Chapter 53
Xiu Er didn't explain, because he didn't care.
But Volumen had already guessed that the "Angel" must be "Sister Xiu Er".
Although she didn't see it with her own eyes, she could still imagine the scene at that time. Sister Xiu Er must have been very cool back then, right?
Due to various factors, Xiu Er now holds a significant place in Volumen's heart, though not as fervently as Takuson.
She still remembered the promise he made to her before he left.
"Don't worry, Sister Xiu Er, I will definitely... zzz"
Finally, the girl succumbed to sleepiness, staring at the bracelet on her wrist as she slowly drifted off, leaving only the platinum bracelet shimmering in the moonlight...
Episode 31: Picked up another one?
Rustle--
Da da da—!
In the dense forest, there were no paths or signs, and all you could see were trees.
If you enter this place without preparation, you will definitely get lost and end up staying here forever.
Now, a girl who looks no more than twelve years old is running hurriedly through the woods, her face contorted with fear, as if she is fleeing from something.
"Ha ha..."
How strong can a child's physical abilities be?
Sure enough, after a short while, the girl's speed slowed down, and her legs felt like they were made of lead, making it impossible for her to move any further.
"Ah--!"
With a scream, her petite body finally collapsed to the ground, mud splattering her clothes and face.
"Cough, I... can't stop... hiss—!"
She tried to stand up, but the excruciating pain in her ankle made her gasp involuntarily.
No matter how much she struggled, the girl was unable to get up on her own; her ankle had been bent at an angle strong enough to cause a fracture due to the fall.
Her exhausted body made it impossible for her to maintain her spirits, which was too cruel for a child.
"Mother..."
She kept thinking about her mother, and now she wished she had listened to her mother and stayed in the village.
Boom...
A few seconds later, the ground began to tremble.
It looked as if some enormous creature was moving around.
Boom, boom!
The sound grew closer, and the vibrations on the ground grew stronger.
A huge hoof landed on the ground in front of the girl, and a gigantic Monster appeared there.
Despair filled my heart.
She closed her eyes, hoping the pain would only last for a moment.
One second has passed...
Two seconds have passed...
Huh?
I did not feel any pain.
Could it be that the Monster killed me instantly? That would be great.
Roar--!
Huh, why can I still hear the monster's roar?
I'm not dead?
I slightly opened my eyes, and a magnificent and imposing figure appeared in my field of vision.
Looking back in the direction of the monster from before, the terrifying Monster had now turned into two lumps of flesh lying quietly on the ground.
The monster was cut in two from the middle.
A strong, fishy smell permeated the surroundings.
After finishing off his target with a single axe stroke, Takuson casually slammed the axe handle onto the ground beside him.
Then he pressed his finger against something in his ear.
"Teacher, the objective has been achieved, and this mission can be considered complete."
Now, Takuson is 19 years old, and his body has grown even more, with a physique as strong as a wall, which is enough to meet people's imagination of a macho man.
An ordinary person could tell at a glance that this must be a powerful warrior.
If we ignore his monk's robes and the Sacred Canon book hanging from his waist...
"Okay, I understand."
After hanging up the call with his teacher, Takuson turned around and looked at the girl who was still lying on the ground.
In a village outside the woods...
Xiu Er sat in the living room of the village chief's house, quietly listening to the old village chief's story.
Today, the master and his apprentice were passing through this village, and decided to stay here for the night so that Takuson could rest.
Of course, I also accepted the village chief's request, which I used as payment for the lodging.
Just as the old man was explaining the origin of the commission to Xiu Er, the latter received a communication message from his apprentice in his signal Receiver.
"You have an incoming call. Do you want to answer?"
"Catch"
Xiu Er provided Takuson with a small earphone that fit securely into the latter's ear without falling out, allowing Takuson to talk to him at any time.
In addition to these, there are many other functions, which will not be listed here.
Just as the village chief was getting into his speech...
"[Announcement] The mission objective has been cleared, and the mission is complete."
"Uh... huh?"
The old man, who was initially a little confused about what the "commission" was, immediately remembered, but still had doubts: how could it suddenly be said to be completed?
The other party's apprentice had only been gone for a short time.
Seeing the village chief's disbelief, Xiu Er didn't explain anything. He simply bid farewell to the village chief and, where no one could see, opened Space Gate leading to Takuson.
The original plan was to have Takuson bring the dropped materials directly over, but the situation changed.
Because Xiu Er detected that there was another biosignal next to his apprentice.
Then...
"..."
Xiu Er's golden eyes stared mercilessly at the girl in Takuson's arms.
"Haha, well... teacher, let me explain."
Understanding his teacher's meaning instantly, Takuson quickly explained the whole story to his teacher to avoid any misunderstanding.
It turns out that this girl's Alice.
The adults in the family were merchants, and this trip was with his parents in their own carriage, planning to go to another city to do business.
Unfortunately, they were attacked by a group of powerful Monster on the way, and the number of hired adventurers and guards was insufficient to intercept them all.
Finally, arranged by her parents, an adventurer took her, still a child, and they escaped from there.
Alice didn't want to run away, but her parents didn't want their child to die there, so they ordered the adventurer to forcibly take her away.
Unfortunately, in the end, the adventurer was held back by the Monster that caught up with him, leaving Alice to escape alone.
This led to the situation where he was later rescued by Takuson.
All of this was learned by Takuson from the other party, but its authenticity remains to be verified.
Xiu Er did not utter a single word throughout Takuson's storytelling.
He listened to his disciple's explanation while scanning the girl in the other's arms.
"I'm done talking."
"[Confirmed] Data collection is complete, and the situation is true."
Knowing that the misunderstanding had been perfectly resolved, Takuson finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"[Additional Information] We'll discuss the girl's matter tomorrow. Go collect your payment now."
"Good."
With that, Takuson, carrying the girl, followed Xiu Er back to the village and handed over the Monster's loot to the old village chief to prove that the target had indeed been killed.
"Thank you so much, reliable adventurers. Please wait a moment while I go inside to get my reward."
After confirming that the other party had indeed completed the task so quickly, the old man was very excited and immediately offered the payment and agreed to the master and apprentice's request for lodging.
"I didn't expect it to be resolved so quickly, it's really reassuring."
After saying goodbye to the beaming old man, Xiu Er and his group arrived at the house where they would spend the night.
"Teacher, what should we do with this child?"
Takuson looked at Alice, who was already asleep on the bed, and couldn't think of a solution for a moment.
The reason he saved the child was initially just out of kindness. After all, he wasn't a heartless person; he would help if he could, as long as it was convenient.
"[Answer] Since you're sleeping in my room, I don't need 'sleep' anyway."
"That's all we can do now."
Over the years, Takuson had come to know some of his teacher's characteristics, so he didn't say much.
He obediently moved into the room that was originally assigned to Xiu Er.
As for Xiu Er, he sat on the rooftop, quietly watching the moon in the sky...
Is there more to episode 32 than meets the eye?
The next morning—
Sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating the face of the sleeping blonde girl.
"Hmm..."
The girl turned over, trying to avoid the glaring sunlight, still looking like she wanted to sleep in.