Chronicles of Forgotten Extra Chapter 358: The Strange Things She Cared About.

Vareth was prepared.

He immediately shifted into his humanoid form, ready to engage the boy who was lunging toward him.

For a coward who had dared to humiliate him and then run away, Vareth was almost amused by the boy’s strange strength.

But he still couldn’t stop thinking about the ominous energy the boy had emitted moments ago.

He had no time to dwell on it as the boy was already upon him. His sword came straight toward Vareth’s neck from a low angle.

Vareth was never a brute in battle, he knew that attack was a feint and the boy was planning something else.

So, he didn’t dodge and instead leaped into the air and just as he expected, the sword vanished midway through its trajectory and the boy extended his palm instead.

Vareth’s senses flared as wings burst out from his back mid-air as he abruptly changed direction.

And just in time.

Because from the boy’s outstretched palm, a familiar power erupted like a volcano as a pillar of dark orange flames engulfed everything in its wake.

Vareth’s eyes trembled as he landed some distance away.

"How...?" He muttered in a shaky voice. "How could you use my Dragon Breath? That should be impossible..."

His pupils contracted.

"Unless... You are a dragon."

The boy didn’t answer and merely let out a wide smirk at him.

"Don’t you think you have bigger problems to deal with?"

The boy pointed toward the sky as Vareth’s gaze naturally followed and there, he saw a familiar dragon.

Her back was facing them and a magic barrier had protected her from a Dragon Breath, his Dragon Breath.

Valerie.

She had just wasted one of her precious protective talism she bragged so much about and now instead of focusing on Aemirya, who had been battling her all this time, Valerie slowly turned around.

Her eyes burned with fury as her voice echoed through the sky—

"Vareth, you bastard! So you have finally shown your true colours." Valerie descended toward the ground, fury burning in her eyes. "I knew something was wrong the moment you asked to cooperate."

Vareth opened his mouth to explain.

"You are wrong. I wasn’t the one who attacked—"

But before he could finish, another loud voice interrupted him.

"SHE KNOWS, MASTER VARETH! SHE KNOWS EVERYTHING NOW!"

It was the boy who had been attacking him until now.

He had already vanished from his position while screaming as he ran.

"I WAS ONLY HELPING YOU BECAUSE SHE DIDN’T KNOW! THE DEAL IS OFF!!! I AM OUT!"

"What the fuck—?"

Vareth couldn’t even finish cursing before another voice echoed from the sky.

"I AM ALSO BREAKING MY PARTNERSHIP WITH YOU, VARETH!"

It was Aemirya this time as she immediately flew after where the boy had vanished, leaving Vareth questioning his life decisions.

And moments later,

Valerie attacked him for a crime he didn’t even commit but even as he fought against her, his mind boiled with rage as only one thought echoed within his mind.

***

Meanwhile, having safely arrived some distance away, Alden and Aemirya caught their breaths beside a massive tree.

Alden huffed and puffed while Aemirya transformed back into her human form before leaning against the trunk.

Unlike Vareth, who was clever, Valerie was immensely talented but far too simple-minded and to Aemirya, such opponents were always difficult to deal with because people like that worked without plans and they didn’t care about feints and simply attacked.

So even if she wasn’t tired, Valerie had managed to land a few attacks on Aemirya during their brief exchange.

Aemirya took out two healing potions from her storage ring wordlessly, drinking one herself while handing the other to the boy beside her. As they both chugged down their potions and the healing started, a heavy silence engulfed the area, before...

"Pfffttt."

The boy suddenly burst out laughing. He didn’t say a single word but somehow his laughter felt contagious and before she knew it,

"Pfffttttttt!!"

Aemirya couldn’t hold it in either.

The two laughed continuously for several minutes, slight tears forming in their eyes as they remembered the stunt they had just pulled and the face of Vareth as they left.

Eventually, Alden spoke.

"That was fun..."

He said as Aemirya immediately stopped laughing.

She quickly composed herself and looked at him with a cold expression.

"I still haven’t forgiven you—"

She was about to speak but the boy interrupted her.

"I am sorry." There was no mischief in his voice this time. "Although I said it before while we were running, I couldn’t properly apologize because of the situation but I am genuinely sorry."

He continued.

"I was frustrated as hell with everything. About being thrown into this place without knowing anything and I took all that frustration out on you... when you were trying to help me understand everything for my sake."

He looked straight into her eyes.

"And by taking my anger out on you..." He smiled bitterly. "I became just like the people I once hated. I know it might be hard for you to forgive me but... I just wanted you to know that I genuinely feel bad about the whole thing."

He scratched his cheek awkwardly.

Aemirya remained silent for a moment before turning her head to the side with a cold expression.

"Don’t be so arrogant. Who said I was caring about you? I couldn’t care less if you died, you perverted freak."

She said those words, but Alden caught the slight upward curve of her lips even as she tried to hide it and just like always, she cared about the things he least expected.

"Sure, sure, princess."

He said, turning his gaze forward and trying to recover the mana he had spent while letting the healing potion do its work.

But just then, something poked his leg from the side. He looked toward her as she had pushed something in his direction.

It was a few sets of male clothes.

"I found them... while eliminating a dragon I came across. It would have been a waste to throw them away, so you can use them."

She said, her face still turned away.

Looking at her like that, a smile appeared on Alden’s face.

He quietly accepted the clothes and leaned back against the tree once more, waiting for the battle between Vareth and Valerie to end...

After all...

Someone had to greet the winner and take care of the rewards.