Hazuki, bursting with excitent, rushed into the cave—only to be swallowed by complete darkness.
"Damn! I got no torchlight!" he muttered, stopping in his tracks.
Then, a sudden thought struck him. His grin widened.
"Wait a minute... I got magic!"
He focused, channeling his mana into his sword.
"Light, light, light!"
A soft glow flickered at first, then suddenly—FWOOOSH! The sword radiated a bright white light, illuminating the rocky cave walls around him.
"Oh!!! Now it’s bright!" He grinned triumphantly.
"Alright! Let’s get that treasure!"
With his glowing sword in hand, he strode deeper into the cave.
"If sothing appears, I just slash them like this!"
"Hya!" Swing to the left.
"Hoh!" Swing to the right.
"Haiya!" Upward swing!
Hazuki grinned, admiring his own flashy movents. His glowing sword illuminated the cave walls as he struck random poses like a battle-hardened warrior... or maybe just an overenthusiastic idiot.
"Light? Check! Weapon? Check!"
He puffed out his chest and pointed dramatically ahead.
"Alright! Let’s get the treasure! MY TREASURE!"
"Hmmm? Oh, what is that?"
Hazuki squatted down, eyeing a beautiful stone that glowed faintly in the dim cave.
"Oh, this one looks nice." He picked it up.
Tossing it into his pouch, he continued walking deeper into the cave. But sothing was strange—the further he went, the brighter the cave beca.
His grin widened.
"Ohhhhh!!"
Excitent surged through him as he quickened his pace. Treasure! He could feel it—his destiny was just ahead!
When he arrived, he was t with an unexpected sight—a small, beautiful pond reflecting the glow of countless enormous, unknown crystals in the middle of the cave. The colors shimred, casting an ethereal glow around the cavern.
Hazuki stood there for a mont, srized.
"Looking at it... beautiful..."
Then he shook his head.
"But... h. Later, crystal."
While walking, Hazuki scratched his head, a puzzled look on his face.
"No monsters so far... only these beautiful crystals. Weird."
His eyes darted around the cavern walls, glowing with an eerie radiance.
"And the deeper I go... the brighter it gets?"
Sothing about it felt unnatural. Normally, caves got darker the deeper one ventured, but here, it was the complete opposite. Yet, his excitent for treasure outweighed his curiosity.
"Ah, whatever! Bright cave, dark cave, as long as there’s treasure at the end, who cares?!"
With that, he pressed on, his pace quickening.
Hazuki continued walking, his eyes scanning the glowing crystals around him.
"Hmmm... This is surprising. Looks like this cave has built-in lamps?" he mused, rubbing his chin. "Not that I’m complaining. Saves the trouble of wasting mana."
He smirked as he admired the cave. "If this place were in Japan, it would definitely be a pri tourist spot. They’d slap so overpriced entrance fees, add a few souvenir shops, and boom—instant money."
His grin widened. "I wonder how many beautiful places exist in this world. Well, once I beco rich, I’ll travel everywhere. Yeah, that’s the dream!"
"And maybe I’ll find Ellyn and bring her too..." Hazuki mumbled, but then suddenly stopped in his tracks and squatted down.
"Haaa... why am I thinking about her now?" He sighed, looking at his hand—the Pinky Promise Oath Ring still firmly stuck on his finger, unremovable no matter what he tried.
"She’s still a kid, Hazuki! Damn it!" He shook his head, trying to knock the thoughts away.
A mont of silence passed before he sighed again.
"...Well... maybe I kinda miss her."
Then he smacked his own cheeks. "Oi, Hazuki! Snap out of it!"
He stared at the ring again.
"Eight more years... haaa..."
With another deep sigh, he pushed himself up and continued walking deeper into the cave.
anwhile, in Lucia Town.
Duke Belard’s assassin units—comprised of various beastkin races—were scattered around, disguised as peddlers and common civilians, blending seamlessly into the town. Their mission: locate a black-haired human male.
The leader of the unit, a tall, fox-eared beastkin dressed as a rchant, listened to the latest report.
"Leader, we couldn’t find any human with black hair here."
"Hmmm... Are you sure?" he asked, his golden eyes narrowing.
"Yes, leader. We checked every possible location. If he was here, he must have already left, or the information we received was wrong."
The leader tapped his chin, deep in thought. Could it be a false lead? Or is soone covering his tracks?
Before he could continue pondering, a sudden noise caught his attention—a loud thud, followed by an irritated voice.
He turned his gaze toward a nearby alleyway, where a noblewoman stood, aggressively kicking a wooden crate. Her elegantly styled hair and luxurious dress contrasted sharply with her behavior.
Then he heard her muttering.
"How many damn questions did that bitch want to ask?! Ugh, I really wanted to kill her!"
The assassin leader’s ears perked up.
Oh? Now this is interesting.
Without hesitation, he adjusted his posture, shifting his disguise seamlessly. His rchant’s attire lted away, replaced by the refined air of a nobleman. Straightening his jacket, he walked toward the fuming woman, a charming smile on his lips.
"My, my~ what do we have here?" he said smoothly, his voice laced with amusent.
Junna imdiately froze, her foot still mid-kick against the poor wooden crate. Her head snapped toward the voice.
A well-dressed nobleman with an elegant aura approached her with a charming smile.
But she quickly adjusted her expression, flipping the switch back to ’Lady Charlotte’ mode. With a graceful turn, she placed a hand on her chest and sighed dramatically.
"Oh dear... forgive , kind sir," she said with a lancholic tone. "I was just... terribly frustrated. You see, so people simply do not understand the aning of urgency."
The ’nobleman’ smiled knowingly.
"Oh? I see. A noblewoman with such fire... how fascinating," he chuckled. "Perhaps I can be of assistance, my lady?"
Junna’s eyes narrowed slightly. This guy... sothing’s off.
But she maintained her act.
"That depends," she said with a charming smile. "Do you happen to know of a certain black-haired adventurer?"
The ’nobleman’ raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Looking for soone, are we?"
Junna’s smile didn’t waver.
"Perhaps."
The "nobleman" smirked, then bowed slightly.
"Pardon , Junna... Oops, I an, Lady ’Charlotte.’"
"Tch! It’s you, Friskle. What a sight."
Junna scoffed, rolling her eyes before shifting her form. The elegant noblewoman disguise lted away, revealing her true self—a stunning rabbit beastkin in a tight black suit, her long ears twitching in irritation.
"What are you doing here, foxy?" she sneered, folding her arms.
Friskle, the smug fox beastkin, chuckled. "Ah, nothing serious, ’bunny girl.’ Just sightseeing."
Junna scoffed. "Sightseeing, my ass! Don’t play dumb with ."
Friskle chuckled, his fox-like ears twitching slightly. "Now, now, no need to be so hostile, dear ’bunny girl.’ We’re both just doing our jobs, aren’t we?"
Junna crossed her arms, her foot tapping impatiently. "Cut the crap, Friskle. What does Duke Belard’s pet fox want in Lucia Town? Don’t tell you’re also looking for a certain black-haired human?"
Friskle grinned. "Oh? Now that’s interesting. Seems like we’re after the sa prey."
Junna clicked her tongue. "Tch. So you are looking for him. Well, too bad, foxy, because I got to him first."
Friskle’s eyes glead mischievously. "Got to him first? Oh my, Lady Charlotte, does that an you know where he is?"
Junna smirked but didn’t answer.
Friskle let out a low whistle. "Now, that’s quite the reaction. So, do tell—what’s so special about this black hair human fellow?"
Junna turned away. "None of your business."
Friskle’s smirk widened. "Oh, but you made it my business, dear bunny girl. And let’s not forget—we foxes are very, very persistent."
( End of Chapter )
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