“Wollter…” Lena looked at the approaching man with apprehension.

Cain saw the man with a big body. Black haired, thin beard, and wore a leather armor that showed his big biceps. This Wollter walked closer with two other men with him in the center.

All three are Level 1… Is this what I think it is? Cain thought.

“The hell you bastards are doing here?” Oliver spat out, standing near Lena.

“Oh, nothing but a coincidence kid,” the man smiled evilly. “We were in the middle of a quest, then saw the lot of you. Figured I should say hello, considering we’re acquainted and all.”

“Seems like an unpleasant man,” Irene muttered quietly to Cain.

I’m of the same mind.

“You have said your piece. We’re busy here so I don't have time for you. You do your quest and we’ll do ours,” Lena stonewalled him.

“Aww, don't be like that, sweetie. I know you don't like me but a debt is a debt,” Wollter moved closer until his face was just a few inches from Lena’s. “I hope you can get the money ready soon. It would bleed my heart if I must separate a couple of small children from their parents. Slaves have it tough these days,” he showed the grin of a sly dog.

“…I’ll get the money,” Lena tried to hide her revulsion against Wollter, unsuccessfully.

“And all is well should you do so. By the way, the amount is 70 silver coins now.”

“What? That’s more than double of what the village owed!” Lena turned aghast.

“Oh, that’s the total plus interest. Shishishi,” Wollter snickered, his two underlings followed suit.

“No way! That’s a scam!” Oliver looked like he would pounce at the guy.

“But that’s…” Lena bit her lower lip and clenched her hands, at a loss of what to say.

“That’s all I have to say, have fun hunting… whatever your quest is. Bwahahah!” Wollter and his gang left boisterously.

“…Sis Len,” Oliver looked at Lena with worry.

“…You all stay here,” Lena followed them after some thinking.

Lena chased them and Wollter stopped leaving to talk. Paul and the others were too far away to hear what they were talking about and being upwind didn’t help either.

“Let’s go. Back to the camp. We shouldn’t stare,” Paul urged the younger three.

“I won’t leave her,” Oliver growled.

“She will feel more miserable if we watch,” Paul turned around and gave Oliver a pat on the shoulder.

Oliver, although very reluctant, followed Paul eventually. Irene was also unwilling but what Paul said made sense. While she tried to leave, Cain sat on the ground with his back towards Lena and Wollter’s gang.

“Cain?” She called.

“I’ll wait for her here. No need to worry. This way, I won’t be able to stare,” Cain said.

“…” Irene didn’t say anything and let him be.

But I’ll be able to hear, Cain thought.

Because of a certain event and diligent training, Viers/Cain now had an extraordinary sense of hearing, at a superhuman degree. Combined with Enhanced Hearing Arte, he could hear the sound of someone’s heartbeat if they were both in a quiet room.

It wasn’t always active nor perfect. His near-death experience by the hand of a mere Level 1 assassin was a stern reminder. Still, it was very useful. Cain focused his ears on the conversation behind him. Eavesdropping while maintaining a fake façade to all.

“It's final, the contract is clear. This is the sign of your village chief, is it not?”

Lena sounded more and more desperate while Wollter maintained his cool.

“Fair point, I might be able to do something about it. And I’m in the mood of… honeyed persuasion,” Wollter’s hand touched Lena’s chin.

Wollter’s voice made Cain feel so filthy to the point he wanted an immediate bath despite being so far away. Hard to say what Lena felt since she was so close to the epicenter.

“…Let me… think about it,” Lena’s voice was filled with helplessness and surrender, moving away from his touch. She wanted to refuse but the reality of the situation made her unable to outright say rejection.

“You’re welcome to make preparations, take your time. Gahahah!”

Wollter laughed more happily than before. He was convinced the fish had already swallowed the bait. All he needed to do was pull his fishing pole.

Lena stood alone in the middle of a plain. Head downcast and remained still, looking like an image of pity. She needed a little time to organize her thoughts.

She held back her tears and kept her eyes on the immediate future, the quest. Wallowing in pity and sorrow wouldn’t make her problems go away. She led her team here and she would not fail them because of her personal matter. Lena gathered the pieces of her will after being broken and held it close. She had a job to do.

The first thing she saw when she started walking back was Cain with his back on her.

“Cain?” She said when they were close enough.

“Are you okay?”

“...Yes, thanks for asking. Let’s go back,” Lena had a faint tone of gratitude.

“Mm,” he answered curtly.

Lena walked in the front, Cain maintained a few steps behind her. Her red hair swayed in the cold wind. Neither of them opened their mouths at first.

“...You aren’t going to ask?” Lena said without turning her face.

“No need. I’m just making sure you’re okay.”

“...Thanks,” her voice was a touch meek.

They didn't walk far before reaching the recently raised camp. The first thing she did was addressing Paul and the others who looked at her with worry.

“Sorry you guys had to see that. I assure you, there’s no need for concern. I’m okay and we still have a quest to complete. I wanted to see Cain’s mock battle first but we’re running out of daylight. We’ll now go inside the forest, seek the Giant Chicken's nest and areas with Tukuku’s presence. If we manage to find them then great, if not, that’s fine too. Remember, scouting only. Avoid battle as much as possible. We’ll get the eggs when we return later at night,” Lena directed.

“We’ll split into two teams to cover more grounds. Me and Oliver, Paul and you two,” Lena said to Irene and Cain. “Follow Paul’s command to the letter. If he says you run then you run, if he says you hide then you hide. Do so right away, no talkbacks. Got it?”

Cain and Irene nodded.

“We only got one or two hours before sunset. When the sun has fully sunk, whether you find the nest or not, you make the trip back here. Any questions?” Lena paused. “Good, get ready immediately. The camp will be empty so don't leave anything valuable.”

A bit too detailed for my taste… then again Lena is a cautious type.

The party prepared their gear quickly enough then went into the woods with 100 meters distance between them. Lena and Paul exchanged a few words before they led their group into the woods of leafless trees.

Unlike on the outside, the ground inside the forest had a blanket of snow at the height of an adult man’s ankle. It didn't make taking every step like walking on a bog but an obstruction nonetheless.

This was the wilds. Monsters, instead of humans, reigned here. Paul’s expression was very serious, watching for every sign of an anomaly. Irene had her bow and arrow on her hands, similarly on guard.

Based on the team allocation, Lena seemed to think Paul was stronger than her. Because he has to nanny two Level 0s. Or maybe because it's just the issue of compatibility, she and Oliver are from the same village after all.

“Why is there a snow buildup this high just inside the forest?” Irene asked, keeping her voice down.

“Higher mana density in the area. In places like this, the environment can be very abnormal compared to the outside. There could be a desert region despite the winter season or a mountain covered with eternal typhoon. Monsters often appear on those grounds. As a rule of thumb, the crazier the environment means the stronger the monsters inside. All because of mana.”

Paul answered without letting down his surveillance on his surroundings. Irene said her thanks and the scouting continued. 15 minutes in, Cain started to walk a few meters farther than the group to look over a higher ground.

“Cain, you’ve strayed too far. And your movement is bad, you’re muddying our tracks,” Paul reprimanded. “The snow is an inconvenience but we can turn it to our advantage. If by any chance we get separated, follow the tracks we leave behind in the snow. It's easy to get lost in the woods. Particularly during a heated situation when a monster popped up.”

Huh, I actually didn't think of that. Good advice.

“I see. Thanks, Paul,” Cain said.

A rustle on the bushes made the three turn their heads in that direction with weapons at the ready. A few tense moments later, a cute white rabbit showed itself. The tension eased down since it was not a threat.

“Not gonna shoot it?” Cain talked to Irene. “It could be our dinner.”

“...Unsuitable time. We still need to scout and carrying a bloody carcass could draw in predators. Leaving it here after killing it is a no go either, same reason.” Irene said.

Her father was a hunter so maybe she’s right, Cain assessed.

“Right. There’s still some ration in the camp. It will do,” Paul approved.

Time passed and the trio ever went deeper into the woods, combing it for monster trails. Paul made a mark with nearby stones at regular intervals, a set of stones piled together. Cain watched with interest. Must be for direction indicators, the youth thought.

He had experienced going into the wilds before but he was always alone. Cain knew he could learn a thing or two from other adventurer veterans and wasn't ashamed of admitting it.

After some time, Irene filled the silence.

“Mister Paul, do you think Lena is okay?”

“Just Paul, we’re in the same party and I’m only a few years older than you. As for your question… I do not know. And frankly, there’s not much that we could do,” Paul answered.

“...There are people like that guy in my village too. Money hyenas, making wealth at the cost of other’s suffering,” Irene scowled.

“Mmm… she actually has it tougher than that. If you want to help then focus on clearing the quest, which in itself will lower her burden.”

Irene stayed silent, Cain was the same. They kept walking forward. About three minutes later, they finally found a lead.

“There,” Paul pointed. “A Tukuku’s feather. They must be close, keep a sharp eye.”

Cain saw a bluish-white bird feather fall near a tree.

I wonder what kind of monster this Tukuku is.