Chapter 57
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 057
Chapter Title: Cunning Town, Party Quest #3
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[+1,000 Ether]
Party leader Hammer asked.
"So, you're saying you want the men here as gifts?"
"Human. Blood. Mix."
"We. Get smarter."
"That high wall. We can tear it down."
A chorus of eerie voices echoed from all around.
These freaks wanted our party's two males—
Hammer and Felix—as husbands!
"No deal worth even considering! Everyone, battle positions!"
Hammer bellowed at the absurd demand.
The next instant, Felix sliced the throat of one of the beasts trying to negotiate with us.
Splash—.
Roll roll.
"One down."
Clang.
This moment, I thought my eyes would pop out.
"Fuck! 1,000 Ether per beast?"
Were there any other mobs that gave this much Ether per kill!
Ten would net ten thousand Ether.
Twenty dead, and that's one chicken!
"Human. Males. Take away."
"Males. Offer up."
Rumble—.
Beastkin began emerging from the darkness.
Their growls and panting—woof woof, grr grr—were unsettling.
"《Blizzard Storm》!"
Hermit aimed her staff and chanted the spell.
Shwaaaaa—.
Hailstones started plummeting from the sky.
"Grrrk!"
"Keee!"
Several clustered beast monsters took hits.
In the meantime, Felix severed a few more necks.
"Stupid beast bastards."
"Grab them."
"Grab—!"
Whoosh—.
Beast freaks pulled nets from their waists and hurled them at Felix.
"Hey, Felix! Dodge those nets no matter what!"
Nets were seriously dangerous.
Once tangled, escaping wasn't easy.
Half the time I got caught as a 14-time offender was thanks to nets.
They were that much of a cheat weapon.
"This sloppy net? Just slice it apart."
Felix's blade flashed, shredding the net.
Say what you will, the guy's swordsmanship was otherworldly.
"Grab—!"
"Grab."
But the assault, which should have been faltering by now, showed no signs of letting up.
Beast freaks kept pouring out of the forest.
"I've used all my spells!"
Hermit had expended all her prepped magic.
Hammer, guarding her, was covered head to toe in blood and looked sluggish.
"Damn it, these bastards just keep coming endlessly!"
"Haa, haa—."
Even Felix was breathing heavily.
Looking closely, crude wooden arrows were lodged in his thigh and shoulder.
I was the only one unscathed, thanks to dodging around nimbly.
Of course, I wasn't totally fine either.
Dizziness from overusing 《Shadow Companion》.
I could maintain it for about three minutes tops.
At this rate, we'd burn out before even reaching Cunning Town.
The most intact one here—me—had to do something.
"Let's negotiate!"
I raised my hands and dropped my throwing knife to the ground.
Cling—.
A sharp metallic ring.
"Yor, what the hell are you doing! Why drop your weapon!"
Hammer shouted in panic.
But I had a certain conviction.
'These guys are smart.'
I'd pegged them as skinned beasts.
But they used tools and tactics—not your average cunning.
So they could grasp negotiation and compromise.
"Negotiate? How, and what?"
The freak with feathers in his hair asked me.
At that moment, fireworks went off in my head.
He really bit the bait hard.
I held up one finger.
"One male. Hand over. That one. Felix."
"Huh, me?"
Felix scowled.
The feathered-hat freak shook his head vigorously.
He pointed at the downed freaks on the ground.
"Plenty dead already. Two males."
Grrr—fangs bared, the enraged beasts' growls filled the air.
No choice, I nodded.
"Got it. But fighting ends here. Understand?"
"Good."
The beast freaks lowered their savage weapons.
Hammer clicked his tongue in amazement.
"Who'd have thought dialogue was possible even in this mess."
"What the hell is even going on—!"
Hermit trembled.
Her face mixed relief with odd curiosity.
I whispered very quietly to her.
"Those guys. Said they'd offer up the males."
Meaning, tribute to someone.
'There must be a higher-up among these freaks.'
Meet that one and hash out a proper deal.
We might even trade for safe passage through the forest.
Worst case, take him hostage and bail.
"My plan. Good."
"Hah, newbie, what the hell is with that speech pattern!"
"Whoops, slipped out."
It was weirdly addictive.
Felix shook the oil and blood off his sword—whoosh—and smirked.
"Maybe they speak our language 'cause we're on their level."
Crude huts topped with wood and straw dotted the area.
If primitives had a village, it'd look just like this?
A massive bonfire blazed in the center, smoke curling up.
Hammer couldn't hide his shock.
"Just how many of these damn monsters are there?"
It was a real village.
Way past dozens—maybe nearing a hundred.
"Hermit, got any magic to wipe 'em all out at once?"
"If I did, I'd have done it already."
Grumble grr—.
Woof—.
Small beasts trailed behind us in a ragtag line.
"Humans!"
"Humans!"
"Weird stuff!"
"Show us! Show us!"
The cubs were fluffy and cuter than expected.
Make 'em beg in back alleys, and they'd rake in coins.
'Kidnap one?'
Then Felix whistled—whoosh.
Signal to check surroundings.
"North direction."
Felix pointed.
I turned, and Hermit poked my side.
"Newbie, that's south!"
"Heh heh heh."
Northward: tons of wooden cages.
Meant for beasts, but inside were—
"Those are people!"
Naked humans crammed in.
Gaunt as skeletons, but their eyes shone like stars.
"...Should we save them?"
Hermit gripped her staff tight.
Hammer shook his head.
"Most of those are criminals who fled the Great Wall. Don't pity 'em."
Fair enough—no normal human comes this deep into Night Land territory.
"Here."
"Our king. Is here."
The feathered-hat freak led us to a large tent.
Incredibly well-crafted tent.
Between torches sat a massive chest, and atop it perched an enormously burly man.
He wore some beast skull like a helmet, hiding his face.
Leather and bones draped over his shoulders—like Hercules from myth.
The beast freaks bowed to him.
"Males. Offer up."
"Food. Receive."
I'd planned to hostage the boss if needed.
Looked like I'd scrap that.
Hammer seemed to think the same.
"That guy's no mere beast—he's a warrior."
Not hostage material at a glance.
Forearms that could crush my skull barehanded.
He spoke.
"I am Yan-Mit, Beast King of these great plains. Travelers, welcome to my kingdom."
Gasp—.
His speech was incredibly fluent.
Even fancier vocab than mine.
"—How do you speak imperial high society tongue?"
Hermit couldn't hold back her curiosity and asked bluntly.
Clack— the Beast King rattled his bone armor.
"My father was a priest. Taught me much. I've mastered imperial studies and can read runes."
Imperial studies? Runes?
As confusion swirled, the Beast King raised a hand.
"You two men stay and live here. I'll give you my grown daughters. The rest of your party leaves tomorrow."
Daughters?
Sudden son-in-law auction.
Hermit piped up again, curiosity unchecked.
"...Why the men? Usually in these spots, they go after the women."
"Simple arithmetic. A female births limited young, but a male sires without limit."
Soon, beasts led Felix and me to separate tents.
Felix scowled fiercely, glancing around.
"Yor, this for real? They want me to marry these monsters?"
"Shh, we're alive for now, aren't we?"
"Man, we're one step from fucked. They took all our gear too."
True.
Become these crazy freaks' husbands?
Far from the family life I dreamed of.
These monsters were too ugly, man.
'Somehow escape tonight.'
I entered the crudely leather-sewn tent alone.
Any minute, some horrific monster bride would burst through that flap.
'Worst case, hidden dagger to the...'
Hand on the knife hilt.
Rustle—.
The tent flap opened, and someone entered.
"Gah!"
"What, never seen a person before?"
Age-wise, about mine.
Fierce eyes, long flowing black hair.
Wore sleek explorer leathers.
Wolfish pointed ears and bushy tail aside, human identical.
'She's super cute!'
This one's my bride?
Suddenly, mega tense.
"Ahem, I'm Yor of Mass Slaughter."
"I'm Nimble."
Nimble—!
Even the name's cute.
My bride Nimble said,
"One thing upfront: I hate this marriage."
"...What?"
"I'll sneak you and your friends out, so just run."
Ooooh!?
"You're letting me go...!?"
Lucky break!
But why this gaping hole in my chest, aching?
Suspicious too.
"Why don't you wanna marry me?"
"You're weak."
"Am I?"
"Without torches, you can't even breathe in these lands."
True—I couldn't survive Night Land sans torch.
Few weeks tops before death.
Or worse, turn into one of those monsters.
"When night deepens more, slip out. I'll pull the guards."
Nimble turned and exited the tent.
Swish—.
I pickpocketed a 'key' from her back pocket.
'Touched her butt and she didn't notice.'
'Heh heh heh, my sleight of hand's improved.'
Still, pocketing my ex-bride's stuff pricked the conscience a bit.
But hey, fair marital asset split.
Totally legal theft.
'So what's this key for?'
Beast King Yan-Mit had that chest.
Maybe for that.
Night deepened further.
Sneak sneak—.
I slipped out of my tent stealthily.
Felix probably next door.
'Wonder what he's up to.'
Curious, but peeping's rude.
Don't wanna see Felix naked anyway.
So I headed for the Beast King's tent.
No guards at all.
'Nimble really pulled them off.'
Thanks to that, easy access to the chest.
Inserted the key—click—opened.
[Wandering Forest and Nearby Lands Map – Drawn quite in detail.]
[Soul Contract]
One map, one tattered scroll.
Checked the map first.
'Detailed.'
Super intricate map of the forest and surrounds.
But differed in many ways from Hammer's 'Old Empire Map.'
'This could let me negotiate with the Beast King?'
Now the remaining: 「Soul Contract」 scroll.
[Forest Clan Yan-Mit offers soul and tribute to mountain lord Balder in exchange for knowledge and clan prosperity.]
[This contract is made in duplicate; one held by Yan-Mit, one by Balder.]
Mountain lord Balder?
The one Hermit and Hammer argued over—dragon or demon?
'Looks important, pocket it.'
Could be a bargaining chip.
Now I flattened prone, scooting lizard-like on all fours.
Sniffed the ground—faint lavender scent.
Myrrh Hermit slathered on her nape or legs.
Tracked the smell to Hermit's tent.
Hermit freaked.
"Eek! Why crawl on all fours! Thought a crazy lizard beastkin was coming!"
"Heh heh heh, snuck out—can't strut around bold."
"Snuck?"
"Get ready! Snagged the map—we gotta bolt!"
"Bolt? Guards everywhere—where to, how...?"
Then.
Commotion outside the tent.
"Don't move! Move and this woman's dead!"
Felix.
He had his hand on a trembling woman's throat, yelling.