Chapter 388: A Tiger in the Way

“Liya, what kind of talk is that!” The Elf Mercenary was immediately displeased. “You think I’d let these kids charge in ahead of me? When this mission is over, I’m going to make him *want* to give me a bonus!”

“You’ll have your work cut out for you, Aunt Anna,” Aive couldn’t help but laugh. “I really can’t imagine a situation where you’d earn that kind of treatment.”

“I can’t either,” Silvia, who had been quiet until now, chimed in. For some reason, this Elf made her feel threatened. The Vampire Descendant made up her mind to do everything she could to keep this woman from getting a chance to shine on the coming adventure.

As a former officer in the Elf Army, Anastina’s pride couldn’t stand such a challenge. So much so that, flushed with drink, she even refused to take a deposit, loudly insisting that Ron pay her in full after the mission was complete. It took a great deal of persuasion from Ron to get the greatsword wielder to accept a deposit of two hundred Gold Coins. She then staggered upstairs, shoulder-to-shoulder with Liya, as if performing a drunken fist routine. They planned to sleep together tonight and relive their old wartime camaraderie.

Daniel was very satisfied with this outcome. The councilman gleefully began to gather his toiletries, getting a room all to himself.

Had it been anyone else, they might have grown suspicious of their partner sleeping with someone of the same sex. But Daniel had no such concerns. He was simply grateful that after his long imprisonment, he had a day of rest to adjust and prepare for the… vigorous activities of the days and nights to follow.

“To be honest, for a veteran like her, I don’t think five thousand Gold Coins is an unreasonable price,” Ron said as he and the others helped Aive clear the leftover food and dishes from their gathering. “After all, even a single Healing Potion isn’t cheap.” Magic could have handled these chores in an instant, but chatting while washing up by hand was clearly a more rewarding experience.

“Not every team has an Alchemist, Benefactor,” Seymour said, joining the cleanup effort by sweeping the floor. “Back with my clan, if someone on a mission was seriously injured and deemed no longer useful, not even a Priest would waste a spell on them. You either toughed it out and were left with a permanent ailment, or you were cast out by the clan.”

“Luxurious items like Healing Potions are only supplied to the top-ranking families in each city, and only to the women. Someone like me was destined from birth to never have access to them—until I started following you.”

“On the other hand, five hundred Gold Coins can be used to buy and repair equipment. Usually, that’s more of a lifesaver than a one-time-use Healing Potion.”

“That’s true in theory, but I have my doubts about her gear.” Aive’s mind kept replaying the image of “Aunt Anna’s” outfit, and she scrubbed the plate in her hands so hard she nearly broke it in two.

“She only dares to dress like that because it has an Enchantment,” Silvia said, pouting. Given her background, the most revealing outfit she’d ever worn was probably the “Torn Clothing” from her time as a Slave Apprentice, so she was thoroughly unimpressed with Anastina’s getup. “Benefactor, didn’t you also learn Enchantment? Can you make us something like that?”

“You can’t expect me to be a fashion designer on top of everything else, Silvia. I’d have to sacrifice style for the sake of the Enchantment,” Ron said. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to; he just had no talent for it. “However, Rurik mentioned a while ago that he’s already gathered enough ore from the mine. He might be close to finishing the forging process by the time we get back. I could spend some time collaborating with him to create a few sets of Metal Armor.”

“If you want one, I’ll see if we can make an extra Chain Armor Shirt.”

“Thanks, but never mind.” Silvia sighed. It seemed someone had already beaten her to the punch.

‘What’s so great about being a tin can!’

“Better yet, see if another tower shield can be forged,” Aive’s eyes lit up. “Embedding the Lightning Gemstone in that shield was a brilliant idea. Can we do it again?”

With an ordinary adventuring party, she would never have made such a bold request—it would have been an outrageous waste of money. But now they had the backing of their own territory. They could handle the entire process from mining and smelting to forging and Enchantment. Since the cost was much lower, they could afford to be a little more extravagant.

“Good idea, but let’s forget about the Lightning Bolt,” Ron agreed with a smile. “It would be better to inscribe some other spells. Give me a few days to think it over.” His skill level had progressed far beyond enchanting spoons; naturally, he wanted to satisfy his companions’ requests and improve the entire party’s strength.

After all, the power of the mastermind they had faced before was still vivid in his memory.

「The night passed without incident.」

Ron and the others rose early. In contrast, Anastina, who had drunk too much the night before, still had a headache when she was woken up. After bidding farewell to Aive’s parents, the group accompanied the greatsword wielder to collect the final payment from her former employer before finally turning to begin their journey home.

Along the way, they saw scattered Priests rushing past. They were all followers of the Molten Iron Barrier. After the incident in Rose City became widely known, life became difficult not only for the Priests there but for those in other city-states as well. Many could no longer make a living and were preparing to move elsewhere to start over.

“I don’t know if this is a good or a bad thing,” Victoria said, watching the men worriedly. “Most of them probably didn’t even know about the operation their superiors were running; they were just innocently dragged into this. And what about the commoners in the places they left? Now that the Priests are gone, who will they turn to when they’re sick or in trouble?”

“There will still be some herbalists, I’m sure. And it’s not like they’re the only Priests in the world,” Anastina said. She’d heard about their “grand accomplishment” the previous night, but the Elf was not impressed. “On the contrary, their very presence made it difficult for other faiths to develop. I don’t think you need to worry about the people in those villages and small towns at all.”

The Molten Iron Barrier might tolerate the worship of many Deities, but not every Deity was permitted to join its Pantheon. The followers of gods like Taimola were ostracized by these champions of order. Them leaving wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

“If they can’t make a living, they’ll have to migrate, right? Isn’t that a good thing for us?” Aiksuuri, in the form of a Black Dragon Descendant, hummed a little tune to the rhythm of the bouncing carriage. He was riding in an open-air carriage, which allowed him, Seymour, and the others with them to enjoy a broader view of the landscape.

“Hey! Look! Are those people migrating up ahead?” Aiksuuri suddenly slapped the carriage’s armrest and shot to his feet, bellowing, “Hey! Who are you people? Are you heading to Delusional Land? We can go together!”

“Aiksuuri, don’t go looking for trouble!” Carlos, who was in the same carriage, quickly yanked him back down. Their party was a motley crew of a Vampire Descendant, a goblin, a Shadow Spirit, and a Zor—and that wasn’t even counting the Black Dragon! Weren’t they afraid of scaring ordinary people to death?

Ron and the others had also intended to avoid the group, but the figures ahead had other plans. As the caravan of carriages slowly advanced, they didn’t part to make way. Instead, they converged on the road, blocking it completely!

Low growls and snippets of conversation spooked the draft horses and pack beasts, causing them to halt as if facing a formidable enemy. If not for Aiksuuri, the Colorful Dragon, using his natural aura to keep them in check, the animals would have likely bolted and abandoned them on the spot.

“Damn it, those are no migrating commoners!” Anastina leaped from her carriage, coming face to face with the creatures that were blocking the road and steadily advancing. Her expression darkened instantly. “Your Excellency Ron, Niece Aive, stay in the carriage. I’ll take care of this!”

“I think we’ve run into a gang of Tiger Man bandits!”