Grimy Quests and Bitter Broth
As soon as the guild building came into view, Leona let out an irritated breath. “Do we really have to come all the way here?”
“We do.”
“You sure?”
In that instant, a thin layer of mana wrapped around the tip of my tongue. That creepy sensation forcing me not to lie.
“This is the fastest way.”
Leona looked down at me with distrust. I averted my gaze for no reason and stared up at the guild entrance.
Leona would later rise to the head of her swordsmanship family thanks to her merit in finding the real Tears of Serene. At least, in the original story I knew.
Right now, she was hiding her identity, clinging to the guild like some nameless adventurer. The reason was obvious: to find info on the Tears of Serene.
I vaguely remembered the location of the real one. Not the exact spot, but at least where to start searching.
The problem came after that. In that vast area, where to look, under what circumstances. The way to get that info was probably digging through guild quests.
The original Leona must have found it using guild info too.
I took a needless deep breath and pushed open the door.
The guild was already rowdy even though it was early. I wove through the noisy crowd to the reception desk.
The receptionist from last time spotted me and smiled warmly. “Oh, you're back again.”
“Yes.”
I handed over the pre-filled form. She took it casually, then froze when she saw the name.
“...Party registration with Leona?”
She slowly raised her head, eyes lingering on my face for a moment.
“For real?”
Leona tossed out from behind me. “Got a problem?”
The receptionist quickly composed herself. “No. No problem.”
She finished the processing and handed back the papers, adding in a tiny voice, “If anything happens, tell me right away.”
I blinked. “Pardon?”
“Oh, nothing.”
Before she finished, the nearby atmosphere shifted oddly. A few people at the quest board glanced our way. Some scowled, others looked away pretending not to notice.
A low murmur brushed past me. “Poor thing.”
What?
As I turned around in confusion, someone strode up.
“Hey.”
It was a rough, gravelly voice. A rugged adventurer stopped in front of Leona, two others who looked like his party standing behind.
“This ain't right.”
Irritation flashed across Leona's face. “What?”
“What?” The guy barked a hollow laugh. “You snatched a quest we had first, ruined it all.”
Leona didn't blink. “Maybe you're just weak.”
The air chilled instantly. His face twisted. “You call that—”
“I don't get it.”
A low, calm voice cut in. Totally at odds with the powder-keg tension.
“Then get stronger. Why blame others?”
He ground his teeth. “We got hurt bad.”
Leona snorted shortly. “Something to brag about?”
The surroundings fell silent at that.
“Getting injured on a quest that easy?”
“I'd be too embarrassed to mention it.”
“You—”
“You didn't break any rules.”
Leona stayed cool to the end. “Don't take it out on me 'cause you failed.”
“If you're mad, finish first next time.”
Ah.
As I stood there silently, the receptionist murmured softly. “Surprised?”
I asked blankly. “Is it always like this?”
She paused, then said, “This is mild today.”
God.
The mood turned hostile in a flash. Some ignored it like old hat, others glared openly.
The adventurer stepped closer. “Today you're—”
Leona slowly straightened, hand casually brushing the sword at her hip.
I reached out on reflex. Her wrist was hotter than expected.
“Enough. Let's go.”
I yanked, and she hesitated for a split second.
“What?”
“No time for this.”
I forced a smile. “We gotta find the Tears of Serene.”
The guy gnashed his teeth. “Hey, you—”
I pulled harder. “Come on, quick.”
Leona glared, clearly unhappy.
Only after dragging her outside did I let go. She glanced at her wrist, muttering low. “Doesn't make sense.”
What didn't?
“Fighting more would've just tired us out.”
I sighed, pulling out the quest papers from my arms. “Anyway, look at these first. We tackle one by one.”
Her brows furrowed sharply. “...Why?”
“The real Tears of Serene are hidden somewhere around here.”
She looked down at me. “Didn't you talk like you knew the spot?”
Mana tingled at my tongue tip again.
“I said I could find it.”
“Not the exact location.”
Her expression soured more. I added quickly. “But guild quests likely have clues.”
“Better than blindly searching.”
Silence hung briefly.
Leona sighed slowly, snatching one paper from my hand. Then she strode ahead.
“Hey, wait up!”
I hurried after her.
The first quest was farm work.
“You nuts?”
“Why?”
Leona checked the details and scowled from her forehead down. “Said we'd hunt Tears of Serene, now we're hoeing fields?”
I shrugged. “Locals know the area best.”
“Who knows? They might know good hiding spots.”
She sighed openly. “You believe that and do this crap?”
“Better than nothing.”
“Fine, I'm out.”
In the end, I went to the fields alone.
Work was endless, back about to snap. But I kept my mouth going.
“Any spots around here folks avoid?”
“Good hiding places, empty houses long abandoned?”
They laughed at first, thinking joke. But after half a day nagging, bits came out.
A cave. Deep in the northern forest, one even kids avoid.
Leona, at the edge, muttered low. “All that sweat for one cave?”
I dusted my filthy hands, grinning. “One's enough. Good start's half the battle.”
As work wrapped, the farm auntie wrapped boiled potatoes and bread in cloth, offering it. “Take this at least. You worked hard.”
“No thanks, reward's through guild.”
As the workday ended, the farm woman wrapped boiled potatoes and a chunk of bread in a cloth and pressed them into my hands. “Take this, at least. You worked hard.”
“No thanks, the guild pays the reward.”
“Just take it.”
I accepted with a smile. “Thank you.”
I casually tore off a chunk of bread and offered it to Leona. “Here.”
Her brows snapped together instantly. “Why?”
“What?”
“You earned it. Why give it to me?”
I blinked. “We’re a team.”
Silence. She stared at the bread in my hand, her expression twisting into something strangely pained.
“Forget it. Eat it yourself.”
What was her problem? I took a bite. She never touched the bread, just watched me chew with those annoyed, piercing eyes.
The next day was warehouse cleanup.
“Now what?”
Leona saw the paper and scoffed. “An empty warehouse?”
“Warehouse keepers know everything.”
“Sure. Next, what? Dig a well?”
She grumbled, but she didn’t bail. The dust was everywhere. The boxes were heavier than they looked, and my arms shook with every move. I gritted my teeth, barely hugging one to my chest, when my foot slipped.
A sigh came from beside me. The box slipped from my hands.
“Hey, that’s mine—”
“Move.”
Leona lifted it easily and placed it exactly where I’d been straining, all in one go.
“At your pace, we won’t finish until sunset.”
Why did she have to be so rude? But we sped up after that. She handled the heavy lifting, while I tidied the scraps and chatted with the keeper. Caked in dust, he finally tossed out, “Looking for a hiding spot? There’s an empty mansion on the west hill.”
“It’s been vacant for a long time; no one goes there.”
I turned to Leona. She was dusting off her arm.
“So?”
“Mansion next?”
“Just another lead.”
“Probably just more garbage.”
But she kept the paper. We swept through local quests relentlessly. Cave: beast den. Mansion: kids' play marks. Mine: entrance only, half-collapsed.
Busts. Busts. Nothing but more busts.
I didn’t stop. Leona griped irritably each time. “At this point, you’re just guessing.”
“Finding things is always like that.”
“Bull.”
One day, while heading back to the guild, someone called me. It was the farm auntie from day one, basket in her arms, probably market-bound.
“That thing you asked about before.”
“Yes?”
She lowered her voice. “There’s a rock pile on the slope.”
“There’s a tiny path through it.”
I blinked. “A path?”
“It’s hard to spot, but it’s there if you look.”
“I saw it while picking herbs.”
“It’s narrow, only big enough for one person, but it goes deeper inside than it seems.”
My heart dropped. Beside me, Leona narrowed her eyes faintly.
“I thought of you.”
“It might be a wild goose chase, but...”
I shook my head fast. “No. Thank you. Really.”
Leona muttered low, “She remembers everything.”
I shot back, “She’s a nice lady.”
No reply. She silently folded my quest paper and pocketed it.
We prepped quickly and headed for the mountain path. It was steeper than I’d thought. The sun had nearly set by the time we spotted the entrance between the rocks. It was too risky to go in at night, so we camped nearby.
I exhaled deeply and surveyed our spot. A wind-sheltered rock shade, some dry twigs, and our day's luggage. It was a good thing we’d grabbed the extras on the way down. The bag had potatoes, a scrap of dry bread, veggie bits, and chunks of jerky. Enough to make something edible.
I silently filled the pot with water and prepped the potatoes and vegetables. As my knife flashed, I felt Leona’s gaze on my back.
“What are you doing?”
“Soup.”
“Why?”
I paused. What kind of question was that? “I’m hungry.”
She scowled. “Make your own.”
Ah. I looked up. “Why?”
“Why would you make mine?”
“We’re together.”
“So?”
“I can’t just make my own, you heartless person.”
She went quiet. Just that face, genuinely baffled. I sighed and stirred the pot. “If you don’t want it, fine.”
Soon, I ladled out two bowls and pushed one toward her. “Here.”
She didn’t take it. I extended it further. “Eat before it cools.”
She held out for a long time before finally snatching it, her face sour to the end. I pulled mine closer. “Learned this from Auntie Marie.”
“Proud of it, are you?”
Leona sipped cautiously.
“Good, right?”
“Tastes bad.”
I gaped. “Liar.”
No response. I shoveled in an extra spoonful and muttered, “It’s pretty good, though.”
“Where else have you eaten better soup?”
Her spoon stopped. Innocent words. Her face hardened in the firelight. Chipped pot. Thin soup. Birthday-only tiny meat bits.
Leona’s face hardened. “...Why?”
She paused, lifting her head slowly. Her expression was foul, but she wasn’t angry at me.
“Not great.”
I ate more. “Tastes fine.”
“You’ve got a real talent for pretending to enjoy that.”
Clink. Her bowl hit the ground, half-full. “Lost my appetite.”
She stood up abruptly. I stared blankly at her back. What? Was it really that bad? No way.
I ate more. ...It tastes good.
The only sound left was my breathing by the fire. I glanced her way, then pulled the rest of the pot toward me. If you’re not going to eat it, I will.
The aftertaste lingered—bitter and infuriatingly familiar.
Chipped pot. Mushy boiled potatoes. Tiny meat bits that barely appeared on birthdays.
The woman always smiled apologetically. Sorry I can't give you more.
That memory turned my stomach.
A pathetic woman. A noble’s concubine who never knew how to use it right. She could have squeezed them for money, controlled people, and raised her bastard kid properly.
She wasted it all. Swallowed her wounds alone, had no spine, and was left with nothing but scraps. In the end, all she had was an apology. It was laughable.
A bit more greedy. A bit more vicious. A bit less human.
Even as a bastard, I wouldn’t have grown up this miserable if I were her.
I’ll never be like her.
I’d vowed it endless times. I will climb. Whatever it takes. I will clear all the blocks.
But damn. She’s penniless, yet she cares for others first, accepts things smiling, and shares so casually.
It kept overlapping. It kept grating on me.
Outside, Ria was still clinking her spoon, her face clueless, saying it tasted good. Even that annoyed me.
It was an infuriating night. I tossed and turned, no sleep. My heart raced pointlessly.
Frustrated, I rose and pushed past the tent flap. The embers were dying.
Ria was huddled asleep before it. Clueless.
She twists my guts like this, and yet she sleeps so soundly all on her own.
Leona stared for a long time.
The mountain wind blew, and the blanket slipped from Ria’s shoulders. It rose and fell with her breaths.
Tsk.
Clicking her tongue, Leona reached out and roughly tugged the blanket back over her shoulders.
Ria mumbled in her sleep and curled up tighter.
Leona’s hand paused at that.
...What am I doing?
Leona withdrew and turned away.
An ember popped and crumbled into ash.
Laughter erupted from a corner of the tavern.
“Did you hear?” one man jeered. “Leona’s dragging some kid around.”
“That Leona?”
“What, a secret brat or something?”
“Hah! That psycho bitch? No way. I can’t picture it.”
The group cackled, their voices grating and loud. Then, a thick, heavy arm suddenly slung itself over the laughing man’s shoulder.
The man stiffened, turning slowly. A stranger stood behind him.
A long, jagged scar split one side of his face—an old wound, but one that still throbbed whenever it rained.
Just like today.
Rain lashed against the windows outside. Torrents of it. The memory of a bloodied blade tip surfaced. A woman looking down at him with cold, rain-soaked eyes.
Leona.
The scar began to burn.
The man didn't smile. His lips barely moved as he asked, his voice deathly quiet:
“Tell me the details.”