"I give up," declared the lead adventurer as he sheathed his swords with a practiced motion, turning on his heel to leave, much to Dash and the others' astonishment. "Wait, why? You're supposed to fight me!" Dash exclaimed, disappointment evident in his voice.
"Yeah! With so many gold ranks here, we can surely take him down!" yelled Sir Hamish confidently. The lead adventurer let out a sigh of exhaustion. "I'd rather fight the sun and the moon. Trust me, we stand a better chance in that battle than against him," he explained, brushing off Sir Hamish's protestations with a dismissive wave while he gritted his teeth in frustration, unable to argue.
"B-but you have to try! Don't give up on me now!" Dash pleaded, his voice tinged with uncertainty. Ignoring Dash, the lead adventurer started walking away. "So, does that mean you'll let me go?" Lennix inquired, poking his head out from behind Dash.
The lead adventurer turned back, his voice heavy with fatigue. "Sure, whatever. It's not like we have much of a choice," he relented. Glancing around the area, he added, "Besides, considering you're still standing after fighting with this lunatic, I doubt we could take you down without heavy casualties, if at all,"
Turning to the rest of the adventurers, he called out, "Come on, everyone, let's pack it up. This is more trouble than it's worth." Most of the adventurers nodded in agreement, relieved that they wouldn't have to engage with The Wandering Calamity.
"That's it? Nothing happened?" Elanor's voice held a hint of disappointment as he surveyed the scene.
"Don't sound disappointed. Be glad that nothing happened. This could have been a battle with no real victor if it played out," the black knight responded, exhaling a sigh of relief. He knew he would have had to intervene if a fight broke out, ensuring that no one ended up accidentally dying.
Vrax, however, seethed with anger as he looked around at the departing adventurers. "No way this is happening," he growled, his frustration evident. He attempted to stride up to the lead adventurer, but Ryo intervened, grabbing his shoulder.
"Don't, Vrax. There's no point," Ryo advised, but Vrax brushed him off, shoving him away. "Let go of me!" he shouted before approaching the lead adventurer and stepping in front of him. "What do you want?" the lead adventurer asked, giving Vrax a tired and annoyed look.
"You have to take that thing down, Guild Master! You know how dangerous vampires are! You ha—" Vrax was abruptly cut off as Sir Hamish struck him in the snout with the shaft of his spear. "Watch your tone!" Sir Hamish warned, causing Vrax to fall to the ground, blood trickling from his nose.
Though his party members wanted to rush to his aid, they knew it was futile. The Guild Master looked down at Vrax, delivering a stern message. "Look, kid, if you want to run to your death, then do it. I don't care. But don't try to drag the rest of the guild with you," he admonished.
With that, he and some other adventurers boarded the steamwagon they arrived in, ready to depart. The rest of the adventurers followed suit, either mounting their own steamwagons, horses, or returning on foot.
As the adventurers departed, Minx turned to Clarissa, her eyes pleading. "Please, can I go to them now?" Clarissa remained silent, merely tilting her head in the direction of Minx's party members. Without hesitation, Minx rushed over to where Vrax sat on the ground, consumed by anger and sadness.
"Why can't they understand? He's a vampire. He needs to die. Just why?" Vrax muttered bitterly as Minx began to heal his injuries. "Don't make any sudden movements, Vrax. You could be concussed again," she cautioned, her voice filled with concern.
The rest of their party members approached, offering their support. "Let's just give up, Vrax. We can't win," suggested Jamey, his tone resigned. Julia nodded in agreement. "We aren't strong enough for the vampire to even take us seriously," she added, her frustration evident.
Ryo sighed deeply and joined in. "Come on, Vrax. We have a quest we need to turn in," he urged gently. With his head hung low, Vrax got up with Minx's assistance. Casting a last glance at Lennix and Dash, he turned away, muttering, "Let's go," his defeat palpable.
The rest of the party members nodded in silent agreement, and with heavy hearts, they made their way back to their horses, each step laden with disappointment and resignation as they departed, their spirits crushed by the outcome.
Meanwhile, "Ah, I'm so disappointed!" exclaimed Dash clearly crestfallen. Lennix distanced himself from Dash and turned his attention to Mari, surprised to see Clarissa and Karin by her side. "When did you get here?" he asked as he approached them.
"Just a few moments ago," Clarissa replied curtly, while Mari addressed Lennix eagerly. "Can I open my eyes now, Uncle Lennix?" she asked.
Lennix, noticing Mari and Karin holding hands, gave them a puzzled look. Karin avoided his gaze. "Yes, you can open them now, Mari," he replied, choosing not to comment on the handholding at that moment. Mari finally opened her eyes and looked around her surroundings. "Whoa, what happened?" she asked, looking at the building Lennix had been launched into.
Lennix hesitated before responding, "Nothing you need to know, Mari." Suddenly, the sound of armor rustling caught their attention. "Can I not leave you alone for even a single hour, man?" the black knight asked, fixing his gaze on Lennix.
"It's not my fault this time! They attacked me first, right Mari?" Lennix defended himself, turning to Mari for support. Mari nodded in agreement. "Yeah! They attacked Uncle Lennix, and he defended himself!" she affirmed.
"That sounds believable. Master Lennix does have a very punchable face, after all," Clarissa interjected. Lennix shot her a flabbergasted look, surprised by her comment. "Honestly, yeah, that makes sense," the black knight chimed in with a nod, earning another bewildered expression from Lennix.
"See, it's not Uncle Lennix's fault he was born that way," Mari chimed in, attempting to reassure him. Lennix sighed in exasperation. "You too, Mari!? Goddess, does anyone even like me?" he exclaimed, feeling defeated.
Lennix let out a sigh before turning to the black knight and Elanor. "So, how did it go? Were you able to set up a request?" he asked. Elanor shook his head in disappointment. "No, before I could, someone got into a fight with him," he explained, gesturing towards the black knight. "And after that, everyone rushed out of the guild building to come here," he continued. Lennix rubbed the back of his neck apologetically. "Sorry about that."
"What are you guys talking about!?" suddenly yelled Dash, inserting himself into the conversation and startling Lennix. "Seriously, what is wrong with you?" Lennix asked, clearly annoyed. Dash tilted his head in confusion. "With me? Nothing! I'm completely okay!" he exclaimed, his enthusiasm undiminished. The rest of the group looked at him with varying expressions: the black knight in confusion, Clarissa with her usual flat expression, Karin with irritation, Elanor also with confusion, and finally, Mari with recognition.
"Oh, you're the one that called me cute and really wanted to fight Uncle Lennix," Mari said, realization dawning on her. Dash grinned and pointed at himself, nodding enthusiastically. "Yup, that's me!" he confirmed.
The black knight nudged Lennix, asking, "Who's this?" Lennix was about to answer, but then an idea struck him. "Wait a minute, that's perfect!" he exclaimed. Everyone (Besides Clarissa), turned to him in confusion as he pointed at Dash. "You want to fight strong people, right?" he asked, to which Dash nodded his head up and down eagerly.
Then, Lennix turned and pointed at Elanor. "And you want someone to help your village, right?" he asked. Elanor gave him a puzzled look before replying, "Yes, but you already knew that." Lennix smirked and put his arm around Dash, pointing at his face. "Well then, say hello to the savior of Wolfdale!"