The carriage Shushruta had gotten was originally a freight wagon. Since it was a modified freight wagon, there was enough space to load the magical beast. The only flaw was that it had no chairs or windows.

We loaded the sack containing the magical beast onto the back of the carriage and then set off.

Shushruta and I blankly watched Camus, who was sitting on the floor, laying out his bow, arrows, and sword, and maintaining them. He looked like a seasoned hunter.

Suddenly, Camus, who was wiping his sword with a cloth, looked up and glanced at us, then looked down again and said bluntly.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure not a single magical beast comes near."

Shushruta and I met eyes, then looked back at Camus. We didn't have anything particular to say, but we thought he would be embarrassed if we didn't answer, so we just said whatever came to mind.

"This is as reassuring as beef jerky."

Camus let out a small laugh and wiped the blade with a cloth.

As I was watching him, I suddenly became curious and asked a question.

"You said you were a mercenary. Are you a freelance mercenary?"

Camus answered.

"That's right."

A freelance mercenary means a mercenary who does not belong to a specific mercenary corps.

I pointed at the sack.

"And that guy, were you tracking him on a request?"

Camus nodded.

"I was tracking that guy for a whole week. He was so fast that I couldn't catch up with him."

"C-rank?"

"C-rank."

As expected. I thought so.

Flying magical beasts are so difficult to catch that the request fee is double, so with that much, he could probably play around for a whole month. Not just the request fee. It's also quite rare, so the feathers and wings could probably be sold for a high price. That's probably why he didn't dismantle it and just put it in the sack whole.

As if to prove it, a faint smile appeared on the lips of the hunter who had succeeded in the hunt.

The happy hunter, who had been maintaining his equipment, suddenly looked up at Shushruta.

"Ah."

Shushruta, who had been staring at Camus, was flustered and avoided his eyes.

Camus, seeing Shushruta, smiled and pointed at his eyepatch.

"This, you mean?"

It seems Shushruta had been staring at his eyepatch.

I immediately scolded my rude younger sister.

"You brat. How dare you be so rude to our savior? What kind of manners are those? Bow your head and apologize immediately."

As Shushruta hesitated and was about to actually bow her head, Camus let out a hearty laugh and stopped her.

"It's okay. It's no big deal. You can look if you're curious."

"...."

I stared blankly at him, who was smiling good-naturedly. If it had been me, I would have cursed him out. He was strangely strict only with me.

Shushruta lowered her head sullenly.

"I'm sorry..."

Anyway, since he said it wasn't rude, I immediately asked. Because I was also curious.

"What happened to your one eye?"

"I was attacked by a magical beast."

Camus answered calmly and lifted his eyepatch. There, a rough scar was gruesomely drawn vertically across his eyelid.

Hmm. Half-blind. I wasn't sure if he could join the blind association. I felt like he would get complaints from the other blind people.

In the end, I gave up, and from the side, I heard Shushruta gasp in surprise.

Camus, seeing that, grinned and began to tell his tale of valor.

"It was winter. The day the whole world had turned white. I was killing time at the guild, drinking as usual. Then the door burst open and that guy Tommy came running in, saying there was an emergency request. I wondered what it was, and he said a B-rank magical beast had appeared. It was rampaging through a small village."

Camus stroked his beard as if reminiscing about that time.

"A B-rank magical beast... just thinking about it sent shivers down my spine. But at that time, there were no gold-rank mercenaries in the guild. Still, there were several silver-rank mercenaries, so we had no choice but to go. Since it was an emergency request, the fee was also quite good. Soon, six silver-rank mercenaries joined forces and went to catch that guy."

He stopped checking his equipment and took out a square gray water bottle from his pocket and took a sip.

"When we arrived by carriage in a hurry, the village was already in ruins. The blood had soaked into the snow, and everything was red. For some reason, it looked even more gruesome. I knew that if we left it alone, other villages would suffer the same fate. We immediately tracked the guy."

He held out the water bottle, and when I took it, it was, as expected, strong liquor. I took a sip and then returned it.

"The tracking wasn't difficult. The trees were knocked down here and there, and not only were there footprints, but it was also dragging blood, so we could follow it right away. We spotted the guy not long after. It was a guy that looked like a big bear, and it was so big that all the magical beasts I had seen before looked cute."

Shushruta and I were already engrossed in his story. Even the Heavenly Demon was listening quietly.

"We decided to find a clearing good for fighting and lure the guy there. First, we packed down the snow in the clearing that would become the battlefield. It was to prepare for a quick escape in case of an emergency. If we didn't pack it down like that, our movements would be slowed by the snow, and we could be hit by the guy's counterattack."

Shushruta's eyes sparkled, and I nodded my head with interest.

Camus, pleased with the listener's attitude, smiled faintly and continued his story.

"After we finished our preparations, we lured the guy. I can still see that scene clearly. The guy who was luring him was caught and crushed in one blow. He was too fast. Who would have known that he would suddenly switch to four legs and rush at us?"

Camus took a sip of the strong liquor and said.

"Someone screamed, and at that signal, we all threw our spears at the guy. All the spears we threw stuck in the guy's body, but the guy just became more ferocious. One of the guys who had rushed in with a spear and a sword was sent flying in an instant. He was the biggest and strongest among us, but he flew like a doll. But we shouted and rushed in even more fiercely. Because if we didn't kill him, we would be killed."

Listening, I thought they were all no ordinary seasoned mercenaries. To think that not a single one ran away.

"After throwing my spear, I fell back and was aiming for the guy's eye with my bow, but it must have been quite annoying, because he ignored all the other guys and rushed at me. I quickly climbed the tree behind me. I swear, that was the first time in my life I had climbed a tree that fast."

I looked at my hand and saw that sweat had formed.

"The guy roared and struck the tree. Thud! It shook violently, but it didn't break. It was a pretty thick one. At that moment, the other guys took the opportunity and stabbed the guy from behind. But the guy didn't care and only aimed for me. After he hit it three or four more times, the tree finally creaked and fell. The guy opened his mouth wide to swallow me in one bite. His teeth were fierce. I could hear his rough breathing as if it were right in my hand."

Gulp.

The sound of Shushruta swallowing was particularly loud.

"With a sudden wit, I drew my sword, and as I fell from the falling tree, I stabbed the guy's neck. A huge amount of red blood gushed out from his neck like a fountain. For a moment, a bloody rainbow colored my vision. The guy struggled, but I gritted my teeth and somehow held on, with the sword stuck in him. I had a hunch that the moment I let go, I would die. The guy went crazy and swung his front paws wildly."

Camus pointed at his eyepatch.

"That's when I got scratched."

"Ah..."

Shushruta exclaimed.

"Even as my eyeball was being gouged out, I held on with all my might, and the guy slowly slowed down... and then, with a thud!, he collapsed. And so, we succeeded in hunting the B-rank magical beast."

The story was over. But as is often the case with great stories, the afterglow lingered with the silence.

Camus was lost in thought for a moment, then looked up and muttered.

"I still can't forget that red rainbow sprinkled on the white snowfield."

It was a great ending.

I was moved and clapped my hands. Because a great story deserves applause.

At that, Camus suddenly glared at me.

"Do you know where that hunt took place?"

I blinked at the sudden question.

"Where did it take place?"

Camus suddenly got angry.

"It happened less than 10 kilometers from here. This is a place where B-rank magical beasts sometimes appear. And you're just strolling around with your younger sisters without a guard? Are you out of your mind?"

"...."

"I've seen a lot of guys like you. You were probably a big shot somewhere else, weren't you?"

I was about to answer, but Camus didn't give me a chance.

"But against a magical beast, that kind of soft heart is a no-go. You'll become the magical beast's prey in an instant. I've seen countless guys like that. Carelessness leads directly to death. Do you still not know what kind of situation you were just in? You thoughtless bastard? Huh? Do you think I've only seen one or two guys like you? Do you think you're on a picnic?"

I stared blankly at the man who was pouring out his insults at me. It was quite ambiguous. If he had just cursed at me, I could have just beaten him up, but I could feel his sincere concern in his insults.

[Hoo... to see you speechless. This is a rare sight.]

Come to think of it, it was the first time I had been so one-sidedly beaten in a verbal fight without even being able to make a decent counterattack, so I was also flustered. How should one respond to well-intentioned insults? I didn't know.

'No, but why only me?'

When I introduced the two girls as my younger sisters, I felt like I, the older brother, was taking all the blame. It was unfair.

When I asked Shushruta for help with my eyes, she, far from helping, subtly avoided the situation.

"Where are you looking when I'm talking? Huh?"

"...."

I had no choice but to endure it silently on my own. Just as he had held on with a knife stuck in the magical beast's neck.

After pouring out all sorts of advice and insults at me for a long time, he finally spotted Linda dozing off in the driver's seat, clicked his tongue, and switched with her.

"Hey, hey. Dangerous. Get out of there right now."

"...."

And so, Camus switched with Linda and drove the carriage himself. He was a man who was quick to anger, but also had a lot of concern for others. He was rough on the outside, but surprisingly kind on the inside. I thought he was a very rare man in a world where the opposite is often the case.

Is that why? I thought he wouldn't be a bad companion. He also tells stories as interestingly as a bard. In exchange for listening to interesting stories, I could get a bowl of insults.

And so, the freight wagon-turned-carriage ran north, carrying a lifeless magical beast and a man who was shouting angrily.

There were about three days left until Schirnberg. According to Camus, B-rank magical beasts sometimes appear... I thought I might be lucky enough to meet a B-rank magical beast.

"Hehehe."

Shushruta looked at me with strange eyes, but I ignored her. Do you know my heart?

(End of Chapter)