One of my followers, a gatekeeper, comes to me with information. At first I think I’m mishearing it, but several other people confirm it, so there’s no doubt about it.
I see… I didn’t expect to find her here…
I’ve been sent to a remote area to live a dreary life, but it ends today.
I touch my cheek with my right hand, and feel the scar.
It doesn’t hurt now, but every day when I look at it, my anger is reignited.
Maybe it would heal if I used an expensive potion, but my father stopped me from doing it. The reason is simple, so I don’t forget my failure.
I need information first, but that’s easy around here.
I don’t have trouble figuring out where she’s going either. The defensive city of Nove.
I also get more information by spending some money in the inn. The records say that three adventurers, and I guess a merchant and his assistants, came into town. Among them is a special slave.
At first I wonder why they’re going to a town near the dark forest, but I guess they’ve been hired by the merchant to serve as guards.
That detestable beast girl… She was freed from being a slave and is now going around as an adventurer. It doesn’t sit well with me.
After doing that to me…
And I got some valuable information too.
The other adventurers with her are her childhood friends. There’s no way I won’t use that.
“Hey, what about the patrol route!?”
If it was before, I could’ve simply attacked them in town, but I can’t cause a fuss here. I can’t afford to displease my father even more.
That means I also need to be careful about the patrol on the main road.
It would be one thing if they were people under my influence, but there are ones in that group with some stupid sense of justice. I can’t have them see it.
“Wait. If I stack the next patrol with my people…”
Unfortunately, I don’t have a lowly occupation like a patrol, but I can use it. And if I use my personal soldiers to boost my fighting force, I can even attack them.
It will be tricky if they’re going by omnibus, but if I can get fast horses, I can still reach them. Well, I doubt any omnibus in this country is going to let a beast person on board anyway.
All right then, it’s hunting time. It’s time to pay back that grudge hundreds of times over. I’m not letting her go even if she cries for mercy.
◇ ◇ ◇
“Dammit. What’s going on!?”
It’s already been two days since I left Astous. I can almost see the bridge over the river.
I talked to the patrol, so I know where they met that group. If I calculate backwards and think about our speed, it’s clear that I should’ve caught them already, but I haven’t.
“Hey, have you seen them yet!?”
I yell, checking with someone who has a skill to see far away.
“I have confirmed that they are pretty far away.”
“Can we catch up if we keep going?”
“Considering the condition of the horses, I doubt it. But those people need to rest too, so…”
After thinking about it, I decide we should rest for today. If the horses can’t move, I’ll be on foot, and I need to think about the trip back too.
Also, if we can see them, that means we’re definitely getting closer.
But the next morning, something unexpected happens.
We use that same skill just to check, and they’re nowhere to be seen. Does that mean they kept advancing during the night?
We cross the bridge, keep moving, and there’s still no sign of them.
“Hey, what happened!?”
Useless people. I’m just getting more irritated.
Someone says they’re being aided by a skill, but I don’t know about that.
Today we’re going to keep going a little later, and use the skill at night to watch them.
But then night comes, and they say they’re gone. What are you talking about?
Judging by how flustered they are, it doesn’t look like they’re lying.
I’m pretty mad about being woken up in the middle of the night, but calm myself.
I want to go after them right away, but we can’t get the horses to move now.
We wake up earlier than usual, and resume our pursuit.
I use an item that lets me see far away, and manage to see them. Only one problem, they’re walking through a wasteland away from the main road.
They’re walking in the direction of the dark forest. Are they actually going there?
I hesitate for a moment, but decide to continue going.
That’s just how much I can’t control my anger. Half the reason why I made it this far is pure spite.
But then it gets tougher. The footing is bad, and the ground is all slushy. The horses can’t go faster, and since those people are on foot, we’re not going to get to them like this.
“What?”
“M-magic. It looks like the ground is like this because they used water magic.
Meaning they know about us?
And as if answering my question, we keep moving even though it’s a little late, but we see them continuing to move forward without resting.
Worst case scenario, we’ll have to abandon the horses, but we haven’t reached that point yet.
At least I can tell the distance is shrinking.
But I have to remember that if nothing else, that beast girl can fight. If we’re not at our best, we’ll be in danger for sure.
But if we’re in proper condition, there’s no way they stand a chance against our force of thirty soldiers.
And finally, they’re within our reach.
They really did enter the dark forest, but I’m sure we’ll catch them if we keep going.
“Mister Marcus, are you really going?”
“Of course! Are you scared?”
“N-no. Of course not.”
“Then onward. The enemy is right in front of us!”
We can’t go in the dark forest on horseback, so we have to leave the horses here, fastened with ropes because we need them to go back.
Now’s hunting time, and time to clear away the humiliation from that day.
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Thanks for the treat.
I hope he fails miserably
It’s morb… hunting time!