Ch.6

Arrived at the next village, I somehow felt that something is a little bit odd and the air, the air here is a bit brighter than the previous village. That’s it, I realized what’s strange about this village, it’s the weapons, there’s quite some people walking here and there carrying weapon. Maybe they’re soldiers, but why they’re not wearing any uniform. And as if he can read my mind, Donald speaks and explains who they are.

“They’re Hunters.”

“Hunter?”

“Yeah, from Hunter Guild.”

“Hunter Guild? They exist.”

I mumbled to myself as I thinking that this world is more and more like fantasy. But maybe because Donald heard me, he started to tell me the stories about how they formed Hunter Guild. Long ago the hunters make their name known in the world as they slain every monsters tasked to them, they escort merchants through their journey, and as the hunters get more and more trust for their achievement, a lot of merchants started to use their services and because of that the bandits lose their incomes because merchants no longer travels on their own, during that time the Hunter Guild is still not exist, the hunter will find their own customer as they offer their services to the merchants or villages who have trouble with monsters, and because of that, at some time in history bandit started to disguise themselves as hunter and offer their services to merchants, as the time goes by the merchants started to lose their trust towards the hunter because more and more of their colleague robbed by the hunter who’s supposed to protect them, during that time even if the real hunter want to cut down the imposter they can’t do anything because it was so hard to tell the difference between bandit and the real hunter. And when the hunter credibility is on the brink of collapsing, several groups of hunter started the Hunter Guild, at first it didn’t go well the merchants still got robbed but given time the Hunter Guild manage to hunt the imposter one by one, they draw every people faces who wanted to join the Hunter Guild, and when the escort request ended by the merchant got robbed the guild started to put bounty on the hunter who take the request and spread the pictures among other hunters, the guild also presented the head of the imposter to the Merchant Guild to prove their responsibility. That’s how the hunter get their credibility back, that’s also what makes the bandits fear them.

When I asked Donald when that happen, he shakes his head he also said that the Hunter Guild already exist for hundreds of years, and that’s just a story he heard from his fellow bandit. When Donald finished his story Cicera already found the cheapest inn in the village after asking some people. As usual we rent a single big room without ordering any food, I take out some Bread, Cheese, Tomatoes, and I also take out some Honey because I’m not in mood to eat cheese and tomatoes. I have some fish and meat in my storage but since they’re all raw I can’t eat them without cooking them first, well we eat always eat them when we still inside the forest so just for today we have to do with just sandwich, while eating our sandwich somehow Donald look a little bit troubled.

“What is it?”

“…. It’s nothing.”

“Just tell me, are you hurt somewhere?”

“No, I’m not hurt, it’s just……”

“Hmm?”

“It’s just we’re a little short on money.”

“Why is that?”

“We only have 1 silver and 2 copper left, while the entrance fee into the city is 5 silvers for one person.”

No way, the city entrance is more expensive than staying a night in an inn, we rent this room for a day and it only cost us 3 silvers, what kind of reasoning did they use when they decide to charge 5 silvers just for the entrance fee. I asked Donald whether we could sell the silver cup or not and just like I thought, he shakes his head he said that no one can afford such item here. I don’t know how much it’s worth but we can’t sell it too cheap, if we did that, they will just turns suspicious and won’t buy it. As I wonder what to do Cicera suddenly speak after she finished her sandwich.

“Why don’t we sell that meat of yours, we can get some money with that.”

“My meat?”

“Yeah, the one you always pulled out of nowhere. Is it magic?”

“Is it really going to sell?”

I ignore her and asked Donald about what she said, he looks a little bit troubled.

“Are you really okay?”

“Nah, just ignore him miss, he just don’t want to lose the meat.”

Cicera added as she makes another sandwich filled with honey. I assure him that I have plenty of meats, so it’s okay if we sell some, only then he turns his troubled face into one with a smile he also suggested to sell the meat to the local butcher or restaurant or an inn. He tells us that it would be better to sell it directly than just sell them through merchant, I agree with him even if it’s meant more works to do, well since it’s still round noon so it’s okay to take a look around the village a little bit. And since four days have passed I cast [Blessing], [Agility], and [Almighty] again for both of them. We left the inn to find a butcher it’s kind of ironic, because we’re going to sell meat to a place that sells meat. Yup it is ironic and it was so ironic that all of the butchers in the village turn us down, they said that they still have stock of meats to sell so they can’t afford to stock up too much meant because they will rot. So we change our target, right now we tried to sell the meat to the restaurant or an inn, the first two restaurants turn us down they say they didn’t sell any kind of meat dish, and as for the third which also the last restaurant in the village.

“Meat you say?”

“What kind of meat?”

I pulled out a piece of meat.

“A thigh huh.”

He then cut a small piece of meat and put it in his mouth. That’s raw you know, are you really going to eat it? As I wonder he suddenly spit the meat out of his mouth.

“Good, it’s not a monster meat.”

“Monster?”

“Yeah, someone tried to sell me meat from a monster before.”

“But they ignore the fact that I was a hunter before, so I know how a monster meat taste likes.”

“How come you eat a monster before? How did they taste?”

Cicera added. Oh come on. We’re here to sell meat not to listen a story.

“One day when my party ran out of food because of a small mistake, we take a hunting request to bring a pelt of Grey Vagabond, it’s a grey wolves like monster if you want to know. The guild already warn us about the difficulty of the request because the monster is smart at hiding, but because we were young and fill with pride we told the guild that we well complete the request within 3-4 days. After searching for 3 days we didn’t manage to find a single one, we should be going back at that time but because we were so prideful we decide to search again, and on the fourth day we did manage to find and kill it, we were so proud at that time because we did find the monster within 4 days, but because of our recklessness we only stock food for four days and on our way to return to the city we ran out of food, we decide to hunt some animals on the first day but we didn’t find a single animals to kill, and on the second day when our hunger grew unbearable we decide to eat our hunting prey we’ve been carrying along the way. At first that monster meat is taste so delicious with a little stingy feeling every time you chew it, we satisfied our hunger that night and when the morning came we started to feel a little nausea, it’s getting worse along the time and around noon all of us passed out on our way, luckily the guild send searching party to look for us so none of us had died.”

“And from that day I decide to make delicious foods so that no one will feel what we felt back then.”

“That’s also the reason why I tried your meat, since I don’t feel any stingy feeling when I chew it before it means that it’s not a monster meat.”

“So how much would you sell this thigh for?”

“1 silver for a thigh.”

“No way, 50 copper.”

I leave the negotiation to Donald. Apparently 1 silver coin is worth 60 copper and 1 gold coin is worth 70 silver, I don’t know who came out with such concept, why don’t they just make a silver worth 100 copper coins. After long negotiation the owner finally agree to buy 30 thigh for 30 silvers, Donald manage to threaten the manager by saying that we will sell the meat to the merchant if he’s no willing to pay 1 silver for each thigh. Finished with our business I told the other two about what they want to do, I told Donald to give Cicera 5 silver coins while he can keep another 5 for himself, I also told both of them that they could spend their time to look around the village so they can spend their silvers. As for me, I’m going back to the inn since I haven’t got enough sleep when I practice my flying skill, it’s harder than I thought but still, I got a little bit better at it, now I can keep my balance in the air but I still can’t move around in the air, all I can do is just going up and down. While Donald seems reluctant to leave alone in the inn Cicera already gone as soon as I said she could have fun, I told Donald it’s okay and I went back to the inn to sleep.

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Cicera POV

Yes. Now I can free myself off of her preying eyes, first let’s see if I can find a slave dealer in this village or maybe a merchant who sell slaves, I tried asking around if there’s a slave dealer in this village, apparently there’s one in this village, that’s quite rare to find one outside the city, anyway I’m going there. It should be around here, yup there it is, next to an inn. When I enter the shop a man behind the desk greet me, I guess it must be the shop keeper so I walked to the desk and asked if I can meet with the shop owner, unlucky me, the shopkeeper said that the owner is in the city right now so I asked him if there’s a new slaves from the north but the shopkeeper shake his head.

“I’m sorry madam, there’s no new slave from the north. But if you’re looking for strong man to do heavy works we have those.”

“Sorry, but I’m not interested in any man. But if you have any information about new slaves from the north than I’m willing to buy that information.”

“Well madam, how much you willing to pay for such information?”

“1 silver.”

“Please madam, if you don’t intent to buy anything from us I will have to ask you to leave.”

“Fine how about 3?”

“5.”

“No 4.”

“Deal, since I think it’s all you had.”

I gave him 4 silver coins and ask for the information.

“Well, I had heard rumor, stories that new stock is coming from the north yesterday, they sell it to a slave dealer in the city, I also heard that this new stock is mostly children and virgins.”

“And? Who’s the dealer name?”

“You ask much for someone who gives less. I won’t give you anything more than that, if you want the name you have to pay 1 gold coin.”

“Now if you please excuse us ma’am, we have business to run.”

With a bitter smile I left the shop, but at least I manage to get some information about my son whereabouts so I went to search for Donald, I want to ask him to hasten our departure I want him to ask Larissa so we can leave this village in the evening, somehow she only listen to what he said. I have to hurry and find him, anyway where did he go, we have to get to the city as soon as possible, I don’t know how long my sons will be in the city, I don’t want to lose them anymore. That’s him, I found him lining up on a food stall, what is he doing smiling like an idiot, he’s not even get his food yet, anyway we have to hurry, I have to hurry to the city even if it means that I have to drag him along the road.

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Donald POV

Is she okay? She wanted to rest and tells both of us to have fun. I guess she is bound to get tired, she is after all always summoned her creepy wolves every nights, she sure is tired after spending so much energy on her magic. I guess I just let her rest today, yeah let’s leave her alone for now, let’s see what I can get with 5 silver coins. Better find something to eat first, after all I only had sandwich today. Oh that’s look promising, I think so when I see a lot of people lined up in one of the food stall, after several minutes waiting I finally get to order the food I order something and move aside after I get my food. Oh…. It’s good it is so good. Let’s order again, damn I have to wait in line again, hehehe…. several minutes passed when I’m just few person away from my food but suddenly someone break the line and pulled me out, what the hell.

“Cicera?”

“What are you doing?”

“Come we have to go to the city immediately.”

“What’s wrong with you, it’s not even an hour yet and Larissa is still resting in the inn.”

“Hurry up and tell her, I found my sons in the city, so we have to hurry.”

She dragged me by the arm, I free my arms from her while people started to surround us, they must think it’s some kind of drama since more and more people gathered around us.

“Your sons?”

Ah… she must be telling me about the group of kids we sell to the slave dealer, apparently she found her sons.

“Yeah the one you sell to the slave dealer.”

After she said that all the people started to murmur ‘What a cruel father, selling his own son.’ I’m not the father okay, and stop poking your nose into someone else problem.

“Yeah, that’s right. You’re the one who sell my kids, so it’s your responsibility.”

She started to pulled out her dagger. Oi oi oi, I’m not the only one responsible for your kids, so can you at least put your dagger back.