Do You Have To Ask Now?

Rei had been trying it since earlier. But no matter how many times he tried, he still couldn't extract any energy from the cube. It was… Broken.

"Ugh, that granny is going to kill me." He grumbled in despair. Because the status of that item is still a rental after all. Plus, since Aria was still unconscious, he couldn't even scold her yet.

"How on earth did she think she could use this to confine the demon?" He muttered while looking at the cube again. Even though it was barely visible due to its dark color, Rei could indeed see a faint mushroom shadow there.

And fortunately the spell works just fine. Because just as Aria had wanted, the mushroom curse that had been all over the town was starting to slowly dissipate from air. So the condition of the people who were sick actually started to get better too. They still looked feverish, but certainly not dying anymore.

Maybe he shouldn't scold Aria after all. Or at least not in front of everyone.

"But why did you come?" Asked Feny who was also waiting in the room. "Do you not believe Aria can take care of it after all?"

"I sent a letter that I would come though." Rei replied. "Did she not tell you?"

"No. She actually said you didn't reply to her letter."

"What? That's weird." He said with furrowed brows. "Did my message bird die on his way or something? That's why she didn't wait for me?" He mumbled for a second.

"Well anyway, I did plan to come." Rei said again. "When she sent me a letter saying the mushroom looks fatter than the picture I gave, and that it has black spots on its body too, I already knew something was off."

"Fat is not too big a problem. But I figured those black spots could mean that the demon also has a curse of its own. Meaning it will be more dangerous than what I expected… But are you sure she didn't get my letter?"

Knock Knock. But then an old lady came in. The door wasn't closed--because there were a lot of children who kept wanting to see Aria--so the old woman went straight in.

And her eyes went straight to the girl who was sleeping on the bed. "I heard that the young lady who saved us is here. Is that her?" She asked in a weak voice. "Oh my, she really is so young."

"She still needs to rest. So you can thank her later." Rei said.

But ignoring Rei, the woman walked closer to the bed and started looking at Aria closely. "She doesn't look like an adventurer." She said with somehow widened eyes. "Since the kids said she could use magic, I thought she was an adventurer."

"Even her hands are this small, my goodness." She continued while starting to wring Aria's hand.

The woman looked like she was praying for Aria or something. But when she did that, Aria really started to wake up.

"Aria!" Called Feny who hurriedly came closer to the bed. "You finally wake up. I was so worried." She said as she immediately jumped to hug her.

"Yes, yes, I'm awake now." Aria replied while trying to sit up. Her smile kind of disappeared when she saw Rei's figure, but her attention was immediately diverted when she saw the old woman.

"Oh? Mrs. Ferika? Are you all right now?" She asked in surprise. Because the last time she saw her, the woman was still lying sick to the point that her face turned pale white with cold sweat.

"Thanks to you, I've gotten better. The kids have told me that you've been taking care of me since yesterday."

"I'm so relieved. Have the other adults started getting better too?" She asked and the woman nodded happily. Even Aria began to feel moved by herself and shed tears of joy.

But because the atmosphere lasted for a while, Rei, who couldn't stand it, finally had to interrupt. "By the way, is the mayor here still alive? Can I meet him?" He asked.

"Um, yes. I think he still does." Replied the woman. "He was still on the bed earlier, but I think he's already fine." She continued.

"But, why are you asking that?" Asked Aria a bit confused.

"What else? Of course to ask for your reward."

"...Do you have to ask him now?"

"You're right. Maybe after dinner."