Chapter 12:Regain?

"Ghost?" Ian thought in confusion, as he had never heard the name of the race Zach mentioned. Ian narrowed his eyes suspiciously as he stared at Zach.

"Then, why can't I detect or smell magic from you?" Ian asked while trying to sniff their scent again, staying cautious. Seeing this, Zach just smiled behind his black mask.

"Shouldn't you introduce yourself first? We've already introduced ourselves, you know..." Zach said in a casual tone. Hearing that, Ian was momentarily surprised and decided to reveal his identity since they had also introduced themselves.

"... My name is Ian Leoner, son of Garf Leoner, chief of the Lion tribe from the Beastkin race," he said, slightly bowing his body like Zach had done. Zach was a little surprised to hear that Ian was the son of the Lion chief and looked at Lena, exchanging nods.

"Alright, since I've introduced myself, answer my question: why can't I smell magic from you?" Ian said, maintaining his suspicious and cautious stance.

Growwlll

The sound came from Ian's stomach, which had been hungry since he woke up.

'Damn, I forgot that I was hunting because I was hungry,' Ian thought with embarrassment, knowing that the two strangers in front of him had certainly heard the growling sound.

Hearing the noise, both of them just smiled behind their black masks and chuckled awkwardly, making Ian's face turn red with embarrassment.

"Ahem, ahem, so Mr. Ian—"

"I-Ian, just Ian," Ian interrupted.

"Ahem, alright, Ian. Would you mind sharing that rabbit with us and letting us cook it? We haven't eaten either, and I guarantee my 'wife's' cooking will satisfy you. Ugh," Zach said cheerfully while enduring a pinch from behind as he finished his sentence.

"And I can answer your question while we wait for my 'wife' to finish cooking. Ouch, hey, isn't it time to stop pinching me?" he continued, turning around as the pinching intensified. Lena remained silent, increasing the force of her pinch while puffing out her cheeks.

While the two of them bickered, Ian carefully considered the pros and cons of accepting their offer, weighing the possibility of them poisoning him. Eventually, Ian decided to accept their offer as he sensed no killing intent, however small, from their voices. [Yes, they were only teasing each other, and Ian probably couldn't stand them any longer.]

"Alright, I accept your offer," Ian said with a frown and knitted brows. 'I mean, how could anyone flirt with each other in front of their victim if they were going to kill him? They are just weird creatures,' Ian thought as he watched the interaction between the two.

After hearing Ian's answer, unaware of what was going through his mind, Zach nodded and stopped teasing Lena.

"Ahem, then I'll drain the blood first, and Lena will start cooking. We can talk while we wait, okay?" Zach said after clearing his throat. But, unexpectedly, after hearing Zach's words, Ian tilted his head in confusion and asked,

"Drain the blood?" Ian asked, and upon hearing his question, Zach was also confused, muttering,

"Eh?"

Hearing Zach's confused response, Ian repeated his question.

"Why do we need to drain the blood?"

""Eh?"" both of them said, equally confused. Seeing the two clueless men in front of her, Lena shook her head hopelessly and finally opened her mouth for the first time since the conversation began.

"Beastkin don't have or haven't adopted the practice of draining blood from their prey. It's probably a cultural difference," Lena explained to Zach while staring at the two men.

Hearing Lena's words, Zach finally realized it and muttered, "Oh," while placing his palm on his forehead.

"Well, by draining the blood, we can bring out the true flavor of the meat and reduce the risk of contracting diseases from the meat we eat," Zach explained to Ian, who still had a puzzled expression on his face.

"Is that so?" Ian asked doubtfully. He was unsure if blood truly affected the taste of food and the spread of disease, as he had never seen his race drain the blood of their prey after hunting.

"Well, if you're unsure, just give it a try..." Zach said, noticing Ian's hesitation. Lena nodded along with Zach, although she was still sending sharp glares in Zach's direction.

"... Alright, go ahead and drain the blood," Ian finally agreed. Zach cheerfully responded with an "okay" and immediately walked over to the lifeless rabbit on the ground. He quickly lifted the rabbit and searched for a suitable place to hang it.

After finding it, he took some rope and tied it between two pillars of the ruins, then hung the rabbit on the rope. He then severed the rabbit's head and waited for the blood to drip to the ground. After finishing, he returned to where Ian and Lena were standing, watching him.

"There, it's done. You can start cooking now, 'dear,'" Zach said, smiling behind his black mask, receiving another sharp glare from Lena before she finally turned and walked toward the hanging rabbit. Ian, seeing all this, could only let out a deep sigh, hoping they would finish soon.

"Yes, my 'wife' is shy. Now, before we talk, how about we make a campfire first? Beastkin have a 'spell' to make fire, right?" Zach asked Ian.

"Yeah, we do," Ian replied while nodding.

"Good, so I don't have to rub sticks together anymore!" Zach said with relief, quickly gathering firewood for the campfire. Ian watched Zach with a strange look but helped him collect wood from the area. Once enough wood was gathered, Ian crouched close to the firewood, whispering something while Zach watched in silence.

"... Ignite." After whispering the word, fire immediately sparked and ignited the firewood they had gathered. Zach sat down across from Ian, feeling the wave of warmth from the fire.

"Wow, magic really is amazing. So, what was your question again?" Zach asked, with a hint of envy, then returned to seriousness as he posed his question to Ian.

"You... can't use any magic?" Ian asked, still hesitant.

'If so, how have they survived this long without being able to use or manipulate magical energy?' Ian thought.

"You must be wondering how our race survives if we can't use magic, right?" Zach said, surprising Ian by guessing his thoughts. Ian could only nod.

"Well, our race has nearly gone extinct, at least on this continent. Our mission is to regain a foothold here."