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Chapter 100: Naaza Exposed
The four of them didn't linger for a second, immediately turning on their heels and retreating the way they came.
The monsters of the middle floors were already formidable, but the brutal encirclement they had just endured—a combined assault by a Blazing Axe Mitachurl and a Kairagi—would have inflicted heavy casualties on any ordinary adventurer party. For Tifa, Robin, and Hyacine, who were still Level 1 adventurers, such a high-intensity skirmish exacted a massive toll on their stamina and mind—even with their seamless teamwork and powerful magic. Pushing any deeper would have been unwise.
They decided to play it safe and wait until the entire party had grown stronger before exploring the deeper floors.
By the time the four of them stepped out of Babel Tower and returned to the surface, the crisp, refreshing evening breeze was there to greet them, gently brushing against their faces. Leaving behind the oppressive and suffocating atmosphere of the Dungeon to breathe the fresh surface air brought a wave of relief over everyone.
"Our luck was pretty good today. We finished the quest in no time at all."
Aiden stretched lazily, a satisfied smile spreading across his face.
Not only had they successfully gathered the Blue Papilio Wings to fulfill Naaza's commission, but they had also cleared several other adventurer commissions they'd picked up along the way. Combine that with their successful push down to the 15th Floor, and today had truly been a massive haul.
The party headed straight back to the Guild, expertly turning in their commissions and selling off their excess drop items for a handsome sum of valis. Afterward, they made their way to the Seventh District to visit the Miach Familia's headquarters—the Azure Pharmacy.
A faint scent of medicinal herbs lingered in the air inside the shop.
Behind the counter, the Dog Person girl, Naaza, was resting her chin on her hand out of boredom. Her half-closed eyes fluttered open when she saw them walk through the door.
"Don't tell me you guys already finished the adventurer commission...?" Naaza asked, looking a bit surprised.
Even though she knew Aiden had recently leveled up to Level 2, Blue Papilios were notoriously rare monsters. Tracking them down in the vast expanse of the 7th Floor was no easy feat. She had fully expected it to take them at least a few days, if not longer, to get the job done.
"Yeah, we got lucky and ran into a few."
Robin smiled and stepped forward, gently opening her satchel so Naaza could see inside. Nestled within were several pairs of Blue Papilio Wings, emitting a faint, ethereal azure glow.
The moment she saw the highly sought-after materials, Naaza's eyes lit up, unable to hide her pleasant surprise.
"Thank you guys. I honestly didn't expect you to be this capable..." she breathed in genuine awe.
Right then, the back door of the pharmacy swung open, and a strikingly handsome god with blue hair, matching eyes, and a gentle aura stepped out.
"Are those... the Blue Papilio Wings Naaza's been asking for?"
Upon seeing them, Miach broke into a delighted smile. His grin only widened when his gaze fell upon the wings in Robin's hands. "Ah, so she commissioned you."
At the sound of Miach's voice, the joy instantly drained from Naaza's face. She went deathly pale, a cold sweat breaking out on her forehead, while the tail behind her began to wag in a panicked, restless frenzy.
. . .
"I am so sorry!"
Miach placed a hand firmly on top of Naaza's head and forced her into a deep bow alongside him, apologizing profusely to Aiden and the girls.
Caught red-handed by Miach himself, Naaza could no longer hide the fact that she had severely underpaid them for the commission. Upon learning exactly how much the reward had been, Miach's expression shifted from pure shock to anger, before finally settling into deep remorse toward Aiden's party.
Even among close friends, ordering them around like servants for pennies was something Miach simply could not accept.
"It's fine," Aiden chimed in, his tone calm and reassuring. "Just consider it a favor. It wasn't that difficult of a job anyway."
After all, they had accepted the terms willingly. If they hadn't wanted to do it, they could have easily refused. He hadn't been expecting much of a reward in the first place. He might even be willing to do it a second time, though certainly not a third.
Despite Aiden showing absolutely no signs of being bothered by it, Miach still looked utterly miserable as he continued to apologize repeatedly. Naaza, meanwhile, kept her head bowed, remaining completely silent.
She knew full well that what she had done was wrong, but she simply had no other choice.
She was burdened with a patron deity whose charitable nature bordered on financial ruin. Compounding that was the agonizing guilt that the Miach Familia's decline was solely due to the crippling debt from her expensive prosthetic arm. Under that immense pressure, she had finally been pushed to do something so foolish.
The air inside the pharmacy still carried the unique fragrance of dozens of different herbs mixed together—a lingering scent from earlier potion-brewing sessions. It was a bitter yet faintly sweet aroma—one that could bring a subtle sense of peace to the mind if you breathed it in long enough.
"I really can't, Lord Miach. How could I possibly take your money?"
A gentle smile graced Aiden's face as he softly pushed back the heavy leather pouch Miach was trying to hand him. The bag jingled as it moved, the metallic clinking of valis coins echoing with a crisp, pleasant sound.
Miach's hand froze in midair. The strikingly handsome god, possessing the refined features of a noble young lord, stared back with blue eyes full of stubborn earnestness. Even his simple, immaculately clean white robes seemed to take on an air of solemn dignity due to his serious demeanor.
"Let's keep things separate, Aiden. You put in the work, so you deserve an equal reward."
"Lord Miach, you really don't need to insist."
Hyacine chimed in softly from the side, her pink twin-tails swaying gently as she spoke. "Just think of it as my tuition fees for learning apothecary skills here. Gaining knowledge directly from the God of Healing is far more valuable than any amount of money."
She gave a playful wink as she said it, doing her best to lighten the heavy mood.
Robin and Tifa shared the exact same sentiment—they couldn't accept Miach's money. After all, he had gone out of his way to look after Hyacine, not to mention Furina.
Seeing how utterly resolute the group was, the stubbornness on Miach's face finally melted into a helpless, bitter smile.
He slowly retracted his hand, letting the leather pouch drop onto the polished wooden counter with a heavy thud.
His gaze then shifted to Naaza, who had been standing silently behind him this entire time. The warmth instantly vanished from his expression, replaced by a complicated mix of deep disappointment and strict severity.
"Naaza," he said. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a much heavier weight than before. "Why would you do something like this?"
Naaza's body stiffened almost imperceptibly.
She stubbornly turned her head away, her carefully styled, princess-cut brown hair drawing a defiant arc through the air.
"The Familia's ledgers have been constantly bleeding money. I just wanted to save us some expenses."
The corner of Miach's mouth twitched uncontrollably.
He stared at her profile. With her half-lowered eyelids and her refusal to meet anyone's gaze, she looked exactly the same as her usual, aloof self.
But only someone who truly knew her would notice that the fluffy canine tail behind her waist was trembling uncontrollably, completely betraying the intense anxiety and fear hidden within her heart.
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