"You seem different, kid? Did something happen?" Rana asked Arthurus looking at him with a confused gaze, and he realized following the pace of Ryu, Jue, and Aiena he forgot to keep up his high and mighty act, and in the hurry of improvising he looked towards Ryu with a hint of pleading in eyes as he spoke to Rana,
"Grandma, the bonds formed inside dungeons are deep seeing their courage and saving them have made a bond deeper than that of normal quest applicants and therefore I consider these three as my smaller siblings and even told them my name after I defeated the boss with their help"
After hearing that Rana moved her face towards Ryu in confusion and disbelief, even though she had not met Ryu in a long time she had heard a lot about him from the Village chief and she personally had some adventurers check that dungeon before allowing the guest to claim it,
'This kid needed to be saved from slimes!?' she wondered, but Ryu's gaze was locked with Arthurus, who was pleading with eyes,
'Please play along!' seeing those eyes Ryu smiled and with a grin spoke,
"Yes, Grandma Rana, he was the one who saved us a lot of time… he even showed us how to drink slime fluid like water before I could show my water glyph!!"
'What is this technique!? Young once do this stuff nowadays!?' Rana was shocked and was staring at Arthurus as if he is a monster, meanwhile Jue was trying hard to hold back his laughter,
"Slime fluid is not for drinking kid… don't" Rana didn't have words to express it so she just moved near Arthurus looking up at him with her short stature she jumped and smacked his head hard with a punch and shouted with an irritated grumpy look,
"Do not do that again!! Slime fluid is poisonous more often than not!!"
'If he was dead, there would be a mountain of problems to deal with!!' Rana thought as she sighed at the stupidity of the young man standing beside her.
"Are you an idiot? Is this what they teach in pa…." she was about to say something but stopped putting a hand on her head she spoke in irritation,
"Any way you kid must've your breakfast and hurry back home. The carriages that go early are cheaper… take this new big brother you got to guide you after receiving your rewards,"
At this Arthurus spoke with a nice smile, different from his prideful one earlier.
"I need to talk to you about something related to rewards first! Can we have a little talk Grandma" seeing him smile in this manner after seeing him being a pain in the ass pride brat before made Rana cringe.
Arthurus and Rana went to her office for a discussion. Only Ryu, Jue, and Aiena were standing alone near the table looking at each other's eyes as Jue and Ryu started laughing hard.
"Big brother drinking slime fluid…. You should've seen Maple's head face!!"
"It just suddenly came to my mind Jue" Ryu replied boasting and laughing. Meanwhile, Aiena looked concerned as she spoke.
"Ryu, you should've thought something else… Grandma will think of him as a mad person now" at this Ryu thought a bit and replied,
"Let's praise him a bit during breakfast to make it up for it" although Ryu said this, his grin was making it obvious. He was up to something, so Aiena just prayed inside,
'Please don't do anything troublesome!!!'
After fifteen minutes or so, Rana and Arthurus came back. He was evidently in his pride mode and Rana seemed to have an impressed look for some. reason, soon she called for breakfast,
"Eat any amount you want!!" Rana said happily and soon every one of them was eating. There was more variety of, food even more than the day they left for the dungeon,
"Want to have another contest Ryu!!" Arthurus said with a subtle prideful but friendly voice
"let's go!!" Ryu replied eating food while using [Quickening] skill, making Rana shocked as to how he will even apply the skill if it's meant for eating fast,
"Kids, how was it inside this emerged dungeon tell me… I need to know for adventure guild's purpose," and Ryu spoke suddenly,
"I lose Arthurus… I can not compete for eating more because I want to tell Rana grandma tale of our adventure" an almost evil grin on his face,
"There were slime monsters of various colors…." Arthurus understood if he did not tell him about it before Ryu, he will get more chances of making fun of him,
"There was even a slime where you have to close my eyes saying it is a slime only adults can see," Ryu said in the most innocent sound he musters, and Arthurus kicked his leg beneath the table to make him stop but it didn't each time Arthurus would make up a superb part of their dungeon story showing his heroic and strength feats, Ryu will turn them into embarrassing stuff while still acting as if praising him,
'Bastard!! Now you've done it, see my level of stuff making!!' Arthurus thought,
'How simple!!' Ryu grin,
Meanwhile, Aiena and Jue were silent because all they could think was,
'Isn't it completely different from what actually happened!!' because leaving the slime part, both were making up stuff as they speak,
They were having fun making fun of each other, but Rana's mind was in chaos after listening to what Ryu was saying, her image of Arthurus was collapsing.
'Maybe this is why he increased reward… so he could tell them to be quiet,' Rana silently thought, not knowing what to say,
Soon the breakfast ended and a helper from the adventurer guild was called,
"Guild master, I believe I had already handed over this rewards quest to you?"
"You never greet first, do you!?" Rana said as she thought 'Why all youngsters are so mannerless nowadays!?' and continued,
"Either way, the Client wants to increase reward but still wants to give it through Adventurer Guild. Being a rule-abiding, citizen he says,"
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"Guild master, if it was just a slip, I could've made it later!! You know I am evening shift not day shift!!"
Rana just looked at the employee with a little scary look and she settled,
"I am not complaining, I was just stating! I am sorry," the employee said instantly and Rana thought.
'Pressure is still there' while frowning
Arthurus talked with Guild staff handling her a pouch over and taking a receipt. The staff moved to Ryu and asked
"Do you acknowledge that the Quest is completed, and it was reasonable?"
'They never asked that last part in Zerah adventurer guild?' Ryu wondered as he said,
"Yes, Quest is completed" and smiling Guild staff handed over the pouch she received to Ryu and said,
"Please, after checking the amount, give us 15% service fees!! Usually, fees are already collected before the quest is given, but in case of an increase in reward, we will have to ask for it while rewarding"
Ryu nodded as he opened the pouch. He was stunned the pouch was not containing silver coins as he was expecting.
"These magic crystals are all mid-rank!! And 10 Gold coins!?" Ryu was shocked, and so were Aiena and Jue as the reward was earlier said to be a single gold coin.
Ryu looked towards Arthurus who smiled, nodding while thinking,
'I do as I said!!'
Guild staff urged Ryu for a 15% share again as the staff who mediate the increase in reward also get a part of it,
"I don't know the market value of magic crystals… but I believe a gold coin will be sufficient?"
"Sure but add a 2 crystal too!!" Guild staff answered cheerfully, as she will get some silver too,
Ryu handed over the gold coin and crystals and handed over the pouch for Aiena to keep. At once they all started preparing for leaving. Arthurus was waiting for them to finish as he tell them,
"my butler already put my possessions in the carriage meant for me… but I'll make sure that you got on one before you leave!!" he was feeling responsible towards them, especially what happened in the dungeon, he believes every small thing is a chance to build back his respect as an elder and also,
'I can't let him fall in someone else's hand… I need to make sure' Arthurus thought while waiting for Ryu and others to finish their packing.
After they were done, he took them to a carriage stand and stopped Ryu. Before they could board the carriage they settle in and spoke,
"Ryu, I knew I cannot ask anything unreasonable of you… but the strength you have and are going to have I need it not as an obligation but as a friend I need your strength in this uncertain future!! Here, take this. "
Arthurus handed over a Jade mana crystal locket to Ryu and spoke.
"This is not a reward it is a gift and also a promise… I too got a locket of the same manner in my family when one chooses a brother not related by blood they exchange these in the dungeon you saved my life and even give me a new view… I want you as my brother these Jade lockets to lighten up when the bearers of both are closer in 5 km and when filled with mana notify other jade locket signal!"
"I appreciate the feelings…" Ryu said, but before he could complete his rejection Arthurus spoke in a low voice,
"If you are not my brother I won't be able to hide the secret of your swords… you wouldn't want that, right?" Ryu could see he was serious, so Ryu laughed and spoke
"You bastard!! Then be ready you wanted me as a brother you got it… don't back off later when I ask help big brother maple head!" with this said he took and wore the Jade mana crystal locket, and Arthurus said with a disappointed smile,
"I never meant it to be one-sided… I swore on my family's name if trouble came to you and you seek my help no matter what it is if I can help, I'll not back off and wish you will do same!!" Ryu was shocked at the emotional thing Arthurus said combined with his disappointed smile but he knew Arthurus was cunning so he just answered with a smile,
"We will see about that!! Later then Arthurus, big brother!!" he took a quick peek at Arthurus, and there it was Arthurus stats as clear as day, leaving a cloud that was one of his titles.
'So he actually does believe me this much…' Ryu thought with an awkward smile,
And boarded the carriage, Jue and Aiena looked at him with a questioning gaze as Aiena asked with a curious gaze,
"What happened Ryu? That locket is he gave it to you?"
"Yes, Aiena!! Apparently, we are brothers in a sense now" when Ryu said it, Jue pouted just a little so that he won't be noticed by others and thought,
'I won't lose to any sworn brother!! I will end up becoming the most reliable little brother ever' meanwhile Aiena thought,
'Hope he isn't just trying to use Ryu… but then again, Ryu is smart enough'
And they made their way back towards Zerah town,