Serena had been chasing the Obsidian Dragon all the way here.
Though the creature was massive, it didn’t lack for speed.
Each of its strides forced Serena into a grueling sprint just to keep up.
To make matters worse, their previous battle with it had drained a significant amount of both stamina and mana.
They needed rest before they could properly engage again.
Shameless as it might sound, Serena could only hope the town’s garrison and any local adventurers could stall the beast long enough for them to recover.
Just one more shot—this time, we’ll win for sure!
After a brief rest to catch her breath and recover some strength, Serena and the members of Rainbow Oath rushed after the creature.
The night was thick, and even with the moonlight, visibility wasn’t great.
From a distance, Serena could make out the S-class magical beast engaged in combat with… some group of uniformed fighters?
Judging by the matching armor and formation, they must be the town guard.
They’re actually holding it off?
Serena was astonished.
They’ve already done a great job buying time.
From here on out, it’s our turn!
This is an S-class beast—who else but us can handle something like this?
With that, she raised her voice and called out, announcing their arrival.
At the same time, her myth-grade longsword, Gram, was unsheathed in a brilliant arc of light.
The blade gleamed with a mighty, unstoppable aura.
Serena was convinced that their earlier failure to kill the beast was purely due to overconfidence.
Now, after suffering defeat once, she would proceed with caution.
I’ll use Flashstep to get close, then follow with Shadowfang Slash to steal aggro from the soldiers.
Their attack power is weak, so the enmity they’ve drawn should be scattered.
That was her plan.
With the aid of the technique Flashstep, she darted forward like a streak of crimson lightning, aiming for the beast’s unguarded rear.
But midway through her charge—she noticed something off.
Why wasn’t the Obsidian Dragon moving?
It wasn’t bracing for a counterattack.
It wasn’t charging.
It wasn’t even twitching.
It was just… still.
Too still.
Alarmed, Serena hit the brakes, narrowly avoiding smashing face-first into the monster’s armor-plated back.
When she finally took a proper look, she realized: it really was dead.
Completely lifeless.
A corpse.
Up ahead, the town soldiers were calmly wiping blood from their swords.
Upon noticing Serena’s approach, they all turned to look at her.
Every last one of them had a completely forgettable face, and they were all equipped with standard-issue, cheap kingdom longswords.
This discovery short-circuited Serena’s brain.
Wait a second—are you telling me that the super-class magical beast that even our S-Rank party failed to take down… was actually killed by a dozen or so town guards?!
You’ve got to be kidding.
Was she hallucinating?
Stunned, Serena stood frozen in place, her gaze drifting around in disbelief—until it landed on a girl happily munching on popcorn.
Their eyes met.
And in that moment, both saw the same dumbfounded expression mirrored in the other’s face.
“Serena?”
“Eileen?!”
They blurted out each other’s names at the same time.
Both stood frozen.
Eileen was so startled she even tumbled off the carriage.
Sometimes, you really have to marvel at how small the world is.
In this tiny village so obscure it probably didn’t even appear on most maps, Eileen had somehow run into the very last person she ever wanted to see.
Eileen knew Serena hated her.
That much had been painfully obvious from the way the girl acted after they’d parted ways.
As for Eileen herself, when it came to her former teammate, she also held the mindset of “never see her again if I can help it.”
This reunion was utterly beyond either of their expectations.
What am I supposed to say?
What can I say?
Eileen winced and rubbed her sore rear, having landed hard.
Her delicate brows furrowed as she looked at the all-too-familiar, yet distant, face of her former comrade.
Her lips parted slightly, trembling, but no words came out.
To once be comrades who had faced life and death together—only to become so estranged—was a blow that struck Eileen deeper than she cared to admit.
Locked in a silent stare, Eileen couldn’t help but recall Serena from their childhood.
Back then, she was adorable—soft and plump, always smelling sweet.
If you poked her chubby little cheeks, she’d puff them out in protest, pretending to be mad.
It was too cute.
She’d say things like, “Eileen, don’t touch me like that. Stop it.” But it was always just a verbal protest. Never real resistance.
Their families were close, and Serena’s uncle often visited.
Those were Eileen’s favorite days.
Because it meant she could cuddle with the warm, sweet little Serena and sleep together.
When they were young, Serena was so pure and innocent that no matter what Eileen did, she never reacted too strongly.
Even when Eileen had once proposed “cleaning her with my tongue” during bath time—
Serena would just blush and mutter, “But won’t Eileen get dirty? That’s not okay…”
But if Eileen insisted… she’d never refuse.
Of course, once they got older, all of that stopped.
In fact, it was entirely possible that Serena remembered all those things—and came to see them as shameful, maybe even disgusting.
That might have been the seed of her hatred.
Serena, too, was lost in memory.
She had known Eileen since they were very young—their friendship back then could only be described as inseparable.
They were childhood friends in the truest sense.
Even if Eileen’s preferences were a little off, Serena had never really… minded all that much.
You said we’d be together forever!
So what if you left the party?! The one who broke our promise was YOU! That’s why I will never—NEVER—apologize first!
Even now, even though a part of her heart was starting to admit that maybe Eileen’s presence had once meant something important…
Her pride simply would not allow her to lower her head!
A heavy silence began to settle between them.
During that silence, the other members of “Rainbow Bond” arrived one after another.
When they realized the person who had “defeated” the S-class magical beast was none other than Eileen, their expressions each took on a complicated cast.
The noise of battle had drawn a crowd.
Some villagers, traveling merchants, and adventurers had already gathered nearby, murmuring among themselves.
One person whispered in shock, “Wait—isn’t that red twin-tailed girl the leader of the kingdom’s only S-rank adventurer party, ‘Rainbow Bond’? Were they the ones chasing the monster?”
Another guessed, “Don’t tell me the beast actually escaped from the S-rank party and nearly ran into the town?”
“No way, right? But that thing was just taken out by that noble girl’s private guards. Didn’t seem that impressive.”
“If that’s true, then it sounds like this supposedly unbeatable monster got away from an S-rank party, but got finished off by a random guard team? Maybe that S-rank team is all hype?”
“Exactly! I always thought it was fishy—how can a group of delicate little girls be top-tier adventurers? They’re probably just idols the kingdom threw a fortune at to make them look good!”
“Hah! That guard team’s stronger than the S-rank party. What a joke!”
“Wait, hold on—I think that noble lady used to be part of ‘Rainbow Bond,’ right?” an adventurer suddenly exclaimed, having recognized Eileen.
“There’s been a ton of gossip in the capital lately. They say she was kicked out of the team for being a spoiled, evil brat!”
“…But now that same noble lady just took down the monster with her guards, while the S-rank core members let it escape?”
“Y-You don’t think the rumors were fake? What if she was actually the real core of Rainbow Bond’s fighting power?!”
“That’s so messed up… Is this what happens when jealousy takes over a team of women?”
As more people chimed in, the topic started spiraling out of control.
Serena’s forehead broke into a cold sweat as the whispering spread.
The facts were right there for all to see.
She had no way to refute what people were saying.
An S-rank party letting a monster escape while someone else took it down?
If word of this got out, Rainbow Bond’s reputation would be shattered.
The voices of doubt would drown them all.
And then—just at that moment—
“That’s not true!”
Tftc!