Chapter 84

Chapter 84

Chapter 84

It had been a long time since Dorien had visited Wolfwater. The last time he was here had been nearly a decade ago— around the first time the Miststorm Riders had attacked. Now, they had attacked once again, and he was back.

It was pure misfortune. Rotten luck or ill chance. The only silver lining was that this time around, the Miststorm Riders had been defeated before they had been able to seriously attack the farming village. In fact, by the looks of it, Dorien was certain that Wolfwater had mostly escaped unscathed.

He had heard plenty of conflicting rumors of how those [Bandits] had been wiped out. One story said that a single blonde adventurer had fought them off all by herself, while an unofficial report from Whiteridge claimed that the Miststorm Riders had been repelled by the city guards.

Dorien had even heard from a few folks that a twisted purple mist engulfed the [Bandits], causing them to spontaneously combust in the middle of battle. Although... that sounded too ridiculous to be true.

What actually happened— Dorien didn’t know. He was here in Wolfwater for one reason only, and that was at the behest of his good friend. He was a Level 35 [Druid]. It was his role as a guardian of the forest to restore and protect nature. While he didn’t normally answer requests from citydwellers or townspeople, this was a personal request.

“It should be done.” Dorien drew back, stepping away from the small field. He lifted his wooden staff from the ground as he faced his friend. “Would that be all?”

“I really appreciate this, Dorien,” Nolan said as he bowed his head low. “This really means a lot to me. How can I ever repay you?”

Dorien just smiled at the [Farmer] in response. “There is no need to worry about paying me back. Just be careful not to trample the soil over the next day— the fertility spell needs at least twelve hours to take effect.”

Nolan glanced over at the empty field. “Of course. I will ensure that no one steps foot on—” he started.

But the [Farmer] just paused. Dorien tilted his head, eyeing his friend curiously.

“Is something the matter?” the [Druid] asked.

“It’s... I just hear... something...” Nolan started.

And Dorien furrowed his brows. He shifted backwards as his robes rustled beneath him. He wasn’t used to wearing clothing— he was more accustomed to walking around bare in the forest. But he had the forethought to clothe himself while he was in civilization.

He shuffled his feet with narrowed eyes. “I do not hear anything—”

But the [Druid] paused. He heard it too. He leant forward, blinking a few times.

“What is—”

“—BIIIIIIIIIITCH!”

And a figure crashed straight into the empty field. Both Nolan and Dorien backed away warily as a small crater tore through the field. They stared at the hole with wide eyes, before staring at the man lying bloodied and bruised at the bottom.

“Is he dead?” Dorien asked, raising a brow.

The man wheezed, looking up at both the [Farmer] and the [Druid]. He opened his mouth and gasped. He barely managed to muster out a single word.

“...c-chicken—”

And he passed out.

“...chicken?” the [Druid] repeated, utterly perplexed.

But Nolan pursed his lips, seemingly understanding what was going on. “That’s... probably Bucky? Which means Amelia did this, then.”

“What?” Dorien asked as he turned to his old friend. “Who’s Bucky? Who’s Amelia?”

“Where is he? He said he’d be here—”

“I can’t believe the Patron of the Culinary Sciences is actually opening up a restaurant in our village...”

“He really does have four arms! I saw it with my own eyes! I even shook one of his hands!”

“Excuse me, sorry, coming through—” Noele said as she navigated through the crowd.

It would be a lot easier for her to force her way through if Garron was with her. He was a rather large man, and his intimidating gaze would immediately clear a path for them. While the blonde girl was an A-ranked adventurer, she still looked like... just a girl.

Noele wasn’t large, nor did she have a looming figure. She was of average height, and her most distinct feature were her white eyes. Meanwhile, the Steel Tank had been given his Title for a reason. He was quite menacing, even if he was kind.

But he was only going to be visiting later in the afternoon with her parents as customers. Meanwhile, Noele had promised to help out at the restaurant today, which was why she was here now before it even opened.

“I’m sorry! I have to...” Noele started.

But a hand reached out from the crowd, grabbing her. The Noble Spellsword blinked and glanced back. Her brows snapped together as she glared.

“Hey—”

But she froze when she saw who it was. Noele recognized him instantly. She saw his calloused hands, then looked up at his wrinkled and tanned face. His hair was long and disheveled, and he had a long scruffy gray beard covering his lips. Her eyes widened as he smiled back at her.

“It has been a while since we have spoken, Noele,” he said. He took a step forward, leaning on his wooden staff as he nodded at her. “You have grown quite a bit since I last saw you. You look just like your sister now.”

“Dorien!” the blonde girl exclaimed. She stared at the [Druid] with wide eyes for a moment, before immediately throwing her arms around him in a hug. “What are you doing here? When did you arrive?”

He chuckled as he hugged her warmly. She drew back, smiling as she looked him up and down. Noele had known he was going to be visiting Wolfwater to help with its recovery after the Miststorm Riders’ attack. But she didn’t know that he was already here.

“I got here last night,” Dorien explained, glancing back towards the farm. “I met up with your father at his farm, and I stayed up waiting for you to return for a few hours, but you never came.”

“Sorry,” the blonde girl said, shaking her head. “I only returned at midnight because I was helping out at the restaurant. Where are you staying?”

The [Druid] glanced towards the restaurant. “I’m staying at the local inn. I was going to visit the farm again today, but I heard the hubbub, and decided to check out what it was about.”

“Right... this whole thing...” Noele nodded slowly. “My friend— Amelia— and Xakor the Patron of the Culinary Sciences are opening up a restaurant here together. It has... garnered quite a bit of attention.” She swept her gaze over the busy crowd.

“It seems interesting,” Dorien said with an approving look. “And your friend... I take it she’s this mentor of yours Nolan was talking about?”

The blonde girl blinked. “Oh, Papa told you about her.”

“He did. And your mentor sounds like quite the interesting fellow... I would love to speak with her.” The [Druid] ran a hand through his beard, and Noele scratched her cheek.

“It’s a big day for Amelia— I’m not sure if she’ll have time to chat today.” Noele nodded apologetically. “I can’t promise you anything, but if there are no problems today, I’ll try to introduce you to her—”

And right as the blonde girl said that, a voice shouted over the crowd. A bandaged figure marched up to the front of the restaurant as heads turned to face the man. Noele immediately recognized him as the man from yesterday. The one who had caused trouble for Bucky— only to be flicked out of the village.

He was back. And this time, he wasn’t alone. He was accompanied by a group of angry gruff men armed with weapons at their sides.

“You!” he exclaimed, pointing angrily past the crowd and into the restaurant. “How dare you assault me! Don’t you know who I am?”

“Who?” Noele stared, puzzled for a moment. But she shook her head, pursing her lips. “I should have kept my mouth shut...”