The battle left me feeling rather excited, the flow of blood in my veins surging rapidly while both Rena and Yuzu checked for anything worth money.
"Aki, there were twenty Lesser Monster Cores and five Small Cores."
I turned to face Rena while collecting my last arrow, damn the shaft was a little damaged but using my skinning dagger, I scaled the wood to make it balanced again.
It would probably break soon, and I won't get many more shots from this one; let's use it first and overcharge it with fire mana...
Could I make it explode?
Rena was holding a small bag we used for the cores because sometimes they were nasty and covered in goo or flesh, and behind her, Yuzu carried five dazzling gems larger than the others with a happy face.
She rushed up to me, ignoring the dirty blood on her cheeks as her blue eyes shimmered brightly.
"I found it!"
Her bushy golden tail slapped the floor with a deep thud, not realising how adorable she was right now.
"What did you find, Yuzu?"
"Shiny things!"
"Do you want them?"
She looked at me for a moment, then down to the small cores. Their glistening blue colour was indeed pretty compared to where they came from.
Slowly, she began to move them over to her other hand, but after placing three of them, she made a sad face, which made me feel like a bad man stealing a child's sweets.
"Okay, you can keep those two, and we'll use these three for money."
I didn't mind losing a few copper coins or bronze.
The people seemed to call the dull brown coins either, depending on where you shopped, so with the brightly glowing eyes of Yuzu, I took three of them and let her keep the other two; maybe it was a loss, but ten or twenty coins wouldn't kill us.
I passed the cores over to Rena, who stored them in the bag and her item storage while I kept one of the small ones for myself.
If we happened to get separated now, each of us had a way to get money to find the others or wait at an inn.
"Shall we continue?"
"Mm!"
"A-Aki... Can I lead this time? I want to fight at the front."
Rena seemed to really want to lead the way, so I let her while switching to my bow and looking at her quietly as the surroundings were eerily quiet. Occasionally, she would show this really adamant and cute look that would never take no for an answer.
"Sure, but let me know if you need my help."
***
[You Gained 10 Experience! (Exp: 932/4000)] x 30
Blood oozed into the muddy ground as the rain started with a pitter-patter before becoming a full-on downpour, causing the trees and floor to splash.
She...
Rena didn't need my help.
Her crazed face, those bloodthirsty eyes as she looks back at me with blood and guts covering her beautiful face, a twisted smile as her mace is crushing the skull of the goblin shaman, pressing his corpse into the floor.
"Aki... I got them all... Ehehe."
Yuzu was standing behind me, watching with her nose tickling my neck, seeming to be scared of the brutal nature of Rena during combat.
I had forgotten her class was berserker, and once she didn't need to worry about hitting me or Yuzu...
She became a demon.
Smashing
Crushing
Tearing
The goblins didn't attack her at first.
Seeing her, maybe they mistook her for the same kind and stood still, looking a little confused, but then she summoned her mace and swung it like a baseball bat, crushing their skulls like a violent Amazonian.
"Rena..."
"Mmm?"
She looked at me without any difference, like the woman who slaughtered those goblins like a serial killer didn't exist and returned to the cute girl.
"Is your body okay?"
"Hehe, Aki, do you want to touch Rena? Come, feel her and make sure she's okay."
It's the usual Rena...
What a relief, but somehow, watching her massacre those goblins and her bloodthirsty glare turned me on.
"Later, their main settlement is just through that clearing, right? I can hear them banging and cluttering around."
"Wuu...."
"Are we going to attack head-on?" Rena asked, her black mace slamming down on the poor goblin shaman's disfigured face.
I didn't want to rush and instead looked at Yuzu, who was holding onto my body, before noticing my gaze as she pushed me away and pouted with a red face.
There was someone following, and I honestly didn't know if she wanted revenge for my cheap tricks to defeat her or if she took my joke about being my maid seriously...
(Random Training Event Triggered!)
[Eh!? What's going on? This isn't me! Akira, be careful of your choice!]
You have been exceptional in your training of the Gobella Rena, and the cute Yuzu is slowly coming around. However, your next task is far more difficult. She hates you, finds you to be a pervert and wants to beat you and seek freedom from being your maid.
Now, how will you deal with Sylvia Argenta?
1. Keep her at arm's length; you do not know her, and the people of this world do not take kindly to travellers.
Rewards: The fateful event will be changed, the death of a classmate will be avoided, +2 Levels.
2. She was powerful; you need someone to help Rena fight, keep her in check and avoid her getting isolated; make her yours by any means.
Rewards: The fateful event will be changed, dead of a classmate cannot be avoided, +2 Levels, Sylvia becomes your third monster.
3. Sylvia is my defeated maid; I will make her my bitch and have her support Rena while learning to idolise me as her lord and master.
Rewards: The Fateful event will chaotically change. The death of classmates cannot be avoided; +3 Levels, Sylvia becomes your devoted monster and will challenge your worth as her master, bond + 100 on successful completion.
"..."
I could hear the distant goblins, some making noise, likely about the several patrols which had been wiped out, or maybe something else along with the clang of Sylvia's armour.
What did she mean? It wasn't her.
"Aki?"
Rena looked at me with a smile, hugging the left side of my body, making me wonder why the choices revolved around her.
Was she the classmate?
Why did it become plural when choosing the last option?
"Mmm, sorry, I am just thinking about how we can attack them most safely. Can you give me a moment?"
"Of course, then, don't mind me."
She then hugged my side and began to sniff my chest, her warmth and the scent of her slight sweat filling my nose, while I closed my eyes, hoping to make a choice quickly.
(You took too long; Choice 1 is gone.)