"...haa..."

More growls came and Cranberry closed her eyes and massaged her forehead even harder.

Zombie's logic was all fine and dandy...

...for a rotten brain, that is...

If he paid attention during the lessons he took together with Cranberry, he would remember that for the elves the family is the most important thing.

He would also know that the second most important thing, is the bond that all elves share as a race.

It was very unlikely that the elves of the hidden village would harm another elf, even if they didn't know her.

Though, at the same time, maybe that simple logic that was fueling Zombie, had some truth in it after all...

If, for example, Lairs was being chased by the pursuers from the Envy family, the forest elves could have ignored her for the sake of protecting their family.

Whether that logic was true or not, Cranberry walked over to the naked elf and looked at his face.

"Zombie. If you wanted to just bring him to me, why is he poisoned by your venom?"

She asked, pointing at the web of black veins covering the elf's face.

"...graough, graough... (...I thought that if I use just a tiny-tiny bit of my venom, it will work just like the concoction that you made before...)"

Zombie lowered his head and admitted in shameful groans.

"Ha."

Cranberry snorted and nodded.

Then she walked over to her servant raised her hand.

"?!"

The three Dandelions held their breaths, thinking that the girl would hit the blue undead in anger.

"You did a good job holding back. Must have been difficult."

But instead, Cranberry reached up and patted Zombie's head a few times and poked his stomach with her finger.

"Next time, at least talk to me first."

She added with a smile.

"Graough. (Okay.)"

Zombie nodded.

Cranberry turned back towards the captured elf and frowned.

"Now, we should wait until he wakes up. Zombie, warn us if something else would try to attack us."

She commanded.

And then something unexpected happened.

Zombie reached with his left hand and patted Cranberry's head just as she did to him a moment earlier.

"Graough! (You also did a good job, waiting so patiently!)"

He growled happily.

With the red-haired girl having her back turned to him, Zombie was unable to see how red did her face became.

... and then Olive opened his glowing eyes, and glared right at the blushing girl...!

/Warning

/Illusion type metal attack detected

/Eternal servant magic (level 3) detected

/Redirecting the mental damage to the servant

/The owner of the superbia skill is being attacked by an inferior skill

/Calculating...

/The attacking player receives a penalty

/Previous penalty hadn't ended

/Stacking the penalties

/MDF, MAT, LUC, -96% for the next 100 hours

Time remaining

(99:59:59)

(99:59:58)

"Ah, fuck...!"

Olive could only gasp weakly at the messages that popped up in front of his eyes.

"..."

*crush*

Zombie passed his master and punched the elf's face, causing his head to burrow into the ground.

"...that was fucking uncalled for."

Olive groaned when Zombie removed his fist that barely caused any damage.

After all, Zombie's strength lied within his legs, not arms, and the physical defense stat of the old elf had hundreds of years to develop to a monstrous level, so the elf was fine even under penalty.

"Oh, really?"

This time it was time for Cranberry to approach the elf.

She crouched by his body and grabbed his hand.

"...fucking monster, you may be strong, but you shouldn't underestimate..."

The old elf's voice was extremely calm, even confident, for someone in his position.

"Haa...? Really now?"

Cranberry interrupted him and smiled in a friendly manner.

Then she closed her grip on Olive's hand without even activating a single skill.

*CRUNCH*

"!!!!?!?!?!?!!!!!!"

The crushed bones of his hand pierced through the muscles and skin and shoot out like exploding shrapnel.

Olive hadn't even managed to let out a sound, his body arched and his mouth opened in a voiceless scream of overwhelming pain.

This was much worse than when the blue undead had ripped off his legs - in the middle of the battle, the mix of adrenaline and healing magic was constantly circulating through his body and he was only focused on fighting.

This time he was relaxed and so sure that nothing will happen, just like with the punch that he revived from the undead, that the pain completely took him over.

"Ha! That's it?"

Cranberry chuckled at the elf's agony and wiped her bloodied hand against the ground.

"You guys, throw a blanket over this pervert or something, seriously..."

She shook her head glaring with disgust at the naked elf wriggling in pain like a worm pulled out from the soil.

After a few minutes when the passive healing skill managed to numb the horrible pain, Olive managed to regain some clarity.

By that time Cranberry had sent the Dandelions away just in case that one of them could become the next target for the surprise attack.

It was just her, Zombie, and Olive.

"You're finally back with us?"

Asked Cranberry, sitting comfortably in Zombie's lap.

"Fuck... That black-haired elf you are looking for. She never even fucking came here. The fucking thing that your fucking informant saw, was just a fucking illusion I created to fucking test the fucking kid I was preparing for the fucking guarding duty...!"

Olive said in one breath, trying to get up, but failing.

"Yeah, I figured out it had to be something like that. My Zombie said that Lairs isn't here and then you tried to use an illusion skill on me, it fits."

The red-haired girl nodded.

"...then, fuck, if that's the case, will I get a fucking apology...?"

Olive smirked and glared at the blue undead hugging the girl from behind.

"Ha! You fought with my Zombie and not realized who might I be? Then are you perhaps as young and inexperienced as your appearance is suggesting?"

Cranberry mocked him back.

"If I had to fucking guess you are some sort of fucking necromancer that managed to kill and fucking enslave this generation's fucking avatar of pride. I don't fucking know how did you managed to trick the fucking system so he would keep the fucking superbia skill after fucking kicking the bucket, but nonetheless, I have to say I'm fucking impressed."

Olive gave up the attempts to get up and simply laid on the ground staring at the sky.

"Oh, and somehow he's a fucking venomancer too. What the fuck?!"

He groaned in disbelief.

"Graough. (Wow, he's speaking just like Lairs.)"

Zombie growled impressed.

"There's a saying that you shouldn't trust an elf who doesn't curse. That's simply how most of the elves talk, I told you before, it's a defense mechanism so people won't bother them too much because of his looks."

Cranberry laughed and nuzzled her head against his neck.

"Graough. (That's a stupid defense mechanism.)"

Zombie growled and rested his chin on Cranberry's head.

"...fucking hell, he's not a Pride, but you are from the Pride family, aren't you...?"

The change in tone of the elf's voice made both the master and the servant look at him curiously.

Olive's eyes were wide open and he looked absolutely shocked.

"Oh no, oh shit, oh fuck...! This is the fucking worst...!"

The elf fidgeted nervously and he got a bit green in the face.

"...what are you going on about...?"

Even Cranberry tilted her head in confusion.

"First, answer me this one fucking thing. Did you ever seen a fucking system message saying: 'The pride's throne stands empty. The wheels of fate begin to spin'? Please, say no."

Olive begged but sadly the answer what exactly what he feared.

"We've seen it, right after the previous avatar of pride had died. That's when some of my Zombie's skill combined into superbia."

Cranberry answered with a light shrug.

"..."

The old elf stared at her in silence for a good minute.

Right when Zombie was about to groan about what's going on, the elf blinked and sighed.

"I need you two to come with me."

Olive said with urgency.

"Ha? Oh. Ha! That was easy."

Cranberry raised her brows and laughed in surprise.

"Graough...? (What if it's a trap...?)"

Zombie growled making a worried expression and protectively hugging Cranberry a bit tighter.

"It's okay, you'll protect me, right?"

The girl smiled sweetly and put her hand on the blue undead's hand.

"...graough... (...always...)"

Zombie responded in a sulking way.

"But first. Tell us, where will you guide us."

Cranberry turned back to the old elf and asked seriously.

"...the fucking hidden elven village in the fucking heart of the forest, the only fucking place in the whole fucking Fruit Salad where elves don't need to fear anything, for fuck's sake. And you seemed to be fucking smarter than that..."

Olive rolled his eyes I'd disbelief, but that didn't bother Cranberry at all.

/Quest progression

*learn about the whereabouts of the elves (completed)

(40% completion - HP regeneration)

4th tier reward granted

/Master receives a skill

HP regeneration (level 1)

/Error

/Servant doesn't have HP

Unable to grant the reward

/Changing the 4th tier reward for the servant

/Calculating...

/Servant receives coordinates to Pheonix's lair

/Route g's optional quest unlocked

- Boots of the Phoenix -

"Graough? (Route g?) Graough...? (Seriously...?)"

Zombie complained but then he noticed that his master is motioning at him to stay quiet, so he closed his mouth.

"With that out of the way, we can go to your village."

Cranberry nodded with satisfaction.

"Zombie, pick him up, he needs to guide us."

Cranberry waved her hand benevolently and Zombie went straight to the old elf.

"...can I request not being carried by my hair this time?"

Olive asked in a weak voice.

"Graough. (Of course, you can.) Graough. (But I will ignore that request.)"

"Ha ha!"

Zombie responded lightheartedly and Cranberry burst into laughter.