Demon Hunter: I have a red gourd

Chapter 7 Farewell
"So, now that you know my identity, you still don't want to go with me?"

Ivan held Tomila in his arms and looked into her eyes.

"Although I am now a demon hunter and will not inherit my father's throne, I still have the ability to give you a better life so that you don't have to stay in Velen and live such a difficult life."

Tomila patted Ivan's shoulder gently and said softly, "I understand your feelings."

"But I don't think life is difficult now." She sat up and picked up a gauze and draped it over her shoulders.

"I'm a doctor now. Every time I see a patient recovering with my help, I feel happy. I enjoy the feeling of being needed, do you understand? I don't want to be useless."

She took a tangerine and gently peeled it with her slender fingers.

"Now that you've told me your story, how about you listen to mine?"

Ivan also sat up and took the orange handed to him by Tomila.

"I'm from the Temple of Meliteli in Elland. By the way, have you heard of the goddess Meliteli?"

"Of course, the goddess Meliteli is the most widely spread belief in the Northern Kingdoms. My teacher taught me that Meliteli is not only the patron saint of harvest and production, but also the protector of all those in distress."

"Her faith is widespread, even among elves and dwarves. The goddess's protection of women and children is known to almost everyone."

"Yeah." Tomila nodded, with a hint of reminiscence in her eyes.

"When I was eighteen, my parents sent me to the Meritelli Temple to study with many other young girls under the High Priestess, Sister Nenneke."

"Goddess Meliteli is the mother of all people. Her temple is not only a place to serve the goddess, but also a hospital, shelter, and orphanage. The priests will not refuse any poor person's help, and we don't need to pay a single gold coin to study there."

"The high priest taught us a lot of knowledge: herbs, medicine, history, magic, and even arithmetic and biology. We listened to the goddess's teachings in the temple and learned from her wisdom and kindness."

"Wait, you said the temple can also teach you magic?" Ivan was a little surprised to hear Tomila's words. This was something that neither of the two mentors knew.

"It's just some simple healing magic, most of which require the assistance of potions to be cast, similar to druids."

"But I don't have that talent, so I only learned some medical-related knowledge."

"Besides, as an eighteen-year-old, I was more interested in love than attending classes."

"There was a boy who worked in the temple. His name was Geslav. He was always shirtless. All the apprentices loved to stare at him, fascinated by him."

"I left the temple for him, but he left me after only one summer."

"Sister Nenneke wouldn't let me return to the temple, and my parents were very disappointed in me. They gave me a cloak and a bag of gold coins and never spoke to me again."

Tomila's voice deepened. "I wandered alone for a long time, and finally I remembered the nun's teachings and decided to become a doctor."

"I violated the teachings of the goddess and made an unforgivable mistake. Only when I help others can I truly feel my own value. This is how I find the meaning of life again."

"Why doesn't Sister Nenneke allow you to return to the temple? Do you hate her?" Ivan was a little curious.

"No, I never hated Sister Nenneke. Although she was a bit strict when teaching, she was a very warm and loving person. She would never punish the priests or apprentices for any reason."

"The reason I'm not allowed to return to the temple is not because I've fallen in love with someone else, but because there's only one chance to become a priest serving the goddess. Once you miss it, there's no second chance." "So, Ivan, do you understand? I don't want to be a canary trapped in a cage. I want my short, mistake-filled life to have some value."

"You can also help others and realize your own value in Weiden. Weiren is too dangerous, I am worried about you." Ivan muttered unwillingly.

"There are only rich people there, they won't need me." Tomila walked to Ivan's side and hugged his head in her arms. "I also think this place is a bit chaotic, so I decided to leave in a few days."

"That tangerine was very sweet, wasn't it? It's a specialty from the White Orchard. I think it's a good place, so I plan to go there and take a look."

"Okay then. All up to you." Ivan was almost suffocated.

"Don't be upset anymore," Tomila kissed Ivan on the forehead. "You are a demon hunter, and your life span is much longer than that of ordinary people. I don't want you to watch me grow old alone. If you miss me in the future, come find me in White Orchard."

"I will." Ivan nodded.

"I know you witchers travel all over the world, so I'd like to write a letter to Sister Nenneke. If you ever pass through Elland, could you please give it to her? I have something else to say to her."

"it is good."

Ivan accepted the letter written by Tomila and, with her help, put on the equipment and armor of the Griffin School again.

"Let's part ways like this. I don't want to make things too sad." Tomila smoothed Ivan's hair.

"Ivan, I know you are not a bad person."

"But you have to know that you are just a demon hunter. Don't think about saving the world."

“You have your own mission, but you also have your own life. Don’t give up yourself for others.”

"Yes." Ivan agreed.

With mixed feelings, Ivan returned to the shabby hotel where he usually lived.

He left two-thirds of the money he had saved from taking commissions in the past three months in Tomila's herbal hut. This was the only thing he could do for her.

"A beautiful love beckoned to me, and then left directly. What a sad story." Ivan packed his luggage. "However, I should also live my own life as Tomila expected."

"Next, I need to take on a few commissions from monsters other than the water ghosts, earn some gold, and then find a good blacksmith to repair my armor and silver sword."

"Then go find a griffin. Well, this medium-sized monster is no match for a water ghost. We should be more cautious. The copy the system mentioned is about to be completed. We should see what it is before making any plans."

Just as Ivan was planning his future actions, he suddenly frowned.

His sharp hearing after the mutation allowed him to detect the sound of heavy footsteps approaching him rapidly.

The sound was like many people wearing heavy armor walking towards him.

In such a remote village, it is obviously impossible for a whole team of people who can wear armor to appear.

Has the fact that he killed the villagers been exposed?

(End of this chapter)