Chapter 62: From Reunion To Warning - Part 2

"Are they perhaps... her bodyguards?" Arezu asked, watching Hannah converse with a few people dressed in gear resembling a knight and a valkyrie—similar to what Liz wore as an adventurer. "Obviously... You're not suggesting a saintess candidate would just walk around on her own, right?" Lynn replied, her voice tinged with irritation and annoyance that Arezu was, once again, paying more attention to Hannah than to her. As for the kids—"Cheater!"—they began teasing Arezu with a word they had picked up from Lynn. Following Lynn's request—or rather, demand, as Arezu would call it—Hannah had asked her bodyguards to contact Liz using an enchanted beacon, a magic item designed to send and receive simple messages or, more accurately, coded signals. Meanwhile, Lynn and Arezu spent their time waiting by playing and looking after the orphanage kids. "But Ms. Hannah is an adventurer too. It's not like she can't protect herself," Arezu continued, trying to keep the conversation going while remaining wary of Lynn's souring mood, hoping that—despite her usual audacity—she wouldn't throw a tantrum in front of the children. "That only means something fun—I mean serious—is going on, Mr. Arezu." Lynn, on the other hand, had already shifted her focus to a more interesting assumption, wearing her usual mischievous smile—which only made Arezu more anxious about the situation surrounding the bounty-hunting quest. "By the way, Lynn. How did you know that Ms. Hannah would be here?" Arezu knew—or at least assumed—that Lynn had her own ways of gathering information. After all, she'd figured out not only Hannah's identity, but also Liz's and Alex's. Asking might drag him into more of Lynn's troublesome affairs, but his curiosity got the better of him. However, Lynn's response was more normal than he had expected. "You're such a country bumpkin, Mr. Arezu. Where else would you expect to find a priestess or saintess? If Hannah wasn't at the orphanage, we would've gone to the church next." The country bumpkin part was unnecessary, Arezu thought, keeping his annoyance to himself so as not to ruin Lynn's mood. After a while, Hannah finished her conversation with her bodyguards and approached Lynn, Arezu, and the kids, who were having a picnic under the shade of a large tree, enjoying the snacks and sweets Lynn had brought from her enchanted bag. Though Hannah wanted to catch up with Lynn and Arezu and chat about what she believed to be the true nature of their relationship, that chance would have to wait. "Lynn, if it's alright, the headmaster of the orphanage wants to talk with you," Hannah said as she arrived at the picnic. Still, being alone with Arezu was a chance Hannah had been waiting for. Arezu assumed Lynn might complain about being called away—whether by the headmaster or anyone else—but to his surprise, she accepted the invitation without protest. Or so he thought. "Kids, look after Hannah while I'm gone, okay? Make sure the pervert doesn't do anything—" "Oi—" Arezu tried to stop Lynn's teasing, but it was already too late. —"Pervert!"—the kids gleefully shouted, cutting off Arezu's retort. With Lynn heading into the headmaster's office, Arezu and Hannah were left alone—along with the children, who surrounded Hannah as if forming a barricade to prevent Arezu from getting close. Not that he was planning to. Still, seeing the kids seriously obey Lynn's instruction... kind of hurt his feelings. "Don't let the kids' teasing get to you, Arezu," Hannah said, noticing his troubled expression. "Thank you for your concern, Ms. Hannah." "Please, just call me by name. We're probably around the same age anyway." It was a simple request from Hannah—but somehow, complying with it gave Arezu an ominous feeling that it might lead to trouble later. And before he could dwell on the thought, Hannah spelled it out for him. "But you don't have to if it would cause trouble with your relationship with Lynn." "I'm telling you, Hannah, Lynn and I aren't like that. We're just stuck together as partners because you, Liz, and Alex left our adventurers' party." It wasn't just an explanation—Arezu had also complied with Hannah's request, thinking it would clear up any misunderstanding about his relationship with Lynn. However— —"Boo~!"— —"Cheater!"— —the kids, who barely understood what he said, launched another round of jeers and teasing. Feigning ignorance, Arezu pressed on with the question that had been bothering him. "Have the three of you been in the capital this whole time?" It had already been a month since Arezu last saw them, and he hadn't heard any news—especially about Alex, who had still been unconscious when they left the party. "Well... Liz and I just got back to the capital a few days ago." Hannah's reply was cheerful, as always, but Arezu sensed a hint of worry behind her words. Still, she brushed off the silence and continued with her usual upbeat demeanor. "But I'm more surprised that you and Lynn knew we were already back—" Hannah cut herself off mid-sentence, and Arezu understood why. After all, they were talking about Lynn. "—On second thought, that might not be surprising at all," Hannah added, recalling the same thought that had crossed Arezu's mind just moments earlier. "Anyway, we've also heard a lot about you two." Hannah continued, talking about the rumors she and Liz had heard—how Lynn and Arezu discovered an uncharted dungeon, rescued missing adventurers, and fought for the title of Dungeon Conquerors. Despite Arezu's complaint about how only the "good and less troublesome" parts of the story seemed to have reached them, what Hannah said next caught him off guard. "I'm sure Lynn would be able to help more people with her achievements as a Dungeon Conqueror." "Help more people?" It wasn't just the remark that confused Arezu—but also Hannah's sincere smile, full of trust and belief in Lynn. Seeing his confusion, Hannah followed up with a question of her own. "Hmm?... Arezu, don't tell me you didn't know?" "Know what, exactly, Hannah?" "That Lynn has been donating most of her earnings as an adventurer—to the orphanage, the church, and the Adventurers' Insurance Fund."