Knock Rogue and Frosch Out?

"Roar!"

Four or five dinosaur-like beasts bared their menacing serrated teeth, seemingly grinning, and charged towards them like sharks drawn by the scent of blood.

Its enormous size shook the earth, causing rocks to fall.

Knowing there was no time to escape, Rogue closed his eyes in fear and held Frosch tightly in his arms.

Hughes glanced at his swaying legs and couldn't help but shake his head. No wonder Gajeel later said that Rogue didn't admire him at all, but was afraid of him.

Rogue is actually quite timid right now!

However, Hughes understood, after all, Rogue was only six years old!

It's unclear what he went through after joining the Sabertooth guild that led him to disguise himself as cold and arrogant.

Hughes chuckled and patted him on the shoulder, "Kid, open your eyes and look. They're just a few wild beasts. Nothing to be afraid of!"

In his free left hand, flames rose, condensing and not dissipating, coalescing into a deep red spear, its body ablaze with flames and its tip scorching hot.

"Fear is human nature, but if you face it a few times, it's not so bad!"

"Anyone might be afraid of a dinosaur-like beast, but it's unacceptable for Dragon Slayer to be afraid!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a double entendre was uttered, and Hughes suddenly hurled his spear.

"Sacred Fire Shiranui!"

The spear, formed from condensed flames, displayed its sharpness, piercing the air with a short, sharp sound, and appearing in front of the dinosaur-like beast's head in the blink of an eye.

"Pfft, pfft!"

The flaming spear swept through the enemy like a whirlwind, piercing the head of the first beast before heading straight for the second and third.

"Boom!"

After piercing through the bodies of all the dinosaur-like beasts, the spear landed straight on the ground, the terrifying impact creating a huge crater.

Rogue opened his eyes and stared in disbelief.

"This... this... you... you!"

Hughes was speechless at his stammering, speechless appearance. He raised his hand and tapped him on the head, then casually tapped the dazed Frosch in his arms as well.

"What are you so shocked about!" Hughes said irritably.

These little tricks are nothing compared to Shadow Dragon. Skiadrum showed Rogue his strength when he was teaching him Dragon Slayer Magic!

Hughes even suspected that Rogue's earlier shock was a mockery of him!

Uh, that doesn't seem right either... Hughes suddenly realized that the White Dragon and Shadow Dragon had altered Sting and Rogue's memories when they brought them here.

Thinking about it this way, I might have really misunderstood Rogue; his previous expression of fear was understandable.

At that moment, a system notification suddenly sounded in Hughes's mind.

[Detection: "Three-Sword Liu Zoro" has been defeated by the host. The quest "Challenge Three-Sword Liu Zoro" is complete!]

[Mission Reward: Significantly improved physical fitness has been awarded!]

As the system notification sound faded, a torrent of hot, abundant water surged within Hughes's body.

In an instant, it nourished the skin, flesh, muscles, and bones, and then rushed deeper into the internal organs.

Hughes had no time to savor this blissful, invigorating feeling, which was like a cleansing of the marrow and bones.

What the heck? How did the mission suddenly complete?

His questioning gaze shifted downwards, Hughes froze instantly...

A little black-haired boy and a frog were lying at his feet!

Hughes:...

Ah, no, this is Rogue and Frosch.

Hughes was furious when he realized what was happening.

Damn it, someone actually dared to lay a hand on his people right under his nose!

Who would have thought that such a terrifying enemy was lurking in this forest!

An enraged Hughes turned and looked around, trying to find even the slightest clue, and then...

"Smack!"

A small, fair, and slightly chubby hand landed on Hughes's back.

Mira face contorted with exasperation, glanced sideways at Hughes and pointed at the imposing Rogue and Frosch lying on the ground. "No matter how innocent you pretend to be, you can't hide the fact that you knocked them out!"

Hughes chuckled awkwardly after being exposed. He really hadn't knocked Rogue and Frosch unconscious on purpose for the mission.

He really only tapped them lightly, who knew that Rogue and Frosch would faint.

Their brilliance and prowess came from their own falls, not from being knocked down...

"Hurry up and help them sit under the tree."

"Oh oh!"

Hughes quickly grabbed one of them and pulled them against the nearest tree trunk.

In order to deal with Hughes ' mental illness, Mira had specifically sought out Granny Porlyusica to learn some medical skills, which came in handy now.

"What happened to them? Are they alright?" Hughes asked Mira, who was half-squatting down to examine Rogue and Frosch.

"It's nothing serious, we'll just feed them some food later."

I reckon they must have been searching for each other in the forest for a long time before they met us. They were exhausted, hungry, and then that knock on them made them faint!

After hearing this, Hughes breathed a long sigh of relief!

"Thank goodness, thank goodness, it doesn't concern me much!"

Mira, who had just stood up, couldn't help but roll her eyes at Hughes: "You still say that? If you hadn't been so clumsy, they wouldn't have fainted. Go find them something easily digestible to eat!"

As the sun sets and the moon rises, the campfire glows, sparks fly and crackle.

"Awake? Do you want something else to eat?" Hughes asked Rogue, who had just opened his eyes on the ground.

Still reeling, Rogue paused for a few seconds. "Thank you, I don't yet..."

"Gurgle~"

Before he could even utter the word "hunger," Rogue's honest body had already answered for him.

Rogue:

Hughes nearly burst out laughing and quickly turned around to cover his mouth, but his trembling shoulders betrayed his laughter.

The atmosphere between the two suddenly became tense... Fortunately, Frosch, who had already regained his senses, came to the rescue!

Seeing that Rogue was awake, Frosch, who had been standing in front of the campfire grinning foolishly, happily ran over.

"Rogue, here, have some!"

Frosch conjured a peach-shaped fruit from behind his back and handed it to Rogue with a wide grin, his cat tail wagging slightly.

Mira, who had slapped Hughes again, said softly, "Eat, eat more, so your body can recover."

We only found one of these fruits that can replenish energy, Frosch couldn't bear to eat it, so he specially saved it for you!

"Flo wants to give it to Roger, but Roger needs it more than Flo!" the little frog grinned, his expression innocent.

Rogue stared blankly at Frosch, then stood up, took the fruit from Frosch's hand, and took a big, hard bite. As the juice splashed, tears silently streamed down his face.

With tears streaming down his face, Rogue swallowed the fruit in his hand, bite by bite.

"Sigh!" Hughes sighed inwardly. He was kind-hearted and couldn't bear to see such things. He got up and walked to the other side of the campfire, out of sight, out of mind.

New firewood was added to the campfire, and the moon had already risen high in the sky.

Hughes, who was on night watch, yawned, but his eyes fell on Rogue, who was walking towards him.

"What's wrong, can't sleep?"

Standing beside Hughes, Rogue shook his head. "I'm here to thank you for saving me and Frosch. If it weren't for you, I..."

Hughes, who had never liked this kind of thing, interrupted, "As long as you didn't blame me for knocking you out, that's fine!"

Rogue hurriedly waved his hand and explained, "It's our own fault. Even without you, we would have fainted!"

"