stood up and continued their journey.

  The following floors were darker and more dangerous, but Mirai continued advancing steadily, fighting enemies with her sword while Hikari collected loot and important items.

  When they reached the seventy-fifth floor, the thick smell of sulfur choked the air. Mirai suddenly stopped, raised her hand in front of Hikari and whispered:

  "Stop, something's coming."

  Hikari lit the magical lamp brightly. From the depths of darkness, a massive beast crawled toward them—the Hydra, with seven huge heads breathing smoke and poison.

  Hikari gasped and stepped back.

  "A Hydra? This is bad!"

  Mirai asked calmly while staring at the beast:

  "What do you know about it?"

  He explained in a low voice:

  "Seven heads, each controlling a different element... and instant regeneration. The core must be destroyed or it will return endlessly."

  Mirai raised her regular sword confidently:

  "I'll cut off its heads."

  She noticed a slight fluctuation in the aura around the place. She furrowed her brows and whispered:

  "This place... has a barrier. A barrier that prevents teleportation and magic."

  She turned to Hikari seriously:

  "Don't think about using the teleportation diamond. It won't work."

  Hikari froze in place, gripping the diamond nervously.

  "Understood."

  The Hydra suddenly lunged. The fire head launched massive flames toward Mirai, who leaped lightly, dodging the fire. She advanced to attack, but the earth head confronted her, enveloping itself in a thick rocky shield.

  Mirai struck the shield with all her might, but her regular sword shattered in half.

  She quickly retreated, panting, then drew her Spiritual sword and whispered to herself:

  "The attacks here are physical, not magical... I won't be protected if I'm hit."

  The lightning head rushed forward, releasing an electric bolt. Mirai dodged it and flowed through the torrent of fire and water, fighting lightly despite the immense pressure.

  But with each leap and strike, she was taking real damage. Wounds began to accumulate, and her breathing grew heavy.

  "The attacks won't stop..." she thought, before whispering with grim enthusiasm:

  "Time to get serious."

  With focus, she gathered her energy in the sword and launched a devastating attack that cut the fire, earth, and lightning heads. But she had barely caught her breath when she saw the heads growing back.

  "Amazing..." she muttered, her eye gleaming with determination.

  She continued cutting heads, but realization dawned on her mind:

  "The core... I must find it."

  She crushed five energy diamond pieces at once. Energy swept through her body like a storm. She rushed at speed toward the darkness head, dodged it and cut it with one strike, then split the body in half.

  But the Hydra's body soon fused and regenerated.

  In the midst of battle, the light head ambushed her, releasing crushing light. Mirai instinctively closed her eyes, but she was too late. The earth head attacked her violently, throwing her against the wall.

  Mirai fell to her knees, breathing with difficulty, while the poison cloud spread before her.

  She saw the Hydra's poison head spewing choking fog without stopping, but Mirai didn't retreat.

  Her body, fortified against poisons, held firm.

  With unwavering determination, she charged through the cloud and split the poison head with a decisive strike.

  Yet, the head grew back as if nothing had happened.

  She didn't hesitate or feel despair.

  Instead, she tightened her grip on her sword, her eyes gleaming with determination.

  "The core... was moved to the light head..." she thought quickly, preparing for the next attack.

  She took out the remaining diamond pieces from her bag.

  Before crushing them, she glanced from the corner of her eye at Hikari, standing behind her with great concern.

  In that brief moment, she smiled secretly with hidden confidence.

  "Even if my body breaks... he's capable of saving me."

  She whispered to herself.

  Then without hesitation, she crushed the diamonds all at once.

  Terrible pain swept through her.

  She felt her bones cracking under the exploding force, but Mirai didn't stop.

  With a nearly broken body, she launched at lightning speed.

  She tore through the Hydra's body from bottom to top, advancing despite pain that nearly made her lose consciousness.

  And finally... she glimpsed the core.

  With one decisive strike, she destroyed it.

  The Hydra's body suddenly dissipated, evaporating with a muffled scream through the darkness.

  With the beast's disappearance, Mirai's Spiritual sword also vanished from her hands.

  She felt the barrier that had been choking the air around them collapse.

  She whispered as she staggered and fell to the ground:

  "The barrier... disappeared..."

  She collapsed on the ground, her body barely responding to her.

  In a fleeting moment, Hikari had reached her side, his heart nearly bursting from his chest.

  He knelt beside her, extended his trembling hands, and began using healing magic at full strength.

  Magical light glowed around Mirai's body, slowly her wounds began to heal, and her bones fused back together.

  Moments passed that seemed like an eternity.

  Slowly, Mirai opened her eyes.

  She felt new strength flowing through her body.

  She gradually rose from the ground, her body surprisingly responsive.

  She smiled and stretched her arms lightly as if checking her condition, then looked at Hikari with a playful smile:

  "I don't think I'm surprised by your ability."

  She raised her head confidently, breathing deeply.

  But suddenly, Hikari's features paled.

  His facial expressions changed, as if life was withdrawing from his body.

  He collapsed to his knees.

  He fell to the ground motionless.

  "Hikari!"

  Mirai shouted in shock, her heart clenching forcefully as she crawled toward him.

  She placed her trembling hand on his chest.

  His heart was beating...

  But very slowly... almost stopping.

  Hikari lost consciousness, unaware of what was happening.

  ***

  Hikari slowly opened his eyes and found himself lying on a bed. His eyes gradually adjusted to the light, and he saw Mirai sitting beside him, looking at him with concern.

  "Do you feel better?" she asked worriedly.

  Hikari slowly raised his head, looking around: "Where am I?"

  She answered in a calm voice: "You're in my room at the inn."

  Hikari felt a slight pain in his head and extreme weakness sweeping through his body: "What happened to me?"

  Mirai explained: "I brought a doctor to examine you, and he said you lost a lot of your magical energy."

  "How long have I been here?"

  "Two days have passed."

  Hikari was shocked by this: "I'm sorry. And thank you for taking care of me."

  Mirai smiled gently: "No need to thank me. I'm the cause of this. My injuries were severe and many of my bones were broken. I myself can't believe you healed me so quickly as if I was never injured. You must have used all your magical energy for this."

  She added with a grateful smile: "I really appreciate this."

  Hikari smiled with a warm tone: "I'm happy you're alright."

  He then tried to get up, but Mirai gently placed her hand on his shoulder: "Rest for more time. There's no need to rush."

  "I'll go out now to bring the doctor to examine you again. I want to make sure you're recovering well."

  Hikari tried to get up: "There's no need for this, Mirai. I feel better, and you've done enough."

  But Mirai was insistent, and gently placed her hand on his shoulder again to prevent him from getting up: "No, we must make sure. I'll be back quickly."

  Hikari watched her leave the room, her steps confident and her features reflecting concern and care for him. When she closed the door behind her, Hikari slowly closed his eyes and surrendered to his thoughts.

  "It's not normal for me to lose all my magical energy so easily... Additionally, Mirai was able to use her sword, even though that place prevents magic. I wonder... could Mirai be..."

  He fell asleep again while deep in thought.

  After some time passed, Mirai returned bringing the doctor, an elderly man with gray hair and a face bearing marks of wisdom.

  "Here he is, doctor. He needs your examination again."

  The doctor approached the bed and began examining Hikari carefully, checking his heartbeat and general condition. He noticed that Hikari was deep in sleep due to extreme exhaustion.

  After minutes of examination, the doctor turned to Mirai with a reassuring smile: "Well, it seems his condition is improving well. He has recovered part of his magical energy, but he still needs rest to fully regain his strength."

  Mirai sighed in relief. The doctor added as he left: "You must ensure he doesn't exert any effort in the coming days."

  Mirai sat beside Hikari, contemplating his face quietly.

  ---

  After a few hours, Hikari gradually woke up. He opened his eyes and found Mirai sitting beside him, looking at him with care and attention. She smiled at him as soon as she saw him awake with a reassuring tone: "How do you feel now?"

  He answered in a low voice filled with tiredness: "I feel better."

  Mirai smiled a small smile: "The doctor said you're improving, but you need more rest to fully regain your strength."

  He looked at her with grateful eyes: "I'll commit to resting then."

  After moments of silence, Hikari took a deep breath, trying to organize his thoughts. There was a lot going through his mind. He gathered his courage, then looked at Mirai with eyes full of seriousness in a low voice: "Mirai, I want to ask you something."

  She looked at him with interest: "What is it, Hikari?"

  Hikari hesitated for a moment, but decided to confront: "The sword... that you hide in your arm... it's part of your body... isn't it?"

  Mirai showed no surprised reaction, but looked at him deeply: "What made you think this?"

  Hikari answered, trying to clarify his idea: "Artifacts contain magical powers, but you were able to use your sword against the Hydra in a place that prevents magic. This means your sword is connected to your spiritual power. And I remembered that there's..."

  He hesitated for a moment but continued: "There's a clan of demons born with weapons inside their bodies. Are you one of them?"

  Mirai smiled calmly: "Yes, you're right. I'm not human. And I wasn't hiding this from you; it doesn't matter much to me."

  Hikari asked her: "Mirai, were you born with magical powers? I've never heard of a demon born without magical powers."

  She answered in a calm tone filled with contemplation: "Yes, I was born with magical powers, but I lost them due to some things that happened."

  She looked at him with a serious gaze: "What about you, Hikari? Are you really human?"

  Hikari was surprised by her question: "Yes, I'm human. Why do you ask?"

  She explained seriously: "Your healing powers... I've never seen healing magic like this. A human can't possess abilities like these from birth."

  Hikari thought for a moment, then admitted in a calm tone: "You're right. I wasn't born with these abilities. I obtained them somehow."

  Mirai asked calmly: "Is this related to your inability to heal yourself with magic?"

  "Yes." He answered in a low voice.

  Mirai nodded understandingly: "I see." Then she continued curiously: "What made you ask me about my sword? Did you know about my truth from the beginning?"

  Hikari explained: "I wasn't completely sure. But since you used your sword against the demon in the fortified dungeon, I began to suspect you weren't human. And your endurance during training was beyond logic."

  Mirai asked in a calm tone filled with questioning: "So, why did you continue accompanying me?"

  Hikari looked at her with eyes full of calm and a warm smile, answering in a sincere voice: "When I healed your injury for the first time, I felt great happiness when you praised my healing abilities. You were the first to commend what I do, and that moment was unforgettable for me. Then I realized I wanted to stay by your side. Also, I'm the first person you asked to be your companion, and this means more to me than you can imagine."

  He added with deep sincerity and a warm smile: "Mirai, I'll always be here to heal your injuries, and I'll stay by your side no matter the circumstances."

  Mirai felt a gentle warmth creeping into her chest.

  She paused for a moment, then smiled a small smile:

  "Thank you, Hikari... you've given me more than you realize."

  She rose from the chair lightly:

  "Rest well. I'll go out for a bit."

  She left the room with quiet steps.

  In the hallway, she stopped for a moment, contemplating the surrounding silence.

  She closed her eyes for a brief second as if anchoring this calm within her, then took a deep breath, and continued walking with steady steps, her features carrying a serene clarity.

  (End of Chapter)