Right now, a kasak, two times taller than me, was kneeling in front of me with his head facing the ground.

Obviously, I was confused. I was scared but confusion took over my body.

Is he going to kill me? Of course, he will. I’m standing on the corpse of his race.

“With every part of my body, it is wonderful to see you again, my queen.” The kasak’s voice was breaking; it was as if he was crying.

Everything was already confusing but the one thing that was most confusing was who he was talking to. I’m a man. If he said king, I would have assumed he was talking to me but he said ‘queen’.

Does he know the difference between a man and a woman? Is there a male and female within the kasaks? And if he does know I’m a man, then just who is he talking to?

The kasak was still kneeling, never lifting up his head. After a short pause, he said “Yes, it is me, Nimog, my queen.” as if replying to someone.

I gathered my courage and said, “A-Are you talking to me?”

“Silence, human.” The kasak finally lifted his head. He stared at me as if he already killed me. His deep intimidating voice overtook my body and I couldn’t move again.

If I talk one more time, I might lose a limb, or worse, my head.

“They’ve gone to your sister, my queen. I stayed behind, expecting with all my heart for your safe return.”

Sister? This was becoming more confusing as the seconds passed by.

“If it wouldn’t be so rude, may I ask something?”

You’re already asking something.

“Why…Why are you inside of a human…?” after a short pause, he asked meekly.

He’s scared. Scared? Of what?

“N-No, there’s no problem…”

As the kasak conversed with whoever he was talking to, I heard Merry’s voice.

“Terrin! Where are you!?” the kasak and I both looked at where the sound came from.

I can’t let this thing see Merry.

I was about to shout when the kasak put his hand on my mouth and silenced me.

“Terrin, can you hear me!?”

“Is it okay to incapacitate this human? I do not want him to be noisy as I kill the other human.” He glanced at me and then looked back towards the sound.

After a short pause, the kasak looked at me in disbelief. “No…?” it was brief but I saw doubt in his eyes.

Then after another short pause, “I understand.”

He then looked at me. This was the first time he really looked at me. “Human,” he looked at me intensely. It made me gulped. “Come back here tomorrow night. We have something important to discuss. Just the two of us.”

“Give me a good reason why I should listen to you.”

“It’s about Shakna.”

Shakna.

When I heard that word, I immediately nodded and agreed to what he said. It was a good reason, indeed.

He removed his hand on my mouth and quickly disappeared deep within the forest.

He’s really fast…

“Terrin!”

“I’m here!” Merry came to me.

“Why didn’t you respond?”

“Uh…I couldn’t hear you.” I said. It was a good thing she didn’t see anything.

“So, he’s dead, huh?” Merry checked Bladetree’s body. She took out her sword from the scabbard and then stabbed it on Bladetree’s chest.

“You know, he’s dead, right?”

“It literally wouldn’t hurt him even if I stab him one more time. Besides, that’s my revenge to him for mocking Hashi.”

Merry didn’t show it but she really did care about Hashi. At least, enough for her to be angry when Bladetree mocked Hashi.

“All right. How about the others? What happened?”

“You don’t have to worry about them. The three kasaks that appeared weren’t dangerous enough, so we made quick work of them.”

“That’s good to hear.” My hatred for Bladetree got me. I really didn’t think of my party until after Nimog disappeared.

I should probably learn to keep myself in check. I can’t believe I just left everyone just like that. A leader should lead, not leave.

“What about Bladetree’s body?”

“Well, Foulk said we have to get the body to the town in order to claim the bounty or we can get someone from the guild to take a look at the body. Which one do you think is better?”

“Carrying the body seems a lot less hassle than going back to town and going back here.” Merry said.

“True. And I don’t think anyone from the guild will believe us anyway. Not when it came from a bunch of trainee that is.”

Merry nodded. I looked at the curved longsword that had fallen beside its owner.

“Hey, can’t you use this?” although it looked a bit worn off, it still looked good. “We can probably ask a blacksmith to fix it and make you a custom scabbard. What do you say?”

“Hmm…” Merry tried the longsword. Although it was a longsword, the blade length was probably around 80 centimeters. The hilt was only for one hand, just like how Bladetree used it. Now that I think about it, it kind of resembled a katana but only the blade.

Merry swung it and tried to do some slashing and thrusting. I can see from her face that she liked it or at least, she didn’t find it bad.

“I’ll take it. My mentor said I should try a lot of sword before settling for one, just like a lover. Although it pains me to separate with my current sword, it is for the better.”

“You could have just you’ll take it and I wouldn’t say anything.”

Also, he’s master sounds like a typical horny man.

It was short but she seemed embarrassed. “What does your mentor think of you?”

“He…He doesn’t know I’m a half-beast, so he was a bit friendly with me.”

“Friendly? In what way?”

“He was commenting how good I smell and that I looked beautiful each day. To be honest, when I look at my mentor, I was feeling the same thing whenever I look at Takana.”

She calls that friendly?

“Well, that sounds about right. Your mentor is in the same league with Takana, so you should probably distance yourself with him.”

“But it looked like he cared about me. Because he thinks I am a human.” I could see sadness in her eyes.

“Merry…”

“But I do hate how he looks at me.” her eyes then turned ice cold. “Anyway, I’ll carry him.”

“Are you sure? I can do it, you know.”

“Be my guest.”

I tried to lift Bladetree’s body up. I couldn’t do it.

“You don’t need to be nice if you can’t do it. I’m used to this.” she picked up Bladetree. No, actually, she fixed him in a sitting position and then dragged his body.

“I thought you were going to carry him?”

“This monster doesn’t deserve that.” she then dragged Bladetree away like a murderer dragging their victim’s body.

She’s really scary at times. But that sadness in her eyes…it might be the first time I had seen her like that. Normally, it was cold. But this time, I saw beyond the ice. It was like reaching for something you could reach but in reality, it was deeper. Way, way deeper. Merry was like that.

After running for about ten minutes, that was when I realized I ran pretty deep in the forest.

I really have to learn to control my emotions.

“How’d you know I was in that spot in the forest?”

“Well, I followed a blood of trail. It was green, so I knew it wasn’t yours. Now that I think about it, I heard you talking to someone but I couldn’t quite hear it well. Who were you talking to?” she said as she dragged Bladetree’s body. The body was bumping on the trees, plants, and whatever was on our way. And she was deliberately doing that.

“I-I was saying a few words to Bladetree. I really hated him for mocking Hashi, you know?” I said. I was a bit stiff. I didn’t really want to lie to Merry and using Hashi as an excuse. But I did say a few words to Bladetree before killing him.

“Huh…”

When we returned to the house, I immediately saw the rest of my party and breathed a huge sigh of relief.

They’re fine. They really are.

“What took you so long? Did you two go and do it somewhere?” Takana said. he came to greet us or more accurately, to question us.

“This might be the first time I want to laugh at your joke.”

“What joke? That wasn’t a joke. Wait, did you really do it!? Tell me, you bastard! While I was patiently waiting here you were scoring on a girl, huh!?”

“And now it’s not funny anymore.”

“Merry, Terrin!” When Fuyuki saw us, she leaped out on Merry and me and both gave us a hug. “We did it!” her smile was like the sun itself, bright and cheering.

Never change, Fuyuki.

“We sure did.”

“Yeah, we did it.” I smiled back to her. “Where’s Kihana?”

“She’s resting over there.” Fuyuki pointed her hand. “She said she was a bit whoosh and gruuh from all that action and healing, so she’s taking a rest.”

“Did she really say that?”

“No, but I think that was better than saying the actual words, right?”

We woke up Kihana and told her we were going back to town but she was too tired to walk, so someone had to carry her.

“I’ll carry her!” Takana quickly raised his hands. “This is a job for a man, right?”

“No. You carry this.” Merry gave Bladetree’s body to Takana. At this point, the dead body was more of an item rather than, well, a body.

Takana clicked his tongue. “This animal…”

“Did you say something?” Merry looked at Takana.

“N-No, ma’am!”

“Good.”

Takana, please change.

When we arrived back into town, many recognize the body we were dragging, yes, Takana decided to drag the body, too, and gave us dubious looks.

“Isn’t that Bladetree?”

“Yeah, I think it is him. But what’s a bunch of trainee doing with his body? Did they kill it?”

“Impossible. They must have taken it from someone.”

“Yeah, that sounds about right.”

We kept his body in the morgue and I called someone official from the guild while the rest of my party returned home.

*

Just like that day, it was in the afternoon. We were in the same flowery field in the south of Roq where a grave was buried. Hashi’s grave.

After collecting the reward from guild officials, who by the way were shocked to see that a group of trainees were the ones who hunted Bladetree, we immediately bought our badges. A badge cost 10 silver coins and we had 1 gold coin, so in total, it amounted to 60 silver coins and the rest we would split up later.

“Hey, Hashi.” I put up my hands. “We’re back.”

A cold wind brushed my body.

Was that your ‘welcome back’? How cold.

“Hashi, look at this!” Fuyuki showed the badges. “I finally got my badge! I’m officially a wanderer! Go ahead, touch it, touch it.” Fuyuki rubbed her badge on the tombstone.

“Touch it? Just give it to him already.” Takana complained.

“You don’t have to be excited, you know?”

“Excited?”

“You do look like you’re a bit excited.”

“Shut up, Terrin.”

“Here, Fuyuki.”

“Thanks.” Fuyuki took the badge from Kihana.

“Here’s your badge, Hashi.” Fuyuki placed the badge on top of the tombstone, alongside what we placed before. “Now, we’re all wanderers! No one gets to be left behind as long as I’m around.”

“What do you mean? It was Terrin’s idea.”

“Takana, can’t you shut your mouth for a while?”

“Why should I do that, you moron?”

“A monkey shouldn’t talk.”

“Why, you…!”

As the two argued in the background, Kihana tried to mediate the two while Merry and I went to the grave.

Remember when I promised I will return? Well, this is what it means. How’d you like the badge? It has your name written on it. A lot has happen since we last saw each other. This wouldn’t have happened if you didn’t ask us to join your party. So really, thank you.

“What did you tell him, Terrin?”

“I told him about what was on the badge since Merry was rubbing it too close, maybe he didn’t see it. How about you?”

“I still don’t know what to say…but I thanked him.”

“That should be enough.”

After that, Fuyuki narrated what happened during the times we couldn’t visit. She might had made Takana a bit idiotic and of course, Takana said something back. After a while, Takana started to leave.

“Well, I’m going. See you later, Hashi.”

“Y-You’re already leaving? But you hadn’t said anything too him…” Kihana said.

“Yeah, I fulfilled my promise. Hashi should know what I’m talking about.” Takana then waved his hands.

“How about you, guys? You still staying?”

“…Yeah, I want to stay for now.” Fuyuki said.

“Then I’m staying with you. It’s fun talking to Hashi.”

I looked at Merry.

“How about you?”

She looked at the girls. “Go to Takana, I’ll watch the girls. We’ll go to the tavern later.”

Reliable as always.

“Thanks.”

The flowers fluttered along with the wind as I took a look at the sky. It wasn’t bright but not too dark. Just a normal afternoon.

See you later, Hashi.