The man sitting on the rump of the giant rhino stretched his neck and shoulders. Evidently, he and his delegation had already traveled several miles during that day.

"A wild Inoshuma? Hmm. There are no Inoshumas in this area," one of the women in the group spoke, interrupting the bowman's words. She stepped forward, approaching the footprint and taking a closer look. Her long hair was tied back in a messy tail held in place by some kind of small elongated bone, and a large scar furrowed her face from the forehead to her lower lip.

​​

"Also, Inoshumas never move on their own. Their sense of direction is overdeveloped, and they just can't get lost," the woman continued. From how those people were addressing the man with the kabuto, he had to be their leader.

"Looks like you fucked up, Taisuke," the chief of the delegation chuckled, eliciting subtle laughter from his fellow travelers. "It doesn't matter. I'm too tired to think about footprints. We have a dungeon to reach and complete. Let's move!" he shouted, ordering his men to continue down the path.

As the armored beast turned toward the river and began walking along its banks once again, everyone present followed their leader without a word. All except Taisuke, the man with the hooded face.

He stayed a few more seconds near Ichiro's footprint, looking around scrupulously. Yoichi and Takuma kept very quiet during those moments, knowing that the slightest movement could attract that unwanted gaze.

Although Yoichi was particularly confident in his fighting abilities, close combat against eleven tamers at the same time would be an impossible feat.

Inoku, the hound demon, shook its head and followed the men in rusty armor. After its red eyes, even Taisuke's lost interest in the surrounding landscape. The bow-wielding warrior framed the rocks behind which Yoichi and Takuma were hiding but could see nothing.

Not content with his leader's decision, with his head down, he climbed into his Inoshuma and rode north, escorting the delegation of mysterious warriors.

When those unlikely travelers disappeared down the path that skirted the Waveless River, the two hidden adventurers could breathe a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Ichiro and Takuma's steed sensed the danger and remained silent during those minutes that seemed interminable.

"Phew! I can't believe it... we made it!" Takuma huffed, wiping the sweat on his forehead with one hand. The Grimbrook tamer stood up and leaned against a tree as if the sudden change in pressure would not allow him to stand upright on his feet.

"Who the hell were those men?" Yoichi inquired. "Do you know them?"

"Just give me a moment, Yoichi. I need a sip of water," Takuma replied, opening and closing his dehydrated lips. After quenching his thirst, he took courage and answered his traveling companion's question.

"Did somebody ever tell you about Demon Hunters?" the red-haired warrior asked, looking at Yoichi with a worried air.

Yoichi remembered that word, which, like most new things he had learned, came from Enatsu's smart mouth. "The tamers who tame rare demons to sell them at the Black Market in Hollowgate?" Yoichi spoke, knowing he had given the correct answer.

"Well, the ones you just saw are Demon Hunters," Takuma confirmed. "As I'm sure my grandfather has explained to you, it is rumored that there is a secret passage from Oakenfair that leads to the Black Market. This doesn't just attract tourists and merchants, as you might imagine," he explained.

"Do you think they're going to Oakenfair like we are? Why did we hide? Why would they hurt us?"

"Did you get a good look at them, Yoichi? Your Inoshuma is quite a handsome specimen, isn't it?" Takuma continued, making his companion see reason.

Yoichi knew the answer within himself, but the thought that unknown people could kill two travelers only to steal their demons disgusted him to the core. "Were they really going to attack me to steal Ichiro?" he complained, approaching his demon horse, still afraid of what had happened.

"Demon Hunters are unscrupulous people. They would be capable of anything to get their hands on something that would make them some money. My grandfather Gompachi advised me several times to never interact with them in any way."

"They talked about a dungeon. The 'Damned Catacombs' is the only dungeon in the vicinity, right?" Yoichi investigated, trying to figure out which route that group of villains would take.

"Yeah, right. There are other dungeons in the valley, but they are far away from here. If they were traveling down the road by the river, that's where they're heading," the Grimbrook warrior confirmed. "Besides, if we continue on our way, we'll risk crossing paths with them again."

"Well, we'll make sure to avoid them. Their hound may be good at smelling, but it could never detect us hundreds of meters away," Yoichi affirmed, shaking the leaves off the bushes.

"The slightest deviation of this path would drastically divert us from our direction. The Waveless River cuts perfectly through the Valley of the Nothern Waters. If we moved from its banks, I would probably lose my sense of direction," Takuma admitted.

"However," he continued, anticipating Yoichi's response, "I can assure you that the combat level of the demons of those Hunters is far too high for us. You're strong, man, but... I'm afraid we wouldn't be able even to scratch them if we faced them into the open."

Yoichi stored that information in silence and climbed onto Ichiro's back. Takuma did the same, grabbing the reins of his steed and circumspectly exiting their lucky hiding place.

"Do you think there are any particularly rare demons in Damned Catacombs?" Yoichi asked out of the blue.

"I have no idea. I told you, I've never gone there. Why do you ask?" Takuma said.

"I was wondering if that was the reason that drove those Hunters so far north. I guess there are easier ways to get to Hollowgate, and judging by the way they're dressed, I can say they're not from around here. There must be a reason they're following the same path as us," Yoichi continued, sharpening his eyesight and making sure that the delegation of Hunters was gone.