Ch.159Chapter 159

Crunch, crunch.

A group was walking along a snow-covered path.

At the front, a girl with dog ears sprouting from her head seemed extremely excited, maintaining her lead with movements that could make a “pitter-patter” sound.

Sometimes solemn, sometimes childlike when something caught her eye, she appeared to be having a great time.

“Bell, slow down. People can’t keep up.”

I cautioned Bell who seemed so excited.

Whether she heard me or not, seeing Bell still unable to contain her excitement made me sigh involuntarily.

If I were alone, her antics wouldn’t bother me much.

I turned my head to look at the knights following behind me.

The Vice Captain and the Captain were maintaining vigilance, closely watching Bell’s movements.

Behind them, the knights huddled together with eyes full of fear.

Of course they’d be afraid when a being who could destroy Rondan in seconds appeared to be completely ignoring any control.

“Human! There’s a tree with a strange shape over there!”

“…Bell, people are scared.”

“Huh?”

Bell heard my words and turned around to look at the knights.

After confirming their expressions, she tilted her head like a puppy, then shifted her questioning gaze to me.

“The humans’ expressions are strange, woof.”

Hearing Bell point at the knights and say this, I couldn’t help but slap my forehead.

Was she being innocent, or pretending not to know?

“People are worried you might get lost because you’re running around too much, so let’s walk a bit more calmly.”

“Heeng.”

Bell looked a bit disappointed, her expression drooping as she lowered her gaze.

I felt a little sorry.

She probably thought we were going for a walk and was enjoying herself, and I was essentially stopping that.

As I gave her an awkward smile, Bell suddenly spread her arms toward me.

“Hmm?”

“Then carry me.”

Hmm.

Since she couldn’t walk freely, was she trying to get compensation another way?

I found it fascinating how this dog-like being was so shrewd about getting what she wanted.

“Sigh, come here.”

They’d see us as bizarre anyway, so it should be fine.

Even though it felt like I was abandoning human dignity, I remembered grandfather’s words about not creating even the slightest discontent, so I decided to just do it.

With that thought, I picked Bell up in something resembling a princess carry.

Though she looked human, her dog-like traits were apparent.

She didn’t feel as heavy as I expected.

“Ah, Senior Tanthyn is sacrificing himself after all.”

“Seeing his bravery, we must not fail this mission!!”

…I thought they might be pleased, but I didn’t expect them to cheer like that.

I felt bewildered at suddenly becoming a hero burning himself for the mission.

Well, I guess it’s all good.

I should use this as an excuse to get the Vice Captain to buy me a meal.

…Bell’s panting seems to be getting worse.

But she looks happy, so I’ll leave her be for now.

#

Bell pointed this way and that from my arms, and we followed her directions.

At first glance, it seemed like we were heading to an increasingly remote area, but strangely, I could see very faint footprints as if someone had passed through.

If you wander into places like this, the risk of being attacked by gods who’ve established territories is quite high.

With The Huntsman’s followers around, they must have used scent to navigate and avoid detection.

“They came all the way here to avoid the knights’ eyes. Cunning bastards. No wonder we couldn’t find them no matter how thoroughly we searched.”

The Vice Captain sighed in exasperation.

She seemed unable to understand why they would risk their lives to cooperate, and what they hoped to gain from that cooperation.

I didn’t understand either.

I thought their cooperation might be for similar reasons as when the bandits entered in large numbers before.

But now the conditions were completely opposite from then.

Back then, they had sufficient justification because information about the Captain’s unusual condition had reached them.

But now the Captain had regained her memories, and The Huntsman was much stronger than before.

We needed to understand what basis they had for moving like this.

“We’re almost there, woof!”

Bell whispered playfully, then wriggled in my arms as if trying to break free.

So I put her down, and she ran off somewhere, making almost no sound.

“Let’s follow her quickly.”

Thinking Bell might have gone berserk, everyone took fighting stances, so I waved my hand, pointed in the direction Bell had gone, and followed her.

They called me an experienced handler, but they clearly didn’t trust me at all.

As we moved toward where Bell had run, a strange warmth became noticeable.

A warmth that put people’s minds at ease.

It was clearly from the fire of logs carried by the bandits.

Bell was hiding behind a rock, looking somewhere, so I approached her from behind while concealing my presence as much as possible to see what she was watching.

And finally, I found what we had been looking for.

Bandits.

They seemed to be plotting something, huddled together and talking quietly.

Due to the distance, I couldn’t hear what they were saying.

But I wasn’t the only one with ears.

Bell’s ears were perked up.

She seemed to be concentrating on what they were saying.

“Tanthyn.”

“Shh.”

The Captain came right behind me and called my name, so I signaled that she needed to be quiet.

Receiving my signal, the Captain passed on the signal to be quiet to the people behind her.

I tapped Bell’s shoulder.

Bell quickly turned her head to look at me, so I tapped my head with my finger.

It was a signal asking her to tell me what they were saying via telepathy.

Bell fortunately understood and nodded once, then turned her gaze back to the bandits.

「They seem very dissatisfied, woof. Especially, they’re badmouthing humans a lot.」

Seeing them gossiping, it seemed they were taking a break from planning.

The timing wasn’t great.

But why were they badmouthing me specifically?

I hadn’t directly harmed the bandits except during the war with Candle and when rescuing the Captain.

It made me feel strangely bad.

“What are they saying?”

“…They’re badmouthing me.”

“Huh?”

The Captain was also dumbfounded by my words and made a strange sound in surprise.

Well, I guess even if they gathered for work, they wouldn’t only talk about work.

In the military too, while working, people would curse their main enemy, then curse their peers or juniors.

Thinking this, I waited for Bell’s next words.

「Woof?! Human, we need to avoid!」

At Bell’s sudden cry, I instinctively grabbed the Captain and Vice Captain with both hands and stepped back greatly.

Simultaneously, a deafening boom struck our ears.

BOOM!

Fortunately, only Bell, the Captain, the Vice Captain, and I were close to the rocks, so there were no injuries.

But the problem was that this wasn’t particularly good news.

“Are you alright?!”

After quickly checking the Captain and Vice Captain’s condition, and confirming they were nodding to indicate they were fine, I quickly got up and looked to the opposite side.

The bandits were all aiming their weapons at us, taking battle positions.

It seemed The Huntsman’s followers had already detected us through scent.

Wait a minute.

So they knew we were here and were badmouthing me behind my back?

That suddenly feels very spiteful!

“Boss! The Watcher is here!”

One bandit’s cry was followed by other bandits lowering their posture with pained expressions.

The moment humans come under Bell’s direct surveillance, they feel suicidal impulses and become incapacitated.

That was Bell’s power, modified by the Princess.

“Above their heads! You must swing your weapons above their heads!”

As soon as the bandit with the most unusual attire shouted, the largest bandit quickly swung his weapon above their heads as he passed by.

Then there was a sound of something breaking, and everyone started returning to normal.

How did they know that information?

That should be something only The Huntsman had barely figured out.

It seemed the one with the most unusual attire was The Huntsman’s follower.

“It seems battle is inevitable.”

The Captain said this while drawing her weapon.

“Knights! Charge!”

“Uaaaah!”

Following the Captain’s command, all the knights rushed toward the bandits.

I was about to follow them and pounce on the bandits.

Suddenly, someone gently grabbed my shoulder.

I looked to see who it was, and it was Muyeon.

Her face was somehow slightly flushed.

I wondered what business she had in this busy moment.

“Mr. Tanthyn, will you grant my request?”

Since it was a busy situation, I nodded my head as if telling her to speak quickly.

And Muyeon made a proposal that I shouldn’t have nodded to.

“When this fight is over… I’m going to confess to you! Just so you know!”

After saying that, Muyeon quickly ran after the knights.

Her proposal was shocking enough, but I was flustered for a different reason.

Hey, hey, you crazy person!

That’s a death flag!

I quickly followed after her to save Muyeon.