The hero party—Leo, Celia, Shin, Niya, and Gregory—went back to the capital to look for a new healer and to report what had happened in the dungeon. They went to the Adventurer's Guild. Everyone who knew Ethan was surprised that he wasn't with them.
"What happened to Ethan?" Cristin, the beastwoman who served as the receptionist, asked. In a short time, she had gotten close to Ethan.
"We explored the dungeon in the south and encountered a group of terrifying monsters. They were so strong, and unfortunately, Ethan didn't make it out alive with us," Leo said.
To make their lies appear true, his teammates supported Leo by faking tears. Everyone who heard the story wasn't that surprised at all. Others didn't even care. Only Cristin couldn't believe it.
"Thanks to Ethan, he sacrificed himself to save us. We were able to come back safe because of him. He's the true hero," Leo added.
The other adventurers conveyed their condolences for the death of the hero party's healer. Leo pretended to thank them.
"And because our poor Ethan died, we need a new healer to join us. We can't take down the demon lord without a healer. I hope someone is willing to join," Celia said.
"What are you talking about, Celia?" Gregory asked. "Ethan just died, we can't just replace him so soon."
"It's for everyone's sake. How can we protect them without a healer?" Celia replied.
"Celia's right," the adventurers agreed.
Leo faced Cristin and asked, "You are willing to help us, aren't you?"
Cristin, with no other choice—though she was still a little bit sad about Ethan's fate—handed Leo the list of high-class healers who had registered as adventurers.
Leo took the list. He saw that there were healers who were much stronger than Ethan, with C-rank being the lowest of them. "Give me the information about this healer named Bernadette," he said. "We want her."
Hesitantly, Cristin gave them the healer's address, hoping that this woman wouldn't suffer the same fate as their former healer. She also decided to inform the guild master about what had happened.
Soon, the hero party went to the church in the capital to meet Bernadette Morratt, a veteran B-ranked healer. She also served as a priestess during her free time. She was talking with some kids when the heroes entered the church. She told the kids to go play for a while.
"What can I help you with?" she asked. Her English was quite good, perfect for her sweet voice.
Leo, feeling like melting ice, couldn't prevent himself from acting gallantly, placing one hand on his stomach and the other on his back as he greeted the beautiful lady. "I am Leo Weinster, the leader of the hero party," he said.
"Can you go straight to the point?" Bernadette asked. "Heroes wouldn't just come to the church without a reason."
"We heard you have awesome healing capabilities, so we came here with the intention to recruit you to join us," Leo said.
"Me?" Bernadette asked, surprised. "Why? What happened to your former healer?"
"You must have heard about it. He sacrificed himself to save us," Leo replied.
"Is that really what happened?" Bernadette asked. It seemed like she could see through other people's lies.
Leo faked a laugh. "You're intelligent," he said. "It's a long story. Why don't you let us have a seat?"
"Right. You can have a seat." Bernadette led them to the pews and they sat down.
"You must know that we've been compelled to take down the demon lord to save everyone in this world. That's our job and we're down for it, but we can't do that with a weak healer. In short, we abandoned him," Leo said.
"Is that what you usually do to your teammates?" Bernadette asked. "How can I be sure you won't abandon me too, like what you did to him?"
"We won't. As long as you're useful," Leo replied directly. "Are you afraid of being left behind too?"
Bernadette fixed her eyeglasses. Although a healer, she was quite confident in her skills. "Interesting," she said. "When are you going to take down the demon lord?"
"It's too early for that," Leo said, standing up. "These days we are taking on dungeons and killing monsters to become stronger. If you join us, I'm sure we can defeat the demon lord as soon as possible."
"Deal." Bernadette shook hands with Leo.
"Thanks for not making this difficult. Tomorrow we're going to the uncharted forest. You should meet us at the guild," Leo said.
"I will," Bernadette replied.
With that, Leo and his party left the church, happy that they had found a new healer. But if she turned out to be weak and useless like Ethan, they wouldn't hesitate to abandon her too.
Meanwhile, Bernadette consulted the high priestess about the heroes' invitation. She couldn't just abandon her duty to the church without saying goodbye. She had already accepted their offer and she wouldn't be able to serve as a priestess as often anymore.
"So you're telling me you're quitting?" Old lady Fatima, the high priestess asked.
"I'm sorry for my sudden decision, abbess Fatima," Bernadette apologized. "But I think I should go outside to see the world and gain more knowledge about it."
"I might not be your real mother, and there's nothing else I can do but wish you well. The kids will surely miss you. I hope the hero party will take care of you," the high priestess said in a sincere tone of voice, holding the back of Bernadette's hands on the table. "I know you like the back of my hand, Bernadette, and just by looking at you I can tell something's bothering you."
Bernadette took her hands off the table. "I'm just a little worried if my decision is right, especially after knowing what they did to their former healer," she said.
"Why? Did they do something wrong?" the high priestess asked.
"No, nothing, just forget about it," Bernadette said. "Let's just eat before the bread goes cold."
"You're right, but if there's something bothering you, you can always tell me," the high priestess assured her. "I'll see you off tomorrow."
"You don't have to do that, ma'am," Bernadette replied. "I can take care of myself. Besides, the kids will be left alone. You have to look after them once I'm not around."
"Of course I will. We'll be waiting for you to come back. Don't worry about the kids, just take care of yourself. You can write me letters to keep me updated."