Stir the beef soup from the bowl. Kai, who is currently smelling the fragrant mixture of spices and supplies from the Expeditionary Troops while blowing occasionally to enjoy a good meal at night, looked at the girl in front with questioning eyes.

"What do you really want to ask?"

In front of Kai is Liona. He looked at his stupid brother with an expression of unbearable annoyance.

"How can you relax in the middle of the night while enjoying your food, when what's around you is so unsightly....hemp!!....Men are simply incomprehensible."

Liona's words have a very clear basis, because the surrounding scenery makes anyone feel uncomfortable.

The next night after the Chimera subjugation was the current time, where the remnants of the first Team against the Chimera were only a few people left. People who are still alive but have no chance of living are forced to be left to die in the middle of the forest.

Even though the Expeditionary troops brought some Healers, they were only able to heal minor injuries. If only there was a healer using Third Tier Magic maybe they could be saved.

Even though the mentally shaken people couldn't be healed, but at least their bodies could still be saved.

For D rank adventurers and novice knights seeing their comrades being eaten by monsters right in front of their eyes could only create nightmares at night, so that what was under their eyes were dark eye bags full of tiredness of what they could do. see.

A view where ideal hopes seem to be shattered in front of the eyes by the harsh reality.

Liona looked around with a gaze full of confidence at what she was thinking.

(Things like overworked over pay is just stupidity.. This is the reason why an adventurer should look carefully at the quest they are about to receive... Not take it without thinking about preparation.)

Idealism without reality is like goals without action. It would be a mere fantasy without being able to reach it, and even if one started to walk it would be useless if one did not understand the rationality that exists, in the end that person would starve to death without being able to obtain anything.

Realism without idealism is like action without a goal. Being able to act but not knowing where it was going, it would be too late when he realized what lay ahead was nothing but a dead end to death.

If the two things are not balanced with the appropriate portion, it will eventually lead to destruction.

That's what the Fire Dragon Lord Academy teachers taught Kai and Liona. A lesson that teaches Logic, Philosophy and the meaning of being a follower, a doctrine that is instilled into the heads of the students that school is only a simulation of the life of a follower to understand the reality of life, where an obedient student is prepared not to die after stepping out of the Academy gates. .

Remembering his school days made Liona put his hand on his cheek.

(What that cruel Professor teaches is sometimes useful... Something like balancing morals with idealism and destroying naivety with Reality... If only they didn't have a devil face maybe I would have become a devout student.)

Liona's eyes looked lazy as they turned to the dying knights covered in bandages, even though it was none of Liona's business.

Liona is aware of the limits of her abilities as an adventurer where she sometimes sees death in some of the quests she has taken.

Unable to contain the muttering from inside her heart, Liona finally put it into words.

"As a woman, silly dramas like that really reduce my appetite. But it's your own fault for not understanding your limits."

"Death happens everywhere and danger sometimes comes at the most unexpected times... that's why it's very important that we fill our stomachs first before dealing with it."

Liona let out a lazy sigh after hearing Kai's mutter which had no weight in his words.

He showed an expression as if he didn't accept his brother's stupid attitude all this time.

"Sigh.. I still can't believe my head went blank after dropping out of the Academy three years ago... Where did my old smart and calculating brother go."

His older brother, whom he respected and admired, now seemed completely absent. It made a kind of complicated feeling for Liona.

Seeing Kai with surrendering eyes was like saying "yes never mind!" Liona wanted to confirm something about the subjugation of [Death Smile]. A fact that may be very disturbing his mind he could have missed.

"Speaking of when we were at school.. Is there something I want to ask you?"

"Is it about your brother who some of the girls from our class get close to?"

Liona puts her hands on her head while showing an expression of headache, as if being submerged by lake water in winter. it will be cold and very painful.

"That's not what I wanted to know!..."

Busy with putting the spoon in his mouth and then after it was finished, Kai stopped, then put an empty bowl near him.

The burning smoke on the cooking stove began to be blown by the night wind, partially covering Kai's face from Liona's view for a while, after all that Kai answered the question.

"Regarding [Death Smile] it's most likely not created by the Darkness Dragon Lord's followers"

"That makes sense."

"If indeed [Death Smile] was made by them, our battle wouldn't be as easy as that time"

"Brother is right, our magic spells won't be effective against Darkness Dragon Lord's magic"

It would be reasonable to assume [Death Smile] was a creation of the Darkness Dragon Lord's followers since the monster possessed Dark Magic. So for Liona and Kai who are followers of one of the three Dragon Lords, it is a real nightmare for them both.

If it is known that their target uses Dark Magic that comes from the Darkness Dragon Lord, then Liona's only option is to return to make new plans or even cancel the quest, even if it destroys their reputation but it's a fair price for their safety.

A fight that has a small chance of winning is better not faced at all. It matched what Liona had learned.

But the fact that they handle it so easily opens up several other possibilities.

"I thought the [Death Smile] in the legend was told using Darkness Dragon Lord Magic, is the information we got wrong?"

"Hmm.. I don't know. But from what I learned in the library back then, it looks like [Death Smile] was really created by followers."

"You have proof?"

Kai shook his head.

"No.. I'm just assuming based on ancient book records, most of it only tells the impact of the defeat of the Professors back then, doesn't tell in detail the characteristics of the followers' Special Dark Magic... I still can't draw any conclusions from the information that is still foggy."

Liona put a hand on her chin to calm her mind, then she remembered something.

"Brother.. If I'm not mistaken, you had special training in how to fight the retainers? Didn't you realize something from there?"

"It's just practice, Liona.. I didn't even kill the creature.."

(As I expected. The Academy won't let its valuable assets be destroyed just for training purposes, after all it can't be regenerated.)

His older brother who has experience in fighting Special Dark Magic users, moreover Kai is the analytical type who is smart even though it only exists in the past.

but he should be able to recall the results of his analysis back then, although now it might have turned into mere instinct.

Recalling what Kai said after understanding the true meaning of Liona's curiosity a moment ago. Making some sort of snippet of information to see the big picture of what might happen, For Liona His brother's analysis is often accurate when it comes to their memories at the Academy. That way, conclusions that are close to the truth may have been determined from the start.

(If the [Death Smile] in the legends was created by followers, while the one we're fighting doesn't have Special Dark Magic. Then that means--)

"There was someone who created another Chimera using Dark Magic, and it was definitely not the followers"

Kai took back the empty bowl after hearing Liona mutter to then fill it with soup from the stove in front of his eyes. Back to eating while not paying attention to Liona who was again lost in his thoughts.

After a while.

The sound of one of the knights' footsteps approached the two of them. He wore a different Armor from the Expeditionary troops.

That person spread his arms to invite a beautiful girl with long golden hair wearing a dress to walk.

"Princess.. According to the knight captain they are both Chimera conquerors."

The girl looked at Kai and Liona then bent slightly then lifted her dress with a sweet smile.

"Thank you esteemed adventurers, your service has been great for my family's territory.. On behalf of the northern noble family.. I Shasha Windburner invites you to dinner when you return home."

Liona came back from her daydream and Kai placed the bowl near her, then stood up and bowed respectfully. Liona put on a smiling face then said hello.

"It's an honor for me to meet you. "

The noble girl replied with a sweet smile.

The noble girl's hand clapped. Then a male servant approached carrying a box and then opened it.

The bottles of Red Beer are there.

"How about I give you a little gift"

After the noble girl turned her head, the maid immediately opened the bottle and then the thick red liquid was poured into three glasses.

"Of course princess. Thank you for your kindness"

Kai and Liona took the glass when the waiter offered. Both of their hands touched the glass then brought it closer to his lips, preparing to drink.

There's nothing better to make Liona's mood go back to normal than to hear the sweet voice when the Gold is about to enter her pocket.

(Nobles are wonderful.)

Leona smiled brightly.

The noble girl raised the glass to invite them to drink. Kai who was currently looking at the glass while shaking it immediately finished it in one gulp.

Liona brought the glass to her lips and took a slow sip.

The pleasure of the red beer entered Liona's throat, the warm feeling when the water continued to flow made the cold night wind feel as if it was nothing.

Flowing and flowing, to the point where it felt like it was starting to burn.

Liona and Kai's bodies suddenly went limp and then fell to the ground.

UHUKK!!!..

UHUKK!!..

Red liquid started to come out after Liona covered her mouth with her hand.

The only thing Liona could see before her consciousness began to blur, was a girl's smile.

A wide smile forming a scythe as if almost touching his ears was directed at the two of them. All the things that make happy will be a once in a lifetime spectacle, maybe enough to describe the girl's smile.

"Fu… Fu… Fu… This time, two guests…"