Chapter 59

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Brian and Thomas.

The two were brothers.

The older brother, Brian, was tall and lean, with an old sword inherited from his father hanging at his waist.

The younger brother, Thomas, was short and chubby, with a cheap bow slung over his shoulder.

The two were monster hunters.

Although they had never actually hunted a monster before, they firmly believed that one day they would become the greatest monster hunters.

“Thomas, I told you, didn’t I? Intuition is something you’re born with. This path is definitely the right one!”

Brian said.

The two were currently on their way to Silverwood Village.

They had heard rumors that a monster had appeared in Silverwood Village.

But it seemed they had gotten lost.

They had been going in circles for a while now.

“But brother, we’ve passed this way before… I definitely saw this rock earlier.”

At Thomas’s words, Brian stopped walking and turned around.

His eyebrows twitched slightly.

“…Thomas, the important thing isn’t whether we’re lost. It’s the fact that we’re moving toward our goal.”

Brian placed his hand on his hip and spoke confidently.

“Admitting that we’re lost means we’re truly lost. I can feel it in my gut—Silverwood Village is close.”

“But… your intuition isn’t always right. Last time, we followed your intuition and ended up falling into the river…”

“That was because you slipped!”

Brian declared firmly.

“Anyway, we can’t let something as trivial as getting lost shake us! We’ll soon arrive at Silverwood Village and hunt that monster in style. The villagers will remember us as heroes!”

“…”

Thomas pouted but didn’t argue further.

He simply followed his brother quietly.

As the two continued on their way, a low growling sound came from somewhere.

Thomas flinched.

“Brother, did you hear that?”

“Yeah, it sounds like a monster.”

Brian placed his hand on the hilt of his sword with a serious expression.

“It’s already noticed us and is trying to attack first. Prepare for battle, Thomas.”

“Uh…”

Brian quietly drew his sword, and Thomas gripped his bow.

As they approached the source of the sound, they could see what was making the growling noise.

“Brother, that’s…”

A girl was sitting against a tree.

A girl with white hair and red eyes.

In front of her, a wolf was crouched low, growling.

However, the wolf didn’t seem threatening at all.

For one, it was the size of a puppy.

Its fur was fluffy, and its tiny teeth hadn’t even fully grown in.

Perhaps because of this, the girl didn’t react much to the wolf.

She just stared blankly at it while chewing on a sandwich.

“…Thomas.”

Brian spoke in a low voice.

“Let’s defeat that monster and save the girl. We’re the only ones who can do this.”

“M-monster…?”

Thomas wore an awkward expression.

“Isn’t that just a wolf cub? And a really cute one at that…”

“No.”

Brian shook his head.

“Thomas, you still have a lot to learn. A great monster hunter doesn’t judge their opponent by appearances alone. Monsters often deceive people with cute appearances, revealing their true nature under the moonlight. According to the monster hunter records I’ve read….”

“Brother, that was a fairy tale book.”

“Hah!”

Brian ignored his brother and boldly stepped forward.

Whoosh!

Brian swung his old sword toward the wolf cub.

Startled, the wolf cub let out a yelp and ran away.

“Hahaha!”

Brian burst into triumphant laughter.

“See that, Thomas? The monster fled in fear of my might! Another problem solved!”

Brian raised his sword toward the sky, then spun it and sheathed it with a flourish.

It was a rather impressive move.

Thomas knew.

How much his brother had practiced to pull off that move.

Though this time, he had succeeded purely by luck—usually, the sword would miss the sheath and fall to the ground.

Brian placed his hand on his hip and looked at the girl.

“Are you hurt, miss?”

“…”

The girl continued to chew her sandwich with an expressionless face.

She didn’t seem to react at all.

“Hmm, you must be really shaken up. If I hadn’t helped, you would’ve been eaten by that monster.”

“…”

Thomas let out a small sigh.

How could a wolf cub the size of a fist possibly eat the girl?

The wolf cub had probably just wanted a bite of her sandwich.

And his brother had chased it away by swinging his sword.

“But you don’t have to worry anymore. The monster’s gone. By the way…”

Brian hesitated slightly before speaking.

“Could you share a bit of that sandwich with us?”

Brian and Thomas had been starving since morning.

At that moment, something rustled and poked its head out from the girl’s clothes.

“What are you two doing?”

“Eek!”

Brian quickly stepped back and placed his hand on his sword hilt.

Something wriggled out of the girl’s clothes.

“Why are you eyeing Lucy’s sandwich? Are you beggars?”

“…”

What emerged from the girl’s clothes was a fairy.

A small fairy with blue hair and shimmering wings.

The fairy tied up her waist-length hair and fluttered her wings, flying up.

She then gave Brian and Thomas a cold look.

Brian cleared his throat and spoke.

“W-we’re monster hunters. Quite famous professionals, actually. Asking for a bit of the sandwich was just…”

“Monster hunters?”

The fairy’s lips curled up.

“Have you ever hunted a monster?”

“O-of course! I just saved this girl from a monster. If I hadn’t stepped in, she would’ve been in great danger! So, a sandwich is the least you could…”

“Is that true, Lucy?”

The fairy asked the girl.

“Did a monster appear while I was asleep?”

The girl slowly shook her head.

She was still chewing on her sandwich.

“She says no.”

The fairy frowned and looked at Brian.

“Are you lying? Just because you wanted a sandwich?”

“I-I’m not lying! The monster was definitely trying to attack her!”

“A wolf cub…”

At that moment, the girl spoke softly.

“It was just a wolf cub.”

The fairy clicked her tongue, as if to say, “I knew it.”

Brian flared up.

“I-it might’ve looked like that to you! Ordinary people can’t tell! Monsters are cunning!”

“You’re the cunning one. Lying just to get a sandwich.”

“Anyway, it’s true that I saved this girl! The wolf cub was going to bite her! Even if it’s a cub, a bite can still hurt!”

The fairy looked at the girl again.

“Was it really going to bite you?”

Again, the girl shook her head.

“It was just hungry.”

“See!”

The fairy glared at Brian.

Thomas subtly tugged at his brother’s sleeve.

“Brother, let’s just go…”

“No!”

Brian shook his head firmly.

“This is about our honor! Besides, I’m starving! I haven’t eaten since morning…”

Swish—

At that moment, the girl held out a basket.

Inside the basket were quite a few sandwiches.

“Take it.”

The girl’s voice was calm.

“Lucy!”

The fairy shouted.

“You don’t have to give anything to a liar like him!”

But Brian had already swiftly snatched the basket.

Holding the basket close, Brian slowly backed away, looking rather pitiful even to his younger brother.

“Brother…”

“Let’s go, Thomas!”

Brian, perhaps worried the sandwiches would be taken back, quickly moved away.

Thomas had no choice but to bow his head toward the girl and follow his brother.

Behind them, the fairy shouted, “What the heck, so you’re not monster hunters but sandwich hunters!” but they pretended not to hear.

A little later, Thomas and Brian hid in the bushes and began eating the sandwiches.

Thomas wasn’t sure why they had to hide in the bushes to eat, but his brother had said, “A great monster hunter must always stay alert. You never know when or where the enemy might appear!”, so he had no choice.

“Mmm~ This is why I hunt monsters! For moments like this!”

Brian said as he devoured the sandwich.

The sandwiches were delicious.

“Eat up, Thomas. Let’s get our strength back and take down the monster threatening Silverwood Village in style.”

“…Okay.”

“Huh.”

Suddenly, Brian narrowed his eyes.

“You know, something’s been bothering me.”

“What?”

“That girl earlier. There’s something strange about her.”

“S-strange?”

Thomas looked slightly surprised.

All the girl had done was give them sandwiches.

If anything, they should be grateful. What could possibly be strange about her?

Brian spoke with a serious expression.

“That girl… I think she’s a witch.”

“A-a witch?”

“Definitely. That white hair and red eyes. Those are the traits of a witch.”

“Brother… that’s just an old tale.”

“No.”

Brian shook his head firmly.

“It’s not just a tale. That girl is definitely a witch. My intuition is telling me so.”

Brian’s eyes were filled with certainty.

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
Taking from a 10 year old is diabolical though.