Ch. 62 Munchkin – Chapter 62
by AfuhfuihgsChapter 62
As a lich, Crevius could sense the immense power emanating from the dark mist gathering in Lucy’s hand.
He had considered forcibly taking Lucy’s necklace, but seeing the dark mist now, he realized that if he tried anything reckless, he might not even leave behind a single bone.
“Ahem…!”
Crevius took three steps back from Lucy and asked,
“By the way, may I ask why you summoned me, my lady…?”
“To hunt a monster.”
“A monster, you say…”
Crevius’s blue flames flickered.
“If it’s about hunting a monster, I believe I can assist you. My magic is quite powerful, after all. However, as a high-ranking undead, I cannot simply fulfill a human’s request without some form of offering. To grant your request, I would need a kind of tribute….”
Crevius glanced at Lucy’s necklace again, and Lucy slowly raised her hand.
“Ahem…!”
Crevius took two more steps back.
“But since you are such a beautiful lady, I’ll make an exception this time and fulfill your request without a tribute. May I know more about the monster I’m to hunt?”
“…It’s a four-legged beast with sharp teeth that mercilessly preys on humans.”
“That’s rather vague. Is it in this forest?”
“I think so.”
“Understood. I’ll search for it.”
Crevius planted his staff firmly into the ground and began chanting a spell in a sinister voice.
His blue flames burned brighter, and a dark aura spread around him.
As if the entire forest responded to his magic, the wind howled through the trees, and birds took flight.
After a moment, Crevius spoke.
“…I’ve found it. It’s nearby.”
A green, skull-shaped flame rose in front of Crevius’s staff.
“You can follow this flame.”
The green flame floated through the air, guiding them to the monster’s location.
◈
“B-brother…”
Thomas’s voice trembled.
“This seems really dangerous…”
Dozens of wolves were growling and closing in around them.
“That’s why I said we should wait until morning…”
Earlier, when Brian and Thomas arrived at Silverwood Village, they found a notice at the entrance.
A notice offering 50 silver for hunting a monster.
Brian boldly suggested they hunt the monster immediately, but Thomas tried to stop him.
It was already nighttime.
The forest was dangerous at night.
Not only were there monsters, but also bandits, wolves, and other predators that posed a threat.
But Brian insisted they had to go at night to hunt the monster, and now they were surrounded by a pack of wolves in the middle of the forest.
“Don’t be scared, Thomas.”
Brian said.
“These are just wolves.”
“But…”
Thomas looked around.
Dozens of red eyes glinted in the darkness.
“There are too many of them…”
“I’ll clear the way, and you stay behind…”
At that moment, one of the wolves lunged forward with a threatening growl.
“Grrr!”
As if it were a signal, the entire pack pounced on Brian and Thomas.
“Hah!”
Brian swung his sword with a shout.
Seeing this, Thomas quickly fired an arrow.
Whoosh!
But their attacks did nothing to the wolves.
Brian’s sword sliced through the air, and Thomas’s arrow embedded itself in a tree.
“Ugh!”
Brian was knocked to the ground by a wolf.
The sword he inherited from his father flew far away.
“Ahh!”
Brian screamed.
The wolves began tearing into his shoulders and legs.
“Brother…!”
Thomas quickly drew his bow, but his hands were shaking so much he couldn’t aim properly.
“R-run! Thomas!”
Brian shouted desperately.
Thomas ignored his brother and fired another arrow.
Whoosh, thud!
The arrow struck the wolf biting Brian’s shoulder in its side.
“Yelp!”
The wolf collapsed with the arrow in its side.
But the situation didn’t improve at all.
There were still dozens of wolves surrounding Brian, so taking down one didn’t make much difference.
“R-run, Thomas…!”
Brian pleaded, but Thomas drew his bow again.
If he ran, he might survive.
But his brother would surely die.
Whoosh!
Another arrow flew.
Thud!
The arrow struck the wolf biting Brian’s leg in the forehead.
At the same time, Thomas was knocked to the ground by another wolf.
More wolves had closed in on him.
A wolf mercilessly sank its teeth into Thomas’s calf.
“!!”
The sharp pain of teeth tearing into his flesh.
Thomas’s vision went white.
Was this how he would die?
Tears and laughter escaped him.
Months ago, when their parents were killed by a monster, Brian had approached Thomas, who was crying, and said:
― Thomas, let’s become monster hunters. We’ll avenge Mom and Dad and help others.
Thomas had agreed, but deep down, he thought it was impossible for them to become monster hunters.
Not just anyone could be a monster hunter.
If they encountered a monster, they’d be in danger, or worse, they could die.
With that thought, Thomas had prepared himself for death.
But he never imagined he’d die to wolves.
“…”
The pain in his body began to fade.
At the same time, he felt a strange sense of peace.
Is this what dying feels like?
Then, it happened.
“Hoho, what an amusing sight.”
A low, sinister voice cut through the night’s silence.
Thomas, his consciousness fading, turned his head.
“…?”
He saw a tall, gaunt man.
No, not a man—a skeleton.
A skeleton with glowing blue flames in its eyes.
Thomas thought the skeleton had come to take him away.
A being like the Grim Reaper.
The skeleton spoke in a delighted voice.
“If these two die, I’ll absorb their souls. It’ll be like a meal for me…”
“No.”
“Huh…?”
“Save them.”
“Y-you mean these two?”
“Yes.”
“Are they acquaintances of yours?”
“Yes.”
“Haha, well then…”
The skeleton tapped his staff on the ground.
A dark aura spread out and engulfed the wolves.
“Yelp!”
The wolves howled in agony as the dark aura began to consume them.
Their flesh withered, and their bones became exposed.
It was as if their life force was being drained.
After a moment, the wolves turned to ash and scattered in the wind.
Dozens of wolves vanished into the night sky in an instant.
Thomas stared blankly at the bizarre scene.
Whoosh—!
The skeleton opened his mouth and inhaled something like blue smoke, then nodded in satisfaction.
“Hmm, the souls of wolves aren’t bad. Not as good as humans’, but… By the way, these two will die if left like this. If I hadn’t become a lich, I could’ve healed them with divine power, but unfortunately, now I can’t…”
“I’ll do it.”
At that moment, a shimmering figure fluttered toward Brian.
Thomas’s eyes widened.
The figure flying toward Brian was unmistakably the fairy he had seen earlier in the day.
‘Come to think of it…’
He thought he had heard the voice speaking to the skeleton earlier.
A calm, emotionless, and monotonous voice.
“…”
Thomas turned his gaze to the side of the skeleton.
As expected, standing beside the skeleton was the girl who had given them sandwiches earlier—the one his brother had claimed was a witch.
Her white hair shimmered faintly in the moonlight.
Her red eyes glowed.
For a moment, Thomas’s eyes met the girl’s.
The girl said something in a soft voice, but Thomas couldn’t hear it and eventually lost consciousness.
◈
“Ugh…”
A while later, Brian regained consciousness.
“What’s going on…?”
He looked down at his body in confusion.
The wounds from the wolf bites had completely healed.
No, more than that.
Brian turned his head to look at Thomas.
Thomas was lying on the ground, covered in blood.
“Thomas!”
Brian jumped up and rushed to Thomas.
At that moment, Thomas’s body was enveloped in a shimmering light.
“?”
Brian froze, and soon he saw Thomas’s wounds healing.
“Wh-what…”
Only then did Brian notice.
A fairy fluttering above Thomas, sprinkling sparkling dust.
It was the blue-haired fairy he had seen earlier.
“What are you staring at?”
The fairy snapped at Brian.
“What? Are you going to run away again without saying thank you? If you do that this time, I really won’t help you again.”
The fairy glared at Brian, hands on her hips.
“Y-you helped us…?”
Brian tilted his head in confusion.
“Ah…”
Come to think of it, he had heard about this before.
Fairies could sprinkle healing dust, and its effects were comparable to a cleric’s healing magic…
So, the reason his and Thomas’s wounds had healed was because of that fairy?
But what happened to the wolves?
“Ahem.”
At that moment, a sinister voice came from behind.
“I suppose I’ll have to settle for this.”
“?”
Brian quickly turned around.
He saw someone picking up his sword from the ground.
Translator Note
T/N (Translator’s note):
You got to wonder what the hell would he do with useless gems, hoarder smh.
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