Chapter 84 – Awkward Helper.

“Ugh… What is that smell? and what’s this moist feeling”

Someone with a higher-pitched voice groaned, her voice gradually getting louder as she returned to consciousness.

“Huh? Ack!”

Her eyes opened to a pink appendage slogging over her cheek. The animal it was attached to was a normal cow, and it was licking her for some reason. Odelette awoke to the unpleasant sensation of a cow’s tongue dragging across her cheek. Startled, she flailed her arms, pushing and pulling but something was wrong. Her whole body was wrapped up in something and the only thing sticking out was her head.

“Ugh… stop, you stupid cow! What is this? Where am I?”

Odelette’s nose was assaulted by a mix of smells no lady her age should ever have to endure. As she rolled away from the cow licking her face, she nearly collided with a large pile of cow excrement. Her eyes widened as she frantically tried to stop herself, but she had already gained too much momentum. Just before her face could meet the disgusting pile, someone grabbed her from the other side. It was only then that she realized she wasn’t alone.

“You should keep it down. Others might be listening.”

“Huh? Is that… Mister Albert?”

Odelette blinked in confusion, struggling to process what was happening. Her mind was still hazy from whatever had knocked her out, and the combination of smells and sensations left her disoriented. She looked up at the figure who had stopped her unfortunate collision with the dung pile – Albert, or at least someone who looked like him, was holding her steady. His cold hands had a surprising strength as he effortlessly lifted her back onto her feet.

“W-what… what happened? Where am I? What are you doing here?”

Odelette stammered, her voice filled with confusion and panic as she glanced around. The stinky blanket she was wrapped in was slowly coming undone.

“You don’t remember?”

The voice, unmistakably Albert’s, brought her a strange sense of comfort, even though she had never seen his face beneath the armor. They had gone adventuring together during the adventurer’s test, but he had never removed his armor, only speaking in that same monotone voice from time to time. Now, hearing it again from inside the familiar armor, she was certain it was the same person who had saved her from the sleeping gas during the test.

“It is you, Mister Albert, and… oh, right, those bastards… Did they slip something into my drink!?”

Odelette grasped her hair in frustration, tugging at it as fragmented memories of the incident started to return.

“Argh… I should have known! They were acting too friendly! How did I not see it?”

Odelette’s frustration bubbled over as she yanked at her messy hair, her thoughts racing. Rusty gave her a moment to collect herself, watching silently as her emotions simmered. Though she didn’t fully recall the events that had transpired, the betrayal and humiliation were written all over her face. Rusty, however, didn’t quite understand the emotional depth of her distress – but Alexander did.

‘She was lucky we got there in time. Maybe not remembering is a blessing, she’s still young’

Odelette was as animated as ever, just like during their adventuring days. At one point, in a sudden burst of energy, she dunked her head into a bucket of water the cows were drinking from. Rusty didn’t understand the reasoning, but Alexander explained it was probably her way of clearing her head. Surprisingly, when she pulled her face out of the water, she seemed calmer.

“Ah… that’s better. But… now that I think about it, why is it so cold? Ack! Where are my clothes?!”

Only now did she look down to see that her chest was exposed to the elements and that perhaps sticking her head into the bucket was not the best idea. She looked to Rusty who pointed in one direction before speaking.

“There.”

Rusty pointed toward the discarded blanket, where her belongings lay. Odelette, who had been partially undressed by one of the thugs, suddenly realized the state she was in. Being a monster, Rusty didn’t care about seeing a woman’s body, nor did he feel any excitement over it. He had only taken her belongings because Alexander had told him to. He continued staring blankly, unaware of the awkwardness. The halfling woman, however, felt a sharp wave of embarrassment and hurriedly skittered back to the blanket.

‘Hey, Rusty, look away!’

‘Why should I?’

‘It’s improper to stare at a lady when she’s undressed!’

‘Is this a people thing?’

‘Yes, it is! Now turn around so she can change!’

‘Fine…’

Rusty, after being scolded by Alexander, finally turned around. While Odelette dressed, she vented her frustrations, with Rusty listening quietly and responding whenever she asked a question.

“I knew something was off with those guys… I was just too eager to get into the guild. Damn it!”

Odelette tugged at her leather armor, securing the clasps with shaky fingers.

“Stupid… stupid!”

She kicked the blanket away, sending it tumbling into a pile of hay. Rusty tilted his head, listening to her frustration but not fully grasping the deeper emotions she was wrestling with. He only knew that her distress was about more than just the immediate danger she had been in. After a moment, her voice softened.

“When I get those bastards, I’ll cut off their balls! … But wait… how did I get here? What even happened? I don’t remember.”

There was a brief silence as she tried to piece together what had transpired. Her memories were hazy, and things weren’t adding up – especially when it came to Albert. Something about the situation didn’t feel right, but she hesitated to ask Rusty directly. After a pause, she finally mustered the courage to speak.

“Do… do you know where those bastards are? What they did to me?”

“Oh? Those people? You don’t need to worry about them – they’re all dead now.”

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

“Huh?”

Odelette was stunned by Rusty’s matter-of-fact tone. She had assumed Albert had found her after the worst had already happened, but now, hearing this, she realized something was different. She scanned her body, finding no bruises or signs of harm. It dawned on her that perhaps her attackers hadn’t even had the chance to touch her before Rusty intervened.

“What do you mean, they’re all dead?”

“Um… because they are?”

“Did you kill them all?”

“Yes, I did.”

Odelette stared at Rusty, her mouth slightly agape. Though she had fought alongside Albert in the recent past, she hadn’t realized he was this strong. There were at least five enemies she could count, and the big bald man seemed especially formidable. For a moment, she wondered if Albert had been hiding his true strength all along – perhaps he was secretly a silver-ranked adventurer. But before she could dwell on that, something else struck her as suspicious.

“Wait… if you killed them, does that mean you know about the underground tunnels beneath the guild? Are you a member?”

“I just became one.See, I have the temporary token, just like you,”