Their party consisted of a total of five people: the black-haired swordsman, a very young-looking silver-haired female elf with a magic wand, a mid-twenties-looking woman in a nun outfit who looked like a typical healer, a slender red-haired human woman with a bow and a few daggers around her hips, and a well-built, overweight man who had a way bigger body than any human she had ever seen, and that's why his job would probably be the tank, which could be explained by the shield he was caring for on his back.
Johanna was confused about how such a ragdoll group formed and why they were here in this forest; that's why she simply asked them.
"So, what brings you here?"
"We are adventurers, and we got here because our group leader had the brilliant idea of, instead of using a map, just going on an adventure and finding the way through this forest through sheer luck."
The red-haired archer answered her question, and that's when Johanna realised just how naive and stupid this group was, but she could definitely tell that this swordsman was certainly not the best option to pick as the leader of the group.
"And why did you come here?"
"Because we heard screams from a woman in this house, so why don't we get out of here before the minotaur comes back?"
This time the oh-so-adventurous swordsman answered her question. It looked like he got more nervous and shaken from the encounter with Basil than Johanna expected.
"That's because I want to stay here. You don't need to worry; he's friendly towards humans, unless you provoke him and try to steal his wife, Mister Swordsman. Anyway, how did you even survive getting this far?"
This time, instead of answering the questions, they just kept silent and looked at the table with sad faces. Johanna knew that she hit a bad nerve and probably shouldn't poke at this topic anymore, but to her surprise, the archer answered.
"Our mentor left his life protecting us from two orcs, who are C-Rank monsters, and since we couldn't do anything to help him, we fled and just ran, until we stumbled upon your house."
"How long ago was this?"
"Probably 4 hours ago."
"Is your master strong enough to have survived that encounter?"
"If she were, she wouldn't have told us to run."
She looked down again, ashamed of their own behaviour. It was the most logical decision they could have taken, and it was even the order of their master, but they still felt bad for abandoning her like this. Johanna also realised how brave the swordsman was for trying to stand up against Basil, who is a Minotaur, so he could have wiped out their whole group, but because he stood up for them, Johanna had enough time to calm him down and prevent the worst.
"This sounds bad; mind showing me where you came from?"
The archer pointed in the direction, and Johanna nodded understandingly. She could do something now, but she knew that taking care of these kids should be her biggest priority right now.
"Why don't you eat some food that I will cook after I talk to my husband for a little bit?"
"Wait, so he is your husband, and you stay here willingly?"
These were the first words the swordsman said after the story, and Johanna nodded in response.
"If I wanted to run away, I could have easily done that."
Johanna said this while chuckling at the idea of Basil keeping her as a prisoner. She walked into the room where Basil and the kids were playing and sat down beside him.
"They are just scared kids who got lost; please don't be too angry at them. I will give them something to eat and let them stay here for the night to rest since they need the brake."
"I don't like the idea of that, but only because of Molly, Julia, and our boy. I think especially Molly would enjoy the company of the sameaged individuals."
"Ok, thanks, honey; I will bring them out of the forest tomorrow."
"Are you sure you will be fine with them?"
"They shouldn't be a problem, just like the forest, and someone has to protect our children."
"Fine."
Johanna got back up again, gave Basil a kiss, and returned to the teenagers who were awaiting her return. They talked about various things, like how they met and where they came from, while Johanna was preparing some meat and potatoes for them to eat. Once the food was done, they dug in, devouring the whole thing in less than ten minutes.
"Was it enough?"
"I could take one more plate."
"Balu, that's enough already."
They all responded in unison.
"You're trying to lose weight; have you already forgotten?"
"No, I'm just hungry from the long trip."
While they were still discussing Balus weight loss, Johanna just prepared another meal for Balu, the tank of their group. While Balu was still eating, the rest of the group laid down on the cushioned part of the floor to relax there. Once Balu was done eating, he joined the rest of the group, which was all sleeping except for the swordsman, who was still keeping a watch even though he was far from the orcs and in relative safety.