Erus and Ryden sat side by side in the moving carriage, while the granddaughter of the merchant sat directly across from them. She was entirely silent, behaving with extreme care and refusing to make even the slightest sound. Erus kept his eyes locked firmly on the dark road ahead, while Ryden was the one checking on the girl from time to time. He was still deeply wondering how Cana had managed to convince Erus to accompany this girl, especially knowing what an ill-tempered man their captain was whenever women were involved.
"Hey, is your neck not stiff yet?" Ryden finally asked the girl, breaking the heavy silence. Since the very start of the ride, she hadn't turned her head even an inch, while his own backside went entirely numb.
"I'm fine," the young girl managed to answer without moving her head. She was frozen rigid now, immediately regretting her decision to speak at all. What if the question hadn't even been directed at her?
Poor girl. If only Cana were with them right now, this girl wouldn't be paralyzed with this much terror.
After another hour of travel, they finally reached the girl's house. The estate was quite large; Ryden could easily tell this girl came from an above-average family. An old woman and two maids were waiting anxiously at the iron gates, looking as though they had been standing there for ages.
Ryden was the first to step out of the carriage, politely helping the girl down to the cobblestones.
"Meriam! Oh, my god. We've been worried sick about you," the old woman exclaimed. She immediately wrapped her granddaughter in a tight embrace, though the young girl remained entirely mute upon their reunion. "My dear, you look remarkably familiar," the grandmother added, shifting her gaze to examine Ryden's face. Still, she couldn't quite place where she had seen him before.
Then, Erus was the last to step from the carriage.
The old woman froze, completely terrified the instant she saw the unmistakable golden dragon mask. The sight immediately triggered her memory, forcing her to realize exactly which elite hunter squad Ryden belonged to. Her anxiety spiked to a dangerous high, knowing her granddaughter had been traveling with these lethal men. She couldn't stop the horrifying thought that Meriam had somehow offended the Tyrant Solari—an offense that would undoubtedly mean the absolute end of their family lineage.
"Grandma," Meriam spoke softly, as though trying to speak casually had suddenly become a capital sin. "He is our patron." Meriam's voice was still visibly trembling with fear.
"What are you saying, child?" Her grandmother hissed in a panic, desperate to brush off whatever crazy ideas Meriam was putting into the air. "Good evening, exalted Lords. Is there something this lowly mortal could offer you?" She bowed her head incredibly low, completely avoiding direct eye contact with Erus's fierce dragon mask.
Instead of offering a verbal reply, Erus stepped closer to them, his heavy boots clicking against the ground. He pulled out the contract and handed it directly to the old woman, who remained bent in her deep bow.
Only then did the old woman truly understand what Meriam had meant. The texture of the parchment was instantly recognizable, causing her entire nervous system to tremble.
Why, out of all the mortals in the realm, did it have to be Solari?
Terrified of making him wait or sparking his infamous temper, the old woman accepted the parchments with violently shaking hands.
"Cana made a deal with you in the market," Erus stated, his deep voice carrying a cold, commanding weight. "Some of its contents have been edited, and I assume there will not be a problem with the adjustments. I have not included our specific terms yet. I will provide them upon your first official delivery. And I am expecting you won't disappoint her even once."
"Yes, my Lord. Thank you for your mercy and also for bringing my granddaughter despite the inconvenience."
Erus just nodded and went back to the carriage, while Ryden took one more glance at the house before following Erus inside.
"Isn't that the Javiers?" Ryden wanted to confirm with Erus if he was right.
"Yes."
The Javiers were one of those merchants who supplied the Castle of Lions guild, which was why Ryden was familiar with them. He just could not understand Erus' business with them. Why contract them? Had he run out of food already, or was there nothing left to hunt anymore?
"If I may ask, Captain—why contract them? Did you somehow run out of supplies?" Ryden wanted to keep quiet, but it really piqued his interest.
"Cana spent a Black Star token at their market shop."
Ryden's mouth formed a small "O". A Black Star token was not new to him; he had also received some as a noble's son. But knowing Cana would spend lavishly like that? It was like bullying the merchant.
"But she could pay in other currencies."
"I don't have any."
Ryden closed his mouth. Then, the next second, he laughed. What else could he expect if it was Erus who gave Cana the money? Erus did not spend his fortune for that very reason either, but he let Cana do it as if he were teaching her how to bully people using wealth.
"You seemed close to her already," Erus muttered, actually trying not to let Ryden hear it.
"The merchant girl? Of course not."
But he still heard it.
"I mean Cana."
Ryden paused for a while. Why did their Captain sound so serious every time he dropped Cana's name? Was he jealous of him or Cana? Erus was hard to read but easy to understand, though.
"I feel security in her aura—just like yours, actually," Ryden answered straightforwardly. "But if you want me to be honest, she is less intimidating than you, Captain," Ryden added.
Erus frowned but then twitched his lips into a smirk. "It's still too early to judge her, Ryden."
Ryden paused again and looked at Erus. He looked completely dumbfounded. Judging by how Erus sounded, he understood what the captain meant—but could that even be possible? Cana was too gentle to be dangerous. Could she really be even more dangerous than their Captain? Because if it was true, then his curiosity would finally be satisfied.
After that small talk, the entire ride became quiet. Only the sound of horseshoes tapping on the unpaved road and the iron wheels of the carriage could be heard. It would take an hour and a half before they could reach the foot of the nearest rocky mountain near the marketplace.
A couple of minutes before they even arrived at the border of that rocky mountain, they alighted from the carriage and started walking. They could not risk alerting anything living on that mountain. While they were walking, Ryden released his shadow wolf, and it bolted ahead of them. It served as their scout, tracing the scent of their target much faster.
Then, without a single word, the two men ran onto different paths—Erus to the right and Ryden to the left. However, Ryden paused for a moment, witnessing how Erus had vanished in a mere flash without even leaving a trail. He had seen Erus run, but his speed made it look like he had teleported.
Did their Captain level up again? That speed was insane as hell!
Ryden shook the thought away. He shouldn't be surprised if Erus had leveled up again. Those extraordinary abilities and skills were simply his natural talents.
Even Erus himself was surprised by the sudden change in his speed. At first, he thought he was just feeling relaxed and his body was light after what Cana had done to him. But the moment he ran just now, he felt a sudden burst in his energy. He had not even leveled up.
But he had no time to think about himself. Their mission was the top priority right now, and this additional strength would surely be a massive help to them.
He ran, leaping across the massive boulders at the foot of the mountain. Up ahead, the air grew heavy and suffocating. Any ordinary mortal wouldn't dare enter this place if they valued their lives. It was no wonder the Teumessian Fox had chosen this desolate area as its habitat. The trees that grew here were entirely poisonous, and the pollen from the flowers could rot mortal skin within seconds. Even the fruits hanging from the black branches looked like a dish from the afterlife, silently inviting unsuspecting souls to join the dead.
Fortunately, Erus possessed the Reaper's skill. He could kill these plants without breaking a sweat. While running fast, he left no ordinary trail; instead, a wake of black dust followed him, instantly withering any living vegetation it touched. It was the Reaper Mark's doing, automatically securing the perimeter around Erus.
Erus scanned the mountain, searching for any clues of the Teumessian Fox, but the heavy aura of the forest completely masked its scent.
Meanwhile, Ryden held the bait, but he had yet to receive any signal from his shadow wolf. He moved with extreme caution. He had to thank the gods for giving him the wind ability; he could perceive the danger ahead from every living thing in this place. Every step was a death sentence. He had to commend that brazen fox for being so cunning and clever, choosing such a place for its shelter.
Fortunately, his shadow wolf was immune to poisons. It was all thanks to their Captain's monstrous training back in the days when Erus wouldn't allow any of them to hunt with him because of their weak constitution.
While Ryden was searching, he noticed patterns on the rocks. Deep claw scratches appeared after every fifth rock, but the number of marks was inconsistent. Some rocks had numerous scratches, while others only had one. He began to suspect these marks hid a message he couldn't decipher.
He chose to track the scratches, sensing they were directly related to their target. But the trail brought him to a massive boulder. It bore inscriptions he could not read, and to make it worse, the carvings were covered in deep scratches, as if defaced by a mad beast. At the base of the boulder, small rocks were arranged neatly, clearly marking a tomb.
Why would there be a tomb in the middle of this rocky, poisonous mountain?
The scratches had now fully alerted Ryden; these were not from any low-level beast. He didn't dare touch the boulder. Who knew if it was a trap waiting to be triggered?
Unknown to him, a pair of golden eyes hid in the shadows, tracking his every move. The beast had long since sensed Ryden, tracing him from the moment he began following the marks on the stones. Because of the thick miasma blanketing the mountain, no outsider could easily conceal their presence. Only the original dwellers of this toxic wasteland could move unseen.
The owner of those golden eyes was also curious. Why would a mortal hunter have an interest in this place? Was he one of those stalling him at the famous brothel? Was he here to kill him? If yes, then he belonged to the generation of hunters who were tasked with hunting his Teumessian ancestors, including his parents. Engaging with him would do no good.
Meanwhile, Erus had caught a familiar scent in the air. He smelled the aroma of roasting meat, reminiscent of the man-eater skewer Cana had given him.
Was it a trap to lure victims in? But why use such a trick if the mountain itself wouldn't let low-level hunters survive?
Erus did not let his guard down. He had survived various illusions before, created by high-level monsters and enemy hunters. This one might be exploiting his very own weakness for the man-eater meat Cana gave him, using it as a psychological attack.
Using his naturally enhanced senses, it was not hard to find the origin of that scent. He found it inside a small cave that would only fit three mortals. To his dismay, it was real man-eater meat, grilled and hidden beneath some dry grass. There was a lot of it, but the owner was missing.
He found some clothes and cheap jewelry. Erus inspected the garments, noting they were all sized for a young boy. One thing became certain when he spotted crimson fur clinging to the fabric: these were the Teumessian Fox's belongings.
They were on the right track.
"But where the hell did that smelly beast go?" Erus asked himself in frustration.
He had found the nest and the evidence, but the target was missing.
He immediately returned everything to how it was and left the cave. Trap or not, it was still the hideout its owner relied on; wherever the beast was, it would definitely come back. Before totally leaving the cave, he set an imperceptible magic array around the entrance that only he could detect. It would trigger the moment the culprit crossed it.
Erus was about to leave the area when he crossed paths with Ryden's shadow wolf. It stopped right in its tracks when it saw him.
"Find your master and tell him what I found," he ordered the beast, which immediately obeyed and ran off in his master's direction.
When the shadow wolf was gone, Erus examined the perimeter of the cave to find more clues about the creature they were looking for. He was hoping to stumble upon any remaining traces of the beast that would lead to its current whereabouts.
He sighed deeply when he saw nothing. This should have been an easy task for him, yet he found it a bit stressful in a way he could not fully understand. His sense of smell was enhanced far beyond that of an ordinary mortal, but he could not track even a faint scent of the Teumessian Fox.
Was it really that powerful to be able to hide its presence this well? Or was there a possibility that the smelly beast was not even on the mountain, and was currently conducting its business down in the city?
Though the remaining TGA party was also patrolling the city and guarding potential targets, failing a mission did not align with Erus' values.
On the other hand, Ryden was on high alert, sensing there was something wrong in his surroundings. He felt a foreign pressure trying to break into his wind protection. It couldn't be coming from the ruined tomb, as the energy didn't feel sacred or unholy to him. But he almost had a heart attack when his shadow wolf came dashing past him, locking onto something in the mist. It looked so fierce and aggressive.
"Holy shit!" he cursed under his breath.
He immediately followed his familiar, which was now charging after a beast he could not fully identify. The thick fog made it hard to see. He could disperse the fog as he ran with his wind ability, but doing so would consume too much of his energy. He would be dead before completing the mission.
As Ryden ran following his shadow wolf's trail, he could see the terrifying difference in their speed. Though his familiar was as fast as lightning, the beast they were after moved in the blink of an eye. Catching it like this was an absolute impossibility. Perhaps only their beastly captain stood a chance.
Without thinking too much, he summoned his second shadow wolf and dispatched it to Erus. This was the twin of the first shadow wolf, and they both shared an interconnected sensory link.
He was sure as hell that the beast moving in the blink of an eye was their target—the Teumessian Fox.