“I’msosorryi’msosorryi’msosorrypleaseforgiveme!”

With her sanity restored (and horniness abated), the elf promptly stood up and profusely apologized to me over and over again.

All I could notice however was the wet patch on her crotch, a definitive proof that what just happened wasn’t just a perverted delusion of mine.

I stood up, dusted my clothes, and put on a fake frown, just to scare her off. I’m not actually mad at all for what she did. But let’s pretend otherwise.

And then, I heard steps going upwards from the stairs down below. It was the innkeeper. No doubt the noise of our fall had alerted her to our location

“Hey, what’s going on here?!” She immediately switched into her interrogation mode, putting her hands on her waist.

“N-nothing! Nothing at all! I just slipped, t-that’s all!” The elf quickly answered.

“Slipped, huh?” she replied, eyeing her suspiciously. “So that’s what the noise was… Well, do be careful. The stairs here are quite steep and I don’t want to be held liable to any injuries you might get if you fall from them.”

Her gaze turned to me for a few moments, before she decided to leave the way she came from.

Yeah, the lady never liked adventurers that much in the first place. And after knowing about my moniker, she only grew more suspicious towards me. She probably thought I was the one who spread all those rumors about myself or something. In her narrowminded mind, she probably believed there was no way I could’ve taken on a dragon on my own, and thus, she dubbed me a liar.

Or maybe she’s just being cranky old self.

Once the innkeeper left, the elf promptly resumed her apologies once more. I responded with a heavily exaggerated sigh and by folding my hands under my chest. “She’s right. You really do need to be more careful. What if I wasn’t ready with my wind spell? I could’ve suffered a concussion now. I might even die from that.”

Hearing those words, she went even deeper into her panic mode, as tears started to form in her eyes.

“O-oh please, don’t hurt me! I just got too excited when I saw you again and I lost my footing!"

Hurt her? What? Does she think I’m a bad guy or something?

Heh, it's pretty fun to tease her like this though.

"You think just an apology would be enough?" I continued to press her. "I nearly died back there, you know."

Hearing that, her eyes only grew even more watery.

"M-money? Do you want money? I-I don't have much. Look! Here are all the coins I have!" She brought out her purse and opened in. Sure enough, there were only a handful of silver coins inside. A perfectly miserable sight.

I continued my frown, still finding her reaction to be amusing.

"N-no? Then, don't tell me that you—" She suddenly yelped as she took a few steps backward, wrapping her arms around herself. "M-my body. You want my body, don't you?"

...Eh?

"I-I've heard the rumors. Even though you're young, you're already a womanizer. You got a maid, a slave, and even the court mage herself in your harem. A-and now you want me in it as well!"

Wait, hold on, what kind of rumors have she been hearing?

"W-well, it can't be helped. After what I did to you, I could only offer my body to you. To think I would lose my virtue this way…"

What the— She's taking off her cloak! Oi oi oi even after that, you're still horny?!

Honestly, I might have taken her up in her offer, if not for my unblemished commitment to Sherry. She's quite the looker after all. And what kind of a guy wouldn't want to do it with an elf?

“Look,” I sighed. “I have no interest in your body. I just want you to leave me alone, alright?” I sent her a stern look.

“L-leave you alone? W-why?”

“Because you’re nosy. That’s why.”

“W-what? Nosy? B-but I’m not—”

I decided to end our conversation there, by walking past her towards the stairs.

“Mr. Pendleton! Please! I just want to hear about your tales and exploits!”

I did not respond.

***

The next few days went by the same way as before, meaning, a rumor of a sighting reached my ear, I went to the location, I swept through said location, and then I returned to the small town empty-handed. At the very least, I seemed to slowly narrow the location where she could be. In an attempt to be some third-rate detective, I had marked all the places where she had been spotted in my map, and so far, the pattern showed that the sightings concentrated around this area. That’s why I hadn’t moved on to a different town or village. Statistically speaking, I had the biggest chance of finding her if I kept my search here.

Aah, if only she’s more of a normal adventurer…

After my investigation, I knew the girl never even got registered in the Guild, nor did she belong to any form of adventuring party. And she never returned back to town either, somehow content on spending months on the wilderness on her own. She must be some sort of a crazy survivalist. Not that odd in retrospect, considering she’s an elf and all—living with nature and all that.

Still, that made my job even harder, as she could practically be anywhere out there. And with no information on where I could find the flower she’s looking for as well, I’m pretty much throwing the dice every time I went out there. Not to mention the fact that as more days passed, the worse the weather became. The winds became stronger and colder, and more and more snow started to pile up. And out there, blizzards started to ravage the forests, making the visibility awfully poor for any adventurers who were foolish enough to go there. Not to mention the monsters would grow more ferocious as well, especially monsters like Frost Bears and Tyrant Deers from before who thrived in the cold.

I had no idea how she could survive out there, on her own, without ever going back here for supplies. Even I wasn’t strong enough to fight against the blizzards. I could create cyclones to protect myself from them, but it only lasted temporarily while the blizzards would last for much, much longer. I would run myself dry if I kept spamming them. And without them, I could barely see anything.

Damn it, should I just forget this whole elf business? I’m not going to stay here until spring!

***

After yet another unfruitful day of searching and wandering, I rested my laurels in my usual tavern, tucking myself at the most inconspicuous corner that no one would bother stealing a glance at. These days, the excitement about me had died down a bit. Such was the nature of rumors and gossips. They didn’t stay for very long in the public consciousness, which was perfectly fine by me.

With a cup of hot chocolate and a plate of pork sausage on my table (another expensive expenditure, if I might add), I was confident I would be able to relax and enjoy myself for the night. I even took out a book to read. And no, it wasn’t some trashy fiction book. I am educating myself, for I need to prepare for my trip to the Demon Continent. The dominant language there is different, and I am not going to be like those ignorant tourists who came to Japan and expecting us to speak English to cater to them.

Sure I’m glad I decide to spend some time going to the bookstores at the capital just to buy this book.

It was titled “An Introductory to the Demon Tongue”. It wasn’t that big, and the author seemed to have painstakingly made sure that the readers would be to understand every single explanation he put in there. In fact, it read like the author was a giant fanboy of demonic culture in general. He kept praising how diverse and exciting they were, and how we as humans could learn a lot from them.

Geez, I wonder how this book didn’t get labeled as heresy by the Church…

Still, thanks to that, I was able to pick up the language pretty quickly. If I had to describe how it was, I’d say it reminded me quite a bit of the German language back at Earth. Kinda funny, since the human language on the other hand is pretty similar to English. So this is some English vs Germany type thing, like in the two World Wars.

I was so engrossed in said book, that I didn’t notice a group of people heading towards me.

“Charles! You’re Charles, aren’t you?”

With my eyebrows raised, I put my book down.

Only to see my old companions, the Flaming Arrows, standing beside my table.

“Charles! Long time no see!”

Huh. They’re here?

The one who spoke so cheerfully was naturally Amelie. The other two, that being Anne and Anton, only looked at me with a neutral expression on their faces. Well, for the former, it’s more like a scowl than anything.

“You did it! You really slew that dragon, didn’t you?” She giggled. “I knew you’d be able to do it! I never had any doubt in the slightest!”

Well, this is awkward. We kinda separated in quite the bad terms after all.

And so, what happened afterward took me by surprise.

“I apologize. I shouldn’t have said those words to you back then.” Anton bowed as deeply as he could.

Uh, alright?

After he straightened himself back up, he continued, “You know your strength better than I am. I shouldn’t have been so presumptuous to tell you what to do.”

Oo-kay, this is only getting even more awkward. I don’t really care what he said to me back then, but he’s making it out to be a big deal.

“Don't worry! I don't mind in the slightest!" I quickly interrupted him with a smile. “You’re only concerned about me, right? I think it’s a pretty natural thing to say to anyone who’s crazy enough to fight against a dragon on his own. So, what are you guys doing here?" I quickly changed the topic.

“Doing quests. What else?” Anton replied, now with a little smile. “In winter, the demand for adventurers for guard and monster extermination duties increase, so you’ll see more and more adventurers flocking to this part of the country.”

Ah, that makes sense. The winter makes the monsters more ferocious after all. The herbivores will die off or hibernate during the winter, so the carnivores would decide to attack humans instead. Monsters have fewer self-preservation instincts built onto them, so they would survive this way.

“Ah, I see,” I replied with my own little grin. “Well, good luck to you guys. As you might’ve heard, I’m busy searching for a certain elf. So I’m not taking up any prolonged quests for the moment. If you ever see her, make sure to tell me, alright?”

“...So the rumors are true. That you are chasing after another girl.”

Anne finally decided to speak. Without hesitation, she walked and stood right beside me, glaring with that emerald eyes of hers.

“I thought you already have a girlfriend, huh? So how come you’re going all around looking for this elf girl?” She put her hands on her waist.

I rolled my eyes. Oh great, she gets the wrong idea. Just like many others.

“Who says I’m looking for her for that reason?” I replied with an annoyed frown. “I need something she has. A Dream Orb. I want to buy that off her hands so I can send a message with it.”

“Hmph, as if I would believe that excuse, you womanizer!” was her chosen reply.

Sheesh, what a stubborn girl. You’d be cuter if you were less stubborn, you know. Then maybe you’ll actually get a guy to be your boyfriend so you’d stop nagging me like this.

“That’s enough, Anne,” Anton spoke with his authoritarian tone. “His business is his own. We have no right to ask him about it if he doesn’t want to answer.”

Yea, that’s right. Listen to your leader for once.

“Charles. Are you never going to join us again?”

It was Amelie who spoke. With a fluttering of her long eyelashes and the watering of her eyes, I nearly told her otherwise.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t.” I gave her a regretful smile. “I really need to meet that elf. Or else I’ve wasted my efforts these past two months. Honestly, I might end up just leaving if I don’t get to her soon. I don’t think I’m going to continue my search once spring comes.”

“And you, Amelie. We’ve talked about this before. He won’t travel with us again. It’s only a mere coincidence that we took the same job all those months ago.” Anton scolded her next.

She retreated with a sigh before giving me a bitter smile. She probably thinks me more like her dream hero after the news of me slaying that dragon came to her ears. Heh, she just doesn’t know how much of a weakling I really am. Bravery is not a function of strength after all.

"Oh, and sorry for us interrupting your dinner." Anton then spoke with a bashful smile. "Amelie here insisted that we should come and pay you a visit once we knew you're here."

Yeah, I can imagine her doing that, whining to him until he relented.

"Well, I suppose we shall take our leave."

Knowing that their presence wasn’t exactly welcome, Anton, being the one with the most sensible head among the three, decided that they should depart. I felt bad for feeling this, but he was right. I was in the middle of my reading and they had took me out of it. And I hate being interrupted like that.

Before they could do so however, they were stopped by a certain sound.

The strings of a harp being plucked.

That day he climbed the mountain,

His company the wise witch,

For a cure he sought in need,

A stranger he prayed to live.

It was the harp of a bard. She had made her entrance, and now, she was playing her instrument, all the while accompanying it with her voice.

And she was an all-too-familiar face.

With might and magic he fought,

A dragon most powerful,

The cold did not bother him,

For his wind is far more fierce.

...Yep, she’s singing about me, alright.

The dragon laid in defeat,

Its heart plundered, taken,

The witch made her curatives,

The stranger returned from Abyss.

The crowd, who had become silent as she began to play, barraged her with applause. It seemed her performance pleased them, even though the words didn’t exactly rhyme with each other (I thought a ballad is supposed to have that rhyme at the end of each word).

Still, I couldn’t exactly blame them. It didn’t matter if the lyrics were subpar, when her harpplaying and her voice were that good.

She was actually a talented bard after all.

Even so, I’d better look away and pretend that I’m not here. Or rather, I should sneak out before she did something dumb like calling me out or something.

“Well well well, aren’t you happy?” Anne huffed, giving me that glare again. “They’re now making songs of you, O Great Divine Tempest.” She wasn’t holding back in the slightest. The mocking, venomous tone of her voice made it all too clear that she wasn’t happy with my sudden rise in popularity.

“Why are you so mad about it anyways?” I responded with a questioning look. “It’s not like I asked her to make songs about me. She did it on her own. I don’t even want this publicity.”

That’s not entirely true. I do want to be famous. Just not now. And I don’t think my fame would contribute positively in my search of that high elf. What if she thinks I’m a bad guy? She’ll be scared since she knows she’ll be outclassed by me in strength.

“Because you—aaarghhh, forget it!”

Instead of answering, she stormed off.

I could only sigh like a disappointed parent at her reaction.

Ah, puberty. She’s just like Hanako. Come to think of it, she stopped being cute just when she’s around her age.

Anton sighed as well, shaking his head.

“Well, we’ll be taking our leave.”

Giving me a nod, with a short wave from Amelie, the two left as well.

To my relief, I heard the elf bard switching to a different song. She hadn’t noticed me yet, it seems.

I soon left as well, employing my utmost stealth as I swerved through the back of the room, ignoring the eyes that just realized I was the main character of that song they just heard.

Thank God I had paid for my meal beforehand

***

Another two weeks had passed since then. Thanks to the bard’s performances, my popularity around here rised again, to my chagrin. I even got Ms. Receptionist teasing me for it, singing the lyrics whenever she could make me hear it.

I didn’t meet Anton and the others again. They probably had taken a guard job from one of the logging companies. Naturally, that would force them to stay in one of their sites until their contract was over.

At least, that’s what I believed, until one cold and snowy night, I saw Anton and Amelie inside the Guild.

And the latter was yelling and crying at Ms. Receptionist.

“Y-you can’t be saying we should just abandon her!” Amelie shouted as she banged her fists onto the table.

“I’m saying there’s no adventurer around that is capable to take your request,” she replied with a cold and dispassionate look. “The Merkel Forest? In a blizzard like this? I’ll only give such a request to S-rank adventurers. And in case you haven’t noticed, there aren’t any around.”

“That’s stupid! Merkel Forest only has A-rank monsters at the very most!”

“The blizzard bumps it up to S-rank. With that poor visibility, you know how easy it is to be ambushed by monsters.”

“I don’t care! Just accept the request!”

It was immediately clear to me that Amelie was terribly upset about something. What that thing was however, I had no idea at the moment.

The older woman sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose as she seemingly nursed a terrible headache.

 “Hey, everyone!” She suddenly shouted. “Does anyone here want to do a rescue mission to Merkel Forest?”

No one responded.

A rescue mission? In this weather? And in that forest?

Merkel Forest was known to be the toughest forest in the entire immediate region. It’s filled with A-rank monsters that would end the lives of any unprepared adventurers. Combine that with the blizzard that’s currently happening right now, no wonder not a single adventurer there replied. It would be suicide to go out there in this weather. Even an S-rank adventurer might not be willing to do it. And I wouldn’t blame them.

And why is she demanding a rescue mission again? And where’s Anne?

…

...Oh no.

...Don’t tell me that she’s—

I promptly walked up towards the two. In the corner of my eyes, I noticed the unmistakable pained look in Anton’s face as he looked away.

“Hey, what’s going on here?”

Amelie was the first to turn towards me.

And then…

“C-Charles… U-Uwaaahhhhh!”

Before I knew it, she already threw herself onto me, hugging me as tightly as she could as tears cascaded down her cheeks.

“I-It’s Anne! She’s… she’s still out there in the forest!”

And thus, my fear became reality.