Chapter 312: The Hunters
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 312: The Hunters
"So, Muen, you actually recognize wild berries."
On a makeshift bed of layered leaves, Liya held the small, cute wild berries, nibbling on them gently. Her cheeks were as rosy as the fruit itself.
Feeling the sweet juice burst in her mouth, she asked with a hint of surprise.
Would the son of a Great Noble really know about such things?
"I don't recognize them," Muen said casually.
"I can't even tell the effects of different potions apart. How could I possibly recognize berries?"
"..."
Liya’s face stiffened. "Then just now, you..."
"Because I knew you’d recognize them, Liya."
Muen gave a mischievous grin. "If I were about to eat something poisonous, you definitely would have stopped me."
"...I—I wouldn't have."
Liya froze for a moment, then took a fierce, annoyed bite out of a berry. "It would serve you right to be poisoned to death."
"Well, then there's nothing I could've done," Muen shrugged. "But before I die, I’d still have to figure out how to get us out of here. Leaving a beautiful girl’s corpse out in the wilderness wouldn't be very gentlemanly of me."
"..."
"Anyway, let's assess the situation first."
Muen sat down and looked up at the trees, which were even more massive than the redwoods he had seen in his previous life. He sighed. "First of all, we really are in the Forest of Death-Calamity, aren't we?"
"Yes." Liya stole a glance at him and nodded softly. "There isn't another place with such an ominous aura."
"If this was a random teleportation, it would be too much of a coincidence. Which means the enemy intentionally sent us here. Their goal... I assume it was to separate me from Pink Bear and the others. I remember you saying that the Calamity living in this forest doesn't allow other Crown Bearers in its territory."
"It's not just Crown Bearers. The more powerful an entity is, the easier it is to attract that one's attention. So, I estimate that anyone who can enter this forest must be below the Fifth-Tier at the very least."
"Below the Fifth-Tier..."
Muen gave a bitter smile. "That doesn't sound like a level the two of us can easily handle."
Since they had gone through the trouble of sending him here, the enemy certainly didn't intend for him to just fend for himself and starve to death in the jungle. This assassination attempt, timed with such admirable precision, definitely had a follow-up.
If he wasn't mistaken, the "hunters" who viewed him as prey were already sharpening their teeth and licking their lips, on their way to the party.
I still underestimated those guys' determination, Muen sighed inwardly.
To deal with a mere Second-Tier playboy son of a Duke, they hadn't hesitated to hire a renowned Crown Bearer and an unknown number of other experts whose backgrounds were still a mystery. What kind of ultimate VIP treatment was this?
Logically, shouldn't his "convenient" old man be the one getting this kind of treatment?
I'm just a "salted fish" who spends all day thinking about how to cling to Celicia's thighs. What did I do to deserve this?
But...
Whatever. It wasn't like he hadn't experienced situations a hundred times more dangerous than this. He’d take it one step at a time.
"Thank you."
"?"
Liya tilted her head, not understanding why Muen was suddenly thanking her.
"Back then, you saved me, didn't you?"
Muen smiled. "If you hadn't risked your life to save me, Liya, I’d probably be in a desperate situation right now."
The enemy's primary objective was to kill him, so that spatial magic had been infused with a terrifying chaotic attribute. A normal person caught in it would likely have been ground into mincemeat instantly.
While his physical toughness wouldn't have let him die just like that, being heavily injured in an already critical situation would have meant having one foot in the grave.
"It... it was nothing. I didn't save you on purpose. I just..." Liya muttered, pouting.
"I know, I know."
Muen gave a meaningful smile and nodded earnestly.
Liya truly lived up to her future as a Saintess. Even though her most important task was to reach the Holy City, she would still risk her life to save anyone she saw in danger. That kindness and courage were essential qualities for a Saintess.
"But don't worry."
Muen suddenly looked into Liya's eyes and said seriously, "I will definitely get you to the Holy City safely. I promise!"
After all, if Liya failed to become the Saintess because of him, there was no telling how much it would derail the future plot. Moreover, it would be incredibly unfair to the girl herself, who had been dragged into this mess because of him.
"..."
Seemingly afraid to meet Muen's gaze, Liya suddenly lowered her head. After a long pause, she gave a soft "mm-hmm."
"However, we still have a lot of problems right now."
Muen sighed. "Your spatial magic device is gone too, isn't it?"
"Yes."
"As I thought."
It seemed the enemy's method had indeed been well-thought-out.
It wasn't that their spatial magic devices were lost; they had likely exploded under the intense spatial collision. There was no chance of finding them. The loss of their belongings not only cut off most ways to call for help but also left them unable to use items.
Muen had prepared quite a bit before coming—his spatial device had been packed with a ton of contraband weaponry and magic scrolls, thinking he could use them freely since he wasn't in Belland. Now, the loss of those items effectively cut his strength in half.
Muen touched the hilt of the pure white short blade at his waist.
Fortunately, Elizabeth possessed a soul of her own and had actively detached herself from the spatial device. Otherwise, he really would have lost everything this time.
"You didn't lose anything precious, did you?" Muen asked again.
"No... no."
Liya rubbed a simple ring on her pinky finger. She shook her head, then nodded, and said, "The spatial device I lost only had some miscellaneous items and daily necessities. They weren't valuable. The precious things are in here... but the 500,000 you gave me... that's gone too."
"As long as you didn't lose anything precious."
Glancing at the ring—which looked simple but felt extraordinary—Muen felt relieved. He made a mental note to get himself some high-security spatial magic devices in the future. He smiled and said, "As for the other things and the 500,000, it's not a big deal. I'll compensate you for the full amount later."
"No... there's no need." Liya instinctively tried to refuse.
But Muen immediately put on a stern face. "That won't do. We already made an agreement. If you don't accept the compensation, aren't you forcing me to break my word? What if the Goddess actually sends down a punishment?"
"..."
Hearing the word "agreement" and remembering the things she had said to this guy in the carriage late at night, Liya's eyes wavered slightly. She bit her lip and changed her tune. "Fine, then."
"That's more like it."
Muen smiled again.
It had been hard enough to swindle—er, negotiate—this "Ariel-exclusive get-out-of-death-free card." It would be a shame to lose it now.
"However, the situation is indeed a bit grim."
Muen's expression gradually turned serious.
He scanned their surroundings once more.
The gloomy environment made his skin crawl. Although they hadn't encountered any danger yet, it felt like the calm before a storm, making him increasingly uneasy.
"The main problem now is... how do we get out of this forest?"
Muen fell into thought.
He had just scouted the area and even tried to climb to the top of a giant tree, but he had found nothing. It was trees, and more trees—like being in the middle of a vast ocean. Everywhere he looked, the scenery was the same.
It was enough to make one feel despair.
Moreover, because the canopy blocked the sky, Muen didn't even have a way to determine direction. He asked the Black Book, but it remained silent, seemingly too lazy to bother with such a minor issue.
At this rate, they would be completely lost in the forest.
"Um... about getting out, I might have a way."
Just as Muen was agonizing over it, Liya suddenly raised her small hand tentatively.
"Hmm? You do?" Muen's eyes lit up. "What way?"
"Well... the Holy Light."
Liya held out her palm, and a sacred glow gathered in her hand. She gazed at the light and said softly, "The Holy City, as the place where the Goddess is enshrined, possesses the densest Holy Light in the world. Therefore, I can remotely sense the direction of the Holy City through the Holy Light within me."
"Then we won't get lost in the forest!"
Muen punched his palm in delight. "You're amazing, Liya! That solves our biggest problem!"
"It's... it's nothing... it's just..."
Seemingly embarrassed, Liya's cheeks flushed as she said shyly, "It's just that the Holy City is very far away, after all. I can only vaguely sense it. If the direction is wrong..."
"It won't be."
Muen began packing their things on the ground, speaking with casual but absolute conviction. "I believe in you, Liya. If the direction you point to for the Holy City is wrong, then I doubt anyone in the world could find it."
She is the future Saintess, after all...
"..."
Liya didn't know what Muen was thinking. In the now-comforting silence, she watched the busy Muen, and that incomprehensible ripple stirred in her heart once again.
"Okay."
This was the countless time she had answered like that today. Only this time, it carried a tiny bit of excitement she hadn't even noticed herself.
"And..."
At that moment, Muen, who had finished erasing their tracks, suddenly looked up and teased mischievously, "If we can't get out, staying in this forest forever with a beautiful girl like you doesn't seem like such a bad thing, don't you think?"
"For... forever!?"
Liya's body jolted as if struck by lightning.
Her previously sluggish brain began to race, following Muen's words to their logical conclusion.
Forever... forever... meaning they would stay here, naturally develop that kind of relationship, and then naturally do those kinds of things?
The things this guy did with that Senior Sister?
At the end of her train of thought, Liya once again remembered that shameful image. Even though months had passed, it was still so vivid.
How could that be allowed!
As a Saintess Candidate, how could she do something so shameless?
As her thighs rubbed together secretly, a crimson blush expertly bloomed on her pretty face. Simultaneously, a small pink fist rapidly enlarged in Muen's bewildered vision.
"Eh? Wait, Liya, did I say something wrong?"
"Per... Pervert!"
"Agh—!"
A cry of pain startled the birds resting on distant branches. The harsh cawing of crows sounded like a funeral dirge, yet also like a lighthearted chord.
...
"Hey, dead bird!"
An afterimage flashed by. A grim man with murderous eyes reached out with a large hand. A giant crow, half the height of a man, had just woken up and hadn't even had time to flap its wings before the man snatched it from the branch.
The man licked his lips and asked, "Have you seen a blond man?"
"Caw—!" The crow struggled in vain, then gave a knowing nod.
"I heard there's a woman with a big chest and a very pretty face too?"
"Caw—!" The crow flapped its wings knowingly.
"If you saw them, give me an answer."
"Caw—!" The crow let out a loud, knowing cry.
"Mm-hmm, I see."
The man nodded solemnly. "I didn't understand a word. You're useless, can't even speak human."
The man grabbed both ends of the crow and twisted hard. As if an invisible saw had fallen, the wailing bird was instantly snapped in two. The man drank the blood greedily and laughed loudly. "This dead bird actually tastes pretty good!"
"Disgusting."
Nearby, a woman with long wavy hair, heavy makeup, and a magic wand covered her nose and moved further away. She frowned. "Barton, can you wait until the mission is over before indulging your blood-drinking habit? It reeks."
"Hmph! It's precisely during these boring operations that I need blood to keep my soul burning hot!"
"You're going to expose us."
"Heh."
Barton carelessly shook off the feathers and blood, glancing at the woman. "In that case, what's the point of having a mage like you along? Are you just a vase, Miss Fullar? Though I don't care much for vases with wrinkled skin like yours."
"Do you want to die, Barton?"
Fullar's expression turned cold, and mana surged around her. "If you don't mind, I can bury you right now."
"Oh? You think I'm afraid?"
Barton sneered. "If your sister, the famous Fleur of a Hundred Spells, were here, I might back off a bit. But what kind of scrap are you, Fullar? A failure who hasn't broken through to the Radiant-Tier in decades. I—"
"Enough."
A faint voice spoke, instantly freezing the confrontational atmosphere.
A priest with graying hair at his temples knelt down, buried the two halves of the crow, held his Holy Scripture, and chanted a merciful eulogy.
His expression was so kind and peaceful, as if he were bathed in the light of the Holy God. But when he spoke, it made both Fullar and Barton show expressions of respect... and fear.
"The Great Lord brought us together not to fight amongst ourselves, but to fulfill our inevitable destiny. So... be friendly, shall we? Our Lord is watching."
After the mourning, the priest, full of mercy and calm, dug the crow back out of the ground and... swallowed it in one gulp.
The other two shuddered simultaneously, looked away, and remained silent.
"Found it!"
To the side, a "Hyena" who had been crawling on the ground suddenly thrust his hand into the seemingly unremarkable earth and pulled out... a wild berry.
He excitedly stuffed the berry into his mouth and crushed it. Juice flowed down the corners of his mouth like a beast's drool.
"That's it, absolutely. Based on the items the Council gave me, that Muen Campbell was definitely here, not long ago!"
"Ha, haha! He's cautious, thinking he erased all his tracks. But how can anyone pass through here without leaving a trace?"
"How long will it take?"
"Three hours at most. We'll catch up to him in three hours!"
"Very well."
The priest pulled out a handkerchief and elegantly wiped the corners of his mouth. He looked into the quiet depths of the forest and smiled.
"Then, under the gaze of the Lord, let us begin this hunt that shall surely please Him."