Chapter 260: A Mysterious Figure

Chapter 260: A Mysterious Figure

Two Days Prior:

Early Morning - Mid Summer : Deepcross, Southern Holy Kingdom

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- Astren Ravenna ~ (Unintroduced)

"Have you guys heard of the monster wave to the south? I heard there was a massive wyvern hunting the orcs."

"Yeah, one of the knight orders left the other day to go handle it, but they haven't returned yet. Do you think they could've been killed?"

"Pft, yer out of yer mind if you think they'd lose to a wyvern. They had a templar knight with them."

"Haha, I guess that's true... Do ya think it'd be worth to head south to try and pillage the orc villages while they are all gone? We may find somethin good."

"Hooh, thats not a bad idea!" The group of adventurers at the table behind me spoke nonchalantly, not caring about the dozen other groups within the tavern listening in on them.

"Hey, maybe if we make it big I can spend a night with that beauty!" The most ragged of the group glanced back at the young brown-haired waitress as he spoke.

Almost immediately, all of the locals went silent, and the gazes of several people idly sipping alcohol by themselves locked onto the group.

"Haah..." I could only let out a sigh. -They must be new around here...- The group of men behind me were clearly naive to the way things worked in these parts, likely only living and spending time around major cities and towns. -But if they have a death wish, it ain't my problem...-

The town I was in was called Deepcross, a town settled right between four huge dungeons, and my hometown.

All things considered, it was essentially the boonies. With a population of only fifteen hundred, everyone knew each other, and foreigners stook out like a sore thumb.

But it wasn't that we didn't like them, it was actually quite the opposite. As the town has grown over the years, many powerful individuals have come and stayed. Without a guild being here, one would expect crime to be rampant, but the locals always make sure to form connections with the strong. -I guess my father was one of them at one point...-

My father was a templar knight of the cleric rank, and while he likely could get promoted to bishop with his strength, he lacked the faith in Asgard required for it. -I wonder when he will be back though...-

"Haah..." -Maybe he found a trace of Mother...-

As I let out a deep sigh, the group of men at the table behind me finally stood up and left, giving the waitress a hefty tip and a wink on the way out.

It wasn't long after that, that one of the men drinking alone at the edge of the tavern got up as well, setting a small golden medallion on the table as he did so.

But the young waitress was quick to move over and stand at his table. "Sir, is there anything you wish to drink or eat?"

Almost immediately, the hooded man paused. "An onion soup and a water will be fine..."

"Hmph..." The girl was quick to pout. "You know, if you eat too much onion soup, your breath will start to stink. And no one wants to talk to someone with bad breath."

"We are, I just have a secret stash for guests I like."

-For guests she likes?- I turned to the person next to me with a quizzical look.

But that was when they reached for their mug, revealing their small white hands that resembled a young girls.

They looked as if they were made of porcelain; lacking any callouses or blemishes even though she was carrying some sort of sword and had the aura of a fighter who was far more skilled than I.

But before I could even question it, an enchanting voice met my ears. "Thank you."

She was clearly still learning the language, but her accent was one I had never heard before. -Where is she from?-

But before I could actually ask, the doors slammed open. *WHAM*

Everyone turned to look at the voice instantly, only to see a man holding his knees and breathing heavily.

I immediately noticed his unusual clothing, but it took me too long to realize it was what knights wore under their armor.

"Hah... Hah... Everyone needs to evacuate!" The silence that filled the room was deafening. "There is another huge monster wave coming here! Hah... This time from the Southern Dungeon!"

As if no one knew how to react, everyone just looked at each other until the panic started.

The several dozen adventurer groups in the tavern thinned out before anyone could even try to calm everyone down, leaving only about 10 people, two of which were the noble brat and his maid.

The maid was begging him to leave. "Young Master we need to leave! The city is only half a days journey north, so we should be able to make it even without restocking supplies."

"But we have Snow with us!" The young boy immediately looked at the girl next to me. "She's so strong that she could effortlessly kill that wy-" *thud* Before he could finish speaking, he fell unconscious on the table.

The maid erupted into panic. "YOUNG MASTER?!"

But she was promptly calmed down as Shadow walked over. "Miss, he is fine, I just put him to sleep. He will probably wake up in about an hour though, so you should probably get going."

She immediately gave him a conflicted look before finally thanking him and running out the door with the boy in her arms. "T-thank you, sir!"

Once she left, the remaining 8 of us sat is silence.

We were all strong, with the weakest of us being A rank, but even still, we were skeptical whether we would survive if the monster wave was mainly monsters from within the dungeon.

But before long, a sigh broke the silence. "Haah..." The girl next to me finally set down her mug as she tightened her embrace on her sword and hopped off her seat, somehow keeping her face just out of eyesight.

We all watched her as she got up, and expected her to simply walk out to catch up with the noble boy.

But that was when I heard her voice again. "Allow me to repay the favor for the drink..."