This is the story of what happened after Xiao and Iva returned home.
A small group of people gathered around a campfire to keep warm. The cold night wind blew intermittently, accompanied by the distant howls of beasts and the mysterious creatures lurking in the trees or bushes, which made it clear that this was not a safe place.
From an outsider's perspective, what were these people doing? Camping in such a dangerous place in the middle of the night!? But there was no hint of worry or unease on their faces, just the same attitude as usual.
"Hey, the pointy ear one! How much longer until we reach the Shadow forest?"
The first person to break the peaceful atmosphere was a teenager who gave the impression of a burning flame. He had bright red pointed hair, wore only a loosely buttoned jacket, revealing his muscular physique unaffected by the low temperatures.
"It'll be tomorrow, and my name isn't 'elf.' Please address me by my name, Leya."
The person who answered the teenager was a stunningly beautiful elf woman named Leya, sitting next to him. With an elegant posture, dressed in noble white and light blue knight armor, and carrying a delicate rapier by her waist, it was evident that she had noble or royal status.
"Tomorrow? Hehehe! I can't wait! Right, Adolf... what are you doing?"
The innocent-looking little girl, who had been playing with her tiger tail, was suddenly drawn to a dwarf kneeling behind her.
"Um, Mila Mila, I'm praying for the success of our mission... Please watch over us, Earth God, please watch over us, Earth God, please watch over us..."
The dwarf named Adolf muttered softly. Before Xiao first saw him, he didn't leave any deep impression, but now his thick beard and mustache represented his presence, making others think of him as a reliable and trustworthy person.
"Ugh! Boring."
Mila Mila looked disdainful of the dwarf's behavior and immediately lay down, rolling over to sleep.
Leya remained silent, closing her eyes quietly and entering a state of rest.
"Huh? Why is everyone going to sleep so quickly? Hahaha! A bunch of kids."
Only Mila Mila remained lively and awake.
The next morning, the group set off again.
Although the area they were in was inhabited by many dangerous magical beasts and creatures, strangely, none of them attacked the group.
Was it luck? Certainly not. Every moment, every action, and every small detail of their bodies were being observed by the creatures hiding in the trees and bushes around them. Each one had sharp teeth, claws honed by countless lives, and a ferocious temperament, yet they only remained in a vigilant state, watching without attacking.
Because their survival instincts told them, "Do not provoke these people."
Leading the group was the stunningly beautiful elf woman, who took on the responsibility of guiding them.
"Hatta, Hatta, why did you let Leya lead the way? I thought you were the one most eager to defeat the enemy."
Mila Mila, walking in third place, asked Afique, who was in front of her, curiously.
"Huh? I'm not in the mood. I still don't understand why they sent me on this mission. The target is simply too weak! They must be underestimating me! And to bring so many people along, are they afraid I can't win? The more I think about it, the more irritated I get! Ugh!"
After cursing, Hatta immediately turned to look at Adolph, who was walking last. He had changed into a set of bronze heavy armor, with a helmet designed with double dragon horns, completely hiding his face, and each step he took gave a heavy feeling.
"And you!"
Hatta was annoyed by the loud footsteps and the equipment that seemed ready to go hunting mythical beasts.
"What's with that armor? It looks cool, but is it necessary? Won't it be tiring to move around? Just looking at it makes me tired."
"This armor? This is my equipment. It's not only the best work of the genius blacksmith in my country, but it also has the blessing of the Fire Dragon King. So rest assured! No matter what challenges lie ahead, you will all be safe because I'm here!"
After putting on this armor, Adolf, who was originally introverted, became extremely confident. Even Hatta and Mila Mila were surprised by his change.
"Please quiet down, I can't hear the whispers of the water spirits anymore."
Leya, walking in front, ignored the conversation behind her and asked them to be quiet because she was using tracking magic to locate the target of their mission. She communicated with the water spirits in the forest using water-based magic and obtained information about the target's location from them.
After a while, Leya stopped walking.
"Found it, it's nearby."
"Whoo~ Well done, Leya."
Mila Mila whistled in approval, but her face showed that she already knew the location of the target.
In fact, Mila Mila had known the target's location early on, relying on her extraordinary sensitive senses, especially her hearing and sense of smell, which made it easy for her to track down any target.
Leya led the team through several paths, and they came face to face with a giant red ogre.
"Hey, is this the guy? Covered in scars and red all over."
Hatta carefully observed the appearance of the ogre to confirm if it was the target they were looking for.
"My reconnaissance magic indicates it's him."
After observing for a while, they felt that something was wrong, and Mila Mila was the first to speak up.
"I thought it was tired from playing too much and wanted to sleep, but it turns out it's badly injured! What's wrong with its eyes? And it's a recent injury! Haha! It's become a one-eyed ogre! Hehehe!"
Mila Mila laughed loudly at the sight of the ogre's condition, and someone became very unhappy.
"Damn it! How did we let someone else snatch our prey!? Now I have to clean up the mess!?"
Hatta's expression was one of anger because he felt that as a high-level adventurer, and now a distinguished Fire Hero, it was beneath him to come here to defeat this half-dead low-level monster. He felt like his reputation was being tarnished.
"I'm not doing it! I'm leaving it to you guys! I'm waiting to finish work."
Hatta was already tired, and he waved his hand casually to his teammates before walking away.
"Childish fellow, why would someone like him become a hero..."
Leya muttered coldly, ignoring Hatta's tantrum, and approached the injured ogre.
The red ogre, originally groaning in pain from the injury to its missing eye, suddenly became extremely excited when it saw someone in front of it, and then rushed towards Leya with almost uncontrollable excitement, howling like a gorilla.
After howling for a while, the ogre immediately ran at lightning speed towards Reiya's position, and even before reaching her, it pounced on her, unable to contain its eager desire to be with her.
"Simple-minded low-level creature."
Leya sneered at the creature before her, which had shown an amorous interest, prompting her to immediately place her hand on the hilt of her slender rapier, preparing to draw it and swiftly kill the rude creature. However, after a moment of consideration, she felt it unnecessary, so she released her grip on the hilt and simply glared coldly at the ogre about to grab her.
"Freeze."
As she extended her hand, the ogre, just about to pounce on her, immediately halted.
Its entire body was encased in a shimmering blue ice, created in an instant, silently and swiftly, from the air, immobilizing the ogre's every movement, including its heart beating within.
The elf took just a glance at her handiwork before immediately turning and leaving.
"Haha! Not bad at all. Without incantations and at such speed, truly worthy of the name, Ice Queen."
Although Hatta still maintained his impatient expression, his tone revealed admiration for Leya's prowess.
Before being appointed as the Ice Hero, Rayah was not only the princess of the Elven Kingdom but also an adventurer with an S-class rank. Her proficiency in ice and water magic and swordsmanship far exceeded that of ordinary people, earning her the title "Ice Queen" from the public.
Seeing that the ogre was permanently frozen, suddenly—
"Boom!"
Before the ogre could make any move, its body was split in half. The one responsible for this was none other than Adolf, who launched himself, striking towards the center of the ogre.
Adolf had noticed a small crack in the ice encasing the ogre's arm and immediately leaped towards the ogre's direction. By the time the ice on the arm partially melted, his fist had already struck. As a result, the ice-encased body shattered.
"Are you alright, my comrade?"
Adolf descended gracefully from the air, and his heavy armor created a tremor upon landing. He then asked Leya in a masculine tone.
"No need to worry."
However, Leya didn't even thank him and simply walked away. She felt that Adolf's action implied he thought she hadn't noticed that her frozen ogre might thaw out. Although she had already sensed it and was prepared to unleash a stronger ice magic, Adolf's action was unnecessary.
The ogre's severed head, which had rolled to Hatta's feet at some point, was picked up by him with one hand, then effortlessly slung over his back.
"Alright! With the head of our target in hand, let's head back! Damn it, what a waste of my time. I actually thought they'd have us tracking down the most infamous criminal organization in the world."
"Are you talking about the worldwide wanted organization, the one calling itself the Aora of Light?" Adolf replied.
"Oh, yeah, that's it. I haven't had the chance to encounter them yet, but rumors have it that the people inside are extremely powerful, especially their leaders. Their strength is comparable to that of demon gods. Damn it! I really want to face them once and show them what true strength is!"
"This mission is probably meant to understand each other's abilities and hone our teamwork, in preparation for the battle against the Demon King's army, although some people don't seem to understand their intentions."
Leya explained coldly, not looking at anyone in particular, but Hatta already knew she was referring to him.
"Pfft! Such an unlikable missy, this elf."
Hatta said sarcastically, while Leya walked away without acknowledging him, followed by Hatta and the other two.
"Sniff sniff sniff~ Sniff sniff sniff~ ... Oh!"
For a moment, Mila Mila became interested in the wound on the ogre's eye and used her sensitive sense of smell to investigate. The result surprised her.
"This scent... Hehehe! He's still alive!"
Only Adolf, who was close to Miramira, saw her action and curiously asked.
"Is anything wrong? Mila Mila."
"Nothing, nothing at all. Alright, mission accomplished! Let's go back!"