There was an awkward silence in the room. Wolland clearly denied, but his face was different. It was a face of worry... of uncertainty. Percival was a good reader of that.

“How can I change your mind?” Percival asked.

“Damn it... it's complicated... I don’t really want to waste your time... hmm...” Wolland was a bit reluctant to answer, but he just sighed and gave up.

“I created the clan before... I broke it up too... all because of a girl,” Wolland said with a straight face. Percival found it interesting.

“Please elaborate. You’ve never told me anything about the reason you came back,” the chief then said, also curious.

“It started years ago after I left...” Wolland scratched his head.

<--->

Wolland started as a fledgling adventurer. He wanted to see the world, and being an adventurer allowed one to go to different places without much hassle at all. Given that an adventurer must go to dungeons 2 to 4 times a year, depending on their ranks.

While on his travels, he managed to create a party. There was a girl there that he fell in love with; her name was Narnia. She was lovely; that was the only description from Wolland as he wouldn’t go further to describe her.

Wolland was a good fighter, and together with his rare ice magic, their party immediately became widely known. Adventurers, veterans, and fledglings started to gather to join them.

Wolland was quite charismatic too. His upbringing and the culture of the village he brought with him created a bond like brotherhood. After a while, the large party decided to create a clan, and Wolland was unanimously chosen as their leader.

Wolland accepted it, but after a few years, a problem arose. It involved another girl. He didn’t disclose her name, but the girl would try to pair up with the guys around the clan, and she immediately became popular because of it.

When Wolland tried to control it, she targeted him, creating malicious rumors. Just as he was building a strong bond with Narnia, this destroyed him and the guild along with it. The other guild members still respected him, but it seemed that he clearly lost his way after Narnia started ignoring him.

<--->

“You are a weakling,” it was the village chief who spat the words. The room fell into an uneasy silence.

“Just be a man and seize her... get straight to business... ensure she never forgets you,” Percival offered his straight forward advice.

Simon, puzzled, simply reached for some anchovies dipped in vinegar. Mimi and Ron followed suit, the tension thick in the air.

“Can you rally adventurers to the north?” Percival inquired. Wolland’s eyebrows shot up, his confidence evident.

“What’s the meaning behind that question?” Wolland asked, curiosity piqued.

“Can you gather adventurers to the north? What I need is your influence; Paramour said everyone would heed your call,” Percival clarified.

“The hero of the Era? So he still recalls me... I could possibly muster... 15 to 40 people, I reckon?” Wolland responded.

A clan typically boasted 100 or more adventurers under its banner.

“Then you should depart, you likely have an inkling of her whereabouts,” the chief declared, he had an assertive look at the big guy.

“We are departing,” Percival rose to his feet. An affirmative “Aye…” murmured from the village chief’s wife, suggesting an unspoken understanding between her and Percival. Simon gently patted the heads of the youngsters as he followed Percival.

“Where are you off to? Huh?!” Wolland interjected, but Simon and Percival seized him by the arms, left and right respectively.

“Simon, did your old man ever speak to you about romance?” Percival probed. Simon pondered briefly, then shook his head. “Consider this a valuable lesson, don’t end up like this fool,” Percival said as he began to drag Wolland away, with Simon following suit.

<--->

Percival had to give up a few pieces of the fish gifted to him by the village chief’s wife. The carriage they found was willing to travel as swiftly as possible to the northwest of the fisherman's village. The merchant knew of a donkey path, a safe route nestled between the walls of the eastern frontier’s farmlands and the Craig Mountain range.

Despite this, it still took them less than a day, as they had to navigate the ascending hills and traverse them to at least reach the main road of Trist Valley, the western port of the eastern continent.

The location Wolland guided them to lay just along the northern side of the mountain of Trist Valley, slightly before the mountain ends in the eastern direction. There, a path ascended, leading to a small dungeon. This dungeon was unregistered with the adventurer’s guild, making it illegal. Any newly discovered dungeons were required to be reported to the adventurer’s guild; it was one of the rules for adventurers.

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Percival, Simon, and Wolland paused, examining the dungeon entrance, when suddenly Wolland motioned for them to hide.

“She’s not some kind of promiscuous girl, is she?” Percival asked, his tone tinged with mockery.

“Impossible... she has a bad insecurity regarding her height... This is a dungeon that's infested with magic slime; our clan basically made a living in this dungeon... it's like a hidden gem, but only a few knew of its existence,” Wolland explained.

“But I don’t know if she's still here. Can we just leave... I…-” Before Wolland could finish his sentence, the girl in question emerged.

“Oh... crap, she's huge... beautiful... How can you fall for other girls when you have her by your side?” Percival remarked after getting a good look at the girl.

“She has the blood of giants in her... oh, she grew her hair!!” Wolland lost in awe, disregarded Percival's comment.

“Simon, restrain Mr. Lover here. I'll speak with her,” Percival instructed, swiftly stepping out of the bush they were hiding in. Wolland was slow to react, giving Simon the opportunity to grab him. The boy's strength surprised Wolland.

<--->

It was an unregistered dungeon along the high lands of the northern part of the Trist Valley. The dungeon was just a small cave opening.

Narnia wiped her sweat; the haul from the dungeon dive was good, but the dungeon was growing increasingly perilous. It wouldn’t be long before they would need to report to the guild about it. If the clan hadn’t disbanded, maybe their leader could have done something.

“Hello…” a large man suddenly appeared behind her. Naturally, she became instantly wary; the dungeon was a secret place known only to a select few trusted ex-clan members, so she reached for her large sword. “Wait! Wait!!” the large man pleaded, attempting to calm her down.

“Who are you? How did you find this place?!” she demanded, her voice verging on a shout.

“I’m looking for someone—Wolland. His name is Wolland. He told me about this place!” Percival responded, trying to maintain a calm demeanor.

“You know Wolland? Who are you?!” Despite her wariness, the girl remained poised, her sword ready to strike. The sword was as long as her height, and confusion flickered in her eyes.

“My name is Percival. Well, actually, I lied... he is right behind me, observing this conversation. It's actually the other way around—he’s looking for you,” Percival admitted.

Her eyes began to tear up. “He’s here?! Hic... call him!!” she exclaimed, then swung her sword nonetheless, narrowly missing Percival’s feet.

<--->

Percival and Simon yanked him out of the bush, but upon facing Narnia, he visibly withdrew.

“...” Narnia's eyes welled with tears, while Wolland couldn’t muster the courage to meet her gaze. “Bastard, at least look at me!!” Narnia’s cry pierced the tense air, yet Wolland remained stubbornly silent.

“Why did you break the guild!? You promised to help me and my sister!” Narnia's voice cracked with emotion as she unleashed her frustration on him. “…” Wolland's gaze remained fixed downward.

“Why are you so silent!!! Speak up! Talk to me!!!” Narnia's frustration reached its peak, echoing in the clearing. Percival checked Wolland's expression; his face was flushed, frozen in silence.

“Hmm, this is a problem. Let’s snap him out of it,” Percival decided, prompting surprised looks from Narnia and Simon. With a nod from Percival, Simon swiftly rendered Wolland unconscious by deftly striking a nerve with the back of his hand. Percival settled down, retrieving a handful of herbs, and began grinding them.

“Okay… miss, do you have any water there?” Percival asked Narnia, who nodded in response. Dropping her sword, she retrieved a jar of water. Percival placed the crushed herbs into Wolland’s mouth, and Narnia poured the water, coaxing him to swallow them.

<--->

“Why did you break up the clan?” Narnia sat on a chair beside the dungeon, a small shed now repurposed for interrogation.

“She wanted to know the location of this dungeon… she pressured me using the other members of the guild… they would leave the guild or I would reveal the location of this dungeon,” Wolland answered without hesitation, his speech slightly slurred from the drugs.

He appeared visibly affected. “So… the two of you weren’t in a relationship?” Narnia, blushing, finally asked the question she had been waiting to pose.

Wolland: “No.”

Narnia: “They said you broke up the clan because you guys found a treasure!”

Wolland: “I don’t know anything about that.”

Narnia: “... Do you like me?”

Wolland: “Yes.”

Narnia: “Do you love me?”

Wolland: “With all my heart. I want to marry you.”

Narnia: “Aren’t I too tall?”

Wolland: “I love you just the way you are.”

Narnia: “But what about my sister…”

Wolland: “I would bring you back to my village… I would take care of you and Sandy forever.”

“Sir Percival, I would like some more of those herbs, please,” Narnia suddenly requested, breaking the awkward silence inside the shed.

“Of course… What is your plan now?” Percival smiled as he handed the herbs to Narnia.

“Actually, I would like to ask you guys a favor…” Narnia smiled, embarrassed, finally acknowledging the awkward situation her questions had created.

<--->

Wolland woke up on a cart, his memory hazy and his head spinning. As he started to drift back into unconsciousness, he suddenly noticed Narnia sleeping beside him.

Startled, Wolland nearly leaped from the cart as memories of their conversation in the shed flooded back to him. Surprisingly, he didn’t feel remorse; instead, he felt a sense of relief.

“Brother!!! Sir Percival said he’s expecting you to honor the deal!!!” It was Sandy, her voice booming. Narnia stirred awake upon hearing her sister's voice.

“Honey… you've made some good friends now, good for you!” she exclaimed, planting a kiss on Wolland's cheek.

“What the hell is happening? Is this a dream?!” Wolland exclaimed, his excitement palpable. “

This is all real! You should thank Percival and the little kid. How are you going to contact the clan now?” Narnia inquired.

“Remember the pendant I gave you guys?” Wolland revealed a pendant hidden beneath his shirt.

Narnia and Sandy revealed their pendants as well. “Oh… I'm touched you kept it... I still have a connection with the guild, and these necklaces can locate our core members,” Wolland said confidently, a smile spreading across his face.

“He said that you should send reinforcements before mid-autumn for preparations,” Narnia added. She was the only one Percival could talk to when Wolland was drugged.

“I have some ideas. We should ask the chief for help too; we need some money, OOF!.” As a stone hit the carriage they were riding, Wolland suddenly realized they were already traveling. “Where did the two go?” he asked. “

They're heading to Port Town Trist. They left as soon as they helped get Sandy out of the orphanage,” Narnia replied.

Sandy, her sister, was actually living in Beson Town’s orphanage, where Simon and Percival met the hero.