More than twenty well-equipped mercenaries marched at a stalwart pace from the distance.
"Could it be another reinforcement from Raging Tempest?!" Aurora slowly stepped back to protect Claudia and Flamme behind her. "Flamme, this isn't going to work! You must take Claudia and escape from here no matter what!"
"No! I'll not abandon you, Master!"
Aurora was quite taken aback by Flamme's firm refusal. This was the first time Flamme so resolutely disobeyed her order.
"Hey, listen to me—"
"No, Captain! I also don't want to abandon you, Captain! Either everyone escapes together or dies together while trying!"
Claudia clenched her staff tightly and mustered up her courage to face the life-and-death situation. Though, despite her bravado, anyone could see how hard her legs are trembling and her hands shaking right now.
"Haah~"
Seeing that both of them were so determined, Aurora couldn't help but feel a little warm in her heart. She was so used to being abandoned that she'd never expected there would be someone who stuck with her even in the face of death. This was something that she couldn't have dreamed of in her previous life, but now she had finally found someone who cared deeply about her.
Alas, she might not be able to enjoy it for too long.
She nodded heavily and clenched the weapon in her hand. No matter what, even if she died here, she wouldn't make it easy for the other party.
Eventually, the figures of those mercenaries gradually became clear. Aurora finally breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the leading man. He was Tix, and following him must be his comrades from the Moon Wolf Mercenary Group! Considering the relationship between Olsen and Tix, which was worse than cat and dog, they must be coming here to rescue her.
"Tix, you bastard! This is a matter between me and that bitch, you, Moon Wolf, aren't allowed to meddle in it!"
Olsen's complexion turned ashen when he saw that it was Tix who arrived. How could these guys arrive at this critical time?!
"Lady Aurora! Fortunately we're not too late!"
Tix stood in front of Olsen while the mercenaries behind him pulled out their weapons and immediately assumed a battle stance, staring closely at those members of the Raging Tempest Mercenary Corps, ready to take action immediately if there was the slightest movement from the enemies.
"Miss Vivian told us that she was afraid that this bastard Olsen would try to kill you on the way back, so she asked us to come and support you. Sure enough, everything was as Miss Vivian expected, so many people were sent to ambush the three of you, Lady Aurora!" Tix glanced at the furious Olsen contemptuously.
"Aren't you Wolf Moon so idle these days?!"
"Hehehe… just like you say, we get a lot of time to spare recently. Wouldn't it be wonderful to get rid of some scumbags from Raging Tempest in the meantime?" Tix grinned, and the mercenaries behind him once again moved a few steps closer. "So... are you going to fight? Or are you going to run with your tail tucked between your legs?"
"This bastard!"
Olsen was so angry but also helpless. He knew that Tix was aware that the situation wasn't that good for himself and his crew and dared not to easily broke in fight with them, so he repeatedly provoked himself.
He glanced at Aurora and two girls behind her with eyes full of unwillingness. After this fight, they had already completely fell over with Glory Mercenary Groups, and the entire Raging Tempest Mercenary Group would be implicated by his action. So, he really wanted to end it here and now.
But…
His eyes fell to Tix and his group, who were confronting them right now. Once he made a move, would he really be sure to retreat safely after killing Aurora?
Totally impossible!
Leaving aside whether Aurora, who used a strange fighting style, has a hidden hand that could withstand a round of shooting from the crossbow, Tix's strength alone wasn't something that he could contend with in his current state of losing one of his arms.
"Hmmph!"
After weighing the pros and cons, Olsen snorted coldly and raised his hand, and those rangers slightly lowered their crossbows and gathered behind him with the remaining mercenaries.
"Bitch, you're lucky this time! I'll definitely kill you the next time we meet. Just wash your neck clean for me!"
"Hehehe, you won't have another chance." Aurora's eyes flashed a cold light.
Originally, she had already planned to destroy the Raging Tempest mercenary group in the future, but since they had already tried to kill her… then don't blame her for doing it in advance.
"Let's go!" Olson knocked Tix away, who was standing in front of him, and led the mercenaries to immediately leave.
After seeing Olsen completely out of his sight, Tix heaved a sigh of relief, and the surrounding mercenaries also put down their weapons.
"Lady Aurora, are you all right?" After confirming that the other party would not return, Tix came over and inquired about Aurora's situation.
"Thank you for your help, Mr. Tix. We are very grateful."
"Don't be. If you want to, thank Miss Vivian instead." Tix patted Aurora's shoulder lightly and asked, "Anyway, what's your plan next, Lady Aurora? Do you want to report this to the townguards?"
"No. I have a different plan in mind. I'll handle this matter myself."
"Do you need our help?"
"Perhaps. But I still need some time. By that time, maybe we'll need Moon Wolf's strength."
"Just tell me when the time comes. We're glad to be able to screw up those bastards from Raging Tempest."
"I'll thank Moon Wolf in advance."
"Don't be polite, Lady Aurora. The enemy of my enemy is my friend." Tix shook his head and smiled.
After a few simple polite words, in order to prevent Olsen from repeating his old tricks and ambushing the three of them again, Tix offered to escort Aurora back to their base. After a short consideration, Aurora finally nodded in agreement; after all, sometimes it was better to be more careful.
Escorted by Tiks, Aurora and company quickly returned to the base. Aurora breathed a sigh of relief after seeing them off and returning to her room.
"It seems that I am still not cautious enough. Is it because I underestimate the enemy that I make such a low-level mistake?"
Aurora, who was sitting on the sofa, buried her head deeply in her palms, and began to carefully recall what she had done after coming to this world.
"Sure enough, I'm still too careless..." After a long time, Aurora sighed deeply. She still felt the lingering fear when she thought that she might lose her life today, but what was even scarier was that she might have once again witnessed the demise of someone precious to her.
After gaining more strength and seeing that what she knew about this world didn't change that much, Aurora grew more and more complacent. She thought that with her knowledge about the future and the aid of the system, just a mere Olsen and Raging Tempest couldn't pose any threat to her.
But in truth, she had neglected one important thing. She was no longer alone in this world. There were Claudia and Flamme beside her, and in the future, she would get many more allies and companions that she cared about. Even if she could avoid dangerous situations by herself, what about the others?
Many things could actually be avoided. Set the accident this time as an example. She should've known that someone as narrowminded and grudgeful as Olsen would definitely try to get revenge for the humiliation he felt in the auction.
If she had been just slightly more vigilant, she could've chosen a better route with more people or requested an escort from the Nightingale Chamber of Commerce. Had she done so, an accident like this would never have happened at all.
Fortunately, this time, Vivian had taken the initiative to entrust the Moon Wolf Mercenary Group to help her, but what about next time? What if a similar situation occurred and, because she underestimated the enemy, Flamme and Claudia were once again in danger?
No! I absolutely can't accept that! Aurora clenched her fist so hard that her nails sunk deeply into her flesh, turning her palm white.
Would Auror make the same mistake if he were in Aurora's shoes? Probably not.
The strongest guild master, Auror, would never underestimate his enemies, even if he had absolute advantages against them. Even if he was facing enemies far below his level, he would still crush them with 120% effort and strength. That was how he could be the strongest player despite having the trashiest profession in the eyes of other players. Furthermore, he wasn't alone. He had trusted allies beside her who would assist, guide, and correct his actions, preventing low-level mistakes like this from happening.
And what about her? She was negligent, complacent, and arrogant! And despite having Flamme and Claudia by her side, could she honestly say that she trusted them from the bottom of her heart? Not that she was suggesting the two girls were untrustworthy, but there was always a small voice that kept repeating in her mind:
They don't need a weak and incompetent leader!
If you show your true self, they will leave and abandon you like everyone else!
No one wants someone who can't take care of her own problems!
It would be better if you're Auror!
Useless! You're useless! Nobody wants you!
Face the truth, Aurora!
"Aargh, shut up!!" Aurora clutched her head, face buried in her arms, grimacing. "Stop! I know, I'm just a weak, useless, and incompetent girl, I know that already! Shut up!" Claudia's and Flamme's faces resurface in her mind. "I know I'm not worthy of them! But I..." Claudia gazed her gently, a warm smile adorning her face, while the expressionless Flamme looked at her with naked concern in her eyes. "I don't want to lose them. I don't want to be alone anymore." She balled her hand into a fist and spoke with determination. "I'm going to change, no, I have to change!"
Do you think you can do it?
That voice once again sneered, definitely mocking her resolution.
"I..." Aurora parted her lips with difficulty, she wanted to answer, but her words stuck in her throat. She gritted her teeth and steeled her resolve. But just as she was about to answer, a familiar voice: deep and masculine yet sounded like it was smiling—the voice of the man she always compared herself to—rang in her mind.
Of course you can! Because you're me! Don't doubt yourself, Aurora.