Melissa Joins the Group

A tall beautiful female with a slender body, sharp looks, long brown hair, and brown eyes came out. She was wearing winter clothing and was carrying a giant backpack.

Upon seeing George, she forced a fake smile and waved at him.

George stood up and directly faced her as his [Aura] changed. His iris' began to glow again as he started to unsheathe his dagger.

"I thought I killed you."

"I came to talk!"

"There is no talk. You tried to kill me and yet you are still alive."

"I came to make peace!" Melissa dropped her backpack and even got on one knee. She threw away her dignity in a split second just so she could live.

"Peace?"

"Until your quest is complete, I am officially your bodyguard!"

"Bodyguard? I don't need one. Why should I desire a bodyguard who attempted to kill me yesterday?"

"I-I was hired by that guy to protect him! He's dead and the contract is void. You have to understand I had no choice. I'm just an assassin who was hired as a bodyguard."

"Bodyguard?" He looked at her from head-to-toe, "Aren't you an assassin?"

"I-I was under a lot of debt and needed money!" Melissa lost her composure and turned red from embarrassment. She did not think he would bring that up.

"Regardless, I don't need a bodyguard to protect myself."

"I'll be killed if I fail this mission." Melissa was pleading at this point. "I know you don't need protecting, but just think of me as a hiker who stumbled upon your group. I'll leave after you complete your quest."

"I refuse." George looked directly into her watery pleading eyes with no empathy as if he was a cold machine.

Melissa had never encountered someone as cold and dense as a rock.

She gritted her teeth and used her last trump card.

"Your party members don't know about your true strength right?"

"Emma knows a little bit, but yeah. Why do you ask?"

"I can be your cover! I'll fight for you so you won't have to reveal any of your abilities. You won't have to feed me or give me water. I have all the supplies for the journey. I'll stay out of your way and won't bother you for the entire journey unless it is necessary."

George pondered by rubbing his beard as his usual habit.

"An interesting proposition, but that's not enough."

"W-What else do you want then?" Sweat ran down her face as she prayed he did not want money. She would be in real trouble if she had to spend money to be his bodyguard considering her current financial status.

"You're from Shadow Hive right?"

Melissa's eyes widened as she looked up at him in shock.

"You know I'm from Shadow Hive?"

She was not shocked he knew of their organization. Someone this powerful would be qualified to know of Shadow Hive even if they are not in the government. Rather, she was shocked he knew of her background without giving anything away.

"Shadow Hive assassins always have top-notch shadow skills and wear specific types of robes. I've encountered them before so I know of this. Plus your reaction confirms my hunch." George nonchalantly explained this.

Melissa felt as if cold water was being poured over her head. She felt like her secrets were slowly being exposed to the unfathomable abyss in front of her.

"Shadow Hive members are known for sticking to their word. If that's that case, then swearing the oath of your organization should be no issue right?"

'H-He even knows we have oaths?! Who is this man?!'

Melissa had gone from a somewhat prideful assassin to a pitiful woman with only a few secrets left within the span of a few minutes. She felt like she would be completely exposed if this continued.

With a deep breathe, she stood up and recited an oath with her right hand on her heart:

"I, Melissa Stamper, member of the Shadows, swear on my heart to protect George Foster for the entire duration of his mission. If I fail or betray him, I will retire by ending my own life."

A mysterious black flame enveloped Melissa and formed a black line which darted over to George. The line turned into a black flame which enveloped him as well.

The flames disappeared and a faint connection between the two appeared.

Melissa opened her eyes as a mysterious feeling of calmness enveloped her. The feeling was as if his [Aura] had spread over to her as well. A constant desire to protect him also appeared in her heart which dissipated most of her fear of him.

George's iris' returned to normal along with his [Aura] as he sheathed his dagger. He sat down in his foldable chair and continued cooking.

"Since you'll be joining the group, sit down and cook yourself a meal if you haven't eaten breakfast yet."

*growl*

"Y-Yes master."

Melissa's stomach growled to her embarrassment. She avoided his eyes and took out a foldable chair. After sitting down, she quickly grabbed some meat to cook herself a meal.

"Just call me George. You're not my servant. Treat me like everyone else when they come back."

"Okay, G-George." She put pieces of meat on a metal stick over the fire.

"Do you know how to hunt and gather herbs?" George glanced at her and asked this question.

"Yes." Melissa calmly nodded. Since he knew of their organization, she had no problem explaining.

"Every member is taught how to survive in the wild and which herbs are poisonous, nonpoisonous, edible, and nutritious. I have no problem procuring food on my own."

"Great. That saves me time then." George nodded with satisfaction. "You are to not eat any of your rations until we're above the timberline. Eat meat mixed with herbs for every meal so you have the right vitamins and minerals. That way we'll have plenty of food rations in case anything happens."

"Okay, George."

"You don't have to put my name at the end of every reply."

"Okay." Melissa's face turned red again. She felt incredibly submissive towards George.

"George~! We're back! We've gotten the herbs!" Bernice was the first to return.

She came out of the forest with a bowl of herbs and a big smile of accomplishment on her face.

"Look at them! Aren't I impr-..."

Upon seeing Melissa, Bernice's eyes widened and her bowl fell.

"I'm back." Emma returned with a standard entrance of normally walking out.

Upon seeing Melissa, her eyes also widened but she did not drop her bowl.

Abe and Hester returned at the same time. They saw Melissa and their eyes widened. Hester dropped his bowl but Abe did not.

""""Who are you?!""""

--------------------------------------------------------------

Notes:

* I have made changes to the geography to the geography of the Northern Mountain Range so it is a little more realistic. I did some research on volcanoes and rock compositions. This change will be applied when this chapter is released.

* I have made modifications to the auxiliary chapter pertaining to the skill grades, items grades, and guild ranking. I'm separating them into multiple auxiliary chapters so they are easier to read.

* I am making a clarification on the magical system of this world. You may have noticed I have never said something like 'magical energy in the air' or 'natural energies in the environment'. This is part of the plot and will be explained in an auxiliary chapter and regular chapters.