Chương 70: Sir Patrick

"Hmn." Guinevere sighed while looking into her purse. And although her eyes looked as detached as ever, they were narrowed to the point that her nose almost scrunched. She continued to stare at it, and another sigh escaped her. It was not loud, but it was heavy enough that Enel immediately turned to her.

"Is something the matter, my lady?"

"The previous expenditure has lessened the weight of my purse substantially, my lord," Guinevere said before finally closing the purse and tucking it somewhere into her dress.

"We also had to buy a new cart and horses for us as the refugees of the Children of Valir took ours."

"Oh." Enel glanced down at their new cart, then at the two horses Bernard was guiding across the road.

"I… will pay you back."

"You do not need to, my lord." Guinevere shook her head.

"The duchy and the realm owe Widow's Wall for its years of neglect."

"That is true," Lamb said, biting into an apple before she pointed at Guinevere's frilly dress.

"Where did you even put your purse?"

"In my dress."

"Yes. I saw that part." Lamb squinted.

"Where in your dress?"

"In a pocket." Tiny, who was beside Bernard, glanced back before climbing over toward them and joining in.

"How many pockets does your dress even have?"

"That is a secret, Tiny." Lamb crossed her arms, still staring at the frills of Guinevere's dress.

"Why do you even wear dresses like that while traveling? They will get caught on branches, and probably everything else. Look, the bottom is already covered in mud."

"They are useful."

"For what?" Lamb raised an eyebrow before raising one leg.

"It can't be more useful than a pair of these."

"It is useful for hiding large things." Tiny's eyes widened with interest.

"Like… what?"

"It is a secret, Tiny." Guinevere shook her head.

"Ugh. Not fair!" Tiny and Lamb continued to ask Guinevere about her dress for several more minutes before their conversation shifted to another. Their journey continued like that, not exhausting their voices at all as they continued to talk. But a few hours later, as Bernard followed the map, the road disappeared. At first, there were still wagon tracks, but soon, there was nothing but a field of grass and patches of rocks here and there. There was nothing around them, no sight of any trees, even at the horizon.

There were only mountains from afar, and occasional boulders larger than Blackwood Manor. Bernard held the map with one hand while guiding the horses with the other. His face had grown quieter since they left the town. After a while, he looked at the land around them and said,"M'lord. I am afraid we are entering a Monster Region." Lamb's head immediately lifted at those words. Tiny's did too, though for a completely different reason.

"Monster country?" Lamb asked.

"That is what the hunters call it," Bernard said.

"The grasslands here are difficult to map because the monsters nest here, and they are extremely territorial. Most travelers go around."

"How… do the Black Masks move here, then?" Tiny asked. Bernard looked at the map again, then looked around.

"I cannot really discern much as the map is… rough. But they most probably have their own routes. Perhaps they go around, or have a ward with them."

"How… long would it add if we go around?"

"Several days." Tiny quickly looked at Enel.

"M'lord, I vote we go around." Lamb leaned forward with a smirk on her face.

"I vote we go through."

"You are only saying that because you want to fight monsters."

"Yes." Lamb pointed at him.

"We have literally not fought anything except those veilwalkers. Right now, I feel like I am just decoration like Lady Guinevere. I meant no offense, M'lady."

"With what?" Guinevere blinked.

"And I see no reason why we have to go around? We have a living ward with us, do we not?" Guinevere slowly turned her head toward Enel, and the others followed suit. Enel blinked, then shrugged as he looked at Bernard.

"We continue through the fastest path, Sir Bernard."

"Very well, M'lord."

"Ah! Finally!" Lamb slapped the side of the cart.

"Something interesting!" Tiny looked at her weirdly.

"The cult was not interesting enough for you?" This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. They continued deeper into the grasslands, and for a while, the only interesting thing was the wind. Then, just as Lamb began to complain, something moved in the tall grass ahead. It was a large shadow, low to the ground, with a ridged back and tusks curving from its jaw. Lamb's hand went to her sword and her hips rose.

But then, the shadow froze, then turned and ran before they could even completely see what it was.

"Ah! I thought it was going to attack us!" They continued on, and another shape moved near a boulder to their right. This one had six legs and a long tail that whipped through the small parts of the field that had grass as tall as Enel. The thing raised its head toward the cart, opened its mouth… then immediately bolted in the opposite direction. And judging from how the tall grass was moving, the six-legged creature was not alone. Birds lifted from the rocks ahead soon after, each the size of a horse.

And yet, they almost hit each other with how wildly they flapped their wings. Something beneath the ground rumbled, stopped, and moved away from them.

"Aagh." Lamb's face slowly twisted.

"I fucking knew it… but I still had hope."

"They really are all running," Tiny whispered.

"No, they are not."

"They are, though."

"They are retreating strategically."

"From…"

"You know who from." Lamb glanced at Enel, who sat quietly on the cart, looking out at the grasslands.

"M'lady," Bernard said softly.

"One is not running."

"Where?!" Lamb quickly turned to him. He was looking ahead, toward two stones standing near a slope of dry grass. And there, between the stones, was a beast the size of a small horse. It looked thick, with a flat head, a large jaw, and green fur growing in bristling patches along its back. And as soon as the creature saw the cart, it snarled at them. Tiny shrank back.

"What… is that?"

"A grassjaw badger," Bernard said.

"That…" Enel's eyes widened.

"That is a grassjaw badger? I heard from Mother that they were vicious."

"They are." Bernard nodded.

"Even people of the Second Depth could die from them if they are not careful." Lamb smiled.

"Finally." She jumped out of the cart, pulling out her sword as she approached.

"Do… we really have to kill it?" Tiny held onto the cart as he watched Lamb challenge the beast by taunting it. The grassjaw lowered itself, baring its teeth and shaking with rage as Lamb walked closer. But then… Tiny also watched as Lamb slowly lowered her sword.

"It… is trapped," she whispered, glancing back at the cart.

"Trapped?" Tiny glanced at the others, and they all started to step out of the cart. And as soon as Enel's boots touched the ground, the badger stopped snarling.

"Ah!" Tiny pointed at the large badger.

"It's caught in a snare!" Its front leg was trapped in a loop of wire anchored to a buried spike, and blood had already darkened the grass beneath it.

"Must be a hunter, then?" Enel said as he approached. And as soon as the badger saw him, its entire body began to tremble. Its mouth remained open, but no sound came out. And when Enel took another step forward… the beast bent down and began biting into its own trapped leg.

"W-what…" Tiny gasped, and even Lamb took a step back. The grassjaw continued to chew again and again, tearing through its own flesh desperately. Enel froze at this, his eyes widening.

"M'lord." Lamb quickly turned to look at him, and as soon as she saw the horrified look on his face, she once again raised her sword. Before she could swing her weapon down, however, the badger finally managed to rip itself free from the snare. It stumbled onto three legs and ran, not caring at all as its blood dragged across the grass. Lamb moved to kill it, but an arrow struck the creature's neck before she could even take a step forward.

She quickly pointed her sword to where the arrow came from, but the people came out with their hands raised, stepping out from behind a line of rocks. One held a bow, another carried a spear, and the last one carried several snares over her shoulder.

"What in the veil was that?" the archer asked. Lamb stared at them for a while, then sheathed her sword.

"Are you hunters?" They ignored her, still staring at the trail of blood the badger left behind.

"It… it chewed itself free. They usually destroy the traps instead."

"It must have panicked when it saw us," Lamb said as she moved back to the others.

"No," the spearman whispered, shaking his head with a snort.

"These nasty little bastards would have lunged at you even if it had lost all its limbs."

"It was trapped, too. So it should have been truly angry." The trapper approached her trap.

"This one looked… scared. What kind of ward is your party even carrying?" Lamb and the others subtly glanced at Enel.

"We—""A very expensive one." Lamb raised her voice before anyone else could speak.

"Enjoy your catch. We will take our leave."

"Lamb…?" Tiny squinted as Lamb quickly made her way back to the cart.

"Ah!" The archer shouted.

"If… if we may request… can we perhaps join you if you are planning to camp soon? The dark will come soon, and… we would truly be grateful if we could join you? Our ward is… not as effective." Lamb turned around, but before she could say anything, Enel already nodded.

"It is fine," he said.

"The horses are tired, too. But I do have to warn you not to get any unwise ideas… Lamb will not hesitate to take action."

"W-worry not, M'lord." The archer chuckled.

"We're just hunters."

"I know." Enel nodded, then looked at Bernard, who bowed his head and started unpacking their things. The group camped near a giant boulder, with the hunters placing small bells around the fire. One of them scattered powder at the edge of the light, while another climbed the boulder and watched the grasslands with his spear resting across his knees. But even after several hours had passed, nothing came. Not even a single howl or a growl.

"It… is too quiet," the archer said as he joined Enel and the others around the fire, his eyes scanning the dark.

"Quiet is good, right?" Tiny asked. The archer did not look away from the dark.

"Not here. It usually just means there is a larger and much stronger predator walking around."

"W-what?" The archer laughed as Tiny started looking around.

"In this case, I suppose it is because of your ward. It was enough to make the grassjaw bite its own foot off."

"You said these grassjaws do not run…" Lamb, standing with his back on the boulder, crossed her arms.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." The archer nodded.

"There is even a famous tale of them about—""Biting a dragon's toe," Enel continued the man's words for him.

"You know the story, M'lord?"

"Yes." Enel stood up.

"It was one of my favorite stories. If you would excuse me for a moment."

"M'lord?" Tiny blinked, watching as Enel stepped away from the fire and approached the horses. He was about to follow him, but Lamb motioned for him to stay as she followed him instead. Enel patted and brushed the horses, and Guinevere, who remained on the cart to look at the stars, looked at him but said nothing.

"Are you alright, Enel?" Lamb stood beside him, also brushing her fingers along the horse's fur.

"I… am. The budget was not."

"Enel…"

"You saw it, Lamb." Enel closed his eyes and rested his head on the horse.

"It was so afraid of me. I… it reminded me of Sir Patrick. Do you remember him?"

"Of course, I remember him." Lamb scoffed.

"It bit me, and I had like a fever for two days. I thought I was going to die."

"That was… because of me, too. Right?" Enel glanced at her.

"Sir Patrick was so nice to you and Ansel, and when it saw me, it… chewed through the cage you made and ran wild."

"Enel. Stop it."

"They… are so scared of me, Lamb."

"Stop it." Lamb sighed as she backed away and gestured to the horse.

"Look, these horses are not afraid of you at all." Guinevere finally opened her mouth.

"That is because the horses are domesticated, Lady Lamb."

"Ah…" Lamb's eyes widened as she looked at Guinevere, motioning for her to keep quiet. But alas, Enel clearly heard her. Enel looked at his palms.

"My eyes glow crimson, and did I tell you my fangs also grew?"

"W-what?"

"Lamb," Enel whispered, looking at her.

"What if… Tofa was right?" Lamb's brows lowered.

"Who?"

"One of the children from Valir's Crescent." Enel looked back at his hands.

"What if… I really am the scary monster?"