Chapter 121 Edelweiss Last Part
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"Are we alone in this forest?" Edelweiss complained.
"We have not scouted the entire forest, Lord Edelweiss. Don't give up hope," Joseph replied. Mattheus, who was adept at reading the atmosphere, joined Rick and Mark for a chat. Edelweiss wasn't fond of conversing with humans, but she was relieved that her interactions with Joseph had progressed from initial hostility to a mere dislike.
"How many days has it been now..." Edelweiss whined again. As a female lord of an elven country, she had achieved her high level through hard work and was not accustomed to commanding others. Furthermore, the current situation had left her separated from her group, unable to fulfill her task of finding Titan ores due to her lack of knowledge about them.
Edelweiss contemplated returning home but couldn't bear to leave Alistar and Lily alone. Moreover, if she returned without any results, it would spell doom for the world as undead continued to ravage Northlangard. However, aimlessly wandering the forest was not a viable option either. She was frustrated, as her powers seemed useless in this situation, and Joseph's ideas hadn't yielded any results. She was now relying solely on luck to find her companions.
The group rested on a rock as Edelweiss chewed on some fruit. Rick had recently had his arm ripped off by raptors. Edelweiss had performed emergency healing to close the wound before regrowing his limb once the raptors were defeated. Joseph was leading the group, but it was apparent that Edelweiss held more status and usefulness. He needed her confirmation before making any decisions, leading them to their current predicament where Edelweiss was chatting leisurely while the mercenary trio risked their lives to protect her. The mercenaries knew that they would have died multiple times by now if it weren't for Edelweiss, so they restrained their speech and only spoke when necessary to avoid incurring her wrath.
"Thank you, Lord Edelweiss. My arm is back to full strength now. We have rested enough," Rick said gratefully.
"You're welcome. Next time, it would be best if you didn't lose your arm. It would be easier on my mana if I only had to reattach it instead of regrowing it," Edelweiss muttered. Her words struck fear into the group, although it wasn't her intention. Having experienced dungeon crawling with Alistar, Edelweiss understood the significance of her spells. Alistar had drilled into her that the group would perish if her mana ever ran out, which was why she insisted on taking longer breaks, avoiding night watch duty, and sleeping longer than the others.
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Joseph led the group deeper into the forest, and as they walked, the jungle gradually became more sparse, with pine trees replacing the dense foliage. Joseph smiled as the increased visibility benefited his elven eyes.
"Watch out! Monkeys!" Joseph shouted, pointing out several monkeys leaping from one tree branch to another.
"Are they hostile?" Edelweiss asked, her voice tinged with concern. She was accustomed to dealing with hostile enemies, but after encountering the worms, she preferred to avoid engaging in battle if possible. Without Lily or Niece, their group was lacking a blessed mage, and Edelweiss knew she would have to rely on her healing magic instead of offensive spells, which would tire her out quickly.
"I'm not sure. Mattheus, keep an eye on those monkeys," Joseph ordered, and Mattheus nodded, taking up his position. Surprisingly, the monkeys proved to be non-hostile.
"I don't know what's what anymore. I've never seen a non-hostile monster before," Mark muttered.
"Yeah, me neither," chimed in one of the mercenaries.
"Watch out! Bees!" Mattheus raised his sword, positioning himself between Edelweiss and the bees.
"Stay behind me!" Joseph said, raising his shield. Oddly, the bee was alone, and Mattheus swiftly dispatched it with a slash.
"Let's go. This forest gives me the creeps," Mattheus said, sheathing his sword.
"Hmm...what about the river? It might be a better place to search than here," Rick suggested.
"Alright. Would that be a good idea, Lord Edelweiss?" Joseph asked, addressing Edelweiss with respect.
"Yes," Edelweiss replied indolently, feeling lost but not in immediate danger due to her lack of knowledge about the dungeon.
As they arrived at the river, they were met with a vast lake that bordered the dungeon wall, and in the middle of it lay the hydra, sleeping lazily on an island. Edelweiss immediately dismissed the idea of approaching the river any further.
"We wouldn't stand a chance against that hydra with our current firepower. We need Lily and Alistar for that," Joseph murmured, and Edelweiss nodded in agreement.
"So, we should avoid the river from now on?" Mattheus asked.
"Yes, it's far too dangerous. If that hydra catches us, we're as good as dead," Rick added. The group had ventured to the river in hopes of finding other survivors, but the presence of a boss monster made it too risky to continue.
Not long after abandoning the river, they stumbled upon a ruined house that was different from what Rhander had found. Edelweiss nearly jumped for joy at the discovery. Despite its dilapidated state, she longed for a room of her own and the chance to take a proper bath in an enclosed space.
The group sprang into action and began renovating the ruins. The small room was designated as Edelweiss' bedroom, while the larger room would be shared by everyone else.
And so, Edelweiss settled into an idyllic life in the dungeon, eagerly searching for Alistar and Lily, who were still missing.