Chapter 90: Chapter 86: Tracking
"Have you confirmed it?"
At dawn, with the sky just beginning to lighten, Unis sat on her luxurious bed, looking down at Lael, who was bowing before her.
Since their last conversation, Lael had quickly conducted a thorough review of the recent financial reports. He found that in the dozen or so days since the staged scene was destroyed, there was one, and only one, record of a reward being claimed for a Mutated Goblin.
And it was on the morning right after the site was destroyed.
It was safe to say they were almost certain that the person who collected the reward was their target.
Lael moved quickly, found the person responsible for handing out the reward that day, and learned the target’s main features.
Around eighteen or nineteen years old, about five-foot-eleven, with black hair and black eyes...
However, Lael had searched the city for days without finding anyone matching that description. He didn’t dare make a big scene, as he was wary of Flora, and had earned more than a few rebukes from Unis for his failure.
But just yesterday, an informant he had placed finally sent word.
"I found him!"
Lael’s face was flushed with excitement as he said, "He seems to have become an Adventurer! He was out on a mission for the past few days, which is why we couldn’t find him. Yesterday, my informant spotted him at the Adventurer’s Association!"
"He’s heading out for a mission today. Should I have my men..."
"Do you have any idea how strong he is?"
Lael fell silent, shaking his head blankly.
Unis leaned against the headboard, her eyes half-closed. Her breathing seemed a little heavy. "He killed a Mutated Goblin with almost no injuries. That means he’s no Ordinary Adventurer. He might even be a Professional... Never mind. Don’t concern yourself with this. Someone else will handle it."
"Yes... Yes."
Lael didn’t dare ask why, merely nodding again and again.
Unis turned to look at him. "What are you still doing here? I’m tired. I want to go back to sleep."
Lael immediately forced a smile. "Then please rest well. I won’t disturb you any further."
With that, he backed out of the room and closed the door.
The moment he turned away, the smile vanished from his face. He clenched his fists, a vicious look in his eyes.
Back in the room, Unis threw back the covers, her eyes filled with contempt as she looked down. "Who gave you permission to stop? You can take care of that other business later..."
About half an hour later, a disguised Jim slipped out the back door of the Lord’s Mansion. He followed a side path instead of using the main gate, eventually scaling a peripheral wall to leave the grounds.
He was confident he had been stealthy enough to go completely unnoticed.
And yet, not long after he was gone, a figure appeared atop the very same wall. The person adjusted the brim of their hat and gazed in the direction Jim had gone.
"Heh heh..."
A crisp, cold chuckle escaped from between full lips.
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With the captain and the team’s powerhouse in agreement, the other members of the Bull Run Squad naturally had no objections.
Besides, the mission itself had merit. While Adventurers were driven by profit, they were still just trying to make a living. They weren’t like certain nobles who had lost all sense of right, wrong, and decency. As long as it didn’t hurt their own interests, they were more than willing to do a good deed.
And so, the decision was made without a fuss. The very next morning, the squad set out for Falling Leaves Village, whose situation was currently the most dire.
Unlike venturing into the Loran Forest to hunt Demons, Falling Leaves Village was quite a distance away. Walking would take nearly two days, and more importantly, it was unnecessary. There were established roads and horse-drawn carriages available.
The carriage had been arranged by the Association. The guild master of the Roland Town Adventurer Association had truly gone above and beyond for this Rescue Order, thinking of every little detail.
Of course, they weren’t the only squad to accept the mission. Lin Mo spotted several familiar faces in the crowd—the same Professionals, friends of Captain Alton, who had "sparred" with him a few days prior.
They greeted Lin Mo with smiles when they saw him, but their expressions were more than a little strained.
’So weird... He’d hired them to rough him up, not the other way around. It was only for half a day, but by the end, they looked like the ones who’d taken a savage beating.’
’All one could say was that the young man’s strength was truly unfathomable...’
The scenery along the road was pleasant. The weather was beautiful, the azure sky clear and bright. It was still morning, so the breeze that brushed against their faces had yet to pick up the oppressive heat of the day. Lin Mo sat on the driver’s bench outside the main carriage, enjoying the moment of peace.
Ali sat inside the carriage, pretending to watch him nonchalantly. The young girl propped herself up on her hands, her legs, which didn’t quite reach the floor, swinging gently.
’Ever since that night, she couldn’t stop replaying his words in her mind.’
’Was he just trying to comfort me?’
’No.’ Ali’s keen intuition told her it was more than that. He had spoken from the heart.
’Does that mean... he really doesn’t hate Half-Beastmen? That he wouldn’t hate her?’
Ali touched a hand to her cheek, a strange, indescribable feeling fluttering within her.
Alton took it all in. While he didn’t quite understand Lin Mo’s peculiar interest, to each their own. He certainly wasn’t one to gossip.
’If the feelings were mutual... that would actually be a good thing.’
Ali was an incredibly reliable teammate, and Alton greatly respected the effort the Half-Beastman put into every mission. Because of this, he was always concerned about Ali’s emotional state and did his best to foster a harmonious atmosphere in the squad. Everyone was willing to play along, but the results were never great.
If people didn’t click, they didn’t click. Forcing them to interact only bred more awkwardness.
"Ali..."
So, he suddenly spoke up. "Lin Mo has never driven a carriage before. Why don’t you go out and help him?"
"Okay!"
Ali’s own quick response startled her. She quickly reined in her excitement, gave a light cough, and hurried to turn away.
"Haha—"
The carriage filled with the sound of good-natured teasing. Ali sat down next to Lin Mo, and as she listened to the laughter behind her, her ears twitched and her face flushed with heat.
’Adorable.’
Lin Mo turned his head slightly, looking at the Little Wolf Girl beside him. He kind of wanted to see how her ears felt.
’But with everyone right behind them, he’d better not. Maybe when he gets a chance later... Huh?’
Lin Mo looked up ahead and suddenly noticed that the carriage in front of them had stopped.
’Did something happen?’
The driver of the carriage ahead was none other than Pain, the first "victim" from the training session. Lin Mo drove their carriage closer and saw that a few Goblins were blocking the road.
"These things are getting bolder and bolder."
Pain muttered as he drew his Sword, preparing to dispatch them quickly so they could get back on the road.
However, before he could even move, a gust of "wind" suddenly blew past him. The next instant, two brilliant flashes of sword-light streaked through the air, and the Goblins were sliced to pieces.
