Chapter 58
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: Cunning Town, Party Quest #4
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Felix pointed his finger at the woman's neck and shouted.
“Get us out of this forest right now! Or this woman dies!”
The girl in Felix's grip had hair as white as moonlight.
Like a nimble, she had animal ears and a tail.
To be taken hostage by Felix was truly rotten luck.
The problem was whether this hostage drama would even work...
“Uuu-.”
“Keheong-.”
The beastkin floundered in confusion, not knowing what to do.
That meant the hostage play was working.
“Hermit! Let's go too!”
I joined up with Felix alongside Hermit.
Felix shouted.
“Bring back everything you took from us! Call Hammer too!”
“…D-do as he says!”
The girl clutched in Felix's hand trembled as she yelled, and beasts appeared from somewhere to return our gear.
Hammer was led out by the beastkin as well.
“What the hell is going on!”
“Hammer! Get over here quick! Hurry!”
Whoosh-whoosh-.
I beckoned, and Hammer came sprinting over in a panic.
“Krahaha! What a scorching hot first wedding night!”
Kuuung-!
At that moment, a presence heavy with overwhelming weight crashed down from somewhere.
Puff-puff—dust billowed up.
In the center stood the Beast King Yan-Mit.
“For rare Blessed Ones, I entrusted you with my most cherished daughters—.”
Gooooh-.
A prickling pressure burst from him.
“Do humans from beyond the Wall trample hospitality like this?”
Grrrrowl-.
Beasts began howling from all directions.
“—You're no longer guests. Man or woman, I'll turn you all into breeding stallions.”
If those bastards catch us now, we're really fucked.
I slipped—shhk—behind the sturdy Hammer and asked.
“Hammer, can we beat that guy?”
“Damn it, honestly no confidence! My guess? He's at least level 16.”
“What? For real?”
“Yor, you felt that stabbing aura just now too. It's <Intimidation>, a technique only warriors around level 16 can handle!”
Minimum level 16—same tier as Instructor Rose?
Sring-.
That's when Felix pressed his sword to the hostage.
“Don't come any closer! Unless you want to see your daughter die!”
“…Father! Do what this man says! I don't want to die!”
The Beast King's daughter bawled her eyes out.
Even the terrifying Beast King couldn't charge us recklessly.
We used the gap to sneak backward bit by bit.
But I doubted how long this hostage stunt would hold.
An anxious premonition kept nagging me.
Maybe I had the key to easing that anxiety.
“Yan-Mit! Let us go like this, and I'll give you info that'll help you out!”
“Helpful info?”
The Beast King Yan-Mit crossed his arms.
Hammer whispered to me.
“Yor, what're you up to?”
“Hammer, this is their map.”
Flutter-.
I unfurled and showed Hammer the map of the "Bewildering Forest" and the surrounding plains.
Hammer marveled at it.
“The map's incredibly precise. With this, we can navigate out of the forest.”
“But compare it to your old Empire map—there's a clear difference. No 'Cunning Town' marked.”
Cunning Town.
How many humans were teeming there?
Tons of males too, no doubt.
“Beast King! There's a human city near this forest! Two days if you hustle! No better hunting ground for your lot!”
“—A human city?”
Looks like even the Beast King didn't know Cunning Town's location.
'As I figured.'
With Hammer's help, I marked the city's position on the forest map.
I flung it—whoosh—and the Beast King snatched it effortlessly.
“A human city really here?”
“Hehehe, I don't lie.”
The Beast King scrutinized the map for ages before letting out a sigh.
“Go.”
Escaping the pitch-black forest relying on a single torch wasn't easy.
“That way.”
But the girl Felix had held hostage guided our path perfectly.
The forest's edge finally came into view.
Hammer let out a deep sigh of relief—puuk-.
“Haaa, Yor, your schemes are way too rough on my heart!”
“Puhehehehe! But we pulled it off, right?”
Like barging into a tiger's den and talking our way out alive.
In that moment, I realized it.
The back-alley hustles I'd beaten into my body growing up worked even in the Night Land.
“…So, what do we do with this girl now?”
Hermit aimed her staff at the hostage girl.
“A human-beast hybrid. Present her to the academy, and I'd be famous overnight.”
Hermit's eyes gleamed with greed.
She looked ready to haul the beast-eared girl off for dissection.
But Felix shoved Hermit's staff aside with his hand.
“Back off. We survived thanks to Daisy.”
Srrk-.
Felix released the girl.
“Daisy, sorry. Might've nicked your neck holding the sword there.”
“I-It's… okay, Sir Felix.”
Daisy's face flushed red.
What the hell was this situation?
Everyone gaped like idiots.
“Um-byeong. Felix, what the fuck happened!”
Hammer demanded.
Felix, applying salve to the wound, answered curtly.
“Miss Daisy's mother was a Blessed One who got separated in the Night Land.”
“Her mom… human!?”
Hermit jolted in shock.
Felix shot Hermit a glance before adding.
“Learned proper manners from her mother, it seems. Miss Daisy's a sensible lady.”
“P-People shouldn't kidnap or hurt other people. Forced marriages are for barbarians and beasts…”
Daisy wagged her fluffy puppy tail side to side—swish-swish-.
“I just wanted to set Sir Felix free.”
Daisy's face burned bright red as she said it.
“Huer-.”
Hermit's jaw dropped wide.
I was stunned too.
What the hell did Felix do to melt that girl?
My own bride bolted the second she saw me—not her type.
“W-Well then, Sir Felix. Farewell…”
Hudak-.
Daisy scampered off toward the deep forest.
Hammer clicked his tongue watching her go.
“We took that kid hostage and terrorized her. Now who's the beast and who's human?!”
“Hehehe, alive we're human. Dead, we'd be corpses.”
“Krahaha! Fair point!”
Swaaaaa-.
Dawn's sun rose ahead of us.
A peaceful plain path unfolded before it—nothing like the chaos we'd just escaped.
Felix piped up.
“Isn't this the Pilgrim's Path of Saint Marta? Every knight dreams of wandering it on adventures!”
“Tch, seduce Daisy with that romantic bullshit?”
“What? Why drag Daisy into it.”
We kept trekking the field path.
And Hermit was dying to hear my story.
“Newbie, what about your bride?”
“Black hair, tail like a dog or wolf. Saw me and bolted—said I wasn't her type!”
Hammer cracked up at my tale.
“Krahaha! Our Yor's a divorcee just like that!”
“Don't mock me. Really stung my heart.”
Dumped by a girl.
Hurt so bad tears pricked my eyes.
Am I that hopeless with women?
“Hammer, guess I just got no luck with 'em. Don't even know what to say alone with one.”
I vented to my senior, Hammer.
He'd get it, take me seriously.
“You gab fine with Hermit.”
“True. Why's that? Hermit, why?”
“Why ask me? Beats me.”
“What if Hermit's not a woman?”
“What kinda nonsense is that!”
Thwack-!
Hermit smacked my forehead with her staff.
We spent the second day bantering nonsense along the pilgrim's path.
The second night drew near.
We set up camp.
Lit a torch to get through the night.
Druruk, druruk-.
Hammer whittled wood into spear-like stakes with his dagger.
Felix read a book.
Hermit meditated.
Recharging spells?
“Now that I think, Hermit—check this out.”
I showed Hermit the 「Soul Contract」 I'd snagged from the crate.
She gawked after reading it.
“This is a demon's contract!”
“Demon?”
“The Beast King sacrificed souls and offerings to demons! That's how he got stronger than the rest.”
Hermit nailed it.
A demon dwelled in those distant mountains—not a dragon.
“Hermit, demons got tons of treasure?”
“Cursed magic swords, tomes of forbidden spells—stacks of 'em.”
Shivers just picturing it!
Then a voice whispered in my ear.
[Kakakaka-! A demon contract!]
[You acquired something rare!]
[Hand the contract to me, and I'll show you something fun.]
It was Ashibar.
“What's the fun stuff?”
I shot back, but Ashibar stayed silent.
Such a shady idol!
We passed the night fantasizing about demon loot, then the next day.
We strolled the sunless Night Land morning by torchlight.
—Caaak…!
—Caaaak…!
Swampland.
After slogging through boot-sucking muck for a while, bats swarmed us.
“Thunderbolt Throwing Knife!”
Pzzt-!
One-shot kill.
“Kyaa, gear makes all the difference.”
「+1,000 Ether」
「Swamp Bat Pelt: Dense and light—perfect for waterproof gear.」
“Ooh, 1k Ether per bat!”
My head spun.
Ten bats = ten grand Ether!
Hammer harvested Ether while explaining.
“This deep in Night territory—no Ether Table teleport.”
“Why?”
“Monsters soaked in thick Night magic!”
Aha—high-level hunting spot.
That's when crossing the swamp, my sharp night vision spotted something wild.
“Hammer, there's light.”
“Light in this pitch-black Night Land? Bullshit.”
“No bullshit—it's real!”
Something was glowing for sure.
Drew closer, and bam—a wooden building popped up.
Ether Torches blazed all around it.
—Monsters hit Cunning Town?
—Talking beasts, they say…!
Rowdy chatter leaked from inside.
“It's an inn tavern.”
Hammer summed it up.
Worn out from the trek, Hermit perked up.
“Go in already! Bed sounds divine!”
“Hey, you actual moron?”
Felix scowled.
“What'd I do!”
“No sane place runs an inn here!”
Fair point.
Burning million-Ether torches just to do business?
These guys drowning in Ether?
My hands itched.
“I'll scout first—see what kinda joint it is.”
“Fair. You're a thief, Yor—can blend right in with Night Land crooks.”
Hammer greenlit it—no more waiting.
I pushed open the door to the shady tavern and stepped in.