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Chapter 91

The man with black hair, who had quietly approached from beside the rock, now looked down at Askel, a sword hilt protruding from his cloak. For the first time, Askel noticed blood splatters on the man\'s face.

Gazing down with abyss-like black eyes, the man asked, "What were you doing here alone?"

Thinking that this person was surely not human, Askel gripped his bow tightly. He didn\'t want to die trembling in fear. He had to speak his mind, and if that wasn\'t enough, he was prepared to fight to the death.

Askel tried to keep his voice steady as he responded, "I was hiding... from you, sir."

His tone was unavoidably polite, a small concession to the situation. The man\'s eyebrows narrowed.

"Hiding?"

"Clearly, you have something to hide. Otherwise, there would be no reason to." The demon\'s voice growled lowly.

"Are there bandits hiding down there, waiting for your signal?"

"What are you talking about...?" Askel mumbled confusedly, then realized he was being completely misunderstood.

"Doing banditry in such a dangerous place would mean either starving or becoming prey to monsters."

"Then why did you hide?"

"Because you came from the mountainside. Only monsters come from over there."

"So, you hid because you thought we were those monsters." The man smiled oddly.

Askel inadvertently glanced at the demon and retorted, "Aren\'t you sir?"

"Of course not. We are mercenaries. Just returning from completing a job."

Askel blinked. It was hard to believe, especially in this harsh winter. The region near the mountains was known for being so dangerous that even skilled warriors could easily lose their lives.

"The misunderstanding must have been because of the kitty. Though, who wouldn\'t think the same?" The barefooted fairy said mockingly as the demon bared his fangs.

The man looked down at Askel, adding, "So, putting the hiding aside. Why are you here alone?"

"I came here to hunt."

"Hard to believe. As you said, it\'s dangerous here. A kid like you hunting alone?"

After a moment\'s frown, Askel decided to be forthright. It wasn\'t a secret to keep, whether they were human or not.

"I\'m not a kid. And there\'s hardly any game near the village. It\'s all dried up. Here, it’s dangerous, but there\'s plenty to hunt."

"What are the other adults doing?"

"The adults have their own tasks. I\'m not yet considered an adult, so they don\'t include me. So I’m doing what I can do."

"You\'re a brave one. What if you encounter a beast?"

"I hide or run. I\'m a fast runner, and I know this area well."

Though I had been caught off guard this time.

As Askel held back the rest of his thoughts, the man exchanged a look with the demon and shrugged. The atmosphere seemed to be loosening somewhat. Askel felt the same. If they had wanted to kill or eat him, they wouldn\'t keep talking.

It was then that the barefooted fairy stepped forward.

"Pleased to meet you. I\'m Thesaya."

"...I’m Askel."

"Well, Askel. Perhaps this is fate. We\'re tired and worn out from last night\'s troubles. Would you mind guiding us to your village?"

Askel\'s relaxed guard stiffened again, partly due to what was currently happening in his village. He looked at the fairy who introduced herself as Thesaya, the black-haired man, and the black-furred demon in turn.

Askel then firmly responded, "I’m afraid I cannot."

"Oh? Why...?"

"My village does not welcome uninvited outsiders. If I invite you, I become responsible for you guys. Frankly, I cannot trust your words, so I cannot take you to the village."

Silence fell. The man stared at Askel for a while before reaching out his hand. Instinctively, Askel flinched as the man tousled his hair lightly.

"A smart one, aren\'t you?"

As Askel blinked in surprise, the man turned away and added, "There\'s no need to go any further. It\'s not in any state for hunting right now."

As the man walked away, the demon jumped down beside Askel and handed him something.

"I am a beastfolk, not a demon. But since I misunderstood too, I\'ll forgive you this time."

Askel, taken aback, looked down at what he had been given. It was a piece of jerky.

"He\'s a strong kid."

"That\'s why he probably roams around here alone. Born with the qualities of a warrior."

Askel watched the two walking away, feeling dazed. He wasn\'t the only one stunned.

"They\'re just leaving...? Really, just like that, Ian? You could try persuading him." Thesaya raised her voice with her eyes squinting.

It was the beastfolk, not the demon, who responded.

"Stop fussing and quietly follow, you pointy ears. We\'ve heard the kid."

"No... Ha." Thesaya sighed briefly and looked back at Askel.

"I understand what you think, but we fight monsters. Especially Ian over there, he\'s a monster expert."

“...”

"If you knew what kinds of things we\'ve been killing in the mountains, this misunderstanding wouldn\'t have happened." Thesaya licked her lips and then shrugged her shoulders as she turned away.

"Well, I can’t really do anything now. Take care, little hunter." She quickly shook off her regret and followed her companions ahead with a spring in her step.

Askel blinked a moment, then bit into the jerky as he turned around. His legs were shaky from the released tension, but he still had things to do. It was about an hour later when Askel reached the top of the valley.

The scene across the valley left Askel\'s mouth agape.

The jerky fell to the ground as he stared. What came into Askel’s view was ogres dead, halved, or with their entrails strewn about. Signs of an explosion, scattered bone fragments. Mutated wild beasts, ghouls, and even creatures that looked like harpies. Numerous corpses were messily scattered across the valley. It seemed that all the local monsters had gathered here.

On one side, he saw the remnants of a campfire, now just faintly smoking. Thesaya’s words about the hardships of last night and being monster experts suddenly made sense.

"...Could it be?"

The realization that all her claims might be true dawned on him. They were monster hunters from the mountains. At that moment, Askel instinctively turned and started running back the way he came.

***

"Huff... Huff..."

Ian watched quietly as the Northern boy, Askel, gasped for breath, nearly tumbling down the slope as he chased after them, shouting behind them intermittently.

"So, what do you want?" Ian asked bluntly.

Askel managed to lift his head. "Uh...?"

"Why did you follow us, shouting all the way?"

"Oh, because, well..."

Askel’s face, sweaty and slightly flustered, flickered with hesitation.

"...I saw the other side of the mountain."

Askel stood up straight, glancing alternately at Ian, Charlotte, and Thesaya, before bowing his head lightly.

"I apologize for my rudeness earlier. I was mistaken."

Ian chuckled. "Did you come just to apologize?"

"No, not just that... The thought of losing track of you made me come right away. But now that I’m here, I’m not sure if I should. It’s not something I can decide and say on my own."

Ian shrugged nonchalantly. "Do as you like. If you’re going to say something, say it. If not, then don’t."

He resumed walking, and Charlotte, with a mysterious smile, and Thesaya, waving cheerfully, followed him.

Askel quickly caught up to Ian\'s side. "I actually have a favor to ask you."

"A request."

"Yes...?"

"It\'s not a favor; it\'s a request. I\'m a mercenary, not a volunteer."

"What\'s a volunteer...? Anyway, I do have a job for you, but can we first go to my village?"

"Of course—ow, why hit me?" Thesaya frowned after Charlotte\'s hand landed on her head.

Ian curled the corner of his mouth. "We thought you couldn\'t trust us. Aren\'t you supposed to vouch for us with your name?"

"Right. If you come with me, you\'ll be my guest. And I now believe you are mercenaries specializing in hunting monsters."

"It was a joke. Just lead the way."

"Ah, yes." Askel quickly took the lead.

So, there\'s a monster he needs help with. Ian nodded and followed him. He wasn’t urgently looking for a job, but the group was tired and needed to regroup to continue their journey.

Besides, they weren\'t even sure exactly where they were. They were just heading south, and it was still a long way to Travelga. It was the issues that would resolve themselves if their group handled a few requests.

At least tonight there will be warm food and a bed waiting.

Honestly, that was enough for now.

***

The addition of the Northern boy had lightened the mood of the group considerably. Usually, a journey was nothing more than walking, interspersed with periods of rest, eating, and occasional fights. The only way to pass the time was to talk.

However, the group had pretty much exhausted topics of curiosity about each other. But the Northern boy provided a fresh and interesting conversational partner. The fact that they could spend a warm and safe night also helped to ease the atmosphere significantly.

After some basic introductions and small talk, Thesaya asked, "So, where exactly is your village located?"

Askel pointed ahead. "Just two or three hours\' walk from here. It\'s up on a hill in the middle of the forest."

"That’s good to hear. I thought I wouldn’t see any villages for a while, considering all the deserted ones covered in snow."

Relieved, Thesaya looked at Askel as if realizing something.

"Isn’t your village like those deserted ones?"

"It wasn\'t until last year."

"Why didn’t you move south?" Charlotte asked.

Askel hesitated for a moment before replying. "There were discussions about moving inside the barrier. Some people actually did leave. But the majority stayed. Crucially, the village\'s chief warrior was against the move."

His tone was neutral, but he couldn’t entirely hide a hint of resentment, something only Ian seemed to pick up on. The other two were too focused on the content of the conversation.

"Chief warrior...? Oh, I see. Your village follows the old traditions of the North. Like a tribal community."

"What’s that?" Thesaya inquired.

Charlotte explained calmly, "It’s people living the way they did before the North became a subject of the Empire, venerating some legendary warrior."

So that’s why there was talk of an invitation.

Memories of various secluded Northern villages from his gaming experiences flashed through Ian’s mind. But back then, he had never been able to set foot in any of them because his approach was always rejected. Just touching one would make the entire village come running to beat him up, often resulting in a game over screen.

The only way to enter was as a barbarian warrior, something he had only discovered after reading some guides. There were a few exclusive quests associated with them. Anything beyond that was irrelevant to a mage, and that was all he knew.

Askel continued, "We venerate Karha. Everyone wants to be like him."

"And who is he to be venerated?"

"A legendary hero of the North. He killed countless remnants of the Giant Kingdom and faced the Evil Dragon alone. Ultimately, he drove the dragon off and brought freedom to the North. After his death, he became a god."

"He killed a dragon?"

"According to legend, they fought for three days and nights, and the dragon eventually retreated. It never showed itself again after that. They say the wounds Karha inflicted were too severe and it eventually died. Well, I don’t really know. I’ve never even seen a dragon bone, not even a piece." Askel shrugged.

Ian smirked, "The Empire probably wouldn’t like that story much. A human becoming a god."

"The Lu Solar cult also recognizes him as a god. They might not like it, but he was a real hero who became a deity." Charlotte countered.

Ian looked at her, "You know quite a bit about this. I thought you weren’t interested in such things."

"I heard it from Oleg. He was originally from a Northern tribe too."

Oleg...? Ah, that talkative bald guy.

Ian remembered a guard from the Libra Trading Company who used to throw magic boomerangs.

"He boasted that, unlike the beastfolk gods, his god was recognized by the order. Maybe Karha is beating him up right now."

"If he was a great warrior, maybe."

"That guy got drunk on corrupted magic and went berserk, eventually getting burned to death by a young girl\'s spell. Before that, he also cut off the wrist of one of his own from the North." Ian’s tone was matter-of-fact, and Askel just shrugged.

"Then he probably didn\'t make it to Karha’s legion."

"Karha’s legion?"

"Exceptional warriors become part of Karha’s legion after death. They are celestial soldiers who guard the gods. They are gods themselves, though in a lesser capacity."

A religion pieced together from various elements, as expected. No wonder the barbarian warriors in the game would shout its name at every opportunity.

Ian, secretly amused, decided to ask what he wanted to know. "So, do you live like a tribe with no interactions with the autonomous regions?"

"No, we are part of the autonomous regions. We move freely through the gates. I have never actually used the term tribe myself. It\'s just a different way of living."

That settles it. Ian nodded.

That was all he really wanted to know. There would be no reason to visit if they were a secluded tribe relying solely on self-sufficiency. If they were civilized, then they wouldn\'t be much different from the small villages on the outskirts of the border kingdoms.

"If a kid like you is hunting alone, it must mean the situation isn\'t that good," Charlotte added. Askel seemed to be to her liking, as she was talking more than usual.

"There are indeed problems, but I hunt voluntarily. And, let me say again, I\'m not a kid."

While Charlotte chuckled, Ian added, "So, does the job you want to request have something to do with your village\'s problem?"

"...Yes. That\'s why I need some time to think about it before discussing it. It\'s not just my issue."

"Fair enough. I don\'t work without compensation. We\'ll stay for just one day and then leave. Make your decision by then."

"Yes. Since you\'ll be my guests, I\'ll ensure that you receive the best hospitality during your stay in the village."

"Can you use imperial currency in your village?"

"Of course."

"Good."

Ian then pulled a purse filled with silver coins from his pocket dimension, estimating its weight before tossing it to Askel.

Askel looked back at him. "We don\'t usually take money from guests."

"I don’t want to eat poorly or sleep on the floor. Use this to ensure we have a good meal and a warm place to sleep. Keep the change."

"I\'ll return any leftovers. And..." Askel hesitated for a moment before adding, "During our journey, could you tell me about the things you\'ve killed in the mountains?"

While Charlotte and Thesaya sent glances asking if it was okay to discuss that, Ian shrugged.

"There\'s no reason not to."