"Is this quest really necessary? I don't understand how this will help me improve."
Penny's gaze would shift down towards the stack of boxes she had been carrying for minutes while Angel continued to carry a single one; even still, he would struggle due to the weight of the box. Of course, such a thing did leave the boy feeling a little embarrassed by their strength difference.
"This team works by helping out the little guys whenever we can. Sometimes it's better to just slow down and do some small stuff."
Despite Penny continuing on with the thousands of pounds, she would be unable to stop herself from sighing. Her patience would begin to wear thin, but eventually they would finally reach their destination, which allowed her to set down the five boxes she had been carrying.
"Thank you very much, dears...I haven't been able to use my legs for a while now, so I greatly appreciate your help."
"Don't worry about it, granny; I'm glad we could help."
"Please accept this as a rewar-"
"Na, don't even sweat it."
"But I-"
"We helped to help. You're living alone here, right? Save and use the money whenever you really need it."
The lady with gray hair would simply smile in response to the boy's words. She would soon signal for him to lean in, which the boy obliged, even if confused as to why. Although his cheeks would turn a faint shade of red and his body tensed the moment he felt the light kiss against his cheek, naturally causing the boy to pull away right after.
"Ah jeez lady...coulda gone without the kiss..."
"You remind me of my grandson...and you dear."
Penny would flinch before tensing up the moment she detected the gaze of the old woman resting on her. However, the lady's smile did cause the ice dragon to lower her guard, even if it was just by a miniscule amount. A little unnerved by a strange yet inviting feeling coursing throughout her body.
"You don't look like any ol adventurer young lady. Even if blinded, I can tell you're a step above the rest. Oho, you remind me of my golden years!"
"Ngh...I...um...thank you?"
The elder soon found herself releasing a quiet cackle before sending the duo off. With one final wave, the pair would soon begin to walk back to the adventurer lobby in preparation to receive another quest.
"I still fail to understand how this will help with improvements."
"Come on Pen-"
"Don't call me that."
"We've gone through a lot. I mean you less, but you just got your butt handed to you by a girl leagues above your level. Akina and Yami had to do their own thing, and the rest of us have been taking out high-level guys back-to-back. We can go for a small break."
"But...if we lost by such an absurd amount, wouldn't it be wise for us to train harder?"
"This is training. Yeah, it might not be as crazy and intense as the stuff you're used to, but even the smallest bit helps. The knights don't do much outside of defending the town, so we can improve ourselves little by little while helping out with smaller tasks every now and then."
Penny would maintain her focus on the male before her, but after a few seconds, a light sigh could once again be heard slipping through her lips. Soon enough, she would turn her head just to look straight ahead. Although she could feel her body tremble ever so slightly upon remembering his words, eventually muttering under her breath.
"Right...knights only defend..."
It would only take a couple more minutes before the duo finally managed to reach their home. The human would open the door, and yet upon doing so, he suddenly felt some slight force slam against his body, which did cause him to tense a bit. Luckily, he wouldn't fall back, but he would quickly wrap his arms gently around the small girl, whom he already suspected would be waiting for him.
"Master!"
"H-Hey Ryuki. I told ya not to do that so suddenly..."
"Ah! Sorry!"
Ryuki would release a brief laugh before pulling herself away from the boy. She would soon notice Penny walk past her, which caused the fire dragon to puff out her right cheek before taking a hold of Penny's wrist. Penny would flinch before she soon turned her head to face the girl standing beside her.
"Oi! Ya didn't say hi to me!"
"I was supposed to?"
"Mhm! We're friends, right?!"
Penny would keep her gaze locked on the fire dragon before her while remaining silent for a few seconds. With a sigh, she would soon yank her hand away from the small girl, who was a bit surprised by it.
"Hello Ryuki."
Soon enough, the girl would walk away, which left the boy a little confused before he eventually shifted his gaze down towards Ryuki.
"Bit mean, huh?"
"It's alright! She's a butt, but I know she'll be my friend eventually!"
"That right? Feeling better?"
"Yeah! 100% I'm ready for the next big bad guy; I'll beat em up and burn em up!"
Angel couldn't stop himself from smiling in response to the cheerful nature he had grown accustomed to. It wouldn't take long before the boy extended his hand, reaching towards the girl just to deliver a gentle pat against the top of her head, something that quickly caused her to smile before she eventually rushed back into the house.
"Ima go talk to her again! See ya later master!"
"Right, see you! Don't annoy her too much!"
"Huh...look at you, I guess a loser can actually do something."
"Wha-?!"
The boy flinched upon hearing a sudden noise behind him, which caused him to turn around just to notice a familiar pink haired girl standing before him. Her arms would be crossed while her large wings remained on full display, although Angel couldn't fully register them as her smug expression and sly smirk were the main things that drew his attention.
"Oh ha ha. What are you doing he- actually, did you ever even tell me your name?"
"Didn't I? Well it doesn't matter, so anywa-"
"Obviously it does."
"Hm...?"
The eyes of the goddess would widen upon hearing the sudden words from the boy. Soon enough, she would raise a single eyebrow while she waited for him to clarify.
"You kidnapped me and brought me, very rudely, might I add! You might as well tell me what to call you whenever you decide to bug me."
The goddess would remain quiet for a moment before eventually finding herself sighing quietly just to nod in response to the boy's comment.
"Fine, Fine. My name is Celestia, and as you probably know, I'm the goddess of this world."
"Yeah, about that. How come you don't do anything?"
"Hm? What do you mean?"
"Well...you bring heroes here, but if you're the goddess, can't you just use your super awesome goddess powers?"
What was once a look of surprise soon became a wave of overwhelming aura. Her lips curled just to create yet another grin, and in an instant, the boy could feel anger and annoyance wash over his body. His right eye slightly twitched upon seeing the smug expression and the condescending aura the goddess wielded.
"I knew I could smell stupid from you. Being a goddess has nothing to do with power; all it is is status. I'm not the strongest in this world; in fact, you already surpassed me with that fusion of yours."
"Wha- you know about that?"
"I've watched you and Akina; why wouldn't I?"
"I-"
"Uh...master, who is that?"
The human and goddess would flinch upon hearing a familiar voice behind the boy. They would hesitate but eventually begin to turn their bodies just to finally face the confused Ryuki, who stared ahead at the girl who had suddenly appeared.
"H-Hey! Ryuki, what, uh...whatcha doing here?"
"I forgot to tell ya something, but who is that master?"
"Oh...uh..."
The boy would soon turn to face Celestia, who merely stared ahead like a deer in headlights. After some time, she would flinch upon finally noticing Angel's gaze, and yet she would merely shake her head in response. The situation would only grow worse as the pair quickly noticed Akina walk past Ryuki, only to eventually slide right back next to the fire dragon upon registering Celestia's presence.
"Who is that?"
"That's what I asked!"
"Ah crud...h-hey, your identity wasn't supposed to be a secret, right...?"
The boy whispered while leaning to the side, just to make sure only Celestia could hear his words.
"If it wasn't, I would've shown up more often doofus..."
"Pervert, you better start talking before I get annoyed."
"Hey, you useless goddess. Think of something!"
"Ngh...stupid human, dragons can detect lies, so what am I supposed to do?!"
The duo felt themselves shrink down, quivering and suffocating in the presence of the deathly glare provided by the light dragon. But Ryuki simply continued to shift her attention between both parties until she eventually found herself losing track of what was going on.
"Okay! This is the goddess of this world!"
"Wha- You couldn't at least try and come up with a plan?!"
"You didn't do anything, you useless goddess!"
"Ugh! Why couldn't I get a better human?!"
The pair would glare at each other but would soon flinch upon hearing a quiet cough from Akina. They would once again show some hesitation but would soon turn to face the girl with furrowed eyebrows, arms crossed, and feet tapping lightly against the wooden floor below. Her glare consumed both the goddess and the human who were left unsure as to what to do.
"The Goddess huh? And you expect us to-"
"Whoa! You're really a goddess?! You must be super duper strong, huh?!"
Ryuki would soon rush past Akina, which caused the light dragon to stumble a bit before she stopped herself from falling. Once she looked forward, she would notice Ryuki jumping while firmly grasping Celestia's hand. Akina couldn't help but sigh, while Celestia quickly became overwhelmed by the bizarre positivity and excitement Ryuki would display.
Angel would soon begin to rub the back of his head before noticing Akina's gaze rest upon him. Soon enough, he too would release a quiet sigh before turning to face the confused Celestia. He would simply raise his hand before pointing towards their home, and with a heavy sigh, Celestia would soon find herself following the trio back inside.