Swan Hunter(5)

From the corner of my eyes, I could already see the movements of the guards that were supposed to be responsible for this market. They were trying to encircle me, but I held a lifeline in my hands, quite literally.

In addition, the horse might be weak but riding it was as fast as riding the wind. Of course, it wasn't as convenient, otherwise, the Swan B in my hand wouldn't turn red and blue, gasping for air with each step of the galloping beast.

This made it possible for me to avoid the nearest guards before they were alerted of the blunder they had unknowingly committed.

Out of the marketplace were the residential areas, which were even easier to pass by.

I did receive a lot of frightened stares and yelps, and I also received a lot of compliments but sadly, none of them was my favorite, 'Toad lusting after the swan's meat.'

I just made do with, "KIDNAPPING!", "QUICK, SAVE THAT GIRL!", and "WHO'S THAT ROGUE?"

Funnily enough, none of the shouts came in front of me or around me but from behind me, from the areas I had already passed.

Since my time was limited, I wasn't able to greet my remaining fans but it was alright, I had received a new reward in compensation, Ms. Swan B.

I knew my time was limited and the only thing I was worried about was that this horse that I had just been gifted by the kind Ms. Swan B couldn't fly.

Some of the guards had already blocked the way ahead, but they could only let me pass when I incoherently shouted something that I don't remember at them and hoisted my shield in the air.

The beautiful meat 'shield' was eyeing me with an overwhelming rage in her eyes. Far away at the gates, I could even see some men with an incredibly frightening aura. They were definitely High or Peak mages, people that were truly responsible for the peace and prosperity of the city and the Kingdom.

I didn't know how they suddenly appeared in from of me. I panicked and subconsciously let loose my hold on Ms. Swan B's neck, which prompted her to shout at me,

"HOW DARE–" Already on the verge of losing everything I had earned over all these years, I was irked by her shriek.

I let go of her neck and held her by the hair, occasionally, relaxing my arm so that I could force her to run at the horse's pace.

I didn't do this because my sadistic desire had been ignited or something but because I needed to show the powerful mages at the gates the determination I had to put my hostage in harm's way.

It worked beautifully, all of them glared at me like I had killed their fathers but they couldn't take action against me.

One of them utilized an underhanded tactic though, and use the wind pressure to blow the veil on Swan A's face away.

There were people among those mages that managed to trace her real identity, one that even I, her bestie, wasn't aware of.

As it turned out, she was the daughter of the Peak Water Mage of the kingdom where I was originally from. When this identity was disclosed, it caused an uproar, perhaps because being a daughter of a peak mage was even more distinguishable than being a 'princess' of a local noble clan, like the defective product I held in my hands.

After her identity was known, even the Peak-Mages that were preparing to threaten and attack me even at the cost of risking the safety of Swan B, hesitated and fell back.

Unimpeded, I passed through the gates.

Just as I did, I heard a majestic voice booming in my ears, "If a single hair on the bodies of those two maidens is harmed, I'll make you wish for death."

Ayo, that was quite similar to what I told my lovely Swan A as well. I guess, he was also a man of culture, an insider that knew of the slangs we utilized.

I wasn't about to take this insult lying down though, I knew this was another test to assess my determination, and so I screamed back at them, "OKAY, OLD HAGS, WHATEVER YOU SAY."

Suddenly, I felt goosebumps rising on my back. I knew this was because I still wasn't out of range of those crazy mages.

I needed to think of something, something that would allow me to keep my life. After all, there was a limit to how long I could keep suppressing the feisty Ms. Swan B and a limit to the patience of the old mages sneakily following me.

I needed to give them a path of survival, a compromise, and so I did.

As if I was talking to myself, I said, "If someone wants to rescue them, they can find me five miles to the north of this place. If I sensed anyone approaching me with a group, I would snap their necks and die fighting."

Now that I think of it, perhaps more than my words, it was the scary silence and a creepy smile on the face of Ms. Swan A that told them I was a deranged opponent that didn't play by the rules.

And to a certain extent, I really was. Thinking of an impromptu plan that would allow me to make money from this ordeal while escaping safely, I put forth another condition before the mages were forced to abandon this pursuit.

I was already far away from that cursed city at this point but these mages weren't teachers that left the classroom after their lecture was done but the termites that gnawed and thrived on the wooden tables and chairs present in the classroom, intent of chasing me.

Anyway, the condition I put forth was that for the next two days, I would stay nearby and only people around the same age or younger than me were allowed to challenge me. If they happened to win, I would be happily arrested but imprisoned.

But, if I kept winning though, it would eventually allow me to earn quite a significant profit without taking any extraordinary risks.