episode_0029

000

Iona seemed a bit surprised at Cleon’s low mutter in response to Galatea’s words.

“I can tell she’s of the same race as you from her appearance… but can you tell she’s a magic swordsman as well?”

“Yeah. I don’t know if she’s awakened or not, though.”

Somehow, except for the length of her hair, her appearance was similar to when Cleon disguised himself as a woman.

Neat black hair that only came down to the top of her neck.

Sharp black eyes, wary of anyone around who might be targeting her master.

Judging by the shortness of her skirt, she must also be a combat operative tasked with guarding her master.

However, her legs and hands were all covered with gloves and stockings made of black cloth.

It was as if she wouldn’t allow a single bit of exposure below her neck.

Iona took out a notebook, glanced at it for a moment, and then opened her mouth.

“Her name is Rubera. She’s Eustace’s attendant and bodyguard. She seems to have worked for the Marquis family for quite a long time. Since she was a child, practically.”

Cleon’s mind flashed back to last night’s dream.

“…It’s become difficult to capture that idiot in one fell swoop.”

Cleon frowned.

The people surrounding Eustace must be his party.

The number is five, including Eustace and Rubera.

The other three are all greedy bastards.

Judging by the way they were humoring Eustace, it was clear that they were also bound by money.

If it were just them, he could have gotten rid of them and taken their place.

But if Cleon approached, Rubera would also notice him and be wary.

A magic swordsman of the Black Demon clan approaching a nobleman’s son wouldn’t be taken positively.

“Hoo~ No matter how much I spew, I can’t seem to finish my tales of valor. Hey! Bring me some water!”

Even if he’s a bluffer, to this extent, all one can do is admire the way he randomly spews stories.

His rude tone as he slammed his desk and ordered people around with his chin was just like a child.

Why are all noble sons like this?

“Young Master Eustace. For the sake of the Marquis family’s dignity, it would be better to use a slightly more polite tone.”

“Polite…? Etiquette is only necessary when talking to people of equal standing.”

A waiter handed Eustace a glass of water with a slightly uncomfortable expression.

Eustace turned and reached out to touch the waiter’s butt as he tried to leave.

Then-

Smack!

With that sound, Rubera slapped Eustace across the cheek.

“I apologize, Master. There was a bug on your face.”

“Ah…. Uh…?”

Eustace clutched his stinging cheek and looked at his attendant.

Perhaps he was intimidated by the cold look in her eyes.

The other members of the party seemed to be trying hard not to laugh at the sight.

“…A leash, huh.”

“Yes. It must be the Marquis’ arrangement.”

Cleon and Iona had the same assessment of Rubera.

A bodyguard placed to protect a reckless and immature son and to protect the Marquis family’s reputation.

The Marquis must be tolerating a certain level of rudeness, and Eustace is too afraid to say anything when she glares at him with a stern voice.

He can only redden his face and suppress his anger.

After a moment of silence among the party, Rubera spoke again.

“It’s almost time to depart for the quest. Everyone, please follow the plan.”

“P, plan? I haven’t heard anything about it.”

“The plan is for Eustace-nim to stand at the center of the party and command everyone, and we will move accordingly. Please do not step forward under any circumstances.”

Rubera said as she turned and slung a large bag over her shoulder.

It must contain a large amount of recovery potions and adventuring tools.

There were no clerics in Eustace’s party.

If they were clerics from the Order of the Holy Blessing, they would participate in the party without much discrimination.

“W, well. If that’s the plan, then I guess there’s no choice. Alright. Then let’s head to the `Living Forest` right now!”

Eustace’s party raised their arms with enthusiasm.

Iona stared at the scene for a moment, then turned to Cleon and opened her mouth.

“To tail…. Cleon?”

Cleon was already gone.

Iona sighed and decided to tail them alone.

001

Sasha had been feeling uneasy since yesterday due to an unknown sensation.

A stuffiness in her heart even when she was still.

When she was clinging to Cleon and intertwining her body with his, that anxiety disappeared.

But when Cleon left the house, the discomfort would creep back up again.

“Haa…”

Sasha sighed deeply and climbed up a tree.

She thought that running around the forest, chasing animals, or feeling the wind would ease her mood a bit.

But that didn’t happen.

Her only wish was for Cleon to return as soon as possible.

The danger zone where the mansion was located.

The monsters inside were definitely dangerous, but if she moved through the trees or stayed hidden, she could avoid their eyes.

Most of the forest’s monsters were animals and plants that had been mutated by magical power.

Sasha believed that there was no need to senselessly kill unless she was commissioned to do so.

Thump… Thump…

Sasha quickly straightened up when the tree she was on shook from some kind of impact.

Looking down, she saw a bear as big as a house.

The ground rumbled with every step it took.

“…A, as expected of the Living Forest. There are monsters like that too….”

It must be the leader of this area.

One of the monsters that maintains order in the Living Forest.

The next moment, an arrow flew from somewhere and pierced the leader’s body.

Blood spurted out from the arrow that pierced its thick hide, and the leader immediately widened its eyes and roared loudly.

[KRRRRRAA!!]

A roar that sounded like it would burst her eardrums.

The next arrow flew towards the leader’s eye-

And another arrow accurately shot down that arrow.

Seeing that, the leader flinched and looked up.

There, Sasha, with the mark of her eye shining, was looking at another hunter who had attacked the leader.

Wearing a green cloak and hood.

The hunter held a longbow in his hand, an arrow nocked, and stared at Sasha.

The leader watched the scene for a moment, then turned its body around.

The hunter moved to chase the leader, but Sasha aimed her bow at him, blocking his path.

“… …”

A moment of silence passed between the two.

The hunter was the first to move.

He quickly nocked two arrows at the same time and fired them at Sasha.

The arrows flew in a winding trajectory like snakes, one hitting the hat Sasha was wearing, and the other lodging into the spot where she barely managed to lift her foot to avoid.

However, due to the impact, the branch Sasha was standing on broke, and she staggered and fell from the tree.

Sasha quickly drew the dagger from her waist and threw it at the hunter.

The hunter lightly moved to the right to dodge the dagger.

However, an arrow flying at the same speed as the dagger grazed his cheek.

Thump!

Sasha fell to the ground with a thud.

She had performed a roll to break her fall, but her legs were numb since she had been stationed high up in the tree.

The hunter wiped the blood from his cheek with his hand, then came down from the tree and looked at Sasha-

And took off the hood he was wearing.

Hair the color of the sunset. Green eyes. And yet, a plain impression.

Sasha’s face turned pale when she saw the hunter’s appearance.

“…You. You’re one of us.”

The hunter said quietly.

His eyes shone with the same hunter’s mark as Sasha’s.

`The Descendant of Ruben`

A small hunting tribe far away from the city that Sasha used as a base.

The fact that Sasha’s name wasn’t her real name.

The fact that he knew what she had done there.

Aside from her, only Cleon knew that fact.

“Why is a woman of our race outside the village? Only men who have passed the trials are allowed to go out into the outside world…”

The man quietly tilted his head, wondering what Sasha’s identity was.

But then he raised the corner of his mouth and smiled as if he understood.

“Ah, I see. You’re a runaway.”

“…Khh…!”

Sasha channeled magic power into her legs in an attempt to somehow get up and escape from that spot.

She wasn’t particularly good at body enhancement, but she knew the knack.

“When I returned to the village a while ago after a long time, it was bustling. They said there was a woman who slaughtered over 20 Marangs and disappeared….”

The man quietly clapped his hands and praised Sasha’s accomplishments.

“You have great skill. The elders were searching for you with bloodshot eyes. They said they had to bring you back before you got any older and have you bear children….”

“I refuse!”

Sasha raised a cry of refusal and aimed her bow at the man.

“You don’t hesitate to aim a bow at a person, huh.”

“You people…. Aren’t human. You call yourselves descendants of the god of the hunt, yet you live like beasts yourselves….”

“Haha. The natural world is a jungle anyway. In that sense, you are weak, and I am strong…. Is it okay for you to aim a bow at me like that?”

The next moment. The man threw a dagger that had been at his waist.

Sasha’s mark shone, and she read its trajectory and moved her body-

But the arrow that followed lodged into her paralyzed leg.

“-Agh…!”

Blood flowed out instantly, and pain erupted.

If Laila hadn’t strengthened her legs with magic power, her ankle might have been pierced.

“It’s an application of what you did. Using a dagger to obscure the trajectory of an arrow is a good idea. I broke out in a cold sweat.”

The man quietly walked towards Sasha.

He held a rope in his hand before she knew it.

“But you have a weak heart. You don’t hesitate to aim a bow at a person, but do you feel remorse for taking their life?”

“…No…! Don’t come near me!”

Sasha raised her last remaining dagger and aimed it at the man. The man then stopped in his tracks and took out his butchering knife.

“Do I have to cut your tendons so you can’t resist….”

The vicious blade was swung, and Sasha’s dagger broke. Next, he aimed for her arm.

“Mana Shock!”

The next moment, a black lightning bolt flying from behind him pierced the hunter’s cloak and struck his body directly.

The hunter dropped his butchering knife due to the sensation of paralysis in his body.

But the cloak must have lessened the impact, as he rolled his body to protect himself from the following strike.

“Cleon-ssi…!”

Cleon, having released his polymorph, stood in front of Sasha with his sword in hand.

The man clicked his tongue and examined his torn cloak.

“What is it? Is he her owner?”

“…No, I-”

Then, Cleon slightly turned back when he felt Sasha gripping the hem of his cloak tightly.

He nodded at the man.

“So, she already had an owner…. That devalues her.”

“Is he crazy?”

“You can’t say things like that to someone’s face. Please respect minority cultures.”

The man chuckled at Cleon’s bluntness and shrugged his shoulders.

“I’m Mikasia Lufenbolf. May I hear your name, owner of a member of our race.”

“… …”

“People in the city have no manners at all.”

Cleon frowned at the man’s words, but judged that it wasn’t worth dealing with him and spoke his own words.

“Get out of here.”

“How scary. Are you going to cut me down with that magic sword? Like that hero, Albein, or something?”

Cleon’s eyes widened at Mikasia’s words, and he tightened his grip on the sword in his hand.

“…You know about that. What are you?”

“As you can see, I’m a hunter. I received a request to clean up this place in advance to make it somewhat `safe` because a precious young master would be coming here. Ah, of course, it would be a problem if that noble son didn’t have anything to enjoy, so `moderately`.”

“What kind of idiot would make such a request….”

Cleon thought that far and remembered the idiot he had seen in the city a little while ago.

He had sensed Sasha’s danger and rushed out, so he hadn’t heard the words to the end….

“You, are you Eustace’s mercenary?”

“Eustace…? Ah. That idiot? No, I work with his father, Marquis Hughes. Even a lacking son is precious to him, I suppose.”

Mikasia shrugged his shoulders and turned his body.

“But if you’re here, that’s a different story. I don’t think I can win against you head-on.”

“…Do you think I’ll let you go?”

“It would have been impossible if you were alone. I’m glad there’s a nice baggage to carry.”

The next moment, Mikasia nocked a magical arrow and fired it into the sky.

The hunter’s mark, emitting an intense light, appeared in his eyes.

“Meteor Shower of Azure Skies.”

Soon, the arrow split into dozens, hundreds of branches and rained down like rain on the place where Cleon was and its surroundings.

Cleon looked at it and erected a magical barrier to protect himself and Sasha.

Fortunately, the power of each arrow was not enough to break through the wall.

It was only intended to hold Cleon back until he could escape.

…When the rain of arrows that lasted for almost a minute stopped

Mikasia was already gone.

“… …”

Cleon looked around for a moment, then turned around at the sound of `thud` from behind.

“Sasha! Stay with me!”

Was it because the tension had been released and she was bleeding? Cleon picked up Sasha, who had lost consciousness, and ran towards the mansion.

002

Sasha opened her eyes in a room in the mansion.

She opened her eyes while Kuon was using a healing spell next to her.

And Cleon was there with her.

“I’m glad you’re awake.”

Kuon smiled and healed Sasha’s wounds.

Sasha looked at Kuon and Cleon for a moment in silence, then pulled the blanket up to her face.

“…I’m sorry. Because of me.”

And she spoke quietly while covered in the blanket.

Kuon looked at Sasha like that, then looked up at Cleon, who was quietly standing next to her.

Then, Cleon sighed softly and spoke.

“You don’t need to apologize. Just be a little careful when you go out, since those guys are in the city.”

Cleon’s own way of comforting her. Sasha was still covered in the blanket.

“…I know why my chest has been stuffy since yesterday. Because the being I fear the most was nearby.”

“So that’s why you were acting a little strange yesterday….”

At Cleon’s words, Sasha slightly lowered the blanket and looked up at him with only her eyes showing.

“…Were you annoyed?”

“No. It’s not that. I just understood the reason.”

As the power of the hunter’s mark grew stronger, Sasha was also developing animalistic instincts.

Something must have gone wrong after she was hit by the Mana Eye Magician’s Mana Eye before.

There was no problem with the necessary abilities as a hunter increasing.

But there was a problem with the side effects.

The hunter’s mark is one of the powers of Ruben, the god of the hunt.

If you start drawing out the power of the mark, the connection with Ruben will become stronger and stronger.

And eventually, it transforms humans into `beasts` like Ruben.

No one in the village told her what that beast was like.

They just blurred their faces and avoided talking about it.

“…Laila will make some medicine and bring it over. We don’t know what kind of poison was in the arrowhead, so drink that and get some rest today.”

Sasha thought for a moment at Kuon’s words and shook her head.

“Cleon-ssi, I have a request.”

“…A request?”

“Please seal the mark in my eyes. If you use the connection between you and me, you can control my body somewhat freely, right?”

Cleon was silent for a moment at Sasha’s words.

Cleon knew what she meant by saying this.

An act that lowers her value as a hunter.

Perhaps she didn’t want to go with Mikasia no matter what.

If that’s what she wants….

Cleon also needed to take responsibility.

“…Alright. But we don’t have much time, so let’s keep the procedure short. We’ll do a formal seal later.”

Cleon said that and turned to look at Kuon.

Kuon read his intentions, nodded, and quietly left the room.

And Cleon began to take off the clothes he was wearing.

Feeling the silent throbbing of the Mark of Domination reacting over his heart.

Sasha released the strength in her entire body.