Lillian was gone, riding away with Oran's dagger. All she left Orlan with were those unforgettable memories and the Astra sword with the Golden Rose signature.

Golden rose, the "eternal smile" in the eyes of the people of Astra.

……

"Old Morgan's boy, you're back. I thought I wouldn't be able to complete this commission today, but you really surprised me. Is this the palm of those monsters? Gabriel laughed and flicked the fork with the sharp claws of the monster's palm.

"Yes, there are two of them." Oran replied.

"Why, boy, your face is a little wrong, you seem to have come back alone. What about the girl? Gabriel looked behind Oran and didn't notice anyone else.

"Pay me." Orlan shook his head.

"Don't worry, boy, I won't miss you." With that, he threw a small leather bag that was still bulging to Oran, who didn't look closely, pulled up his hood and left.

"Hmph, boy. It's cheap for you, this dead man's money is just reserved for you to do dead people's business. ”

He wouldn't have known that his muttering had completely caught Oran's ears, and how could Orlan not know where the little leather bag, which still smelled of rotting corpses, came from.

It's getting late, and Orlan still needs to complete the next commission.

Infested by the water ghosts at the entrance of the village, they are humanoids with green or blue scales all over their bodies, fins on their limbs and back, webbed hands and feet, and gills on their necks. They like to eat the brains of rotten creatures, and of course they will attack certain people or animals that pass by the riverbank, and they will not refuse fresh brains.

Orlan came to the lighted hut, facing the riverbank, and knocked on the door.

"Who! Who is it? Who's out there? ”

"The one who took your commission."

After a few moments, the people inside finally opened the door.

"Thank you, gods, that someone finally came to my aid. I didn't dare to go out these nights, and I thought those ghosts were knocking on my door! Thankfully, you're human. Russ Richard looked winced with two dark circles under his eyes, and it seemed that he hadn't slept well in the past few days.

"Can you take me to the place where the incident happened?"

"Uh...... Those things are on the Broken Bridge, and you'll come across them later. If you come back alive, don't forget to bring something to prove that you killed these monsters. I don't want to pay for nothing! ”

"That's it, I'll come over tomorrow morning." Orlan turned to leave, and heard the door slam behind him, and it seemed that this guy was scared a lot these days.

Oran soon followed the riverbank to the broken bridge, which had been caused by flooding a few years earlier. Later, it was not repaired, because there were not many people walking on the bridge.

The river that runs along the edge of the village is still wide and deep, and can even feed people like Russ Richard, who make a living from fishing.

The soft sand leaves a series of footprints in Oran, and the moonlit water sparkles on the water, making it seem like a good day for hunting. Oran would not let go of any noise under his feet, and the great sword on his back was ready to be unsheathed at any time.

Bang, the beach behind him instantly "exploded", which is a common trick of water ghosts, hiding in the shallows and jumping out of the target unexpectedly. However, Orlan was prepared, turned around and swung his sword violently, and the light blue water ghost had his right arm cut off, and the blood of the tent splattered all over the ground.

The water ghost let out a piercing roar of pain, and its mouth full of sharp teeth was already grinning at the base of its ears, but it did not want to escape.

Orlan was a little dissatisfied with the slash just now, because there was no sword to cut off the head of the water ghost. He aimed at the neck, only the whole water ghost head was valuable, and it would not be beautiful if it was cut violently.

With the creeping of the thing, a few waves splashed in the water, and it seemed that it had found a few more helpers. A few more water spirits with light blue scales sprang out of the river, like fish leaping out of the water, and flew towards Oran.

Orlan did not retreat, but advanced, and suddenly accelerated to meet him, and a large amount of sand was splashed under his feet by the force of the moment he stepped forward. The whole person picked up the big sword and formed a perfect arc in the moonlight, and the two water ghosts who had not yet landed were stopped and cut down, and their internal organs flowed to the ground.

There is still such a thing as a water ghost, and when he saw that his two companions were killed in an instant, he was stunned for a while and planned to reflexively jump back into the water and escape. And how could Orlan let it succeed, and threw the sword in his backhand, and the water ghost was nailed into the shallows by the big sword through the neck.

And the broken arm water ghost who appeared first found that Orlan had no weapon in his hand, so he was about to rush up and fight hard, and bit it with a huge mouth.

But Orlan didn't panic, and he didn't plan to run over to get his weapon, only to see Orlan turn around and swing his fist with his left hand, hitting the head of the water ghost. Suddenly, the water ghost seemed to have been hit by an ogre's mallet, and it slammed into the wall of the broken bridge with a muffled thud.

"It's a pity." Orlan didn't stop for a while, because the water ghost's brain had become a mess on the broken bridge.

He withdrew his sword and cut off the heads of the remaining three water ghosts one by one. The sideburns that hold their heads are like carrying three gourds.

I didn't expect tonight's harvest to be good, and the fire in my belly was vented. It's just that I pity these short-eyed water ghosts, and they don't even leave a complete corpse.

With the head of the water ghost, Orlan can also go to the alchemist to exchange for something good. Then you can easily deal with the ghosts of the cemetery.

……

Orlan then plans to go home, after all, he has lived here with the old hunter. Their little cabin on the edge of the village, near the woods, should still be there.

The cabin was in disrepair, with almost no doors and windows, and a leaky roof. But it's still a temporary shelter. It can be said that Oran spent half of his childhood here, while the other half was left to the vast jungle.

Orlan was glad that at least the guys hadn't done anything stupid to burn down the house, even though it was now an empty shell. Presumably, there would be nothing else in it except the moss that was damp and crawling due to the leaking rain.

Hanging today's trophies on the wall outside the house was a habit developed over the years. Every time I return from hunting with the old hunter, as long as I can hang the prey, I will hang it in this place. Just as a knight flaunts his armor and sword, a warrior shows off his strong body, and a hunter hangs his best trophies at the door.

Of course, it is not excluded that this untreated water ghost head is really fishy, and Orlan is not willing to smell it all night to sleep.

Orlan couldn't sleep alone, not because someone was missing (he wouldn't admit it), but Lillian took not only his sword, his horse, and his bag with him when she left.

Just like when he left, now he's alone.