"What do you mean it's gone?!"
Flanda's hands trembled as she rummaged through the empty chest, flipping it over again and again, even lifting it up to check if anything had fallen underneath.
Just moments ago, she'd planned to use her lunch break to jot down a few of her brilliant ideas.
But to her horror, even though the lock was still in place, the chest was completely empty inside.
That key had taken her forever to find. She'd been waiting to use it to uncover treasure—then march back to the Church and smack those stubborn old geezers right in their smug faces.
Not to mention her diary. It didn't just contain her daily life—it held all her fantasies from the past few months.
The thought of someone prying into her private thoughts made her toes curl in mortification.
She heard the two knights calling from outside. In a flash, she yanked open the carriage curtain and glared daggers at Bardos, her face shifting between red and white with fury.
Bardos had never seen the Saintess make such an expression before. For a moment, he was completely stunned.
"How were you watching the carriage?! Everything I own just got stolen and you didn't even notice?!"
Flanda shouted, her voice trembling with outrage. The timing might've been bad, but Anrika couldn't help thinking—this was the kind of commanding presence a Saintess should have.
Cold sweat formed on Bardos's forehead. He immediately began mentally retracing every moment for anything suspicious.
But he'd barely left the carriage's side this entire time. Could someone really have slipped in and taken her belongings without him sensing it?
That would mean the thief could've killed the Saintess right under his nose.
He broke into a full-body sweat at the thought.
Seeing the color drain from his face, Anrika quickly interjected, "Remember when you left the village for a bit?"
That had been because of the rumors about Steve. They'd decided to guard the Saintess together after that.
Bardos suddenly remembered—Steve had been coming from the direction of the carriage back then.
"Don't tell me it was him?" Flanda clenched her fists tight, her voice sharp with anger. "We're going back!"
"But… we've already come this far…" Anrika hesitated.
"You swore an oath!" Flanda cut him off.
Anrika faltered, then sighed in defeat. "Alright, alright…"
According to Halls, Steve had seemed friendly enough. Reporting to His Holiness one day late shouldn't cause any problems… right?
The carriage turned around and began heading back toward Moonflower Village.
Along the road, Anrika couldn't shake the feeling that this was more serious than it seemed—especially since the Saintess was so angry she refused to even eat lunch.
Could that diary of hers contain Church secrets?
If so… then maybe helping her retrieve it counted as serving the Church too.
Thinking that made him feel a little better.
Meanwhile, Steve was at the Adventurer's Guild, waiting for Lilith to finish registering his latest commission.
The trip had gone smoothly. He'd found the tailor who handled string and learned that once you had an Adventurer's license, you no longer needed to pay with emeralds for new commissions.
That alone was a relief. The only catch was that the tailor only accepted spools of string, with a trade limit.
Six strings made one spool, and this time he'd managed to trade for thirty emeralds.
The commission itself—a monster extermination, same as yesterday—had earned him six more emeralds in materials, all traded through Lilith.
That gave him forty-eight in total—just enough to exchange for one Brilliant Holy Crystal from Flanda.
Which meant he could finally make a diamond.
Lilith filled out the paperwork while sneaking glances between the pile of monster parts beside him and the curious onlookers staring from across the hall.
Somehow, word had spread through the town—Steve was now a registered Adventurer. The old panic-inducing rumors about him had mostly died out.
Elina's words echoed in Lilith's head, her thoughts tangled with unease.
Were these really gifts for me? Or does he… want something?
Even as her doubts festered, she kept her professional composure, finishing the registration and placing Steve's license neatly back on the counter.
"Oh, right, Mr. Steve," Lilith said, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "About that outfit from before…"
The bunny suit was still in her possession. She'd tried it on last night—just once—and had turned scarlet from how scandalously revealing it was.
What surprised her, though, was how perfectly it fit. She'd never given him her measurements. How on earth…?
Curious, she'd wanted to ask him about it quietly.
But Steve didn't even let her finish. After confirming that commissions could only be taken once per day, he turned and walked off without a second glance.
Lilith instinctively reached out. "W–wait—"
Her hand fell back to the counter, and she sighed, resting her chin on her arms.
"Ugh… whatever. I'll just ask him next time…"
Steve headed straight back to the village without stopping.
The reward chest from his quest had given him a saddle, a horse armor, a few iron ingots—and even an Ender Eye.
That made him think of the captured Wind Wolf leader still trapped in the village. The thing was massive, sure, but maybe—just maybe—it could wear the armor.
If he could tame it, traveling would get so much faster.
The world map here was huge, villages were far apart, and each biome stretched endlessly in every direction.
Clearly, finding a mount was essential.
Steve hurried back to Moonflower Village and located the dirt mound he'd sealed earlier. He pressed his ear to it—no sound inside.
Don't tell me it despawned?
He broke off a block of dirt, spotted a familiar glint of silver fur, and relaxed.
The Wind Wolf's coat was matted and dull, its eyes lifeless. It lay sprawled on the ground, too weak to move.
But at least it was still breathing.
That was good enough.
Steve cleared away the remaining dirt, exposing the boat the wolf was trapped in.
Sunlight flooded in, making the wolf squint in pain. It winced, then slowly opened its eyes, gazing weakly at the blocky creature before it. Its nose twitched—no scent. Nothing.
It tried to let out a howl but couldn't muster the strength.
Pathetic. Utterly pathetic.
Its pack was dead. It had been locked away in darkness, starving and motionless, unable even to sleep.
What's the point of living like this…?
Its thoughts dimmed. It felt something settle on its back, then sensed the strange block creature vanish.
When it lifted its head, villagers were peering from afar—curious but keeping their distance.
Their gazes were all fixed on its back.
That's when it realized—this thing was trying to ride it.
Impossible!
It had seen what became of beasts enslaved by humans—the pain, the humiliation. That was why it had led its kin away from human lands, to find freedom.
Now its kin were gone, all of them. And it was supposed to let itself be mounted? To live in shame?
This was—this was just—
Its stomach growled loudly.
The righteous fury it had scraped together deflated in an instant.
Forget it… I don't even have the energy to be angry anymore. Maybe I'll just starve here…
Half-conscious, it suddenly felt a strange bond forming between itself and the blocky being. Power welled up from deep within, flooding through its body.
Its eyes snapped open.
Steve was crouched right in front of it, staring intently, holding what looked like a cooked porkchop.
The wolf blinked, then—without thinking—stuck out its tongue and licked his hand.
…?
Wait. What am I doing?
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Note: Tries to hide... Uh, I can explain—yes, I'll explain later… I'll try to keep the updates coming now...