30 minutes later, I had finished treating all of the injured that came in, applying any area, even the ones where sun doesn’t shine, with ointment and wrapping it up in bandages. One of them actually enjoyed me treating, which made me really uncomfortable because of what area he wanted me to tend to.

“Hey, Akio. I’m back.”

Walking through the opening was Keya holding two steel mugs with metal lids in her hands. Everyone around them praised and smiled.

“Oh, thank the Creator, the beautiful angel has returned!”

“Please, treat us again with your soft hands, Keya! The boy’s hands are dry and clamming, and he’s got the bedside manners of a dog!”

Keya blushed as her body shifted, becoming flattered by their compliments. I, on the other hand, was starting to get pissed.

“Thanks for the praises, you ingrates!” I yelled sarcastically.

Keya chuckled. She handed me a mug before taking a sip from hers.

She remarked, “Don’t worry about it, Akio. It’s nothing to get your feather ruffled over. Come. Have some tea to calm your nerves.”

I took a sip and was surprised by the taste. “This is good! What is it?!”

“Dragon Lily with a hint of lemon. It’s relaxes the muscles and stimulates the nerves to one a better sense of clarity and rest.”

So, it’s like chamomile tea, in a way. Suddenly, the effects started to kick in. I was starting to feel my eyes getting a little heavy, causing me to almost lose my balance, but I was able to regain my equilibrium and snapped myself before I had fallen over.

“The effect are more potent when drunk by humans, but don’t you feel calm, already?” she mused.

I couldn’t help but glare at her as a small cross-shaped vein appeared on the side of my head. I retorted earnestly, “Easy for you to say. You didn’t almost tip over and fell unconscious on the dirt floor.”

At first, she looked insulted, but at that moment, we both laughed at the top of our lungs. However, we ceased after everyone around us began to stare. Once we finished our tea break, we resumed helping all the patients until it was finally nighttime.

It was time for Keya and I to leave the city. We didn’t have time to stick around for the party, but did stick around to say goodbye. We stood in front of the Faldrum’s house with Grimhilda and Tornstein shaking our hands as we said farewell to them.

“Thanks for fixing my sword and giving us a place to stay, Mr. Faldrum,” I said while shaking the old man’s hand.

He smiled and chuckled. Then he replied, “No. No. I should be the one thanking you and your friend for saving our town from that undead horde.” Suddenly, he ran into the house and returned with a scabbard in his hands. He added, “I’ve been meaning to give you this. It is a customary scabbard I made for your sword. It will make it much easier to carry it around with.”

“Thank you, but I can’t accept it. I don’t have any more money to pay for it,” I refused in a humble tone. We did have two silver coins left. However, we used them to help pay for the town’s reconstruction.

“That’s alright! It’s on the house! You helped save our village and had save my granddaughter. So, this is a gift to show how grateful I am.” He stated.

I quickly attached it on the right side of my waist before sliding the sword inside. It was very thoughtful since I’ve been carrying the Blade of Accord in my belt, but since we didn’t have much money for a customary sheath, I was afraid that with all the running me and Keya have been doing, the blade would’ve cut off my belt and that would be very embarrassing, or dangerous because it could accidentally cut my leg.

I looked to Grimhilda who didn’t say anything. Instead, she just crossed her arms and avoided eye contact, having red cheeks and pursed lips.

“Oh. That reminds me. Grimhilda has something she wants to ask you,” added the old dwarf.

“Grandpa!” Grimhilda fumed.

She took a deep breath and sighed. Turning around, she stood to face me. Then she bowed.

She said in a polite, mousy tone, “I-I wish to join your party, please?”

“W-what?” I mumbled.

It was the first time I had ever saw Grimhilda being so polite, and without her grandfather telling her to be.

“I said I want to join your party, you idiot!” she shouted to the top of her lungs with a flushed face.

There’s the dwarf girl I’m familiar with. However, it wasn’t the response that puzzled me, but why the sudden interest in traveling with us.

“Why are you asking me this?” I said in a quizzical manner.

Although I didn’t have anything against the thought, it just seemed to have come out of nowhere, without warning.

“It’s because that after the whole ordeal, I felt like I didn’t really do much while the whole town was under attack. So, I thought ‘maybe I should go see the outside world and start learning how to fight better’,” she answered.

It was hard not to smile after hearing that. Her tone was so sincere, expressing how much she cares for her home and would like to come back to be more prepared if another catastrophe happens again.

“I also thought that if I go with you guys, I could learn some new blacksmithing techniques. Since I’m technically a journeyman, I still need to hone my skills if I want to be the greatest blacksmith all throughout the continent.” She flashed a cocky grin, extending her arms as she flexed her muscles. From the way they protrude, it was no different from a 12-year-olds’ arm as it appeared to have little muscle mass, but looks can be deceiving from my experience.

Grimhilda’s reason was sensible as while learning to be a better fighter would help protect her loved ones, honing her skills would also help improve her business for when she inherits her grandfather’s smithy.

I turned my attention to Keya to hear what she thought about it. She gave me a disapproving scowl as she slowly shook her head, which was understandable since we’re still working on her prejudice against them. However, having a dwarf in the party would help her get use to being around them more.

However, another thought appeared in my head.

I turned back to the dwarf girl and asked, “What about your grandfather? What does he think about this?”

The old man waved his right hand in a passive manner while the left on top of the wooden cane that supported him. He smiled and shook his head.

He answered, “I’m okay with this. My granddaughter is already seventeen and it’s about time she goes out to see the world. She’s a strong girl. So, she’ll be able to take care of herself.”

My smile was replaced with a deadpanned expression. Some grandfather of the month, you are. He did have a point, though. Grimhilda would be able to handle any sort of ordeal that would come in our way if she followed us.

I sighed in defeat. Pinching the bridge between my eyes, I complied, “Okay, you can come with us.”

The dwarf girl’s cheeks lit up as she shrilled. She ran up and embraced me around my abdomen, having a smile on her face and tears of joy running down her cheeks.

“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”

Her grip tightened like a cobra. It was getting harder to breathe and it felt like my spine was about to snap in two. She was just like a normal teenage girl, getting all excited from getting what she wanted.

“Can’t…breathe!” I begged for help from Keya who was taken aback.

The elf girl leaned over and tapped on Grimhilda’s shoulder. She smiled weakly as beads of sweat fell from her forehead.

“Umm…Hilda, you might want to ease up on your strength. You’re suffocating Akio,” she pleaded.

Taking notice, Grimhilda stopped and pulled back, scratching her right cheek as she chuckled in embarrassment. I gasped as I inhaled while my sides sored, feeling like a compactor crushed them.

“Sorry about that. I just forget my own strength, sometimes,” she apologized.

I replied, “That’s alright. It happens to the both of us.” all we could do from there was to laugh it off while relieving the tension in the air. After that, we got our things from the guest room and once Grimhilda got the essentials she needed—sleeping bag, clothes, soap—we said goodbye to Tornstein and headed out.

20 minutes later, we left the city through the back entranceway, south from where the front gate was located. We walked through another forest, strolling across the cobble stone road while gazing at the trees that illuminated in the moonlight.

“You know, we didn’t have to leave so soon. We could’ve just stayed for the celebration,” Grimhilda suggested.

“We could, but if we stay too long, then we might miss the opportunity for any quest that might spring up,” I stated. I rubbed my chin and thought for a moment. I continued, “Then again, we could’ve stayed and try some of the foods they were serving.

“Oh yes. It would have been nice to try some vegetarian cuisine that was being served by the residential elves. It’s been so long since I had some fried rutabark kimchi,” Keya remarked. I didn’t know what a Rutabark was, but if it was made into kimchi and the way Keya’s drooling over it, then it must be good. However, I would have to hold that thought after I try some.

“Maybe, we could try some of the beer also.”

Then I heard Grimhilda snicker and then laugh, which was pretty annoying since it was directed at me. Wiping a tear from her eye, she argued, “doesn’t even consider it, Akio. The beer produced in town is made from dwarven brewers! If a human or an elf consume some without experience, then they’ll have to deal with hours of stomach cramps, dizziness, and irritating headaches!”

“What about the wine? Who produces that?”

Grimhilda ceased laughing and her jovial expression was replaced with a deadpan. She lifted her hand out and rotated it in a so-so manner as her face contorted. “Eh. That stuff is imported from Ero Yalth. It’s harvested from berries grown in the mountains and produced by the elves before distribution.” For a moment, I was worried Grimhilda would make a snide comment about the elves, but instead she asked, “So, where are we going to next?”

She walked with her war hammer over the back of her neck with such carelessness while her arms hung on the top of the handle.

I pulled up the map from the back of my palm and skimmed. “According to the map, we’re going to...Paradiso. Unfortunately, like Strongfair, there doesn’t seem to be a guild office anywhere in the vicinity. Hopefully, we’ll find some sort of quest without a bulletin board.”

“You’re going on an adventure without knowing what it is. Doesn’t that seem a little reckless and stupid?” her tone became deadpanned as she glared at me.

Rubbing the back of my head, I flashed a half-hearted grin.

I responded with a chuckle, “Yeah, but at least it gives us some experience when exploring our range. Who knows? Maybe, our next adventure will fall from the sky.”

Suddenly, we heard a scream coming from out of nowhere. Then a figure fell from the sky and landed with a thud before us. We were shocked while our mouths fell agape, especially Grimhilda’s who was just eating her own words. Rubbing her head and groaned, the figured stood up and stared at us like a deer caught in headlights. It was a girl with brown hair and square ears.

“Did that girl literally fell from the sky?” Grimhilda questioned in disbelief.

“Goodness. I hope she’s alright,” Keya worried.

“I don’t know. Let me go check and see.”

I strutted carefully towards the girl before lifting her back on her feet. I was still surprised that a total stranger had just fallen out of thin air, but it was still the right thing to help her up. Her hands were soft and sweaty with her body trembling in nervousness. Her face turned a little red as she stared directly into my eyes.

“Hey, are you okay?” I asked.

She nodded her head in response.

Then she snapped out of her daze. The girl pulled away, gnawing at her thump in anxious quiver. Under her breath, she muttered, “Oh no! I’ve been discovered!”