Chapter 132

Soon, the twenty-fifth Giant Beatle had left the world for good. An arrow, still burning in flames, was embedded in its body. The smell of burnt flesh emanated everywhere. The remaining Giant Beatles went back into the forest to hide. The disgusting smell of burnt flesh, like burnt rubber tires, lingered in the air. However, it seemed that the group members had already gotten used to the smell as no one paid any attention to it.

“There’s no end to this work… I’m getting sick and tired of this.”

“I think it’s mostly over now though, right?”

“Then, shall we leave?”

“Let’s grab what we can… These talons look expensive…”

***

A monsoon poured rain down upon the party. They waded and trudged through the knee-high rushing rapids that were created by the hill’s slope, which was sloped at nearly thirty degrees. The party members were moving up the hill in single-file, had a rope around their waists, and were connected together with specially designed rock climbing carabiners.

From time to time, muddy water from the right cliff would pour all over their heads. They were already completely drenched in water such that the curves of their bodies could be clearly seen. They looked like wet mice that were caught in the rain. As they moved away from the rushing rapids, they were greeted by lumps of sliding mud. The slick surface made it hard for them to gain a firm footing. To their left was a sheer cliff drop.

“Eu-heuk-”

One of the weaker men in the party slipped and stumbled sideways. Just as he was about to roll down the sheer cliff, two people tightly tugged on their connected rope and pulled him up.

“That was a close call!” A good-natured-looking member said as he helped his party member get back up.

“I thought I was being careful… Damn it… Thank you.”

Gun shrugged his shoulders and looked down. The other person cocked his head to the side. Gun, a royal family member, expressed his gratitude while the other man had a strange frown on his face.

“From the looks of it, I think we're going to lose the bet…”

She looked ahead. Far away beyond the valley, a watchtower on the border of Asrai could be seen. She could now return to the empire because she had ‘survived’. Rain raised her hand to block the sunlight. Even though she wore a wide-brimmed hat, it did not do much to prevent the afternoon sun from piercing her eyes. Her face was very tanned, and she furrowed her brow. It was still very hot, even though the heatwave season was coming to an end… Every single one of them looked terrible. Even the beggars in the empire were not in such a horrendous state.

Rain tried to picture herself. She probably looked very much like a ‘person’. Suddenly, she smiled. She found Gun once again. Even though he still acted a little awkwardly, he was now doing his job correctly, for the most part. It seemed like he was starting to get a feel for life outside the sheltered imperial courts, finally connecting with humanity.

“You're such a mess, Gun. Oh my. It seems like I can’t hate you a lot from now on, huh?”

The bard, Cecil, started singing.

The pain and hardship

Thawed the weak and evil heart,

Life-or-death challenges sharpened the will like a blade.

The memories of shared suffering, cries and laughter with arms around one another

Have led to a strong and considerate self

You, who have enclosed the poor, weak and shameful pretense

With a shell of deceit and makeup…

By boldly stripping it away,

The king opened his eyes

To see the most beautiful things.

Rain stretched.

The big adventure that she never could have imagined had finally come to an end. For some reason, she felt a little sad…but at the same time, somehow, she felt as though she had become an actual adult, physically and mentally… Nonetheless, she had a simple wish she wanted to fulfill before she returned to the empire - clean water to take a bath.

Rain pulled out a handkerchief. The yellow stains left by the muddy water could not be removed. Tears started streaming down out of the blue.

***

Doyo, the merchant, stared at a man. He was a very scary-looking man. He was still as scary as before, but it was not as hard for her to face him now, as compared to the very first time. In fact, they had become close to one another.

It was the same with the mischievous people of Essen. Every single day with them was fun and delightful to the point that she did not want to part with them. Even the intense fear of the Forbidden Grounds did not stop them from being reliable and joyful. It got to the point where she was actually waiting for those scary monsters to show up…

Even though she was trembling with anxiety back then, she did not have a choice but to follow her uncle. Initially, she did not agree with her uncle’s decision at all. Prigojin was not the merchant guild’s destination.

Why did her uncle pay the escorts a premium and change the destination? It was only a few days ago that she had barely escaped death. She wondered why she had to risk her life again… She absolutely could not understand why.

In the past month, she had experienced the first grueling adventure in her entire life. Every second, she was on the brink of death, and she barely survived each time.

What did she get out of it? Doyo looked left and right. Before she knew it, her uncle was next to her.