Chapter 67
“E-Excuse me, are you lost?”
Aurora shook her head to get it back to the present moment. She could not afford to be distracted now and make a bad first impression.
“Yeah, I am kind of lost. I just exited the tower and somehow ended up here. Can you take me to the nearest village?”
Aurora had not meant to deceive anyone for her benefit. But she had no other choice but to pretend to be ignorant about her whereabouts.
“The abyss? Really? Are you someone from the tower as well? Are you here to help us out with our beast problem?”
Aurora took a step back at the rapid influx of questions being thrown out at her. She had no idea how she should reply back to those inquiries.
Telling the truth was out of the equation. Aurora did not want to complicate her stay in the Horax village. If someone from the tower did show up and did not recognize Aurora, it would be disastrous.
And if they did recognize her, then it would be even worse.
No matter how Aurora look at her, it was a lose-lose situation.
“Wait, you said ‘as well?’ Is there someone else from the tower here?”
It struck Aurora a little too late but her alert level jumped from 1 – 10 in a single second.
It really would be the worst-case scenario if someone else from the tower was here and could recognize Aurora.
“Yeah. Village elders reported to the tower about our increasing monster problem and the tower send us to help in the form of two of their soldiers. But our village is not safe even with the added help.”
“That is why I am really glad to see you arrive here for help as well.”
Aurora wanted to curse her luck but she had no opportunity to do so. She could not show her discomfort at being classified as one of the ‘tower’s people.’
“This is all good but I am not someone from the tower. I was just trying to clear the abyss but somehow ended up here.”
Emilia’s face told Aurora that she did not believe Aurora’s words.
Under normal circumstances, Aurora should not have recognized Emilia right away. There was no power or aura that denoted Emilia as a different being from other kids around her.
If not for her eyes, Emilia would have been no different from a normal kid. Her long brown hair was held up in pigtails and her clothes were ordinary.
But her pupils held a unique shape hidden behind a glamour. The star-like shape of her grey eyes was hidden beneath a dull brown cloak of magic.
The famous theory back home had been that Emilia’s mother cast the spell on her for protection and sealed her magic. The previous goddess of victory, Emilia’s mother did not want to involve her in the world of the abyss.
But fates could not be changed and no one could verify the truth any longer.
“So, you are not here to help us out? But why?”
Oh God, Emilia looked like she was about to cry. Aurora was not good at handling such kids and she had no idea what to do.
Generally, Aurora left these matters up to Quince since he was the only one who had any real experience with the kids. But Aurora did not have him with her.
“H-Hey, I will help out as long as I can. But I cannot stay here for long. Though, I do know of a way to take care of your monster problem.”
Aurora’s proposal caused Emilia to finally stop crying. However, the suspicious look did not vanish from the teen’s eyes.
“Y-You swear to help? You are not trying to s-scam me, are you?”
The weight of those grey eyes felt heavy on Aurora’s soul. If possible, she did not want to answer that question.
But she had no other choice but to answer the female in front of her.
“I’m not here to scam you. But we should go back to the Horax village since it is going to get dark soon. By the way, what were you doing out here?”
Aurora quickly scouted the surroundings for danger as she held Emilia’s hand.
She could not feel any monster in the vicinity but that did not mean that there were no dangers here.
“Oh right, I was here to lead those two elders from the tower around to hunt for monsters but I got lost. Help me find them please?”
Aurora wanted to decline that request but the weight of those grey eyes did not allow her that luxury.
“Alright. Let’s find those people from the abyss and then help them out. Then we should go back to the Horax village and relax.”
Emilia seemed to agree with Aurora. Her aura seemed content and hummed with a silent power which made Aurora relax as well.
Emilia gave off a familiar feeling of the abyssal energy which only a goddess could do.
“Take a right turn and you should be able to see them.”
Aurora did as the teen suggested. Not that she needed the help since she could feel the faint power being used in the forest’s vicinity.
But now that she thought back to it, there was something familiar about that power. It seemed as if she knew the people she had heading toward.
Aurora cleared the forest, only to see two familiar people being attacked by an elite-mob tiger cat.
It was a monster found on the first floor of the abyss and was equivalent to the goblin king.
But unlike the goblin kind, this mob had a better body condition and sharper moment speed. It made up for its lack of subordinates with a better power level.
“Quince, dodge.”
Aurora wanted to turn around and abandon the pair in front of her. She did not have the time or energy to deal with Quince and Clove right now.
Just seeing the pair put Aurora in a weird mood.
“Hurry, you should help them out.”
Emilia have Aurora a small shove once aurora put her down. The teen looked worried and afraid for their life.
“They will be alright. The tiger king is not their opponent yet. I do not need to interfere in this fight.”
Aurora knew her former party’s level and powers. Such a small boss should not be a problem for Clove or Quince to take care of.
But Aurora had a bad feeling about this fight. She knew that Quince alone should be able to kill off the tiger-king.
Then why were those two being pushed around like prey? Why were they not attacking the tiger-king back with everything they had?
Aurora decided to finally help the pair out. She could not sit back and see her former party being toyed around with like this.
“Clove, dodge, or you’ll die.”
Aurora barely made it in time to stop the claws from ripping Clove apart. The younger female had been knocked back due to a heavy blow of the monster’s claw.
“Y-You! Why are you here?”
Aurora ignored Quince’s wonder-filled voice. The monster in front of her eyed Aurora’s new addition with interest.
But too bad for him, this was his last moment to be able to live in peace.
“Disappear.”
Aurora had not wanted to use her magic initially. But she did not want to drag this fight out either.
That was why she decided to end this face with a flash and utilize her lightning spell.
The poor tiger-king did not even stand a chance against Aurora. He was too weak to be able to stand up against such a mid-level spell.
Had it been an elite boss from a higher floor, this trick would not have worked at all. But Aurora had just fought the goblin king and she had adjusted to the power level of the first-floor mobs.
They were no longer going to be a problem to her.
“HEY, ANSWER ME! Did you follow us here? What is your objective in being here?”
Quince looked equal parts mad and frustrated to see Aurora. But Aurora was more focused on Clove.
The poor girl looked flushed and a little out of it. Her face was red and full of sweat as well.
Aurora quickly noted her temperature and it was high for a human body. Clove was likely running a fever but she had still decided to venture out into the woods and help clear the area out.
“We can talk our differences out later. For now, we should start heading back to the Horax village and set up a security front. I will take care of the monster problem for them.”
Aurora offered as she picked up Clove.
But like every other time, Quince stepped ahead to stop her from having any time with her wife.
“No need to do that. I can carry my party member. And if you are telling the truth, then carrying Clove will slow you down. Here, give her to me.”
The man held his arms out and Aurora’s grip tightened around the body in her arms.