It was a beautiful morning. When Grey awoke, the gentle light from the morning sun greeted him along with the chirping of the birds and the sweet flowery scent from the garden just outside the window.
Even when Grey had experienced the bed's softness a few times already, he cannot get over its comfort. It was as if he was resting in the clouds every time he sprawled on top of it.
Knock Knock Knock
Just as Grey was enjoying the bed's gentle embrace, a knocking echoed throughout his room, loud and clear. The sudden knock was able to fully wake up Grey who still wanted to sleep again.
"Grey, are you awake?" ［Yuna］
"Yeah, I just woke up. Why?" ［Grey］
"Mister Rhodes wanted to ask if we could cook with him today. He was thinking of exchanging notes while cooking for breakfast." ［Yuna］
A troubled expression loomed over Grey's face as Yuna relayed Rhodes' words to him. He could clearly feel Rhodes' passion for cooking when the latter didn't mind being taught by someone younger than him.
As Grey and Yuna promised the day before, the two cooked a variety of dishes to reward Eliza's hard work. Because of that, they ended up serving a good amount of dishes, most of which were unknown to the world.
The novelty of the dishes Rhodes had experienced for the first made him excited and his blood as a cook was lit ablaze. He wanted to learn how to cook those dishes not only because Eliza liked it, but because he wanted to sate his curiosity.
While Grey did not want to leave the bed nor cook so early, Yuna waking him up made him motivated to start the day. After he prepared himself for the day, Grey then headed to the kitchen, along with Yuna, and helped the other chefs out.
During breakfast, Eliza and Yuna were the first ones to comment on how the food tasted with blooming smiles on their faces. Even though Yuna also cooked some of the dishes, she still acted a little surprised on how good they tasted.
The adventurer's guild then became the next stop for the day, that was because Eliza asked Grey and Yuna to do another subjugation quest. She was getting more and more enthusiastic about training when she saw how much progress she made the other day.
When the small group of three arrived at the guild, they then headed immediately towards the quest boards where they unexpectedly met two figures who were familiar to Grey and Yuna.
"Oh, Grey, Yuna. Yo!" ［Kris］
"Good morning, Yuna, Grey." ［Aria］
"Good morning." ［Grey］
"Un." ［Yuna］
The identities of the two figures were the Kris and Aria couple. They quickly exchanged greetings as soon as they noticed Grey and Yuna approaching.
Eliza, who was unfamiliar with the two, meekly hid behind Yuna's back like a shy little kid. She didn't utter a word and only looked at the couple with curious eyes, wondering what their relationship with Grey and Yuna was.
"Are you two picking a quest too?" ［Grey］
"Yeah, we're still free until the Labyrinth's opening, after all. So... Is that kid the one you're guarding?" ［Kris］
Kris asked nonchalantly as he looked at Eliza who was taking a peek at them. As soon as Eliza met Kris' eyes, she didn't try to hide more, but rather, she just stared back curiously.
"Yeah. This is Eliza. The town lord's daughter." ［Grey］
"I-I'm Eliza von Landevar. It's a pleasure to meet you!" ［Eliza］
"Oh, what a cute and polite little girl," ［Aria］
"Un, Liz is cute." ［Yuna］
"T-Thank you..." ［Eliza］
A flustered expression showed on Eliza's face when she heard Aria and Yuna calling her "cute". While it was the first time she had met Aria, seeing how she was a kind-looking elf like Yuna, she immediately felt comfortable around her.
Meanwhile, the boys were looking at the three with warm eyes. They wanted to join in but there was a barrier between men and women which made it hard to do so. They just observed them silently.
"So, what quest are you going to pick, Mister Kris?" ［Grey］
While the ladies were entertaining themselves with Eliza, Kris and Grey continued their conversation with one another. Their attention was focused on the quests which were posted in front of them.
"Hmm... We'll probably take the B-rank one over there." ［Kris］
Kris pointed to the rightmost request form which was posted on the B-rank board. It was a newly made request form as it wasn't there the yesterday when Grey and Yuna took Eliza for a goblin extermination quest.
Grey also wanted to take the quest, but since they were guarding Eliza, him and Yuna didn't really have the luxury to do so. After all, Eliza's training and safety is the top priority.
'Hm? Training...?' ［Grey］
It was then that an amazing idea struck Grey's mind like lightning. He didn't have to choose between the two options. A third one had just formed inside his head.
"Hey, Mister Kris, could we tag along while you do your quest?" ［Grey］
"Huh?" ［Kris］
In order to clear Kris' confusion, Grey explained his plan in full detail towards him. Kris took a few moments to consider Grey's request, but in the end, he ultimately agreed to his cause.
The reason why Grey wanted to tag along was so that Eliza could learn how dangerous the world really is. While goblins and the like could be considered dangerous already, seeing a B-rank creature will widen Eliza's view about the world.
Grey knew the chance of her facing that kind of situation with a B-rank opponent is slim, but it's also a fact that knowing more is much better than knowing none. It was an essential lesson Eliza will have to learn sooner or later.
It would also serve to humble the little girl if she ever gets cocky and overconfident over her skills. Seeing a fight between high-rankers will surely open anyone's eyes to the truth.
Kris really cares about the safety of rookie adventurers and youngsters in general. Grey could still remember the first time they met where he advised them to take a low-rank quest because he was concerned for their safety.
Seeing how young Eliza was, Kris quickly agreed to Grey's suggestion. He also wanted the little girl to learn more about the world. Especially the dangers which are lurking within the shadows.
Kris quickly took the quest from the board and towards the reception desk. Soon after, the party of five left the town and headed towards the quest's location which was located in a nearby mountain.
"Waah～!" ［Eliza］
Once again, a happy expression bloomed on Eliza's face as Grey gave her another piggyback ride. It was the third time she has ridden on Grey's back and she enjoyed it every time.
While such a scene was happening, Aria couldn't help but notice someone who was wearing a particular expression on their face. It was Yuna whose eyes were fixated on Eliza as she slightly puffed her cheeks.
In Yuna's mind, she also wanted to be given a piggyback ride by Grey, but being jealous of a little girl made her feel childish. Especially since that little girl was Eliza whom she considered a little sister.
Neither Grey nor Eliza noticed that expression on Yuna's face before as Yuna usually ran behind them. Aria only happened to notice since she was running beside her fellow elven girl.
"Is something wrong, Miss Aria?" ［Yuna］
"No, nothing at all." ［Aria］
Yuna asked when she noticed Aria looking at her, but the latter simply dismissed her question with a light shaking of her head. A gentle smile then appeared on Aria's face as she put the pieces together. She was rooting for her.
"Elder Brother Grey, can you run faster?" ［Eliza］
"Yeah, I can, but are you sure you can handle it?" ［Grey］
"Un!" ［Eliza］
Looking for more thrill, Eliza requested Grey to increase his speed. The latter was unsure at first, but after strengthening the barrier and making Eliza hold on even tighter, he agreed to her request.
"Everyone, I'll be speeding up, Let's just meet up at the quest location later." ［Grey］
"Oh, sure." ［Kris］
"See you there, Grey, Eliza." ［Aria］
"See you later, Liz" ［Yuna］
"Bye～!" ［Eliza］
With everyone's consent, Grey immediately increased his speed and dashed towards the direction of the quest location, all while making sure Eliiza was safe. He made sure to apply extra layers of barriers just in case.
"Ya～y!" ［Eliza］
Eliza's face bloomed even brighter with excitement as Grey toned up his speed. His speed was now much faster than bullet trains.
A few minutes later, Eliza and Grey finally arrived at the location, luckily, they didn't meet the target on the way. The target was still about a few hundred meters away as it wasn't inside Grey's detection range.
"Elder Brother Grey, you're really fast! You went zoom and dash and boom! It was very fun!" ［Eliza］
"Yeah, yeah, I get it... Anyway, Liz, are you fine?" ［Grey］
"Un!" ［Eliza］
Even with a speed where adults would be shaking in fear, Eliza didn't feel any ounce of fear. Rather, she was full of energy and was even raring to go on another piggyback ride at an even faster speed.
As the others have still yet to arrive, Grey took Eliza to explore the vicinity and once again teach her about medicinal herbs and edible plants. He also gave Eliza a little quiz about what she learned a couple of days ago.
A few moments later, the others finally arrived at the location. Faces of confusion were painted on Kris and Aria's face as they wondered what Grey and Eliza were doing. Only Yuna understood what their actions were about.
"And this is the Galtias grass, it has itch inducing properties properties and are used in ointmeー" ［Grey］
"Grey, what are you doing?" ［Kris］
"Ah... I'm teaching Liz about different kinds of herbs. It might come in handy when the time comes." ［Grey］
"I see... Then I shall assist yoー" ［Kris］
"Kris, you still remember that we have a quest, right?" ［Aria］
Kris was about to help out Grey with teaching Eliza, when suddenly, a hand grabbed his shoulders out of the blue. He didn't even have the time to finish his sentence.
The hand belonged to none other than his beloved fiancée who was wearing a smile which also wasn't a smile at the same time. She was clearly scolding Kris but didn't want to make a scene since Eliza was there.
Shortly after that exchange, the group set out to locate the quest's subjugation target. Thankfully, because of Grey's "Heaven's Eye", they were able to do so without wasting much time.
"There it is." ［Kris］
A few dozen meters away from them, was an Aronel, a gigantic elephantine-type beast that is easily triple the size of an elephant. And although it's at the lower end of its rank, it was still a B-rank beast.
"Liz, are you scared?" ［Grey］
"A little bit... But since everyone is here, I'm sure it will be alright." ［Eliza］
Eliza's voice was trembling when she replied to Grey's question. Compared to the goblin she had fought a couple of days before, the Aronel was much more intimidating. It was much larger and stronger.
Eliza's body only stopped from trembling when both Grey and Yuna held her hands. She felt reassured with the presence of the two figures who she looked up to as her saviors and older siblings.
"Well then, we'll be subjugating it now." ［Kris］
"Good luck." ［Grey］
"Do your best, Mister Kris, Miss Aria." ［Yuna］
"We will. Thank you." ［Aria］
As Kris and Aria's figures slowly drifted away from his sight, Grey felt a soft tugging on his clothes. It was Eliza. She seemed to have a question in her mind that she wanted to ask him and Yuna.
"Elder Brother Grey, Elder Sister Yuna, are you two not going to fight?" ［Eliza］
Eliza was confused as to why only Aria and Kris were the ones who approached the enemy. Grey hasn't really explained everything to the others yet so it was understandable why Eliza was confused.
Yuna on the other hand had a slight idea in her head. She was thinking that it was along the lines of Eliza's training and she was spot on. It is for Eliza's training.
"No, we'll only be watching. Also, the reason we tagged along with them is so that you can learn how dangerous the outside world is. So, Liz, watch closely and witness how powerful High-rankers are." ［Grey］
"U-understood." ［Eliza］
"But don't worry, Liz, we'll make sure you're safe. Your Elder sister and Elder Brother will protect you." ［Yuna］
"U-un! Thank you." ［Eliza］
"Now, let's just watch how Miss Aira and Mister Kris take it down." ［Grey］
After Grey said that, the three of them became quiet and focused their attention on Kris and Aria who were approaching the gigantic beast.
When Aria and Kris were about fifty meters away from the Aronel, they separated ways and circled it. They made sure that wherever it tries to escape, they would be able to prevent it before it can.
And with a signal from Kris...
⟨⟨Adamant Prison!⟩⟩ ［Kris］
... the hunt has begun.
The earth rumbled and multiple earthen pillars emerged from the ground, creating a prison which prevented the Aronel's escape. Everything within 30 meters has been enclosed in a net-like prison which was much stronger than steel.
⟨⟨Violent Gale!⟩⟩ ［Aria］
And while it was distracted by the sudden quake, Aria took the chance and shot its legs to decrease its mobility.
Bahruuuuhhhhhaaaa
Receiving Aria attacks, the Aronel trumpeted in pain and started hurling large masses of earthen materials towards Aria, which the latter dodged skillfully. The heavy masses of earth then fell to the ground creating a loud thud every time.
⟨⟨Triple Storm!⟩⟩ ［Aria］
Aria tried to aim for the Aronel's head but noticing her attempt, the Aronel erected an earthen wall to stop it. Too bad for it, there was too much difference in power and the shots broke through the wall, managing to hit it, but that wasn't enough to take it down.
The Aronel was too focused on Aria, it didn't notice Kris approaching it. When it did, it was already too late and Kris had started breaking it's knees with a bash from his heavy hammer.
Bahruuuuuhhhhaaaaaa
Blood trickled down the Aronel's limbs and head as Aria and Kris continued to attack it with everything they've got. It tried to fight back but its efforts were all futile.
Grey and Yuna almost felt pity for it, but in the world of adventurers, it's either kill or be killed. It was a world where the strong devoured the weak.
Mustering each ounce of strength it had left, the Aronel made a final struggle and shot large boulders in all directions. It was an attack which wreaked havoc to a wide area.
The trees which received the attack did not survive and came crashing to the ground immediately. There were even boulders that were small enough to pass through the "Adamant Prison", but Yuna and Grey were able to deflect them.
⟨⟨Piercing Lightning!⟩⟩ ［Aria］
With Aria's final shot boring through the Aronel's head, the beast stopped moving completely and fell to the ground with a loud thud. Its eyes had turned white as it lost its life.
"Looks like they're finished." ［Grey］
"So, Liz, what do you think?" ［Yuna］
Eliza didn't answer Yuna's question, instead, she just gazed at the scene before her, with her hands tightly gripping Grey's clothes and her knees trembling
"Was it scary?" ［Grey］
To Grey's question, Eliza didn't mutter a word, but nodded silently instead. It was only an expected reaction of a child after witnessing a battle which devastated a large area in a few minutes.
Even adults would probably pass out from such a scene, yet the ten-year-old girl managed to push through. It was a commendable feat that Grey and Yuna were proud of.
A few moments later, Eliza has calmed down and has started chatting with Yuna. coincidentally, Kris and Aria had just finished with their job and came back to us with a proof of subjugation in their hands.
Unlike Grey who has a storage-type ability, Kris and Aria didn't. That's why they only collected what was needed for processing the quest completion and a few other parts which could be stored in their storage rings. The other parts were left behind.
Still... To Grey's eyes, leaving the Aronel's corpse was just a huge waste. After all, its meat could be used for consumption and its other body parts could be sold for a hefty sum.
"Mister Kris, Miss Aria, should I handle the Aronel for you?" ［Grey］
"What do you mean?" ［Kris］
"I have a pretty good quality storage ring, and I don't want the Aronel to go to waste. So I thought I should store it for you." ［Grey］
Grey didn't even care about the restriction he set to make it believable. Now that he was a B-rank adventurer, no one would dare to ask how he was able to store such a large amount of things in his "storage ring".
"You should have said that sooner!" ［Kris］
"Sorry, I was waiting for Liz to calm down." ［Grey］
"Oh... I see... How scared was she?" ［Kris］
"She was trembling, but she's alright now. She's already having a friendly chat with Yuna, look." ［Grey］
As Grey's eyes glanced towards the direction where Yuna and Eliza were, the other two followed suit and also took a quick glance where they saw two ladies having their lovely time together.
After that short exchange, Grey then headed to where the Aronel's remains are and stored it in his "Inventory" Storage. Then he went back to where the others were to see Elzia already smiling again.
Grey was happy to see the little girl smiling once again, but even if he was happy, there was one thing he needed to absolutely confirm.
"Hey, Liz, after seeing that battle. Do you still want to continue training and take quests with us?" ［Grey］
"Ah! Un!" ［Eliza］
"Are you sure?" ［Grey］
"Un! I just can't sit around and be afraid for the rest of my life, after all. Also, I want to get as strong as everyone!" ［Eliza］
There was no trace of hesitation in Eliza's voice. All that could be found was a strong determination. It was determination which moved the hearts of the four high-rankers before her.
Eliza's bold declaration wasn't all air either. Everyone was sure she was sincere when she said that. Grey didn't even need to use "Judgement" just to make sure.
"Well said, Eliza!" ［Aria］
"With determination like that, that future isn't far off at all." ［Kris］
"I'm proud of you, Liz!" ［Yuna］
In response to her words, everyone showered her with praises. As for Grey, he just simply patted her head to show his appreciation towards the young girl's courage and determination.
CHAPTER 46 END