"Waah～ so many!" ［Eliza］
An excited voice filled with amazement echoed throughout the Adventurers' Guild as a little child looked at the quest boards with eyes full of curiosity and enthusiasm.
The aforementioned little child was Eliza and she was currently in the guild with Grey and Yuna escorting her. They were there to pick a quest suitable for Eliza's training so she could get stronger.
It has already been a couple of days since Eliza started training and she was already incomparable to the girl she was before she started training. She was now able to use the most basic of sword arts along with basic water magic.
Of course, they just couldn't leave her training all to lessons alone, Eliza needed practical experience which is why they are currently in the guild. They were looking at H-rank quests even rookie adventurers could handle.
Eliza also needed to learn the dangers of the world. It was a point neither Grey nor Yuna would compromise. They didn't want Eliza to get overconfident and end up in a dangerous situation.
"Hey, isn't that the Grim Reaper and his partner?"
"I heard that they were able to exterminate an orc horde in just a few hours"
"If you don't want to end up like Boros, don't cross them."
"They say if you look at them in the eye, you will have nightmares for days."
But as the three were choosing a quest, they couldn't help but overhear the rumors spreading around the guild about them. Even Eliza whose hearing isn't as fine tuned as Grey and Yuna could perfectly hear their voices.
It has already been about two weeks since Grey knocked out a drunkard with his aura alone yet the flames of the rumors have yet to die out. It was mostly because of the arrival of new adventurers. The ones who witnessed it before wanted to warn the newcomers about crossing the line with Grey and Yuna.
"Elder Brother Grey, what is a Grim Reaper...?" ［Eliza］
Eliza asked with an innocent face as she heard a term she was unfamiliar with. Her eyes were so innocent Grey could feel his heart clenching as he agonized about his nickname.
Grey wanted to change the topic but Eliza's eyes and innocence make it hard for him to do so. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place, unsure if he should honestly answer a child's innocent question.
"It's Grey's nickname. Cool, isn't it?" ［Yuna］
"Waah～ Elder Brother Grey is amazing!" ［Eliza］
Well, before Grey could decide what to do, Yuna already chose an option for him. She was sincerely fascinated about Grey's nickname, and so was Eliza once she had learnt what it meant.
Grey wanted to refute but he had no way of doing it. He knew full well that Yuna didn't mean any harm and neither did Eliza. There was also the fact that he was now aware of his feelings for Yuna. It was his complete defeat.
"Umm…. how about this one?" ［Grey］
Grey pointed upon a quest just within the corner of his eyes, and the two girls' attention was shifted towards it immediately. It was Grey's last effort to stop the conversation from derailing even further.
"The monsters are just slimes so it would be easy even for Liz, and the location is also just at a nearby woods. On top of that, the reward is pretty generous, considering that it's an H-rank quest." ［Grey］
Grey explained briefly the contents of the quest and Eliza listened carefully to him. Yuna was also listening carefully but she didn't say any comments. She knew full well what Grey was trying to do.
While it is important to learn how to fight, it is also important to learn how to decide about certain things and learn how to make the right choices. Grey wanted Eliza to develop her decision making skills even if it was only about choosing whether to take or decline a quest.
It may only be a slime extermination quest but it is still located in the forest where there was a chance for other monsters to spawn. There was also the fact that one needs to expend energy to travel there. It was a simple yet complicated problem.
"What do you think, Liz?" ［Grey］
"Umm..... Un! Let's take it!" ［Eliza］
Eliza thought long and hard and arrived at her conclusion. Her answer was just like Grey had expected. She only considered the strength of the slimes and not the other underlying factors.
Well, if other factors were to be considered, the fact that Grey and Yuna were acting as her escorts would play a large role in choosing what quest to pick. Even still, Grey briefed Eliza about her mistake and the latter understood it immediately.
Setting her answer aside, there was one thing which has bothered Grey the most...
'Come to think of it... Did Liz just use 'Un'?" ［Grey］
... It was the fact that Eliza has started to copy Yuna's behaviors. It was to the point that she was even copying her speech patterns.
Grey didn't know if he should be happy or concerned about it. He could only imagine how much Eliza would change if she interacted with Yuna more. It was as if Eliza believed everything Yuna was doing was right.
After selecting a quest, the three headed to the reception desks to officially take it, and like usual, the one who handled the processing of the quest was Anna who was as reliable as ever.
The three then headed towards the nearby forest, but before getting there, they were met with a large crowd by the town's gates. There, Grey and Yuna saw two familiar figures facilitating the flow of people.
It was Gil and Hal, two of the guards who Grey and Yuna interacted with during their arrival at Moterno. They have interacted quite a lot after that so they could already be called acquaintances.
"Oh, Lord Grey, Lady Yuna. Are you going to go on a quest again?" ［Gil］
"Well, yeah. We're going to hunt some slimes." ［Grey］
"That's true, there are quite a loー Eh? Slimes?" ［Gil］
Gil asked with a dumbfounded expression on his face. He had initially though it was another high-rank beast of monster, but it was actually slimes. Not only him, even Hal who was beside him was also puzzled.
Gil and Hal had already gotten used to the absurdity of the quests Grey and Yuna took over the days they passed through the gate. Them taking such a simple quest turned their minds upside down.
"Well, a few things led to this and that and now we're in the process of completing a slime extermination quest." ［Grey］
"We are going to train Liz in the forest. Right, Liz?" ［Yuna］
"Un! It's part of my training!" ［Eliza］
As soon as Gil and Hal heard the voice of a young girl, their heads slowly turned to the origin of the voice. What they saw was an innocent little girl who also happened to be the lord's daughter.
"Lady Eliza?! Why are you here?! Does His Lordship know of this?" ［Gil］
"Lord Grey, Lady Yuna, what's happening right now? Why is the young lady with you? And what did I hear about training?" ［Hal］
Confusion and shock overflowed in the minds of the two guards as soon as they noticed the presence of Eliza. Eliza on the other hand was just wearing a smile even though she was confused about the guards' reactions.
Gil and Hal didn't notice Eliza before since their attention was focused on Grey and Yuna who were usually on their own, but now that they have noticed, their bodies won't stop from trembling from panic.
In order to stop any further misunderstanding and worries, Grey briefly explained that he and Yuna have been taken as Eliza's tutor and that they were free to teach her the way they were comfortable with.
Of course, Grey didn't say anything about the assassination attempt and the lord's true request to them. It was an information Grey could not afford to leak out just in case minions of Algerio nearby.
"I see... So Lord Grey and Lady Yuna had become Lady Eliza's temporary tutors. It all makes sense now." ［Gil］
"With Lord Grey and Lady Yuna, there shouldn't be any problems with the young lady's safety." ［Hal］
Gil and Hal nodded to themselves as they heard Grey's explanation. Meanwhile, Yuna was chatting with Eliza as Grey was explaining the situation.
A few minutes later, Grey, Yuna, and Eliza left the town's area and headed towards the forest. To hasten the process, Grey took the initiative to carry Eliza on his back and casted a barrier to protect her from harm.
As soon as they arrived, a couple of slimes could already be spotted hopping around aimlessly in the forest. They were still as slow as Grey and Yuna had remembered them to be.
Bouncing ever so slowly, one of the slimes approached the group of three as soon as it noticed them, but rather than threatening, the slime looked adorable with its very slow speed, it was a rate where babies crawling would even be faster.
"A slime!" ［Eliza］
Eliza screamed in ecstasy as she noticed the pathetic creature trying to approach them with all its might. Even she wasn't threatened in the least at the slime who had every intention of harming it.
"Be careful Liz, it can still hurt you." ［Yuna］
"Ah, un!" ［Eliza］
Heeding Yuna's warning, Eliza stayed at a safe distance while excitedly scrutinizing the squishy creature before her. Her eyes were full of curiosity that they were sparking ever so brightly.
"Is this your first time seeing one, Liz?" ［Grey］
"No. But I haven't seen one this close, so I'm really excited!" ［Eliza］
"Alright, but stay close to your Elder Sister Yuna all the time, okay?" ［Grey］
"Eh? You're going somewhere Elder Brother Grey?" ［Eliza］
"Yeah, I'll just make sure that there are no other monsters around. Don't worry, I'll be back before you know it." ［Grey］
Grey waved his hand as he disappeared in the lush vegetation of the forest, leaving the two girls to manage on their own. Yuna quickly took Grey's place and instructed Eliza what to do.
Of course, the reason Grey said to Eliza was a lie. It wasn't a monster he was keeping an eye on, but rather, a much dangerous group of people who had been tailing them for quite some time already.
While the three were heading towards the forest, Grey had detected the tailing of 6 suspicious E-rankers. Yuna had also noticed their presence hence the reason why she didn't ask Grey why he was leaving so suddenly.
As Grey left behind Yuna and Eliza, he headed towards a certain direction and a few moments later, his steps slowed down progressively until he came to a stop.
"Hey, you can come out now." ［Grey］
"Tsk! We've been found out! Attack him!"
"""Haaah!"""'
Without any plans in mind, the 6 E-rankers jumped towards Grey at the same time with the intent of silencing him as quickly as possible. Unfortunately for them, the one they were trying to strike was an S-ranker.
"Seriously, is that the best you guys can do?" ［Grey］
Grey didn't even need to equip his gauntlets nor use any magic. All Grey did was brandish his hands towards his enemies, and in a single strike, he instantly turned all of them unconscious.
While it was a commendable force to deal with normal people, it was barely enough to even be called a warm-up for a high-ranker. Even if there were hundreds of them, the result would remain the same without fail.
Not intending to let the six of them escape the place, Grey casted the curse magic "Sleep" and "Silence", and the illusion magic "Nightmare: Maze" on all of the unconscious men.
It was a combination of magic where the target wouldn't be able to stray a certain distance away from a designated area. Even if they try to scream for help, all their efforts would all be futile.
Although those spells are cruel, Grey thought it only served them right for trying to hurt an innocent little girl. If it weren't for the fact that they can provide some useful information, Grey might have done something worse.
As he pondered about his actions, Grey returned to the place where he left behind Yuna and Eliza. He didn't want Eliza to become suspicious and just enjoy the day as much as possible,
"I'm back. Did I miss something?" ［Grey］
"Look! Look! Elder Brother Grey, I got a mana crystal!" ［Eliza］
Eliza came up to Grey with an excited expression about on her face. On her hand was a slime's mana crystal. Although it was quite small, it was still an authentic mana crystal nonetheless.
"It's amazing, isn't it?!" ［Eliza］
"Did you defeat it yourself?" ［Grey］
"Un!" ［Eliza］
Eliza proclaimed boldly with a proud face as she puffed out her chest, and Grey rewarded her with a pat on her head which she happily enjoyed.
"Good job, Liz. Now, why don't we finish the quest?" ［Grey］
For a good amount of time, the three hunted down the slimes in order to fulfill the required amount to finish the quest. Grey and Yuna helped from time to time but it was Eliza who mostly did all the work.
As the quest functioned as a training for Eliza, Grey and Yuna tried their best to not interfere whenever Eliza was fighting. The only time they interrupted was when there were multiple slimes surrounding Eliza.
"And that would be the 200th." ［Yuna］
"With that our quest is completed." ［Grey］
"Eh?" ［Eliza］
"Is something wrong, Liz?" ［Yuna］
"Are we going back already?" ［Eliza］
Eliza asked with a downcast voice and a trace of sadness in her eyes. It was obvious that she didn't want to head home yet. She still wanted to enjoy herself and train to her heart's content.
Since Eliza was usually inside the manor, it was even rarer for her to be outside the town. It was her first time in months to be able to go outside and wanted that moment to last even a minute longer.
Seeing Eliza's crestfallen expression, Grey and Yuna's eyes met one another and the two of them reached an agreement. It was still noon so it didn't hurt them even if they stayed in the forest for a couple more hours.
"Then how about this, Liz. Let's have lunch first and then we can continue once you have rested." ［Grey］
"But you need to finish all your food, okay? Otherwise, we'll be going back home immediately!" ［Yuna］
"Really?! Yay!! Thank you, Elder Brother Grey, Elder Sister Yuna! You're the best!" ［Eliza］
A smile quickly returned to Eliza's face along with her energy as soon as she heard Grey and Yuna's words. She was really thankful that she could enjoy such a rare moment for even longer.
In order for them to have lunch, Grey took out a large picnic blanket and then laid it out on the bare forest grounds. After that, he then placed down the dishes which have prepared beforehand.
"Woah～ there's so many food..." ［Eliza］
"Well then what are you waiting for, dig in." ［Grey］
"""Thank you for the meal!"""
Without waiting any further, Eliza took a spoonful of curry rice and fed it to herself. Her reaction after tasting it was just like the first time she had eaten it. It was a very heartwarming expression.
"Delicious! As expected of Elder Brother Grey, the curry really is delicious!" ［Eliza］
"Hahaha, thanks, Liz." ［Grey］
"Mou... I also helped out, you know?" ［Yuna］
"Ah! Elder Sister Yuna is amazing as well!" ［Eliza］
Hearing Yuna's words, Eliza praised her as well, and the two laughed together after that. Yuna really wasn't saddened by the fact that Eliza didn't mention her name. She just wanted to tease the latter.
Seeing them act like that, if not for their races and hair color distinguishing them, one could easily mistake them as real siblings. They were even closer than some real siblings could only hope to be.
And seeing that cheerful side of Yuna, Grey's heart raced like there was no tomorrow, His feelings got even stronger as the days flew by.
Having finished their hearty lunch, the three resumed their slime hunt and ended up hunting triple the amount of slimes that was required in the quest because they were having so much fun.
By the time the three returned to town, it was already late in the afternoon and the sun was about to set. They were having so much fun that they have lost track of the time and returned later than planned.
The three then processed the completion of the quest in the Adventurers' Guild and earned a total of about 1,300 kiels including the excess mana crystals they have acquired while having fun.
"Liz, here, keep the money." ［Grey］
"Eh!?" ［Eliza］
Shock could be traced in Eliza's face when she saw Grey giving her all the money they have earned from the quest, it was already a large amount considering it can feed a family for days.
There was also the fact that Eliza hasn't really held money before. After all, if there was something she needed or wanted, Fritz would buy it for her and have the servants handle mostly everything.
"Keep it. This is something you earned with your hard work today. It is proof and reward for your efforts." ［Grey］
"That's right, Liz. Me and Grey only helped out a little. It was all your hard work which earned all this money." ［Yuna］
Eliza shyly received the money from Grey's hands and as soon as she could feel the coins in her hands, she looked at it with her eyes sparkling brightly and an expression of amazement painted on her face.
It was the first time Eliza has received money from something she worked hard for. That is why her eyes were so fixated towards it. Those few coins now held a meaning to her.
"Thank you, Elder Brother Grey, Elder Sister Yuna. I'll definitely treasure it!" ［Eliza］
A bright smile reappeared once again on Eliza's face as she expressed her gratitude to the two figures in front of her. She was so happy that she couldn't stop herself from smiling.
Meanwhile, in a forest a few distance away, contrary to Eliza's smiling expression, 6 men were screaming at the top of their lungs as they asked for help. They were the people Grey had captured earlier.
Some people will soon rescue those 6 men, but rather than comrades, they were knights of the Landevar household who will take them for an interrogation, but that's a story for another day.
CHAPTER 43 END