Chapter 103 - Unwanted Party

"When two moon become one, give this gem their light then give your blood and healing spell to it. After all of that, wait for the surprise to come," I explained to Vier and Cabal.

Yes, I handed them the Gaia Blood Gem.

The two men went back and forth looking at the gem and me for some time. Lubov, Anna, Elizaveta, and Hatori did the same.

They look confused.

"Do I have to repeat the explanation?"

"No you don't have to," said Vier who then shook his head. "I remember your explanation. But why did you give us this gem?"

"This is a gift for your kindness and help."

"You've already paid us, you don't have to do it again."

"This is a gift, Vier," I emphasized. "I don't pay you guys, I just want to give you something. So, please accept it."

Vier grows silent while Cabal makes a nod. The dark-red-haired man then said, "Thank you, Eclaite. We'll take care of it."

My fox ears twitched and a smile bloomed on my face. "Yup! That's right, you guys should keep it and do things that I explained earlier. You must know, I will not forgive you if you sell or lost the gem."

"We're not going to sell it and we will keep it save."

"I'm glad to hear it." I nodded and looked around. "Now, why are we here and why should I come here?"

Right now, I was in a vast garden located next to a large and luxurious mansion. And yes, I don't need to say that this place is in the noble district or the main district of the city of Rishtonbell.

How did I get to this place?

Well... I visited the Adventurer's Guild after I left Ronove's tent. I tried to find Vier and the others in the crowd but I was found by Ellis. 

The woman then invited me to ride in a bird-drawn carriage after she found out I was looking for Vier and the others. We stopped by the clothing store, the woman told me to try on some dresses, and after she chose a dress for me, she give me makeup.

Then, we arrived at this party.

All of that is so sudden.

As I asked Vier and the others; weren't they tired to attend a party at the moment they were out of the Dungeon? 

They replied; we were fine because we had already rested for a few days in the settlement on the first floor before exiting the Dungeon and coming to this party.

As for me, I'm a little tired because of the flight class and the accident that happened this afternoon.

Worse, I can't say no to the invitation.

This was an invitation from the Lord of Rishtonbell. I don't want to imagine what would happen if I declined it.

And at the end of the day, here I am, wearing a red dress in a beautiful garden filled with party devices.

Party devices? Now that was a wrong term.

Anyway, this beautiful garden has been properly assembled. The dance floor is in the middle of this garden. Around it was dozens of circle tables containing various types of food and drinks. The Crystal Lamp numbering in the dozens became the star that illuminated this place.

That's right, there were dozens of people or maybe more, gathered in here. A small percentage of the party guests were Adventurers. Then, there were adventurer's guild employees, merchants were also here, the last and most numerous guests were the nobles.

The knights? They became bodyguards who secured this place. They are scattered around the garden.

How do I know who's attending this party? 

Ellis told me. She was my informant and now, she's giving me another explanation.

"You, Miss Eclaite, along with the others are here to receive the thanks and honors that the Lord of Rishtonbell will give to you."

My tail made one strong swing. "I've never done anything worthy of the Lord's thanks."

"Now you're jesting," Ellis said, giving me a wry smile.

On the other hand, I tilted my head slightly because I didn't understand the meaning of Ellis' speech.

"... Miss Eclaite, you must remember that you were the one who discovered the Lost City Beldea. Not only that, but you also become one of the Adventurers who played a big role in the monsters' attack on eastern settlements. These two things deserve credit."

"Lost City Beldea, several times I heard that name," Lubov said. "Can you tell us more about it, Ellis?"

"Of course, it all starts from-"

When I sold Ruby, then my mouth become loose. And from there, Ellis told Lubov and the other about The Lost City Beldea.

Ellis didn't tell them about my adventures in Beldea, after all, she didn't know it. So, she told them more about the investigations conducted by Adventurer's Guild employees and things that happened after I sold my claims to Beldea. 

I'm curious, so I'm listening too.

Although I had expected it, it was still a big surprise when I heard they found hundreds of treasures from ancient times inside that ruin.

Ugh! I shouldn't have sold my claim. However, on the other hand, I was afraid of the wrath of a nobleman.

I can only hope that my decision to sell the claim is not a bad one.

Then, after Ellis finished speaking...

"Pretty girl, how could you find the ruins when a powerful illusion hid it?" Lubov asked me with investigating eyes.

"... I found it... when I tried the function of the Lantern of Revealers I bought. The lantern is so unique, hahaha..."

"I smelled a lie," Lubov said.

The wolf girl brought her face closer to mine, her eyes were glued to my eyes, she made me herried.

"I want my right to remain silent!" I said to defend myself.

"So you're lying." Lubov narrowed her eyes. And now, she looks dangerous. "Pretty girl, tell me your secret, or... I'll tickle you until you say it." 

Lubov approached me and I stepped back. I felt the horror. Luckily, the horror never happened. That's because...

"Alright, that's enough." Cabal pulled Lubov's collar, he stopped the wolf girl.

I was saved then time passed.

Lord of Rishtonbell shows himself at the party. He greeted the guests, talked to them for some time, delivered a speech, and finally, he gave us – the Adventurers – a thank you and rewards.

The Adventurers who took part in the expedition earned gold coins and status as friends of Lord of Rishtonbell. And yes, they didn't get any other rewards because the Items they found in the dungeon weren't handed over to the Lord of Rishtonbell.

As for me, I got another gold coin, the status of a friend of the Lord of Rishtonbell along with a title of Honorary Knight at the rank equivalent to a Captain of a Knight Squad, and the last one is a mansion in the capital of Heingarz Kingdom, Astawein.

"It's just me or being rich is easy. Someone just needs to find a ruin," said I, still in doubt at what happened.

"You know, pretty girl, someone can stab you if you talk like that carelessly," Lubov replied.

The wolf girl then pierced my waist with her index finger. And it was quite shocking when I found out that no one try to stop her.

Did I make a mistake?

I kept thinking that question when Lubov continued to torture me using her finger.

The Lord was done giving the rewards. The real party begins. Then, I'll say, this party is scary.

Merchants and nobles approached me intending to get to know each other or to know me better.

I try so hard to fight my fears for men when facing them. But in the end, I was overwhelmed and almost lost control when one of the nobles proposed to me.

To save myself, I took refuge behind Cabal's back. I used the man as a shield.

"Sorry about this, Cabal."

"Don't apologize and you can count on me."

"Thank you."

Why do I ask for Cabal's protection instead of Vier's?

Of course, because Anna is so scary.

The silver-haired Half-Elf woman looks like going to kill me when I walked closer to Vier.

What about Ellis?

She assembled with several other Adventurer's Guild employees to confront a man who seemed to be the Guildmaster.

So, in the end, during the party, I was always near Cabal. I even danced with that man.

"You are very good at dancing. It's quite shocking," Cabal commented.

"I don't think it's a surprise. Can't you dance well too?"

"I'm a nobleman, remember? When I was a kid, I had to learn to dance. What about you?"

I got this dancing skill from the brothel. They told me to learn erotic dances.

Yup! I can't give him an answer like that. That's why I'm just smiling at him.

The night was getting late and I decided to rest at an empty table in one corner of this garden. I am safe from the merchants and nobles because there are many Adventurers and Adventurer's Guild employees around me.

A glass of juice was in my hand, I enjoyed it while looking at the night sky decorated with millions of stars.

Alcoholic drinks?

Yeah... If I wanted to get drunk and then be taken by someone somewhere, I would definitely alcoholic drink without holding back.

"When will this party end?" I asked as I watched two months slowly become one.

Ah! Oh!

"Cabal, Vier!" I shouted out their names.

And of course, the thing I did caught the attention of the other guests. But I don't care about it, there's one thing I have to do.

I searched for them and they found me.

"Something's wrong, Eclaite?" Vier asked.

"What happened?" Cabal followed.

"Take Gaia Blood Gem and come with me," I instructed and search for a place that had the brightest moonlight.

Then, when I found one, I told them to bathe the gem in the moonlight. After that, Vier and Cabal dripped their blood onto the gem. All of it ends with Vier using Greater Heal on the gem.

As time passed, the Gaia Blood Gem began to shine. 

And moments later, hundreds of green particles of light that come out of the Gaia Blood Gem form a figure of a stunning woman.

"The kind one, please lend your help to me," the figure said.