127
My Villains Chapter 127
33. Graduel Mountain (3)
I sat on a flat rock and watched the party members sweating.
"One, two!"
"Pull!"
At Utequais's call, the mercenaries chanted and pulled the rope.
"One, two!"
"Pull!"
After ten strong men strained their faces bright red, a massive female troll was pulled up by the thick ropes. The ropes caught in the trees were screaming as if they were about to break.
"Enough, enough! Steedman!"
At Utequais's call, the bald Steedman handed over the stake from his waist. Utequais grabbed the rope with his strong hands and hooked it onto the stake.
Clang, clang!
The iron-reinforced stake was driven into the ground by the swift warhammer. It took about ten similar operations before the mercenaries could let go of the ropes.
Ellen, who was watching the work next to me, opened her mouth.
"Discard the dirty blood that comes out first, and only collect the clean blood!"
"Alright, just stop talking, woman."
As Utequais made a wound on the inverted troll's neck, the freckled Mira brought a large leather bag. After briefly watching the flowing blood, Utequais pressed the leather bag against it and tightened it.
"Good, now we just have to wait."
When Utequais declared the work finished, the mercenaries cheered softly and sat down on the ground.
"Ah, it's a pity. I should have brought more bags."
Ellen sighed as she tied a knot in the bandage wrapped around my shoulder.
"Why are you so regretful? Four bags are an enormous amount, aren't they?"
"Still. Just this one creature could have filled ten more bags, but troll blood loses its potency quickly if not stored properly in a specially treated container."
The leather bags they were using were made by soaking reindeer hides in various chemicals, and they cost four gold coins per bag. But the money didn't seem too expensive, as a single bag of troll blood was worth about fifty gold coins.
However, will they be able to sell all the blood worth two hundred gold coins? Even if some are made into potions in Longville, it won't be easy to dispose of the rest...
"There, all done."
"Thank you."
Ellen's hands weren't very skilled, so there were some parts of the bandage that were a bit tight. But I didn't want to say anything, as the proud expression on her face was too dazzling.
...Ah well, it'll come off in the morning anyway, so I'll just leave it.
I had suffered quite severe injuries from the troll leader, but the wounds were already mostly healed and scabbed over. It seems the 'Blood Harvest' skill helped accelerate my recovery.
Come to think of it, I've been taking injuries rather lightly these days. I've gotten so used to it, and the power in the blood helps my wounds heal quickly, so I don't think much of it.
Hmm, I should be a little more cautious about this complacency. As Sir Ankir said, the foundation of swordsmanship is self-defense. If I'm afraid of getting hurt, my swordsmanship won't improve.
As I was pondering this, Atalante approached and spoke to me.
"You caught four trolls. That's 600 points earned."
"Well, will the young ones get 150 points each?"
"At least half, right?"
She plopped down next to me and held out a ceramic bottle.
"Here."
"What's this?"
"Alcohol. It's precious."
When I opened the cap, a sweet fragrance and strong alcohol smell hit my nose at the same time.
"Wow, this seems really strong."
"It's distilled. It's our people's traditional liquor, and it's good for the body too."
"What alcohol in the world is good for the body?"
"The one you're holding right now. Try it."
I chuckled and took a few sips. It tasted like honey-mixed vodka, and an involuntary ‘Whoa’ escaped my lips.
"Delicious! I'm not sure if it's actually good for health, though."
"You'll know by tonight."
"Tonight? Why?"
"Who knows."
Atalante shrugged her shoulders playfully and took a sip from the returned bottle.
"Whew. Then, shall we head back to Longville now?"
"Probably. If we split the points evenly, won't we both reach our goals?"
"That's right."
As planned, we wouldn't return to Longville unless we had enough points. We didn't want to face any insults or conflicts with the lord unnecessarily.
But now that we had caught four trolls, that worry was alleviated. Even the mercenaries following Baron Malory couldn't earn 300 points per battle.
"Ah, it's so hot. Uncle Vittorio! Can you bring some water here?"
Atalante waved her hand and called out, and the Nude warrior Vittorio quickly got up and hurried over.
"Here you go."
"Thank you, uncle."
Hmm, it's a bit strange.
Archer Cole said Vittorio is quite a skilled spearman. And being over thirty, he must be a respected warrior in their group.
Yet, he moves so quickly at the words of Atalante, who's probably only in her early twenties.
Of course, Atalante is a powerful Mage, but it still looks a bit awkward.
Hmm, it would help if I could remember the background story of the Phantom Hunter, but I don't recall any of it.
At that moment, the sweet scent of jasmine mixed with sweat distracted me from my thoughts. Following the smell, I found Atalante with her arm guards removed.
"Ah, I feel a bit better now."
Beads of sweat dotted her firm, red-banded arms. As Atalante wiped away the sweat, I quietly swallowed my saliva.
"What are you doing? If it's smelly, go wipe it somewhere else."
The gruff voice belonged to Ellen, of course.
"With all the blood and dirt stench around here, this is fine, isn't it?"
"That's your opinion."
Atalante gave a sly smile. Her beautiful smile, accentuated by her sharp features, radiated confidence and health.
"It's quite interesting."
"What is?"
"It's always people like you who dislike me for no reason."
"...People like me?"
"Hmm, I wonder what that means?"
As Ellen's face flushed red with anger, Atalante pulled her hair tie. Shaking out her gray hair, she looked at me.
"What about you, Nix? Do you dislike me too?"
"...Hmm, me? Well, you know."
"It's fine, right? Actually, I like it."
"Huh? What?"
Atalante answered as she tied her gathered hair up high.
"The scent of sweat."
"Huh?"
Atalante suddenly leaned towards me. She was wearing a navy blue shirt under her light leather outfit, and had unbuttoned the collar, likely due to the heat.
"Hmm. I thought I was just attracted to your looks, but..."
Beneath her softly whispering lips, the downy nape and straight collarbone were clearly visible.
"Is the scent even better?"
Ah, is this the power of the Nude traditional liquor?
To control the blood rushing to me, I desperately utilized my blood control techniques.
Our party had set up camp at the edge of the forest. It was a perfect location, overlooking the vast rocky mountain while being able to conceal ourselves in the dense foliage.
We planned to rest at this camp today, and ascend to the peak when the lord's army moved, according to the plan.
As we lit the campfire and set up the watch, we were able to witness a rather special sight.
Peep, peep-
A small sparrow let out its cry and hopped towards us. The druid Zhanabas, holding some dried fruit, pursed his lips and whistled.
"Peep, peep."
Chirp, peep.
The sparrow, its head and chest covered in white feathers, flapped its wings and hopped onto Zhanabas' palm, pecking at the fruit.
"Another fascinating trick."
Amias, his arm and shoulder blade completely shattered by the troll but recovering after drinking a healing potion, murmured softly.
"Phoenix, you haven't seen it, have you?"
"What?"
Amias continued, tearing and swallowing the fluffy bread without pause.
"That man transformed. In the blink of an eye, he turned into a huge gray wolf."
"...Well, maybe there'll be a chance to see it next time."
After briefly responding to Amias, I held my breath again. Once the sparrow had its fill, Zhanabas spoke to it again.
"Peep-peep, peep."
Whether that can be considered speech is debatable.
After some chirping, Zhanabas stroked the sparrow's head with his finger, and it let out a squeak before flying away.
"How did it go?"
Mage Siren Lao asked with wide eyes, and the weary-faced Zhanabas gave a slight smile.
"It was a success. When a big battle breaks out, that little one will bring us the news."
Exclamations of admiration erupted around the camp. Utequais, who was peeling troll hides, chuckled and said,
"Communicating with animals, the dirldi, is quite rare. Zhanabas, you have a precious skill."
"It's an exaggeration. Compared to the spirit of Hatanka, this is no skill at all."
"Ah, Recmosa'ti mukina. You have a useful skill as well."
Zhanabas smiled softly, then looked at me.
"Sir Phoenix, if you don't mind, I'd like to try to call more help."
"More help?"
"The sparrows are gentle and cheerful, but they have many predators. They may get caught by a predator before delivering the message."
"Ah, so you want to charm other birds as well?"
"...Rather than charming, it's about helping each other."
I shrugged my shoulders at the wry-smiling Zhanabas.
"Go ahead and do that. What's the problem?"
"Calling the forest's friends may also bring unwanted guests."
"Unwanted guests, huh. You've caught trolls too, so there shouldn't be any monsters around, right?"
"That's unknown. This forest is on the path over the mountain, so a new monster could flow in even today without it being strange."
I scratched my brow, then looked back at Utequais.
"Wasn't our original plan to hide in the forest and ascend when we get the signal?"
"Correct. We'll spy on the Anupad army at the mountain pass, and then go to the peak if a battle breaks out."
"Isn't that a bit dangerous for the scouts?"
"Can't be helped. If you're really worried, we can send about ten people. That would be safe."
What is he saying? I let out a chuckle.
"If you send ten people for scouting, who's going to fight?"
"You, me, the woman, and Atilia. The rest aren't needed."
The twelve who had become expendable made uneasy expressions, but no one spoke up.
"Still, I wonder what could be at the peak.
"I understand your concern. Akanku Karamek, it will be a formidable enemy."
With my resolve hardened, I looked back at Zhanabas.
"You can cry all night, so try to gather as many birds as possible."
"May I really do that?"
"If the birds can properly keep watch, we can preserve our strength. It's better to take the risk now than to go to the peak with a small force."
As I said that, glancing around, most seemed to nod in agreement.
"And if any unwanted guests come..."
I gave Zhanabas a sly smile.
"Just kill them."
Has the sun set? A sudden, chilling wind enveloped the forest camp.