[Vol. 8] Chapter 229: A Chance Encounter and a Strange Adventure
Xiao Guang had a tall and slender figure, no less than the average man. The man, who was also muscular, was lifted off the ground by her with ease. He struggled like a fish out of water, kicking wildly while shouting angrily.
“What are you doing?! I’m warning you, don’t mess with me! I’ve got powerful people behind me!!!”
The priestess smiled calmly. “I heard from Blue Butterfly that you know a lot about that newly unearthed ruin?”
When he heard that, Aldrich’s face instantly became even more unpleasant.
“Damn it! I knew you guys were after that again! That crazy woman is at it again?! Last time I helped her, I almost lost my life! There’s no way I’m taking another job related to her!”
“Oh? Then it looks like we’ve found the right guy~”
Violet stepped forward, giving him another friendly look from head to toe. She clearly didn’t care about his complaints and quickly nodded to herself.
“Not bad, not bad~ That little girl really did recommend a good candidate. It’s decided, you're coming with us.”
Although Violet seemed satisfied, the Sword Saint looked a little doubtful.
“Are you sure about this, Miss Violet? This guy’s character seems a bit...”
“Mr. Bevis, now that’s just judging someone by their looks. It’s obvious the girl earlier wasn’t forced to be here. That kind of thing is mutual, even if it’s not the most proper, it doesn’t really say anything about his personality, right? Besides, even though this guy has been cursing nonstop, he hasn’t actually done anything violent. Don’t worry, I’ve got this.”
Since the priestess had spoken, Bevis couldn’t say much more. He just nodded and said:
“If that’s the case, then let’s go with him.”
“Hey hey hey! I haven’t agreed to anything yet! Can someone please ask for my opinion?! And who even are you people? What’s your relationship with that crazy woman? What are you planning this time?!”
Still being held by the collar by the dragon girl, the temporary guide kept yelling. But clearly, Violet had no interest in wasting time explaining or trying to convince him. She was much more focused on the adventure ahead.
Back when Blue Butterfly recommended this guy, she had already warned Violet. This Aldrich was a well-known weirdo among adventurers in Saint Laos City. He knew a lot, but he only responded to pressure, never kindness. If you really wanted him to cooperate, being pushy and even threatening was ten times more effective than being nice.
Looks like Blue Butterfly wasn’t lying~
With their guide problem settled, the three of them exchanged glances and quickly took to the skies, flying toward the distant ruins. All that was left behind was a broken-down wooden hut with no door, and Aldrich’s voice echoing for a long time.
“Waaaaahhh!!! I’m flying! I’m really flyinggggg!!!”
…………………………………………
Eastern Theo Province.
Night had fallen.
A caravan of more than a hundred people had set up camp on an open area near the main road. Covered wagons full of goods were parked along the trees. Dozens of campfires lit up the area, pushing away the darkness and making the entire campsite look peaceful and orderly.
Sasha, the leader of the caravan and captain of the guards, sat cross-legged beside a fire. She was carefully wiping an old longbow that had been passed down from her teacher. Between her legs lay a small bottle made of clear crystal, filled with just a little gold-red potion. Under the firelight, it shimmered faintly like stars, beautiful and dreamlike.
“…I wonder how Miss Violet and the others are doing right now.”
The brown-haired girl softly muttered to herself, her eyes occasionally glancing at the small and delicate bottle of magical potion. Even just the bottle alone likely cost at least a hundred holy light coins. Her gaze looked a little dazed.
It had already been about a week since she was separated from that group.
While they were traveling together, she didn’t feel much. But now that they had gone their separate ways, whenever the night grew quiet like this, Sasha would sometimes think back on the little moments she had shared with them, moments that now felt both nostalgic and hard to believe.
After all… they were the Chosen Heroes, the legendary warriors.
Even though she had known their identities from the start, when actually spending time with them, Sasha never felt like they were too distant or hard to approach. To be honest, when she first heard that a few important people would be joining their merchant caravan, she had been pretty nervous…
Thinking about it, the captain of the guards let out a helpless laugh. She finished her routine bow maintenance and picked up the small crystal bottle in front of her, silently watching it by the firelight.
As the leader of the entire caravan, Sasha couldn’t be as naive and gentle as she might appear. Maybe she had started out that way, but after years of working with a guild leader who was like an old fox, she had long developed her own sense of strategy and caution. Otherwise, how could she manage to gain the respect of everyone?
This potion was definitely not simple.
Sasha could tell. Even though the group appeared to revolve around Heaven Hero Elunie Light, in reality, the one who truly held the most power among them was Miss Violet.
Even President Xavier, before leaving for the Human United Kingdom’s headquarters, had only reminded her to take good care of Miss Violet and fulfill all her requests as best as possible. He didn’t even say much about the Chosen Heroes themselves. That clearly showed just how important Violet was, perhaps even more important than the hero personally chosen by the goddess.
When Miss Violet left, she gave this potion to Sasha. She only said it was a small keepsake, but from her tone and subtle hints, Sasha could sense there might be a deeper meaning behind it.
Could it be… something big really was going to happen on this road?
She wasn’t sure what the potion was for, but… she was definitely curious.
Just then, a figure suddenly came running quickly from a distance.
“Miss Sasha! Something happened!”
Recognizing the voice as the caravan’s deputy leader, the brown-haired girl calmly pulled herself together. She swiftly put the potion away and turned toward the voice, her single ponytail swaying behind her.
“What is it? Don’t tell me someone ate too much again and got sick~?”
The deputy leader was a middle-aged man who looked to be in his forties, even older than President Xavier. People said that when he joined Xavier’s guild, there were only about a dozen members. He was considered one of the founding members.
Although he was just a merchant and not a fighter, he had a sharp mind. On this journey, Sasha had relied on him to handle a lot of the small issues. He had solved many problems and earned her deep trust and respect.
But right now, the man looked genuinely worried. He leaned in and lowered his voice.
“Oh no, Miss Sasha, this isn’t a joke. It’s really serious this time. You might not even believe it… but while the guards were patrolling nearby, they found someone lying in the grass!”