I Can See Trouble Coming

Entering the building, once again, everybody froze as they noticed us. Trying to pay no attention to it, I led the group to the left, to a vacant table, situated in a remote corner. As we sat, the loud atmosphere of the Guild slowly came back, and everyone returned to their occupation.

"So, what are we doing here?" Harri asked, inspecting the room.

"I told Axis to wait for me here, so if he went somewhere, he should be back soon," I answered.

"Uhm… Did Axis really ask you to come to find me?" Troy finally asked after staying silent for so long.

"Yeah, who else?"

Troy lowered his gaze as he let out a loud sigh. "This boy… He really is stubborn. I told him not to."

So he really went to the forest on his own… I wonder if Axis knows about this, or if he simply misunderstood something? Either way, this guy clearly had something in mind. But well, that's not my business. I only came here to complete a request, nothing more.

"Look who is already back!" An unknown voice suddenly exclaimed.

Turning in the direction of the voice, I noticed a man wearing leather armor standing. It was one of the adventurers of the party to which Axis had asked for help sooner.

"Are you already done chasing the monster of the Pine Forest?" He asked with a wry smile. "You didn't get eaten?"

Typical. Since he was clearly trying to provoke me, I decided to ignore him.

"Monster? Who the heck dares to call my majestic form a monster?" Yoko quietly grunted.

She had kept a low voice, so the adventurer did not understand what she had just said. However, it was loud enough for him to turn his attention to her. As he saw her, he widened his eyes, probably surprised at seeing a demi-human. Then, he started stroking his chin, inspecting her. After a while, a grin suddenly stretched on his lips.

Oh no… I know this face.

"Hey, mister!" The adventurer said, turning to Harri. "Is she your slave? How much to borrow her for the night?"

Ah… I knew it. This definitely deserves a double facepalm. I can't blame him for misunderstanding the situation though. I mean, Harri was wearing a royal jacket with an extravagant cape. From an outsider's perspective, he would definitely look like a young noble from some powerful household, while Yoko, a demi-human staying at his side, would appear to be his slave. But still, he had to say it in front of her… Giving a quick glance at Yoko, as I thought, her veins were popping out, and a forced smile appeared on her face.

"Haha… Did this lowly human just call me a slave? And Harri's one on top of that? Haha… I think some heads are going to roll…"

"You want her?" Harri asked casually, ignoring Yoko. "You must not value your life very much. Well, go ahead if you want her, she's not mine anyway. Good luck. If you're lucky, maybe you'll manage to stay alive."

For a few seconds, the adventurer furrowed his forehead, not understanding what he meant by that. But his confusion quickly subsided as he had obtained the master's permission to play with his slave. On the other hand, Yoko stood up, as her lips lifted upward, showing a broad smile. This is the smile of a child who is given a new toy just before destroying it.

Uhm… I am not sure what I should do. Stopping Yoko from doing something really bad? Probably. But somehow, I don't want to. I can't help but feel absolutely no pity toward this kind of men who use their money and power to force themselves on women, especially since the idiot noble tried to get to my mother. But well, no matter how much of a douche he is, I don't think he deserves to be tormented by Yoko.

"Does she look like a slave to you?"

As he heard me, the adventurer turned his gaze in my direction, narrowing his eyes.

"What's up, kiddo, you jealous? I'm usually not into kids, but I can make an exception for you! Want to join?" He asked with a wry smile.

Uhm, as I thought, I might as well let Yoko do whatever she wants with him.

"Besides, slave or not, if the lady doesn't mind, then there is no problem, right?" He added.

"Sure~! I don't mind playing with you!" Yoko happily exclaimed.

"Yoko, low profile," I reminded her as I grabbed her hand.

She glared at me for a few seconds before letting out a frustrated sigh. Then, she sat again before crossing her arms in front of her, sulking. "Fine… Whatever. You and your rules. You never know when to have fun, do you?"

"You heard her, no playing tonight," I said, returning my attention to the adventurer.

His smile disappeared as he tightened his jaw, pulling his eyebrows down together.

"Young lady," he spoke, as his expression turned sour, "I don't know which family you are from, but even as a noble, you shouldn't meddle in other people's business. It will only get you in troubles, you know? No matter how powerful they may be, your people won't always be here to back you up."

Well, he is not wrong, but Yoko's problems are my problems too, especially since I was the one who brought her here. Besides, I am not saving her, I am saving him. I don't want his death on my conscience… And it is not like I planned to run to the Whitehearts if things went wrong either. Seeing the bland expression on my face probably annoyed him, as the adventurer turned to Harri.

"Mister, you should teach your sister some manners," he grunted. "You nobles sure have it easy. Playing adventurers when you're bored and meddling in others' business as you please. Don't you have anything better to do?"

Haha… Says the guy who clearly came here picking a fight.

"Sister?" Harri repeated, seemingly as unconcerned as before about the situation. "This young girl isn't my sister. More like my mother, actually."

He said this so naturally that the adventurer's face distorted in incomprehension. He didn't get the joke – well, because there weren't any. He tried to study Harri's expression for a while, then he turned his gaze on me, and then on Yoko. However, none of us were laughing. Instead, we just looked at him with a bored expression.

"A bunch of crazy nobles…" He muttered. "You won't feel so smug on the day that arrogant attitude of yours will get you into troubles."

Unwilling to pursue this meaningless dispute any longer, he left, giving us contemptuous glares. Still, I am glad he didn't push it any further. Had we not been nobles, I am pretty sure it would have ended in a brawl. Having two mid Gods fighting in the middle of a human city is the last thing I want.

As the adventurer left, I noticed Yoko following him with her gaze, biting her lower lip. Uhm… It doesn't seem like she has given up on the matter. I hope she won't do something while I am not watching her…

"Yoko," I called her out.

"I know, I know…" She answered. "Still, don't you have any pride? You're a Goddess, damn it. The creator, on top of that. Do you always let humans disrespect you like this?"

I shrugged. "I'm a half, you know? I'm used to being looked down upon. Besides, there is no point in going on full revenge mode just because of a few words. Humans provoke each other all the time."

She brought her hand to her forehead, bending backward her head. "I don't get you…"

"DAD!" A childish voice suddenly called out.

Turning my head to the direction of the voice, I noticed the small figure of a boy running toward us. It was Axis. He immediately threw himself on Troy, grabbing his shirt before looking up at him with his eyes tight and worried.

"You're alive! Are you okay?! Did you get mistreated?" He asked hastily.

The startled Troy quickly regained his composure, patting the boy's head to calm him down. "I'm fine, don't worry."

A bright smile appeared on Axis' face as he tightly hugged his father. After a few seconds, he turned to me, deeply bowing his head. "Thank you very much, big sis! I'll never forget what you did! What happened to the God?"

I gave a quick glance to Yoko, who was yawning out of boredom. "She… went sightseeing…"

Axis tilted his head to the side, narrowing his eyes. "Is that so…?" He stayed silent for a while, probably trying to comprehend my words, and then, noticing Yoko and Harri, he gasped in surprise. "Are they your party members? They have golden eyes too… You guys must be really strong! Thank you very much for helping big sis find my dad!"

A confused smile appeared on Harri's face, as he clearly didn't understand the situation, while Yoko simply rolled her eyes, without uttering a word.

After that, Axis stayed with us for a few minutes, eager to hear about our rescue mission. Giving him as little detail as possible, I simply told him an adventure story that I once saw in a game. I am not sure if it is because he is still young and naive, or if it is because I became quite skilled at lying, but he seems to have bought it. While Yoko and Harri remained silent, seemingly unconcerned, Troy would sometimes nod or add a few comments, confirming my stupid story.

In the end, they left as the night began to fall. While Axis happily waved at us, Troy, on the other hand, let out a deep sigh, clearly unwilling to leave. Is his wife waiting at home to beat him up or something? Oh well…

"I guess this problem has been settled! We should go home too," I said with a satisfied smile.

Yoko and Harri suddenly stood up.

"Finally! I was getting tired of waiting!" Yoko exclaimed, stretching.

"I can't wait to meet this human family you're living with, Creator!" Harri added.

...

I knew it. They are totally planning on coming along. I guess something like this could have been expected, but I had hoped they'd return to their forest once they visited the city. I can think of at least ten reasons why it is not a good idea to bring them home, but I can't really send them back now, can I? Placing my hands across my face, covering my eyes, I let out a long sigh. I don't think I have sighed as much as today before.

"Is something wrong?" Yoko asked, seeing my expression.

"No… Let's go," I muttered.

Ah… I can see troubles coming. But… I have the feeling that I have forgotten something.

…

Oh crap. Ivy…