At night, in the flat valley at the foot of the mountain.
“Crackle! Snap!”
The sound of sparks bursting from the bonfires echoed continuously, but these noises were quickly drowned out by the cheerful chatter of the crowd.
Due to many of the beast-drawn carriages being damaged and several people needing treatment for their injuries, the caravan did not continue forward. Instead, they chose to camp in the flat valley at the foot of the mountain, planning to depart once the carriages were repaired.
To show their gratitude for the brave fighting of the adventurers and passengers, several merchants brought out their reserves of fine ingredients and alcohol to treat everyone.
“We were really lucky today; there weren't any casualties!”
Ange said happily, holding a mug of foam beer gifted by the merchants as she sat by the bonfire.
Seeing her slightly tipsy state, York said irritably, “Hey, don't go getting drunk. We're still in a dangerous area!”
“Oh, relax! Don't be so stiff! Since such a huge group of goblins showed up here, there's no way other monsters would be around!”
“It's just to be safe. We're guards. What kind of guards get drunk?”
Ange pouted discontentedly. “I know, I know! I won't get drunk!”
“That's more like it.”
“I'll only have three more cups at most... wait, no, two!”
“You... you have absolutely no intention of staying sober, do you?!”
Just as the Hunting Fangs were bickering, their leader, Alec, finished the caravan's temporary meeting and returned to the bonfire.
He plonked himself onto the ground, picked up a mug of foam beer, and chugged it down.
“Phew! That's the stuff!”
“Hahaha! See? Having a cup after a battle is the absolute best, isn't it?”
Ange laughed heartily, shooting a triumphant look at York at the same time.
York was fuming. He glared at Alec in frustration and asked in a low voice, “Alec, what's the verdict? Can we set off tomorrow?”
Alec shook his head. “Not tomorrow. According to the merchants, repairs will take until at least tomorrow afternoon. We'll have to stay here for another day.”
Ange, who was already somewhat tipsy, chimed in, “Aww, can't we just leave those broken carriages behind?”
“That's impossible,” Alec countered. “Nearly a quarter of the caravan's carriages are damaged, so they can't be left behind. Besides, my estimate of finishing repairs by tomorrow is already based on discarding the severely damaged ones. Wait... Ange, are you drunk?”
“Huh? N-No way... hic!”
“...”
“Your foam beer is confiscated.”
Alec ruthlessly confiscated Ange's foam beer.
“Nooo!!!”
...
Meanwhile, in the forest near the camp.
A throat-sealing rabbit was foraging in the dark. Suddenly, as if sensing some danger, it grew tense.
But no matter how much it looked around, it couldn't locate the source of the danger.
The moment it relaxed, assuming it was just its imagination, a hand reached out from the darkness, grabbed its ears, and lifted it.
“Aha, food secured!”
Shulim held the throat-sealing rabbit high in the air, showing a satisfied smile.
“!!?”
Terrified, the throat-sealing rabbit thrashed its limbs frantically, baring its sharp teeth and growling menacingly at Shulim.
“Be quiet.”
Thud!
With a single bonk, the throat-sealing rabbit immediately behaved, leaving only its two hind legs twitching continuously.
Holding the throat-sealing rabbit, Shulim prepared to return to the camp.
Just two steps in, she suddenly stopped and peered into the deeper parts of the forest with a look of confusion...
Under a large tree, a sneaky-looking man was talking to a mysterious person whose head was covered in black cloth.
“What?! You're saying they didn't suffer a single casualty?! You've got to be kidding me. Doesn't that mean all our efforts went to waste? Do you have any idea how much trouble we went through to lure those goblins here?1”
The man seemed extremely angry.
“...”
“They're too strong? Then why didn't you poison them beforehand?! I gave you the stuff, didn't I?!”
“...”
“The adventurers all bring their own food, so you didn't have a chance to slip it in?”
“Hmm... an opportunity? Don't you have one right now?”
“...”
“Heh, there's no water source nearby. In the entire caravan, only those few merchants carry enough water. Both passengers and adventurers will need to replenish their water from the merchants tomorrow. When the time comes, you just need to do this...”
“...”
“Just do as you're told! What's with all the complaints?!”
The mysterious person's response suddenly made the man lose his patience.
“Once you get this done, I will naturally consider your demands—”
“—Huh?! Who's there!”
The man seemed to detect some movement. He shouted toward a nearby bush, made a shushing gesture to the mysterious person with one hand, and reached for the sword at his waist with the other as he crept closer to the bush.
Rustle!
The bushes shook, and the nervous man immediately drew his sword.
Then, a rabbit hopped out of the bushes. Catching sight of the man holding the blade, it seemed startled and quickly bolted in the other direction.
“What? It was just a throat-sealing rabbit!”
The man sighed in relief, slowly sheathing his sword.
He turned back to look at the person under the tree, speaking in an unyielding tone, “Keep this in mind: when we arrive tomorrow, I expect to see them completely incapacitated! Otherwise—”
The man didn't specify the consequences. He simply left the other person behind and walked deeper into the forest.
“...”
The mysterious person covered in black cloth stared in the direction the man had gone, standing still for a long time. Finally, they also quietly turned around and walked back toward the camp...
A short while after the two had departed, a petite figure dropped down from the tree where they had been conspiring.
She first looked in the direction the man had left, then turned her head to look toward the camp, lost in thought.
Although she hadn't heard what the mysterious person in black cloth said, she could guess the gist of it from the conversation.
“Are they some kind of bandit group...?”
...
The camp.
“Ah, Shulim, you're finally back! Where did you go? I was looking for you earlier but couldn't find you anywhere,” Alec greeted Shulim warmly as she reappeared in the camp.
“I went to catch this.”
Shulim lifted the throat-sealing rabbit to show Alec and the others before walking over to their bonfire and sitting down.
“Mr. Alec, do you know how to roast? Let's eat roast rabbit together.”
“Oh, a rabbit! That's wonderful! We're in for a treat!” Ange cheered happily upon seeing the rabbit Shulim had brought back, though she was still quite tipsy.
“? Is Miss Ange drunk?” Shulim tilted her head.
“Just ignore her!” York rolled his eyes at Ange, then looked at Shulim.
“Leave the rabbit to me. In this party, everyone besides me is a cooking idiot! Also, despite how I look, I'm actually quite confident in my culinary skills!”
How unexpected. Shulim had thought York was the scholarly type, but he was unexpectedly good at everyday skills.
York took the rabbit and quickly prepped it. He applied his own spices to get rid of the wild gamy odor, skewered it with a sharpened wooden stick, and began roasting it over the bonfire.
While York was preparing the rabbit, Shulim lowered her voice and informed Alec about what she had just witnessed...
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