Chapter 509: A Tiny and Frail Person
Turning back, they saw about 30 adventurers, more than half wounded, and many being rushed into Thaad.
The group was in disarray, their faces pale with exhaustion and fear.
Many of them were being carried by their comrades, their bodies broken and bleeding from the battle they had just escaped.
But two of them particularly caught Benjamin’s interest: A short and petite girl who looked dark and gloomy, holding a sword her frame suggested she shouldn’t be able to lift.
The girl was tiny, and looked like a teenager in her proportions, but there was something about her that commanded attention.
She wore a dark long-sleeved top and short, with a dark violet cloak over her back mostly covering up the majority of the dress. The fabric was worn, faded, as if it had seen many battles and many years of hard use.
The cloak hung loosely over her small frame, draping down to her calves and billowing slightly in the breeze. Beneath it, Benjamin could catch glimpses of the dark top and shorts she wore, practical and functional, designed for movement rather than fashion.
She had dark eyes with immense dark circles under her eyes like she doesn’t have enough sleep, and with dark violet hair, she completed the "emo" character archetype.
The dark circles beneath them were pronounced, almost purple, giving her a look of perpetual exhaustion. Her hair was a deep violet, almost black in the dim light, falling in tangled waves around her pale face. It was unkempt, as if she had not bothered to brush it in days, and it framed her features in a way that made her look almost ethereal.
But despite this small frame, Benjamin could tell she was the strongest human he had seen in Elyndor.
The assessment was instant, instinctive, a product of his enhanced perception and his ability to sense the flow of power.
She was compact, dense, packed with a strength that seemed to radiate from her very core. Her sword was massive, almost as large as she was, a blade that should have been impossible for someone of her size to lift. And yet, she held it with casual ease, as if it weighed nothing at all.
He turned to the man that first spoke and asked:
"Uhm... Why are you dressed like Aladdin? You sure are not from here, huh." His voice was curious, and there was a hint of amusement in his eyes.
The man he was talking to had soft orange hair with a cropped red jacket that was worn over his bare upper body, and a very loose pale lower garment, on weird shoes that had the tip curled up.
His outfit was exotic, foreign, completely out of place with the rest of the adventurers. The jacket was open, revealing his toned chest, and the loose pants billowed around his legs like a dancer’s costume.
The shoes were the strangest part, with their curled tips and intricate stitching, a style that Benjamin had seen before.
"What is an Aladdin? And how can you speak Dhuti so fluently?" The man made a puzzled face and put a hand on his waist. His brow furrowed, his lips pursed, and he studied Benjamin with a mixture of confusion and suspicion. "Are you the one who killed this beast?"
His voice had authority, a natural command that spoke of leadership and experience. He was not a man who was used to being ignored or dismissed.
Hearing all the incriminating questions of which he didn’t want to answer any one off, Benjamin immediately spoke:
"C’mon, how can such a tiny and frail person like me kill such a massive dragon?" Benjamin theatrically performed. He spread his arms wide, tilted his head, and adopted a posture of exaggerated innocence.
His voice went high-pitched and a bit whining, and he batted his eyelashes in a way that was meant to be charming.
"...Fair point. You’re too adorable to even be in such a scene," the man nodded satisfied, his expression softening. He studied Benjamin for a moment longer, then shrugged, apparently accepting the explanation at face value. "then who did it? Because I know it’s not Eric and his party."
His eyes drifted to the elf, and there was a knowing look in them, a hint of disbelief at the thought of Eric and his group taking down such a massive beast, so quickly. He had clearly assessed their capabilities and found them wanting.
Benjamin could also tell that this man commanded authority, and he was second only to the small girl in terms of danger rating.
The assessment was quick, instinctive, a product of his enhanced perception. The man was powerful, confident, and he carried himself with the easy grace of someone who had faced danger many times and emerged victorious.
He couldn’t lie that it was Eric and co. That would be too transparent and easily disproven.
But... he could say—
"Yes, it wasn’t Eric and the others! It was my Amazonian bodyguard, Heka!" Benjamin declared to the gathering of top-level adventurers.
His voice was loud, confident, and he gestured dramatically toward Heka as if presenting her for inspection.
"Indeed! It is as my master says!" Heka defiantly stepped forward, moving towards the orange-haired man confidently.
Her strides were long and purposeful, her chin raised, her shoulders squared.
She stopped directly in front of him, close enough that he could see the fine details of her face, and met his gaze with unflinching intensity.
She continued: "After you all have weakened the beast for me, risking your lives, I took the kill for myself without remorse. If you want to punch me for it, I won’t blame you. What I did was truly malicious and self-centered! Go ahead, hit me! I said hit me!"
Her voice was fierce, challenging, and there was a wild gleam in her eyes that made the man take a step back.
She was practically begging for violence, offering herself up as a target, and the sheer intensity of her request was deeply unsettling.
Heka was an Amazon who have been around for centuries, and her eyes and demeanor carried the essence of someone experienced and trained.
It was easier to believe she did it, than Benjamin. She looked like a warrior, moved like a warrior, and her words had the weight of someone who had faced death many times.
The orange-haired man studied her, his eyes narrowing, and he seemed to be weighing her claim.
"Uhm... S-Sorry about that, just calm down," The orange-haired man raised a hand in surrender, his voice suddenly uncertain.
He took another step back, creating distance between himself and the Amazon. "I’m not angry, I just wanted to know who helped the—"
"It’s no use Benjamin. When I tell them to do it, they feel intimidated instead," Heka ignored the man and faced Benjamin.
Her voice was resigned and disappointed, as if she had expected more from the encounter. She shrugged her shoulders, a gesture of defeat.
"Well, that is the normal reaction given to someone asking to be punched," Benjamin rolled his eyes, his expression one of exasperation. "Don’t worry, I’ll punch you later at night."
His words were flippant, but there was a warmth beneath them that made Heka’s face light up with joy.
Leaving the beaming Heka, Benjamin smiled and moved to Eric;
"Now, let’s go get me registered as a bona fide adventurer!" His voice was bright, cheerful, unbeknownst to him that Renard was currently on his case.