"Grrr~!"

"Aren't you gonna deal with that?"

The blunt yet awkward question came from Beatrix, who voiced out the concern—or rather, the complaint—of everyone else sitting inside their steadily moving carriage.

That was referring to Lynn, who was now back on the driver's seat, growling in bad temper while holding the reins of her loyal steeds—Chevaline and Ragwort.

Every second of their travel felt uneasy, as no one knew when Lynn might lash out with her unreasonable tantrum.

And if that referred to Lynn, then you obviously referred to Arezu, who sat at the back of the carriage opposite Beatrix, still trying to figure out what had caused Lynn's sour mood.

Isn't it obvious? Senna and Casey thought, understanding the situation just as Beatrix did—which also meant Leo and Cliff were as clueless about it as Arezu.

Lynn's attitude toward Arezu had started to change after Arezu's reunion with a group of five bird-kin demi-humans that the Annual Caravan encountered.

Although the group barely knew Arezu themselves and only remembered a few brief encounters with him, their leader—Quill, a bird-kin with wings resembling those of a horned owl—shared an intriguing story about Arezu's past.

Apparently, Arezu was once part of Aiden Alfa, a gold-rank beastkin demi-human adventurer party from Aiden Town, the fortress town at the southern border of the Eileen Kingdom.

Arezu's involvement with Aiden Alfa only lasted a few months, and he was never even an official member—for the obvious reason that he wasn't a beastkin demi-human.

But Arezu's failure to mention his connection to Aiden Alfa wasn't what bothered Lynn the most. What truly set her off was the fact that Aiden Alfa was composed entirely of female members from different beastkin races, and that Quill—while grinning and glancing at Lynn—said Arezu was particularly close to the current leader:

The famed strongest hero of the current generation—the young heroine Fafna, who holds the title Black Dragon.

"Shut it!—Mr. Womanizer!" Lynn snapped the moment Arezu stood from his seat and tried to approach her, prompting him to immediately sit back down.

She's seriously and dangerously jealous, Senna and Casey thought, startled and slightly terrified as they sensed Lynn gathering mana, as if she was about to cast a mystic spell and attack Arezu.

From gathering the monster materials and cores of the defeated wyverns, to following the lead of the bird-kin group flying above toward the Beastkin Nation's border, their journey continued under an awkward and tense atmosphere—not because of any lurking monsters ahead, but because of Lynn's impending emotional outburst.

By the time they made camp for the night outside a small town, the Annual Caravan had reached the border of the Beastkin Nation.

"Are you still mad at me for not saying anything about Aiden Alfa and Fafna?" Arezu asked, sitting across the campfire and watching Lynn, who was once again stress-eating her pudding and cake reserves right after dinner.

The sharp glare Lynn gave him in response prompted Beatrix and the four mage students to hurriedly excuse themselves, not wanting to get involved in what they called a lover's quarrel between Lynn and Arezu.

Meanwhile, a certain priestess had already sniffed out the impending drama and was now peeking from afar—accompanied by a certain valkyrie.

"That's not why I'm mad," Lynn grumbled, pouting as she looked away from Arezu.

"Then can you at least tell me why?" Arezu asked in a laid-back tone, trying to keep his patience with her antics.

"Why?!" she snapped again, then finally erupted in an unreasonable tantrum, unleashing a barrage of questions at him.

"Why did you leave the heroine's party?! Did she kick you out? Were they too stupid to see your true strength and value? Did they banish you? Is that why you wanted to see the world—to find a new purpose?!... Am I just a replacement for your heroine?!"

Everyone who overheard Lynn's dramatic outburst was left stunned and speechless, staring in disbelief—especially Arezu.

There were so many wrong and concerning things about what she said—especially her possessiveness and jealousy. But first—

"You're not a replacement, Lynn," Arezu said, looking at her sincerely. His words made her flustered, her face turning red as she quickly looked away to avoid his gaze.

"I mean, there wasn't even anything to replace. And don't give me those classic tropes like I'm some kind of protagonist in a fantasy adventure story."

"Classic tropes?... Protagonist?... Fantasy adventure story?... You're using weird words again, Mr. Arezu!"

To escape further questioning about his odd phrasing, Arezu shifted the conversation back to his time with Aiden Alfa and the heroine Fafna.

"They were my benefactors. They helped a country bumpkin like me—who couldn't even read or write—register as an adventurer at the Aiden Town Guild—"

"So that's why you were able to get accommodation at Moon Pavilion," Lynn interrupted.

"They gave me a letter of introduction. That's why Ms. Lapina—a rabbit-kin demi-human—accepted me, and her family looked after me when I arrived at the capital."

The mystery of how Arezu, an unknown adventurer with no clear background, managed to get a room at Moon Pavilion—something even she couldn't do without using Arezu's name as leverage—had finally been solved in Lynn's mind.

With Lynn's permission, Arezu continued his story.

"They allowed me to accompany them until we parted ways after leaving Mirare Town a few months ago..."

Aiden Alfa was on a quest that led them to the Dwarf Nation in the eastern mountain range of the Eileen Kingdom, while Arezu's goal was to visit the kingdom's capital.

That was the reason he left their party—or at least, that's what he told them.

"My presence in their group caused a lot of trouble—especially from other beastkin adventurers who wanted to join their party. That's why I left," Arezu explained, ending his story.

"Well... you're certainly not a beastkin demi-human," Lynn added, her tone hinting at more than her words alone.

At least she's finally calmed down, Arezu thought, watching Lynn resume eating her pudding and cake calmly.

However, Lynn wasn't done yet.

"What about the heroine? What did she say when you told her you were leaving?"

The serious glare Lynn gave him made it clear she might throw another tantrum depending on his answer.

Regardless, Arezu wasn't sure what kind of answer would satisfy her, so he simply said what Fafna had told him when they parted ways.

"She said she'll definitely find me after their quest."

"GRRR~!"

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