Chapter CLI - First Mission (part 2)

I suddenly said proudly out of the blue, and Fran quickly looked up to me.

"Rize, you don't understand… These are dragons."

"And I'm me. If you compare me to a White ranked dragon, I'm at least... A hundred times stronger."

I said with a straightforward expression, and Fran looked so much better now. She must have been too stressed out the past few months due to these dragon raids, and I understand that they needed help.

She is grinning now. Hey, looks like my boasting works.

She probably doesn't know how strong I am now, but she definitely knows I am capable. So seeing me acting very confident, must have given confidence to her as well.

"All right, then. Let's go hunt the dragons by ourselves."

"W-W-Wait, Fran! Are you serious?? We can't defeat those dragons alone with just having... her!?"

"You are underestimating me too much."

I pouted at Rath, and he suddenly turned to me.

"Rize. This is serious. A lot of people have died."

"I know. That's why I am helping."

Hearing my answer made Rath more pissed, but Fran somehow laughed.

"F-Fran?"

"It's okay, Rath. After all, we can't let the lower ranking adventurers die anymore. Rize, are you sure we can count on you?"

"You can simply sit back while I slaughter those dragons. Like, seriously."

"... All right then! Let's go."

Fran heads to the receptionist desk, leaving me with Emily, Brod, and Rath.

Looks like my boasting works!

"Rize, listen to me… Fran has-"

I grabbed Rath's collar and pulled his ear closer to my mouth. Brod and Emily looked surprised, but they didn't do anything. I released a very little amount of pressure, just to scare him.

"You seemed to be quite annoying today… I haven't seen you in a while, and you are already being quite a pain in my ass…"

I said with a slightly angry tone while whispering to his ears. The moment I released, Rath pulled back while shuddering, but I simply grinned at him like the soft and kind-hearted person I am.

"Monste-"

"Call me that again and I'll hang your ass."

"..."

While me and Rath are having a little chat, Fran and Keila are also having a little talk at the receptionist desk.

"I'm saying, Fran… that you can't do this alone. There might be ten dragons there, and every single one of them could be more powerful than you! You will only be marching to your deaths!!"

"I know, and I am aware. But I can't let the low ranking adventurers help me, or else they will be the ones to die, instead."

"Dying is... something they have to do, Fran… For the sake of things like this. A sacrifice is always necessary in a war such as this, but that doesn't mean you can-"

"No. I can't sacrifice people anymore. Don't send people, Keila. 

Plus, we have… one more backup."

Fran moved out of the way to show the scene at the mission board. Right there, me and Emily are talking about magic stuff while waiting for Fran.

Having recognized my unique red hair, Keila quickly opened her eyes wide and nodded at Fran.

" 'If she is here, then the world is safe…' "

"W-What?"

"Nothing. Just quoting an old friend."

Keila gave Fran the mission scroll, and then gave her a thumbs up.

"Good luck out there!"

That change in Keila's behavior surely put Fran to confusion. She was so against Fran and her team going by themselves, but after seeing the red hair, she quickly changed her view and supported them fully.

"I... don't get it, but sure."

Fran chuckled and left Keila while being weirded out. She walked back to the team and we all turned to her with curiosity.

"Got the scroll."

Fran said, surprising all three of her team members, mostly Rath.

"R-Really? Miss Keila just gave you that thing easily?"

"Rath, please. She recognized us as a Yellow to White ranked adventurers squad. We have enough to do this mission. No more people should die..."

Fran turned to me suddenly after saying that.

"Also… she said we can count on you."

Ah, Keila knows me better. 

Klane must be the one who choked all these things into her imagination or something. But then again, Keila is doing the right thing by letting us take this mission.

"All right! Then let's go kill some draagonns!!"

I said a little bit loudly, and the adventurers around us can hear it.

"Rize! They all can hear you!"

"Ah, sorry."

Fran quickly scolded me, and I scratched the back of my head timidly. She let out a sigh and turned to the door.

"Then, let's go."

She said as she took the first step forward. Everyone else followed her, and finally I started walking as well.

We all went outside the Office and went to the carriage spot. Fran rented a whole carriage for our squad and we went straight towards the mission location.

The ride took one and a half hours, which is fairly close if you ask me. Probably because the driver went really quick with the driving because Fran told him what's up.

We arrived in a really dense forest right on the foot of a short hill of rocky mountain. 

The driver will wait in a nearby village on the north-east of the mountain, while we do the mission. The driver wished us good luck in slaying the dragons with all his heart, and then left us to the village.

Even the driver knows how dangerous these dragon missions are, and the others looked like they are quite experienced with it already.

How terrible has it been with the dragons…? Even a carriage driver like him knows that it's been hell.

"Okay, so where are we going?"

"The top of the mountains. Up there."

Fran pointed at the mountain behind the forest when I asked, and I simply let out a sigh.

I could have flown there easily, but everyone here can't fly.

Whatever. Let's just enjoy everything.

As we walked, I stared at the others who were also moving their legs up this hilly forest. None of them are wearing a happy face, no one said a thing, and none of them has an actively resentful aura around their bodies.

And an actively resentful aura… simply means that they are on the edge of rage.

"Can you tell me what happened?"

I suddenly asked to break the silence, and everyone turned their faces to me. Hearing my question, Rath was the first to chuckle and said something.

"You came here not knowing that?"

"All I did was ask--"

"People are dead, Rize. That's what has been happening in the past year."

Rath said coldly as he turned his gaze back forward and walked again. Everyone else also looked quite pained from that fact, but there is nothing that they can do to solve this issue.

"And… so will we--"

PLAK!!

The sudden slap definitely knocked Rath out of existence. He wasn't expecting Fran who is right next to him to suddenly throw her palm to the back of his head, slapping him angrily.

"No we won't. Have faith, dumbass."

"T-That hurts!"

"That's your fault. Come on, Rize."

Fran tilted her head upwards, telling me to keep moving forward. I chuckled and began walking past Rath who was standing still.

I gave him a tongue out to mock him, and he can't look more pissed.

Eat it, stalker.

Thanks to that little scene, everyone's mood seemed to have gotten better. Emily was laughing when the slap happened, and she is still remembering that scene even now. She grins every time Rath mumbles silently while rubbing the back of his head.

As for Brod, he has always been the strong willed one, probably. He was the one with the least resentful aura around him, and he is probably still on alert, but slightly less annoyed by the situation.

Thank god. Because walking into battle with depression will only mess up your thoughts.

The squad then continued our move into the dense forest and went up the mountains. After fifteen minutes, we exited the forest and went up the mountain. Five minutes of climbing, we arrived on the top, where a flat rocky land can be spotted.

"This is flat."

Brod said as he studied the surroundings.

The wind is exceptionally strong, and the ground is hard rock. There are cliffs and more hills at the left and right, but across us is quite flat for a mountain top.

"Now, the dragons could be anywhere around here. So keep your heads up and-"

Just when Fran was about to finish her sentence, a loud roar came from the left. Not just from the left, but from the right as well. 

"ROOAAAA!!!!"

"ROOOOOAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!"

Multiple screams from the dragons can be heard from the cliffs to our left and right. Fran quickly turned to us, and her face was really frightened.

"There are two…"

"Yeah. Left and right."

I replied to her, and she turned her firm expression to me.

"Rize… We need to split up. I'll go with Rath, you take Emily and Brod with you."

"Emm, sure... But should we really be splitting up?"

"... No. But if we don't take the two at the same time, the moment we finish fighting one batch, the other group will come. And while those other groups are completely fine, we will be very tired from the fight.

We have to face them at the same time. Else, the other group will come as a backup and fight us while we are exhausted."

"... O-Okay, I guess..."

Fran placed her hand on my shoulder, and she firmly stated to me.

"I'm counting on you."

"Leave it to me, then."

I grinned at her, and she grinned back, but really fearsome this time. She turned to Rath and the two began heading for the left side.

I turned to Emily and Brod behind me, and it looks like the two are now under my command.

"What should we do?"

Brod asked, and I lifted my shoulder.

"Well if you want, you can help those two or come with me."

It really won't make much of a difference. I would say for Brod and Emily to go with the other two, that way their survival rate can be much better than currently. But since I'm not the one calling the shots, I can only follow.

Brod and Emily looked at each other worriedly, and then they made the decision.

"Let's stick with the plan first."

Emily said with a fearsome look on her face. I nodded at them calmly and the three of us headed to the right side.

The war with the dragons… has finally begun.