4 Aftermath of the Greedy

''What the hell was that Emilia? You said we would live peacefully from now on.'' A small dark dragon hovered around Emilia's head as it showed its discontent with the situation.

His body was enveloped by a translucent purple mist that clouded any definite shape from being made out. Two tiny curved horns sprouted from the little head of it. A short tail flailing about in no particular direction at all seemed a little worried and agitated.

The city in which she shared many connections with was now no more than a pile of ashes. Nothing remained, not bones and not stones. As if it were wiped off the map. If she had known sooner she could have prevented this tragedy from taking place, but fate had it a different way.

But her hometown was not the only one that had taken a huge hit. The Bounty Kingdom lost one of their top dogs and were not too glad about how the situation was resolved. Normally, they could pull enough string for the victim town to pay back war reparations, but in this case, the town had been wiped off the map.

''Listen Sytners, while you were asleep and prancing around in dreamland, our town faced a huge force of at least twenty thousand. There was no way around it, I had to use 'it'!'' Emilia's voice was not one filled with the pride of a warrior but rather it had a hint of disappointment. Her lips were curbed into a frown as she had to think back to the genocide from a few hours previous.

Buildings can always be built with time and resources. Walls are barriers meant to protect and could be toppled and easily rebuilt. But people, people could not be revived. They could not be brought back and they could not be manufactured. Once someone loses their life that's it, no second chances.

In this world, you are either born with power, or you die weak, alone, and afraid. It's the job of the ones with the power to protect the powerless. And Emilia felt that way too. She had the power to protect them but everything had collapsed by then.

''Well it doesn't matter now, our cover has been blown. No way a town this size could be wiped out in a single day along with more than twenty thousand people.'' Synthers' concern was not with the huge loss of life but with the aftermath of it all. As a dragon, he had little concern over the thoughts of humans losing their lives.

'' You know rumours will start spreading, people will know that 'wrath' is back. Your efforts at a normal life would have gone to waste.'' His voice was not filled with anger, just mere annoyance at the thought of having to wait out the rumours.

Only a few hours have passed since the destruction of the town but they had moved away into a nearby forest. In these parts, the woods were hailed as a holy sanctuary protected by fairies. The moonlight was barely able to make it past the thick head of the leaves down to illuminate the area surrounding the two.

A loud groaning sound reverberated around the two. Emilia's face blushed as she gripped for her stomach, the source of the noise. She hadn't had a chance to eat after the clean-up and as much as she felt depressed about it all, she couldn't control her hunger.

Synthers' eyes rolled back as he let out a sigh from his small draconic chest. As a dragon which is a mythical being, he had no need to consume food in the way most did. But cooking methods have come a long way since his tyrannical times so he didn't mind having a meal every once in a while along with Emilia.

The brushes surrounding them rustled as a wail from a boar filled the air. It didn't hang along after getting spotted by the famished Emilia who couldn't stop her saliva from leaking.

The bo staff which had previously been strapped to her back swung straight into the palm of her hand as if it obeyed her will. Her knees lowered in a lunge position as the torn dress stuck to her skin. Her eyes locked onto the speeding boar attempting to escape the fate of Emilia's immeasurable appetite.

An after image stood in the middle of the small crater where she had previously stood. The grass surrounding it slightly tinged with ash, crumbling from the heat generated by her speed. All it took was a second between her dash and the sound of a squealing boar.

''You seem quite eager to eat, we can talk about what we should do after you prepare the meal. This time I'm the one making the plan, you seem to lack the ability to make plans.'' Synthers' body start wriggling, the sound of bones cracking and skin stretching would be enough to make anyone pass out. He had the ability to turn into a humanoid form to pass by as a demi-human. It was quite useful when traveling through major cities.

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With the fire crackling and the embers illuminating every corner of their little glade. The heat slowly spread, blanketing the two sitting by their little camp. The meat slowly cooked from the outside, with the heat and slowly cooking the inside while the smoke added a little bit of saltiness to it. Not that they had any condiments to season it with.

Emilia's eyes were locked on the flames dancing up from the charcoal which coated the meat in a darker shade of the original pink. Synthers slowly turned the stick which skewered the meat to make sure that all sides get an even spread as to not undercook or overcook.

A bead of sweat slid down the side of her face followed by a second bead. Slowly her torn dress dampened around the knees which stuck to her skin.

''While your mind was focused on staring at the rotating meat slab before you I came up with a game plan on what to do next. I think we should head to the elven town just south of here and set up a party. If we could attract maybe three adventurers we could fly under the radar as travelers hunting quests. It's quite flexible and you wouldn't have anyone questioning your unholy strength. But you are forbidden from using 'it' you understand?'' Synthers seemed quite pleased with his plan of action as a little smirk spread to the corner of his mouth.

''Mhm yeah I understand, let's do that. So when is the food done? I am famished!'' Emilia's mind seemed to be elsewhere during Synthers' plan. If anyone knew her identity I bet they would be confused over her ignorance over the current situation.

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''Flow'' Synthers' tone was neutral as he cast a beginner water spell. But while this spell was an easy one, his control over it would give the strongest mages a run for their money. The water danced, slicing the boar meat in eight evenly proportioned slices. The pinkish meat from before was no more, a brown-reddish colour replaced it.

Emilia grabbed four of the slices and placed them on a little wooden plate she had carved from a nearby tree. Steam still rising from the meat made condensation build on the back edges of the plate. With her hand grasping at one of the cuts it leaked its juices onto the plate as the aroma evaporated into their noses.

With a big bite, Emilia started feasting on her DIY forest survival meal cooked over an open fire. Her face lit up as she took another mouthful of the meat. Her face slightly flushed from how hot it was, she was quite ignorant of the fact it just made it off the fire.

''Sho whasht dihd youh whant to thalk abouht?'' She spoke with a mouthful reaching for the waterskin. The water just flowed down her throat, quenching her thirst. She looked eager to grab another slab of meat but waited patiently for Synthers to tell her the plan again.

''Ugh. When will you listen to me, I'm surprised you weren't chosen as the bearer of 'greed'. Right, like I was saying before. We should head South and register in the Adventurer's Guild to set up a party of adventurers. It would be easy to get around and all we have to do is slay a few beasts and help elderly women.'' Synthers, while used to her annoying ignorance, still couldn't help but be peeved.

Emilia seemed in thought, her eyes staring out to the night sky, filled with stars and a glistening full moon. Her eyes wandered onto the roof of the forest, something was shuffling the leaves close to them.

''Sounds like an interesting plan to say the very least. In a town, there would be a lot more good food!'' Her eyes hadn't moved from the shuffling but responded in a normal manner to Synthers.

He seemed to have picked up on her unusual gaze and sent a pulse of mana towards it. While mana cannot be seen in the atmosphere. If condensed down and used as pure mana it has a blue-ish hue.

'Thud'

A body fell from the tree stack into the bushes surrounding the glade, which sent wild boars scattering around. The bo staff which was laying a few feet away flew straight into her hand at Emilia's signal.

''I give! I give! I'm not looking for a fight!'' The voice of a young man yelled from behind the dense foliage.

As he stood up and walked from behind the bush Emilia's face turned pale ''Greed!''