Chapter 60

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Thomas quietly looked at his brother.

That girl was a witch?

‘No way…’

It was true she had white hair and red eyes.

But those traits had long been proven to have nothing to do with witches.

Besides, hadn’t the girl shared her sandwiches with them?

A witch wouldn’t be that kind.

‘And she was with a fairy…’

If the girl really were a witch, it would be strange for her to be traveling with a fairy.

Fairies were beings of light and nature, while witches were said to wield darkness.

In fairy tales, fairies hated witches and avoided them.

“…Alright.”

Still, Thomas nodded reluctantly.

His brother always insisted his intuition was right.

Whether it was calling the wolf cub a monster or claiming the girl was a witch, Thomas didn’t trust his brother’s judgment at all.

But if he didn’t believe in his brother, who would?

Even if his brother was reckless, unreliable, and a bit foolish, he was still his brother.

With that thought, Thomas asked,

“So, what do we do now?”

His brother had a solemn expression, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.

He looked ready to charge off and capture the witch at any moment.

If his brother decided to go after the girl, Thomas planned to calmly explain things to her so she wouldn’t be startled.

That way, his brother’s misunderstanding would be cleared up quickly.

“What do you mean, what do we do?”

But his brother’s response was unexpected.

“What are we supposed to do?”

“Uh… I mean, shouldn’t we go capture her? You said she’s a witch.”

“No.”

His brother shook his head and replied calmly.

“Capturing witches isn’t our job, Thomas. Did you forget? We’re monster hunters. Besides…”

His brother added with a serious face,

“She gave us sandwiches. Even if she’s a witch, that was a good thing.”

“…”

“Our destination hasn’t changed. Silverwood Village. We need to defeat the monster terrorizing the village and save the people. That’s what monster hunters like us are supposed to do.”

“Ah…”

“Now that we’ve filled our stomachs, let’s get going, Thomas. The villagers must be waiting for us anxiously.”

“Okay…”

And so, Thomas followed his brother as they set off toward Silverwood Village once more.

◈

Thud. Thud.

Lucy walked through the forest.

Her destination was Silverwood Village.

She planned to spend the night there.

“Really, Lucy, you’re too naive.”

Finn grumbled as she braided Lucy’s hair.

“You worked so hard to make those sandwiches this morning. What are you going to do now that you’ve given them all away?”

“…They said they were hungry.”

“That’s their problem! And did you see how they ran off as soon as they got the sandwiches? They didn’t even say thank you!”

Finn continued to scold Lucy, but her hands never stopped braiding Lucy’s white hair.

Her movements were skillful and precise.

“No matter how kind you are, humans won’t appreciate it. Instead of being grateful, they’ll just try to take advantage of you. What if bad people try to use you?”

Finn paused for a moment.

“…You could just kill them. You’re strong enough, Lucy. No, but still, you need to be careful! You can’t survive in this world just by being strong. If you let your guard down… well, they might steal your things or something!”

Finn had to admit her argument wasn’t very convincing.

If someone stole Lucy’s belongings?

It was simple.

Amon would just go and retrieve them.

Amon’s tracking skills were exceptional.

He had once found Finn just by following her scent.

If someone dared to steal Lucy’s things, their fate would be sealed.

It wouldn’t be long before Amon came for their head.

‘And besides…’

Finn glanced at Lucy.

‘There’s nothing worth stealing…’

Lucy had almost nothing on her except the clothes she was wearing.

The basket of sandwiches she had been carrying was given away to those strange guys, and the few silver coins she had brought from home would disappear as soon as she used them for lodging in Silverwood Village.

“By the way, are you sure you’ll be okay, Lucy? It’ll take days to reach your destination, and with so little money…”

Lucy was currently on her way to meet her mother.

Last night, the white owl she had seen in Cressia flew to her window and delivered a letter from her mother.

The letter insisted they meet this time.

Lucy had initially planned to ignore it, but the location her mother suggested piqued her interest.

It was a place called the Black Forest, an eerie and remote area where few people ventured.

Shrouded in perpetual black fog, it was said to be a place where the line between day and night blurred, and rumors of undead roaming the forest made it a terrifying place.

It wasn’t exactly a suitable location for a mother to meet her daughter.

But it was intriguing enough to catch Lucy’s attention.

In the end, Lucy decided to go meet her mother.

She wanted to see the Black Forest.

She was curious about the black fog and the undead.

However, the Black Forest was quite far away, so this journey would be a long one.

They would have to pass through towns and villages, staying overnight along the way.

“It’s fine.”

Lucy said.

“I can earn money in the cities.”

Lucy didn’t seem worried at all.

In fact, she even looked a little excited.

Finn was also happy.

After all, she was going on an adventure with Lucy.

“Hmm, you mean by hunting monsters?”

Lucy planned to earn money by hunting monsters in the cities.

From Finn’s perspective, Lucy could easily take down any monster.

Lucy was strong enough to defeat a dragon, after all.

But she was still young.

Relying solely on her strength and letting her guard down could put her in danger.

Finn believed it was her duty to protect Lucy and make sure that didn’t happen.

Lucy’s grandfather thought Lucy was staying at Leyton Castle for a few days, but Lord Leyton, Ed, Ron, and Ellie knew Lucy was embarking on a journey to meet her mother.

So, they all asked Finn for a favor.

To protect Lucy along the way.

Finn clenched her tiny fist.

‘I have to protect Lucy…!’

With a determined expression, Finn gently stroked Lucy’s cheek.

“First, let’s head to Silverwood Village. We’ll find an inn there, rest, and take our time to think things through. There’s no need to rush, after all.”

The letter from Lucy’s mother had also said as much.

There was no need to hurry. It was fine to take their time.

So, there was no rush on this journey.

Whether they hunted monsters to earn money or slept in the forest, they could take their time.

“Okay.”

Lucy gave a short reply and continued walking.

Before long, a village came into view.

Silverwood Village was a village surrounded by massive trees.

It was as if the trees were protecting the village, encircling it in a round shape.

“Look at that, Lucy!”

Finn pointed to a notice board near the village entrance.

Lucy quickened her pace and approached the notice board.

——————————————————————————————————————————

[Urgent Notice]

Recently, an unidentified monster has been sighted in the forest near the village.

According to eyewitness accounts, the monster is a large, four-legged beast with sharp teeth that mercilessly preys on humans.

The number of victims has already exceeded ten.

We are seeking hunters to eliminate the monster for the safety of the village.

Reward: 50 silver.

• Village Chief of Silverwood Village –

——————————————————————————————————————————

Finn smiled and looked at Lucy.

“Looks like we can earn some money before heading to the city.”

“Yeah.”

A small smile also appeared on Lucy’s lips.

Lucy first found an inn in Silverwood Village and had dinner with warm soup and bread.

She spent all the silver coins she had, but it wasn’t a problem.

After all, she could earn money by hunting the monster.

She decided to take a bath later and left the inn, heading toward the forest near the village.

Thud. Thud.

The sun had already set.

Only the moonlight dimly illuminated the forest.

Lucy walked into the forest without hesitation and stopped when the surroundings grew quiet.

The wind rustled the leaves, creating an eerie sound.

“Lu, Lucy… hurry and call Amon.”

Finn’s voice trembled as he spoke.

Finn had already retreated into Lucy’s clothes.

“Finn.”

Lucy gently stroked Finn’s head and said,

“Don’t sweat like last time.”

Finn’s face instantly turned red.

“I-I won’t this time!”

Finn raised her voice, flustered.

Lucy smiled faintly and nodded.

Then, she stretched her hand forward.

Hunting the monster wouldn’t be too difficult.

She could simply summon Amon or Darcan to catch it.

But this time, Lucy had a different undead in mind.

There were still many undead and demons she hadn’t summoned yet.

Whoosh—!

As she activated her skill, a dark magic circle glowed on the ground.

Amidst the swirling darkness, something began to slowly reveal itself.

“Hoho…”

Sinister blue flames flickered in its eyes.

It wore a black robe adorned with intricate decorations.

In its hand was a staff embedded with jewels.

“To think the one who summoned me is such a petite lady. How unexpected.”

It took a step forward, leaning on its staff.

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
Dumb fly is a girl…

I wanna die…