Chapter Twenty-Five: Bait

The wretch’s fingers instantly clenched, and she bit her lip. “I—what did I say?”

Shaya pondered. “You said, ‘Adeline will be scared, don’t leave Adeline behind’... Heh. Hey, who exactly is Adeline? You call her name even in your dreams—she must be your sweetheart, right?”

The wretch’s heart nearly leapt out of her chest. Hearing this, she exhaled in relief, her face reddening as she glared at this bumpkin.

Last night, she had indeed been dreaming—of a scene so embarrassing that she woke with her cheeks aflame: in the dream, this bumpkin cruelly abandoned her in a desolate wilderness surrounded by corpse-eaters, and she, shamefully, clung to his clothes, pleading, “Don’t leave Adeline behind, Adeline will be afraid…”

No need to say it—Adeline, of course, was the wretch’s given name.

“What? Your face is red as a monkey’s backside! Did I guess right? Is Adeline really your sweetheart?” Shaya cried out indignantly. “So unfair! Even a freak like you has a woman! Me, Lord Shaya, born so heroic and handsome, and I’m still a virgin!”

The wretch—no, Adeline—heard the word “virgin,” and the blush that had faded now returned with a vengeance.

Shaya, wearing a wicked grin, leaned in and nudged her with his elbow. “Come on, tell me—are you a virgin? I bet you aren’t! Hmph, you call her name so intimately in your sleep! Hey, are you a virgin or not?”

Adeline, unable to escape his pestering, shot him an annoyed glare and snapped, “No!”

“Really not?” Shaya’s eyes widened in envy.

The wretch nearly coughed up blood in fury…

Poor bumpkin! Foolish bumpkin! Of course she wasn’t a virgin—she was a maiden, not a man…

“Enough, stop asking!”

The wretch finally couldn’t endure it any longer.

Since setting out in the morning, Shaya had behaved like a restless monkey, always sidling up to her, sneaking, snickering, peppering her with questions, and finally, shamelessly, discussing matters of men and women.

“Hey, wretch, what’s it really like between a man and a woman?” Shaya asked with eager anticipation, making the wretch both angry and amused.

“Enough!” The wretch—Adeline—sighed, thought for a moment, and said, “You’re mistaken. Last night, I dreamt of my sister. Adeline is a distant cousin of mine, nothing more—not my… my… sweetheart.”

At this, Shaya was disappointed, but soon regained his balance, laughing heartily. “That makes sense! Wretch, you’re so ugly, I doubt any girl would fancy you! But never mind, the old man once told me, a man’s worth lies in his abilities; looks are just what you’re born with. You may be a bit useless now, but you can always improve.”

After a while, Shaya’s curiosity got the better of him. “That cousin of yours… Adeline, is she pretty? Hey, we’ve spent several days together, and I did save your life. I, Lord Shaya, am unmatched in both talent and martial skill, so maybe…”

He paused, scrutinized the wretch, then shook his head and sighed. “Uh… better forget it. Judging by your looks, your cousin probably isn’t much better. Honestly, Adeline—that name’s rather unpleasant.”

The wretch was furious!

“What nonsense! Adeline is from ancient Byzantine nobility! It means noble and beautiful! You bumpkin, if you don’t understand, don’t speak out of turn!”

Infuriating!

It was bad enough to be considered ugly when she was clearly dazzling, but now even her name was insulted!

…

Still, thanks to the bumpkin’s antics, the gloom that had weighed on the wretch’s heart was much relieved.

They traveled smoothly all day, encountering no danger. The wretch’s worries about meeting “those people” proved unfounded.

But as evening approached, a new issue arose.

They were out of food.

The provisions Shaya had brought were just a few chunks of wolf meat from the bloodthirsty wild wolf he’d slain—not the whole beast, since he couldn’t carry it all, just enough for two people for several days.

Now, however, their party had grown to over a dozen goblins, and the food was wholly insufficient.

Shaya was not moved by kindness, but if the goblins didn’t eat, they’d have no strength to march. By afternoon, several goblins could barely move, no matter how much Lady Princess raged and cursed—in fact, Lady Princess herself was so hungry her vision blurred.

“Looks like we need to find more food, maybe hunt some prey,” Shaya’s gaze wandered over Lady Princess and the goblins, a look that made the wretch silently pray for the hapless goblins. This bumpkin seemed crude, but his methods were wicked and base—falling under his eye meant no good fate for the goblins.

Sure enough…

Shaya’s solution: hunting!

Though this was wilderness, food could still be found.

He kicked out a goblin warrior, ignoring its shrieks, and with his axe, drew shallow cuts on its arm and leg.

Blood flowed at once, and the goblin, seeing its own blood, wailed in terror.

“Quit screaming! Catch some prey and you’ll get extra meat!” Shaya slapped the goblin so hard its teeth were knocked loose.

Then he tied its limbs with rope, dumped it in the open, and pulled the rope long, leading everyone else dozens of meters away to hide behind a large boulder.

The pitiful goblin bled and shrieked, its cries echoing far.

The other goblins showed no pity, gleefully watching from behind the rock. Indeed, goblins cheer at their fellows’ misfortune.

An entire mealtime passed, and the “bait” goblin gradually lost the strength to cry out, but not a single wolf hair appeared nearby.

“May the gods grant us luck—let the scent of its blood attract some wolves,” Shaya prayed devoutly.

“You fiend, the gods would never bless such a cruel, absurd thing!” The wretch was appalled by his brutality.

Shaya glared coldly. “You’d best pray, because if this goblin doesn’t lure wolves, maybe it’s because wolves find goblin blood too foul… In that case, I’ll have to…”

He swept his eyes over the wretch, making her blanch in terror.

“If you dare throw me out as bait, I’ll fight you to the death!” she shrieked in despair, backing away.

Shaya looked at her, then laughed. “Relax, you’re reserved for dealing with the dragon—I won’t waste you now.”

He paused, his tone turning helpless. “What I mean is, if we can’t draw prey… well, we can’t starve. If we don’t catch wolves… we’ll have to roast and eat this goblin tonight. Hey, you’ve never tasted roasted goblin, have you? Neither have I. Heh heh!”

He eyed the wretch maliciously.

“…………”

The wretch was terrified! Her face changed, her limbs went weak, and she bent over, vomiting violently—thinking of the goblins bathing in the river that morning, filth everywhere, only made her retch harder.

“Ha ha!” Shaya laughed, picked her up, and looked at her disdainfully. “Did you really believe it? Would you dare eat goblin meat? I wouldn’t!”

He helped the wretch sit on the ground, but as he was about to speak, his expression suddenly changed!

He dropped to the ground, pressed his ear firmly to the earth, squinting and listening intently. When he raised his head, his face was more grave than ever, battle axe in hand, shield ready.

“Hoofbeats, coming from two directions—a large number! It might be those people!”

As Shaya finished speaking, the wretch’s face turned pale as paper, her lips trembling in fright.