After leaving the Guild. They head to the gates and walked towards outside a bit.
"Umm... I'm... Marcus. Pleased to meet you."
"Uhh... Why did you join us mister? By the way. I'm Mello."
"I just wanted to become a ten-star adventurer."
"So you trusted us?"
"Ahh... Yeah! Haha."
"I see. Then I am Martin. This person is the leader. Takao."
"Oh. I see."
"Why are you so silent Takao?"
"..."
"Oh. I guess we just had to go."
"Is he always silent?"
"I don't know. This is the third day I've been with him after all."
Something's wrong with Takao today.
"It's a waste of time walking."
They then suddenly float.
"Where are you guys!? Master?"
"Wha, what is happening?"
"We're flying. I'm also turning us all invisible. So just shut the hell up. I'm controlling your movements. This way, we would arrive in the forest at a fast pace."
They then started to fly at a fast speed.
"Whoa! Master!"
"Takao. Please not like at that time. I'm really weak at these things!"
"Ahhhhhhh!!!"
After a few seconds, they saw a large forest.
"Ahh!!! The forest!"
"..."
They then started to descent.
After descending.
"There's really no people in the forest now."
"Of course. There's a Giant Basilisk here, after all."
After entering the forest. Not too long after doing so. They encountered the beast.
It is eating something. Apparently it is a stack of animals like cows pigs and horses in the area.
It seems to be a mutated monitor lizard. Its sheer size seems to be 40 feet long and standing at 2 meters high. It has 6 legs and has a grayscale. And a humongous tail.
"What an eater."
"Master. Are you really sure about this?"
"Yeah."
"So... What now?"
Said by Marcus.
"We're gonna move now. Let's approach it."
"What? Master!?"
"Just do it. Mello."
"Fine. Let's go."
They started approaching it. Then. The creature sensed them.
"Master!"
It ran towards them and activated its eyes.
"Huh? Where's that person?"
"Takao!"
"..."
The three of them are now petrified.
But the basilisk just ran away and left them alone.
"Waahh... What a lucky day!"
Marcus then took Takao's pouch that is attached to his waist.
"That's what you get for being fools. Well, sorry about this but I will take it."
Marcus then something on Takao.
"Huh? His right hand is not petrified? How? The petrification always covers the entire body. Ahh... Whatever. With this. I could make them both happy."
"So that's your plan? That's why you joined us?"
"Ahh..."
"Surprised?"
"Woah. The petrification. What did you do, master?"
Martin is just calm and listening.
"You know, I'm not carelessly accusing people. I know you're after that pouch from the beginning. The moment you heard the clinging of coins inside it. You had your eyes on it."
"But... How?"
"I'll tell you. I'm a mage. And I am powerful enough to kill that creature with just a snap of hand."
"The basilisk? No way."
"See. He's behind you now."
Marcus looked behind him and there. He saw the Giant creature. Standing still."
"I could control it."
"No way..."
"Though. This magic cannot be used on intelligent creatures. What I did can make people fall asleep. And if they're strong enough. They could resist it. But for the unintelligent creatures like that one. I could completely dominate it and become my pet."
"N, no way! That's bullshitting! That's not possible. No priest could do that thing!"
"Yeah. That is because I'm not a priest."
"What's this? Master?"
"Just stay put. Mello."
"I'm... I'm... Sorry... Please... Spare me."
"Why would I do that?"
"I... Am doing this. Because of my daughters. It is their birthday today. Please... Don't kill me... Not now... Please let me attend their birthday first. They are twins! I wanted to give them a proper present that is why I did this. It's really impossible for somebody to defeat a basilisk. So I had to take advantage of your foolishness. But... I didn't know you're capable of such a thing."
"So what if it's your daughters' birthday? It's not enough reason to kill others. Whether you did it yourself or not. If it's other adventurers. They would have been dead right now."
"I'm terribly sorry... I just wanted them... To be happy... Since it's just once a year. I'm just a five-star adventurer that is why I can't give them things they wanted. But... We're happy... We are living together and... The more we spend together. Along with my wife. The stronger our bonds had become. Please. Let me live. Please take this thing away."
"You know. I also loved my family. My parents. But none of us did dishonorable things like that."
Marcus started crying.
"Then I'm sorry... They wanted things that I couldn't give up until now. Now that I had obtained this. I thought I would be able to give them that. We were once just ordinary people living in a farming village. But life is tough when the war started. Our village got destroyed. And only lucky few of us lived. We're able to establish our homes here. But life is really tough that I'm forced to become an adventurer. Despite that anytime. I could leave my family alone because of the danger. Life in that village is quite good. But here in the city. It's really much harder. I just wanted to see my daughters have a good smile on their faces whenever I came home... That's why I had to do this to you. Please. If I'm able to give them the present they wanted and I'm able to attend their birthday. I will let you kill me after that. Please. Let me go."
"I loved my family too... But... What you're saying is actually bullshit. Do you think your daughters will love their present that if they found out is bought through betrayal that causes a person that owns that money to die? That is bullshit! If you wanted to have them that thing. Then work hard for it!"
"But I'm already working hard for a long time! It's just that I don't have that much money due to how small my income! It even barely sustained our food... I just wanted them to get whatever they wanted. But I can't!"
"I won't believe you. Using your family as a reason to do your greedy actions is bullshit. I won't tolerate it. If you really wanted to be happy. Then be happy with what you have. You can only get what you need as a poor person. When you became rich. That is the only time you could get what you wanted. You must emphasize things you need rather than what you wanted. I can't tolerate you using your family as a scapegoat for your predicament. I don't buy your bullshit. Die."
And the beast is let loose.
Meanwhile.
"Mom? Will Papa get here by dawn?"
"Yes~ also. He would buy you presents."
"Really? Did you hear that? Lena? Papa would!"
"Yes! Lana! Then. We would play together. The four of us. With Mama and Papa!"
"Yeah! We would be happy like always. Right? Mama?"
"Yes!"