The sun was leaning westward when Yoshiya and Omina trudged back toward Orleaf, the heavy boar dragging between them. Yoshiya had tied it with thick rope, carrying most of the weight, while Omina strolled along the roadside, humming as she picked herbs and wildflowers.
"Another bundle of nightmint!" Omina cheered, adding it to her already overflowing pouch. When the pouch could hold no more, she turned to Yoshiya and shoved a cluster of flowers into his free hand.
"Seriously?" he muttered, sweat beading on his brow. "I'm carrying a boar that weighs more than both of us combined—now I'm a flower basket too?"
"Don't be so grumpy," she teased, sticking her tongue out. "These are rare blooms. You should be honored."
Yoshiya sighed, adjusting his grip on the rope. "Honored, huh? Tell that to my back."
By the time the village gate came into view, he had a bundle of flowers tucked under his arm, Omina's sword strapped awkwardly across his shoulder, and the boar dragging behind him. When one of the flowers got crushed against the boar's bristly hide, Omina gasped dramatically.
"Yoshiya! You ruined it!"
He stopped dead in his tracks, glaring. "We're hauling a dead pig across half the countryside and you're mad about a flower?"
"It was a *special* flower," she shot back, crossing her arms.
Before Yoshiya could reply, Mako and Muki greeted them at the gate. Mako chuckled knowingly at the sight of Yoshiya buried under both weapons and petals. "Good. You returned safely. But don't bring that beast here—take it to Torven, the butcher. He'll handle the guild paperwork."
Torven's house sat at the southern edge of Orleaf. A wide, scarred man with arms like tree trunks, Torven whistled low when he saw the carcass. "Not bad for first-timers," he said, crouching to inspect the wounds. "Clean kills. You'll be eating well tonight." He wrote out a signed contract of completion, stamping it with the butcher's seal before handing it over. He also gave Yoshiya a sack of salted meat.
"Your armor's dinged up," Torven added, tapping a dent on Yoshiya's shoulder plate. "There's a smithy just across the lane. Ask for Brenn. He's rough, but he knows his craft."
Meanwhile, Omina took her bundle of herbs to Mira, the village herbalist. Mira's frail hands trembled as she sorted through the plants. "You found more than I asked for…" she whispered, her tired eyes lighting up. She carefully signed a second contract of completion, pressing a few silver coins into Omina's palm—far more than the original request promised. "This will last me through the cold months. Thank you."
Back at the outpost, Lia recorded the signed contracts into her ledger. "For newcomers, you did well," she said, her tone approving but measured. "Most first quests end in failure or retreat. You two… might last longer than most."
As they left, the evening glow painted Orleaf in gold. Children ran through the fields, smoke curled from hearth fires, and for the first time since their summoning, Yoshiya and Omina felt a small sense of belonging.
As they walked away from the outpost, Yoshiya finally shoved the crumpled flowers back at Omina. "Here. You almost made me look like a walking garden."
Omina only giggled and tucked them neatly into her pouch. "See? You *do* make a good flower basket."
"I'm a knight, not a vase," he grumbled, loosening the strap of his dented armor.
"You're both," she said sweetly, then leaned closer with a teasing smile. "A tanky vase."
Yoshiya groaned, muttering something about *ungrateful healers* as she skipped ahead, humming like nothing had happened.
The moment of laughter carried them into the evening, though neither of them noticed the pair of eyes glinting in the distant treeline.
In the forest, not far from the blood-soaked grass, two goblins crouched low, sniffing the air. Their yellow eyes gleamed as they followed the scent. The hunt was not yet over.