Altrez guided us along the edge of the forest. When we ran at some distance, Mazkhar ran to the front of us.
"I got the smell of blood."
He held his dual blade. Riche and I grabbed our staff too. When he stopped, that was the place we found Gilda.
She stood around six injured Adventurers that lying with grey blood. They didn't move so it was hard to decide they were alive or not. There was one guy at her feet. His legs had a bad wound he couldn't stand but he still moved.
"…What happens here?"
"High Sage…"
Her sword was in the sheath. This area and Adventurers' bodies were filled with arrows. That's right, she wasn't the attacker.
"H… Heal, potion. Anything… Please help me."
The man on the ground grabbed Gilda's leg, asked with a tremble, and hurt voice.
"My potion was left."
"Then I…" Riche intended to run to him, but I stopped her. It had something I had to ask.
"Gilda, they are…"
She nodded, "The Adventurer group I joined."
People who left her and injured person.
"Won't… we help him?" Riche looked at me.
"…I'll do it."
In front of Riche, I couldn't abandon wounded people behind. I stood in front of him and created an agreement.
The magic had the price.
"Leave your valuable things, money, weapons, and all monster materials here, I'll help you and others who were alive."
"All! All of the dimension store?!"
Mazkhar surprised. That man too.
"I pay… I'll pay! Double, triple of Heal's price or potion. No matter what I'll pay but… to leave all things here… It's my everything!!"
"…"
"…seriously?"
He choked blood. His hand strongly grabbed Gilda's leg and told,
"Hey… Speak something. Do something. We… just meet each other but I help you handle monsters many times isn't it. Just Heal… Just for stopping the bleeding!"
Gilda looked at him with cool eyes.
"Haha. Robbing when getting the chance. You're so stingy." Mazkhar glanced at me. It wasn't like that.
Maybe, because I had a good example.
The Adventurer group I knew… They had many people, had many encountered chances, departed, and switched members. Even though some of them didn't contact each other now but when they traveled together, they helped their friend. No matter how short of their time, they didn't leave someone behind.
The group of Heroes.
Every time I heard I felt it was a fairy tale story. I might think like that if I didn't pass that night with people in my head.
If we didn't meet Gilda, she might die with her trust. For the person who important things more than life, I would take them.
"G… Got it. Here… Hurry heals me already. I hurt like hell."
Things came out more than I thought monster's parts, pocket money, clothes, weapons, some useful thing, and nonsense things too but with his hustle voice, his smile, and his fidget eyes.
He couldn't lie to me.
"The Dark Staff, Claw of Secret Dark."
I switched Water Staff with Dark Staff and pointed staff to him.
"Reveal the true that hide under the deadly devil, Lie Detector Magic."
[Yes! Searching for… Lie Detector Magic.]
The light from two gems shined into his eyes. He tried to endure it, but it was useless action. Even he thought he could handle it. This magic would be made him tell lie with the truth.
"That's all I got! I didn't lie! …Haha, who will do like that, asshole. Just leave things and money around 20,000 coins. That's the average of Adventers' stuff. …Stop it! My mouth… I can't control!"
It was hard to look at his stubborn action.
"Everyone takes some rest. When he faints, we'll move to our way."
I told my group when he heard, he speedy crawled to me.
"I'll… I'll do as you want!! Please help me!!!"
He left many things out again. The Lie Detector Magic brought the same result, so I entrusted it. I healed him and told,
"You lucky to have a chance to trade life with things. Please start again at the starting point. Become the one who suits to be Adventurer."
I put him to sleep with Sleep Magic to cut the future conflict before looking at the other six people. Only two people were alive, I healed them at the talking level and made the same agreement.
"It's all I got! It's all. I didn't lie!!"
"Lie Detector Magic."
"Arg!!! Please, I beg you. Just this necklace, has my mother's picture. I told the truth!!"
"…You can keep it."
I stopped the magic. After healing them, I brought them with the first guy and kept them in the Barrier.
This thing was strong to protect them from monsters… When we left, we would come to drag them out.
"…What is it?"
Mazkhar and Altrez stayed away from me.
"Will you… aim to use that magic on us?"
"It affects when we know the right answer. If you keep listening to my word, I won't use it on you."
Mazkhar got a big swallow.
"T… The rumor that says you're The Falling One to the Dark that… Is it true?"
"It isn't time to talk," I told Riche.
The gossip grew on the true story. I could use some Dark Magic without that I couldn't receive this staff.
"Maybe you want to revenge him by yourself. I'm sorry, Gilda."
She shook her head,
"This is a good way. Arrondo's sword is the sword of protection. It's not an avenger."
She bowed before walking to collect money for the potion's price she used. Maybe the outside world was hard than I thought.
"Oh! We want it too."
"Stop." I grabbed Mazkhar's collar,
"This is the pray for blood. It'll be here, to be the luck for next adventurer group."
"But I want to use that luck! There are many weapons. We can use them to get rid of Bee Armors. Let's take it. Use the luck by ourselves."
His eyes were bright. I wanted Barrier's price too, but Riche made shinning eyes behind me.
[Your money is 13,500 coins.]
"We don't need those things. I have a plan."
I explained my plan before being divided into two groups and went inside the forest. One group was Riche and Gilda, another group was my, Altrez and Mazkhar. We didn't go far, walked on the path, and gathered humidity to create a big water ball.
"Whoa! So big. Bounce too!"
"Don't touch."
I held it to the top of my head. Avoided the touch from Mazkhar. Fifty-three talked to me while we did that.
[Because my speed isn't fast like Nine... I'm sorry.]
Nine's speed hm… Told the truth, it was an amazing thing.
It was like throwing and catching a ball. I sent guidelines. He sent the result. I checked his work if it was incorrect, I sent the solution, and he sent the fixing. Fifty-three service was the same but Nine threw and caught with me at the high speed. His speed made me feel like I threw the ball to the wall. The more speed I threw was the more speed it came back.
Everything under my control... It felt so good.
[I'm sorry.]
I didn't blame you, Fifty-three. Everyone had their Magic Flow, rhythm too. It was true that getting the goal fast was an excellent story but taking it slow, one by one was good too.
That right, now I was fun with preparing process.
[…]
We came back to the meeting point after collecting humidity for a while.
"High Sage~"
Riche waved while Gilda walked behind her. She brought the big water with her too. It was smaller than me, but she did a good job. I shared mine with her, healed her MP, and gave a signal to everyone.
It was the time to defeat Bee Armors.
"Mazkhar! Gilda! I leave it on you."
"Ok!"
"Understood."
Gilda ran out from the right side. Bee Armors targeted her suddenly Mazkhar ran out from the left side. He roared to attract half of Bee Armors from her. They avoided and lured the enemy to divide into two groups. When they separated, Riche and I made an attack.
"Water Pressure!"
Two water balls shot water stream to Bee Armors. They became stunned.
"Frozen!"
Two streams of water became long ice paths like ice bridges. They froze Bee Armors inside. It took time to create a large of water, but if we prepared it before, we could make an ice bridge immediate.
Altrez used vines to throw Bee Armors that avoided Ice Magic to Mazkhar and Gilda. They ran above each ice bridge. Mazkhar used Sword Dance to cut enemies with high speed. Gilda used Sword Blessing to cut all enemies in her side.
Bee Armors that were in the middle attacked Altrez. Fifty-three shot Magic Arrows to them. They hadn't many numbers, just a little time they collapsed. I told the two persons on ice bridges.
"Mazkhar Gilda Jump from bridges."
"Wind Magic, Hordes of Wind Blade!"
The big wind blade cut two bridges into pieces, monsters inside too. The enemy didn't leave just one.
"So cool!!" Mazkhar showed a big smile.
My plan was a success.
"It's time for materials!!~"
Mazkhar and Gilda took the bee's eyes and their tentacles. Just like Adventurer, she knew about the material too. Riche was scared to look but she helped Gilda a little bit by cutting tentacles.
"What do you see, Altrez?"
"No sign of any monster… Just like your thought" He answered while using Detection Magic.
We saved until pulled that sword out.
"It has a smell of strong… I'll do that job."
Mazkhar licked his lips. I had to give this job to him.
[W… Will you do it without Nine?]
It seems like others can't wait. When he comes back?
[I don't know. I think he doesn't come quickly.]
Let's do it.
[But this is boss! And my magic process slow…]
It's alright. Follow your rhythm. We already prepared everything if a problem occurs, I'll fix it. You told me I'm your advisor, right?
Let's complete our plan perfectly, Fifty-three.
[…]
Fifty-three?
[Nine… will be angry with me…]
He was silent for so long then the unconfident voice became clear.
[I understood! Let's do it!]
I smiled. He was a good kid as Riche.
When we finished collecting materials, I ordered Fifty-three to heal everyone before spaced away. The one who stood in front of the sword was Mazkhar.
"Pull it out!"
"Alright, High Sage! We'll crush you. The test of the forest!!!"
He could pull it easily. When the black blade pulled up in the sky, it released the pressure, shook the air, ground, and grass.
"Oh."
The sword started to float in the sky. Mazkhar let go of it and came back to us.
"B… Behind us!"
The big wide border covered the edge of the forest. Until the test ended, we couldn't escape. The sword stayed in the air suddenly it transformed to the rotated big black and white smoke.
The pressure was increasing. My heart was beating. My blood was pumped. Dad always told this situation with enjoy. This was…
The challenger moment of the Adventurer.
The high-level monster started to appear.