I'm a Immortal Tavernkeeper, But My S-Rank Daughter Doesn't Know That!

That night, in a forest on the outskirts of Lamia, Victor’s group was about to abandon the mission they had set out on.

"How long are we going to stay here? I can’t stand this smell anymore," Therella said, pressing a hand to her nose.

"And you don’t even have an enhanced sense of smell..." said Franky, causing her to look back and notice that he had two pieces of cloth stuffed into his big lizard nostrils.

"Puff!" Therella stopped herself from laughing.

"Hey!" Franky was practically offended.

"Calm down, guys. I’m sure they’re here," Aluella said with characteristic calm, but there was a hint of concern in her voice.

Baerren Flintfinger glanced back over his shoulder. He was the one leading the group, carrying the flame that lit the way for everyone.

"Alu, it will be useless if we end up getting lost and walking into a monster’s nest because we’re walking in the middle of all this darkness."

"No, I believe we are close." The determination and hope in Aluella’s voice contrasted with Baerren’s concern.

At night, the Shadewood forest was even more alive than during the day, for there were many nocturnal sounds: the crunching of insects and the occasional distant scream of a monster. After a few more minutes of walking, the group came to an area where the bushes grew thick, creating a natural barrier. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Baerren snapped his fingers, and his magical flame rose up on its own, trying to illuminate the path ahead.

"We have to go through here." He said as he looked at the bushes. "It’s one of the few areas we haven’t been through yet."

"I don’t think we have a choice," Victor agreed, stepping forward and using his sword to push the branches aside, clearing the way.

As they made their way through the bushes, the overwhelming vegetation grew denser and denser. The group was cautious, everyone quiet and alert for the slightest sign of danger. After what seemed like an eternity, they finally emerged on the other side of the area of dense bush.

It was then that they noticed movement.

Three youthful figures emerged from the shadows, illuminated by the light of Baerren’s fire. They were dirty, completely dirty, but when they saw Victor’s group, two of them immediately drew their swords and the woman in the group raised her wooden staff.

Victor immediately took the lead of his group and positioned himself to defend them.

"Wait!" Aluella shouted, stepping forward to stand between the two groups and holding out her hand in a gesture of peace. "We’re not here to fight!"

The young men hesitated, exchanging uncertain glances, but obeyed at first.

The one who seemed to be the oldest among them, for he had a sparse beard, was a young man with dark hair and a dirty face. He answered with a tired but hopeful voice:

"We are hunters. We’ve been lost in these woods for days. Who are you?"

Aluella’s face lit up at the boy’s answer. "We are a group of hunters as well," she replied calmly after nodding politely to ease the tension between the two groups. "We were hired to look for missing hunters. Jarek, Lira, Tomas and Fletcher."

The revelation made the young men lower their weapons slightly, still suspicious but less hostile.

"My name is Aluella and these are Victor, Therella, Franky and Baerren. We’re here to help."

Lira and Tomas nodded at their leader, obviously relieved that Victor’s group posed no threat.

The young leader of the hunters put down his sword. "I am Jarek. These are my friends, Lira and Tomas. We were hunting goblins when we got lost in the forest four days ago."

"How have you managed to survive so far?" Baerren asked. "These forests are quite dangerous."

"It’s been difficult." Jarek replied, the weariness in his voice and body evident. "We found food and water in the goblin caves, but the forest is treacherous. Our eyes have beheld things... creatures we cannot describe. We thought we’d never get out of here."

Victor looked at Aluella, and she nodded, indicating that he could let his guard down completely.

"We’re here now," Victor said, putting down his sword. "We will help you get out of here. But we’ve been hired to look for four. Where is the last of you?"

Jarek sighed deeply, his shoulders slumping with exhaustion. "There were five of us at first. When we realized we were lost the first night, we decided to camp in a cave for the night. We were exhausted, and the fear of the forest was, well, oppressive."

Lira, the young woman with the staff, completed the story. "One of us, a boy named Erwin, decided to try to find his way back on his own. He thought we might be near the exit from the forest. We... we never saw him again after that night."

The pain in her voice was palpable, but Tomas showed hope.

"But look, someone sent help, so surely Erwin is all right. I’m sure he took the money his father gave him to buy a new sword and used it to hire hunters."

Lira’s face brightened a bit.

"The fourth member of the group, Fletcher, fell into a ravine a few hours ago," the young leader explained. "The ravine wasn’t deep, and he was fine because he’s strong, and he said he’d try to find a way out on his own and meet us on the other side. But so far, nothing, no sign of him."

Aluella frowned, her look worried. "So we still have to find Fletcher. He could be hurt or in danger."

Baerren had to agree. "We’ll find him. We can’t leave him behind."

But Victor had to give his group the dose of realism and rationality they needed.

"Guys, it’s getting late, and we’ve got three dehydrated, tired, and traumatized young men with us. If there are ravines around here, one of them or one of us could end up falling into the darkness and getting badly hurt," he said. Victor said. "We should return to town and perhaps continue the search tomorrow."

*

"That’s what Jerek and Lira told me you said when I finally made it home AFTER A MONTH!" the adult Fletcher Worten shouted angrily. "You said you were going to continue the search, but since you had already found three of the group and received the money for it, you never went back to look for the fourth member, did you?"

Victor sighed wearily. "Do you swear that’s the only reason you kept my name in your memory and still hold a grudge after all these years?"

"I SPENT A WHOLE MONTH IN THE BAD FORESTS OF SHADEWOOD!" exclaimed Fletcher, then took a deep breath to keep his balance. "Do you know what it’s like to spend a month fighting for your life, fighting goblins that wouldn’t let me sleep, and then having to eat their flesh to survive? Do you know how bad goblin meat tastes?! I did all this with a sprained ankle that still affects me to this day!"

"The Shadewood Forest is what? Ten kilometers in diameter? How did you manage to wander around for an entire month and not find your way?" Victor asked, looking at Fletcher like the man was stupid.

"All right, now I’m sure you’re trying my patience." Fletcher put his hand to his head and said. "Just admit once and for all that you left me there to die because you were selfish."

Victor then raised his head, looked into Fletcher’s eyes and said:

"Yes, I found the smell of that region unbearable and I didn’t want to go back there the next day. So I convinced the other members of my group that it would be best if we went back to explore the sewers or find more comfortable work in Blirough." Victor said, without blinking or stuttering.

However, the truth was that after Victor and his group had returned to Lamia with Jarek, Lira and Tomas, his group wanted to return to Shadewood to look for the fourth member, but Jarek and the others felt guilty that Erwin had to spend his own money to find them, so they promised that they would return to Shadewood more prepared and look for Fletcher on their own.

This truth would be too hard to hear after thirty years, even for someone as miserable as Fletcher, and it probably wouldn’t change Fletcher’s hatred for Victor. So Victor didn’t tell.

"Now that you’ve finally admitted it and remembered, I’ll be happy to kill you for revenge," Fletcher said, pulling the dagger from the small sheath at his lower back.

"Are you sure you want to do that? Die for something so stupid?" Victor asked.

"My revenge is not stupid," Fletcher shouted, lunging forward, swinging his dagger.

Victor dodged and blocked the first attacks, but was soon reminded that Fletcher wasn’t alone this time.

A hiss sounded from his left, and at the same moment, an ice arrow struck Victor’s left shoulder, partially halting his movements as the ice quickly spread.

A broad smile appeared on Fletcher’s face, and he advanced with even more momentum as he saw this opportunity.

But Victor was as agile and adaptable as anyone. He slammed the hilt of his sword into the ice, shattering it instantly, and then spun his sword around to attack.