Chapter 26
Cain climbed up the tree closest to the cave.
Perched on a branch, he watched the cave entrance with a relaxed expression. Gunshots rang out repeatedly from inside.
“Well then… let’s see.”
Despite his cold, crimson eyes, the corners of his mouth were lifted high.
He hoped Melony would fail—hoped that after being overwhelmed by Ira, she would beg him outside for help.
And at that moment—
“If she begs me to save her, I’ll help.”
The more times he helped her, the more chances he would get to savor the back of her neck.
Cain smacked his lips.
It was better to increase the number of opportunities to drink that sweet blood.
He closed his eyes briefly, thinking about something. Then he snapped them open.
“Aaaagh!”
A man’s horrific scream pierced Cain’s ears.
“Tch.”
Cain’s face twisted into a scowl.
“Weakling.”
Muttering to himself, he leapt down lightly.
It seemed the one who failed was Ira.
At the same time, Cain got a sense of just how skilled Melony was. He rubbed his chin.
“So she let him live because of the hostage.”
A flash of light appeared in Cain’s eyes and vanished. His sharply honed gaze locked onto someone who burst out of the cave like lightning.
Without a sound, Cain immediately followed.
Catching up to Ira was child’s play for him.
“Hey.”
He stepped straight into Ira’s path. Ira halted abruptly.
Ira looked terrible—he’d clearly taken at least five shots from a silver gun.
Blood streamed from the wounds without stopping, and his face was twisted with irritation and fear.
Absurdly enough—
“Where are you running off to in such a hurry?”
“Move! I’m not in the mood to talk to you right now!”
Ira’s entire body throbbed with pain. He looked so bad it wouldn’t have been strange for him to collapse and wait for death.
But Ira ran anyway. He couldn’t die here.
Knowing that, Cain couldn’t just let him go.
Because—
“You shouldn’t run away.”
He blocked Ira’s path again as Ira fled with all his remaining strength. Ira cursed as he tried to climb a tree to escape.
Cain, who merely smiled faintly and even crossed his arms, looked utterly at ease.
“Trash.”
Panting, sweating, and bleeding all at once, Ira suddenly let out a bitter laugh.
“You… are you that woman’s slave?”
His gaze fell on the restraint collar around Cain’s neck.
“A hunter’s slave, huh. Did that bitch order you around?”
“Not at all.”
Shrugging, Cain approached Ira without making a single sound on the grass.
Ira narrowed his eyes and held his breath. Just like in the cave, he sensed that if he didn’t escape now, he’d die a dog’s death.
That couldn’t happen.
“…After all that trouble I went through to escape.”
Grinding his teeth, Ira glanced behind Cain. The moment Cain’s gaze followed, Ira bolted in the opposite direction.
“Oh dear.”
Giggling, Cain deliberately let Ira run.
A hunt is only fun when you catch the prey after it thinks it has escaped.
Cain stared quietly in the direction Ira fled—then vanished.
“So this is as far as you got.”
Once again, he blocked Ira’s path.
“Damn it!”
Cain tapped the tree Ira had been clinging to with his finger. In that instant, a gray veil enveloped the two of them.
Ira’s eyes widened. He clenched his teeth and tried to break out, but it was impossible.
Instead, he was repelled by the gray barrier and thrown back.
“What the hell is this?!”
“You’re noisy. Can’t you tell just by looking?”
Cain walked slowly and stopped in front of Ira, who had collapsed onto the ground from being repelled.
“And.”
With a meaningful smile, Cain grabbed Ira’s chin with one hand and lifted his face upward.
“Ghk!”
“Looks like you still don’t know who I am.”
Even the weight of a grown man was nothing to Cain.
For the first time since opening his eyes to this world, Ira felt fear. His body began to thrash on its own.
“Look carefully. Who I am.”
“You crazy bastard! Put me down!”
Ira reached for Cain’s leg with all his strength—
“Ghk!”
His body suddenly went rigid.
“…No way.”
Only then did something flash through Ira’s mind.
His face showed realization—panic so deep he couldn’t speak.
Ira’s eyes flew open.
“You… could it be…!”
“Oh dear. Too late.”
Cain’s other hand plunged without hesitation into Ira’s chest.
Blood sprayed everywhere, yet not a single drop touched Cain.
“Kh—khugh…!”
As the pain intensified, Ira struggled harder to escape.
But that was all.
Before his scream could even fade, Ira’s body—already turning ashen—vanished first.
Only dust swirled where he had been.
“Hm.”
When Cain opened his hand, a round gemstone, deep green in color, lay on his palm.
“Green. Ah, so that’s why his eyes were green.”
Cain let out a mocking laugh.
“Ira. And rage.”
Not an emotion he particularly wanted.
Muttering words no one could understand, he clenched his fist with all his strength. The gemstone, crushed in his grip, did not shatter.
Pop—
In that instant, a green light flashed from his hand and disappeared.
When it was gone, the gemstone had vanished without a trace.
“This feeling… I don’t like it.”
Frowning, Cain tilted his head from side to side. Then he reached out and grabbed the restraint collar tightening around his neck.
Crackle—
The collar reacted immediately, but the electric shock was weaker than before.
Letting go, Cain looked at his charred fingertips and chuckled.
“I’m heading back.”
It still wasn’t satisfying. So there was no choice but to return.
And then, no one remained there.
Despite the difference in their height, Melony carried Glen on her back.
As if used to this kind of situation, she left the cave without even changing her expression.
‘Heavy.’
Carrying a grown man was no easy task, even for someone as strong as she was.
Still, she managed to make it out of the cave.
“As expected of you, Mel.”
Outside the cave stood Cain, as though he had deliberately come out to greet her.
“……”
“Why that look?”
The words she wanted to say rose to Melony’s throat—but she swallowed them back down.
She had rushed into the cave, determined to handle it on her own without his help. So it wasn’t right to say anything now.
‘That damn bastard.’
He’d remained a bystander to the very end, waiting until she asked for help.
Even now, he’d done nothing. That should have been normal—so why did it irritate her so much?
“Did you take care of it all by yourself?”
“Yes. Perfectly. To the point that I didn’t need your help at all.”
“And Ira?”
“I don’t know. I injured him badly, so he probably couldn’t get far.”
“Why didn’t you kill him?”
Melony glanced around, then headed toward a large tree suitable for camping. Cain quietly followed behind her.
“Do I have to kill him?”
“You kill all enemies. Isn’t that your creed?”
“You know me well.”
She dropped Glen to the ground almost roughly and rummaged through her bag. As if she weren’t tired at all, she began preparing camp.
After pulling out the tent, she looked up.
“But that only applies when I’m given a hunting order in Clovis.”
“……”
“If my life is in danger, I kill. Otherwise, I don’t.”
“He was trying to kill you.”
“He was at first. But he soon tucked his tail and ran.”
“Hm.”
While silently pitching the tent, Melony took out Kinaz and held him out to Cain.
“Huh? Kinaz is unconscious?”
“I forgot and wore him around my neck while using holy power.”
“Ah, that explains it.”
Cain took the snake Melony offered and poked its head lightly with his index finger.
“Hey, Kinaz. Wake up.”
But Kinaz didn’t wake up.
After laying Glen down, Melony placed her hand near his heart and began pouring holy power into him.
“Kinaz still isn’t waking up?”
“Well… he took Mel’s powerful holy power head-on with his bare body. Like an idiot.”
“How do I wake him up?”
“Either leave him alone for a few days… or.”
Cain paused, then smiled brightly as he met Melony’s eyes.
“You can feed him the finest blood.”
“Alright.”
Melony answered without hesitation.
Cain froze, utterly speechless, as if someone had smacked the back of his head.
“I’ll give it to him.”
“…Are you serious?”
Melony nodded casually, as if it were nothing.
