VIP Chapter 396 Waiting for Iaar’s Play
“Fire Dragon Killer… This is all the funding we can provide. I hope this will cover your expenses for this trip.”
Iaar looked at White, whose palm was wrapped in thick bandages and whose head was also bandaged, with some of his hair shaved off on one side.
He looked even more haggard than before, yet he still pushed a thick bag of money towards Iaar with his calloused hand, the one not covered in bandages, which was used to operate a crossbow.
Emily stood by, her head bowed, saying nothing.
“I cannot accept this money if I did not succeed in killing that dragon. Furthermore, if our objectives are the same, I do not need to accept this money.”
Iaar pushed the money back with a serious expression. She negotiated like a seasoned, independent Adventurer.
“Moreover, I do not take commissions related to the Fire Dragon for money. We can try again. After all, this is also for your leg…”
However, facing the very insistent Iaar, White shook his head.
“This time… it made me realize how close I was to death.”
“…How close to death?”
White looked at his burned skin. While burn treatments were advanced nowadays, a burn that had removed a layer of skin was not something that could be easily healed.
“It’s quite humorous. After this adventure, I actually felt… perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad to continue limping like this forever. At least… I’m alive, not dead.”
“White and I plan to find a secluded place, a grassland, to herd sheep and occasionally hunt—you see, his aim is quite good, isn’t it? We’ll spend our lives like this.”
“…”
Iaar sat there. Her arm had also been severely burned. In fact, since she had shouldered most of the attacks, her injuries were even worse than those of the other two.
Her arm was now wrapped in thick bandages, and she was using ice compresses to relieve the burning pain so that her injuries would heal faster.
Her hand, which was gripping her shield tightly, was also abraded from holding it so forcefully for so long.
But…
Even so, she was the only one who still wanted to continue, who wanted to defeat “Al.”
Sitting here, she felt like the odd one out.
“I’ve heard that The End Ash is the grave of Adventurers. After coming here once, one doesn’t want to be an Adventurer anymore. It’s true.”
“It’s as if that Fire Dragon understands how Adventurers should act better than we do. Hahaha… The pride of an Adventurer’s life has ended here.”
“Well, gentlemen… See you later.”
Iaar pushed the money back and watched her short-lived “teammates” depart, then let her hands fall.
“The pride of an Adventurer’s life… huh?”
She sighed.
Such a battle could be a great blow to ordinary Adventurers. The Fire Dragon of The End Ash indeed had many “tricks,” always having a unique method to deal with any Adventurer who faced it.
It made one feel that all their years of accumulation were nothing against it.
This was why, despite there being a decent Dungeon here, few Adventurers were willing to try it.
It seemed too easy to make people “give up,” and to give up in the first encounter.
But…
Iaar would not.
For Iaar, she had experienced too much. Under Will, her Young Master always had novel ideas that she had to try. After failing, they would constantly improve, and after improving, they would attempt and train multiple times, gradually progressing from quantity to quality.
She was accustomed to it.
More importantly, she did not have the “pride of an Adventurer.”
Iaar was here, challenging the Fire Dragon again and again to prove that Will’s mission could be completed and that she could become the person Will wanted her to be.
“However, after careful consideration, I must first heal my injuries—even the Young Master would agree with this choice if he were here.”
Iaar looked at the map on the Adventurer’s Guild table. She realized that this city was not far from the cottage she lived in.
She disliked the cottage that the Hysterm Family had arranged for her. She still missed the old Hysterm Family mansion where she had lived with Will. But after a harsh winter, it had become dilapidated and uninhabitable.
“Let’s go back first. The medicine for burns at home is much better than what’s here.”
—It seemed to be the same medicine Will had concocted back then.
—For example, the ice compress cream made from the heart of a Snow Demon.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Will, she did lose, just as you predicted… Well, I lost too. Neither of us defeated our destined opponents.”
Meanwhile, inside the bustling Adventurer’s Guild in Montdor Town, someone wearing a strange straw hat, with all their hair tied up and hidden inside, and a black mask covering half of their face, was speaking into a “badge” they held.
The badge was a Witch’s badge. According to Lis, it was a new magic recently “excavated” from a Dungeon, capable of long-range communication within about a hundred meters.
“It sounds like she lost terribly. It’s just… uh… why does it seem like only I look so dejected? Her mental state seems fine, even eager to prepare for the next attack.”
“Crackle… Is that so? I thought you were quite motivated back then. Hmm… As expected, you are both very dedicated to the missions I left behind.”
The voice coming from the badge was somewhat distorted, and besides being distorted, there was a slight static. Liya had to bring her ear very close.
“Getting conceited now? Humph, you… If you hadn’t faked your death, we wouldn’t have been so absorbed in your missions and missed you. In short, it’s all your fault, reflect on yourself properly.”
“Honestly, I didn’t intend to predict this. Crackle… I had quite hoped she would win, but unfortunately… she encountered your ancestor.”
“The static on this darn thing is too loud. Why don’t you come in and talk to me yourself instead of hiding outside the Adventurer’s Guild?”
“No. Iaar’s nose is too sharp. Inside the same area, she would definitely discover me. That way, meeting her would lack…”
The person on the other end of the badge paused, then spoke in a playful tone that even Liya on this side could hear—
“A hint of surprise~”
“That’s true. We’ve prepared an absolutely surprising play for her.”
“Crackle… Where is she going now? What are the chances of meeting her in this city?”
“She’s going home. We investigated before, and her home is on the outskirts of a nearby town—oh right, it’s a house your family gave her. I don’t know why, but the Hysterm Family seems quite satisfied with her.”
“The Hysterm Family is actually… not bad to their servants. They only treat me differently…”
Even through the Guild Master, Liya could detect a hint of sadness in Will’s voice.
The more Will spoke like this, the more Liya wanted to viciously beat that damn Carver, roast him over a fire until he was burnt on the outside and tender on the inside, with his skin ripped open.
“I will avenge you. That bastard, even if he doesn’t die by my hand, I’ll spit on his corpse twice.”
“Oh, I was just acting just now. It seems to have been very successful, you’ve started to feel sorry for me. But compared to being treated differently, I’ve always found the reason behind it more curious.”
Will spoke very naturally, his tone returning to a smile. Liya found it hard to tell if he was consoling himself or if he truly felt that way.
But…
It didn’t matter.
Liya believed one thing: Will would no longer hide anything from her now.
“…This thing is really difficult to use. Not being able to see someone’s expression, just using this thing makes it easy to misunderstand you.”
“Indeed. Let me think… Let’s meet in the town where she lives.”
“Before that, hmm… I still need to practice well on how to play the role of this upcoming…”
“She will definitely think of it as a tragic character.”
