Chapter 19 – Adrian’s betraying party

Third person POV

 Later on, the three of them had cleared off another 5 rooms in the dungeon in less than an hour. Some of the monsters they had defeated were more or less hard to kill, but Russell and Azalea managed to find ways to finish them off. All this time, John was amazed to see their skills in fighting.

 After that, they are now proceeding to the eighth room when suddenly, they saw something they shouldn't: Adrian being betrayed by his party, the Elai party. Elai and her party were sadistic on him, and they considered him as a useless trash. They are going to leave him in that room, which they had cleared out recently.

 Seeing that betraying sight, the May party was shocked. But, Russell was cold at this happening. He knew that this would happen, and he guessed and predicted it right and well. "Um, what should we do about this?" Azalea asked before looking at him, only to be surprised that he became cold as ice. So, he knew what to do, so he took a deep breath and shouted, "Hey! What are you doing?!"

This catches Elai and her party's attention, and they looked at him, Azalea, and John.

Adrian heard that, too, and looked at him.

 "You guys are the worst people I have seen in my life," continued Russell while still being cold.

 "What is your business with us?" Elai scoffed rudely.

 "Stay out of this," her younger brother, Belius, added rudely, too.

 "It's my business if my friend gets hurt," Russell retorted in anger as he points towards Adrian for a few seconds.

Seeing that, Adrian thought, "Russell-kun…"

"Hey, you know what happens if you insult Elai-san," one of Elai's party members replied back in retaliation.

 "Shut up!" Russell shouted back. "What you're doing to Adrian-kun is absolutely unacceptable and ridiculous!"

Elai and her party got offended by his response.

 "How dare you say that to us, low life?"

 "Adrian-kun is a useless trash."

 "You shut up!" Russell retorted back once more. "Adrian is not! He is just doing his best, and you guys did nothing but use him for your own gains! That is completely disgraceful and shameful!"

 "Why you little…?" Elai responded back while being offended more, trying to blame Russell.

As the two sides argued back and forth, Azalea and John are watching it, and John asked, "Um, can you do something about it?" Azalea thinks for a while, and then she replied, "Yup, give me a second." She then put John down and pointed the palm of her hand towards the Elai party, using her ice magic to unleash a mild Blizzard to stop the fighting, and to rescue Adrian as well. The Elai party got struck by her magic and started to hold on against the strong and cold winds. Russell didn't get affected much, and he just felt a mild shiver instead.

 While his party gets distracted, Adrian gets a chance to escape from them and gets out of it, before running toward Russell. Russell was surprised suddenly to see him hugging him. "Adrian-kun?" Hugging him tightly, Adrian said to him as he felt so heartbroken and betrayed, "I thought they were my friends. They are fake, actually..."

 With that Azalea stopped the Blizzard assault on Adrian's former party, before picking John up in her arms. "Woah…" John was astonished to see her response.

After that, they are more pissed off by her action.

 "How dare you!"

 "That's assault!"

 "You have any idea what you did to us?"

 "I know," replied Azalea while looking upset at them, "but like what my party leader said, what you're doing to that innocent and decent person is unacceptable."

Adrian then pulled back from hugging and sided with Russell. "Party leader?" Elai retorted back to Azalea.

 "Yes, I am her party leader," answered Russell back seriously as he wrapped his arm around Adrian.

 "How's that possible?" another of Elai's party members replied back.

 "Our guild made it official," Azalea responded back, "even though my leader is an unofficial adventurer here."

Adrian was surprised to hear that while his former party was shocked to hear that Azalea had tagged along with an unofficial adventurer like Russell.

 "You tagged along with a free adventurer?"

 "That's a violation!"

 "You're in deep trouble for that."

 "It was," Russell responded to their responses, "but the guild had decided to let it slide anyway."

Elai and her party were even more disgusted by their guild's decision.

At this point, Adrian had decided to join Russell's party instead.

 "Well then," Russell said to the Elai party, "for what you did to Adrian-kun, I'll be taking him in. You'll never see him again."

Then to Azalea, Adrian, and John. "Guys, let's go. We're done with this quest."

Azalea nodded in agreement, and she, Adrian, and John turned back and left with Russell.

Seeing them leaving like that made the Elai party angry like a red tomato.