"That was scary."

After the tense confrontation, Logan collapsed onto the frigid ground beside the still-tepid goblin bodies. His hawk-like focus fell onto the mangled automobile at the fence. In a physical altercation, we didn't stand a chance. That was the distinction between a hunter, an augmented mercenary, and us, ordinary mortals.

"Scary isn't even close," Edward sighed.

I let my arms fall by my sides as I relaxed my shoulders. All of my muscles tightened in our guests' presence, just as our bodies contracted to conserve heat during the cold season. The problem was that it was relatively warm outside. I was well aware that my comparison was not precise, but it seemed to be the only way to convey this odd occurrence I experienced.

Instead of showing a magnified reaction like our leader, Lucas merely approached our glassed crossbowman. "You were impressive, Edward."

"What are you talking about?"

"I was talking about your reflexes." His eyes fell onto the hole in one of the cadavers. "You were the first to react to those goblins and mercenaries! And your aim is no joke, either! I can only imagine how tough it is to hit a moving target."

My brows stiffened. What was up with Lucas?

"Thanks for the compliment," Edward replied, brushing him off as he drew an arrow from his quiver and began peeling a goblin's claw. "But I'm not going to take you on as an apprentice or anything like that."

Although we could sell parts of their bodies such as their claws, eyeballs, and ears, they wouldn't fetch a high price. Goblins are low-ranking monsters. Arguably, taking into account all of our expenses up until now, we were still within a quite significant deficit. That was also why I carried around plastic bags. To transport various body parts while reducing the risk of infection and preventing the backpack from being stained.

Edward didn't seem to need them at the moment, though. I realized as he stored the claws in a transparent bag. He most likely carried them about for reasons unrelated to monsters... I'd rather not bother thinking about it.

"Do you need any help?" Lucas asked Edward.

Not bothering to spare him a glance, he reached for yet another arrow and gave it to Lucas, murmuring: "Shut up for a moment, will you? I'm thinking about something. I need to put my thoughts in order."

"Understood."

With a fuzzy expression, I stared at the spot where those mercenaries stood, my mind twisting around for an explanation. They mentioned something about getting their hands on what they wanted already. As far as I was concerned, there was only one thing you could find in this place of value. Jewelry. A bunch of monsters simply weren't enough to warrant the presence of such outstanding individuals.

It meant that, as long as we kept moving forward, our journey wouldn't be a meaningless one. There must be something else for us to grasp. We just had to find it.

"Let's go deeper," Edward finally said, followed by a gruesome silence.

"Are you even listening to yourself?" Logan questioned, astonishment written beneath his beard as he bent his torso to peer at him. "No. How could you forget everything we've just been through? You've got to be kidding... This is not funny, Eddie."

"I'm serious. The only thing those mercenaries could be looking for are pieces of jewelry. If we separate and head deeper, we have a better chance of discovering them."

"He does have a point," I hoped in to support him, not minding the warmish liquid trickling down my wrist. "Don't get me wrong: I'm well aware of the threats this place may provide, but we're not here to hunt monsters. We're here for profit, am I right? Traveling in smaller groups would make it more difficult for them to detect us. Not only that, but we'll cover a wider range if we were to do so."

Logan would have no trouble going along with Edward's plan under normal circumstances. We had gotten nothing but gains from listening to him up until now. Yet there was another force at work right now that made him oppose the plan. Me. My injury, to be exact.

I should've been more careful.

"And you're saying that we should leave Gray in that condition?" he asked, redirecting everyone's attention toward me. "We can't do that."

"But I think it's a good idea," I grumbled. "We can divide my rations and put them in Lucas' rucksack. And it doesn't hurt at all."

I carried his rations, or Melody's, to lighten his load and allow him to fight to the best of his abilities. Everything turned out as I hoped it would. But now, it was time to change. Yet now was the moment to make a shift. That would also help me move around a lot easier as well.

It was a pity that Melody might have to go on a fast. Well, it wasn't as if her figure lacked the body fat to shed for a day or two. She'll be fine. Lucas fed her very well up until this point. There was no reason to worry too much in that regard. I still couldn't help but feel bitter about it, though... I liked the baby griffin quite a bit.

"You don't feel any pain because adrenaline is coursing through your veins, dipshit—"

"Whatever we do, I'm going with Gray," Mara stated, interrupting most of his cursing.

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"Really?" scowled our fearless leader. "Because, if I remember properly, you're the reason Gray had to step up, which resulted in his injury in the first place."

Although I wasn't meant to get involved in the fight, Logan was fully aware of the fact that I had no other choice but to do so. That's why he didn't blame me directly. Instead, he exploited my wound as a pretext against Edward's proposition.

She chewed her lower lip as she wrapped a bandage around my arm, which Mara had been searching for up until now in the backpack. "Don't you think I know that already?! I also want to properly take care of him, so let's stop wasting time and move to a safer location already."

She had a valid point. Since those hunters were able to locate us in such a short period, we should expect other monsters to do the same. We had to get going. The uproar was certain to draw some unwanted attention. If Mara continues with her treatment in further depth, both of us will be in a terrible spot if an ambush were to occur.

"What if both of you go with him?" Lucas suggested. "Edward and I should be fine on our own. We've spent time together before."

Would that really be the case? Out of everyone here, even if I didn't want to be rude, the number of monsters killed by Lucas could be said to be insignificant. Not only that but even if he were to divulge his secret and get Melody involved, her presence in combat wouldn't amount to much. At this stage, she was too young to make a difference.

"I don't mind that option either." Edward readjusted the quiver on his shoulder as he straightened his back, then expressed his opinion: "Lucas can take care of himself from what I've seen. And I'm afraid I can't really go with Gray. No offense, but I can't protect you as well as Mara or Logan could."

I also agreed with him in that regard. Although I loathed being labeled as baggage, I had no choice but to face the facts. I was hurt, and someone that uses a crossbow wouldn't be able to protect me. He's the one that causes more and more damage as the battle drags on, hiding behind those at the very front. Edward couldn't cover me with his current abilities, so partnering with someone who could fight at close range was a preferable option. And even so...

"Mara's coming with me," I finally said. "Logan will remain with you."

"Gray!" he roared. "What the hell! How could you possibly pick that bitch over me?!"

I swallowed, and my head throbbed briefly, diverting my focus. It made it impossible to think clearly, but I had no choice but to respond. Although what Mara has done should halt the blood loss, the wound is so deep that a few stitches may be required. It wasn't something I could handle adequately with my existing skill set. Logan's fingers were too thick for something like that, either. Maybe stitches weren't necessary at all, but Mara was still my best option.

Yet I knew that if I showed any signs of weakness here, the entire operation would crumble. That was something I couldn't do. I've worked far too hard to reach this point.

"...It's as Lucas said. We're here as scavengers, not to fight monsters. Mara knows this area better than anyone else, so we should be able to get around easily."

Not only that, but she was also the strongest after Logan in our group. And it wasn't as if I was completely useless. If the situation required it, I'll use that artifact. Even as I currently am, I should still be able to cause some devastating damage. Revealing it to a single person would make explanations much easier, too.

"Even then—!"

"I made up my mind, Logan," I called his name. "We'll meet here tomorrow at noon. If we don't find anything, we'll be leaving for good."

This was the final push. If we can't find another solution, we'll have to accept our fate. That was the mature thing to do.

"The sun will set soon. We are at a disadvantage if we're caught outside during the night," stated Edward. "We have to get going. It's time to make up your mind, Logan. You're the leader. Are we going to abandon everything, or move forward? It's entirely up to you."

Despite everything, he was our leader.

Most monsters could see fairly well at night. Even if Melody announced their presence, fighting would be nearly impossible without sufficient vision. That was simply the truth of our circumstances. The sooner we depart, the better. Not only that, but we are running out of time. Those mercenaries arrived within seconds after the fight ended. We only had, at the very best, a few minutes to come up with our following plan.

"Damn it!" Logan scratched his head with both hands. "Fine! Whatever! You can go with that wench, but if you're in any trouble, just scream at the top of your lungs and I'll come running, swinging the Beauty to save your ass, brat."

"Absolutely." I nodded, taking a peek at Mara who had already begun shoving some cans into Lucas' rucksack. She's been quiet for quite some time, as though deep in thought. Did she, by chance, figure out something? Despite my reservations, I continued: "Don't forget to take some food too, and a few tablets."

"There's no need to take any clarinadryl," Edward added. "Their effect should last until tomorrow. As for clothes, I'm certain we can find something around the area, so let's keep those in Gray's backpack for when we leave this place. Logan, let's get going. Lucas, don't forget to take your rucksack."

For a brief period, the beast tamer's eyes narrowed, as if irritated at how Edward ordered him. The frown vanished quickly as he eventually agreed: "Sure."

Despite Edward's previous comment, I patted Lucas on the shoulder with my clenched hand and murmured: "Take care."

He lifted my hand off his shoulder and only gave me a slight nod. Although it shouldn't be obvious to the others, I gave him the other half of the clarinadryl package I hid in my inner pocket in case something went wrong. I would've liked to have done the same thing with the artifact, but anyone would've noticed the significant bulge in my clothes if I were to do so. Dressing too thickly might have raised suspicions as well, and I'd rather not wander around with my hand over my chest.

Even within the Underworld, I've gone through a lot of trouble simply because I didn't consider acquiring a cloak beforehand. I stepped in with all my belongings and made myself an easy target to be picked on. There was a limit to how many objects I could stuff inside my pockets without others figuring out precisely what they were just by looking at the apparent outline visible through my clothes. That's how you get thieves on your tail.

I even had the audacity to answer a phone call in the middle of the street, but if anyone saw me direct the camera toward something or someone in particular, I'm sure I would've paid for it. And although those thugs assaulted me for a different reason, it only took them a few minutes to figure out I was hiding the relic.

I sighed, attempting to shake off every blunder I made. I'm quite intelligent. That much I assumed based on my performance in written tests. Yet it's clear that I'm not street smart. If I were, I wouldn't have been trampled by the majority of my employers.

That's why I tried to change. To correct my previous mistakes and improve. Before even coming into this district, I cut half of it, took out a few pills, and rumpled the pack to make it seem as though it hadn't been obtained recently. Otherwise, it would've troubled me if the others were to ask why the clarinadryl was brand new, even though it shouldn't have been the case.

"Be careful!" screamed the barbarian as they left, leaving me and Mara alone in the corpse-filled factory. Mara gave him a sidelong glance before nodding slightly. That subtle gesture of hers managed to grab my attention.

"What was that look for?" I asked, taken aback by her abrupt shift in demeanor.

"Just expressing my gratitude," she whispered. "That's all."

Communicating was quite difficult. Despite being given an explanation, I couldn't grasp what she said.

Not in the slightest...