Chapter 60 The Former Fiancée, Bowing Apologetically
Leaf's former fiancée, Dokuonna. Through surviving in the forest, she completely realized her own mistakes.
After treating her injuries and hiding herself... and then morning came.
"..."
She had been hiding in the shadow of a tree root.
Slowly, she stood up.
"...morning, huh?"
Dokuonna murmured as she looked at a plant growing near the tree root.
It was a mushroom called "Asadake," which only emerged from the ground in the morning.
Having treated her injuries and regained her composure, Dokuonna had regained enough calmness to look around.
"...Should I go back?"
With Leaf's potion, she had undergone 100 million yearss of training in just a few sessions. Yes, the groundwork was already sufficient.
She stood up and looked at the nearby medicinal herbs and mushrooms.
When she first came here, she didn't know, but now, with her accumulated knowledge, she knew that they could all be used as medicinal ingredients.
"...I'll take these."
From now on, she will become the pharmacist of that village. There are plenty of materials for medicine, so she won't have any trouble.
Dokuonna gathered dried branches of trees and put them in the basket.
While collecting materials, she slowly but steadily aimed for the exit of the forest.
And then, at that moment.
"OINKKK...!"
"Orc..."
When she first came to this forest, an orc attacked her.
Looking around, it was searching for food.
"..."
I have to run away... and take a step back.
At that moment.
"OINK...!"
The orc found its prey.
But... it wasn't Dokuonna.
"! It's... that rabbit with the horns!"
The rabbit that Dokuonna rescued the other day was found by the orc.
The orc grabbed the rabbit's legs as it tried to escape, grinning.
"..."
If this continues, that rabbit will die. It will be eaten.
Thinking that, Dokuonna moved naturally.
She no longer hesitated like she did the other day. She took out a poisonous herb from the basket she carried on her back.
She quickly crushed it to make poison, then applied it to a branch.
She also rubbed dry mushrooms and herbs together.
"All right...! Hey, pig...! Look this wayy!"
The orc noticed Dokuonna and turned towards her.
She splashed the paralysis potion she had prepared all over the orc.
"Take thisss!"
Taking advantage of its hesitation, Dokuonna stabbed the orc's hand with the poisoned branch.
"OINKKKKKK!"
The pain caused the orc to drop the rabbit.
Dokuonna quickly retrieved the rabbit and ran off.
"Huff! Huff! We're almost there, almost out of the forest...!"
Dokuonna runs, holding a rabbit. In the past, she would have prioritized her own life and abandoned the rabbit to escape.
But now, she had changed her mind.
She was going to become the healer of this village.
Being someone who helps the weak and shows compassion, she couldn't abandon the life of a helpless small animal.
"I will... become one! Like Grandpa, like Leaf! A splendid pharmacist...!"
The words that came out of her mouth were true. There was no falsehood in her sincerity.
It was clear from her clear eyes.
"It's almost there! Almost... Aah!"
At that moment, Dokuonna tripped and fell.
The rabbit slipped from her hands.
"Ouch... it hurts... why at a time like this...!"
When she fell, it seems she had shattered her kneecap on a stone on the ground.
Her leg hurt too much to stand.
Thud, thud, thud...! Orcs were chasing after her from behind.
Dokuonna had made up her mind.
"Run...! You...!"
The rabbit looked at her. She raised her voice at the rabbit, which wasn't trying to escape.
"Hurry...! Even just you...!"
The rabbit disappeared at an incredible speed, hesitating for a moment.
Maybe it wasn't just an ordinary rabbit. Its escape was extraordinary.
"Heh... geez... Maybe... my intervention wasn't necessary..."
The rabbit might have been able to escape without sticking her neck out there, since it still had legs to run.
But strangely, Dokuonna didn't feel regret in her chest.
An orc stood before her.
Its expression was one of raging anger. Maybe she wouldn't just be roughed up but simply killed.
Dokuonna closed her eyes.
"Sorry, Grandpa... Leaf... Thank you..."
As she neared death, the words she murmured were words of gratitude to her grandfather who raised her and to him, who took care of her.
These words won't reach them anymore. But... even so, it's okay.
Because she can die after realizing her mistakes and understanding their greatness.
"OINKKKK!"
"...Goodbye, Leaf."
And then, it happened.
BOOM...!
"Huh?"
Standing before Dokuonna, with black hair, was a small guy.
"Leaf..."
Yes, it was Leaf Chemist who had come to Dokuonna's aid.
"Why... are you here?"
"...This child asked for help."
In his hands was the rabbit with horns.
It hopped off Leaf's arm and jumped onto Dokuonna's face.
The rabbit licked Dokuonna's cheek as if comforting her.
"They call it the Lucky Rabbit, and it's a monster that never gets close to people. But..."
It got close to Dokuonna.
"You helped this child, didn't you? That's why... it helped you..."
"The rabbit... helps me...?"
Leaf crouches down and looks into Dokuonna's eyes.
He notices that her eye color is different from when she entered the forest.
"Master always said that compassion is not just for others, it's the most important thing in living as a human. ...You understand what that means now, right?"
Being kind to others will eventually come back to you.
That's the teaching of Leaf's grandfather, the Medicine God.
"Yeah, I understand now. Leaf... I'm sorry."
Dokuonna places the rabbit on the ground and deeply bows to Leaf.
"Leaf... I'm really, truly sorry for everything."
There were no more selfish thoughts. She just... wanted to apologize.
Despite receiving kindness all this time, she hadn't... been able to give anything back. It was all selfishness.
"I... thank you for being kind to me all this time. I couldn't give anything back, and I hurt you by betraying you... I'm really... sorry."
A sincere apology. She hadn't been seeking forgiveness from him. But...
Softly, Leaf strokes Dokuonna's head.
When she looks up, he's smiling.
"It's okay now. Let's forget about it."
...Finally, she's forgiven. Dokuonna cried tears of joy.
She had thought she would never be forgiven.
So... being forgiven made her truly, truly happy... and she cried.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Donate me
Support Me with USDC
(ERC20)
Support Me with XLM
(Stellar Lumens)