Our destination was the Cirris Mountain, located just a few days away from the town. The village Leila came from was located near the foot of said mountain. We might be able to get there in just a day, thanks to our horses, but she must have suffered much getting all the way here from there. The blisters on her feet told everything you needed to know about her determination. And selflessness. Even when she was terribly sick herself, she still wanted Flameu to help her father and the rest of the village first before her.

I couldn’t but feel respect towards her. It’s one thing to have determination when you’re strong, but when you’re just an ordinary, powerless villager, it’s even more amazing. It reminded me of those classical books where the child protagonist had to suffer through adversity, surrounded mostly by hostile adults who refused to help her.

If I refuse to help her, then I would lose to her.

That’s another reason why I couldn’t follow through the common sense of adventurers, like those three told me to.

We arrived at the village the next morning. To my shame, I actually fell asleep on the horse, so Flameu had to hug me with one hand from behind to keep me from falling.

And yes, I did enjoy her boobs pressing into my back. And her warmth in general.

Although, come to think of it, doesn’t this mean she hasn’t slept for two days in a row? Hey, are you sure she’s fine with that? Sure, I noticed some dark circles under her eyes, but she remained her usual, non-sleepy self. Maybe she had taken some super-caffeine or something?

And, as expected, that didn’t change when we arrived at the village.

--------

Oh no, this looks bad…

The village was, at first glance, completely deserted. Not a single person was outside.

However, once we entered, the sounds of pained moans crept from the shoddy woods of the houses. Not just one or two, but pretty much everywhere.

"Lord Pendleton, remember what I've told you before." Flameu spoke with a grim expression.

"Don't worry. I know."

Just as she mentioned it, something flew by near my leg.

In an instant, I cut it into two with my sword. Or rather, knowing how small it was, my blade should've just obliterated it entirely.

It was a simple mosquito. And yet, it might be the one responsible for the plague.

I recalled Flameu’s explanation, given when we rode here.

"Crimson Wings. It is the name given to those mosquitoes. They might look near-indistinguishable from ordinary mosquitoes, but they are monsters, in every sense of the word. Born out of mutation caused by demonic mana many ages ago, they now possessed the ability to corrupt the blood of those that they drank from. That is what caused the Black Blood disease. At least, this variant of it. The one that nearly destroyed the town on the other hand was spread by coughs and rat bites. It was easier to cure however, only needing drake hearts as one of the ingredients."

Drakes, by the way, are A-rank monsters which are essentially lesser dragons.

If we assume that the plague works the same way plagues work back in my old world, then that difference comes from the mutation of the virus/bacteria. It trades lethality for transmissibility.

Berault did the same soon after.

"So they're still here after all…" Flameu spoke with a concerned look. "My suspicions were correct. Someone, or something, must have threatened their original habitat, making them migrate all the way here. Normally, these insects only exist far deep in the wilderness, along with other dangerous monsters. And thanks to the disease being basically incurable, the insect is given an A-rank rating as a monster.”

I’m glad the Guild is smart enough to do that. You don’t have to be a big scary creature to be dangerous after all.

"Could it be the work of the dragon?" I suggested.

"Perhaps,” she replied. “It’s irrelevant anyways. For now, we’ll just have to kill anything that resembles a mosquito around here. Later, I might be able to make a repellant of sorts for them but for now, we should rush to get the cure instead. We really don’t have much time. And so, for now, we’re going to move house to house to administer my painkiller,” Flameu ordered. “It’s all we can do for them now. After that, we shall depart to the mountain at once.”

“Berault is staying behind, right?” I asked, confirming the plan we had formed before we arrived.

“Correct," was her answer. "Lord Berault would stay here with my medicines, and he would administer them as needed. Do not fret. He knows how to do it," she added with a smile.

And so, we visited said houses one by one (no locks on their doors), with me and Berault acting as bodyguards for her against the mosquitos. Or rather, glorified mosquito swappers. 

As you would expect from a small, humble village, most of the houses weren't built with stone. But rather, wood, with straws as roofs instead of proper roof tiles. Some of the villagers actually stirred and woke up, thanking Flameu as she gave them the relief they desperately needed.  Thankfully though, there weren't that many of them. Counting after we finished, there were only ten or so.

But to think that just ten mosquitoes could do this to a village… Sheesh, this world really is a death world in that sense.

After we finished, like promised, Berault stayed behind with the little girl and her father. Their house was actually amongst the smallest in the village, consisting only of two rooms. I wondered where the mother was, but I could probably guess that she's most likely dead or something. Either from childbirth or illness. Or even from a monster attack. That's another possibility.

Yeah. For people who live like this, unfortunately, death is always around the corner.

We then departed straight away, up the mountain where the dragon resided.

---------

We left the horses in the village. It would be far too impractical to bring them along, since there were no roads going up there.

As we climbed, I noticed that there were barely any monsters around. And there were signs of other people having traveled through the woods just recently, judging by all the broken branches and the remnants of campfire.

Those guys really did reach this place before us, huh? I really hope they haven’t beaten the dragon before us. I dunno. I feel I’d rather fight a dragon rather than fight other adventurers. The latter can hold grudges that can bring troubles down the line.

“Hey, is it just me or is the air getting colder?”

“Hmm? I suppose it is,” Flameu replied nonchalantly, not even bothering to look at me in the process. You know, with those clothes, I can’t help but worry if she will be unable to stand the cold.

Cirris Mountain was originally a warm-weathered mountain. However, since the frost dragon appeared, snow and ice enveloped the peak. Like a true S-rank monster, it could create its own blizzard. That is why I suspected that it might be the reason why those mosquitoes moved towards the village.

We climbed up the mountain for a good two days. On the first, as we set up our campfires, Flameu finally spoke up about her lack of sleep, and how she wished to go to sleep straight away. I asked her how she could stay up for so long, and her reply (with a proud smile) was “Just an anti-sleep drug I developed.” She then told me that she couldn’t take it forever though, as her body would break down eventually. So she had to sleep for the night. She asked me to keep watch on my own entirely, and I agreed. She’s worked hard. Let her get her beauty sleep, I thought to myself.

On the second day, we finally were up high enough that we started seeing snow all around us. And since we weren’t even close to winter, it could only be caused by the frost dragon.

Thinking about it, isn’t this similar to when I climbed up that mountain to fight Vera?

...No. It'll be fine. I’m much stronger now. I won’t let Flameu die. And I have a hunch that the dragon would still be weaker than Vera, even though it could also create blizzards just like her.

And then, a few hours later, we finally found them—The guys from the Emerald Exodus.

Located on a large snowy clearing, they had built an encampment. Multiple tents were erected, to the point that it looked more like it belonged to a small army than a group of adventurers. Their numbers must be around fifty or more. 

A base of operations before they go after the dragon, huh? I like that. They're taking this methodically, which is what they should do against a monster of that strength.

Before we knew it, a number of adventurers had surrounded us, with suspicious looks on their faces.

"Hold it right there, lady." One of them spoke to Flameu. He was a large man, easily dwarfing me and her. He was a beastman—a bearkin most likely, judging from his ears and thick beard+sideburns combo. He wore fur pants while remaining shirtless, showing off his impressive abs and chest hair. Any woman who loves muscled men would've fallen for him for sure. "This dragon has fallen under the jurisdiction of us Emerald Exodus. You're not allowed to just waltz in and expect a share of the loot."

“H-hey, Red,” the much smaller man beside him spoke. He seemed to be a Hobbit, judging by his size and his pointed ears. “You don’t recognize her? She’s that Flameu chick! You know! The one that healed the townspeople of the plague six months ago? She’s a court mage too! You can’t just speak to her like that!”

“Eh?” The bearkin glanced towards the hobbit, before looking back towards Flameu, scratching his chin. "You're really her?"

"Indeed I am," she replied with a smirk, before giving a bow. "My name is Cordelia Flameu. It's a pleasure to meet you."

A chain of whispers burst forth from the crowd surrounding us. 

"Is she really the court mage?"

"That can't be right, can it?"

"What is she doing all the way here?"

"To gather ingredients, duh. Haven't you heard that she's a master alchemist?"

"So." He crossed his arms. Just like his chest, his arms were hairy as well. And like his name, every strand of said hair was red. "What does a court mage like you do here?"

"I wish to obtain the heart of a certain dragon. Yes, the very same dragon that you are after."

Another burst of whispers erupted, with some clearly expressing anger and exasperation.

"I see. If you wish to negotiate prices, then you would need to meet with our leader. Let me take you to his tent."

He's thinking that she's going to buy from them. Bad news, big guy. We don't have any money for that.

"Oh? Is the dragon taken care of already?" She continued to speak, not even bothering to fix his erroneous assumption.

"Not yet. We're still in the process of isolating it from any other monsters in the area. We would only make a move once we're sure we won't get ambushed by reinforcements."

That's smart. Real smart. I see now why they are high-ranking adventurers.

"I see. Then if you would, take us to him."

He gave a short glance towards me. And immediately his brows furrowed. Heh, he's probably confused why a young man like me is with her.

We followed him through the encampment, towards the largest tent in the complex—all the while being semi-followed by the crowd, since some of them did decide to go back doing their own things. I believe they were given the task of equipment preparation, as they resumed sharpening swords and patching up any defects on armors. Another perk of being part of a clan, I suppose, having dedicated blacksmiths to do that for you.

"Please wait here for a moment,” the man said once we arrived at the front of the tent. He then entered it, leaving the two of us on our own standing somewhat awkwardly on the front.

A few minutes later, he returned, bringing the man that I certainly had met before at the guild. Umm, what was his name again?

"Well well well, to think I would be visited out of the blue by the esteemed Lady Flameu. I've heard of your exploits from the townspeople. It is truly a shame that I didn't have the chance to witness your skill at the work." He gave her a smile as he bowed towards her. “Greetings. My name is Arcturus. Arcturus Decasile, at your service.”

The man, even though he was an adventurer, wouldn’t be out of place as a noble. His greeting was polite and his bow was graceful. And that smile—that’s the one male nobles would use to charm the ladies.

However, something quite unnoble-like was also portrayed by him. I saw him, stealing glances towards Flameu’s cleavage. As he was taller than her, that meant he would be able to see an eyeful of her naked, braless chest.

This perverted bastard!

I wasn’t sure why I got angry at the sight. Perhaps because I felt he was disrespecting her by doing so. Even though we just met, I had gained a certain level of respect and admiration towards the alchemist, after all she did for Leila. Although, the person herself seemed to not mind in the slightest. That, or she didn’t notice. I doubt it’s the latter though, knowing how perceptive of a person she seemed to be.

“I come here to ask you of a favor,” Flameu spoke. “If you would, I would love for you to give me the dragon heart from the dragon your clan is about to fight.”

“Ah, for alchemy materials, I presume,” he replied, still keeping up that smile (which I started to find more and more annoying the longer I looked at it). “That can be arranged. I would even sell it to you lower than the market price, just because how beautiful you are, Milady.”

I nearly puked hearing that line. Seriously? He’s now openly flirting with her? What is up with this man? Once again, my anger started to bubble inside my stomach.

On the other hand however, I admired his smoothness in doing it. I wanted to be able to flirt with girls just like he did.

“Apologies, but it just so happens that my personal funds would not be enough for the price you would ask. The king has been quite stingy lately unfortunately…” Flameu said with an expression of regret that I was pretty sure she was faking. “And so, I would like it if you would give it to me for free. In exchange, I would make sure that the king hears of your service to the kingdom.”

The smile on his face immediately vanished, only to be replaced by another, more sinister smile.

“...I am sorry, but I must have misheard you, Milady. For free? I cannot possibly do that, now can I? I need to pay my clan their fair share, and you surely know how expensive a dragon’s heart can be sold for in the market.”

“Please understand,” she continued her argument, unabated. “The life of a little girl, and an entire village, is at stake. I need it to brew the cure for the illness they’re having. Surely, you know of a certain species of monster called Crimson Wings, and the Black Blood disease they carry. The only way to cure that variant of the disease is the heart of a dragon, and if I do not make the cure soon, they would all die. Would you not want their blood in your hand?” she added with a smirk.

The man was clearly taken aback by Flameu’s sudden attack, with his mouth opening and closing without any words coming on. However, once again, he recovered swiftly and replied with, “I apologize. But we are adventurers. We don’t do charity. Any work we do for others must be repaid properly.”

There it is again. It’s the same thing Anton said a few days ago when we departed.

“Although,” His smile suddenly transformed into a smirk, as he eyed her up and down with a lustful gaze. “If Milady would be willing to spend the night with me, then I might reconsider my position.”

“Arcturus!” The bearkin man suddenly yelled. “You can’t just do that!”

“It’s fine, Red,” he replied. “I’ll pay the difference with my own money.”

“I know you’re a womanizer but to try to do it with a court mage? You’re just going to bring us trouble!” he retorted.

“It’s fine. After all,” Here he turned to face Flameu once again. “I’ll make sure it would be the most wonderful experience for you, Milady.”

At this point, I was honestly considering punching him in the face. However, I waited, knowing that Flameu would surely have a flaming retort for this womanizer scum.

“Alright. That’s fine with me.”

My jaw dropped.

“However, I would request that you finish slaying the dragon right away, so tonight, we can have our fun together. As I have said before, I don’t have much time before the disease claims their lives.”

Arcturus’ smirk turned even wider as he knew he had snagged a beauty to his bed.

“Alright, boys! You heard the lady!” He yelled to the others. “Tell the hunting squads to come back at once and prepare for the fight! We’re going to take down that dragon and then we’re going to have a grand party for the night to celebrate our victory!”

And with that, the crowd disbanded, with me frozen on the spot, still not believing what I just heard.

W-why did she… Why did she just take his offer like that?

Does she not care about her own dignity? To give her body to a person like him?

In retrospect, I shouldn’t be that shocked. A woman who wore such tantalizing clothes should already be used to sexual situations. There was no way she was a virgin. She might even be the kind of woman who would go to brothels and purchase the services of a male prostitute there.

And yet, after seeing how motherly she was being with Leila, I had fallen under the spell that I presumptuously cast onto myself. I started imagining her to be just like Renee, and how she would never offer her body like that other than to her beloved husband.

I felt a hand on my shoulder. It was Flameu’s hand.

With a smile, she said, “Well, how fortunately we are that their leader is quite the perv. This way, you don’t have to fight him or the dragon, right?”

I don’t know how to respond to that.