Swan Hunter(8)

WHOOSH~

Suddenly, I heard a dangerous rustling sound coming from outside. It was one of the mages that sensed the quick bout here and were enraged with my sneak attack.

I quickly grabbed Swan B's neck to calm myself. It was very difficult to keep my cool, my nerves weren't made of steel. After all, it was only my first job.

I refused to believe that my seniors had completed so many of these jobs without mentally draining themselves. No wonder they said, human trafficking was a life-threatening high-risk, high-reward business model.

It was understandable.

I ordered Swan B to tie the first bait up but since we didn't have any strong anti-mana equipment, she had to use just regular strong and thick vines to do the job.

Anyway, if the domineering Swan B didn't try to escape without anti-mana equipment, it was much harder for this half-dead guy to be able to do so.

I put Swan A near the fire for warmth again, but she still didn't stop with her fainting act. She really was a great method actor, it was making me ashamed of myself.

Swan B looked at me sitting near the fire with Swan A in my arms and shivered again, definitely thinking of something stupid. Oh well, there was something wrong with Swan B's head, what did it have to do with me?

After that, the next challenger only came at midnight, again just when I was about to take some rest, but oh well, I should've thanked him instead, because if I really slept, my condition would be even worse than the guy who was still out cold and tied up by the heroine he had come to save.

The footsteps of the next challenger were a little suppressed as if he was afraid of something. I guess the mages guarding the camp outside had warned him of my sneak attacks and 'treacherous' nature.

It was as I had guessed. His footsteps stopped near the entrance as he shouted,

"TREACHEROUS BASTARD, COME OUT AND MEET YOU DEATH!!"

At that point, I wanted to palm my face. This guy... was the same as the last one.

Knowing that already, I didn't waste my breath and turned to Swan B, who took my cue and shouted in a miserable voice that cracked a little, just as I wanted her to,

"Young Hero, please save me from the clutches of this deranged demon, wuwu."

She even started sobbing after finishing her sentence as if she couldn't hold on anymore. I quickly gave her a thumbs up and a smile to appreciate her help.

It worked perfectly as the guy came in swaggering.

Looking at him, my eyes shone like fireflies. My gaze was attracted to the ten golden rings and expensive jewels he was wearing on his hand. Other than that, his expensive embroidered robe alone was enough to last me for a year or so. This was definitely a big fat sheep of the legends. His golden accessories were inviting me alluringly to grab them and hold onto them forever.

I shook my head of impure thoughts, but my eyes were more honest. I waited for the guy to speak to make sure if his teeth were normal or golden. I had to count my profits after all.

How his parents allowed this moving treasure house to move alone was beyond me but looking at his aura, I confirmed that this opponent was finally a Low-Grade Mage, someone who could've fought me to a draw a year or so ago, but now, hehe.

Perhaps, the mages outside still thought I only won my last fight due to the sneak attack and his parents had no lack of money but that captivating fame and fairy-tale story-like reputation that he could claim upon my death that he was after.

After disdainfully eyeing me, the guy confidently commanded, "Kneel and apologize, small bandit, and I would allow you to utter your last words before I crush you like the ant you are."

...wow, this guy didn't just LOOK richer than the most, he talked quite rich as well. I was convinced in my heart, this was the ideal prey I was searching for.

When the guy realized that I was only staring at him with my eyes wide open, his disdain grew as he muttered, "Heh, you wouldn't even know what hit you."

Again... wow, how was this guy so prophetic? Guess, I would never know.

After he finished speaking his part disdainfully, he... closed his eyes and started chanting his spell.

His mana was causing waves of fluctuations. This guy... he was perhaps telling me it was going to be a fire-elemental spell from those waves. Well, I was quite a novice mage myself so I knew the chants for the particular spell he was casting as well.

He could have tried to take me out with an instant-cast spell, which I was trying to protect myself from since the beginning.

So, when he finally started chanting, I realized that I was just overestimating the brain matter between his ears.

I sneaked slowly, keeping my footsteps low and subdued, behind him and prepared to hit his head, but then I remembered that his head was probably quite thick and so I aimed at the nape of his neck.

By this time, the guy had prepared his spell as well, but by the time he opened his eyes, it was too late. In front of him was the girl, his presumed future wife that he had come to protect.

Why was she there? Well, he didn't get the chance to ask her before he let out an ugly "Euhk," sound and dropped like a domino.

I clapped my hands to grab Swan B's attention and ordered her to tie him up as well, of course only in his underpants. His other clothes were, ahem, worth donating to poor manual laborers like me.

Swan A was still pretending to be out cold and the two heroes were also out. So after Swan B tied up the two dumplings, she sat beside me as I was adding up the sum that I could fetch from everything the second hero carried, but my fun musing was interrupted by the arrival of the third hero.