The Valkyries are flying in the back of Faffy as Gran is travelling through carriage. Everyone except Gina doesn't want to speak about it but they in fact feels that somethings wrong with Gina and Gran. Veronica do want to ask about it, but in her mind the quest to go to her hometown and retrieve the Eternal Crescent Flower for her mother are already too much.
"Say, how long do traveling at the back of dragon takes against the route Gran took? Why he doesn't get with us here?" Mayuri ask that breaks the silence as the girls doesn't expect such from the green haired rogue. Gina looks at her and when her and Mayuri's gaze meet, she looks down and starts explaining.
"No way? You really see him there? What happens next?" Rinko ask while she's covering her mouth in shock. Veronica is just nodding but in her mind she's not much minding such action coming from the Exorcist. Mayuri's reaction is much more subtler as she doesn't want to show much reaction.
"Well, he actually apologize. He says that he will distance himself to us since we might be creeped out." Gina says as the breezing wind are swaying her hair and she later tears up a little, a thing she quickly hides from others. "I do apologize too, saying I just overreacted."
"Leader, please be clear with us. Are you catching feelings for him?"
That question Veronica spew makes the entire party fall silent. Gina's throat get stuck at the moment as the others are eagerly waiting for her answer.
While the Valkyries are gossiping about Gina and Gran's relationship, Gran is currently using his legs to run as he ditches the carriage from back the city as he knew that it will take him a week just to arrive on the faraway village that Veronica used to live with. He just ask the direction where this village is. Gran do favor some exercise as he wants to test out his Dimensional Flow fighting enemies.
As the Exorcist pass through a hanging bridge that are violently swinging he remembers his interaction with Gina from the adult literature store and he shakes his head as he feels the embarrassment and he reflects to what he is acting right now. "I berate people for having hard time communicating, but I feel that I am no different." Gran mutters as he jumps out if the said bridge as he spots several monsters waiting for him.
Gran throws his prize dagger and he begins filling that dagger from the distance with Flow. "Repel Blast." As he says that a force push out every monster out as Gran lands to the place where the dagger drops. He grabs it again as he deals with the surviving monsters with his fists and kicks.
He manage to finish the enemies in just half a minute. Those monsters of couple dozens dies and drops their mana stones. Gran collects them as he hears Faffy's flapping wings in the distance.
"Ah, I'll need to clear this properly then." Gran says as he continue his sprint.
As the dragon pass through several forest and a mountain in a span of a day, the Valkyries looks at the ground and see that they are approaching Veronica's hometown, a small village named Brunskin. Brunskin have a population of over 2000 people, humans and mixed species. This place is one of the location in this world that mixed race folks and normal humans have manage to co exist.
"In all my years there are only several places where humans and mixed races haven't got such beef with each other, I didn't wish we see some places outside the kingdom that have this segregation." Rinko remarks while Gina are trying to overlook where they are.
"Such is the case everywhere the kingdom operates though. They've somehow recognize that they can have the mixed race work with humans in order to have peace." Veronica adds as Mayuri touch her feet as she wants to say something to them. "Ehem, I don't know if you are aware but I am a mixed race you know. My feet have some scales." Mayuri state as the girls look at her.
"We knew, you have something to say about your inherent advantages to us?" Veronica answers as this create such reaction. "Huh? I'm not bragging! Maybe you should fix that attitude of yours small fry." Mayuri claps back as Veronica leans forward to her and she answers. "Oh yeah? I just say that we already know you're mixed! You want to bring this somewhere else then huh?"
"You girls... Stop that! We are at Brunskin now. Veronica, command Faffy to land near the entrance of the village." Gina commands the girls as Veronica follows through. Faffy happily oblige as the dragon flies out and lands perfectly into the entrance. Gina first disembark, the shield maiden follows and the two quirky haired girls disembark the last. Gina just sighs in frustration about the situation and she break up the feuding girls. Rinko also wants to help her.
"Hey guys, I think you should stop." Rinko ask as Gina then tears the two apart in order to stop them from fighting. "Listen you pink haired runt! We of a mixed race just want to live peacefully and we never need to flaunt our traits from the likes of you!" Mayuri shouts as Veronica doesn't let this go unanswered. "Huh? Who cares! What I am stating earlier is that you didn't have to state twice when we all know that you are a mixed race to begin with! I am not actually saying anything negative about you you know!"
Due to what Veronica say the two falls silent. Rinko and Gina work their way to stop the two from fighting, until somebody from the village calls their attention. "Who dares stepping foot on our mighty foothold! Even a dragon shall not pass!"
A male voice calls them out. The girls looks at the speaker as he strike an awkward pose while he is visibly sweating from fear. "I am D-Duna! F-for bringing such monstrosity! Y-you will taste my wrath!" The teen named Duna declares while he is also shaking so bad. The dragon just lays and yawns while Veronica touches and caress its snout and face.
"Wha... What the hell? How did you..." Duna ask as he hears an older voice calling him. "Duna! How are the visitors doing?! Are they good or bad?" The old man ask as he gaze to the Valkyries and he drop his guard. "Hey! Isn't that Veronica? Yo call the Elder! Her daughter's back!" The old man commands as Duna follows through.
"Veronica? Is that Veronica, the daughter of the Village Elder Mamerita?" Duna couldn't believe that she returns. The Valkyries enter the village as the locals meet them and cheer them. Gina and the others wave and smile for them, but Veronica warmly greets them back and ask the status of the village and most importantly, her mother.
"Well we call your mother here so you can wait a moment." The old man answers as Duna is rolling out Veronica's mother in a wheelchair. Mamerita, the village elder, calls her daughter as the pink haired mage rush to hug her. The reunion is full of emotions and happy feeling that the others doesn't want to disturb. Gina then remembers the Exorcist as he stops and encounter several giant orcs on the way.
"Okay this is getting annoying. I do want to rush and talk to her but you need to show up and get in my way." Gran says as he shakes his head and one of the half a dozen giant orc roars and it raise its club to smash Gran. He slightly hops out of the way then he stomps the club and he jumps in to give a roundhouse to a hook kick combo to the orc's face. The others follow suit as Gran covers his fist with hi Barrier Technique.
"Let's dance shall we?"
He smack and kill the first orc as he duck under the wild horizontal swing of the next one. Gran shifts his head on the orc behind him as he jumps to the left to dodge the club smash. He then throw his dagger out to that orc and he use Compression to disarm the monster as its club gets compress to oblivion. Gran end its life in a single straight punch to its body.
"What the..."
Gran then lean backwards as a club flies out, trying to hit him with it. It almost graze his face but he do manage to evade it. It hit a nearby tree as the body of the orc he killed earlier gets minced. "You really like friendly fire huh?" Gran remarks as the orc who did it roars as it charge towards him. Gran cast a Compression on his left hand to suck out and have the dagger back.
The orc is chambering its fist as it fires away and the Exorcist parries it to the left. He answer it with a quick jump knee, hitting its gut. He then throws his dagger again and commands a Repel Blast to slaughter this particular orc. As far as the Exorcist know he is handling it well, but he soon realize that something is off as he feels a disturbance in the Flow. "Oh shoot..."
In swift, sudden move, a giant bird hit the Exorcist and sent him to the air. He cross his arms to block the attack plus he add his ability, Repelling Skin, as an additional barrier to protect himself. He flies upward and after he remove his arms to see the assailant, he realize what attack him.
"A Griffon? That is a Griffon!" Gran remarks as a winged beast with a eagle's head buy having an oxen body hit him. The Griffon squacks as its talons are trying to hit Gran. The Exorcist have try to use the dagger to meet the talons out to block and counter, yet the Griffon open its mouth and fires a lightning bolt against Gran.
"Gaah!!"
The sudden lightning bolt attack mid air sent Gran beaming down across the forest. Gran is actually near the Brunskin, but this encounter is becoming somewhat serious for him. He landed and manage to do a hand spring and return to his feet to confront the wild beast of the air.
"You really make me feel something there huh. I like it. Please, continue." Gran states as he takes a stance and mockingly gesture toward the Griffon to come at him. The Griffon squacks and through the air it open again its mouth to fire another lightning bolt to hit Gran.
The Griffon rapid fires the lightning bolt as the Exorcist are also rapidly dodging them and at the fourth bolt he leaps with all his might as he gives a wicked uppercut to the winged beast's underside and he violently grab one of the Griffon's foot to slam the monster back to the ground. The winged monster tries to claw off Gran's hand to get him off, yet he doesn't let this happen.
"You do know that I am now aware to what you can do now huh." Gran utters as he throws his dagger downward directly to the monster's face.
"Compression." Gran compress the location as the Griffon is trying to fight it. Gran is getting pulled by this. "And to end. Repel Blast, Dimension Boom." As he applies his Dimensional Flow in a sudden Repel Blast to the Compression, it sends the Griffon's body to chunks and pieces.
Gran then lands gracefully near the carcass of the winged beast he just slaughtered. He then retrieve his dagger and the mana stone from it. He then look at the sky as he notice something. "Oh crap, I am really getting late huh. Sun is setting." Gran says as he continue his sprint again.
The Valkyries lodge in with Veronica's old home as the others are looking around and seeing that Veronica's house is somewhat large as they expect. Gina sighs as she is looking outside as her members see her and this force Mayuri to speak about it. "Leader, you definitely worry too much about him. I believe he will be here then. You gotta remember he takes the long route because he's a coward." Mayuri says while the others shuts her out and grab her.
"Hey hey! Don't say that! Do you not understand that this is the first time Leader feels this way." Rinko reprimands the green haired rogue as Veronica puts her hands in her waist. "Why are you being on an edge today? You picking fights with everyone right now huh?" Veronica notice while Mayuri free herself from their grasp as Gina's dead eyes lighten up as something lands outside the entrance of the village.
"My God, how many monsters does this place have?!" Gran annoyingly remarks as he throws a pebble up as he use Compression and destroy the flying monster that follows him. He stands up as his fatigue now finally sets in. He tries to stand on his feet, yet he kneels as he tries to look ahead. He feels that his consciousness are slipping out, and Gina jumps out and catch him. "I'm sorry Gina. Please..." Gran mutters as Gina hears this.
"I hear you... Rest up now." Gina carries the Exorcist up and the other member and Duna see her carrying him and Veronica prepares a bed for him. "Looks like the wait is finally over." Mayuri says as Rinko notice something. "How the heck he reach us here? What happen to the carriage?"
"Well we can ask once he wakes up." Veronica answers as she see Gina comes in and lay the Exorcist to the bed. She later notice a wound on his sides. As she see that she frantically ask Veronica to cast heal spell on him, which she does as she hold his hand while sitting beside him. "The wound is close now. We shall take a rest and sleep now Leader." Veronica ask to the Valkyrie Leader.
"You can go ahead Veronica. I'd like to look him out." Gina answers while she flashes a smile that Veronica didn't see before.
Veronica agrees as she closes the door and ask the others to take the other room to sleep. Veronica's Mother, Mamerita, ask her daughter to take her friends out to eat at the bar near their house. Veronica ask if they want to, but they all shake their head as they want to rest instead of eating. Veronica thinks otherwise as she points their rooms and she goes out to eat.
"Well, good eve guys. I'll eat out." Veronica informs the other as she waves out. The two enters the room as the two awkwardly sits there and looking at the window. "So... Want to sleep?" Rinko ask as Mayuri just grab the sheets and lay down. "Good night." Mayuri answers as Rinko just does the same.
Meanwhile, Veronica goes to the bar as she meet Duna and the old man there. She waves as she grabs a chair to sit beside them. The pink haired mage order her usual food as the waiter ask her, and the old man starts asking questions. "It seems that you have something that you need to do here in Brunskin as you gather an entourage of adventurers with you. Is this about your mother?"
Veronica nods as she looks at the table. "Well, we don't have the capability to pay for 3000 gold coins still, but one of my friend suggest that we can gather the main ingredient instead." Veronica answers as Duna joins the conversation. "So, I'm fairly new here and I just know this from Village Elder, but what does she need old man?" The old man point his fork on the mixed race young man.
"Mamerita needs an Eternal Crescent Flower to lift the curse the Plant Mimic embed on her. That nasty piece of work really did number on her legs." The old man explains as Duna understand why she can't walk. "So this means this all happen way before I get here huh. That's unfortunate." Duna remarks while he is scratching his furry neck. He is a mixed race of an bovine and a human, a hybrid bovine if you will.
"Duna is your name is it? That's pretty rare to see such race as yours I don't see the usual bovine like features like your before." Veronica remarks as the waiter just carry her food to the table.
Duna just finish his share of food as he answer her fascination. "Yeah it is rare and all, but I can't remember stuff when I happen to arrive here about several months ago." Duna tells the old man and Veronica of his story. "I can't remember anything prior arriving in this village. All I remember is that I woke up and old man Harry here is beside me and since then I am living with him." Duna adds as he looks into his hands.
"All I know is that I am here. I don't know if I have any purpose of being here, but I am here nevertheless and I want to help with what I can contribute." Duna ends his storytelling as Veronica praises him. "That's a great mindset to have Duna. Keep it, it will make you survive."
As soon as she praises him, his eyes glisten with tears as he remember something from the back of his mind, yet he can't fully recall what it is, or if he remember these words. He wipe it out as she now shares her fair share of story to tell them. "In order to heal my mother I will have my comrades to takedown the dragon at the known flower bed. I don't know if we can win that fight, but I choose to believe his words."
The old man, Harry, manage to weave out who is the man Veronica is speaking about. He looks at the pink haired girl as he says this. "Oh is that the man? The one your Leader carry out earlier? (Sighs) Hope for the best young one." Harry says as he knows something between the lines, but he also assuming it as he doesn't want to gossip now. Duna doesn't get it, yet he just go with the flow as Veronica is also the same.
"Well thanks?"
As Veronica finish her meal, she bids farewell to the two as she needs to prepare for the adventure for tomorrow. She leaves the bar waving as she approach her house and when she enters, she found her mother waiting there and wants to discuss something. "I told you before my love, you don't have to search one for me. Live your life the way you want." Mamerita state as Veronica sighs and answer her.
"No Mother, I do want to see you healthy. My friends will help me tomorrow to find the cure. Just hold on." - Veronica.
"I just want to see you okay my love, I don't want to see you get hurt because of me. I'm sorry if I am useless..." As soon as Mamerita say that her daughter embrace her as she gets emotional. "No, I want to help you mother. You've help me too much. Raise me alone when father left. I want to repay such kindness Mother."
"Oh dear... I wish for you to live your life not bogged down by me." Her mother utters as her tears roll on her cheek. Rinko, Mayuri and Gina can hear this conversation through the thin walls as their resolve solidify at that moment, a moment to help a daughter to achieve something for her parent.
The next day...
Gran wakes up as he feels a warm hand holding his left hand. He twitch and he open his eyes. Gina wakes up as well. "Good morning Gran. Are you feeling fine?" Gina ask as Gran realize that she's been with him the whole evening. "Gina... Is your neck fine? It is not okay to sleep in such position! I'm sorry." Gran states as he put his hand on her nape to check if he can use the Flow to heal her possible stiffness she'll get from sleeping while sitting. Gina hold his hand as she and the Exorcist needs to have a serious conversation now.
"Why are you avoiding me? Is it still that incident?" Gina ask as Gran retreats his hand from her nape as he hold her hand instead. "Yeah, honestly I am still conscious about it. I know you already apologize and all, but I can't help it." Gran answers as she looks down and this time, Gran wants to set things right between them.
"But, this time I want to say this. After this mission can you go out with me? I like to know you more." Gran states while he is smiling. "I thought that I want to know you more... Since..." Gran continues to speak, yet his volume is going down. "I-I like you."
Gina raise her face as soon as she hears Gran's words. The Exorcist's face is red with shame and it is the same with her. She covers her lips as she turnaround to hide her face. "W-what are you saying? Are you serious." Gina ask as she doesn't have such encounter before.
"Yes, I am. I like you. I want you to know more as well." Gran can't look straight to her, yet he is trying to peek on her reaction. As he peek for the second time. He see her nodding and muttering something under her breath. "Yes..."
"What? Do you not like to?" Gran ask but Gina clears this out. "No I mean I'll go out with you." Gran's grip on her hand tightens as he leans to kiss her cheek. She jumps out at such bold act. "What are you doing?" Gran just smiles and he breaks on a laugh. "I'm sorry, I don't have any experience about this that I don't know if I mess up or not."
As Gran laughs a little. Gina giggles as well as she ask Gran if he can stand. He tries to and as he feels his knees a little weak, Gina quickly catch him. What she doesn't know is that this is Gran's cheeky act as he peck her cheek again. She gently push him, but this time she doesn't want to back down.
"You're really helpless you know that."
She then grab him closer as she goes and kiss him in the lips.