"Something more? What do you mean?" Rowena asked.

"When I needed more vials to work with or more ingredients that needed to be bought, if Legolas or his girlfriend were unable to get them for me, you would always send someone over to bring them for me."

"I know it’s not much, but that little act of help always makes me happy, and it has made me see you as a friend, unless you don’t see me the same way."

Rowena stayed silent for a good long minute before saying softly.

"I’ve never had a friend who’s a human before."

"I guess there’s a first time for everything." Austin replied as he grinned widely.

"So, what do you say, Countess? Will you be my friend?" Austin asked again, still maintaining his wide grin.

Meanwhile, Rowena noticed this and couldn’t help but find his smile both annoying and cute. "Very well, I’ll be happy to have you as a friend then."

With everything he had done for her and her people over the last few months, having Austin as a friend didn’t seem like the craziest thing imaginable.

It actually made her feel warm and happy on the inside as well.

Meanwhile, Austin grinned even more the moment he heard her call him her friend for the first time, and he couldn’t help but stand up from his chair.

"Well, as your first human friend, may I be extremely selfish then?"

"You really want to join them, huh."

"Yep." Austin replied, his face still maintaining the grin.

For the past five months, he had been telling himself to create time and train with Nora, but in reality he had been unable to do so due to one reason or another, and if he didn’t gain experience one way or another, Austin feared he might never find out if he could level up from direct combat.

And this was why Austin saw this as a really good opportunity to gain some valuable combat experience.

Meanwhile, Rowena noticed the smile on his face and could sense how serious he was about joining her guards to exterminate the goblins.

"Very well, you are free to join them, but please take someone you know with you."

Going alone might make him feel lonely during their expedition, so Rowena thought it would be better for him to have someone to talk to.

That way, he wouldn’t feel alone as he battled against the goblins.

Moreover, with someone he knew by his side, it would be easier to strike up conversation, and this could allow the two of them to willingly watch each other’s backs when fighting those goblins.

But as for who that person was going to be?

Austin only had one person in mind to join him in eradicating those goblins, and that was his one and only zombie friend.

"Thank you, my friend, for agreeing to my selfish request. Then I’ll be seeing you when I return." Austin thanked Rowena with a wink as he happily left the room.

Meanwhile, Rowena couldn’t help but smile as she replayed how he had called her his friend.

It truly felt nice to have someone see her as a friend for the first time and not as the Countess that she was, and right now she couldn’t wait for Austin’s return so she could see and experience what it felt like to have a human as a friend.

◇◇◇◇◇◇

Meanwhile, Austin stepped out of Rowena’s study, only to find his one and only zombie friend walking in the opposite direction.

Although he couldn’t see his face yet since he could only see his back, Austin was sure the person had to be Legolas.

"Oi, Legolas!? Yoo hoo!! My good elf, it’s good to see you again." Austin called out to him, but Legolas instantly increased his pace and Austin hurriedly chased after him.

Legolas didn’t need to turn around to know who was talking to him.

Austin’s voice was distinctive enough to be recognised just by hearing it, and Legolas could already sense that Austin wanted something from him, so he increased his pace even more.

But Austin wasn’t going to stop following him either.

"Stop following me." Legolas uttered without looking back, but his pace increased with every step he took.

"Come on, Legolas. Slow down. I just want to talk....."

"No!! I don’t want to...."

Based on his experience with Austin so far, whenever Austin asked for a talk, it was always a request for him to run an errand.

So if Austin was requesting a talk once again, then it could only mean one thing.

"Oh come on. I just want you to help me..."

"No, no, no. You’ve completed this month’s quota already, so just use the remaining time to rest, will ya."

"Oh, don’t be a stick in the mud, Legolas. Nobody likes a stick in the mud, so just accompany me to fight some goblins and we can have some fun." Austin said softly as he caught up to him and wrapped an arm around Legolas’s shoulder.

"Goblins?" Legolas stopped walking and stared at Austin with a puzzled look on his face. "You want to join the garrison guards in exterminating the goblins?"

"Yep."

"Are you out of your mind? Don’t you know what goblins are? Those disgusting creatures are mainly level 2, 3, and sometimes 4. Yet you want to join the guards in exterminating them?"

"Yep."

"You’re insane. Those things will kill us if we go there."

"Hey, did you just say us? So you were considering it?"

"No, I wasn’t. So get out of my head. I don’t want to die, so if you want to die, then be my guest."

"So, you really won’t be accompanying me?"

"Nope."

"Even if the Countess asked you to?"

"If she did, then I’d just tell her I can’t do it." Legolas replied as he resumed walking along the hallway.

"But what if I offered you this? Would you still say no?" Austin asked as he showed Legolas a vial he was holding.

Turning around, Legolas noticed the red-coloured potion vial in Austin’s hand and couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

"Is that a..."

"It will be yours if you just say yes, my friend." Austin flaunted the potion in front of him, and Legolas couldn’t help but be drawn to it.

But he didn’t want to go fight some goblins.

However, he really needed the potion, so he had no other choice but to agree to Austin’s demands.

"I hate you."

"Yeah, the feeling is mutual." Although Austin might have said this, neither of them meant it and it was just their own little way of expressing their friendship.

And so, with that out of the way, Austin tossed the potion vial to Legolas while telling him to meet downstairs in a couple of minutes.