Surviving As A Cannon Fodder

Chapter 133

"Thank you..." Ann left go of Kalan and held the dagger close to her heart.

Kalan had found the dagger with the eagle emblem engraved on it that Maria Ashford had given to her. It was one of the most precious things in life that Ann considered as her possession.

During the chase, Ann had thrown the dagger at one of the alpha ogres that almost had her for dinner, as a last resort of self-defense. At that moment, she didn't know she would find herself a weapon that was indomitable.

Still, even the world-class Hero's sword from the tomb couldn't be compared to the small dagger Maria presented her with. For it was the very first acknowledgment a naive little girl was awarded by the person she honored the most.

Nevertheless, the dagger was an important aspect of life for both Angelica and Ann since it was with her through different stages of happiness and grief. It was just as important as the necklace she received from Maria for good luck.

The thought of losing it was weighing hard on her conscience until Kalan returned it to her.

"Thank you so much. I will never forget this"

Ann was feeling an overwhelming sense of gratitude. She even considered reducing the over extravagant fee she charged for the escort job, but then changed her mind and said,

"In the future, if you ever need a favor. I'll gladly accept regardless of what your request is"

The ever-conscious Ann had never accepted to giving out favors of any kind that might come back to bite her ass. Even then, she offered a favor to Kalan as gratitude for finding her dagger.

"Kalan?"

In the midst of her joy, Ann had forgotten to notice that the man in front of her had stiffened like a stone.

She was attaching the dagger to the holster tied on her thigh when she noticed him groaning as if he was in pain.

"Kalan? Are you alright?"

For some reason, he had turned away from her with a downcast expression desperately trying to not meet her gaze.

"I... I am happy to be of assistance. I was just taken... taken by surprise" Kalan grumbled, massaging his temple.

Unable to understand his strange behavior Ann poked her head. But she was not the heroine to be an unpenetrable blockhead. 

Now that the happiness of finding the dagger had faded away, reality set it. It would take a person with skin as thick as an ogre to ignore the awkwardness she had caused. 

'Oh no. I overreacted' Ann scratched her cheek feeling guilty.

Kalan's reaction made sense to her. Being embraced by a stranger you barely knew, would put anybody in an awkward stance. Even more so, if the person feels repulsed by the sudden action.

'He's frowning big time. Looks like he hates me'

Ann took a page right out of the heroine's booklet. As the saying goes, ignorance is bliss.

It was the only thing she found impressive about the heroine. Her ability to escape awkward situations was always outstanding.

In any case, there was no use crying over spilled milk. All one can do is move forward.

Not wanting to take responsibility for her actions, Ann changed the subject. 

"By the way, isn't it time?"

Avoiding directly looking into her beaming smile, Kalan checked his pocket watch.

There were only fifteen seconds left till sunrise.