Chapter 63

Ｒe&a;d &o;η​ Kat̃​&R;e​ad​ｉ​ngC​ａ​f̈e

“…”

Thomas slowly regained consciousness.

His body felt light and refreshed.

What happened?

Did he end up dying after being bitten by the wolves?

At that moment, a voice came from beside him.

“Hey, that’s my sword!”

It was his brother, Brian’s voice.

“Give it back!”

When Thomas turned his gaze, he saw his brother struggling with someone.

The person his brother was struggling with was the skeleton he had seen before losing consciousness.

The skeleton’s bony hand was gripping Brian’s sword.

“No. It’s my sword now. I picked it up.”

“What nonsense is that? I dropped it! Give it back!”

“If I hadn’t saved you earlier, you would’ve been wolf food. Can’t you spare a single old sword for your savior? How greedy!”

“It’s a sword I inherited from my father… Wait, why do I have to explain myself? Give me back my sword right now, you skeleton bastard!”

“Don’t pull on it. My body is quite fragile…”

Crack—

“Huh?”

At that moment, the skeleton’s arm was pulled off.

Brian had yanked on the skeleton’s arm.

In a panic, Brian screamed and threw the skeleton’s arm to the ground.

The arm shattered into pieces.

“…You, this won’t do.”

The skeleton spoke in a chilling voice.

“You’ve damaged my arm, so I’ll take your soul as compensation.”

The skeleton’s eyes glowed blue.

Brian, terrified, stumbled backward.

“I-I didn’t mean to…”

Rustle—

At that moment, a sound came from the bushes.

Brian and the skeleton were too busy struggling to notice, but Thomas kept a wary eye on the bushes.

Soon, emerging slowly from the bushes was…

“Nng…”

A wolf cub.

In fact, it was the same wolf cub Brian had chased away earlier, claiming it was a monster.

“…”

Thomas felt a wave of confusion.

What was going on?

First, they met the girl and the fairy, and now this wolf cub…

The wolf cub toddled over to the girl.

The girl stared blankly at the wolf cub for a moment, then slowly reached out and patted its head.

Pat, pat—

The wolf cub wagged its tail and nuzzled into the girl’s hand, and the girl smiled faintly.

At that moment.

“My lady, watch out!”

The skeleton shouted loudly.

The girl tilted her head, looking puzzled.

In that instant,

Whoosh—!

A massive beast leaped out of the darkness.

“!”

Thomas gasped.

It looked like a wolf, but it was three times larger, with horns protruding from its forehead.

It was a monster.

The monster’s red eyes flashed as it charged toward the girl.

The girl quickly hugged the wolf cub, and the cub trembled as it buried itself in her arms.

Thomas tensed up.

If this continued, the girl would be devoured by the monster.

Yet, the girl showed no signs of panic.

She simply stared at the monster with calm eyes.

Soon, the monster opened its mouth wide.

Its sharp teeth gleamed inside.

“Not so fast!”

The skeleton swung his staff with his remaining arm.

Something poured out from the tip of his staff.

Whoosh—!

They looked like shadowy wraiths.

The twisted wraiths flew swiftly and coiled around the monster’s body like snakes.

“Gaaah!”

The monster screamed in agony.

The parts of its body touched by the wraiths began to smoke and burn.

“I cannot allow you to threaten my lady.”

The skeleton shuffled forward.

The arm Brian had pulled off had already regenerated, and the blue flames in his eyes burned fiercely.

He fluttered his robe and approached the monster, then slowly waved his staff.

“Now, it’s time to harvest your soul.”

A massive skull-shaped figure rose above the staff.

The skull, emerging from the darkness, looked like death itself.

The skull opened its mouth wide and lunged at the monster, swallowing it whole.

“Gaaah!”

The monster thrashed, but it was no use.

The skull swallowed the monster, and its body turned into a gooey mess, collapsing to the ground.

“Hmm.”

The skeleton nodded in satisfaction.

“The soul of a monster isn’t a bad meal. Not as good as a human’s, but…”

Thomas stood frozen, watching the scene unfold.

Lucy stroked the wolf cub in her arms and looked at the monster lying on the ground.

The monster had turned into a gooey mess, as if its life force had been drained.

It looked like a wolf.

The only differences were its massive size and the horns on its forehead.

If that was the case, then perhaps…

Lucy looked at the forehead of the wolf cub in her arms.

A small horn was growing on the cub’s forehead.

Meaning, this wolf cub was also a monster.

“Ha, haha…”

Brian approached with an awkward laugh.

His body was visibly trembling.

“Y-you’re amazing… Taking down a monster so easily…”

At Brian’s words, Crevius shrugged.

“For a high-ranking lich like me, a monster like this is nothing more than a light snack.”

“A lich… I’ve read about them in books. They’re undead, right?”

“That’s correct. This lady summoned me.”

“Hmm, so that means…”

Brian glanced at Lucy.

“She really is a witch.”

◈

Lucy didn’t say anything.

She simply continued to gently stroke the little monster in her arms.

Its body was warm and soft.

“Hey, thank you.”

Brian spoke up.

“For the sandwiches earlier, and for saving Thomas and me… I’m really grateful.”

At that, Thomas also stepped forward and bowed his head to Lucy.

“Thank you, Miss Witch… And thank you too, Miss Fairy and Mister Skeleton.”

Lucy quietly looked at Brian and Thomas.

“…You said you’re monster hunters, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then how about you take this monster’s body back to the village, claim the reward, and give me half of it?”

“Huh…”

Thomas looked surprised. Brian was the same.

“C-can we really do that? We weren’t the ones who killed the monster.”

At Brian’s words, Crevius nodded in agreement.

“That’s right, my lady! I was the one who killed the monster, so why should these two get the reward…”

Lucy glanced at Crevius.

Crevius flinched and stepped back.

“Ah, I’m not arguing. I’m just curious about the reason…”

Lucy stroked the little monster in her arms.

The reason was simple.

She didn’t want to bother carrying the monster’s body back to the village.

And it would be awkward to ask Crevius to do it.

Crevius looked unmistakably like an undead.

If he showed up in the village, it would cause a commotion.

So, she wanted to leave the transportation to Brian and Thomas.

Half of the reward would be 25 silver.

That would be enough to cover her travel expenses to the city.

“But.”

Lucy turned to Crevius.

“If we get half the reward, I’ll buy you a gem. It might not be expensive, though.”

“O-oh!”

Crevius’s blue flames flared up.

“Really, my lady?”

“Yes.”

“Hahaha! Thank you!”

Delighted by the unexpected reward, Crevius began to dance around.

“I like big, shiny things! That’s what gems are for!”

“Got it.”

Lucy smiled faintly.

A little later, Brian and Thomas returned to Silverwood Village with the monster’s body.

After sending Crevius back, Lucy carefully set the little monster down on the ground.

“Kiiing…”

The monster wobbled and pressed itself against Lucy.

Earlier, it had been growling, but now it was acting friendly after being held for a while.

Perhaps it was the offspring of the monster that Crevius had just defeated?

It seemed likely.

“…”

Lucy scratched her cheek and looked at the little monster.

What should she do with it?

Aside from the horn on its forehead, it looked just like a puppy.

If she left it in the forest, it probably wouldn’t survive.

It would either be eaten by other animals or starve to death.

Well, depending on your perspective, that might be for the best. After all, it was a monster.

But…

Lick—

It was hard to leave behind this adorable creature licking her leg.

Lucy let out a small sigh.

She wanted to ask Finn for her opinion, but Finn was currently asleep inside Lucy’s clothes, breathing softly.

She must’ve been tired from using too much healing dust.

“…”

Lucy picked up the little monster again.

It was better to take it to the inn for now and think about the rest later.

Since it was still a baby, it probably wasn’t dangerous.

Besides, the way it wriggled in her arms and rubbed its horn against her suggested it really liked her.

“…Let’s stay together for tonight.”

The monster wagged its tail as if it understood Lucy’s words.

Lucy smiled, patted the monster’s head, and began to walk.

She’d have to give it a name once they got back to the inn.

.

.

.

At the same time, Brian and Thomas were carrying the monster’s body back to Silverwood Village.

“I’ve decided, Thomas!”

At Brian’s sudden declaration, Thomas tilted his head.

“Decided? About what…?”

Thomas felt a little uneasy.

Surely he wasn’t suggesting they run off without sharing the reward with the girl?

Given the situation, it was a real possibility.

25 silver was a significant amount of money.

But that would be a clear betrayal.

The Brian that Thomas knew wouldn’t do something like that.

His brother might be reckless, but he wasn’t a coward.

Well, although he did look a bit shabby when he ran off with the sandwiches earlier…

Thomas asked nervously.

“…What did you decide, Brother?”

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
A kleptomaniac in the team, monetary gain is forfeit now~