Frostfire Legacy

The black cat glanced at the two who stopped her and glared at them. Her eyes were so sharp that it was hard to even look at her directly. However, neither of the two flinched, keeping their hold on her firmly.

"I suggest you get off our leader now before things escalate further."

Kali's words were cold, as if she would resort to violence if the other party didn't back off.

With a scoff, the black cat removed Cassy's hold on her hand before she stood up and walked past the three, going through the portal behind them in one go. She didn't say a single word the entire time!

As soon as her figure vanished, the two girls let out a deep, long sigh.

"You fucking idiotic weakling!" Kali rained down curses over Aster, however. "Who in the world goes approaching a stranger without a hint of wariness? Didn't you see how she was on edge even before you came close?!"

"S-Sorry..." Aster apologized, pushing himself off the ground. "I thought she was injured, so I wanted to get a closer look to confirm."

"Injured?" Kali exclaimed in an incredulous tone. "The blood covering her was someone else's, not her own."

Cassy, who was quiet the entire time, turned to Aster with both her hands over her chest. "Star... Did you come close to her just to get a better look at her boobs?"

"What? No!"

"But you were staring at it so intently!"

"I said I thought she was injured; I was looking over her entire body!"

Of course, Aster wasn't lying. He didn't have any ulterior motives when he approached the cat girl, other than feeling worried over her. It was slightly true that his line of sight stayed on the most conspicuous part, her large chest, for a bit longer than the rest of her body, however.

"Enough. We should return now." Kali's cold voice stopped the two from continuing.

The time was already past five in the afternoon. If they dally, then they wouldn't be able to make it in time before the guild closes. Although reluctant to leave the misunderstanding about him as is, Aster had no choice but to follow.

The trio, carrying loot from two boss monsters and from a few slimes, went on their way back.

---

A few minutes later, at the guild, all eyes were looking at them.

Of course, that was inevitable. After all, Aster was pushing the EM Cart, carrying the half-frozen, headless corpse of the Dire Wolf. To those who kept on staying in the guild, they knew that this was the third time that their party hunted the field boss!

"Look, isn't that the Hobgoblin's necklace? Does this mean they have entered the second floor now?"

"That's for sure. Look at what that rabbit woman is holding. Those are green slime cores!"

"Yeah, there's no green slimes on the first floor. They must've moved up a floor at long last."

Chatter filled the guild hall, but the three didn't mind them and continued straight to the counter. There, Zena was already showing a wry smile, seeing the loot they were carrying.

"So the reason you weren't anywhere yesterday was because you were heading to the second floor." She exclaimed with understanding. "However, you should renew your contract soon. Aster, Cassandra, your trial party contract expires today."

"Ah!"

The two gasped, completely forgetting about that piece of detail. They were so into it, completely comfortable with each other, that they forgot that they were a trial party!

"Star..." Cassy looked at him with worry.

After all, he was the party leader, so he had the right to decide whether or not to keep Cassy in their party. Aster stared back at her and smiled.

"Of course, if you're not against it, I want to be in a party with you." He replied, despite having no intention of letting Cassy go.

"...! Yes! Of course, I don't mind! Yeey!" Cassy replied, jumping around in joy.

Seeing their interactions, Kali could only sigh, while Zena showed a warm smile. "You two should get a room!" She teased.

"Room? Won't Star's hotel be fine?" Cassy wondered, completely misunderstanding what Zena was talking about. "We should celebrate our formal party formation!"

Aster felt embarrassed, as he did get what Zena was saying. However, he didn't want to corrupt the innocent rabbit's mind, so he just kept quiet about it, patting her head in silence.

After that, Zena brought another contract, which the two signed, completing their formal party formation. "With this, you'll be party members unless you cancel the contract or when the member or the leader dies."

"What an ominous thing to say..." Aster commented lightly. "Anyway, our loot. Please assess them before you close the guild for today."

They were already cutting it close, with the time approaching 6 p.m. rapidly. Zena sighed as if finding it bothersome before moving toward the hall and carrying her usual holo-tablet.

As usual, despite her lazy expression, her work was fast and accurate. It didn't take her five minutes to complete her assessment and give a price to their quarry.

"The Dire Wolf, since it's not as pristine as the first two you've brought in, will be priced at 350 thousand Tels. For the Hobgoblin accessories, we will buy them all for 270 thousand. Then, there's the 22 green slime cores, for 220 thousand Tels."

Adding them together, their party earned a total of 840 thousand Tels over two days! It was a little below their usual daily average with the Blue Simes, but their actual hunting time was less than an hour, so it was, in truth, an amazing amount!

After confirming the money entering their accounts, the trio headed out.

"Well then, K., you're having dinner with us, right~?" As soon as they entered the busy road, Cassy grabbed her shoulders and grinned. "Don't tell me you forgot your promise to treat us to dinner before!"

"..."

Kali didn't forget that, of course. It was her promise after the two saved her from the kidnappers, after all. However, as usual, she had a deep frown covering her face. Kali wasn't really used to a boisterous atmosphere, especially at parties!

"... Then, if Aster cooks for us, I will." As if finding a loophole, she suggested.

Rather than refusing it herself, she decided to push the decision on someone else! She was expecting Aster to refuse, saying it was too bothersome or something, but the next moment, he nodded his head instead.

"Sure! Then, let's drop by the market and buy ingredients. Tonight, we'll be having a feast!"

"Yay!"

"..."