Chapter 296: Return
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Cortina had successfully obtained the Fan Wolf fangs and had a look of satisfaction on her face. Gadius was with her, after all. Monsters on the level of Fang Wolves were not opponents. All that was left was to carve magic circles while they waited for Maxwell to co and bring them back.
As it neared the dawn when she had finished the talisman, Maxwell finally ca to pick them up.
She expected him to co sooner, given that she had taken Gadius along too, so she was surprised.
“You’re a little late, you know?”
“My bad, my bad. I had to take care of so minor business.”
“Gadius is here too, so you should have realized that you should have co sooner.”
“Hey, I was busy myself too, okay?”
“What, you aren’t gonna tell sothing happened to Nicole, right?”
“No, nothing of the sort. I shall return her safe and sound.”
Maxwell evaded Cortina’s usual abusive language with indifferent conduct. Gadius sighed and comnted in exasperation as he observed the two’s exchange.
“Hey, I should be the victim here, right? Why did I have to go along with Cortina’s selfishness?”
“Won have been selfish since tis immorial. It seems you still lack the understanding.”
“Do not lump together with you withered Elves. Co, send back already.”
Gadius, who could be said to be the biggest victim here, had been dragged out of his inn and taken all the way here. There were other employees there, so the Adventurer support inn should not have gotten hindered in any way, but it was still strange for the supervisor to be missing.
“Right. Then. I shall send Cortina first and then you.”
“I am not the first?”
“You would be fine alone here, but not Cortina. Lady first, as they say.”
“I cannot counter that.”
Ever since their Adventuring days, the female group had been the influential side, thus this was a long-accustod reaction. Since it felt like he would be putting Cortina’s safety in danger, he could not object to this.
“Well then, I’ll go first then. Thanks, Gadius. I’ll repay this favor soday.”
“I shall wait without expectations.”
Thus Cortina had been taken to Maxwell’s mansion. After they got there, he prepared to go back to get Gadius right away.
“Well then, I shall go bring Gadius ho, will you return back?”
“Yes, thanks Maxwell.”
“Still, for you to want a matching pair. What had you worked up?”
“I an, it’s about my friend’s daughter. Of course I’d find it cute.”
She puffed her chest as she declared that, her previous gloominess was no longer being felt. Next, she looked around to check the surroundings.
“Finia is still not done with cleaning?”
“Yes, it seems I went a little too overboard this ti. I shall take responsibility and bring her ho, so you shall return first.”
“I feel like you’re strangely adamant on sending ho, aren’t you?”
“N-No such case.”
She suspected Maxwell after turning his gaze away so blatantly, but it was true that camping outside tired her quite a bit. Having a good sleep at ho was a suggestion she found hard to go against now.
“Oh well. Don’t you put your hands on Finia now, you hear?”
“Who do you take for…”
“You are a withered Elf according to Gadius, but your urges are still present, right? Of course I’d distrust you.”
“Well, I can not deny that they are still going strong. Oh well. Go now, shoo shoo.”
“Agh, hey! Don’t throw out like that! Finia save ee!”
“My apologies, but I could not possibly oppose Lord Maxwell. I will return soon, so please go ahead first.”
“Damn you, did you brainwash Finia too?”
“Stop saying such scandalous remarks already!”
Thus, albeit a little dissatisfied, Cortina headed towards her ho. It was dawn now, the ti when pedestrian traffic was beginning to show activity. There was a low risk of getting involved with criminals during this ti period.
Having obtained a matching talisman with Nicole, she hurried to her ho with light steps.
“So this spell was assembled by Nicole, huh? There are so unpolished parts, but it’s well done.”
She tangled the talisman before her eyes, inspecting the make up. Since they needed to be matching, the magic circle contained within had to be the sa.
Thus, she obtained the circle from Maxwell and carved it on her own.
“Ah, right. There’s one more fang left, so maybe I’ll give one to Maria.”
Fang Wolves naturally had two fangs, so there was one more left. She made up her mind to gift one to her friend, and chuckled as she imagined her surprised face.
But then, she stopped her feet. Because she saw a suspicious person.
One man, clad in black, with a long scarf on his neck, stood in front of her house.
He had a thin figure, easily discernible even through his long coat. He was not very tall, but his ruffled hair was sothing she rembered well.
Or perhaps, too well.
“…No way.”
Losing her words, she let go of the talisman.
That back… Was the back that she had gazed at many a ti until twenty years ago. It was the figure of a man who, despite not having the most resilient of bodies, continued to protect his comrades, obediently following her absurd directions despite his sarcastic remarks.
He was a soft-hearted assassin, who, at tis, would display courage that could be taken as recklessness, and also who lost his life continuing to protect her.
As the talisman hit the ground, he noticed her presence. As he turned around, his appearance was exactly what Cortina expected.
“Reid—!!”
Her self-control had reached its limit.
Thus, she broke into a run, unable to contain herself.
The ground under her footsteps felt soft, as if she was dashing on the clouds.
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