A Small Victory

Everyone stared in amazement at Lina and Skayla’s spoils—the violet horn and silver tail hair—while Tifa struggled to process what they had accomplished.

“G-G-Goddamn it, Zenos. What kind of crazy women did you send my way?!” Tifa muttered. “I couldn’t even injure that depraved bastard, yet these two managed to harvest materials from her.”

“Lina, Skayla, would you allow the Adventurer Guild to purchase the horn?” she asked. “I’d like to display it in our guild lobby as proof that someone finally managed to get the better of that depraved bastard.”

Tifa stood and bowed, prompting the surrounding female adventurers to do the same.

Lina and Skayla stared at the crowd of more than thirty female adventurers gathered around them, each one a victim of the Fallen Unicorn.

“Before we consider your offer, I’d like the horn appraised,” Lina said. “You mentioned that its color came from corruption, so has it lost the ability to purify anything?”

Tifa picked up the horn and appraised it.

“No. In fact, its purification ability is at least ten times stronger than that of a standard white horn,” Tifa explained. “I believe the Fallen Unicorn became more resistant to corruption after fighting evil spirits for so long, much like how our bodies become more resistant to an illness after recovering from it.”

“I see...” Lina muttered. “How much is the guild willing to offer for it?”

Tifa clenched both hands into fists.

“The guild can only offer you two million for the horn,” Tifa admitted, knowing it was an extremely low offer for something so valuable. “If you placed it up for auction, it could easily sell for ten to twenty million—or perhaps even more if the Holy Kingdom learned about its enhanced purification ability.”

“Hmmm...” Lina muttered as Skayla leaned closer.

“Let’s sell it to the guild,” Skayla whispered, glancing toward the crowd of female adventurers. “It’ll serve as a symbol of victory for all the victims.”

Lina shoved Skayla’s face away before standing and drawing her sword.

“What are you doing?” Tifa asked, taken aback by Lina’s sudden actions.

In a single flash, Lina divided the nine-foot-long horn into one five-foot section and four one-foot sections. She then sheathed her sword and sat back down.

“WHAT DID YOU DO THAT FOR?!” Tifa shouted.

“We’ll sell the five-foot section containing the tip to the guild,” Lina explained. “We’ll keep one of the foot-long sections for personal use. Please send another section to Guild Master Zenos so he can deliver it to the Royal Family of Eldoria, present the next one to the Royal Family of Ash, and send the thicker base section to the Holy Kingdom.”

Tifa stared at Lina in disbelief, realizing how carefully she had divided the horn. If the guild had purchased it whole, a dispute could have erupted between the Royal Family of Ash and the Holy Kingdom.

By presenting both nations with substantial sections of the horn, Lina had greatly reduced the possibility of a dispute.

“In that case, why don’t we divide the tail hair the same way?” Skayla suggested as she separated the silver hair into five bundles.

“Wait! Are you two sure about this?” Tifa asked. “You’re giving away nearly everything you earned. You don’t have to do that.”

“It’s fine,” Lina said with a smile. “I’d rather not keep any more of that depraved bastard than necessary, but the Unicorn horn may prove useful someday.”

“Besides, that bastard stole my sandwich!” Skayla shouted. “I swear I’ll make her pay for it!”

Everyone stared at Skayla before bursting into laughter upon realizing that their entire battle with the Unicorn had started over a stolen sandwich.

“Okay, okay. You have a deal,” Tifa said, extending her right hand.

“I do have one condition before I agree to sell the horn,” Lina said.

“What is it?” Tifa asked, a bit concerned.

“I understand that the horn is supposed to serve as a symbol of victory for the victims,” Lina said. “However, if the day comes when it can be used to save lives, I don’t want anyone to hesitate. No matter how precious or valuable the horn becomes, saving lives must always take priority.”

Tifa stared at Lina, struck by the compassion behind her request.

Materials this valuable were often preserved as treasures, even when they possessed the power to save lives. By declaring the condition in front of dozens of adventurers, Lina ensured that the guild could never quietly ignore it.

“I accept your condition,” Tifa said, shaking Lina’s hand before doing the same with Skayla. “Eos and Selene, huh? You truly are the most interesting pair I’ve encountered in my three hundred years.”

Once the discussion ended, Skayla’s stomach began rumbling loudly.

“I’m hungry!” Skayla complained before collapsing back into her chair.

The guild hall erupted into laughter as many of the adventurers realized that the lengthy discussion had left them hungry as well.

Zoe leaned closer to Tifa and quietly explained that Lina and Skayla had also brought back twenty Bloodied Oxen.

“I see...” Tifa muttered before suddenly raising her voice. “IN HONOR OF OUR SMALL VICTORY OVER THAT DEPRAVED BASTARD, LET’S HAVE A PARTY WITH BLOODIED OX STEAKS!”

The entire guild hall erupted into cheers as everyone imagined the thick cuts of steak awaiting them.

“We should help them,” Lina said before Tifa placed a hand on her shoulder.

“You don’t need to do anything,” Tifa replied. “You two are the stars of this celebration, so sit back and relax.”

Tifa returned with three pints of cold ale, placing two in front of Lina and Skayla while keeping the third for herself.

“Drink up!” Tifa said before chugging from her own pint.

Skayla immediately grabbed her pint and began drinking, but Lina stared at hers before pushing it aside.

“Oh? Not much of a drinker?” Tifa asked. “Would you prefer some juice?”

“Water is fine,” Lina answered as Tifa signaled someone to bring her a glass.

“Lina doesn’t drink because she’s traumatized by dealing with her drunken master,” Skayla explained before grabbing Lina’s untouched ale and drinking it herself.

“Oh?” Tifa said, taking another sip of ale. “Who was your master?”

“My master’s name is Atena,” Lina said, taking a sip of cold water.

Tifa suddenly froze as her entire body began to tremble.

“ATENA IS YOUR MASTER?!” she shouted.

“You know Master Atena?” Lina asked.

“Do I know her?!” Tifa exclaimed. “She visited this guild about a decade ago and thrashed every cocky adventurer who challenged her while completely drunk. I understand why you avoid alcohol. I would too if Atena were my master.”

“Since you know Master Atena, have you heard anything about Master Al or Mother Ofilia?” Skayla asked.

“Master Al? I’ve never heard that name before,” Tifa said before pausing at the mention of Ofilia. “Wait... do you mean Ofilia, the healer married to Asclepius?”

Tifa’s eyes widened as the pieces fell into place.

“You called her Mother. Does that mean you’re their daughter?!”

“Yes, I’m their adopted daughter,” Skayla answered with a smile.

“UGHHH... I need something stronger,” Tifa muttered before walking toward the guild bar and returning with an entire bottle of whiskey. “Yes, I know both of them. In fact, I saw Asclepius not too long ago.”

“WHEN WAS THAT?!” Skayla shouted, desperate for any information about her missing father.

“Whoa, calm down,” Tifa said. “What happened?”

Lina and Skayla explained that Mother Ofilia had been missing for seven years and Master Al for four.

Ofilia has been missing for seven years? There’s no fucking way that doting husband could’ve remained sane after she disappeared. Asclepius would turn the entire world inside out to find her, even if it meant fighting a god, Tifa thought.

Tifa glanced toward Skayla, who appeared ready to burst into tears.

Ofilia’s disappearance may have something to do with that scheming geezer Zenos. I’d better keep that possibility to myself before Selene does something reckless to him.

“I can’t remember exactly when Asclepius visited—time tends to blur after a few centuries—but he did stop by to ask for directions,” Tifa explained. “I can’t believe he still hasn’t returned home after all this time. If I had known, I would’ve personally escorted him home.”

“What do you mean?” Lina asked.

“Oh, you don’t know about Asclepius’s greatest weakness?” Tifa asked before taking a large gulp of whiskey directly from the bottle. “Asclepius has absolutely no sense of direction. If he still hasn’t returned home, he’s probably been lost this entire time.”

“EH?!” Lina and Skayla shouted.