The forest, green and peaceful, full of life and brimming with vitality. Yet no matter how peaceful it was, there was bound to be disturbance no matter where one goes. Disturbances such as chunks of ice or bursts of wind flying in all directions.
⟨⟨Blizzard⟩⟩ ［Yuna］
A cold wind swept through the forest, freezing the moisture in the air and plating the solid ground with ice. The wind, while freezing looking gentle, was harsh enough to turn almost everything into ice and breaking them down slowly.
It has been a couple of days since the housewarming party, and currently, Grey and Yuna are on another quest, a D-rank one where they are required to subjugate a group of treants which have been roaming about one of the main paths in the forest.
Of course, as their opponents were but E-ranks, it doesn't take Grey and Yuna much effort to wipe them out. But rather than destroying them in one go, they both toned down their strengths just so that they could train a little, or rather, it would be just too boring if everything went so easily.
"Haap!" ［Grey］
A punch went straight to the face of a treant, blasting it towards its kin and hurling them dozens of meters away. Grey's punch didn't leave a mark, or rather, it was too powerful that the part his fist connected had been crushed to smithereens.
As for the treants up against Yuna, there was nothing needed to be said. All have become frozen statues, marked with hundreds of cracks all over its body. A few seconds later, they inevitably broke into pieces and bursted in a cold explosion. A complete destruction.
⟨⟨Megaton Shotgun!⟩⟩ ［Grey］
As a finisher, several punches came blasting simultaneously in a single direction. Not only the treants, the boulders, trees, and everything else on the way was blasted into oblivion in a mere second.
"Phew... That was quite the warm up." ［Grey］
"Grey, are you alright." ［Yuna］
"Yeah, how about you? Are you hungry? Thirsty? How about rest?" ［Grey］
"No, not at all. I have just drank some water. Maybe a little bit of rest." ［Yuna］
"Alright then." ［Grey］
Hearing Yuna's response, Grey smiled gently. He then opened his "Inventory" for a quick moment and retrieved all but a single picnic blanket. Gently, Grey placed the blanket on the ground filled with soft and green grass.
"Please take your rest, Milady." ［Grey］
"Fufufu, thank you, Sir Grey." ［Yuna］
Despite how ruined their surroundings were, filled with broken trees and boulders and a lot of monster drops lying around, Grey and Yuna still managed to make themselves comfortable and feel relaxed.
It was still some time until lunch arrived, and while Yuna was not hungry, Grey made the courtesy of serving themselves some snacks and refreshments. All the while enjoying what beauty remains of the scenery before them.
With how rich the forest was with natural mana and a little help from Grey and Yuna, the surrounding healed itself quickly over time. New saplings, grasses, and all sorts of vegetation grew. The ground was also starting to restore itself albeit slowly.
As for the familiars, they were out deeper in the forest, hunting for monsters to eat. Since it has already become a routine for them to go deep in the forest and wipe out the stronger monsters, Grey and Yuna are not too worried about them.
If there was something they were worried about, it was that the familiars would go overboard with their hunting, leaving no quests available for adventurers to take. It would be troublesome if that were the case.
After they had their rest, Grey and Yuna then cleaned up after themselves before going ahead to collect the monster drops. While there was quite a lot, with Grey's ability, it was relatively easy to do.
"Alright, let's go back." ［Grey］
"Un!" ［Yuna］
Swift as always, Grey and Yuna returned to Galderia, passing through hundreds, if not thousands of trees along the way. Thankfully, there weren't many people and so, no problematic matters arose.
The moment the city was in sight, they once again casted their disguise. It has already been some time since the people crowded the inn and they have already started to disperse. Even then, Grey and Yuna could not be too carefree and cause another commotion.
"Haah... No matter how many times I've seen it, it just feels strange. I really couldn't get used to your new appearances." ［Dale］
Dale heaved a heavy sigh as he looked at Grey and Yuna for a brief moment. A couple days before, the first time he saw them, he was in disbelief at how different they looked. But after taking a closer look, he could clearly tell it was them.
"Well, there's nothing we could do about it. It would just cause trouble for everyone if we were to go out normally." ［Grey］
"Un. People crowd very easily as soon as they see us. Frankly, it's quite tiring dealing with it." ［Yuna］
"I guess you're right. I guess it isn't all positives after becoming famous, huh... Must be really tough." ［Dale］
"Haha... You can say that again." ［Grey］
Idly talking about some trivial things, Dale "inspected" Grey and Yuna's guild cards for a moment. In reality, there was no need to do so. After all, there was not a single person in the city who didn't know them.
"Alright, here you go... Enjoy the rest of your day." ［Dale］
"Un! We will!" ［Yuna］
A large smile was plastered on Yuna's face as she and Grey continued heading towards the Adventurers' Guild. Since it was there, they decided to undo their disguise as the guild was a different situation from the rest of the city.
The moment they arrived, they headed straight to the reception desks where, as usual, Tilda handled their quests completion with maximum efficiency. Since they only took a single quest for the day, it took much faster than usual.
"Okay. I'm done processing the quest. Here are your cards." ［Tilda］
"Thanks, Tilda." ［Grey］
"Don't mention it. It's what my job is about anyway." ［Tilda］
Friendly as usual, Grey, Yuna, and Tilda had their little chat. It was just about time for Tilda's break and so she decided to spend it with the two, slowly getting out of the reception area into the waiting area where there were several empty seats available.
The topic of conversation was nothing serious, only about the things which happened recently. They also talked about the housewarming party just recently. Tilda has taken quite the liking to their cooking and would love to try some again sometime in the future.
Chatting to Tilda on her breaks has been a part of Grey and Yuna's new routine. Ever since they registered in the other guilds, their pace has been more relaxed and more enjoyable. After all, there was no need for them to earn quest points as much as they did in the past.
"Oh! Looks like it's about time for my break to end. Seems like we'll have to end our chat here." ［Tilda］
"Mou... That's too bad. I wanted to talk with you more." ［Yuna］
"Fufu, then how about we continue next time. And, oh right! I just remembered. The Guildmaster was looking for you this morning. It seems like it's something important. Please head to his office when you have time." ［Tilda］
"Sure. We'll do just that." ［Grey］
Dropping such an important note so nonchalantly, Tilda headed back to her post with a satisfied smile on her. As for Grey and Yuna, they talked a little bit before heading to the Guildmaster's office.
On the way, Grey and Yuna talked some more, mainly about what they'll be having for lunch and dinner. They have already eaten a lot of tasty things over the course of the last few days and wanted to switch things up a bit. They were both thinking of experimenting with new dishes.
The talk continued and it didn't take long until the two of them arrived in front of the Guildmaster's office. They didn't even need to knock. The moment the Guildmaster heard their footsteps stop by the other side of the door, he let them in immediately.
"W... Woah..." ［Grey］
A mountain of paperwork. That was what greeted Grey and Yuna the moment they opened the door and walked inside the office. There was even more compared to the last time they saw the Guildmaster swamped with work.
"Sorry for the mess. Two of our senior staff members got sick so I'm handling their work. I hope you understand." ［Gaston］
"No... It's alright... By the way, Guildmaster, why were you looking for us?" ［Grey］
"Ah, that..." ［Gaston］
Hearing Grey' question, the Guildmaster stopped with his work for a moment. He then searched the pile of paper nearby in search of a certain something. For a moment, he looked like a mole digging on the ground, but rather than soil, he was digging on a pile of papers.
"Ah, here it is." ［Gaston］
The Guildmaster only stopped when he found a letter at the bottom of the pile. It had signs of being opened, obviously by the Guildmaster. It was a letter from the main branch mediated by the royal capital's branch.
Of course, it being sent by the main branch only meant one thing. It was regarding Grey and Yuna's request for getting alternate guild cards. A reply from the two of them has been waiting for quite some time now.
The moment the Guildmaster handed the letter to Grey and Yuna, their eyes quickly scanned the letter. Soon after, they opened wide in surprise as they grasped the contents of the message. It was a welcome one.
"This is...!" ［Grey］
"Yeah... That's right. Your request has been approved by the Grandmaster. While it may take a while before everything is settled, you'll be receiving your alternate ID cards soon enough." ［Gaston］
An overwhelming happiness surged deep within Grey and Yuna's hearts, their faces decorated with smiles extending from ear to ear. As for the Guildmaster, he only heaved a short sigh seeing how childish their expressions were.
"Now... If you have nothing else to do, you are dismissed now. I still have all this work to finish by tomorrow." ［Gaston］
"Alrightー Wait! Tomorrow?!" ［Grey］
Grey subconsciously raised his voice in surprise. No matter how he looked at it, the amount of paperwork present was not something a single person can accomplish in a single day. Not to mention that the Guildmaster was very tired at the moment.
Even considering the amount of work he did in his past life as a salaryman, he hasn't even experienced even a quarter of the amount in a single time. He even had the help of modern technology at that time. It will only bring him nightmares trying to imagine doing the amount of work the Guildmaster is doing.
"Yeah. This needs to be passed before tomorrow evening." ［Gaston］
"And these papers are..." ［Grey］
"They're quest documents and things of the same nature... The lower ranked quests can be handled by most staff members, but for the higher ranked ones, only senior staff members can do it... Who, as you know, are sick at the moment." ［Gaston］
"Higher ranked quests". Those three words rang inside Grey's mind like the morning does throughout the city. There were only a few people in Galderia capable of completing such quests. And amongst them, Grey and Yuna were the ones who cleared them like crazy.
Since high-ranked quests involve a lot of sought out materials, it involves a lot of documents from various guilds, organizations, and individuals. With Grey and Yuna clearing them like crazy up until recently, paperwork piled up very quickly.
Everything would have been alright if the two senior staff members the Guildmaster was talking about were present. Them being sick at the same time was a big loss for the guild.
Guilt. Such emotion creeped inside Grey's heart. Especially when he saw how dark and thick the bags under his eyes were. It reminded him of his difficulties in his previous life, in both college and work.
"Umm... Guildmaster, would you like some help? Despite how I look, I'm actually quite experienced with paperwork." ［Grey］
"Oh, really? That would really be a great help, but... are you really sure? Aren't you busy?" ［Gaston］
"No. I'm free at the moment." ［Grey］
Silence enveloped the room for a moment as the Guildmasters tried to think Grey's offer over. Well, there wasn't really much to think about. After all, he needed all the help he could get.
"Haah... Then I'll gracefully accept your help. I'll compensate you later when we're finished with this." ［Gaston］
"You don't have to worry about that. I'm doing it on my free will, after all." ［Grey］
Said Grey as he approached the Guildmaster's table. While the document formats in Merusia differs a little from Earth's, it wasn't out of Grey's out. He'll be able to fare well with a little bit of guidance.
But there was one itsy-bitsy but crucial detail he had forgotten. It was Yuna whom he already promised to spend the rest of the day relaxing with.
"Grey... How about our lunch together...?" ［Yuna］
"Ah, about that... I'm really sorry, Yuna. I need to help out the guild right now. I'll make it up to you when I get home, okay?" ［Grey］
"Okay..." ［Yuna］
Traces of dejection present in her voice, Yuna responded to Grey's words. Soon enough, Yuna parted ways with Grey. She headed back to their house while Grey remained at the guild to help out.
All by herself, Yuna returned home. She then made herself a quick lunch as soon as she arrived with what ingredients were available in the pantry, doing what she can while Grey is still busy at the guild.
It only took her several minutes to finish cooking. Rice, omelettes, braised beef stew, and a cup of pudding for dessert. It was a simple meal for her to enjoy. Of course, she also made sure to set aside a portion for Grey.
"Thank you for the meal!" ［Yuna］
Yuna quickly dug in her meal, but not a smile could be seen on her face. While the procedure she did was exactly the same, when she ate it, for some reason, it didn't taste as good as she remembered it. It was much tastier when she ate it with Grey.
Wallowed in silence, Yuna continued her lunch with a little gloomy atmosphere about her. The deafening silence of the dining room felt eerie to the ears of the listener. It was the first time Yuna didn't feel like eating much.
The sun started to set and the stars started to appear in the sky. Evening has already arrived yet Grey was still not home. Yuna wasted her time away by cuddling with the familiars and playing board games by herself.
"Oh, it's about time, huh..." ［Yuna］
Getting up from the couch, Yuna headed to the kitchen once again. This time, she cooked dinner, cooking rice again, fried fish, hamburg steak, and egg soup. She also had the lunch portion for Grey reheated.
"I'm back～." ［Grey］
The moment Grey's voice reached her pointy elven ears, Yuna quickly dropped whatever she was doing and rushed straight to the gates, giving the former a tight embrace, surprising him at the same time.
"Y-Yuna...?" ［Grey］
"Welcome home." ［Yuna］
Grey, who was wearing a pretty exhausted expression after getting home from the guild, now smiled softly as he patted Yuna's head gently. He knew how quickly she gets lonely and was happy that she was able to get by by herself.
"Ah, right. I just finished cooking dinner. Let's eat together!" ［Yuna］
Yuna invited Grey with a warm smile on her face, but Grey's expression couldn't be any different. What he wore was one which looked guilty and sorry. Yuna could already tell that whatever his response was going to be, it won't be to her liking.
"Actually, Yuna... I'm still not finished with the paperwork. Since it was getting late, I decided to take them home with me... Sorry, but I couldn't eat with you tonight. Maybe tomorrow, alright?" ［Grey］
"Un..." ［Yuna］
Just like before, a dejected expression loomed over Yuna's face. Grey was so tired from all the work he just did that he didn't even notice it this time around. He simply headed to the living room and started working again.
As for Yuna, she once again ate a lonely meal. Now, the food tastes even worse than when it did over lunch. She couldn't help but glance at Grey who was in the living room. Even when he was there, she still felt lonely.
After dinner, Yuna placed Grey's portion back in the refrigerator again. She then headed to the living room and played with the familiars again, trying not to bother Grey with his work.
"Yuna." ［Grey］
"Hm? What is it?" ［Yuna］
"Tonight, I'll be staying in the living room. Can you sleep by yourself?" ［Grey］
For a moment, Yuna was happy that Grey called out her name, but her happiness didn't last very long. In just a matter of seconds it was replaced with sadness even heavier than before.
"Is the paperwork still not finished?" ［Yuna］
"Sorry, it's a lot harder than I thought" ［Grey］
"Alright... Good night..." ［Yuna］
"Yeah, good night." ［Grey］
She wasn't even sleepy yet she headed upstairs already. Yuna just didn't want Grey to see her dejected and lonely expression which looked like she was about to cry out of loneliness.
The moon and stars shone bright in the wide and open night sky above, yet Yuna's heart couldn't be any cloudier. Her heart was shrouded with sadness just like how the world was enveloped with darkness. It was a lonely night
Morning came and with it was a fresh start. Despite staying up all night, Grey still hasn't finished the paperwork. While he had made significant progress, it would still take him a couple of hours to finish completely.
"Grey, let's have breakfast." ［Yuna］
"Sorry, I still have some documents left unfinished. Maybe later." ［Grey］
"Later...?" ［Yuna］
There wasn't much energy in Yuna's voice to begin with. But after hearing Grey's words, she was left speechless. She was experiencing a swirl of emotions she had never felt before.
"That's it! I've had enough!" ［Yuna］
A sudden outburst. Yuna raised her voice against Grey, little tears forming on the corner of her eyes. The emotions she was bottling up since yesterday morning have finally reached the limit and exploded.
"Huh? Yuna, what's wrong?" ［Grey］
"What's wrong...? Are you seriously asking me that?! You've been ignoring me all this time! Are those documents really that important?! You aren't even having meals with me anymore!" ［Yuna］
"Yuna, please don't throw a fit right now. This is serious business." ［Grey］
"And you think I'm not serious?! I've been patient with you since yesterday, yet you... you aren't even considering my feelings!" ［Yuna］
"Yuna, this isn't the time for that. You're being childish right now." ［Grey］
Rather than calming Yuna down, Grey is only aggravating the situation. His words brought shock to Yuna, adding up to the mix of emotions she was feeling, making her even more confused about her own emotions.
"Me...? Childish...? Then what about you?! Yesterday, you said you'll make it up to me when you get home, but when you did you only focused on work! You then said you'll make it up tomorrow, but tomorrow has already arrived and things are still the same! If I'm childish, then you're a liar who breaks his promises!" ［Yuna］
Grey was struck where it hurts by Yuna's words. He knew he said those words and he meant it when he said them. It was just that he had a tight deadline to make and he couldn't afford to miss it.
"That's... Look, there's still a lot of work to be done. What you're doing right now really isn't helping." ［Grey］
"No one even asked you to do it in the first place! You were the one who volunteered to do it yourself! I know you're trying to be considerate of the Guildmaster, but what about me?! Have you ever thought how I would feel?!" ［Yuna］
"Yuna... This is getting annoying." ［Grey］
Brought over by exhaustion, Grey didn't even think straight when he muttered those words. Unfortunately, Yuna didn't take it that way. She was more than shocked to the point her whole body trembled a little.
Was it from anger? Or is it from disappointment? Maybe it's borne out of sadness. Why was she trembling? Not even Yuna knew the reason why. There was only one thing certain, she didn't want to face Grey at the moment,
"Fine then! Do your paperwork or whatever! I don't care anymore!" ［Yuna］
Stomping her feet quickly and heavily, Yuna turned around and marched straight towards the door with a heavy and bewildered heart. She only stopped when she arrived in front of it, looking at Grey one last time.
"Grey, you idiot!" ［Yuna］
Following Yuna's words, a loud bang echoed violently as Yuna slammed the door close. Soon after, a second bang, accompanied with a clang, resounded when Yuna forcefully opened the gates.
Grey who was left behind, with his exhausted mind, took a while to realize what he just thoughtlessly said. The moment he did, he couldn't help but face-palm. He was immediately struck by regret.
"Goddammit... Why am I so so stupid...?" ［Grey］
CHAPTER 124 END