A certain cursed elf with brown hair sneezed, causing the rhythmic rocking of her chair to stutter. A small wrinkle appeared on her forehead as she set aside her crocheting needles, placing them on the humongous ball of yarn floating a bit off the ground by her feet. The space in the area around her trembled, and less than a second later, it was torn apart as a circular portal appeared. Two figures appeared on the other side of the portal along with a familiar quartet of dragons appearing in the background. Well, technically, they were the background due to their massive size.

The half-naked man with tattoos adorning his torso in a manner almost like clothes raised one hand up. “Auntie, hello.”

The black-haired demon with purple eyes beside the man nodded her head. “Good morning, Auntie Lindyss.”

“Hello, Vur. Hello, Tafel,” the cursed elf said and folded her hands in her lap while crossing her legs. “What wonderful, definitely-not-troublesome news have the two of you brought for me this time?”

“Tafel and I are going to the tower, this place where Tafel wants to go, and Grimmy said you have to come with us.”

Lindyss raised an eyebrow. “And if I don’t want to?”

“You can ask Grimmy,” Vur said and pointed behind himself through the portal that hadn’t quite closed yet. Upon hearing those words, the dimming light on Tafel’s horns brightened, and the edges of the circular tear in space stopped shrinking.

“No, that’s alright,” Lindyss said and waved her right hand, gesturing for Tafel to continue closing the portal. She raised her left hand and wiggled her fingers at Ramon, who was peering inside the portal, while mouthing a silent hello and goodbye. When the portal closed, cutting the baby dragon’s view, Lindyss exhaled and lowered her hand before sinking back into her rocking chair. Her eyes shifted to look at Tafel. “Alright, so, this tower. When are we going? What do I need to bring? How long will we be gone? If I die, do you promise to let me rest for at least a year before resurrecting me?”

Tafel blinked. “Hmm. We’ll set off…?” She glanced at Vur. Although it was very unlucky, what if he had plans? “Now? As soon as you’re ready?”

“Great,” Lindyss said and sighed when Vur nodded at Tafel to agree with her. “Just what I wanted to hear. And my stuff? How long should I pack for?”

“The tower’s supposed to be a place to get stronger, so you should pack some more outdoorsy wear?” Tafel said, her voice sounding more like a question than a statement. “As for how long we’ll be gone, I’m not sure.”

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“It sounds like you know nothing about where we’re going,” Lindyss said in a monotonous voice, “but that can’t be right. You’re a member of an SSS-ranked adventurer party, and you know what it means to be prepared.”

Tafel turned her head to the side, unable to maintain eye contact with Lindyss’ empty stare. She cleared her throat and placed her hand on Vur’s shoulder. “With Vur around, there’s literally nothing we need to worry about.”

“Right,” Lindyss said, drawing out the word. “I have another question.” Without uncrossing her hands, she pointed a finger at Vur, more specifically, at the rabbit he was holding near his waist. “Is that dinner? It has been a while since I’ve eaten rabbit.”

Vur raised an eyebrow and curled his arm, lifting the rabbit up to chest level. He stared at it, long enough for Tafel to reach over and take the stunned creature away. “It’s not dinner,” Tafel said. The rabbit exhaled and took in a deep breath. “It’s our guide for the tower.”

“The rabbit wearing boots and a hat is our guide,” Lindyss said and nodded. “This trip hasn’t even begun, but I can already tell it’ll be full of promise.”

Vur frowned at the rabbit, causing it to shrink in on itself within Tafel’s grasp. “Are you sure we can’t eat it for dinner?” Vur asked. He poked the side of the rabbit, causing it to twitch and let out a little whimper. “It’s plump and well-fed; its meat will be tender and juicy.”

“We’re not eating it,” Tafel said, twisting her body to distance Vur from the rabbit. She looked down at the rabbit, and it looked back up at her with wide eyes. Tafel nodded and raised her head. “We’re only going to eat it if it dies due to reasons unrelated to us and when we’re really hungry.”

“I promise I’ll be useful!” the rabbit said and gulped. “I’ll be very useful, and if you think I’m not of any use, I’ll catch ten, no, twenty rabbits for you to eat in my stead!”

Lindyss raised an eyebrow. “It speaks?”

“Who cares if it speaks? I say we eat it,” Stella said as her head popped out of Vur’s chest. “Anyone willing to sell out their own kind isn’t a good person.”

“Benefits!” the rabbit said so loud and fast the word sounded like a squeak. “I can give you lots and lots of benefits. I’ve guided many beginners to the tower, and I watched them go through the tutorial. I know the best routes to take along with all the hidden bonuses you can pick up along the way! On my name as Hyeonnam Tokki, I swear you won’t regret sparing me!”

“I, for one, like shortcuts and scheduled itineraries,” Lindyss said and stared at the rabbit. She frowned. “Though, I don’t like how easily it was willing to sell out other rabbits to survive. It’ll betray us just as quickly.”

Vur’s eyes lit up. “I have an idea,” he said and nodded at Tafel and Lindyss. “We can eat the rabbit, and Auntie can bring its skeleton back to life.”

Lindyss blinked and smiled at Tafel. “You’re right,” the cursed elf said. “With Vur around, problems aren’t really problems.”

Hyeonnam Tokki gulped and looked up at Tafel. He recognized the look in her eyes. Her eyes were those of a hunter evaluating its prey. Words that Hyeonnam Tokki didn’t want to hear came out of the demon’s mouth. “It does seem like it’d be really tasty.”

“I, I have to be alive to be a guide…,” Hyeonnam Tokki said, the rabbit’s voice as small as a mosquito’s whine. It was uncertain if anyone had heard it.