I’m Not a Saint, Not a Priest, Just a Healer.

This was utter chaos, the likes of which she had never seen before.
Leaving Kairoc and Alec waiting for her follow-up words, Yona looked around. A considerable number of the vanguards were already incapacitated.
Some were already dead, others could barely deflect the greatsword blows.

The horned, goat-headed monstrosity towering in the catacomb bellowed goat-like roars as it swung its greatswords wildly. Each swing shattered bricks, crumbling the walls – the sacred catacombs where the dead should rest peacefully, reduced to rubble by this single beast.

“…Though I might die doing it.”
“Don’t.”
Alec flatly refused. Catching both Kairoc and Yona off guard with his blunt response.
“Healers are scarce enough as it is. You gambling your life like that is too much of a risk, Yona. The warriors have to find a way, right Kairoc?”

But Kairoc couldn’t answer. What Alec said about the fighters needing to handle this was true. But they had already lost nearly half their forces to injuries and death, while that monster showed no signs of vulnerability.

“Hah, listen to the brat trying to act all tough with his dick out.”
Yona let out a chuckle. In theory, it was possible. There were cases where it had been done before – she had heard about it from the abbey nuns, though it was extremely inefficient.

“Alec, draw its attention for a bit.”
“What are you trying to do, you crazy bitch?”
“I’m going to do something crazy. Just do it, okay? You too Kairoc.”
“…I don’t know what you’re planning, but fine.”

Amid the chaos, Yona spotted Emmerson shrieking as a greatsword embedded itself right next to him before he fled in terror.
-Meeeeeeeh!
Seeing there were hardly any still capable of fighting back, the horned beast seemed to think it had already won, raising both swords high as it let out another reverberating bellow.

“Alec, Kairoc. Do it.”
“Do wha- ah fuck it, fine!”
Exchanging glances, Kairoc and Alec charged towards where Emmerson had been standing.
Left alone, Yona tightly gripped her holy cloth once more.

‘Shit, what the hell am I doing…ah geez.’
Well, if she died here it wouldn’t change anything.
The only way to move forward was to survive.

“Alec, really watch my back this time.”
Alec would surely do everything he could. They had been adventuring party members for three years now, ever since jointly registering at the guild. At this point, she could roughly gauge his thoughts from just his gaze…

‘If I survive this, I might just let him grope these tits.’
Like a real man…or well, something like that at least.

Alec adjusted his grip on his heavy steel shield, giving Yona’s still form a sidelong glance. That dense weight required constant bracing to keep from slipping.

“Alec, focus. Yona’s going to sacrifice herself.”
“What the fuck are you babbling about, sacrifice?”
Alec glared at Kairoc. Not understanding what Yona intended, he didn’t appreciate Kairoc already treating her as if she were dead based on her earlier remark about potentially dying.

“I misspoke. So she’s planning to sacrifice herself, is that it?”
“You son of a bitch.”
Alec grit his teeth. Did he think Alec would simply let Yona die? After three years as partners?

Alec holstered his original hammer weapon and snatched up a fallen one-handed sword instead. Much lighter than his usual hammer, he doubted it would be of much use – but it would suffice for a single strike.

“Alright, here we go!”
Kairoc let out a fierce bellow. The few adventurers still conscious and mobile – perhaps a dozen at most – immediately rushed in, grabbing any weapon at hand.
Even the mage Prickery picked up a spare staff, chanting spells.

The demon’s magic-fortified hide, previously impervious, was now easily cut and pierced. They slashed where they had cut, stabbed into fresh wounds. Finally succeeding in severing one of its legs, the horned beast let out a reverberating roar as it toppled over.

Having dropped its greatswords, all that remained was its massive bulk – but unable to properly move, it was rendered a mere sitting target.
Meanwhile, Yona’s holy cloth had turned an inky black hue.

“Hah…hah…huah…”
Sprawled on her back, Yona gasped harshly for air.
Now she understood why the tutoring nun had instructed to only attempt this as an absolute last resort when staring death in the face.

The danger was one thing, but the rate her holy power drained was overwhelming. What normally filled just her arm had been sapped to saturate that entire demonic entity. By the end, she felt like even her internal organs were being sucked dry.

More than pain, it was an excruciating sense of deprivation that struck her. Her holy cloth had turned pitch black long ago – likely ruined beyond further use. And holy cloths didn’t come cheap, not something sold at regular weapon shops but issued directly from the cathedral at exorbitant prices.

“Shit, I’m definitely getting reimbursed for this holy cloth…”

“Yeah, you’ll get it. I’ll personally testify that without you, we’d have all been wiped out.”
Kairoc and Alec approached with grins, taking a seat beside her.
Too drained to even turn her head, Yona could only shift her gaze as Alec flashed a mischievous smile.

“No strength left? Can’t even move?”
“I’m dying. This damn thing, I can’t even twitch a finger.”
“That so?”
Alec slowly raised his hand, wiggling his fingers in a rather lewd manner.
“…Don’t even think about it, you mutt. Do it and I’ll really kill you.”
“If not now, when will I ever get to grope a nun’s tits? It’s been my life’s dream!”
“I said don’t, you bastard.”

If he had simply congratulated her efforts, she might have even let him cop a feel. But Alec had squandered that chance himself.

“Hey…Alec, help me unwind this holy cloth. The stickiness is really gross.”
“Got it.”

Alec was well-practiced at unwinding holy cloths. Letting out a grunt, he rose and approached Yona, starting with the knot on her palm.
Unwinding the cloth layer by layer, his expression turned strange as more of Yona’s bare arm was revealed.

“What? Is my arm weird now?”
“Yeah…it’s weird.”
“Bullshit.”
“No really, it’s seriously weird.”

There wasn’t a hint of joking in Alec’s tone. The more he unwound, the more perplexed his face became – and the more uneasy Yona felt as well.

“…What is it? Why that look?”
“You should probably see for yourself…”

Yona craned her immobile neck to look at her right arm. And her words caught in her throat.
Her arm was covered in inky black markings. Strange, indecipherable glyphs densely packed together – in her former world it might be called irezumi tattoos. With barely any patches of skin visible between the etchings, one could mistake her natural complexion for having black skin.

Characters foreign to this world were inscribed over every inch from her shoulder down to her wrist in a bizarre, dense script.