Chapter 43 - Arrangement (1/2)

Granny looked at the figure, before speaking with her ever-present gentle smile plastered on her face.

”And? What is the verdict?”

Number 3 looked at the boy, and in a clear tone that contained no traces of negativity, she said.

”He is immature, brash, and easy to agitate. He needs to be able to stay calm, keep his anger in check. From what I've seen just now, as soon as his rage reaches a point, something snaps in him, and as if like another personality surfaces that he can't control. This 'alter-ego' puts a heavy drain on his energy, so I'm guessing he can't even maintain it for even a minute, probably only for a few seconds.

Aiden's face turned downcast on the harsh critique received. She was right, he knew that, but it was still hard to hear it.

”However…” She exhaled and continued in a much gentler tone ”he has a heart of gold and is willing to do anything for their loved ones. As I just mentioned, what he did, while it was incredibly stupid, it was still very brave. Seeing that neither of you had any chance left to survive this ordeal, he didn't hesitate to jump to the front and carry the weight of this burden himself. Such heart, such determination is seldom nowadays.

”And with that, our time together has come to an end. I don't know what will happen now, the best I can do for you guys, is to relay everything I know to the Grandmaster and he will decide the best course of action. Try to stay safe, all of you.”

Her goodbyes said, she turned around and was about to leave, when the boy called out to him and grabbed hold of her clothing.

”Wait! Please! Don't leave… You have no logical reason to leave your duty. We have known about you since the day you appeared on the branch of that tree just outside our house. I have not said a word, because you had no ill will towards us.

Now, however, I know you are a good person, and much stronger than I am. Why don't we work together instead? You can report all you want, but… please stay…”

Supporting Aiden's words, Granny also chimed in.

”I agree with Aiden, you should stay. At least stay for dinner and some tea, and let's have a good talk. I'm sure Lily would also want to meet you. She might as well let you taste her favorite desserts as well!”

Listening to them, Number 3, had a slight smile on her face behind the mask. Coughing to calm her beating heart, she nodded towards Granny.

”Fine, I don't see a reason to decline the invitation.”

That settled, with a small smile on his face, Aiden walked back towards the still sleeping Lily and picked her up in a princess carry. Grouping up with Number 3 and Granny they all made their way out of the now devastated landscape of the previously beautiful glade and started making their way towards home.

With the help of Number 3, they could have used magic to open a gate and arrive back home immediately, but the walk back should be peaceful, and with all that's happened today, this small amount of respite would be soothing for their weary soul.

Number 3 and Granny made some small talk along the way, while Aiden was focusing on the notifications of the system. While he didn't gain as much from this whole ordeal as he had hoped, it was still rather fruitful.

[Rune Magic discovered! Analyzing information… 25%]

He was, however, thankful that Enya was working with him, and not against him, as when they crossed the dead body of the Worgen, she placed it into his inventory for further analysis, and hopefully, provide the maximum benefits for Aiden.

Another thing that surprised him, was the fact that the system picked up on the type of magic Number 3 used during the fight.

[Wind Magic discovered! Analyzing information… 5%]

'Enya, I have to say, once again, I'm so glad I have you. Sneakily picking up the dead body without them noticing it, was brilliant. Is there a way for the system to access it from the inventory and see if there's enough life essence left to be able to get that form?'

As usual, Enya's response was almost instantaneous.

[Yes. If you give the order, the system can start working on it. Keep in mind that the creature was a mutated one, so you might need to wait for a while before the system can give you an update.]

'That is fine, just let me know once you know something.'

[As you wish Aiden.]

As the system started working on the information the deceased body could provide, he exited from his system and listened to the small-talk Granny and Number 3 had.