Chapter 53

Marcus and Astaroth assumed attack positions, with Lalitha positioned at the back, forming an inverted triangle. The manticore shook its head and leaped into the air, spreading its wings. It surveyed the group from above, then opened its large jaws and let out a deafening roar. The sound pierced the air, causing Marcus and Lalitha to cover their ears. Meanwhile, Astaroth gripped his sword tightly, leaped into the air, and struck the manticore with a powerful slash.

The slash severed one of the manticore's wings, causing the creature to plummet to the ground. Marcus was in awe of the immense power wielded by Astaroth. He had always known that Astaroth was strong, but the display surpassed his wildest imagination. "Focus on the manticore, Marcus," Astaroth shouted. Marcus realized his near mistake and swiftly followed up with another attack on the monster. He thrust his sword into the manticore's side, only to find its skin as impenetrable as steel, causing Marcus's sword to bounce off. Once again, Marcus was astounded by the fact that a single slash from Astaroth had effortlessly sliced off the manticore's wing.

"Move aside, Marcus! Fire from the deepest gate of hell, burn!" Lalitha summoned a pillar of fire underneath the manticore, but the creature managed to jump aside before being consumed by the flames. Lalitha smirked and extended her hand, guiding the pillar toward the spot where the creature had landed. The witch of Yosnad never misses her targets with magic. The fire engulfed the creature mid-air, resulting in a deafening explosion as flames devoured the manticore completely.

The one-winged manticore staggered out of the flames, its body charred in certain areas. Astaroth moved in with lightning speed and severed the creature's head. The battle had ended in less than ten minutes. Marcus dropped to the floor and let out a sigh. "Seems like I'm the extra one here. I couldn't inflict any damage on it. If it weren't for both of you, I would never have hunted a manticore."

"Well, thanks to your berry mix, we were able to attract the creature here. We all have different roles to play. You also led us on a shorter route to reach this place, which helped us save time," Astaroth stated.

"Don't compare yourself to Astaroth in terms of strength, Marcus. You'll never match his power and skills," Lalitha replied.

"Sure, I am not complaining… I had the easy task… sigh… ok let's pack up the body and head back to town." Marcus quickly jumps up again and walks towards the body of the Manticore.

With skillful precision, Marcus swiftly dismantled the body, showcasing his usefulness to the team. Before long, he completed the task and packed the dismembered parts into his bag. "If you both don't mind, I will transport the body back to the adventurer guild. Please don't concern yourselves with the rewards; I will not make any claims," Marcus stated.

"We have no worries," Lalitha smiled at Marcus. It dawned on him that if he harbored any intentions of deceiving them, Lalitha would promptly kill him on the spot. Unconsciously, Marcus shivered, attempting to reciprocate the smile to alleviate the tension.

"Enough with the chattering. Let us return to Sanctavia. I wonder if the guild master has returned. Hopefully, I can deliver her the letter and conclude this errand. It has been an irritating task," Astaroth said with annoyance. While it is true that Magnus's letter is a simple task, Glenda could not be found, which hindered him from completing it. Astaroth turned around and began walking, with Marcus quickly stepping up to lead the way out of the forest. They took the same shortcut back to Sanctavia.

By the time they reached the city, it was already evening, and the sun was setting. When the guard at the gate saw them, he waved and allowed the trio to enter. "If you had returned any later, the gate would have been locked," the guard remarked.

They briskly walked through the gate and headed towards the adventurer guild, a conspicuous red building amidst a sea of white. As they approached the building, they noticed a petite young girl standing in front of it. Her vibrant pink hair caught their attention, and despite her youthful appearance, she seemed to possess the physique of a teenager. The girl donned a light leather armor, protecting her vital areas. When Marcus caught sight of her, he turned to Astaroth and exclaimed, "That's Glenda, the guild master of Sanctavia." "Huh? That little girl?" Lalitha exclaimed, taken aback by the revelation.

"Oh, she looks so petite. I was expecting a towering iron lady," Astaroth exclaimed, also taken aback.

"Please refrain from using words like 'small,' 'tiny,' or 'little' in front of the guild master. She is extremely sensitive to such terms, and she will go to great lengths to rectify it," Marcus warned them both. "I've witnessed strong, brawny men who referred to her as 'tiny' getting their brains bashed in."

"Alright, I'll simply hand her the letter and make my exit," Astaroth stated. He couldn't care less about the guild master's size; he simply wanted to complete the task and return to the inn for some rest.

As they approached Glenda, she turned around, sensing the trio behind her. Her eyebrow lifted upon seeing Astaroth. The man walking towards her had the sun at his back, casting a shadow on his face that accentuated his handsome features. It was love at first sight for her.

"Hey, stop staring. Are you Glenda, the guild master of Sanctavia?" Lalitha, annoyed by how Glenda was looking at her master, spoke first. Only then did Glenda realize that standing beside the man who had charmed her was a girl with revealing clothing and a large bust. A fit of unknown anger started to burn inside Glenda, and she instinctively knew that she despised this woman.

Astaroth gave a dry cough and took out a letter from his pocket, handing it to Glenda. "Hey, this is a letter from Magnus, the guild master of Yosnad. He tasked me with delivering it to you, and he mentioned that you should read it alone."

When Glenda received the letter from Astaroth, whether intentionally or unintentionally, her finger brushed against his hand. Lalitha, upon seeing this, made some angry noises and glared at Glenda. "How dare this insignificant girl touch the master's hand. She must have done it on purpose."

"Yes, forgive me for not replying immediately. Yes, I am the Guild Master Glenda White. Oops... How rude of me to have you standing outside. Why don't we go inside, sit, and chat?" Glenda then placed her hand on Astaroth's arm and led him to the guild's door. "Hey, take your hand off," Lalitha shouted at Glenda. Ignoring Lalitha, Glenda continued to guide Astaroth inside the guild.

Marcus and Lalitha quickly followed both of them into the building. They saw that Sophia had already stood up from behind her desk. She did not look surprised by the actions of her guild master. This must be a common occurrence, no longer surprising to Sophia.

"Sophia, quickly, make a pot of tea for this gentleman. I want to discuss with him the journey he took from Yosnad to Sanctavia," Glenda instructed Sophia while clinging to Astaroth. Lalitha could no longer stand it and yelled again, "Hey, I said take your hand off Master Astaroth this instant, you puny, flat-chested little girl."

"What did you just call me, you overweight, jelly-laden lard?" Glenda screamed at Lalitha. Her grip on Astaroth had finally loosened, and in its place, she wielded a large hammer that seemed to materialize out of thin air. Pointing the hammer menacingly at Lalitha, Glenda challenged her to a fight. "I'll smash your head in, you brainless bimbo!"

"You're nothing but a flat-chested bitch, and that hammer won't make you any bigger. Idiot," Lalitha shot back at Glenda, her voice just as fiery. Nearby, Marcus had managed to maneuver himself away during the commotion and was now standing beside Sophia. Both of them shook their heads in dismay, well aware of the inevitable clash between these opposites.

"Stop it, both of you! Your screaming is giving me a headache," Astaroth suddenly spoke. Lalitha immediately turned to her master and apologized in a frightened tone, revealing her shameful moments.

"Forgive me, Master Astaroth. I should have better control of myself. You shouldn't have seen me like this," Lalitha pleaded.

"I am sorry, Mr. Astaroth," Glenda said, giving a slight bow. However, she still held onto the hammer tightly.

"Now, let us continue. I have given you the letter from Guild Master Magnus, and we have also completed the task of hunting the Manticore," Astaroth said, looking at Glenda as he stated his reason for being there.

"I understand, Mr. Astaroth. I returned not long ago and received the message from Sophia, so I hurried back," Glenda replied.

"There is nothing good coming from Magnus, so we can ignore his letter. Lately, he has been spouting nonsense. Sophia can take care of processing the remains of the Manticore. I've been informed by her that your adventurer cards are temporary. Once the request has been processed by Sophia, I will issue you a permanent pass."