"All good over there?" I asked Erik, still lying down.
"Feels like I was hit by… a cannonball," came his groggy reply.
Even though he looked weakened, he seemed healthy.
"So you're still alive… what a shame."
"Fuck you."
If he had the energy to insult me, then he was fine.
"Question."
"No."
"But I haven't even said anything yet."
"I already know what you're going to ask, and honestly, I'm too tired to answer."
Even though I hadn't suffered any serious wounds, fighting off hordes of monsters a grade above mine had pushed my body to its limits.
Thinking about it carefully, if not for my past experiences, no one else would have survived that situation… or all the others I'd been through in the past two weeks.
"Come on, I'm curious. My stone didn't work, so how is it possible we both managed to teleport?"
I let out an exasperated sigh. I was sure that if I didn't give him an answer, he wouldn't leave me alone.
"Using my mana, I modified the runes on the stones, distributing the effects. So even the broken stone worked, but at the same time, it wouldn't have let us go very far. The only safe option was the dungeon entrance."
"According to what you just said, didn't you basically do something insane?"
"Did I?"
I guess from his perspective it might sound incredible, but in the future, rune studies would advance, making what I'd done fairly common.
In my case, I wasn't very skilled with magic or runes, but I learned what I could. The basic example was rune manipulation, and my greatest work was the magic I cast on the Hero.
Of course, what took me days and countless attempts, a talented mage could've done on the first try—but as they say, nobody's perfect.
"Couldn't you at least make the teleportation a little smoother?"
I sat up, giving him a sideways look, which he seemed to notice.
"What?"
"Do you realize that one small mistake and our bodies could have fused or been torn apart? Compared to that, a bit of shaking is a more than decent result."
"Now that I think about it, the landing didn't hurt that much."
Seeing him change tone was quite satisfying.
While we were talking, the dungeon portal rippled, and in the next moment, a disheveled and agitated Alfred appeared in front of us.
We were a bit surprised, but not as much as Alfred, whose wide eyes bounced between the two of us.
"Don't worry old man, I took care of saving the princess."
"Call me that one more time and see what happens."
I ignored his words. He really needed to work on his threats. Let's just say his level was even lower than Alfred's.
"How did you do it?"
Seeing Alfred's astonishment, it looked like we'd be here for a while.
"You want the short story or the long one?"
****
The return trip to Valren Island was peaceful.
Erik and I spent time explaining what had happened in the dungeon. Meanwhile, Alfred told us how he had teleported to the mainland waiting for Erik, but when he saw he wasn't coming back, he feared something had happened, so he rushed back to the dungeon—and the rest was history.
"I'm exhausted."
As soon as we landed, Erik made that comment, and both Alfred and I nodded in agreement. It had truly been a long night.
"What are your plans now?"
"As I said, the dungeon has potential, but transport is complicated. Since it's underwater, our ships will be visible to Pirates. The only option is to move at night. Either way, we'll build a kind of safe zone at the dungeon entrance, so that in case of complications, we can stay there for a few days without problems."
"Sounds like a solid plan."
I wasn't being sarcastic, I genuinely thought it was a good plan.
"What about you? Have you decided what you want as a reward?"
"I still can't believe you actually helped him," Alfred commented.
"Would you have preferred I left him there?" Ignoring the old man's grumbling, I turned to Erik. "Let me think about it."
"No problem, take your time."
"You just want me to forget, don't you?"
"If you were in my shoes, wouldn't you want the same?"
Not good, the bastard was starting to understand me.
With a laugh, I said goodbye. We wouldn't see each other much in the next few days since they'd be busy planning the transport operation.
As for me, I wouldn't waste those days, I'd use them to grow stronger.
Yawning, I returned to Viltrix Island. The sky was already mostly bright, marking the start of a new day, but all I wanted now was to go home and sleep.
What I didn't expect was to find my sister sitting at the table, a deep frown on her face.
"Weren't you supposed to be at work?"
"You lied to me, didn't you?"
Ignoring my question, she went straight to the point. The problem was, instead of figuring out which lie she was referring to, it was easier to list the true things I had said.
"I went to the docks, but no one knew about you."
Ah, so it was that. I was expecting worse.
"I admit it, I don't work there."
"I knew it."
Seeing her hurt expression made me feel a little guilty, but before I could say anything, she said something so ridiculous that I had trouble keeping a straight face.
"You joined a gang, didn't you?"
"…Lena, I love you, but what's going on in your head?"
"Then how do you make all that money?!"
Seeing her distress—but mostly her worry—I gave in and told the biggest lie of my life… or rather, my lives.
"The truth, sister, is that while I was sick, a god came to me in a dream. Impressed by my endurance, he gave me a stigma. Thanks to that, I healed. And the reason for the money is… I hunt monsters."
Lena said nothing, came closer with a strange look, and placed her hand on my forehead.
"You don't seem to have a fever."
"…"
Sometimes, actions spoke louder than words.
I grabbed her by the waist and lifted her over my head.
"H-How?!"
"Fly high… fly high."
I made her fly a couple of times, her face getting redder each time.
"O-Okay! I get it! Stop it! I'm dying of embarrassment!"
Hearing that, I gently set her down, and now she was looking at me in a way that could only be described as comical.
"Now do you believe me?"
Taking a breath to calm herself, she looked into my eyes. "It would be ridiculous to keep denying it…"
"Why are you smiling?"
"What can I say? My brother has a stigma! Wait, can I see the symbol?"
Expecting this, I showed her the rune on my wrist, which I could make visible at will.
"Wow, I didn't know they could shine."
"As you know, every stigma is unique."
Luckily, that was a useful feature.
"So you fight monsters?"
I immediately noticed the change in her tone. To help with our financial situation, our father used to visit the dungeon, but one day he didn't return—and the reason was more than clear. I didn't want Lena to live with that same fear.
"Don't worry, I'm not alone. Right here in front of you stands an important member of the Merchants."
"The richest faction in the archipelago?!"
Seeing her excitement, I nodded with a smile, but it didn't last.
"Then I absolutely have to go thank them for taking care of you."
Taking… care of me?
It was so absurd it wasn't even funny, and I definitely wasn't going to take her there—
****
"Damn it."
"Did you say something, Adel?"
"No, nothing."
"Are you sure this is okay? I don't want to embarrass you."
"Don't worry, no one will say a word."
More like, if someone did try, they wouldn't see the next sunrise.
And now, here we were again, standing in front of the Merchants' base… on the same day.
I'd tried to convince Lena not to come, but she was too stubborn to accept that. No—truthfully, I couldn't say no to her. It was the least I owed her.
I headed to pass the gate, but Lena stopped me.
"Adel, didn't I teach you to greet your colleagues?"
I glanced blankly at the two gate guards, who I hadn't even noticed before.
"Sorry about my brother, he has trouble opening up to people. But I hope you'll still take good care of him."
Smiling, she handed them a small bag of cookies.
"Uh… hm… sure?"
Even the guard didn't know how to react, while I was busy trying to erase the memories being formed that day.
Once inside, we were taken to Erik's office, where he and Alfred looked at me suspiciously.
Don't look at me like that, it wasn't my idea.
"You must be Miss Lena, am I right? Your brother spoke very highly of you."
Considering I'd threatened to kill them if anything happened to her, we weren't far from the truth. In any case, Lena seemed pleased.
"I'm glad. I especially appreciate that my brother's bosses seem like such respectful people."
The atmosphere instantly turned awkward.
"B-Bosses?"
"Doesn't he work for you?"
Erik and Alfred gave me a confused look, and I signaled them to go along with it—but then the two of them smiled in such an annoying way that I had the urge to punch them.
"Of course dear Adel works for US. Honestly, without US, he'd be a lost cause," Erik said.
"I admit he has potential, but he's still inexperienced and clumsy. But under OUR guidance, he'll improve quickly."
My sister looked thrilled by the pile of nonsense they were spouting, urging me to keep respecting them for the trust they placed in me.
Meanwhile, I was already thinking about where to dig their graves.