[Work Review] If you enjoyed reading, please hit that ‘ Recommend ‘ button at the top of your mobile screen! With just two seconds of your kindness, you can gift the writer with a happy day! @[email]
Chapter 114: Episode 38 – Magical Beasts and the Black Brotherhood
Episode 113 – Magical Beasts and Brother Hood #2
People dressed in black robes with their hoods pulled low emerged from the bushes. In their hands, they gripped daggers, one-handed axes, arrows, and more.
‘This doesn’t seem like a good situation.’
The corners of their mouths could barely be seen beneath the shadow of their dark hoods, curled into smirks.
Batus placed his hand on the hilt of the greatsword strapped to his back, standing in front of the carriage as if to protect it.
“Who are you? Are you aware I am Batus, the Platinum Hunter of the Greatsword? If you’re thieves looking for trouble, it’s best you leave now.”
Batus spoke calmly, jingling the platinum plate hanging around his neck to show his credentials to the group.
The people in black robes didn’t seem fazed one bit. Instead, they erupted into laughter beneath their hoods.
“Yeah, we know you. Dirty Destroyer of Nature!”
“May the curse of the World Tree descend upon you!”
The Black Robed figures formed a circular formation around the carriage, their hostility palpable. Batus stroked his beard awkwardly.
“Huh, I’ve been hearing more and more about hunters disappearing on their way back to the Royal Capital. Guess your little group is the reason why.”
“Don’t worry, Batus! You’ll be meeting your fellow victims sooner than you think!”
Their voices rumbled in what seemed like satisfaction. Batus let out a small snort through his nose. His hand moved from the hilt of his sword and stretched above his head in a languid yawn.
“Phew. I’ve been cooped up in this carriage for hours. What bad timing for you all to appear. Humans are too easy to deal with; I don’t even need my weapon.”
Batus turned both palms outwards towards the group in what seemed like an invitation. A man with a thin voice in the back snickered.
“You’re awfully confident for someone about to take on all of us without a weapon, huh?”
“Huh.”
The lone female voice prompted Batus to draw his massive greatsword.
The blade was massive—it drew a great crescent arc as it appeared in his hand. I momentarily froze. I had seen this very sword leave a deadly mark on Yan-Mite, the master of the Southern Forest. If Batus swung that thing, I had no doubt the humans would be shredded into shreds.
Instead, Batus flipped the blade so the edge faced the ground and plunged it deep into the earth.
“This is a weapon for slaying beasts. Are you beasts?”
“Bah, save your theatrics, Batus. All the posturing in the world won’t save you from us.”
The group began tightening their circle around the carriage. I watched Batus’ face carefully, trying to figure out what his next move would be. Finally, he leaned in and whispered to me quietly.
“Alpha, don’t k*ll them. Handle it however you see fit. They’re not powerful, just numerous.”
—Wait, are you telling me to fight these guys? You said to avoid attacking humans!
“They’ve abandoned their humanity, Alpha. They’re no better than beasts. I’ll protect the carriage, so don’t worry about anything behind you.”
Huh. Interesting outlook on humanity, Batus.
—Hmm.
I glanced at the black-robed group. There were around ten of them. By the metallic clinking sounds beneath their robes, they were likely armored with leather plates or chainmail.
“Since you said not to k*ll them, I guess I’ll keep my claws sheathed.”
I figured it was best to subdue them with my tail swipes and front-paw punches. Fighting so many humans was new to me, but knowing Batus would step in if things got out of hand removed a lot of the stress. Plus, I’d been sitting in the carriage too long anyway. It was the perfect excuse to stretch my legs on the field.
I approached the group slowly.
“What is this thing? Never seen it before.”
“Is it from the Ancient Nest?”
“We can’t hurt animals… right?”
The group muttered amongst themselves, clearly unsure how to deal with me. Based on their reaction, these seemed like a mix of hardcore environmentalists and animal rights extremists who hated humans but adored animals.
So, these humans swing swords but won’t harm a critter? Hmph. That’s ironic.
I figured their non-aggression gave me an advantage.
—Alright, time to let you get hit.
“Yaaa!”
I lunged at the nearest black-robed figure. His legs trembled and his breathing was erratic—definitely the weakest one in the group. Just as I attacked, he screamed and fell backward, his hood flying off to reveal a woman with long, jet-black hair.
Her face was pale, her eyes wide with fear, as if she was about to cry.
“Waaaah!”
A woman, huh?
I hesitated for a split second but quickly shook the thought off. Whether human or beast, I’ve always believed in gender equality, fairness, and treating everyone—or everyTHING—with respect. Being easy on someone just because they’re female was against my principles.
I raised my front paw and delivered a swift slap to her head.
BAM!
With a short cry, she collapsed to the ground like a beanbag. I turned my gaze to the next victim.
“C-cowardly hunter! How dare you make an animal do your dirty work!”
“How dare you misuse animals like slaves!”
“Don’t treat animals like tools!”
The group stared at the fallen comrade and me, unsure what to do. One of them pulled out a large net from a sack on their back.
“Let’s catch it and release it back into nature!”
“It’s just a baby, so we should return it to the wild before it loses its instincts!”
“How is it supposed to survive if it keeps relying on humans for food?”
They began sounding like those wildlife experts you see on TV, rattling off their lectures.
—I don’t care about your lectures! Animals sent back to “nature” by humans usually end up starving.
—Prepare to feel the wrath of Butterful and Pizonchu!
I growled menacingly and charged. Each tail swipe and paw strike sent the humans tumbling to the ground, disoriented.
“GYAAAAH, RUN!”
“RETREAT! This beast is far too powerful for us!”
Chak!
As the last few members of the group stumbled back and started fleeing, I smirked.
—Alright, time to chase!
Batus, who had been leaning against the carriage like a statue, added his advice.
“Go after them. If even one escapes, it might cause trouble for you later.”
—Already on it.
I chased after the fleeing figures, feeling a thrill I couldn’t quite explain. Was it my natural predator instincts kicking in? Or maybe the sadistic pleasure of bullying the weak? Either way, it didn’t feel that bad.
“GGGGGGGGGGG!”
—Alright, here we go. You’re the last one.
I locked onto the final figure. He stared at his fallen comrades and trembled visibly. Then, without a word, he darted into the bushes and disappeared into the forest.
—Oh, you’re hiding in the woods? How clever.
I grinned and followed, amused by the thrill of the hunt. His movements were easy to track—rustling leaves, heavy breaths. Even his footprints were embarrassingly obvious.
—I know exactly where you are, so don’t bother hiding.
I trailed him deeper into the forest until suddenly, his footprints stopped. I looked up and saw him perched on a branch directly above me.
“Hu…hu…”
So, you’re climbing trees now? Never thought I’d see that.
I wondered if this was how prey used to feel when they tried to escape me.
—But you made the wrong choice.
With my claws dug into the bark, I climbed up the tree and approached him.
“KYAAAAAAAAAA!”
He screamed like a banshee.
I returned to the carriage, dragging the unconscious man by the scruff of his neck. Batus was already tying the others to the carriage tightly.
“All done. Not a single casualty—just some well-placed KO punches. Impressive work, Alpha. That wasn’t an easy feat.”
—Just slapped ’em. They went all “Oof!” and down they went.
I glanced at the soft padding of my front paws. Maybe the roundness of these things softened the blows just enough so that they weren’t fatal but still effective.
The carriage door opened, revealing the elder Shuleiman and Hunter Vitali, who stepped out onto the ground. The old man marveled at the sight of the unconscious group.
“Good thing no one got hurt. Truly remarkable work, my boy.”
He pulled out a large slab of jerky from his satchel and handed it to me. The smell hit me immediately—a mixture of salt, spice, and smoke, making my mouth water.
I chewed it with gusto. Surprisingly thick and delicious for jerky.
Vitali began peeling off the hoods of the unconscious figures. With each removed, Vitali’s jaw dropped wider.
“Hey, isn’t this Stella? The D-class hunter who went missing? She lived next door to me!”
Pointing at the black-haired woman I’d hit first, Vitali exclaimed. Batus chimed in, pointing at another.
“That’s Jace. He’s C-class. We thought he’d been attacked and disappeared, but it seems he was a spy for the Black Brotherhood the whole time.”
“These people need to be dealt with. What should we do with them?”
The elder Shuleiman tapped Batus on the shoulder.
“Hand them over to the guards in the nearest village. You’ll get a bounty—one gold coin per head, I’d say.”
“But how are we going to get them there?”
Shuleiman shrugged as Batus pointed at a pile of broken wooden debris nearby.
“Old man, is that a cart?”
“It looks like one.”
“Well, let’s fix it up. We can stack them on it and take them to the village. The horses can pull both carts.”
Shuleiman adjusted his glasses awkwardly.
“Ah, about that… Borimir’s horses only work in pairs. Separating them would be cruel.”
“Ah, the Borimir breeding pair. I’ve heard of them. So, who’s pulling the cart then…”
Batus’s gaze slowly turned in my direction.
I strapped the cart to my back and took off at full speed. Assuming an average weight of sixty kilograms per person, I was now pulling around six hundred kilograms, not counting the cart itself. Roughly one ton of weight.
The wheels helped alleviate some of the strain, but to keep up with the carriage pulled by the two horses, I had to sprint at max speed.
—Don’t treat animals like slaves! Send them back to nature!
As I grumbled, the carriage ahead of me slowed down. Maybe they were letting me rest? But instead, I spotted stone walls and wooden fences appearing in the distance.
The elder Shuleiman shouted from the carriage driver’s seat.
“There’s Salom Village ahead! Once we deliver these prisoners, let’s grab lunch before continuing.”
Finally, freedom! I grinned broadly, thinking I’d finally be rid of this burden…
[The Ancient Nest: Long Tail Laboratory]
—What?!
The floating text before my eyes left me speechless.
To Be Continued…
