Chapter 115: The Price of Slaughter (2)

“This is where we’ll hide.”

Outside, darkness had fallen.

Daniel led the black mage to a crudely made cart and lifted the leather cover.

“Get in here.”

The black mage still held a black sphere in his hand.

He frowned at the sight of the cart, which had some luggage on it.

It seemed that he was repulsed by the appearance of the cart, which was infested with bugs from carrying livestock byproducts and farm supplies.

He lifted the leather cover with his free hand and glared at Daniel.

“You want me to get in there?”

“…This is the best we can do.”

“Damn, this is why I hate country folks. How am I supposed to hide my body?”

“If you cover yourself with leather, it won’t look suspicious from a distance.”

Fortunately, Daniel’s cart had a piece of leather that he had prepared for tanning.

If he covered himself with leather and moved, no one would suspect Daniel’s appearance.

He sometimes visited the farm late at night.

The black mage climbed onto the cart with a scowl on his face.

Even then, his magic was still aimed at Daniel.

“Don’t get out of my sight. If you try to escape, I’ll kill you right away. Got it?”

The black mage pulled the leather over his head and warned Daniel with a sharp look.

It meant that he would not spare Daniel if he did anything rash.

No matter how much his opponent was a farmer, he did not like having him in his blind spot.

Daniel nodded and agreed with the black mage’s words.

He had no reason to provoke the black mage right now.

If they were caught by the heretic inquisitors who might be lurking around, not only the black mage but also Daniel might be misunderstood.

“I promise you. I won’t get out of your sight.”

“Then hurry up and move.”

“…All right.”

Daniel finished answering the black mage and grabbed the cart.

He often carried heavy loads, but he always got help from the villagers.

Daniel felt that the cart was heavier than usual today.

Rattle rattle rattle.

Daniel started pushing the cart and left the fence.

In the dark night, an unpleasant sound of wheels echoed.

Daniel moved forward with caution, wary of someone who might be watching him from somewhere.

The sharp eyes of the black mage under the leather cover were still watching Daniel.

“Drive as quietly as possible. If we get caught, you’ll die first.”

“Huff…”

It felt like he was carrying a whole cow that he had slaughtered on his cart.

Sweat dripped from his hands holding the cart.

His breath became rough in the dangerous night trade.

Still, Daniel’s steps did not falter.

There was no sound from the cart that Daniel was driving except for his rough breathing and the sound of wheels.

It was thanks to Daniel moving quietly as if he was working.

“Let me know if you see anyone nearby.”

Nod.

Daniel quietly moved his head and looked ahead with a wary look.

There was still some distance left to the edge of the village.

It wouldn’t be strange to meet someone at any time.

As if to prove him right, he saw a lantern flickering in the distance.

Daniel swallowed nervously as he watched the movement of the fire far away.

He followed the trace of the lantern and looked down at the black mage’s sharp eyes.

“There’s someone coming this way.”

“…You deal with him.”

“It would be better if you hid yourself more.”

The black mage lifted the leather cover with an annoyed face at Daniel’s words.

His sight was blocked by more than half under the leather cover.

He seemed to be trying to hide himself as thoroughly as possible.

Daniel looked away from him and looked ahead again.

A young man holding a lantern was approaching him.

The young man with the lantern was a stranger who had come to the village recently.

He had not seen him with the heretic inquisitors, but he was likely to be related to them somehow.

Daniel greeted him without lowering his guard.

“Wow, you’re out late. You’re new here… What was your name again?”

“Oh, I’m Renble. You’re Daniel, right? The one who runs a ranch. I heard from others that you’re the richest man in town.”

“You don’t have to flatter me.”

The young man who met Daniel smiled and returned his greeting.

Daniel watched Renble as he exchanged greetings with him, but he kept his attention on the black mage hiding under the leather cover.

Was it because he was moving alone with a cart in the dark night?

The young man who had followed Daniel to look at the leather approached him with a lantern.

As he got closer to the black mage, Daniel felt a cold sweat run down his spine.

“What are you doing here without a lantern at night? Do you mind telling me what’s going on?”

“Are you curious?”

“If I can help you with anything, even for a moment… Ugh, there are so many bugs.”

Renble, who was holding the lantern and examining the leather, stepped back when he saw the bugs clinging to the leather.

The leather, which had not been fully tanned yet, was infested with all kinds of insects.

Renble looked disgusted by the sight of the bugs, as if he had grown up in a sheltered environment.

Daniel took advantage of his reaction and pushed the cart forward, approaching him.

As the cart full of bug-ridden leather came closer, Renble retreated even further.

“I guess you don’t like bugs.”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t stand them. They look so repulsive…”

“Of course, I don’t like them either. I haven’t been able to take care of this leather properly, so it’s worse than I expected.”

It was common for leather to rot or get infested with bugs if it was not tanned properly after slaughtering.

Daniel, who had spent his whole life skinning animals, knew that well.

He had moved the leather that he couldn’t deal with right away to his farm, and it turned out to be useful for him now.

Renble sighed as he listened to Daniel’s story and looked at the leather.

“Ah…”

“I think it will be a mess if I leave this in the yard for too long, so I’m going to sprinkle some more salt on it and put it in the farm.”

Seeing the leather crawling with bugs, Renble nodded vigorously and backed away a few more steps.

Renble frowned and backed away, and Daniel smiled and tapped the cart.

He was trying to shake off the bugs that had stuck to the handle.

The black mage, who was hiding in the cart, flinched at Daniel’s touch, but luckily Renble didn’t seem to notice.

Renble, who had moved far away, spoke to Daniel.

“Oh, I see. You should be careful on the dark road.”

“I’ve been traveling this long, I know the way even without a light.”

“I guess I worried for nothing. I’m a bit tired, so I’ll go ahead.”

Daniel also gave Renble a brief warning, something he always said when a stranger came by.

“It’s better not to wander around at night. The villagers won’t like it.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Well then…”

Renble quickly agreed and grabbed his lantern, starting to walk away.

But he didn’t forget to turn his head and glance at Daniel periodically.

Daniel sighed softly as he watched Renble get farther away from him and looked at the cart.

The black mage was still hiding under the leather, holding it tightly.

Because Renble had moved to the back of the cart, his view was mostly blocked.

He couldn’t even see Daniel’s movements properly.

“Phew…”

Daniel took his sweaty hand off the handle and rubbed it on his pants.

He was trying to wipe off the sweat that had come out of his nervousness.

As he rubbed his palm on his pants, something caught his hand.

Thud.

Daniel looked at what had caught his palm.

What Daniel had in his palm was a leather pouch that contained his butchering tools.

He had forgotten to take them off in his haste, and they were still hanging from his waist.

Daniel could easily identify his butchering tools even in the darkness.

“Did that guy just pass by?”

A small voice echoed in Daniel’s ears as he touched the pouch.

It was the voice of the black mage, muffled by the leather.

But Daniel had no room to care about the black mage’s voice right now.

His attention was drawn to the butchering knife in his hand.

Daniel’s right hand had unconsciously grabbed the butchering knife.

Daniel’s eyes followed the sharp blade that reflected the moonlight.

“…”

He felt the cold touch of the handle on his fingertips.

The knife was heavy but light, and very familiar to him.

It was like an extension of his limbs, for he had devoted himself to his work as a butcher.

He had taken countless lives of livestock with the knife he held.

He could not comprehend how many lives had slipped through his fingers.

“Are you deaf? I asked you if he went by. Don’t tell me you’re still watching him?”

His hand holding the blade was full of calluses.

Impulse and instinct.

He felt the sensation of the sharp blade through his skin.

He remembered the feeling of cutting through flesh with his fingers.

He also remembered the texture of breaking bones with his hand.

His eyes moved from the knife to the leather in front of him.

“…”

Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.

The moment he faced the leather where someone was hiding, his suppressed heartbeat burst out clearly.

The knife in his hand was cold.

But his eyes looking at the knife were hot.

His blood boiled as he looked at his enemy.

What he saw in front of him was an animal’s hide.

The hide of an animal that he had quietly cut off its throat with his knife.

“If you don’t answer by the count of three, I’ll chop off one of your arms. Three.”

Daniel’s face hardened as he looked at the cart.

There was a livestock in front of him.

A livestock that was cowering in fear, wearing the hide of a dead animal.

Daniel’s hand holding the butchering knife quietly tightened its grip.

His hand moved in the blind spot hidden by the height of the cart.

“Two.”

His instinct whispered to him.

Kill the beast in front of you.

Kill the beast that threatens you and your family.

His rough breathing stopped for a moment.

He held his breath and quietly lifted his knife.

He never made a loud noise when he killed livestock.

“One.”

Breaking bones and cutting throats.

That was the butcher’s job.

The knife in his hand pulsed.

The butcher’s knife that had soaked in countless blood thirsted for new blood.

His hand moved up in the silence.

His eyes were calm as he clenched his knife with both hands.

“Thunder–.”

Thud. Thwack.

His knife pierced through the beast’s hide in the silence.

That was the end of its life.

The silent butcher never made a loud noise.

Daniel, who had stabbed his knife into the thick hide, continued to move the cart.

His eyes were soaked in silence as he looked at his farm.