Amelia the Level Zero Hero

Chapter 159

“Nothing,” Noele said as she trudged down the dirt road. “I can’t believe we found nothing!”

Behind her, Garron and Jax followed. They had spent all afternoon investigating the destroyed farmlands nearby, but despite their extensive search, they found nothing.

All they heard were the same rumors of a dark mist carrying shadowed figures that almost seemed to attack everything indiscriminately. And before morning came, this mysterious mist vanished. Now, the three adventurers slowly made their way back to Wolfwater, having learnt nothing at all.

“It wasn’t all for nothing, Noele,” Garron reassured the blonde girl. “Our presence calmed the [Farmers]— and we made sure they were safe. Even if we didn’t learn anything about the source of the attack, we still did our duty as adventurers.”

Jax snorted at that. “I don’t know who fed you that nonsense, but as adventurers, our only duty is to ourselves. I do not care about saving innocent lives, nor do I care about calming a crowd of foolish [Farmers] who are afraid of the dark.”

“Then why did you even come with us?” Noele glared at him— even if she knew she wasn’t really a threat to him. She was certain she could put up a better fight than before, especially with how she performed during their sparring sessions, but she had grown quite a lot thanks to Amelia’s training.

…even if most of it was essentially just the Noble Spellsword figuring out how to fight without the World System’s aid herself.

She shook her head as she turned away from the Forsaken Archer. “If you’re not here to help, why bother showing up?”

“Because I thought I would find a challenge here,” the elf scoffed. He glanced back fractionally, looking towards the sky as it slowly cleared of smoke. “All I found was nothing but disappointment.”

Noele rolled her eyes, before lowering her gaze. She couldn’t lie and say she wasn’t glad that Jax had accompanied herself and Garron out of Wolfwater. When she heard the rumors, she didn’t believe it at first. But the more she investigated, the more it seemed it was true.

Whatever it was that attacked the nearby farmlands… it didn’t stop there. This dark mist had blanketed across all of Vacuos. None of the continents were spared. It was said that even the sunken continent of Mare was assailed by these mysterious shadows.

The blonde girl didn’t know whether to believe it was true. It was all hearsay, after all. But many [Traders] or passing travelers said the same thing. So she couldn’t help give a little bit of credence to these rumors.

And if it’s all true, that means there’s something out there strong enough to endanger the entire world… the thought crossed her mind.

Noele’s worry must have shown on her face because she found a rough hand being placed on her shoulder. She looked back at Garron who gave her a reassuring nod.

“Whatever it is, we’ll be able to handle it, Noele,” he said softly.

“I just don’t know who or what is capable of this,” the blonde girl replied, closing her eyes. “The only explanation is that it was the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns. Their reach spreads across all of Vacuos, so they’re the only ones with the power to do this. But then my question is… why?”

Garron pursed his lips as they continued walking down the dirt road. “They don’t need a reason to do anything. They only follow the orders of the Void. They could destroy all of Laxo on a whim if they felt like it. What matters is that we’re here to stop them if that happens”

Noele blinked for a moment, staring at the Steel Tank. He was taller than her— bigger than her. So she had to look up to meet his gaze. Even if his voice was calm, his demeanor betrayed it, revealing his true feelings on the matter.

He always wore a frown on his face even when it wasn’t appropriate, but this time, it was a fitting look. He looked like he was upset knowing that whoever did this managed to get away with it.

“When did you get so heroic?” she chuckled, giving him a light punch. He laughed in response, and she nodded. “But you’re right. We’ll be here to stop them.”

“And if not,” Garron added, looking towards the farming village of Wolfwater in the distance. “Amelia will always be here to give us a hand, anyway.”

“That’s true,” Noele snickered as a small smile spread across her face. “That’s right… we’ll be fine. Amelia isn’t going anywhere.”

—--

“Yeah, so I’ll be leaving Wolfwater,” Amelia said, scratching the back of her head.

Noele blinked as she exchanged a glance with Garron. “...what?”

—---

I finally broke the news to Noele, Garron, and Jax when they returned from their trip out of Wolfwater. I had already spoken to Arthur and Harlan during the evening; I told them I’d give them time off, and they were fine with it.

I was certain that my talks with the three adventurers would progress just as smoothly, but apparently not. Instead, Noele protested, stepping up to the entrance of my restaurant’s kitchen.

“But you can’t leave!” she exclaimed, gesturing to the distant horizon. “After what just happened, we need you here! What if Wolfwater gets attacked again? Who’s going to protect us?”

I gave the blonde girl a flat stare. “I mean… aren’t you an A-ranked adventurer?”

She blinked for a moment, before shaking her head. “And what if this was another situation like with the Lich King? What if it’s too much for me to handle?”

“Well, Jax is here.” I glanced to the side, eyeing the elf sitting in the middle of the restaurant.

He had a drink in one hand, and a plate of pita bread in the other. Beneath him, Bucky clucked and tried to steal his food. But he was faster. He kept her from his plate as he laughed and mocked her for being too slow.

“You can always rely on him to help,” I said with a nod.

This time, it was the blonde girl’s turn to give me a deadpan stare. “Amelia…”

“What?” I asked, tilting my head to the side.

“He’s Jax,” Noele sighed as she lowered her head. “I don’t think we can rely on him for anything.”

“Fair.” I placed a hand on my chin. I looked past the Forsaken Archer, nodding at the burly man who was waiting at the front of the restaurant. “What about Garron?”

The blonde girl pursed her lips. She apprehensively looked his way, before turning back towards me. “Garron is… he has a lot of potential. But right now, I’m not sure if he can support me when I need help. I mean, he’s not even an A-ranked adventurer.”

I raised a brow at her. I was surprised to see the way she spoke of the Steel Tank. He was practically her main training partner, having fought alongside her since they met in Windrip.

“I thought you liked him,” I said, crossing my arms. “Why don’t you trust him?”

It was a simple question. Innocuous, at that. But Noele immediately recoiled, flushing in response. “W-what? What does that have anything to do with this?”

“I didn’t mean it like that. Although… I’m sure you do like him.” I rolled my eyes.

She scowled, crossing her arms. “I do, but that doesn’t change what I said. Maybe I phrased it a bit harshly, however as he is right now, if there’s a threat I can’t deal with, then there is nothing he’ll be able to do either. Don’t get me wrong, he’s working hard, and I’m sure he’ll catch up with me soon. But…”

“But you’re nervous,” I said simply. The blonde girl blinked as I continued bluntly. “You’re worried about this mysterious enemy, and you want me to be around to deal with it.”

She didn’t respond, although the way she shuffled her feet and averted her gaze was answer enough.

“Look, I’ve told you this many times, but I can’t always be around to deal with your problems, Noele. And I’m not trying to single you out when I say that— but it applies to all of Vacuos too. Eventually, there will come a time when I won’t be around.”

Noele frowned. “And why won’t you be around?”

“Who knows?” I shrugged. For a moment, my mind flashed with a memory. A recollection of a world long-changed. A familiar yet alien place to me. “Maybe I’ll be somewhere else… or maybe I’ll be dead.”

“Can you even die?” the blonde girl asked, staring at me in disbelief.

“Probably.” I wasn’t actually sure about that. But that didn’t matter right now. “My point is, I can’t always be here to bail… anyone out. And I especially can’t just sit around here, waiting for some enemy that might not show up to show up.”

Noele hesitated, and I sighed. I walked up to her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

“Look, I know you’re worried, but this is something I have to do. I can’t just keep overworking Harlan and Arthur, and I need a [Chef] to keep my restaurant running if I’m ever not around. That’s why I need to go to Astral.”

“...right.” She didn’t seem convinced, so I continued.

“Anyways, if you really do need my help, you still have that [Message] scroll Saros gave us, right? You can always call me with that, and I’ll be back in an instant.” I nodded at her.

But the blonde girl bit her lower lip. “That’s the thing, Amelia… I don’t have it anymore.”

“What?” I blinked, and she exhaled exasperatedly.

“That’s why I’m worried— my [Message] scroll was lost, before the battle with the Lich King. I couldn’t find it after, so it’s gone.” Noele looked away from me.

I stared at her. I watched as she gritted her teeth in frustration, before looking at me expectantly. I placed a hand on my chin as I mulled over this dilemma. Finally, I raised a hand.

“I mean, we could always buy another one…?” I suggested.

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