The streets of Stonebuch are bustling and bustling. The air was dreary in the dampness, and it seemed as if a heavy rain was brewing, the strong scent of southern flowers, the spicy spices of the street shops, the smell of all kinds of food, the stench of sewers, the smell of sweat on people's bodies, the excrement that was dumped on street corners without care...... It's all mixed together, certainly not as fresh and pleasant as Grivar, but it's something Rosa knows and loves.

For her, it's the taste of home, maybe not perfect, but it's intimate.

But she didn't have to look back, she also knew that Sesyana's eyebrows must have furrowed slightly in displeasure. The people of Ston Butch are accustomed to seeing elves, and they don't point fingers and stare at him like the northerners, but home is so close that they can never go back...... It's normal to be in a bad mood so you can't see anything.

Rosa wasn't in a hurry to get home, although she did miss the imps at home. Monroe, who has grown up, is becoming more and more like his father - that means he is sometimes touchingly reliable and sometimes completely unreliable, and he is not as reassuring as his brother Barrett, who is several years younger than him, but fortunately, her two younger sisters, Carrie and Patty, are very sensible, otherwise she would not dare to leave home for months in a row and run to the far north on a mission......

Come to think of it, this was the first time she had failed to complete her mission. She never thought it would be easy to kill a dragon, but the title "Dragon Slayer" was too tempting, and Mancini offered a price that was hard to refuse...... If she had known that Norway and Tess were actually the "friends" of the dragon, she would probably think again. It's a pity that by the time she knew, the members of the dragon slaying team had already been gathered...... And Rosa Latus never gave up halfway.

Now, even the leader is gone. The whole team was torn apart, and she accepted defeat with peace of mind. It's just that since the person didn't die, according to the rules, she still has to lose money. She's not a homeless person like Baie or Desima who can hide far away...... She still has a family living in Stonbutch, and Mancini probably doesn't dare to do anything with them. But he did it by playing a little trick to close the arms shop of the Latus family, and the family was unhappy.

She thought about it. If you can "argue" with Mansini. Maybe she didn't have to pay double, as long as the old man didn't take advantage of her absence to steal the money she hid and squander it, she should be able to afford it...... But she couldn't afford to pay for Sesyana's share.

The original adventure plan with Norway and Tess was obviously in vain, and Rosa temporarily lost interest in finding someone else to adventure with. It's getting harder and harder to find a few reliable companions these days. She didn't want to be burdened by other people and lose her life. It's best to find a task that can be completed by two people......

- But speaking of which, why should she take care of the elf's share, and be careful to take care of his pride, so that he thinks she needs his help?

It's a headache that Rosa doesn't usually think about. She always told herself that it was probably an instinct to protect her younger siblings...... Although Sesyana was older than her entire family combined, her swordsmanship was worth two of her ...... One and a half, but that surprisingly naïve and willful, is simply worse than Tess.

At all costs. She had to say hello to Mancini first.

She didn't really hate dealing with Mansini, though she didn't like it. The cunning fat man wasn't as kind as the smile he always wore on his face, but he was a good trader. Be generous, have a good reputation, and will not care too much about temporary gains and losses, and also know how to retreat when it is difficult, and accept it when it is good......

It's just that there is always something in his smile that Rosa can't fathom, and Rosa is cautiously wary of all those she can't fathom.

She led Sesyana to Mansini's mansion in the Uptown. Unlike many aristocrats, Mancini didn't mind and even took pride in the variety of people in his home—just like the huge and grotesque statues he collected in his courtyard of different races and civilizations.

That was Aaron Mansini's well-known hobby, so he wanted to "collect" a dragon...... It's not so surprising.

They were ushered into the overly ornate flower hall, and it wasn't long before Mancini appeared with a smile on his face, as warm as a true friend.

"Rosa!" he held out his hands to the female warrior, "it's great that you're safe, otherwise how would I explain to your family?"

Rosa smiled faintly.

"My lord, I think you already know that we can't kill that dragon. She got straight to the point.

"Of course, of course. Mancini hugged his belly with some regret, "That's our new Sage's pet, who would dare to hurt it?"

It's not because of this...... But Rosa just shrugged her shoulders noncommittally.

"Of course, it's not your fault at all. Mancini nodded graciously to her and Cesyana, "So, as long as you can pay back half of the deposit, it's over." ”

Something quirky...... But Rosa was not about to refuse the unexpected generosity, and she was not surprised when she politely thanked Mancini and prepared to leave, and Mancini rubbed her hands together and said "but ......" with an embarrassed expression.

Mancini was certainly not a man of all odds, but he never did a loss-making business.

"Look, it's not a task, and if you have time, I wonder if you can do me a favor? Mancini looked at Rosa earnestly.

Rosa smiled, wanting to refuse, but ......

“...... What's the help?" asked Sesyana, who had been silent.

Rosa couldn't help but sigh. She was well aware of Mansini's small means, and even if she could push away this potentially tricky "help" without care, the elf would feel that she owed Mancini a favor and could not simply get out.

"You don't have to kill anyone, or any living thing...... Not even a dog will hurt. Mancini smiled, "I just need to find someone, an old friend you all know...... I'm worried he might be in a little trouble. ”.

On the outskirts of Stonbuch, by a stream that flows into the Vinez River, there is a watchtower that has been abandoned for decades, and it looks quite scary with scorched black marks as if it had been struck by lightning.

But when Rosa stared at it, she was very suspicious that the terrible mark was in fact a show-off—or proof. Considering that it was her "old friend" who lived in it, the mage Deamo, this is quite possible.

Although he seemed to be born with something missing in his head, D'Amo Karp was a very serious mage, and didn't seem to have any other hobbies than to study his spells—and no other skills. Rosa was not surprised by his loyalty to Mansini, and without Mansini's generous funding, this "powerful mage" would have had a problem even supporting himself, let alone buying all kinds of expensive spell materials and scrolls.

And Mansini's concern for D'Amo is also easy to understand - he spent so much money to finally raise a mage who is both obedient and "can use chain lightning", and of course he will not give up easily.

According to Mansini, Mr. D'Amo returned to Ston Butch almost two months ago. After Désima fled without a trace, Rosa and Cesyana "defected", and Baie left him without saying a word, he probably couldn't think of any other way than to honestly run back and tell Mansini.

For these two months Mancini had little use for him, and D'Amo shrank in his tower as usual, immersed himself in his books and all sorts of strange experiments, and only came out once in a while, strolling along the brook with his eyes blank.

D'Amo had an apprentice, a boy from a nearby village, who usually lived on the ground floor of the watchtower, which doubled as a kitchen. A few days ago, he came to Mancini out of the blue, claiming that his "Master Mage" had not been downstairs for several days, and that no matter how much he shouted, he was afraid that he had turned himself into a frog or something, and he did not dare to go upstairs, or even knock on the door—no one dared to enter a mage's laboratory without permission, and even if he knocked politely, he would probably be in danger of his life. As the "mage's apprentice", the boy at least knew about it, although he didn't seem to have learned anything.

Fearing something might happen to his "friend", Mancini paid for several mages and thieves, carefully broke down the door, dismantled all the traps, and searched the entire tower—presumably with a lot of things—before telling Mancini that D'Amor was not in the tower at all.

That's never been the case. D'Amo wasn't the kind of mage who liked to run around and take risks, and he wouldn't have gone anywhere without Mansini's request.

That's how D'Amo disappeared.

Mancini looked at it with confusion, and it was so chaotic that it was difficult to tell whether it had been turned into that or if it had been left as it was, in short, there was no clue.

And he was looking forward to Rosa and Cesyana finding something.

If it was Décima who was missing, Rosa didn't bother to bother at all, but D'Amor ...... To be honest, she quite likes the guy who seems to be weird and unreasonable, but can actually see through it at a glance.

As for Cessiana, he owes Mancini a debt of affection, and D'Amor has fought alongside them – even if not voluntarily, for these two reasons alone, he did not hesitate to accede to Mansini's "request", and did not even ask for payment.

- At this point, Rosa decided to look for another opportunity to discuss amicably with Lord Mansini depending on the simplicity of the task.

(To be continued......)