The next day in the front yard of the inn.
"Alright everyone, listen up," Mr. Wise said. In front of him, Aruta, Zaka, and Raven were lined up in a row. Mike was standing beside and slightly behind Mr. Wise.
"Yesterday you encountered the mercenary mages, and you said they ran towards the forest. Our mission today is still the same: monitor the market. As for the forest, I'll handle that myself. Unlike yesterday, you are now permitted to fight. It seems they are already on alert. It's possible they've already set traps in the market. But don't be reckless; we still don't know our enemy's full strength. So, try to only fight if it's necessary to escape," Mr. Wise explained. "Any questions?"
Suddenly, Aruta raised his hand and immediately asked, "Why wasn't it allowed from the get-go yesterday, Sir? I mean, Zaka and Raven are super strong!"
But instead of getting an answer afterward, a red bump popped up on Aruta's head.
"Any other questions?" asked Mr. Wise.
"Nope," said Zaka flatly. Aruta was weak because he was still dizzy from Mr. Wise's punch, and Raven didn't answer at all, replaced by her soft snoring.
"Good grief, you guys."
"Today, Mike can't accompany you. He's been summoned by Anabel," Mr. Wise continued.
"Yes," murmured Aruta and Zaka while clenching their fists and raising them slightly. Though their voices were soft, it was still clear enough to Mike's ears. Even the sleeping Raven raised her clenched fist as if saying the same thing as Aruta and Zaka.
"Why are you guys even happy about this?!!" protested Mike.
***
In the afternoon.
Aruta, Zaka, and Raven were sitting on a bench at the market. The afternoon was so hot, it was like being in an oven. Aruta and Zaka were even feeling dizzy from the heat. Their tongues were hanging out. Sweat drenched them. Aruta even rested his head on Zaka's shoulder. Raven, as usual, was sleeping and leaning on Zaka's other shoulder. Meanwhile, Zaka was slumped weakly against the bench.
"So hot..." Aruta complained weakly.
"Yeah..." Zaka said.
"I really want something cold," Aruta said.
"Any idea where to buy some?" Zaka asked.
Suddenly, a group of small children ran past them.
"Hey, there's a new ice stall at the end of that street. Let's try it!" shouted one of them.
"Let's go!" shouted another.
The two of them watched the children running for a moment before exchanging looks.
"LET'S GO!!" shouted Aruta and Zaka, immediately jumping up from the bench.
***
They arrived at the ice cream stall. There, many children could be seen holding and licking their ice creams. Aruta, Zaka, and Raven walked up to the front of the stall and faced the vendor.
"Hello, hello! What ice cream would you like?" asked the vendor.
"Umm, I'll have the vanilla one!" Aruta said.
"Okay!" said the vendor.
The vendor immediately took an ice cream cone and scooped nearly all the ice cream out with his super-long ice cream scoop. The vendor then offered the giant ice cream to Aruta. So much ice cream was given that the cone was just dangling from the bottom of the massive scoop.
"Wooow!!" Aruta's eyes instantly sparkled.
Aruta immediately grabbed for the cone hanging beneath the ice cream, but when he pulled, only the cone came away, while the ice cream remained firmly stuck to the vendor's scoop. The vendor then put the ice cream back into its container.
"Huh?! Hey, what the heck? Where's the ice cream??" Aruta protested.
"Eh? Oh, sorry, sorry," said the vendor, taking the cone back.
Now the vendor handed a normal portion of vanilla ice cream to Aruta. No longer using his long scoop. Just an ice cream held in his hand, with a tissue wrapped around the cone's base.
"Yay," Aruta reached for the ice cream, but just as he took hold of it, the vendor pulled the ice cream back, leaving only the tissue that was originally around the cone's base.
"Hey, stop messing around!" Aruta said , and the vendor just laughed.
Now the vendor offered a portion of ice cream to Aruta again with his long metal scoop. Aruta concentrated fully before taking it, preparing for any possibility, and once sure, he launched his hand forward.
"He's gonna pull it back. I must block its path!" Aruta muttered.
Aruta's hand was almost at the ice cream. So close. "Almost!" His fingers managed to reach and cover the escape path in case the vendor tried to pull it back. "I win!" But unexpectedly, the vendor twisted his scoop, making the ice cream spin through a part not covered by Aruta's hand. Aruta closed his hand but got nothing, as the ice cream was now on top, upside down. Aruta quickly tried to grab it again, but the vendor swiftly twisted his scoop again, making the ice cream spin once more, evading Aruta's hand, before finally pulling the ice cream back again.
"DAMN IT!!"
The vendor kept messing with Aruta. Once, twice, four times, and countless more times the vendor did it.
Finally, Aruta managed to get a portion of the ice cream he wanted. Well, even though his face was completely flushed red.
"Damn vendor..."
On the other hand, Zaka turned to Raven and asked, "Raven, do you want ice cream or not?"
Raven woke from her sleep. "Huh?! Uh, yes. Just chocolate, please," answered Raven.
"One chocolate ice cream? Coming right up!" the vendor prepared a portion of chocolate ice cream. He stuck it onto his long scoop and offered it towards Raven. Raven slowly reached for the ice cream with her hand.
"Hmm, she's so cute. Quite small, isn't she? Is she your little sister, sir?" asked the vendor, directing the question to Zaka.
Raven's eyes snapped open and she stared sharply at the vendor. With lightning speed, she instantly grabbed the ice cream, leaving the vendor no time and completely unprepared to twist his scoop. Raven snatched the ice cream away while saying in an ice-cold, piercing voice, "Don't call me small."
Now it was Zaka's turn. "I want three flavors mixed, please. Is that possible?" asked Zaka.
"Of course it is!" said the vendor.
Shortly after, the vendor offered a three-flavor combo: chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry to Zaka. But it wasn't a single portion; it was a giant ice cream, making the cone dangling underneath it just a small part of the whole thing.
Zaka's hand began moving closer to the ice cream cone. The vendor planned to do the same thing he had done to Aruta. As soon as Zaka's hand held the cone, the vendor would immediately pull the ice cream back, leaving only the cone in Zaka's hand.
Zaka's hand moved closer and closer to the cone. But just as Zaka was about to grab it, he quickly grabbed the scoop the vendor was holding and yanked it, pulling it right out of the vendor's hand.
"Aruta, Raven, let's get out of here!" said Zaka, running away with the scoop and the giant ice cream still attached to it.
"HEYYY!!" Yelled the vendor.
***
Finally, they walked back while licking the ice cream in their hands. Well, even though Raven was asleep and the ice cream in her hand was slowly melting, and there was a bump on Zaka's head.
"Zaka, are you okay?" asked Aruta.
"The usual. Still nowhere near as bad as Mr. Wise's punches," answered Zaka.
They walked for a while looking for a seat, and soon after, they found an empty bench.
"Let's sit over there," said Aruta.
"Okay."
As they walked towards the bench, Raven felt a cold liquid wetting her hand. She opened her eyes and saw her melting ice cream.
"Oh, geez," said Raven in her soft voice. "Guys, does anyone know where the restroom is?" asked Raven.
"Over theeereee," said Aruta and Zaka, pointing their index fingers in a certain direction. When Raven looked, she saw a height measurement chart.
"Huh?" Raven immediately stared sharply at Aruta and Zaka and tightened her grip, crushing the ice cream in her hand.
"We mean the one next to it!" they said in unison.
Raven looked again, and yes, there was indeed a restroom there where the height chart was leaning against. Men's and Women's.
"Tch, you guys are so dead," said Raven before leaving.
Raven walked towards the restroom and accidentally saw a poster stuck on the wall. The poster was titled "Being Tall is Nice, You Know!" Raven immediately tore the poster off, took it, crumpled it up, and threw it into the trash.
Raven continued her journey to the restroom until she finally arrived. But she didn't go in right away. She first observed the height measurement chart leaning there.
A short while later, a man in a doctor's coat came out of the men's restroom.
"Ugh, having to go to the clinic after a sudden emergency poop," said the doctor. "Okay, time to take that chart back again," he said, turning to where he had left it, but he immediately froze upon seeing the chart was already shattered to pieces. "Huh?"
***
On the other hand, just as Aruta and Zaka had planted their butts on the bench, a scream rang out not far from them.
"Huh? What's going on over there now?" Zaka asked.
"Ugh, disturbing our chill time!" Aruta grumbled.
The two of them immediately stood up and hurried towards the source of the sound.
After running for a moment, they saw a commotion, or more precisely, chaos. Many people were writhing, screaming, and turning savage. But this time it was different. The eyes of the enraged people were blood-red.
"What the hell is this," Aruta and Zaka muttered.
Suddenly, two people lunged at them.
Quickly, before the person's hands could grab him, Zaka stabbed at his neck with his index and middle fingers. It didn't pierce the neck, but it was enough to paralyze him. Aruta, who was also lunged at, fell down and struggled to hold the person off with his hands.
"Dammit..."
A moment later, Zaka shot forward and stabbed the neck of the other person with his two fingers, knocking him out instantly.
"Thanks!"Aruta said, getting back on his feet.
A moment later, a woman was seen falling as she ran from another person who had turned savage. Zaka instantly darted forward, caught her, and saved her. The two of them tumbled to the ground.
The woman got up and saw Zaka still sprawled on the ground. She immediately tried to approach him.
"Are you okay?" asked the woman.
Zaka got up, but his eyes widened in shock at what was beneath him. A piece of paper with strange writing, like the one he had seen in the forest.
"Get back!" Zaka shouted at the woman. Suddenly, a magic circle appeared around Zaka, and chains emerged, instantly binding his body.
The woman screamed hysterically upon seeing this, and suddenly a figure in a brown robe shot forward, directing a clawed hand towards Zaka's face. The robe fluttered in the wind, revealing the wolf emblem. A mercenary mage.
But before the mercenary mage's hand could grab Zaka, Aruta appeared and punched the mage from the side, sending him flying. The mercenary mage crumpled to the ground, clutching his stomach where Aruta had struck him.
Zaka struggled against his bonds, and the chains binding his body shattered.
"Dammit..." muttered the mercenary mage.
He immediately formed a hand seal. He placed both hands in front of him. His right hand was clenched into a fist, and his left hand gripped his right hand.
"He's going to escape," Zaka said.
"What?" Aruta immediately shot forward to grab the mercenary mage.
"Hey Aruta! Don't chase him!" Zaka shouted.
"Huh?! Why are you only saying that now? I've already started running!!" Aruta said, unable to stop and deciding to keep going.
"Away!" yelled the mercenary mage, but just as the mage chanted his spell, Aruta managed to grab his hand. They both vanished instantly, leaving behind a fading puff of red smoke.
"Ugh, now I have to go through the trouble of finding him," Zaka muttered to himself. But then, he sensed something behind him. Zaka immediately leaped to the side while looking back and saw a dagger connected to a chain shooting towards him. Because he had jumped, the dagger missed him and struck the ground behind him. But instantly, the ground exploded. Zaka was sent flying.
Zaka tumbled to the ground but struggled to get back up. As he tried, suddenly a person with twin daggers leaped towards him, aiming the daggers straight at Zaka. Zaka immediately rolled and successfully dodged the attack. He sprang to his feet and saw his opponent wearing a brown robe and the mercenary mage medallion.
The mage immediately launched another attack by throwing his dagger. Zaka quickly dodged and charged at the mage. The mage manipulated the chain connected to the dagger, making his weapon writhe wildly. But Zaka managed to evade everything.
As Zaka got closer, the mage instantly retracted his dagger. Close-quarters combat ensued. Zaka unleashed punches and blocked the attacks from the mage's dagger. One of the mage's dagger swings managed to cut the dimple under Zaka's eye. But Zaka instantly countered with a kick to the mage's stomach. The mage was sent flying backward.
The mage's robe flew open, revealing the female mercenary mage from yesterday.
"It's you from yesterday, isn't it?" Zaka asked sternly.
The mage didn't answer, a furrow appearing on her brow. She immediately threw both of her daggers and manipulated the chains connected to them, creating a brutal field of attack.
"Tch, there are too many people here!"
Two bubbles of blood emerged from the wound on Zaka's dimple, ran down his arm, and as Zaka clenched his fists, the blood bubbles transformed into ropes binding his hands. The other ends of the ropes shot out and bound the mage's daggers. Zaka immediately pulled on his blood ropes, yanking the weapons—and the mage along with them—towards himself. The mage was pulled relentlessly closer to Zaka, and when she was very near, Zaka instantly seized her by the throat.
"Away." The two of them vanished in an instant, leaving behind a red smoke that soon faded.