PART 3

Aefa stood still, unable to comprehend the situation, as she saw the kick coming closer.

She–and her teammates–had already resigned her survival, but the imminent tragedy didn’t occur.

Bar grabbed her shoulder and jumped directly horizontal. The two rolled atop the gra.s.s, barely evading the attack.

The Auðumbla grumbled, turned around, and then growled. It was obvious that it didn’t like its attack evaded.

Helena and Tinee shrieked, falling on their a.s.ses, their legs having turned jelly.

The Auðumbla turned towards the two, its eyes shining bright with agitation, and a ferocious wind pressure exerting out of its nostrils.

They were starting to understand why Bar had advised them not to interfere with it.

Aefa bit her lip, regretting the fact she hadn’t paid attention to Bar’s warnings. We’ll all die here, she thought.

Aumba wasn’t an agile monster, but almost everyone was planted to the ground in some fashion and wouldn’t be able to get up to evade the attack in time.

It would be a miracle if even one survived.

Unlike the despairing girls, Bar left Aefa on the gra.s.s, stood up, and grabbed the gra.s.ses growing on the riverbank.

And threw it towards Auðumbla, aiming at its nose.

“Grrrr!”

Auðumbla quickly lost its hostility as the herbs started to take effect.

“Get up and run!” Bar shouted at the three.

“Y, yes!”

Aefa alone stood up at his words, and helped Tinee get on her feet while Bar helped Helena, and they escaped.

After reaching the top of the hill, Bar turned around to survey his surroundings, making sure that the Auðumbla wasn’t following after them.

Seeing his actions, the rest also turned around and heaved a sigh of relief when they saw nothing resembling a black cow near the vicinity.

“We were almost done for…” Tinee said.

“I’m sorry,” Aefa apologized.

“Err, there’s someone else you should say that to,” Helena said, gesturing towards Bar, albeit timidly.

“You’re right,” Aefa turned around to face Bar, avoiding meeting his eyes. “I’m sorry, Bar. I was wrong. And thank you for protecting me.”

Bar thought it was laudable of her to speak such words.

“You’re welcome. Better late than never,” Bar smiled, his expression gentle as he accepted her apology.

“B, but…” Aefa tried to argue, but her eyes saw it. Bar’s left arm had been acting up for some time. “Are you okay? Is that a fracture?”

“No, it’s just a bruise. I couldn’t evade it completely,” Bar replied, relaxing to the extreme. However, the girls were fl.u.s.tered, and scurried to him.

“W, what to do. Helena, you can use the healing magic, right?”

Helena approached Bar at Aefa’s request, put her hand on his left elbow and chanted a spell.

“O G.o.ddess of Affection, heed to my prayers. Heal this man with your enormous divinity. ‘Heal’.”

Bar’s left elbow was covered with a bright, white light in an instant.

“Thanks to you, the pain has subsided,” Bar said.

“No, it’s thanks to you we survived!” Helena exclaimed, her cheeks reddening in embarra.s.sment.

“You were looking cool back there, Mr. Bar,” Tinne said, as Helena and Aefa nodded their heads in agreement.

“T, that’s right. I didn’t know veteran’s were so reliable,” Helena said, her voice seepish.

“Hmph. Maybe or maybe not,” Aefa said with her usual audacity.

Despite the difference in their tones and words, they no longer scorned Bar for remaining stuck at the Seventh Rank despite his age.

“Then let’s check if the branches are alright, and then head back,” Bar suggested, not feeling anything in particular despite how the girls viewed him in a new light.

“That’s right.”

The three patted their chests in relief upon seeing their branches alright, and then got up to head back to the guild.

“Welcome back. How was it?” Niebe asked Bar, her expression loosening upon seeing all four unharmed.

“We did it somehow. Also, a female Auðumbla was strolling around the riverside.”

“A female Auðumbla?” Niebe asked back, her expression incomprehensible.

Auðumbla were rarely found near the Imperial Capital, and naturally a guild staff would know of such common sense.

“Understood. Thank you for informing us. I’ll make sure to report it.”

“And here’s the requested item,” Bar said, glancing at the three girls acting obediently.

“This is enough, right?” Aefa asked, producing the Heiren branch from her jute bag.

“Yes, there’s no problem,” Niebe said, confirming the branch and then nodded.

“You reward is ten thousand Tula, and your bonus for the information is two hundred thousand Tula. Your total is two hundred and one thousand Tula.”

The girls loosened their cheeks, big smiles forming on their faces, upon hearing the total reward amount.

A normal worker in the Imperial Capital made about ten thousand Tula a day, and so their reward was quite the fortune.

Aefa took the bag filled with silver coins. “How do I split the reward? Like, how much do I need to pay Bar?” She asked.

Niebe raised her eyes for a second, smiled and replied, “You can pay him twenty percent of your total.”

“I see. Isn’t that low?”

Hearing Aefa’s remark, Niebe couldn’t hide the amazement anymore. “You’ve changed a lot already,” she said.

The obstinate, conceited girl averted her eyes, fiddling with the bag in her hands. “I just realized how idiotic I was,” Aefa said.

“That’s a great progress,” Niebe said, turning around to Bar. “What did you do this time, Mr. Bar?”

“Well, I suppose I was just lucky,” He said with modesty.

Niebe looked at him with an inquisitive gaze, as though she didn’t believe him.

“That’s the reason you’re called “the Struggler” of all things,” she said. Bar laughed away at her words.

“Haha, it’s the truth after all. It’s only luck that we encountered Auðumbla, and got the reward for that information. It’s always a struggle for me.”

“It’s a beneficial skill–to have good luck,” Niebe retorted.Aefa produced four Imperial silver coins and two great copper coins, and handed it to Bar.

“There you go, Bar, forty two thousand Tula.”

“Thanks,” Bar said, stuffing the coins in a cheap, black wallet.

“Would you mind if we team up later sometime?”

“Oh, are you okay with me?” Bar asked in surprise.

Aefa hung her head, her cheeks reddening up, and nodded.

“Yeah. I doubt anyone is against you…right?” She turned around to check her teammates’ expressions.

“It’s fine,” Tinee said.

“Mr. Bar is reliable after all,” Helena said with a smile.

“People do change in a short time. Great job, Mr. Bar,” Niebe said, looking at the trio with a pair of somewhat moist eyes.

“Let’s call it a day. Good luck with your adventures…from tomorrow,” Bar said, averting his eyes in embarra.s.sment.

The trio nodded their heads, “We’ll do just that.”

“Um, we’re throwing a party, would it be alright if you come with us?” Helena asked.

Bar contemplated for a little while and nodded, “Okay. Fine with me.”

He couldn’t ignore such a request. After all, it was his duty to deepen his relation with rookie adventurers.

If he were to become close, it would be easier to advise them, and not have them running wild.

“Yay!…Ah…”

Aefa clapped her hands in excitement only to return to her senses a moment later, and shut her mouth as her neck started to redden as well.

Everyone looking at her broke into a grin, but n.o.body said a thing. That was the way of adventurers.

As Aefa ran out the guild in haste, Tinee, Helena and Bar followed after her.