Chapter 87: 87 Iris Decision.

The dense forest shrouded in darkness welcomed the appearance of three individuals who came out of the cave.

Their rustled steps scattered away the small beast that lurked around for being drawn toward the tangy smell of blood.

Jin walked silently behind the line in silence, his gaze lowered and not daring to meet the eyes of the two girls in front.

His earlier conduct struck his consciousness like a dark page of his youth that wanted to be erased, but couldn’t.

’Why did I become like that?’. Jin clasped his face, massaging his throbbing temple, ’That was out of my character’.

He lifted the gaze and both girls who peeked through the shoulder twitched and jolted back forward as their stiffened gait were pictured their current expression.

“Um, thank you, both of you”. Jin hesitated to open his frozen lips, but he had to break the stillness within the party.

Silence hung between them as Jin gulped his saliva, awaiting the girls’ replies. He sped up and tried to reach their hands.

“Iris, Silvia?”.

The girls exchanged glances before nodding, and looking back, their expressions were tight as if suppressing something within.

“It’s okay, I didn’t mind it at all”. Iris waved her hand, but when her eyes met Jin’s, the girl spat the contained emotion in a laugh, “Pfft, Ahahaha, I never thought you had a side like that”.

Silvia threw her gaze away, covering her giggle behind her palm. Her shoulders tremble slightly, recalling the earlier event.

Jin scratched his cheek, realizing his blunder in showing his raw emotion in a fight.

***

“You aren’t dead yet!?”.

Jin, who noticed the monster’s twitching muscles, unleashed his barrage of attacks.

He targeted the monster’s vital areas, from the joints, neck, solar plexus, and groin, to defeat the monster.

Without him noticing that the monster was already dead, the moment he struck its chest.

His continuous attack, followed by repeating the words ’Die’ over and over, turned the group mood into an awkward one.

Behind the scenes, where Silvia and Iris had collected all the regular Orc bodies, watching the scene with blank expressions, they closed the distance between each other and spoke in a whisper.

“I think it was already dead with the first strike at the chest?”. Silvia said, her expression tightened, to see the boy who was possessed by a chaotic personality.

“What was that? This was the first time I saw him act like that”.

Iris crossed her arms on her chest, her narrowed eyes revealing the wonder of the boy’s sudden outbursts.

“But, Jin like that was… pfft,”. Iris crouched while covering the grin that was plastered on her mouth. Her mind was filled with wild imagination from Jin’s new personality.

Silvia smiles bitterly, unsure what kind of expression she should make when faced with Jin, “Jin, I hope he realizes it soon…”.

The girls silently whispered toward the void, hoping the boy they knew regained his sanity.

While his repeated words echoed like a chorus, followed by the shattered bones and splattering blood, it added a dark melody to their first Chapter of Adventures as a party.

***

For Silvia and Iris, who always depicted Jin’s character as a calm and trained person, the image broke like brittle glass.

The howl and the tension in his pitch blew away the images they knew about the boy named Jin Midnight.

As they recalled that part, they couldn’t help but tremble and chuckled, heightened by his guilty expression.

This was the first time both girls witnessed Jin’s pleading expression, which incited something deep inside. It was a protective instinct and a bit of teasing.

Silvia shook her head as she reached out to grasp his warm hand and dragged him from behind to stand beside her.

“Don’t worry about it, Jin”. Silvia said, gently pulling the boys closer to her side, interlocking her fingers tightly, “You were cool back then”.

“Pfft, here I thought when you slightly feel relatable, shift to a composed one all of a sudden”.

Iris narrowed her eyes for the scene still vividly replayed in her brain, “Then what was your feeling back then, shouting Die repeatedly like a hot-blooded person?”.

The boy turned rigid and awkwardly turned his head to her side with a pink hue painted over his cheeks.

“Well, I’m trying to use a different style in a fight, and maybe because of the heated battle, the blood went to my head”. He loosened his facial muscles and lightly smiled at Iris, “Let’s just say, I’m thrilled for a bit”.

“No way, I heard your loud and clear and each blow you land was filled with a boiled spirit”.

The Elven girl leaned in closed and nestled her chin on his shoulder while sniffing his manly scent that quickened her heartbeat.

She looked to the side and watched Silvia chuckling in seeing the boy’s flustered face and constant teasing from her side.

’Well, a time like this is worth remembering’. Iris muttered, her eyes staring right through Jin’s trembling pupils.

As the group walked past the wilderness, a strong blazing sun welcomed them with submerging sun from the west.

The greenery carpet that lay before them swayed by the shift of changing breezes that brought a winter air through their skin, making the group shivered.

Jin and the group kept the conversation going as they traversed the plain toward the half-closed gate.

Iris, who has a fair share of life, never tired of moving her lips, telling many stories she heard on her path as an adventurer when leaving her homeland and taking care of Nina.

She still closed her identity as an Elves to Silvia, but seeing them bickering like sisters. Jin was sure that she would reveal it sooner or later.

They arrived at the gate close to the closing time. Jin, Iris, and Silvia showed their cards and the rank that dangled on their neck.

“Good, you may pass”. A senior knight greeted them with a gentle smile and furrowed his brow when he looked at his comrade, “Close the Gate!”.

A streak of clicking sound, followed by a low rumble of the thick door being moved slowly, halted the group in their tracks as they saw the gate closed tightly with a deafening thud.

They passed the knight district, which seemed less in spirit than the day. The still bustling central town greeted them with buzzing crowds, loitering around in search of ingredients for dinner or just leisurely wasting their time.

The three stopped before the adventure guild, exchanging glances before Iris raised her hand.

“Can we just report our guest completion tomorrow?”.

“I have no problem with that”. Jin shrugged his shoulders and shifted to Silvia, “What about you, Silvia?”.

Silvia nodded and broke her silence, “I’m fine either way. So, what is our plan for tomorrow?”.

“That…”.

Iris tightened her expression as she glanced at Silvia. Her green eyes flashed into Gold color before returning to their original state.

’Her eyes’. Jin blinked and looked at the girl beside him, who seemed oblivious to what had happened.

Silvia tilted her head slightly with a huge question mark on her head. ’Silvia didn’t see that?’.

The Elven girl stared right at the two who stood in close distance.

“You two, come to my house tomorrow. There is something I need to tell you guys”.

“What is it? Another adventure?”. Silvia leaned closer to Iris, grasping her hands tight.

However, Silvia’s brows raised when she saw Iris shake her head and eyes that shone with clear intention.

’Iris’. Jin’s breath stopped watching the strength that blazed through her green eyes.

He noticed the faint tremble on her lips and pupils that shook each time Iris inhaled to calm her quickened breath.

’It seems I need to step down for a bit’. Jin stood before the two and opened his mouth. “You guys can spend your days tomorrow, and I will be the one to report the Quest”.

“Jin!?”. Iris’s lips curled, holding back the emotion overflowing in her chest.

“Is that okay, Jin?”. Meanwhile, Silvia spread her pink lips to reveal her joy.

“Yeah, go ahead, and have fun, you two”.

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