Chapter 22

After lifting a mild weight off of his shoulders yesterday, Tibuat woke up in a better mood than usual. "Alright, only like 350+ days left to go." He said to himself while slapping his cheeks. He looked at the books at a nearby desk in his room and mouthed "I'll read them later."

And decided to start his day by cleaning the house. At this point, he was able to clean the entire mansion (not including the multiple locked rooms strewn about the place) in about 3 hours. "Well despite what some movies I watched showed, I'm not any stronger."

He said while flexing his bicep then immediately stopping out of embarrassment. "Well, I think my stamina's better so there's that I guess?" He said while trying to make himself feel better. He then spotted Vanessa walking by him and decided to greet her.

"My, looking for some special service, hmm?" She told as she bent over enough so Tibaut could get a good look at her cleavage. Upon this happening Tibaut let out an exhausted. "Man, it just doesn't hit the same."

Hearing this, Vanessa made no effort to hide her annoyance. "The 'ell, do you mean by that?" She spit at him with a sour-looking expression.

"I mean, you kinda do this stuff so much that it's kinda getting, you know, bland."

"Hoh, I see, so you've been sneaking to the brothels lately." She responded back to him in a voice absolutely covered in spite. "Sorry to say but I'm not that kinda gal."

"I think you're misunderstanding here (besides I don't even have any pocket money). I'm not saying I want you to do some pole dancing. It's just that I don't think I've had a single interaction with you since I got here that didn't involve you teasing me."

Silence then filled the room. It was then she realized how one-sided her attack had been. To an outside observer, it might have seemed that she was desperately trying to hook in a man. Although her skin was dark it began to be noticeable on her face that she was blushing. She immediately fired off at him with a loud voice 

"Wha- screw you, aren't guys supposed to like stuff like this, what are you bitching about? I'll have you know I was doing that stuff 'cause I was bored and uh, yeah, to make sure Elizabeth didn't lose her new recruit."

"No, it's not like that. It's just that I've been away from civilization for so long and…" he then quieted down and started thinking about the next few words that came out of his mouth very carefully. 

"Just promise you won't laugh at what I say next." He said in a hushed tone.

"Based on what Elizabeth said, I don't think I'm brave enough to insult you."

"Promise me." 

Vanessa looked at him with curiosity and nodded her head curious what he was going to say.

Sweat started to pool on his forehead and it seemed as though he was fighting to get his words out. "Honestly I've been kinda lonely these past few years so um, (Force it out, you bastard!!!) If you wouldn't mind, I'd like to be friends."

"Pft" he heard. With her small laugh, he assumed the worst. "Man, I should have known. This world does look mediaeval. She'll probably hit me with some shit like 'real men don't need friends' and tell me to grow a pair or something. Ah, shit maybe I can hang out with Ezekiel. He seemed pretty cool. Could men and women even be friends back in those days?" Before he finished Vanessa grabbed his shoulders and started a hearty laugh. Tibaut was painted in dread when she did this and he felt, no, knew she was going to give him the verbal whipping of a lifetime when she was finished.

"Sure," she said when she finished her laughter.

"Huh," he said while looking he had avoided the death penalty.

"No, I just didn't expect that. Guys ask me out all the time or ask me to bang them so this was kinda a first." She said while wiping a tear from her eye. "I'll talk with ya if I get bored, it's been a while since I talked to a guy who didn't have any ulterior motives."

"Is it that often?"

"You wouldn't believe the amount of guys that think if they get with me I'd repair their shit for free."

"(Man, I hate to say it, but she sort of reminds me of her.)"

They continued to have their first non-related interaction until Tibaut noticed something or more rather a lack of something. He stopped talking and then put a hand to his ear to listen for something. 

"Huh, it doesn't sound like Elizabeth is training today."

There were no noises of her grunting or harassing the trees outside which at this time of the day was a bit strange.

"Oh no, she's just not here."

"Huh. So anyway…

While they continued their merry conversation of nothing in particular it seemed that something was going down at the parish guild. There sat ten individuals listening to the single old man in front of them. "It seems like those marauders have struck again, I'm afraid to say."

Reactions of the people in the dusty adventurer's building seemed to vary but the common thing that united them was that none were positive.

"While I know this may seem brazen of me to say since at the end of the day this is our fellow man we are discussing and none of us here are mercenaries but I do believe it is about time we try to put more effort into vanquishing these fiends. Although if you do think I'm presumptuous I'd be happy for you to correct me."

None of the ten there raised a voice or even so much as grumbled at his suggestion.

"I see. Well, I suppose after what they've done it's not too surprising to see this response. Then starting today, consider it your primary objective, to locate and eradicate these monsters walking in the skin of man. Please ensure you inform your guilds of this."