Outside the adventurer's guild, Ash was sitting on the stairs. His palms on his face and his elbows on his knees, as if he were bored watching the people go back and forth until they slowly disappeared. It was already evening, and he was still waiting for his sister to come back before dinner.
Ash couldn't convince himself that his sister, the old man, and Shawn would be alright. Even though he wanted to follow them, Leo and Emma wouldn't let him, saying that he might encounter dangerous monsters along the way.
"Just what do they think of me?" Ash shouted as he suddenly stood up, making the people look at him with surprised, confused, and worried faces.
Ash didn't want to cause trouble, so he sat down again, wondering why these people always treated him like a kid, even though he was already of age and strong enough to take quests and fight those monsters. He didn't even have the chance to show the results of his training.
Emma was having a conversation with the guild boss when she heard Ash shout. She walked out of the adventurer's guild to see what happened. She was worried that Ash might have attempted to follow his sister again. Some of the adventurers had trouble stopping him just a while ago.
Although Emma was also worried that Shawn, Ava, and the old man wouldn't manage to get out alive from that dungeon, she was more worried about Ash, who was acting rebellious. Perhaps it was because his parents passed away when he was just a kid.
Ava has been the only one taking care of her brother since their parents died. Ash forgot what the love of his parents feels like, as well as their looks. Even in his dreams, he couldn't picture out their appearances; everything was always obscured.
Whenever Ash would ask his sister something about their parents, Ava wouldn't answer him at all; she always changed the topic as if she didn't want to talk about them.
Looking at their children from heaven, Jack and Georgia must have been worried about their son, whom they haven't taken care of. They must be sorry for their daughter, who has been the only one taking care of her brother.
Emma sat down beside Ash and invited her to eat dinner with them inside the adventurer's guild, but Ash declined, saying that he would wait for his sister to arrive first. But what if Ava wouldn't be able to come back anymore?
"I think you should get inside for now. It's already getting dark and cold here. Your sister won't be happy to see you catch a cold," Emma advised kindly. "I can cook you anything you want if you're hungry."
"I'm sorry, Emma, but can you please just give me some time for now?" Ash asked in a sad tone. "I'll follow you later."
Emma couldn't help but worry for the young boy, who kept waiting for his sister for almost ten hours without having anything in his stomach. Ash wouldn't die from a cold, but most likely from hunger. What should she do? Emma didn't know how to convince him anymore.
"Okay, Ash. I will go inside first, but please, promise me to follow me inside and eat your dinner before going to bed. The adventurer's guild is always open for you," Emma said.
Emma stood up and slowly walked towards the door with heavy steps, as if she were carrying the whole world with her. She was so worried because Ash, who looked like he would collapse anytime soon, wasn't listening to her words. What would they say? That they weren't taking good care of him?
A few moments later, Alice passed by the adventurer's guild when she noticed a familiar boy sitting on the stairs as if he were waiting for someone. She walked towards him and realized that it was Ash, so she stopped for a while and asked what he was doing there at this kind of time.
"I'm waiting for my sister to come back," Ash replied in a tired tone, as if he had lost all his energy from worrying.
"Why, where did Ava go?" Alice asked curiously, although she was more worried about Ash's condition right now than about Ava's.
"She followed Shawn in the dungeon at the Fire Kingdom; the old man was also there. I want to go there too, but Emma wouldn't let me," Ash explained. "Please, can you help me go there?"
After hearing Ash, Alice's eyes widened in surprise. She couldn't believe what she heard. She had been an adventurer for so long, and she knew that nobody had ever come out of that dungeon.
However, Alice didn't want to add Ash's worries about his sister, or he might completely collapse. She stayed calm and asked him to accompany her inside the adventurer's guild for now.
"Well, I can't decide to do that alone. Besides, your sister will kill me if I put you in danger. What if we get inside first?" Alice asked.
"Please, ma'am, help me save them. I don't want to lose anyone again!" Ash cried as he tried to convince Alice to help him.
Alice was left speechless. She could feel Ash's emotions. How he begged her for help wasn't something she could joke with. She knew him as a very energetic boy, but not this time.
"Okay, don't worry, Ash. I will help you save your sister as well as the old man and Shawn. But first, we should get inside and eat dinner," Alice invited him again.
Ash believed Alice's words since she was a good woman who had saved them once, so he followed her inside the adventurer's guild, where Emma had prepared his dinner.
"Good grief, you've made him eat his dinner," Emma whispered while looking at Ash, who was eating his food quickly as if he were so hungry. "Poor kid, I've tried asking him to get inside a while ago, but he said he would wait for his sister."
"So, is it true that they entered that dungeon?" Alice asked, still unable to believe what she knew from the guild receptionist.
"I couldn't believe it too, but it was Shawn who decided to enter that dungeon first to explore what was inside. I think he got some valuable information about the demon lord. Then, Ava came rushing to follow him, and Master Oregon also did," Emma explained.
"That stranger is really a pain in the back. If he wanted to commit suicide, then why couldn't he just do it alone? Why would he get those innocent people involved?" Alice asked angrily.
"Let's just lower our voice; Ash might hear what we are talking about," Emma said. "So, what are you planning to do now?"
"What else?" Alice replied. "I've already promised Ash to help them. If it isn't only because of that little boy, I will never bother getting involved in their businesses again."
Emma suddenly tapped her hands on the counter together in surprise, making a loud noise. "What did you say?" She asked, still unable to believe that they were about to lose another good adventurer just because of Shawn.
"That's not the best decision, Alice," Leo said as he walked towards them. He got closer and looked directly into Alice's eyes, willing to do his best to stop this lady from going.
"I know, it's like staking my life into it without knowing what will be the result. I don't like gambling, though, but what else can I do? I can't just sit here and watch everything end," Alice replied with some pride in her voice.
"So, you've made up your mind already?" Emma asked. "It's such a shame that we're about to lose all the best adventurers we have."
Leo didn't say anything but observed Alice. He didn't know why she acted so worried about them, or perhaps there was a certain person she wanted to save aside from Ava?
"I don't know your main reason to gather all your courage to enter that dungeon without knowing what will happen to you, but I think we have no choice but to let you go. You seem to be determined enough to take the possible consequences of your actions," Leo said seriously.
"Thank you so much, guild master!" Alice saluted. "Please take good care of Ash in case I won't be able to get back alive. Don't make him worry about us. You can expect me to be back before dawn; if I don't make it, everything lies in your hands on how to defeat the demonic dragon."
Alice couldn't believe she was saying those words by herself. It seemed to be her last message, driven by her intense feelings and emotions.
"If that's what you really want, you can rely on us. We'll take care of Ash and defeat the demonic dragon together, but we also wish you good luck," Leo said.
"Master, just when did you start getting serious?" Emma interrupted, destroying the seriousness in the atmosphere.
Although it seemed trivial and obvious, Alice also noticed that the guild boss wasn't smiling like before. Perhaps he was so stressed and also worried about what was happening recently.
Alice bid them farewell before proceeding to the Fire Kingdom. She might not be so capable of this, but she wasn't a coward who couldn't fight for the man she loved; even if he didn't love her back, she would act like a martyr.
Ash insisted on going with Alice, saying that he could help her fight the enemies. However, Alice didn't let him, for they might encounter dangerous monsters, and he was still too young to face death.
"Take care of yourself, Ash," Alice said before she left. She didn't say anything sad, such as that she wouldn't make it back, but she also didn't promise to be back, for she didn't know her fate.
If she wouldn't be lucky enough to survive, Alice decided to face her fate without regrets. She would never go back as a ghost who would haunt their land just because the man she loved didn't love her back.
Alice eventually reached the dungeon using her super-speed skill. She entered there without hesitation, gathering all her courage to walk in the darkness without any reliable guide.