Third person POV
Later on, the three of them had cleared off another 5 rooms in the dungeon in less than an hour. Some of the monsters they had defeated were more or less hard to kill, but Russell and Azalea managed to find ways to finish them off. All this time, John was amazed to see their skills in fighting.
After that, they proceeded to the eighth room when suddenly, they saw something they shouldn't: Adrian being betrayed by his party, the Elai party. Elai and her party were sadistic about him, and they considered him useless trash. They are going to leave him in that room, which they had cleared out recently.
Seeing that betraying sight, the May party was shocked. But, Russell was cold at this happening. He knew that this would happen, and he guessed and predicted it right and well. "Um, what should we do about this?" Azalea asked before looking at him, only to be surprised that he became cold as ice. So, he knew what to do,
Russell began to think of telling them off for treating Adrian like that but dismissed it because it wasn't viable enough to convince them. So, he looked at his bus's baggage compartment door and now thinks of using it to knock them unconscious. But then, Russell said yes to it and went towards the betraying party while holding it. then, as Elai was about to finish Adrian off, Russell appeared behind her and struck her in the back of her head with his door shield, knocking her unconscious. The other party members, except for Adrian himself, were stunned to see her being knocked out and looked at Russell. Azalea and John were stunned to see what Russell did.
But then, Russell knocked on the other selfish party members with his door shield.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" one of them asked angrily, before being struck in the head by Russell.
After a bit, Russell knocked them unconscious with a simple metal door and saved Adrian from them.
"Take that, jerks…" Russell said while breathing heavily as the adrenaline within him subsided and took effect on his emotions.
After that, he looked at Adrian and gave him a hand. "Are you okay, Adrian-kun?" Adrian then looked at him, only to be stunned to see him again. "Russell?" Adrian then accepted his help and got up, before hugging him while feeling so betrayed by his party.
Russell was taken aback by it. "Huh?"
Hugging him tightly, Adrian said to him as he felt so heartbroken and betrayed, "I thought they were my friends. They are fake, actually..."
"It's okay, you don't have to worry about them hurting you again," Russell reassured him. "You can be with me and my party."
He then referred to Azalea and John, who then waved at Adrian in happy welcome.
Seeing that, Adrian was stunned and thought, "Wow, that guy has a party of his own…wow…"
Eventually, the young F-ranked adventurer agreed with Russell, "Yes, thank you, Russell-san."
Smiling at Adrian in response, Russell responded, "You're welcome, my friend."
But then, just as Russell and Adrian were about to leave the scene, Elai and her party regained consciousness and got up, feeling pissed off by what Russell did.
"Why did you do that for?!" Elai asked him angrily.
"Yeah, why did you do that out of the blue?" her younger brother, a water mage named Belius, added.
"You guys are the worst people I have seen in my life," Russell said to them while still being cold.
"What is your business with us?" Elai scoffed rudely.
"Stay out of this," Belius, added rudely, too.
"It's my business if my friend gets hurt," Russell retorted in anger as he pointed toward them for a few seconds.
"Hey, you know what happens if you insult Elai-san," one of Elai's party members replied back in retaliation.
"Shut up!" Russell shouted back. "What you're doing to Adrian-kun is absolutely unacceptable and ridiculous!"
Elai and her party got offended by his response.
"How dare you say that to us, low life?"
"Adrian-kun is a useless trash."
"You shut up!" Russell retorted back once more. "Adrian is not! He is just doing his best, and you guys did nothing but use him for your own gains! That is completely disgraceful and shameful!"
"Why you little…?" Elai responded by being offended more and trying to blame Russell.
As the two sides argued back and forth, Azalea and John were watching it, and John asked, "Um, can you do something about it?" Azalea thinks for a while, and then she replies, "Yup, give me a second." She then put John down and pointed the palm of her hand toward the Elai party, using her ice magic to unleash a mild Blizzard to tell the Elai party off. The Elai party got struck by her magic and started to hold on against the strong and cold winds. Russell didn't get affected much, and he just felt a mild shiver instead, partially because of his uniform's thickness and the distance.
Adrian was stunned to see Azalea's magic, and Russell told him about her magic, much to Adrian's amazement.
With that Azalea stopped the Blizzard assault on Adrian's former party, before picking John up in her arms. "Woah…" John was astonished to see her response.
After that, they are more pissed off by her action.
"How dare you!"
"That's assault!"
"You have any idea what you did to us?"
"I know," replied Azalea while looking upset at them, "but like what my party leader said, what you're doing to that innocent and decent person is unacceptable."
Adrian then pulled back from hugging and sided with Russell. "Party leader?" Elai retorted back to Azalea.
"Yes, I am her party leader," answered Russell back seriously as he wrapped his arm around Adrian.
"How's that possible?" another of Elai's party members replied back.
"Our guild made it official," Azalea responded back, "even though my leader is an unofficial adventurer here."
Adrian was surprised to hear that while his former party was shocked to hear that Azalea had tagged along with an unofficial adventurer like Russell.
"You tagged along with a free adventurer?"
"That's a violation!"
"You're in deep trouble for that."
"It was," Russell responded to their responses, "but the guild had decided to let it slide anyway."
Elai and her party were even more disgusted by their guild's decision.
At this point, Adrian had decided to join Russell's party instead.
"Well then," Russell said to the Elai party, "for what you did to Adrian-kun, I'll be taking him in. You'll never see him again."
Then to Azalea, Adrian, and John. "Guys, let's go. We're done with this quest."
Azalea nodded in agreement, and she, Adrian, and John turned back and left with Russell.
Seeing them leaving like that made the Elai party angry like a red tomato.