A fresh wind whistled through the glade's strewn blades of blue grass as the violet rays of the amethyst sun fell on the redhead's face. In light yellow fabric armour, rough white pants, and with a bag over his shoulder, he stared into the distance with his azure eyes. He sat leaning against the trunk of a single tree far and wide with his legs stretched out in front of him. The peace in the shade of the red conifer was interrupted by the occasional painful inhuman screams of dying hybrids of various alter vermin.

His rescuer's head rested on his lap. In a long moment, without realizing it, he began stroking her soft chocolate hair while she slept with a blissful expression. The fight had exhausted her, and the saint's healing magic was only able to heal some of the small injuries. A proper rest, therefore, came in handy.

The woman turned from her side to her back. The young man looked directly into her beautiful face. Although she radiated the energy of a woman in her thirties in a strange way that Akally couldn't describe, she had the sleeping face of an eternally young girl. He caught himself staring at her unblinkingly, then tore away his flushed gaze. Every time the beauty's head tossed in her sleep, his lap became less and less comfortable.

The princess was awakened by a hard lump on which her head could no longer sleep. She opened her emerald eyes. She glanced subtly at the redhead who was breathing deeply. The pressure on the back of her neck increased and eased at times as the young man tried to calm his blood rushing with deep breathing. She wondered if it was a good time to get up or if she should pretend to be asleep for a while longer. Unfortunately, chance decided for her when their eyes met.

“He-Hello, redhead,” she greeted him timidly.

“Hello, Sidy,” he greeted her back as the blood began to rush to his cheeks.

“It's been a while, huh?” she joked to break the awkward atmosphere.

“Yeah, a while,” he replied curtly, for he was at a loss for words.

Sidy sat up and leaned against the trunk pressed against Akally. She gently nudged him with her shoulder: “Don't worry, this can happen to anyone. To be honest, it's quite-”

“Can we change the subject?” he looked away as he covered his crotch with his satchel.

The brunette raised her hands in front of her and clasped her fingers with her palms facing forward: “Just calm down, just calm down. You don't have to freak out right away,” she giggled, “you didn't have to kiss anyone,” she said these last words to herself so the young man next to her wouldn't hear.

“What are you even doing here? Why did you come to the alter to see us?”

“To save your neck,” she playfully touched the tip of his nose with her finger.

Akally raised his right eyebrow, narrowed his eyes, and pursed his lips slightly: “How would you know something is brewing here?” he suspected her.

“I honestly wanted to see how our little miracle was doing after a long time,” she shook herself with an innocent smile on her face, “it's been a year since you teamed up with that girl.”

“We both know that's bullshit. Why should MITEM check me when they haven't shown any interest in me since then?” he rebutted another attempt at a lie.

Sidy's expression turned serious as her innocent smile was replaced by a stony face: “Okay, I'm here on business. I have to check something here.”

“Is it related to that golem that was too difficult for the yellow portal?”

The beauty immediately changed her tone: “Oh wow! Someone finally completed their education on the course, eh? You got two levels higher than your first hunt. It is true that such a powerful monster falls more into the orange difficulty. There have been more accidents lately.”

“What accidents?” the young man snapped, but Sidy put a finger to his lips. She didn't plan to tell him more. She liked to joke with the fawn, but still maintained the integrity of a professional.

However, the seemingly carefree moment was not shared by a couple a little further away. While Dea, with her white mask and grey hood, was healed of most of her injuries and fired one accurate arrow after another, the middle-aged man was barely able to stay on his feet.

The grip in his right hand loosened, the slippery, sweat-covered handle of the blue metal-bladed dagger becoming harder and harder to hold. Fortunately, the armed left-hander with another dagger still served him well. He brought the dagger from his right hand to his mouth covered with unkempt stubble and gripped the hilt between his teeth. He brushed his long black greasy hair back with a stray hand so his bangs wouldn't obstruct his view. He wiped his wet hand thoroughly on the outside of his thigh so as not to stain his already dirty leather armour. He took the dagger out of his mouth: “I hope the woman wakes up soon. I can't take this much longer.”

“Don't worry, Jack,” she held out the string of the folding bow, “I'll tell Akally to,” a green arrow formed from the string to the handle of the bow, “to resurrect you if you die,” she fired the shot. The arrowhead pierced the skull smoothly. As the entire arrow flew through the monster’s head, the running chimaera with the head of a dog monster and the body of a goblin collapsed to the ground. Another larger chimaera tripped over the fresh corpse and rolled awkwardly towards Dea. Black-haired Jack, despite his exhausted state, quickly ran out and cut through the monster in its somersault.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

“The redhead's supposed to resurrect me when I die?” he pulled one of the knives from his calf holster and threw it directly at the girl who had her back turned to him. A smaller chimaera, just about to take advantage of the huntress’s inattention, jumped into the throw's path. The knife went deep into its head. Another monster fell.

[Aport] said the older hunter. The knife disappeared from the monster's head and reappeared in its sheath. “If I'm to entrust the kid, that barely heals a scratch, my life,” he dodged a chimaera's attack with the body of a dog-like monster, “I'd rather not die at all,” he joked as he slammed his knee into the beast's stomach and finished it off with a dagger.

“That kid would easily beat you,” the archer summoned a ghostly arrow of green energy in her hand, “grandpa,” another chimaera with an animal head and a goblin body that managed to run up to her caught him in the eye. With a kick, she created more space between them, and with another green arrow, she shot through the other eye and part of the scrubby brain.

Jack let out a heavy sigh as it seemed no more monsters were coming, “I'd say that's about it. I don't know if I could even handle another wave of those guys.”

“I'm afraid the real thing is yet to come,” Dea mused.

“Don't be silly! The other one took care of the golem and the two of us cleared the area from the vermin. That sounds like a job well done, doesn't it?” he twirled both daggers between his fingers and slipped them gracefully into their holsters at his waist.

“I saw ruins along the way.”

The tired eyes of the older hunter lit up like a child under a Christmas tree, “Are you sure? Wasn't it just a pile of rubble?'

The girl shook her head, “I'm pretty sure it was the ruins. You know what that means.”

“Golem was just an appetizer,” he wiped his sweaty forehead.

“We have to get back to Akally and Sidy.”

“You know her?” the man paused as Dea said the red hunter's name.

“We met a year ago, but I haven't spoken to her since.”

“I didn't expect anyone to come to the alter for us. Do you think she was sent by MITEM?”

“I doubt it. But she saved our necks. We'd better go before the others come,” suggested Dea.

The black-haired hunter nodded his head. Unlike the young huntress, his weariness continued to build. He didn't believe he could hold his own against a golem, let alone something stronger. However, the girl first gave him time to rest, which also came in handy to her.

“I have to say, that little knife trick of yours is clever.”

Jack grinned and instantly threw one of the knives at the lying body, “That's not all,” he hissed, and the knife appeared back in his hand, “it works for other things too,” he picked up a pebble from the ground and threw it a few tens of meters away into the tall grass. With another whistle, he was already playing with the thrown pebble in his hand.

Dea applauded him.

“Thank you, thank you, a thousand times thank you,” he bowed as if after a magic show, “but those arrows of yours are not bad either.”

An arrow of green clear energy formed between the girl's fingers, “I've learned a few tricks of my own.”

“For example?” he showed his curiosity.

“A magician shouldn't reveal their tricks,” she released the arrow and it dissipated.

“Smart girl,” Jack tapped his temple, “so how about we head out? That boy of yours will be worried about you.”

“Don't you hear, grandpa? How many times do I have to tell you we're just friends?”

“You can't fool old Butcher. I can feel it,” he touched his stomach, “here in the gut.”

“What exactly are those guts telling you?” the girl asked in surprise.

“When I see you having fun with the redhead, I get a nice warm feeling about you two, like you are inseparable.”

“It might as well be a shit,” Dea laughed.

“Ow,” he put his hands on his chest as if someone had stabbed him in it, “that hurt, girl!”

“That's what happens at your age,” she got to her feet and motioned for him to follow her, “start wearing diapers.”

“The one who recently stopped wearing them says that to me?” he pointed a finger at her.

“Decent comeback, Jack, pretty decent,” she nodded her head appreciatively at his insult.

“When you were swinging in daddy's sack, I already had a lot of verbal fights,” he pointed his index finger at her like a gun, “bang! Jack Butcher has won another duel and the crowd is going crazy!” he continued his monologue to the imaginary audience.

Although the comment about Dea's father made her smile slightly crooked, she couldn't help but laugh out loud at his remarks after a while. She normally didn't hang out with anyone except Akally. There were hunts where she didn't say a word, but Jack had a special charm of his own. His frequent jokes and playful approach to ordinary activities rubbed off on others like an incurable disease. In short, he knew how to get the audience on his side and influence their emotions in the right way.

While Jack was still accepting the award for best insult, they arrived back at Akally and Sidy, who had regained consciousness.

“How are you feeling?” asked the younger brunette.

“I could use a shot or two,” the warrior drawled.

“Looks like we'll get along. I'm Jack, Jack Butcher,” he offered her his hand.

“My pleasure,” she grabbed his hand and pulled herself to her feet, “I'm Sidy.”

“Looks like nobody bothers with last names here,” Jack shrugged.

“I don't like formalities,” Sidy winked at him in response.

“I'm glad to hear that,” he kissed her hand like a gentleman that an unkempt and sweaty fortyish man didn't look like, “so no formalities, beautiful lady,” he said in the most respectful tone.

“If I told you my full name, what would be the point of wearing a mask?” Dea tilted her head questioningly as Jack and Sidy looked at her.

“Touché,” the older hunters acknowledged at once.

The truth was that the masked huntress did not want it to be known that she was the daughter of the president of the Akashic Company. Whether people admit it or not, they begin to act differently with people who have a certain past. A daughter from a rich family tries to atone for her father's sins by running around alter. Is it possible to forget the years of Akashic Company exploitation? One of the possible newspaper headlines that could appear if the bubble bursts.

The attention shifted to the red-haired youth who was panicking inside. He wasn't sure if he should say anything. He would rather just disappear.

[The last survivor advises you to distract them.]

“But how do I do that?” he asked in his head.

[The last survivor suggests looking around and considering your options.]

“Thanks, but why are you helping me all of a sudden?”

[The last survivor understands your decision.]

Akally scanned the three of them from head to toe. He noticed the scratch on Jack's arm from the previous fight. He was an expert on this injury. “Jack, you're bleeding!” he yelped in mock surprise.

The black-haired hunter looked at the back of his palm, “This? Please, it's nothing. Just a patch and I won't know about it the next day.”

“Show it to me,” the saint grabbed his hand, “it can still get infected,” he placed his hand on Jack’s wound. [Healing] The green glow intensified before suddenly disappearing. When the young man put his hand away, the injury was gone. Jack looked at his hand, not even a small scar remained.

“You were right girl, after all that redhead is useful.”