Chapter 152: No, You Can’t.

Chapter 152: Chapter 152: No, You Can’t.

Chapter 152: No, You Can’t.

WHOOSH!

’Was he always this fast?’ His unexpected speed startled Sasha, who watched him move across the uneven ground with a speed that seemed completely unreasonable for someone wearing such heavy armour.

It was only then that she began to understand why he hadn’t bothered riding on the lightning wolf, since the speed at which he was running made it clear that he had no trouble keeping up with a demonic beast that could easily outrun an ordinary horse.

To Osborne, this served as another form of training, allowing him to push his body at every opportunity instead of wasting time sitting around when he could be improving his physical abilities.

Ever since leaving the Roosevelts, he had made an effort to use every opportunity to train, whether it involved practising his swordsmanship, testing his magic, or pushing his body beyond its usual limits, and he had no intention of abandoning that habit simply because he had a travelling companion.

Before Sasha could think any further, the demonic beast’s sudden acceleration jerked her backwards, nearly causing her to lose her balance as the lightning wolf charged forward with its powerful legs carrying it across the forest path.

Sasha was forced to clutch at its fur as its body raced ahead, her heart pounding while the wind rushed past her face, making it difficult for her to keep her eyes open for more than a few seconds at a time.

Although she had ridden horses before, the experience was nothing like this, since the lightning wolf’s movements were far more powerful and its speed far greater, leaving her with little choice but to hold on tightly and trust that the beast wouldn’t suddenly decide to throw her off its back.

Soon, both Osborne and the beast were running side by side, with the armoured man maintaining a steady pace beside the lightning wolf as they travelled deeper into the forest, leaving Sasha with no choice but to endure the journey while wondering whether the man beside them was even human.

---

Eventually, after running for hours, Osborne and the lightning wolf came to a stop at the edge of the forest, right next to a patch of road leading towards the town, where the trees gradually became less dense and the familiar signs of human settlement could finally be seen in the distance.

The three of them stood atop a hill, allowing them to look down at the surrounding landscape, and while Osborne appeared largely unaffected by the long journey, Sasha was still catching her breath after spending hours riding on the back of a demonic beast that showed no signs of exhaustion.

Osborne approached the lightning wolf and helped Sasha down, holding her steady until her feet touched the ground, since he didn’t want her to injure herself after such a long ride.

Sasha, who saw the town in the distance, unconsciously began walking closer to the edge of the hilltop, her steps gradually becoming slower as she stared at the familiar buildings and roads that she had once believed she might never see again.

Seeing her home once more, a torrent of emotions gradually overwhelmed her, and although she had spent the entire journey wondering what she would do once they arrived, she found herself unable to think about anything else as the sight of the town brought back memories she had tried so hard to forget.

Her eyes teared up a bit, streams of tears falling down her cheeks, and even the air was as she remembered it, free from the lingering stench of blood and booze she’d been forced to bear during all that time in captivity.

---

"T-thank you..." Sasha turned around and told Osborne. "If not for your help, I don’t think I would be able to see this place ever again~" Sasha said as she wiped her tears and bits of snot, trying to compose herself after being overwhelmed by the sight of the town she had once believed she would never see again.

At the same time, she noticed that the lightning wolf was nowhere to be seen, and although she had been too distracted by the familiar view to pay much attention to what was happening around her, she couldn’t help wondering when the enormous beast had disappeared.

In truth, during the short time Sasha had spent gazing ahead, Osborne had already stored the lightning wolf away in his sub-space, seeing no reason to keep the creature outside when they were about to enter a human settlement.

"Think nothing of it," Osborne said, not bothering to offer her a shoulder to cry on or even attempting to comfort her, since he had already done what he came here to do and didn’t see any reason to prolong their meeting.

"Well then, I’m afraid this is where we part ways."

"What?" Sasha froze when she saw him beginning to turn away, her expression changing as she realised that he was actually planning to leave her there without even accompanying her into town.

"After this, please do head to the Adventurers’ Guild and inform them that I’ve completed the quest," Osborne said, casually reminding her of something she had yet to consider while preparing to leave.

"What quest?"

"Someone posted a missing person quest in the Adventurers’ Guild," Osborne said, offering her nothing more than that brief explanation before continuing to walk away.

’So he’s an adventurer?’ Sasha was confused, finding it hard to comprehend why someone with his level of ability and the force beneath his command would choose to accept such a simple mission, especially when he seemed capable of dealing with far more dangerous tasks.

’Father has no idea I was kidnapped to begin with, so there’s no way there could’ve been a huge bounty for it either... And yet, he still took such a low-paying job.’ The more she thought about it, the more she couldn’t understand why someone like him would go through all that trouble for a reward that was probably worth very little to him.

Why go through such lengths, just to find one person he knew nothing about?