Chapter-69

[P.O.V changed to Lily]

"Well the I will be going on ahead"

Lily had a helpless smile on her face as she looked at William running away as soon as they entered the dungeon.

'We are suppose to be a party...A PARTY DAMMIT!!'

But nobody said anything as they have already gotten used to William ditching them like this.

'I wonder if I can even find him this way....'

Lily thought as a lost look appeared on her face.

It has already been more than 3 months since she last saw him.

"just where did you go?"

Lily mumbled in a small voice.

"My hero....."

-

[A year ago]

It was a normal day in the life of Liliruca Arde.

And just like any other day the adventures came to take away her hard earned money.

"Take out all the money you swine",The adventurer said with as he looked at Lily in amusement.

She was already used to it...

"Did you not hear me huh?",The adventurer roughly grabbed Lily's hair when she didn't respond.

Tightly clenching her teeth Lily endured the pain coming from her head.

But she still didn't told them the location of her secret stash.

She herself dosen't know why after all these years of suffering she even bothered to act defiant.

"Tsk How dare a b*tch like you..."

*Bam*

The man harshly smashed Lily's head against the ground as blood came out.

"Kuh",Intense pain spread through Lily's head as her vision grew blurry.

Indeed.....

"Let me teach you a lesson"

With a creepy smile on his face, The adventurer started throwing punches at Lily.

Why did she even bothered to retaliate...

It is useless anyway.

A punch landed on her stomach as she threw out a mouthful of blood.

She is destined to be tormented.

By her own familia nonetheless....

Unknowingly in a long while two tiny drops of tear formed at the corner of Lily's eyes.

Perhaps it was because the pain she was in or maybe because the tragedy of her life that she remembered.

She didn't know anymore.

She doesn't even know why she is even alive....

"Hey hey Don't kill her",The adventures accomplish said with a smile on his face.

It would have been better if she would drop dead right now and be done with everything.

"Tsk this piece of shit...",Seeing that Lily still didn't say anything about the money, the adventurer raised his foot and slammed at Lily's face.

Lily tightly closed her eyes seeing the feet bigger than her face coming her way.

'I wonder why it is always me who has to suffer.....'

Just as Lily was waiting for the impact.

"GET AWA FROM HER YOU BASTARD!!!!!"

A low pitch voice of a kid rang out.

Hearing the unfamiliar voice, Lily opened her eyes and looked forward.

A tiny and unfamiliar back covered her vision.

Taking a better look she saw a boy not much bigger than her holding a sword as he hacked at the adventures in front.

"Who the fck are you"

"Are you okay",The boy ignored the adventurer in front and asked Lily as he turned his head towards her.

The immature face of a kid came in Lily's vision.

"It's alright now as I am here",The small boy said with a smile on his face as he jumped at the adventurers with the sword in his hand.

Lily was moved as she saw an unfamiliar person trying to help her...

For about 10 seconds....

She was moved for about 10 seconds...

Because after that the adventurers started beating the crap out of the boy.

"The f*ck you say you little shit"

"You have a death wish huh kiddo?"

"Hehe let me break his legs"

A determined look appeared on Lily's face as she looked at the boy getting beaten.

And so putting all her strength in her leg, Lily looked the the adventurers direction and....

ran away.

In the direction exactly opposite of where the adventurers stood.

She managed to escape as the boy acted like the bait.

May his soul rest in peace.

Giving a silent prayer for the most probably dead boy, Lily went her way.

[Next day]

"How dare you run away last time!!!"

"Yeah we're gonna skin you alive today"

Lily quivered with her back against the wall as she saw the sharp.knifes in the adventurers hands.

Just as the knife's sharp edge was about to reach her face.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!!!"

The same immature voice rang out as the kid from before once again appered before her.

"It looks like last time's lesson wasn't enough for you all",The boy said with a smile on his face.

"U-um will you be okay....",Lily couldn't help but ask as she remembered what happened yesterday.

"Of course, Don't worry last time I didn't came prepared but this time I have this leather armor with me",The boy said as he touched the leather armour he was wearing.

Seeing his confident demeanor, Lily decided to trust him and cheered for him in his mind.

"Die",The boy said as he hacked at the adventurers.

"You again?",The adventurer said as he easily catched the sword hacking at him and threw it away.

"...."

There was a momentary silence in the air.

"Get him"

Once again the adventurers started beating the living daylight out of the boy.

They even took away his leather armour....

Yup time to run.

Lily thought as she once again turned around.

*Grip*

"Where do you think you are going?",The adventurer asked with a smile on his face.

Cold sweat covered Lily's back as she was also dragged in and beaten up.

As both of them were getting beaten.

Lily had a thought.

She wondered.....

She wondered why was the boy even though he was black and blue all over.....still used his body to cover her from the blows.....

And for some reason he still had that foolish smile on his face.

In a very long time...Lily felt a little moved.

Even though she knew that there was something wrong with the guy's head.....

Like that the days went by as the boy would always appear whenever the adventurers would try to take advantage of her.

Although the only thing he did was take a part of her beating.....

She had to say the boy was really resilient.

Unknowingly a sense of trust build up between them.

Lily who was rejected by everyone her while life finally found someone who she could relate to.

Lily had to say that....she didn't hated this feeling of having someone to talk to.....

Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months until one day....

"Kuch"

"P-Please N-No more"

"W-we swear we would never c-ome after her again"

The boy managed to beat the group of adventurers.

It was only now that Lily noticed how much the boy has grown in just the past few months.

Lily had mixed feelings as she looked at the back of the boy in front of her.

'Will he leave her?'

'Perhaps....after all she didn't even know his name after all this time...'

Just as Lily's thought reached this point.

"I told you didn't I...."

"It will be alright since I am here"

The boy spoked with his usual smile.

At this moment for some reason the smile which she was used to seeing seemed incredibly warm that day.

-

[Coming Back]

'Just where did you go?',Lily thought as she remembered how the boy one day dissappered and never came back.

She was really worried thinking that something might have happened to him and so she ran to the dungeon but didn't managed to find any news about the boy.

That day just as Lily was returning back to the Soma familia.

"From today onwards our Soma familia will stop all of our illegal trades"

She heard the familiar yet unfamiliar voice.

Although it was a little different, Lily believed that it was the same boy and so she ran through the crowd and came in front.

But she was disappointed as it wasn't the boy who she was looking for.

Although she was unable to see William's face due to the mask....she knew that the boy could never be so ruthless as to effortlessly kill someone without blinking an eye.

The boy she knew was completely opposite of the one in front of her.

And so Lily got out of the crowd and once again started looking for the boy.

Unfortunately she couldn't find the boy.

It was like he appeared and disappeared out of thin air.

But there was one place where she might be able to find him.

'The dungeon....'

Lily had not been to the deeper floors and although the possibility of the boy being in the dungeon was low...there was still nonetheless a possibility.

That is why Lily started looking for a party.

It was during that time that she got to know just how much her familia has changed.

When she first heard it, Lily refused to believe it.

But then she saw it with her own eyes.

Although Lily was still a bit apprehensive, she got to know that William the one responsible for the change in her familia didn't have a porter.

That is why she gambled and tried to join William's party.

But even though she has already visited the lower floor.

There was still no sign of the boy.

And at this pont Lily too had mostly given up after all the chances of the boy making it this deep into the dungeon were close to none.

A lonely expression came over Lily's face.

Then out of the blue.

"Hey I heard the God's will be selecting aliases again",Middle Lackey said.

"Yeah I heard about it as well", Youngest Lackey said with shinning eyes.

"Hey Eldest what do you guys think Boss's alias will be?"

Eldest Lackey placed a hand on his chin as he contemplated for a while and said.

"Stone face?"

"..."

*Pufff*

Youngest and Middle Lackey started laughing loudly after hearing Eldest Lackey's reply.

Emile's face on the other hand burned in anger as she shouted.

"How dare you insult boss like that what do you mean stone face, He is an incredibly kind person!!"

*PUFF*

The laughing became even louder as they heard what Emile said.

If only she knew...

Ah ignorance is a bliss.....

-

Unknowingly a smile appeared on Lily's face as she looked at her party members joking around.

Although the boy wasn't here anymore....

These new people that she got to know weren't so bad either.....

Although they were a bit.....

Perverted.

and maybe a bit wrong in the head.....

.....exhibitionist....

maybe an a big M as well....

Lily couldn't help but release a sigh as her thoughts reached this point.

But the smile returned to her face as she looked at her party members.

After all even after all of the short comings they had....they are still nonetheless trustworthy and fun to be with.

Looking up, Lily stared at the dungeon's ceiling and though.

Life might not be as bad as it seemed.....

'Mhm?'

For an instant Lily felt the ground shake a little.

But seeing that there were no abnormalities, She thought that maybe she was just overthinking things.

But just as she was about to take a step forward...

*BOOM*

Without any notice the dungeon ceiling collapsed as dust flew everywhere.

*Cough*Cough*

Lily shoved aside from the impact coughed violently.

'What jus----

Lily's thought came to a halt as she looked ahead.

What looked back at her was a monster made up of bones with a pair of blood red eyes.

For the first time Lily had a feeling.....

That she would die the moment she moved a muscle.