"Here's your money," Sakura said to Martel as she handed him a space bag in front of the Adventurers Guild.

"Are you so excited for today? Or were you just busy packing?" Martel asked the fully packed Sakura, who had bags under her eyes.

"Eh? Ah, I guess I was just a little nervous."

"Well, you don't need to be too worried. Compared to the Labyrinth, this will be a cakewalk." Martel replied with a chuckle. "Go ahead and hop into the cart."

"Got it," Sakura replied as she made her way over the cart.

"Excuse me, are you the shield hero?" A man asked as he exited the guild. 

Martel turned in surprise as he had not noticed the man, who appeared to be in his late 20s, approach. The man was muscular, scarred, with an above-average appearance. 

"I am, is there something I can do for you?" Martel replied, slightly surprised that the man had recognized him. He was no longer wearing the same clothing or the mask when he was officially locked up, and the shield was currently unassuming on his ring. It was also possible to have overheard Pamela, Kurt, or Sakura in the Guild, so it wasn't surprising.

"I was wondering if I could join your party. You see, I was not in the area when you were all summoned, so I did not join one of the parties."

"I understand. However, I'm not currently looking for new members. I believe I found a good and balanced team currently and do not intend any more members casually. If you want to join a hero party, I can recommend the spear or chakram heroes. All of the main parties are full, but their sub-parties still have room."

"I see." The man said with a regretful expression before he glanced at the visible members of the party. "Well, I suppose I shall try my luck elsewhere. Thank you for hearing me out."

Martel nodded and walked away to end up near Cynthia. "Because the wagon is becoming cramped, would you prefer to carry myself or Hestia?" He asked with an innocent expression.

"If-if milord wants to," Cynthia replied, desperately trying to hide her flustered expression. 

Martel nodded as he got onto Cynthia's back, ignoring her slight moan and reddening face. He glanced over to the carriage and saw Rio, sending him a crafty smile. He innocently smiled back as if to deny what her expression was implying. Responding to his look, Rio made a slight grouping gesture with her hands, causing Martel's expression to freeze before he turned away.

 

Martel had been awoken in the early morning by Rio. When Rio realized she had woken up in her bedroom, she went to Martel's room out of concern. She was relieved to find him peacefully asleep but wanted to check to make sure he was okay. She was no stranger to the sounds of dragons, who had taken her beloved from her.

Although Rio attempted to be subtle, Martel woke up halfway through. At first, he pretended to be asleep. He could tell she was generally concerned about him, even though he felt this was a minor violation of privacy. However, perhaps because of Rio's experience, Rio realized he had woken up but pretended not to notice. Instead, she began to check the last part of his body. But, of course, Martel could not allow that. As a result, the drowsy Kogane came at the perfect time to see the two of them wrestling on the bed.

 

Rio chuckled when she saw Martel's response. Then, as they were leaving, she glanced back over to the Adventurers Guild. [Strange, when did he leave?]

Just as they were about to leave, they ran into someone they did not expect.

"You sure are a hard man to get a hold of, considering you invited me to the company," Lily said, clearly angry.

Martel made a forced smile. "I haven't checked in for a few days."

"I know that," Lily replied, clearly irked. "I showed up two days ago to discuss terms with you when they told me you were taking today off. Yesterday I checked, and you went into the Labyrinth. Now, I showed up today only to find you are leaving the city. How much of my time do you plan on wasting!"

Martel could only give her an awkward smile as he was slightly at fault for not checking. "I apologize for the inconvenience. Would you like to talk about this now or go to a private location?"

"Here is fine. First of all, why the hell are you stealing my business?"

"Pardon?"

"I've seen your catalog. You are starting to go out of the range of mana and health potions."

"Firstly, compared to the exquisite work of your specialized potions, we are still extremely lacking. Secondly, even if you were asked to make such potions, I'm sure you would've refused the business given that they are not specialized. Finally, so long as you join the company, so long as you keep up with demand, all specialty potions can be commissioned through you."

Lily frowned but did not immediately reply. "Forget it. Anyway, about my conditions. Firstly, I want free access to your teleportation stations."

Martel's eyebrow slightly twitched. "You will be given a black token VIP status. This gives you tremendous benefits. You won't be able to use them for free, but it will be a trifle as long as you sell a single potion."

"So much for being sincere," Lily mumbled. "Second, I want you to create a teleportation station at my home."

"To or bidirectional?"

"Bidirectional."

Martel slightly frowned. "Any other conditions?"

"Since you mentioned it, I want to join your party."

For the first time, Martel's expression turned to surprise. "Are you serious?"

"Naturally. If I'm going to sell to your company, there's no reason for me to keep my shop, nor stay in one place."

"Are you sure? Do you have combat experience?"

"Of course I do!" Lily replied, seemingly offended. "This is a dangerous world for a lone woman. I would like to increase my strength. Several people have tried to abduct me for my knowledge and skills. None of them were successful. Besides, I don't plan to be a combatant. Instead, I plan to travel with you guys to unique locations where I can gather rare materials for potions."

"That may work for you, but what benefit is it to the party?"

"I'm a fully trained apothecary. This means that I go beyond simply making medicine and potions. You should know full well that there are some things that magic alone cannot easily cure. However, I'm capable of basic healing magic and have unparalleled medical knowledge. Furthermore, if someone in the party suffers terrible injuries, having me in the immediate vicinity gives them the highest chance of recovery. Anyway, those are my three conditions."

Martel didn't immediately reply as he pondered. "Fine. We can make a concession and put a teleportation station in your home. We can even front the cost, but you'll have to follow normal regulations to use it."

"Fine."

"Do you want to come with us now? We're about to go into Fallen Hero Forest."

Lily's expression froze. "No, and I will never go into that forest. Besides, I have to make some travel preparations first."

"Suit yourself." Dr. applied as he raised a hand which she shook. "I look forward to working with you in the future."

Lily scoffed. "You would, Mr. virgin." She replied before she quickly got away.

"Hubby, if that bothers you, I can always-"

"Let's go."

…

"Okay, everyone," Martel said to gather the party's attention. "Our goal is to collect a number of the silk spiders and deliver them to an enclosure in the northern part of the forest."

"Sir, may I ask what the point is?" Hestia couldn't help but ask as collecting the silk spiders had been a fruitless endeavor in the past.

"Half of the Goblin Farm Forest falls under the jurisdiction of the Tate Kingdom. They've made an enclosure for the silk spiders, and Arachne is capable of teaching them how to gather and trade their silk for food."

"I see. Speaking of the Tate kingdom, who is Queen Regent Freya?" She could not help but ask as Martel should have jurisdiction over the territory due to clearing it.

"I just left control of the territory to the co-owners of the Red Dragon Trading Company." Martel casually replied with a shrug. "We can take the carriage along the old path and will stop in these three locations to gather the spiders. We will keep a few party members with the carriage while the rest go into the forest to find the spiders. They are weak, so it is not too difficult for us to capture them. If they don't come out of their dens, Arachne can coax them, or Rio and Kogane can possess them. We will probably end up filling the carriage eventually, so everyone will have to walk at some point."

"I call the first shift with Eferhild," Rio interjected. "She will keep watch while I take a nap as a certain someone kept me up last night."

"Fine by me," Martel replied, ignoring her assertion.

"I want to take the shift with mama." Kogane suddenly said. 

"No, Kogane." Rio immediately admonished. "We don't need more than two people. You can take the second shift."

"But…" Kogane began before she relented. Though she had the rebellious heart of a child, she tried to be more obedient after the string of unfortunate events that nearly killed them both. "Then I call the second shift with Sakura!"

"Eh? Me?" Sakura said, surprised by suddenly being brought into the conversation. 

"You won't?" Kogane asked with puppy eyes.

"I didn't say that!" Sakura said to appease her. "I will. I was planning on it."

"Pinky promise?" Kogane asked as she curled her pinky.

"I promise," Sakura replied as she hooked their pinkies, though her smile appeared forced compared to Kogane's.

"We can figure out the third shift when the time comes," Martel replied. "For now, let's get to work."

...

"These little guys are kinda cute," Kogane said as she poked the unmoving spiders in the carriage.

"They kind of creeped me out a little," Sakura replied.

It was currently early afternoon, and the party had made good time. They had reached the second stop and expected to reach the end of Fallen Hero Forest by the next evening. Currently, Sakura and Kogane were alone taking their shift watching the wagon. Terra had been given free rein as she did not like to be hitched to the cart and preferred the freedom to roam.

"Is there anything you want to do?" Kogane asked Sakura.

"Not particularly. Would you like a drink of water?" Sakura replied as she passed a canteen.

"Sure," Kogane replied as she took a swig. "Why don't you tell me a bit about yourself?"

Sakura slightly flinched before she began to speak. "Well, my mother is the only family I've ever had. But, unfortunately, she's had health problems for as long as I've known her, so life has been hard. But we love each other." 

Kogane listened as she made a slight yawn. "That kind of sounds like mama and me. We didn't have many problems because we had a lot of help from others… Why am I so tired?" Kogane mumbled as her eyes became heavy, and she teetered side to side.

As she expected this, Sakura easily caught Kogane and gently laid her down with a complex expression. "Sorry. I don't have a choice. This is too good an opportunity to pass by." Sakura mumbled to herself. She went to the hidden compartment with the carriage and did some quick organizing to three separate space bags. She did not take everything because she did not need to. After setting a sorrowful glance towards the carriage, she quickly ran away. In the distance, she heard the whistle that signaled everyone to gather. She gently wiped her tearing eyes as she followed the path back before jumping into the depths of the forest, completely unaware that her shadow was unnoticeably darker.

 

["Mom, can you teach me how to read some more?" Sakura asked as she held the book that was the size of her juvenile torso.

"Of course, Sakura. What would you like to-" her mother began before she was interrupted.

The door that was the only exit of the cave system that Sakura had called home, the only place she had ever known, opened. Into the room walked one of the many men Sakura had seen before.

"It's my turn. Let's go." The man said to Sakura's mother.

The smile on Sakura's mother's face froze. "Sakura, I'll teach you some more in the morning. After that, it's time for me to go."

"Okay," Sakura replied, disappointed as her mother left the room with the man.

…

"Mom, who is my father?"

"Your father? He-" *bang bang* Sakura's mother began with a smile before the banging on the door from the guard on the other side caused her face to whiten.

Sakura glanced at the door with a frown on her face. She was angry because the guard always stopped her mother from telling her things about the outside world.

…

"Mom, what's wrong with your face? Did those bad men hit you?"

"No, I just fell." Her mother vehemently denied it, but Sakura didn't completely believe her.

...

"Didn't you want to know about the outside world? Well, go out and explore. We've been so kind to feed you and your mother this entire time, so you need to return our investment. So long as you pay us back enough, we will even let your mother leave with you. But, of course, if something were to go wrong, you may never see her again."

Sakura grit her teeth as she glanced at her mother before she forced a smile. "I'll be back."

"I'll be here." Sakura's mother replied with an equally forced smile. Somehow, Sakura felt her mother hoped never to see her again."]

 

Several memories flashed through Sakura's mind as she made her way deeper into Fallen Hero Forest. Besides the stigma of a curse, the primary reason why the kingdom had not cleaned Fallen Hero Forest was the bandits' numbers and strength within. The forest was large enough to provide for them, the terrain was difficult for soldiers to move through, and there were plenty of locations to hide. Of course, if a person with overwhelming strength came to deal with the situation, it would not be a problem. However, the number of such people was lacking, and the rewards were equally so. The bandits within the forest did very little to amass or rob wealth, so there wasn't even a bounty. As such, their internal situation was not known by outsiders. The bandits had a relatively strict hierarchy within the forest based on strength. Sakura made her way back to the pinnacle bandit's den.

Over the last couple of years, she had made her way back whenever she made enough money, though often not legitimate, and to check on her mother. Now, it was different. She had enough money.

"Sakura, you are back already? Do you already have another payment available?"

"Take me to the boss," Sakura stoically replied.

The guard flinched, and his expression turned angry, but he motioned for her to go ahead. "He's in the usual place. I'll escort you."

Sakura didn't reply but nodded as she walked ahead. She didn't see that, behind her, the man's angry look suddenly turned into a smile as he checked her out from behind.

...

"Kogane, wake up," Rio said as she gently poked her shoulder.

"Mn, five more minutes."

"Wake up right now, young lady," Rio said as she tugged on her ear.

"Ouch! Okay! I'm awake! Mama is so mean." Kogane replied. "Wait, I... was I asleep? Where is Sakura?" Kogane asked as she looked around. Upon seeing several frowning faces, and no sign of Sakura, Kogane's face suddenly paled. She looked down as her jaw trembled.

"Kogane, what happened?" Martel asked. "We found you drugged. Given that we are missing a large chunk of our emergency funds, I'm assuming Sakura?"

Kogane trembled and nodded. "I'm sorry."

"You don't have to be sorry."

"No, it's my fault. I trusted her and gave her a second chance."

"Second chance?" Rio asked.

"She… She was with the bandits that found me and sold me to the slave trader."

Everyone, even Martel, blinked in surprise from her confession.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Martel asked.

"I didn't realize it at first. I thought she looked familiar, but it didn't dawn on me until we entered the Labyrinth. I was going in and out of consciousness when the bandits found me, but I remember her trying to protect me. She even tried to save me in the Labyrinth even though she could have died. So I don't think she's a bad person."

"Then it's okay." Martel consoled her.

"But, I lost all the money."

"It's just money. However, I would prefer it if you had told me ahead of time. Besides, I feel there is more here than meets the eye."

"What do you mean?" Hestia asked, speaking for those that were angered by this betrayal.

"As Kogane said, I don't think she's a bad person. She wouldn't have protected Kogane otherwise. Besides, given how earnest her expressions were when she was speaking of her mother, I find it hard to believe everything she was saying was a lie."

"So, what should we do?" Rio asked.

Martel smiled. Isn't that obvious? We go bandit hunting."

…

"Welcome back, Sakura. I'm surprised to see you so soon." While appearing in his 40s, the scarred man still exuded fitness and youth below his age. However, his appearance was surprisingly typical for someone who would be considered a menace.

"I didn't come here to see you," Sakura replied as she tried to hide her disgust on her face. She tossed a storage bag on the table. "Here is the money we agreed on, plus a little extra for taking such good care of my mother."

The bandit leader looked surprised as he glanced into the storage bag or found a large amount of gold. A smile appeared on his face. "Sakura, I think you miscounted. You seem a little short here."

Sakura bit her lip with her front teeth, notably larger than a normal human's. She glared at the man for several seconds before she pulled another space bag out with trembling hands and tossed it in front of him.

The bandit leader glanced within the space bag and nodded. The amount within the space bag was far less than the previous one, but obviously, enough to help safely travel and settle down the two of them. "This seems about right. Go ahead and collect your mother. No one will prevent you from leaving. You have my word, and you know I've never broken it." The bandit leader said as he nodded to one of his men guarding the door, who promptly left to inform the others.

Sakura cluster fist thank you for your hospitality all of these years." She said with a forced smile through clenched teeth.

However, the bandleader seemed to take no heed of how she responded. "Of course. I've always thought of you as a daughter."

"Oh, is that so. Well, I will go as I want to see my mother." She said as she made a quick retreat, her skin covered in goosebumps.

"... Boss, is letting her go a good idea?" The other men guarding the door asked.

The bandit leader scoffed. "Of course it isn't. Her father is the head of their tribe. Even if they have no political power in this kingdom, if word gets out, that could be bad. The reason why we've been so safe and secure all these years is that we have been under the radar, and I plan to keep it that way."

"Then what are we going to do?"

"What can I do? I am a man of my word. That's how I've been able to stay in my position for so long. By keeping my word to the letter."

 

"Mother."

"Sakura? What are you doing back so soon?"

"Mother, let's leave. I paid off the bastard."

Sakura's mother's face suddenly became pale. "Really? Then we must leave quickly."

"Mother, is something wrong?" Sakura asked when she noticed her mother's change in demeanor.

"I don't think they will let us leave so easily."

"Really? Even though this place is full of bastards, the old man keeps his word at least."

"Perhaps, but you are thinking too simply. He has kept his word until now because it suits his purpose. If there came a time where that was not so, who would keep him accountable? Anyway, how did you get so much money so quickly?"

"I… I stole it."

Her mother frowned. "I'm not happy about that." She chastised.

"I know. When you're safe, I plan to turn myself in and pay them back, even if it takes my whole life. They are good people, so they should let me do at least that much."

"You stole from good people? *Sigh* I'll see if your father can help, but don't expect much."

"My father?"

"Not here. Let's get as far away from here as we can first."

The mother and daughter left as quickly as they could. They were overly cautious as they went through the caverns, but everyone seemed to treat them like air. Even the guard at the entrance had his eyes closed as they left. "Mother, we-" Sakura began but suddenly stopped when she heard the subtle sound of crushed foliage directly behind her. Before she could move, so fast that she could barely react, the mace of the guard impacted her leg.

"Sakura!" Her mother yelled as Sakura's mouth opened with an empty scream.

"Shut up." The guard snarled as he reached out and grabbed her by the throat before turning back to Sakura. "You seem to have gotten stronger recently. I was trying to break your leg, not fracture it."

Sakura's mouth opened and closed as she desperately tried to breathe. Her wide eyes and pale face showed the anger and pain she was experiencing. "You… The old man, he said we could leave."

"And leave you did." The old man said as he walked up with a smile on his face. "I let you leave. It's just too bad that you happen to get captured again," he said as he grabbed her by the hair.

"You bastard!"

"Now then, that's no way to address me. That's okay, though. I'll be having you call me 'daddy' soon enough."

Sakura's mother's face turned white. "You can't! You promised you wouldn't touch her!"

The old man scoffed. "I promise that, so long as you were obedient and did what we wanted, we wouldn't touch her. Since you left, that deal is now void."

Just as he finished speaking, the sound of the beating drum echoed from the South.

The old man cocked an eyebrow. "Oh, it seems we have guests." He said before he turned to Sakura. "My dear, it seems you were sloppy."

Sakura's eyes suddenly widened. "Don't-" she began to shout before the old man covered her mouth.

"It seems you do know the intruders, and they are unexpected." He said with a chuckle. "I was worried about where you got the money from, but I don't think it will be too much of an issue."

Sakura's jaw trembled, and she couldn't hide the worry on her face. She knew the strength of the party and was not optimistic. These bandits had been operating for over a decade. They were the remnants of the underworld that used to exist in Hastings before Jonathan cleaned them up nearly 20 years ago. They consisted of former mercenaries and the dark side of former nobles, which meant that their strength superseded soldiers. While the party was comparatively stronger individually, the outposts in the four cardinal directions were roughly as difficult as the 60th floor. However, these fighters were not shadows of themselves. They had established teamwork, were in their home terrain, and more numerous, which increased the difficulty further.

"Go get the East and West camps to assist so we can minimize casualties." The old man said as if to pull her further down into despair. "Now then, let's go have a nice chat." He said as he dragged the pair back towards their base.

 

"These guys are a little cocky, coming straight in." A bandit archer said to another as he aimed.

"Try to cripple. They are all beauties. Probably some rich playboy who is trying to gain some fame." The other bandit archer replied as he took a few shots. "Hey, are you going to shoot? Are you expecting me to do all the work?" He asked before he turned back to the other archer and suddenly froze from the searing pain in his throat as he weakly grasped at the arrow in his throat. The last thing he saw was a crossbow bolt fly in between the eyes of the other bandit, who uncharacteristically had a sly smile and ever so slight white glowing eyes.

 

"Hurry up, you three! I'm pretty sure that was an elf, a high elf! And she is stacked like a dark elf! If we capture her, we can take the finders fee." The leader of a patrol of melee bandits said as they chased the fleeing figure. However, when they came around the bend of a tree, the elf had disappeared. "Where did she go?" He asked as the four men looked around, unaware of the look of disgust a face, perfectly melded within the tree, had towards him.

Then, at the same time, the roots of the trees came alive and snatched the ankles of the men who panicked in surprise and pain. From within the roots, another individual appeared. The men could not be surprised by her unusual appearance as they were unaware of the humanoid race that was completely green or had vegetation growing out of their bodies. They were even more surprised when the elf they had been chasing stepped out of the tree next to them.

"They are all yours," Laelynn said.

A chill went down the spine of the men who raised their guard, but it was all for not. Like a gust of wind, like a dance of ice and fire, a young lady with half-white bangs appeared. Then, emotionless as a doll, she swept through them with elemental blades. The last thought that went through their minds as the vision went flying was how she seemed like a fairytale, like a reaper.

 

"You useless archers!" A sword-and-shield bandit yelled in pain after being flown back. "Forget about that bird! Instead, focus on the minotaur, the Orich, and the silver-haired girl! Leave the fully armored one and the weird turtle alone. Shit!" He shouted as he barely sidesteps another bandit that the minotaur had sent flying.

"Good assist!" Eferhild shouted as she smashed the bandit's head to Pasiphae. The gory sight heavily contrasted the smile on her face.

"Pay attention!" Hestia said while she was dealing with three of the remaining six melee bandits with the help of barriers cast by Parenelle.

"Hey, hit me!" Kappa shouted as the bandits had completely given up trying to penetrate her abnormal defense. "Well, if you won't come to me." She said as she lunged towards the bandit.

The bandit, who saw her comment, quickly raised his shield. A cold chill went down his back when his metal-reinforced wooden shield suddenly had a large chunk of it missing, now between Kappa's metal jaws.

The bandit archers are starting to panic. They were overwhelmed by the barrage of fire from Asuka and Kogane and the crossbow bolts sent by Cynthia. The latter had trouble closing distance due to the heavy cover of tree roots.

"Hey, rearguard archers, stop being so lazy and increase fire!" One of the forward-most archers shouted, noting the lull of arrows fired from behind. Getting no response, he began to turn around. "Seriously! What you do-" he began before his words got stuck in his throat. 

Behind him, strung from the trees by nooses of silk, were several archers. They died from a strike to the top of the skull or a blow to the guts. Several had their 'innards' in a location where they could be called 'outards.' The archer's skin broke out in goosebumps as he was about to look up. Still, a sound to the side stopped him. He turned just in time to see the flaming maw of a black wolf that pounced upon him, grabbed his throat, and tore. 

The stunned bandit barely registered the warhammer wielding dwarf, launched from the back of the black wolf, and struck the head of another archer, instantly killing him. The first thought that went through the bandit's mind as he felt the blood drain from his throat was how cold it felt despite being a wound inflicted with fire. His eyes became heavy, and his vision blurry. He was swept up by the sound of the song that now felt like a lullaby. He glanced at the blue-haired figure floating atop and behind one of the trees overlooking the battle. As her voice echoed in his consciousness, he remembered the stories told by the fisherman. It seemed that, even on land, the call of the Siren announced their death.

 

"Stop struggling so much." The old man said as he tossed the now tied up mother and daughter pair into his private quarters. "Now then, where to begin?" He said as he reached out toward Sakura's clothes.

"Boss!" A panicked voice suddenly shouted.

The old man flinched before a scowl appeared on his face. However, he said nothing as he exited the quarters, having recognized the voice of the caller. "I'm in here. What's going on?"

The man entered the room to reveal his fate, white as a ghost. "B-boss, they're all dead."

"Who's dead?" The old man said as a sense of foreboding washed over him.

"The East and West camps there are all dead. Assassinated! They didn't react when I yelled at them, so I went up only to find them dead. The scariest thing was that they were positioned so naturally, just as if they were all sitting. There are no signs of fighting and barely any blood. It was only by chance I noticed a small needle hole in the back of one of their necks. It's like they were all killed, completely unaware that the people around them were dying."

"Are you serious?" The old man asked, almost not believing. If not for the fact he knew a subordinate well enough to know he would never lie, he wouldn't give it a second thought.

The subordinate nodded furiously.

"Shit, who the hell did the girl provoke? I know some assassin organizations, but none kill like that. We need to leave now. Get the other core members so we can evacuate while the southern outpost fights. Hopefully, the assassins are busy with the northern group."

The subordinate nodded and quickly left.

The old man frowned as he grabbed an ever-ready travel pack and went back towards his quarters. However, before he could reach the door, a roar shook the cavern, followed by an explosion. The old man froze as he slightly trembled. He turned as the door behind him opened, and his subordinates stumbled back in. Unlike before, his clothing was ragged, and burns covered his skin. He gripped his stump with his remaining arm. "Run. Dra-" *Bang* The subordinate began but couldn't finish as he died with his head crushed in the maw of a red dragon.

The old man stared, completely frozen at the red dragon, though it was oddly small and didn't seem real. The old man's heart pounded as the red dragon's eyes locked onto his before slowly broke apart, and a mass of red ki flew out the door.

"*Sigh* Problem children keep showing up in my party." A new voice, one unfamiliar to the old man, said.

From the broken doorway, a man dressed in black appeared. The moment the old man locked eyes with him, he felt even more fear now than from the dragon just saw. Throughout his life, he had met all kinds of people, especially those of the underworld. From just one glance, he knew that the man in front of them had killed more than anyone he had met before. When one killed many people, they would either come to enjoy it or become apathetic. Either their apathy was because they cut off all their emotions to kill or saw those they killed as less than human. The old man didn't know which form of apathy the young man he saw before he had, and he didn't care. Though the young man may seem indifferent to his life, he only had one. "My… My friend. Did the little rabbit steal from you? I can give you back your money and then some." He said as clearly as he could. However, the man walked toward him without reacting or even breaking his stride. "Would you like women? Power? Fame? I can help you achieve all of that." He continued, to no result.

The old man couldn't help but slowly back up at the young man's approach until he reached a certain distance. "Die!" He shouted as he drew and stabbed with a hidden dagger. However, before he could strike, a chain shot out of the man's eye and bound him tightly. He struggled but couldn't move. "You! What do you want! I can give you everything I have, just don't kill me!"

"What do I want?" The young man said as he reached forward, a hand on the top of the old man's head. "I want your memories."

Suddenly, the old man felt like his body was collapsing in on itself, starting from his feet. It felt as if his soul was being sucked out, and he screamed in pain. But, eventually, he accepted the blackness and never left it.

…

"Mom, are you okay?" Sakura asked. Several minutes had passed since the screening finally stopped. She previously heard a roar, an explosion, and mumbled talking before a heart-wrenching scream resounded through the caverns. The mother and daughter were so terrified that neither of them spoke.

"I'm… I'm okay." Her mother replied, but the mental shock of the day was plastered on her face.

Sakura was about to continue to speak, but the door to the room suddenly opened. The trepidation on Sakura's face suddenly changed to astonishment. "Kogane?"

"I found them. They both seem all right." Kogane suddenly said over her shoulder, and Martel, along with several others, suddenly appeared.

While the others remained outside, Martel and Kogane entered the room to cut the mother and daughter free.

"What about the bandits?" Sakura's mother asked. "Dead or fleeing," Martel replied.

Sakura was taken aback at just how casually he said it. "Why?" she asked as she looked at him with confusion. Why did you save me?"

Martel did not immediately reply but glanced at Kogane first before he turned to Sakura. "Because I just felt like it…  is what I would like to say. In reality…" He began as he pulled a blank piece of paper out of his inventory, "… I just came to get back what is mine."

Epilogue - An Ever Present Shadow

“You should try to have a couple of his children, Sakura.”

“Mom! What are you saying?” Sakura replied, so surprised her food fell off her fork. Flustered, she glanced towards Martel at the other side of the camp, conversing with Hestia over dinner. She was relieved to see he was still out of hearing distance, though she was slightly concerned he spontaneously had a coughing fit when she looked over.

“You know what I’m talking about. I saw the contract. If you’re lucky, you can pay him back in a couple of decades. By then, your youth will be gone. We had a great relationship with the previous shield hero. That is why our tribe was able to flourish even though we respectively did not have much strength. Tying yourself to the hero will not only be good for yourself but our tribe.”

“Why would it be good for the tribe?”

“Because your father, from what the bandits have hinted at, was and is the leader of our tribe.”

Sakura’s jaw dropped. “Seriously? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“They wouldn’t let me. They always had a guard and would not let me spend the night with you. I would’ve been punished if I told you.”

“I’m sorry,” Sakura said with a drooped head. She knew full well how much her mother had suffered to protect her.

“It’s fine. After all, your mother knows best for you. I’ll be rooting for you.” She replied with a thumbs up.

“Mom,” Sakura replied with a slight blush on her cheeks.

“Well, if you’re going to seduce a human, we are going to need to find a bunny suit.”

 

“Megumi, how are you doing?” Martel said as he sat down next to her, noticing she was staring at the whispering mother and daughter pair with a hint of envy.

“I’m okay.” She simply replied.

“You seem to be getting the hang of group fighting.”

Megumi nodded. “It’s still a little difficult.”

“Well, you’re an incredibly fast learner. I’ve been impressed at how quickly you have been able to learn and integrate all the martial arts I’ve been teaching you.”

“I’ve worked hard.” She said as she cocked up her chin.

Martel smiled as he put a hand atop her head and ruffled her hair. “Don’t get complacent.”

Despite moving to fight him off, an ever slight grin appeared on her face. Martel couldn’t help but chuckle when she stuck her tongue at him. He was happy to see that she was becoming more sociable and interacting with others. Her years of isolation had stunted her social and emotional growth, and she was still a child on the inside.

Martel went over to the carriage, placed in the middle of the tent, and accessed a secret compartment. A few seconds later, a barrier appeared, covering the entire camp. Eventually, everyone went to sleep.

…

Megumi fidgeted in her sleep. All the time she spent living in the dangerous environment heightened her senses to the extreme, even when she rested. It had saved her life several times and was one of the major factors to her survival. However, her senses had weakened as she became comfortable and confident in her surroundings and companions. However, an oppressive feeling on her chest woke her up. 

Megumi opened her eyes, expecting to see the barrier and the night sky. However, between them was a large black dragon’s head whose enormous body stood above her. For a brief moment, she felt she was hallucinating. However, that only lasted for an instant as she saw the laughter and the dragon’s eyes and its serpent-like smile. Her skin broke out in goosebumps, and she was wracked by fear. Even though she had fought a dragon on her own before, at this moment, she felt so insignificant. Those two dragons could not be compared. As despair flooded her eyes, the dragon seemed excited, but that led its presence to leak for a moment.

*Bang!*

The foreign sound of gunfire, along with the following roar of pain and anger, awoke the rest of the party. Martel, who had awoken when the dragon accidentally revealed its presence, had pulled an enhanced sniper rifle from his inventory and immediately fired. The bullet had managed to pierce the limited HP of the dragon and caused a gash across its snout. Somehow, it had moved its head just enough to avoid the impact location from being fatal. However, given that the gash was superficial, the sniper designed to penetrate tanks may have been insufficient to deal the fatal blow.

The dragon’s furious eyes locked on Martel, but it did not approach. Its entire body seemed to become a shadow, though a three-dimensional one. This mass of shadows shrunk before entering the hole nearby that the dragon had used to avoid the barrier.

Martel immediately placed another barrier on the ground to prevent a similar attack from easily happening again as he turned to the others. “Gather your things, quickly. We are leaving.”

The others, who had awoken in time to see what was going on, nodded all with pale faces. Dragons are rare enough that it would be unlikely for an individual to see them during their lifetime, present enough that everyone knew they existed. Silently and quickly, the party broke camp as Martel kept a vigilant watch as he was extremely wary. Even with his current stats and Talents, he could not lock on the individual or gather any information from him. However, there was a name of a dragon of similar characteristics that came to mind.

Just as they began to leave through the portal, a voice from outside suddenly spoke. It seemed almost omnidirectional, deep, yet young. “Running so soon? You disappoint me. Perhaps I should not play with my prey.” The voice said with a chuckle. “It truly is a pity. Though, it seems that your group has quite the destiny with me. In the future, we will meet again, many times. Although, I’m sure you will be unaware of most. I will be an ever-present shadow. While you may be able to lose me occasionally, I will be there the moment you forget to strike at the perfect moment.”

Martel’s fist tightened as he entered the portal. The serpentine laugh ceased when the portal closed. Martel glanced at the collapsed party, who was breathing extremely heavily from the pressure of the experience. Megumi, specifically, was curled up in a fetal position and being comforted by Rio. 

Shining under the moonlight, Martel glanced towards the top of the mountain surrounded by water. It spewed forth mist into the air as he glanced over the straight towards the port city. Quietly, so none could hear, he mumbled to himself. “It seems that I should not become complacent. I should accelerate my plans to become stronger even more quickly. I don’t want there to be another time when my strength is not enough.”

Although none of them said it, the entire group barely fell asleep again as an ever-present shadow shrouded their hearts.

End of Day 102