Trying to Improvise

The day ended quite well. The guild members were celebrating that they finally able to withstand the monsters’ attack. But in reality, it was Rodan Rouge and Norio Noir who mostly did everything to make sure they’re safe. But Rodan and Nono didn’t take credit that much.

Rodan and Nono were given an unused bedroom for them to stay. Meanwhile, Ringo asked Ruru whether she’d like to sleep together with her or not, in which Ruru agreed on because she liked how Ringo dressed her hair into different styles and somehow always fitting.

Gladly, Ruru didn’t scream in her sleep for the first time.

...

In the next day, Rodan instructed Ringo’s guild members to do something for him. After a rush hour of tasking people, he decided to go to the city. But just before he left, Ringo stopped him.

“Where are you going?” she asked.

“To the city, of course, there’s no other place left to go than that place,” Rodan replied.

“Are you serious, Roro? What about my garden? What about my guild members? Are you going to abandon us all? Moreover, you know you can’t simply waltz into the city walls without being checked by the guards, right?”

“Oh, shush your mouth, lady. Your endless ranting will really make my ears bleed ocean one day! Don’t worry about your garden. I’ve got it covered with my barrier! Monsters won’t come while the barrier is active!”

“Then why not just use that since the beginning, Roro?!” Ringo ranted all over again.

“IMPOSSIBRU! It’s wasting my magical energy and it can only be done once a week! Don’t you remember I activated some barriers back in my house? If it is summed up with the ones I used here, my entire body will be dry as that forsaken barren desert as my Mana won’t be enough to maintain them all for a long time!” Rodan retorted rapidly.

“W-Well! U-Um...” Ringo turned her sights away while trying to counter his words.

“A-Ah! W-What about you going to the city? You know you can’t just get in there without being checked by the guards!” Ringo pointed her finger to him. “You need a pass! A pass! You can’t get in without a pass!”

Rodan’s eyes expanded a bit. He went silent for a several second before finally replying but in a gentle voice, “...Ah, you’re right.

...I forgot that. Astur City is quite strict about entry permit. They won’t allow anyone that doesn’t have an entry pass. How tight their security system can be?”

Ringo let out a long breath as she managed to win against him in an argument.

“Phew... well, that’s also the reason why I built my guild outside of the city. My guild cannot expand with those policies in the way. Their strictness made me wanna go hurl.”

Rodan looked at her, “Huh... I suppose we’re the same after all. Living outside the city just to live a peaceful life, but in your case, you’re literally dying right now,” he joked while picking up his drink behind him on the table.

“S-Shut up! That’s why I asked you to come!

...Anyway, putting that aside, you know you can’t enter the city, right? You don’t have a pass. If you’re gonna start charging into the city, I’m going to stop you right there, Roro. I can’t let you become a full-fledged criminal before this is all over.”

Rodan blurted out his drink, “PUFOHH—D-Don’t say it like I’m already a fugitive around this kingdom! I’m not that stupid to destroy my peaceful world!” Rodan ranted.

“Heh... I get it, I get it,” Ringo said smugly while handing over a handkerchief.

“Tch, how annoying can you be? Hmph!” Rodan looked away while wiping his mask and his face. “But still... I’ve something to do in the city. Going to the city without an entry is just outright suicide... so what choices are there left for me to take...?”

“Oi, don’t start musing about it, Roro. Getting to Astur City may be difficult... but if on your own, that is. It’s different if you go there with MY help!”

“Oh, really? So it appears you’re a criminal, huh, Ringo... morever worse than I am... I’m disappointed of you...” Rodan stared down at her.

“H-HEY! It’s not like I’m going to smuggle you in there, darn it!” Ringo gritted her teeth. “Geez, it’s just simply by showing these to the gatekeepers and you’re good to go,” said Ringo while showing a badge from her pocket.

“Show these and they’re going to let me slide through? Just like that?” Rodan’s eyebrows wrinkled.

“Yes.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah, I’m serious.”

“Really?”

Ringo’s nerves began to show on her forehead, “Yes... I’m really serious, Roro,” she said as her eyelids twitched.

“GOSH! Just how annoying can he be?! If it is somebody else, I would’ve fried them into tiny charcoal bits!”

“Ho... well, then, I’ll gladly take it with me,” Rodan replied offhandedly while folding the handkerchief he used earlier.

“I’ll go with you, Roro,” Nono suddenly came.

“Oi, oi, I’m fine on my own. Nothing bad is going to happen, trust me,” Rodan responded casually while giving back the handkerchief to Ringo.

“The way you say it makes it much more unconvincing, Roro...” Nono frowned.

“U-Uhm...” Ringo nodded.

“Last time you destroyed a noble’s cart. That’s why I can’t let you go off freely on your own. I’m coming with you,” Nono reasoned.

Eventually, Rodan let Nono go with him. With two people heading into the city, Ringo gave them two badges that would allow them in. Those badges were guild member badges—a proof that he or she was in fact a member of an official guild. Rodan and Nono weren’t actually members of Ringo’s guild, though.

And when they arrived at the gate to Astur City, they managed to get past the checkpoint easily. Rodan was showing his poker face the entire time until he and Nono were far enough from the city gate. And when quite far, he mumbled about it.

“Hm... access to this city was easier than I thought. Just by using membership badge and these guards will let you inside the city? People can easily exploit them, don’t they? Well, no use complaining about it since we’re both the ones exploiting the rules as well, haha... hahaha...”

“So, what do you want to do now?” Nono asked.

“Hm?” Rodan responded.

“You said you wanted to do something in the city right?”

“Oh, that? Well it’s about how we are going to deal with those Woruvens. Judging from how the battle ended yesterday, it doesn’t look like those monsters are going to stop coming.”

“Well... that’s true. They’re somehow wilder and much more ferocious than ever,” said Nono remembering their fight with the Woruvens. “A single bash of a poleaxe would’ve been more than enough to kill one, but it is scary that some of them were unexpectedly still alive and got wilder in the moment I thought I’ve killed them.”

“Uh-huh, I agree,” Rodan nodded. “Wild Woruvens were supposedly weak, that’s why rookie adventurers love to hunt them for easy leveling up. Biruboars are also excellent targets since they’re weak and collectibles from their body were quite needed in most cities. Adventurers would go hunt Biruboars to sell either their hide, horn, or maybe whatever they can get from them just to be sold later on.”

“Hm, hm... but with them being unbelievably tougher, doesn’t that make them harder, or worse, impossible to hunt?” Nono anxiously wondered.

“That’s what I’m concerning, too...” said Rodan while staring to a large palace on the hill. “I’m curious about it, Nono. It is possible that it wasn’t just Woruvens and Biruboars that got stronger. It is possible that other monsters are stronger as well. I wonder about it...

...with these troubles we’re facing, will the King of Augzeria realize it and make a counterattack? Or will he just sit by on his comfy throne while letting monsters devour his country? The people around us are still doing their daily activities without knowing what danger is brewing.”

“H-Huh... I don’t know for sure, though. But I think high leveled adventurers will surely come to hunt those monsters. Probably... even fighter guilds will come if the situation gets direr. I just hope it doesn’t go that way.”

“Let’s just hope it that way. What intrigues me the most is what actually triggering them to become overly powerful like that? Unless we found out what’s causing it, monsters will probably not stop attacking Ringo’s garden.”

“No way...! Then, let’s not waste any more time! Come on, Roro!”

Rodan stopped walking and turned around at him, “Hm! I like your spirit, Nono! As expected of a young person! Well, then, follow my lead. I have a plan that will make ease off our problems.”

...

..

.

Meanwhile, back in Ringo’s guild...

Ruru was eating a lot of apples lately. She looked happy and enjoying herself while eating her favorite fruit. Ringo on the other hand was trying her best to convince Ruru not to overeat herself.

“Ruru... can you please refrain from eating too many apples?” she asked kindly. Meanwhile, her hands were moving above Ruru’s hair. She was dressing her hair again. It’s almost like Ruru was her doll to play hair with.

“Hmm? But it tastes really good!” Ruru stated while eating up more apples in the bowl. Her sharp teeth were seen visibly on the mirror as she took another bite.

“Hmmm~ so yummy...”

“Aww... how cute of you,” said Ringo. Her heart melted as she saw Ruru’s cute face when enjoying those apples.

“Hey, Ruru... what kind of hairstyle do you like?” Ringo asked shortly afterwards.

“Hmm? Gulp, um... I don’t really know what human preferences are... but I like whatever style you give me, Miss Ringo!” she said cutely.

“Eh, what did she just say? ‘Human’ preferences? Wait a sec... is she not human? Well, how stupid of me to think of that, she’s obviously not a human. Perhaps a vampire? Nah, she’s immune to sunlight. What is she then? Ah, must be a demi-human!”

“Hmm... Miss Ringo’s apples are the best...” Ruru stated.

“I really wonder how Rodan picked up a cutie like her... is she really Rodan’s disciple?” Ringo thought in her mind. But as soon as she saw Ruru’s wide wholesome smile in the mirror, she immediately forgot everything.

“Ahh! How cute, who cares what are you to Rodan, I’m really blessed to be able to treat a pretty creature like her!”

“Ahh...” Ruru voiced out in enjoyment as Ringo combed her hair nicely.

Ruru herself loved being stroked and bathed by the apple girl several times now. It’s a win-win situation for them. One felt that she’s blessed for meeting someone so cute while the other one felt so happy for being able to enjoy delicious foods and interact with kind people.

Beyond the door of the room, four of Ringo’s most loyal member peeked. They were staring at how their leader was euphoric over grooming a white creature.

“Ugh... did she develop a strange fetish, man?”

“Dunno... but it’s best not to think about it.”

“What about the defenses report? She must hear the updates soon. The job from Sir Rodan was still far from complete, too...”

“Yeah, I know. We’ll do it as soon as possible. About her, well... let’s tell Miss Ringo in a few hours. She looks like she’s enjoying herself.”

“Y-Yeah...”

“It’s rare to see her acting in such an attitude...”

“Quick, big guy, grab a few canvases and let us make a painting of her with that albino girl!”

“Uh, no, I don’t think that’s a goo—

“Good idea! Gimme a sec!”

“Damn you guys... fetch me a big canvas, big guy!”

“Aye-yo!”

...

..

.

Nightfall...

Rodan and Nono finally returned to the safe house. When they’re in front of Ringo’s office, what they found was a bunch of guild members making a painting of Ringo and Ruru.

Nono was surprised to see them like that, “What the...”

“...heck are these guys doing?” Rodan continued.

“Ah, Sir Rodan! Mr. Norio! Welcome back!” said one of the members noticing their return.

“Sorry to show things like these.”

“Yeah... Oh, and don’t worry about those things you asked, Sir Rodan! We’ve done it!”

“Hm! Hm! We’ve done it pretty well!”

In the end of their reasoning, they immediately glued their eyes back to the canvases they were currently coloring. Rodan noticed some of them having an extremely exhausted face while the rest tried to withstand from losing consciousness by doing some entertaining stuff, which strangely enough for Rodan and Nono, was painting.

“Hey, Roro... are these guys gonna be okay? I think they’re slowly losing sanity since we left...” said Nono concerning. “Look at them... they’re drawing Ringo and Ruru.”

“Hm,” Rodan nodded. “They’re losing brain cells, I suppose. Perhaps building those traps were a bit too much for them. I’ll let them ease their mind for some time. Besides, I saw so many wooden tablets on our room, too, which means they’ve done their job. Well, just let them enjoy their time.

Nono, we’ve got our own set of job to be done tonight. Get yourself ready.”