Chapter 60

60th Episode

Beware of the Deer

060 ? Beware of the Deer #2

I carelessly threw a stone onto the park ground and followed Luna carefully as she walked ahead. As we continued to walk this way, I saw Luna pointing at something in the market with her fingertips.

“There, there it is! That’s him…!”

Luna was whispering cautiously, trying not to be noticed. After all, that guy probably knows Luna’s face, and if he discovers our location or identity, he might flee.

The fact that Luna didn’t act alone and quickly called for me was, uncharacteristically for her, an exceptionally wise move.

Anyway, that little guy, huh.

Zzzziiiiiiip.

I glanced at the man wandering around the market from a distance.

The swindler, Rapu, was a middle-aged man wearing a loose poncho similar to mine, with long light brown hair, and his face covered in scars and wrinkles.

He had an eyepatch over his left eye, which seemed unlike the description Luna gave, leading me to suspect it might be a decoy for disguise.

“How will you handle this? Shall we ambush him?”

Luna, pulling out her Silence Totem quietly from beneath her cloak, seemed restless, eager to strike the person in the head with the totem. It was understandable, given that the swindler had stolen her money.

However, this man is a dangerous figure with a bounty of no less than 50 silver coins. He’s not someone who will be easily caught just by rushing in recklessly.

For all we know, beneath that leather cloak, he might be carrying countless gadgets and concealed weapons unimaginable to me.

Most hunters dressed in such long robes are usually plotting despicable tricks, so it wouldn’t hurt to be extra cautious.

Also, we need to capture the deer that is supposedly his accomplice. Therefore, it would be best to wait for the opportune moment when he reunites with the deer.

“Oh, who’s this? Isn’t that Samaritan?”

As we were trailing behind the swindler, someone called out from behind us. I didn’t have many acquaintances in this city, and the sound of a female voice made me turn my head in curiosity.

Her blond hair was braided backward, and she had a slightly tanned complexion with a hint of reddish hue. Scattered freckles adorned her face, and she wore a plain copper armor covered by a red cloak with greaves and gauntlets. She had the distinct look of a country maiden knight.

Her gaze, filled with curiosity, was familiar to me, and I vaguely recalled her name as Rene from the Maiden of the Sword.

“Luna’s here too. What are the two of you up to? On a date?”

“I don’t have the time to deal with you, so go away.”

Rene showed interest in us as if she had stumbled upon something amusing, but I was busy with work and didn’t have the time to indulge her, especially because Swindler Rapu was weaving through the crowd at a fairly quick pace, ready to slip away if we lost focus even for a moment.

Should we just ambush him now if we’re going to lose him anyway? As I pondered this seriously, Rene kept talking to us.

“What’s with the cold attitude? We’ve worked on quests together before. It wouldn’t hurt to tell me what you’re doing, right?”

“We’re on a mission. Now, please go away.”

“I see, a quest. The low stance and the constant surveillance ahead of you suggest you’re about to catch a criminal, huh? It seems to be a Guard Department mission. How long have you been Bronze Tier adventurers to be taking on Guard Department missions? You’re stepping up your game, aren’t you?”

Her accurate deduction from such minimal details made me realize just how exceptional Rene was. Truly, her vibe as a seasoned Bronze Tier adventurer did not fade.

“Alright, go now, or we’re going to lose him.”

“Cold. Just do your best. I’m busy too. I have to head to Deer Forest for a trade.”

The mention of “Deer Forest” caught Luna’s attention before mine.

“Deer Forest? What are you trading?”

“The armor I’m wearing. Someone offered to buy it directly for 50 silver coins. I bought it for 30 silver coins when it was new, so selling it for 50 silver coins is just great luck.”

The idea of selling something for more than its current value stirred familiar memories in me, but I decided it was just a coincidence and let it pass.

After parting ways with Rene, we continued to trail Swindler Rapu.

He walked briskly without committing any suspicious acts or talking to anyone and eventually exited through the South Gate, moving across the plain.

In the distance, connected to the plain, stood Deer Forest with its tall and spiky trees densely packed together.

*

Deer Forest was dense with trees and grasses. Insects abounded, and the cacophony of birds chirping everywhere was deafening.

“Wow, there are so many bugs. Each one of these could be money.”

Luna, looking around with regret, seemed tempted to grab herbs, mushrooms, and bugs but refrained because we were trailing someone.

“Let’s do that later. Instead, why are there so many animal footprints?”

Indeed, the forest floor was marked with countless trampled grasses and weighty footprints. The tracks with two diagonal claw marks were unmistakably from a four-legged animal, most likely a deer.

“Be careful, beware of the deer, Hassan.”

Remembering a past incident, Luna shook her pink twin-tailed hair. Her experience of being robbed by the deer had evidently left a deep trauma.

In any case, the important thing was this: Since we had no idea where Rapu had disappeared to after entering the forest, our priority was to find him.

While searching for where the deceptive little guy had fled, I listened intently.

“Shh, I hear something, Hassan.”

“What do you hear?”

Even after straining my ears, all I could hear were the overwhelmingly loud cicadas and birdsong.

“I don’t hear anything.”

“Over here, this way.”

With that, Luna began moving stealthily crouched down in the undergrowth. Avoiding the trail, we pushed through bushes and trees for quite a while. Finally, Luna stopped.

“There, there he is. He’s talking to someone.”

Peering through the bushes, we indeed spotted the mysterious figure of Rapu.

d*mn, how could you hear his voice from so far away? Does entering the forest enhance your hearing or something? Like a grass Pokémon?

Though I had questions, I soon focused my attention on the sounds emanating from Rapu’s mouth. Through the obstructing bushes, I could barely hear Rapu conversing with someone.

“This is the real thing. It’s from the Maiden of the Sword, so your situation will improve too, friend.”

Frrrrrk, Frrrrrk.

Thinking about who Rapu might be talking to, the only thing visible around him was a lone deer. Seriously, someone’s talking to a deer?

No matter how brainless people might get, it’s the first time I’ve ever seen anyone seriously conversing with an animal.

“Wait, I sense someone nearby. You should move away for a while.”

At that moment, Rapu crouched and listened carefully to his surroundings. Simultaneously, the deer with which he had been speaking darted into the bushes.

The swindler, upon being alerted to someone monitoring him, put us on high alert, and we dared not breathe. Had he noticed someone watching him?

Indeed, he was an adventurer of considerable skill, and it started to make sense why he had been able to avoid capture for so long. It was hard to find the right moment to ambush him because his manner was as tense as a porcupine, giving no sign of relaxation.

“…Who’s there?”

Right as the swindler called out, a familiar voice emerged from somewhere.

“Are you the one who posted the trade message on the Guild bulletin board?”

Rene appeared through the bushes, addressing Rapu.

“Yes. Are you the woman warrior?”

“Yeah. I heard you’re selling armor.”

d*mn, it’s Rene. She mentioned she had to go to Deer Forest for a trade, but I didn’t expect it to be with the swindler.

“Is the armor you’re wearing the one for sale? Make sure it’s something you’ve truly used.”

“Yeah, it’s something I actually wore. I’ve been using it for about a year.”

“Then it must be imbued with mana and other things. That makes it worth 50 silver coins.”

“Uncle, that sounds creepy. I’d have slit you if you didn’t offer the money. So, give me the money first.”

“I’ll get the item first and then pay you.”

“What, don’t you trust me?”

“Mutual lack of trust. So, how about this? I’ll place a pouch of silver coins on that rock over here. And you’ll place the armor on that other rock up there. Once we count together, we’ll dash for our respective items.”

What kind of trading method is this?

It was painfully obvious that this was a swindle.

As someone who had been trained to spot phishing and scams since childhood by playing all sorts of games, I couldn’t help but recognize the suspicious nature of this exchange method.

“Alright.”

To my surprise, Rene readily accepted the proposal and started removing her armor with a metallic sound, revealing a sweaty undershirt of sorts and an extremely short pair of shorts underneath.

My eyes widened as her armor was peeled off, but at that exact moment,

“Don’t look!”

Luna covered my eyes before I could catch the whole display. As I was about to quietly warn her for such antics,

“What is this, a deer?”

“Run, run!”

“d*mn it, don’t stop there!”

With a loud rustle, the bushes and branches were violently breaking apart all around us.

“d*mn it, just stay there!”

Caught off guard, we heard Rene’s voice shouting in the bushes. I quickly removed Luna’s hands from my eyes, stood up,

“d*mn it, let’s go after them!”

I should’ve just ambushed him earlier with this turn of events. We continued running for a bit, following the commotion from Rene’s voice.

“d*mn… he’s really fast. d*mn!”

Panting heavily, we found Rene leaning against a tree, catching her breath.

“You guys, what are you doing here? Why are you here?”

“We’re chasing the swindler. Which way did he go?”

“d*mn it, was he a swindler? The deer calf went left, and the human brat went right. d*mn bastards, just wait till we catch them.”

Rene, sword in hand, yelled fiercely. Then Luna suggested to Rene.

“Rene! You chase the deer! We’ll chase the man!”

“d*mn it, no way! I’ll crush that kid with my own hands. You guys chase the deer!”

With that, Rene resumed her chase after Rapu.

Anyway, since our mission was to capture the Deer Fraud Gang, that is, both the deer and the man, either way was fine.

“Luna, let’s go quickly!”

Thus, we sprinted toward the direction where the deer had fled.

“Footprints! There are footprints here!”

Luna pointed out fresh deer tracks leading ahead.

d*mn, that deer. I’m going to k*ll it today and make a quality leather blanket for Luna’s barn. As I was thinking this and drawing my sword,

Deerrrrrr…

Deerrrrr…

Suddenly, red-eyed deer with threatening horns appeared from somewhere and surrounded us.

d*mn, whatever kind of deer are these? Their long fangs make them look like Dracula, and they’re incredibly terrifying.

They were enormous with scary horns, and their eyes didn’t look like those of a peaceful herbivore but rather like a predator eager to tear me apart, which made my skin crawl.

Drool was dripping from their mouths, their bodies were incredibly massive with rippling muscles that made them look like kangaroos standing on four legs.

“Luna, what do these guys eat? They look super hungry.”

“The deer in Deer Forest eat anything.”

“…Can you try talking to them? There’s that voodoo magic stuff, you know.”

“Talk to a deer? Hassan sometimes says strange things seriously.”

sh*t, what?

Just as I was panicking,

“Still, let me try it once. I’ve grown lately, so it might work.”

Click, Click.

Saying this, Luna approached about a dozen deer trembling and raised her fingers like horns on her head, mimicking them strangely.

“Urrrr, Purrurr, Purrurrr.”

Clomp, Clomp.

One of the deer approached Luna curiously. d*mn, is it working? Is interspecies communication possible in this world? Just as I was thinking this,

Urrrll!!!

“Ah!”

The deer swung its massive horns and headbutted Luna with full force!

Booooom.

Thrown by that brutal force, Luna ended up hanging on a high tree branch like laundry on a clothesline.

“Luna!”

“Keerrr…”

“d*mn, these d*mn animals dare not fear humans?”

Furious to the point that my hair stood up like horns, I pulled out two swords in each hand and roared,

“Come on, you fake vegetarian bastards! The first one who rushes in is getting killed!”

The moment I finished shouting,

Clomp, Clomp, Clomp!

All the deer simultaneously charged at me, showing off their horns.

“d*mn it, come one at a time!!”

[Afterword]

Today, I received fan art featuring Luna and Hassan…!! However, it’s a bit too mature, so I can’t show it to you all ㅠㅠ… I’ll keep it to myself because I don’t know how to apply mosaics…

As always, I deeply appreciate your recommendations, comments, coupons, and early releases…!!!