After burning the devil wolf’s corpse, the group left the cave amidst terrible foul fumes wrought of decay and corruption. They were set off towards town to claim their bounty but on the way, they stopped by to visit the Grey Wolves’ den. Without the corruption from the devil the forest started to heal. The very air itself seemed calm compared to before and the trees brighten in colour allowing light through the blanket-like canopy once again.

When they arrived outside of that rocky mound that the Greys called home, the Black Bat King, Silver Crow King, and Red Python King were waiting at a distance. They merrily greeted the boys as if to offer their thanks and a hopeful desire for peace.

They are thanking us Kairos.. Can I have…

“No,” the boy cut that line of dangerous thought from her immediately. No more pets for his dragon. Just what is she going to do with so many animals? If all of them come to visit his manor, it would instantly fill up and turn into a great zoo.

Okay…

She replied disappointedly, but unseen by anyone, she crossed her claws. There is a playful delight that danced on her face, like a child that had knowingly decide to do something wrong.

“Won’t they bear grudges for the deaths we caused?” Kairos suddenly asked.

Of course not! Hehe humans are so silly. Isn’t it obvious what happened was inevitable and understandable that there will be deaths when we defended ourselves? Instead, they are grateful to us for saving their young.

“To be able to put down hatred and revenge… sometimes, I feel that animals are better than humans,” the archer said with a strangely quiet voice, “if this had happened to Rutea, the villagers would turn illogical. Even if we save their children, not many will be grateful. This is why humans sometimes behave lesser than beasts.”

No one spoke when they heard Edward. They know that these words came from somewhere deep within. Over the years, the boys found out a little about how Edward came to the village’s orphanage. He was born a noble of the Alfonso house, a middle ranked aristocrat family that had quite a long lineage in the empire.

He refused to tell them what had happened but the Alfonso no longer exist. During his childhood something terrible must have happened for him to be the only survivor. Unfortunately, what happened to Edward is too common on Gaia. Even high ranked noble families and clans get wiped out if they offended someone they shouldn’t.

When the Grey Wolves saw them returning, they howled with tremendous welcome. The boys helped them bury their dead and parted from this place for the last time. They returned to Tiny Town on the following day at a relaxed pace and went straight to collect their quest reward.

After a short queue they were brought in front of the attendant.

“You say that your mission is done, already? It’s a C rank slaying mission, and you kids finished in a week?”

“Trainees,” Kairos corrected, “I’m not sure how long a C ranked mission should take, but that should have no effect on our reward correct?”

“It actually does,” the man answered patiently, but not before shooting Kairos with a baffled squint.

In of the adventurer’s guild, the counter attendant continued his explanation with a sigh,

“It is to reward talented adventurers and encourage them to raise up the ranks.”

Monster extermination quests are usually given out by governors, great clans, and faraway settlements. To properly determine the correct payment, the Adventurers Guild will properly monitor the difficulty of the quest and judge the proper mission duration according to the quest taker’s rank.

“What if the mission is far more difficult than proposed?”

“In that case, the adventurer can bring the news back to let the guild re-evaluate. Of course, if the mission changed, then there will be no failure penalty and if it was somehow completed, there will even be a bonus.”

Kairos and the other guys had huge smiles on their faces. They took down targets far beyond what the quest required.

They quickly reported it and afterwards, the reception proceeded to asked many Kairos questions to confirm the quest difficulty. The strengths of the enemies, namely their ranking and any special abilities. The amount that they had to fight. The amount they slain, and if they had done everything themselves.

Each time when a question is asked, the resulting answer will be reflected on a soul slip enforced by a vow of truth.

If he lied in any form, it would glow. The slip itself is encased in a powerful metal to prevent accidentally breaking the jade and thus taking the life of a vow breaker. But this does not mean the guild would not take action against someone who lied in the result of their mission.

The offender is normally penalised of their adventurer’s benefits. Because of the hefty punishment, it has turned the lie test into something largely ceremonial for keeping new adventurers in place.

Kairos answered the questions in response. Black Wind Wolves that evolved into Storm Wolves, Shadow Crows, Red Pythons, Hellbringer Bats and their respective kings.

They killed more than 300 wolves, 500 pythons, about 10 times more crows, and an uncountable number of bats. It was a massive battle, and most of the enemies are C rank while the kings are B rank. Although Kairos claimed that they had help from some of the local beasts, when his report was over, there were complete silence in the hall.

The usual boisterous crackle is nowhere to be heard, because all the other adventurers were completely stunned.

They were curious about the results that a noble family’s guard trainees can achieve and had been secretly listening in.

But what they heard was like a resounding thunder in their ears.

As Kairos spoke everyone had been staring at his soul slip with unstoppable concentration.

They couldn’t believe that the entire time there was no lie detected.

The attendant blinked rapidly for a while, and then corrected his posture before saying, “G-good, you’re very precise, and congratulations it looks like you weren’t lying. Just one thing, off the records, you mind telling me if you got any good treasures? I’ll buy it off you at a reasonable price”

“You know that whether we found any, we wouldn’t say,” Kairos smiled while shaking his head, but the attendant did not seem dismayed even a little by his response. It seems like this is a regular answer that he receives and he was merely trying his luck.

The soul slip’s conditions were carefully set not exploit the adventurer, and to protect their interests. If not, then the adventurers’ guild would not be able to continue their business.

For most matters, it is up to the person’s freedom to reply, and failing which will incur no response from the soul slip thus not identifying the truths and the lies. However, the attendants often make use of the lie test to ask some personal questions. Granted, because the matter asked is usually small – like whether a pretty girl is free for dinner tonight- no one bothers to make a complaint.

But if it becomes an issue, then it becomes a different matter.

No one would like the valuable treasures or information they had risked their lives to find, only to be taken away from them.

“Everything looks okay so far. Just one last question is needed, how much of the quest have you done yourself? This will determine a fair reward for you.”

In the attendant’s mind, a quest with C ranked and B ranked foes, especially with illusionary abilities are impossible to be completed by a group of trainees at the D rank. It doesn’t even matter if their leader has 5 stars to his badge. Surely, the local beasts of the forest must have greatly helped in the slaying. Perhaps the noble family behind them had sent assistance.

“I rather not say” Kairos replied simply. It would take too much explaining to do on how they could defeat such a force on their own, and for the resulting rewards it does not seem worthwhile.

The jade of course would only react if Kairos told a lie, and it sat unresponsively on the table in its usual dimmed green. The attendant and the other adventurers in the hall seemed relieved to hear such a thing and they continued on their way. The adventurer guild hands out even S ranked missions, so exterminating a forest full of C and B rank monsters is unimpressive if not for the age of the trainees.

Kairos’ silence costed them half of what the quest reward should be, though still more than what a C ranked mission is worth. However, in exchange for remaining unnoticed, it was well worth the penalty.

Some may argue that finding help to assist in one’s mission would be considered one’s ability or luck, and that ought to be granted the full pay… Until when it comes to them being the payer of the quest.

The attendant poured out a pouch full of spirit stones that amounted to the value of 50 blue silvers; definitely a handsome pay even if it was split among the team.

As they made their way towards the exit, a loud cheer attracted their attention and halted them in their path.

*Vouno Vouno*

.

.

.

*Vouno Vouno*

“Did you hear that?!” Kairos exclaimed. His usually calm mentality is completely shaken.

He opened the thick wooden door to an unexplained scene in the streets. Townspeople lifting and throwing his father in the air, and catching him with cheer.

“W..w…what is this?” He stuttered, completely lost for words.

…..

Later that day at the inn, when Vouno returned, a gathering crowded about him eager to find out what happened.

“Hail Vouno, saviour of virgin girls!” a patron nearby shouted with a sincere cheer, but the title he gave caused the boys to stifle a laughter.

Red-faced, Vouno quickly brought the boys aside, and once freed from more of such ‘greetings’ then he whispered, “You guys know I went after that bounty aye? Well, instead of handing that rapist to the guild, I strung up that bastard and dropped him over at the local town hall.

The mayor gave me a promise he would ensure the women would not go too far with their personal vengeance, but the satisfying turn of events still earned me quite a bit of celebratory for what I did.”

He ruffled his hair as he explained, a manner quite alike what Kairos sometimes does in embarrassment.

“Today when I went to claim my reward, the guild found the fellow with both his legs broken, and never able to seek out another innocent girl again. I was told that for my ‘personal induced punishment’ I could only receive a fraction of what was promised, but mannnn it felt great!”

The others laughed this time, and the mood visibly cheered.

They finally realised the outrage the townspeople had towards the one on the bounty the following day, when they set off with everything they needed.

They were given a hero’s farewell at the gate, and sent off with many baskets of fresh produce. When the people saw 27 of them on the back of the Great Land Wyrm, the local community offered carriages to their heroes. This simple yet costly hospitality displayed just how much ire that criminal had caused.

However, normal mounts would never make it through the treacherous bog and they declined to a teary wrmy who believed the children are bullying him.

Kairos had to coax the great beast that is behaving like an abandoned puppy. When wyrmy heard that only something like it that could travel deep underground could follow them wherever they go, it started feeling proud of itself. Afterwards even its steps were bouncy as it happily brought them towards their destination.

After three days of uneventful travel, they finally reached this foul-smelling swampland. The perfume they applied worked its miracle, and they found themselves completely unaffected by what should be a fatal dose of poison in the air.

They pass through it while searching for any traces of Jones with their soul perception, but unfortunately any clues have already been rendered indistinguishable by time or swallowed by the quagmire.

At the edge of the marsh on the other side, Kairos asked for a halt with a mischievous glint in his eyes. While the group waited, he planted a stash of perfume somewhere unmarked. Without soul perception, its location would be neigh undetectable.

The group continued their peaceful journey towards the borders of the Silent Lambs Empire, stopping only when they arrived at the border.

In this place is a border town. Half of which belongs to Saint Empire, the other half, the Silent Lambs Empire.

Kairos made used of his authority as Viscount and brought everyone to the local magistrate for travel passes. Though it was a document difficult to receive, especially with the volatile relationship between the two countries, but the magistrates and viscounts always had a strange relationship of camaraderie.

Then after a night of warm food and soft bed, they set forth again. Crossing into the Silent Lambs’ side after some hassles and a huge bribe for the Silent Lambs border guards.

The place they started from is unduly large, and even with the speed of the land wyrm, the nearest settlement is half a month away.