...or for an argument. That works too

The 4 of them entered the estate quietly. The walk through city was actually almost completely silent, safe for Savi's occasional sobs of happiness (truly, this man was a child in heart). However, as they closed the door behind themselves, they saw that 3 servants came out of corridor up ahead.

"Lord Mahoney." Started one of them, coming closer and bowing his head in respect. "We were informed of your successful mission. We would like to thank you, all of us, from the depths of our hearts."

"Ah, Johnathan." Savi, quite unexpectedly, bowed his head a little to the man. No, actually, this much was expected from Youngwoo. Savi didn't care much for his position, so long he could help his people. "Please. This wasn't just my doing. I'm sure you recognize those two." He swiped his hand behind him a little, presenting Youngwoo and Hilda.

"...I'm sure I've seen those faces already..." Said the servant. Youngwoo could barely recognize him, but he had a faint memory. Wasn't he the servant who opened the door to estate for him and Hilda on previous floor?

"They are the adventurers who helped our village over 80 times 6 years ago. Lee Youngwoo and Dragon Witch."

"Ah... truly, forgive this man's rotten eyes, for not recognizing you, brave adventurers." Johnathan bowed deeply.

Taken aback a little, Youngwoo and Hilda looked at each other, unsure how to respond. Thankfully, Savi continued:

"They and their friend, Donnie, risked their lives to help me subjugate Dulan. Now, I wish to ask of you to prepare them some beds. And prepare their rewards. For today's night, they are our most honorable guests."

"Of course, lord Mahoney." Johnathan bowed again, and signed to the two servants behind him. "Please, allow us to take care of your baggage." The man signed forward, and the two obliged, approaching Youngwoo and Hilda.

Within just 30 seconds they went away, taking away their backpacks and Hilda's traveling bag, and carrying it out somewhere. Then, Johnathan came closer and said:

"Noble adventurers, please follow me to your room."

Looking at Savi, the three of them looked somewhat perplexed. However, seeing the man weakly nod towards them, they followed suit behind the servant. Walking through some corridors, Youngwoo immediately noticed how the place had changed throughout 6 years that passed between 11th and 12th floor. The first change he noticed was, the place became much more empty. Actually, it kind of looked desolate now. The paintings that used to be on the walls were now gone, and everything he'd seen that held any much value, like chandeliers and gilded candelabras, were nowhere to be seen. 'Did he sell all of them to give money to Issar's development?' Youngwoo pondered, but decided not to ask. That'd be rude of him.

They walked through a few corridors, soon reaching a large room, about 10 by 6 metres. It was laid with nice, wooden panels, and there were 6 beds standing in even fashion on both sides. As they entered, they also noticed that 3 of the beds had their baggage right next to them. Hilda had a bed closest to window, Donnie next to door, and Youngwoo was between them.

"This is our guest room, brave adventurers. I'm sincerely sorry that we cannot provide more accommodation for someone like you." Johnathan bowed to them.

"Please, it's more than enough. Thank you." Replied Youngwoo.

"If you wish for anything, please do not be afraid to tell us. We will do whatever we can to assist you."

"Thanks." Said Donnie. "Now, is there a shower or something in here?"

"Oh, but of course. Please, follow me." And with that, they all left the room behind.

In within 15 minutes, they all got to know the layout of the building. The shower room, while not very large, was kept in a clean manner. The kitchen, while barren of any expensive foods, offered a lot of provisions anyway. Johnathan was sure to tell the three of them that they were free to eat any and every food in the stock. The corridors going around the estate were devoid of any decorations, and in general this place looked like it was robbed.

After some long minutes passed, Donnie, Hilda and Youngwoo were sitting on their beds in the guest room, a large candle standing on a table in middle of the room, throwing a lot of light around. Johnathan had told that they were free to roam the estate as they pleased, but he insisted that they needed some sleep.

"Imma take a shower." Said Donnie, getting up and grabbing some of his clothes. "Don't do anything stupid, Lee." He glanced towards the man.

"..." 'Seriously, even in this regression he's starring daggers at me.' "I won't." He replied.

Soon after Donnie left the room, Youngwoo heard Hilda sigh in relief. Looking at her with a questioning expression, he noticed how she laid on the bed. The sheets and mattress might've not been very squishy, but it didn't seem like she cared. There was some kind of relief that she emanated, looking at the ceiling for a long minute of silence.

She looked at him, and he reciprocated the look. There was something weird going on in her serene eyes. Youngwoo saw tiny flames dancing. It was like she was excited. But, before she decided to speak something, they both heard the door opening. Savi walked into the room with somewhat heavy steps and asked:

"Is it alright to take a minute of your time?" He looked at them both. "Where's Donnie?"

"He's washing himself." Replied Youngwoo, sitting up on his bed. "What's the matter, Savi?"

"I came to discuss an additional matter with you. But I can first speak with you. I'll catch up with Donnie later."

"What is it?" Asked Hilda; for some reason, Youngwoo could notice that sparks in her eyes disappeared like they were lies.

"You three did something that even my most trusted people believed to be insane. With your help, we managed to avert so many casualties that I don't even know what to say. That is why, I came here to ask you. What do you wish for?"

"...come again?" The woman tilted her head a little.

"What is a thing that you really, really want? I promise you, I'll try my best to get it, even if you ask for a dragon's scale." Savi bowed to the both of them. "Countless people were saved thanks to you. I will bring you whatever you wish for. I promise on honor of my family."

Truly, this man was touching. The sincerity of his words was like a perfect lie, but both Youngwoo and Hilda knew that he meant what he said. After all, this was what the quest stated. They were supposed to get a special reward from Savi. It didn't take a lot of brainpower to figure out that was it. They got to choose their reward, and it could be anything. Anything reasonable, of course (but Savi really seemed ready to hunt a dragon for them if they asked).

"Savi. You should be resting now. Didn't we tell you that the rewards can wait? You are surely very tired." Said Youngwoo, a glint of worry in his voice.

"Please, Lee, I may be tired, but I can keep going for a bit more. The sooner you tell me what you wish for, the sooner you'll receive it. Now please, state your wish, both of you."

"Do you have any blacksmiths in Issar?" Asked Hilda.

"Yes. There's Kilian Day. He's old, but his technique is very good. Do you wish for something from him?"

"Yes. If it's not too much problem, I'd like to ask for some materials."

"Materials?" Savi tilted his head in surprise. "Do you wish for anything in particular?"

"Do you have something stronger than Magic Gold?"

"We have plenty of mithril. It's difficult to work with, but it's light and pretty hard. I'd say it's lighter Magic Gold."

"Then I'd like a few bars of mithril, if that's alright."

"Of course, I'll tell them to prepare it in a minute. And Lee?"

"...do you remember what we spoke about earlier?" Asked Youngwoo.

"You mean that heirloom you wish to find? I remember. It's an amethyst about this size, containing magic power, right?" He showed the size with his hand.

"Yes. I don't wish for anything, really. But I have a gut feeling that you'll be able to find it. If it's not too much problem for you, please find it. Someday in the future, I'm sure we'll meet, and then you can give it to me."

"...are you sure? I cannot guarantee I'll find it, and I really don't want to make you wait."

"Yes, I'm sure. But I sincerely believe you'll be able to find it." Youngwoo smiled a little. "Please."

"I see... I'll do all I can. I promise." Savi put a hand on his chest and bowed. This was like a knight's pledge.

"And one more thing."

"Yes?"

"In all honesty, I don't know a single person who'd care about the place they oversee as much as you do. Savi, you are the best lord this place will ever see, I'm sure." Youngwoo got up and walked over to Issar's overseer. "Please never change your ways. It's not a wish, but earnest request of a friend. With your attitude, this place will blossom soon. And I really hope you all will live in prosperity."

"L-Lee... thank you. I will do so." He bowed his head lightly.

Just as Youngwoo was about to say something, Donnie returned to the room. Deciding it was better not to say anything more, Youngwoo quickly announced that he would go and wash himself, after which he grabbed some clothes to change into and went to the shower.

5 minutes later

As Savi left the room, Hilda and Donnie were sitting on their beds, facing each other. For a long, long moment, there was a tense atmosphere. They both knew the reason for this. The raid itself, or rather, the person behind it.

"I don't like him." Said Donnie.

"His plan worked." She riposted.

"And he put ya in shitload of danger."

"It was calculated risk. We're Hunters, we can't shy away from some hazards."

"And what would happen if ya died?!" He rose his voice a little. "What do ya think Ieva would feel like?"

"..." She glared at him momentarily.

"Listen, I'm just telling ya to think about your sister before ya do something like that."

"Do you honestly think I didn't?! If I had a sliver of doubt, I'd not have agreed to his plan!" She rose her voice somewhat, glint of serious anger in it. "Ieva's the only family I have left! There isn't a single moment I don't worry about her!"

"...listen, I know ya two have been through shit, 'lright? I get it. I'm just sayin', don't get Ieva into more of it, or worse, leave her alone."

"You don't know shit, James." Her eyes almost glowed with a bit of fury. "And don't you fucking pretend you do."

"I've been to war, too, ya know?" He frowned. "I've seen **** happen. And I know it's not pretty."

"Not pretty?! Oh I'm sorry, little American soldier boy, that **** is 'not pretty' for you!"

"Da fuck you mean, Hilda?! Did I say I wanted European wars to happen?! Do ya think I wanted those people to die?!"

"You don't get shit, do you?! You wanna know what the difference between me and you is, James?!"

"Oh come on, tell me! Can't wait!"

"You look at dead people and you think 'Oh, well, bad luck'! You don't give a fuck! They never mattered to you! Because, in the end, they weren't American, were they?! How would you feel if America got attacked, huh?! How would you feel if a bomb landed on your home?!"

"What!? The fuck you going with this?!"

The both had long since gotten up from their position, their rage completely erasing their weariness. With every next sentence, their voices got louder and louder. And suddenly, Hilda asked:

"How do you think I felt when I came back from school to find my parents ripped to shreds?! How do you think I felt when I had to go for Ieva to school, knowing we don't have a home anymore?! How do you think I fucking felt when I had to tell her why 'Mom and Dad aren't coming with us'?!" She almost shouted at him, tears flowing down her cheeks as she was reliving horrid memories.

"..."

"That's the fucking difference between you and me, James. You don't know what it's like to lose your home. You don't fucking get how it hurts to lose people you love."

"..."

"And don't you dare say again that I don't think about Ieva." She said quieter, and then stormed off, slamming the door behind her.

"..." He turned around slowly.

He gritted his teeth with fury and punched his mattress a few times. He groaned, laying on his bed. In the end of the day, it seemed that he only made things worse. Not wanting to even think about what had happened, he simply covered himself in his sheets, intending to sleep.

5 minutes later

Youngwoo finally finished showering. He liked the architecture of this place; even though no actual pumps were installed, there were magic stones which served their purpose in circulating water from underground reservoirs and cleaning it. On top of that, it was really nice to be able to take a long shower after finishing a quest to which he had died.

But, all good things have to come to an end. Eventually, he stopped the running water by turning a crank on a wall, and dried himself with a towel (provided by Johnathan before he went to wash himself). In less than 3 minutes, he was walking through the estate, intending to get some sleep. Well, intending to was a good way to phrase that. Suddenly, he met Johnathan, who signaled him to come over.

"What is it?" Asked Youngwoo.

"I'm afraid something happened, mister Lee."

"What do you mean?" For a brief moment, he thought he maybe didn't turn off the water or something (that technology of magic was still a little complicated to him), but then, he heard the servant's words.

"From what I heard, miss Dragon Witch and mister Donnie were arguing. Pretty harshly, at it. And then miss Dragon Witch stormed off."

"Arguing? About what?"

"Let's just say it's something I shouldn't be speaking of, but it was pretty serious." Johnathan tilted his head lightly, indicating that the issue was serious.

"Where are they?"

"From what I know, mister Donnie didn't leave the guest room. Miss Dragon Witch is on upper floor's balcony. I didn't dare interrupt. I believe she needs some fresh air. And someone she can talk to." He nodded towards him.

"I understand. Thank you." Youngwoo nodded his head with respect. He then extended his hands, holding his worn clothes. "If you could please carry those to the guest room. I need to see Hilda."

"Of course, mister Lee." Johnathan bowed lightly, and then went away.

What the hell happened?' Youngwoo pondered as he was walking up the stairs. After just a few dozen seconds of searching, he found Hilda, sitting on a small balcony, knees up to her chin and her hands around her legs. She was silently watching the stars blinking, some slight breeze flowing and combing through her hair.

"Hey, Hilda?"

"..." She didn't respond.

"Hey, what happened?"

"Leave me alone." She replied sharply, but didn't move one bit.

"Hey, um, we..." He started, coming closer to her slowly. He was just barely a metre away from her. "We can tal-"

"LEAVE ME THE FUCK ALONE!" She roared momentarily, sending some magic his way.

Youngwoo got hit in stomach by EDA, and sent flying through the corridor. As he landed heavily, he got greeted by notification about getting a slight headache. Still, he got up, and started walking towards her again. Hilda turned around to him a little, and seeing him approach again, she gritted her teeth.

"I SAID LEAVE!" She swung her hand again, and a ball of mana flew towards Youngwoo. It was Hypercharged Mana Bolt, her B-ranked attack skill she barely ever used.

But he simply avoided it by doing a stride of Revolve. Seeing him not slow down, Hilda's voice shook deeply:

"...just leave... just l-leave m-me alone..." She turned away from him, and faced the stars again.

Youngwoo didn't respond. He simply stopped just behind her, and then sat down next to her. Seeing how she was shivering, either with cold or emotions (or quite possibly both), he silently placed a hand on her shoulder, and stroke it lightly, a gesture that simply stated 'I'm here for you'. She shook again at his touch, and after a few seconds she leaned towards him, crying in his arms.