I’m Hunting My Enemy - Chapter 8

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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8. Mercenary Employment (3)

The worry I had from the moment I first saw the Duke’s daughter’s party had become reality.

Glem, who was about to step forward first, stopped when he saw the knights immediately enter combat stance.

‘Never mind. At that level, I’m more worried about the lives of those who attacked.’

However, Glem soon changed his mind and stood up again. This was because those who attacked Ryuie’s party weren’t just clumsy bandits, but villagers who appeared carrying farming tools.

“Come out right now!”

“Who are you!”

“How dare you give orders!”

The villagers hesitated upon seeing the knights but didn’t back down. Instead, they gripped their pickaxes and hammers tightly with faces full of venom. Ryuie, guessing there must be some circumstances, pushed past the knights and walked out.

“It’s dangerous, Miss!”

“What are you all doing right now?”

The villagers momentarily forgot their words upon seeing Ryuie. Even without adornment, a rare beauty was enough to make them temporarily forget their purpose. Fortunately, one villager with sufficient anger came to his senses and raised his fist.

“Who brought this!”

“Tell us what you know!”

Despite the harsh voices ringing loud enough to deafen, Ryuie carefully observed the object clutched in the fist.

“That’s something I brought, isn’t it?”

It was a quite familiar portrait.

“As expected!”

“This witch! You were in on it too!”

“Watch your words!”

Ryuie quickly raised her hand to stop the knight’s words. Her eyes gleamed as if she had spotted prey.

‘They recognized the Crown Prince’s portrait?’

There’s no better time to hear a story than when the other party is angry. Moreover, it seems they don’t even know who’s drawn in the portrait yet. This is a good opportunity to hear about the missing Crown Prince’s whereabouts.

“Where does a lowly thing dare to babble?”

Ryuie deliberately provoked their anger.

“What did you say?!”

“You’re the one talking without knowing anything! This person is a fraud!”

“He deceived us and brought a curse upon this land!”

Though the villagers noticed that Ryuie was nobility, their anger didn’t subside. Rather, their momentum grew with the attitude of ‘since it’s come to this, let’s go all the way.’ They held up the picture almost ready to tear it and shouted.

“This person was the same! He appeared acting all high and mighty, saying he’d save us!”

“He made this land, which even the lord abandoned, even more terrible!”

“Just don’t touch anything! Leave immediately!”

“Hmm.”

Ryuie just quietly listened to the pouring curses and resentment. Only Bendam’s heart anxiously shrank, knowing this was absolutely not her personality. Then suddenly, a villager spotted the hard-to-miss long white hair and shouted.

“Glem! Why are you mixed up with them!”

Attention turned to Glem, who was watching from a few steps back. Glem didn’t seem to want to take either Ryuie’s side or the villagers’ side. With his arms crossed, he reluctantly replied.

“I’m working.”

“What?”

“When did you make a contract?”

“Wait. Don’t tell me you’re trying to go to the swamp again?”

“No! We can’t let the curse spread any further from here!”

This time the villagers clamored toward Glem. Just as Glem was about to explain with a displeased face.

Bang!

“?!”

“Wh-what!”

People were startled by the sudden gunshot. Glem also searched for the source of the sound with widened eyes. Smoke was rising not only from the hole in the blackened portrait but also from the gun in Ryuie’s hand as she closed one eye.

“What is that?”

“What just happened?”

“When on earth…”

“Did you just shoot!?”

Shock swept through everyone’s minds like wind across a wheat field. Ryuie, who had made everyone quiet at once, satisfyingly lowered the gun barrel.

“You can’t keep talking about other things. There’s no point in enduring insults.”

“She shot. For real!”

“Are you alright?”

“Uh, uhh.”

The villager holding the holed portrait hastily dropped the paper. Bendam wondered whether cursing at the Crown Prince’s portrait was a bigger crime, or shooting a hole straight through it was a bigger crime.

‘…Let’s not argue. It’s fine if we don’t get caught.’

For that, Ryuie shouldn’t report these villagers. Bendam anxiously looked back and forth between Ryuie holding the gun, the villagers, and Glem. And he placed a thread of hope in Glem.

Since Glem seems to know them, surely he’ll mediate, right?

With a face that seemed to have much to say as expected, Glem questioned.

“Guns are illegal weapons!”

No, that’s not the point.

The bewildered villagers and the reprimanded Ryuie simultaneously looked at Glem.

“A mercenary talking about law?”

“I’m saying this because there’s a reason they’re banned!”

Click, thunk. The sound of reloading bullets rang out as Ryuie smiled.

“Well, to live without following the law, you’d need to know the law well. Right?”

“That was illegal? Guns?”

“It’s not that we can’t use them because they’re expensive?”

“…Both.”

As the villagers murmured, Glem answered curtly.

Of course, if it was in the hands of a Duke’s daughter, it wouldn’t be something made with ordinary effort.

Guns were weapons more dangerous to surroundings than to oneself, as they could fire in wrong directions from small impacts.

‘…It really resembles its owner.’

Glem, who could roughly gauge the weight just by watching it being wielded, noticed it was a tool with considerable magic applied, not just iron parts replaced with wood.

Looking at Ryuie’s gun as if viewing a powder keg about to explode, Glem demanded.

“Let them go, Duke’s daughter.”

“Why should I?”

“They didn’t intentionally try to insult the Crown Prince.”

“Crown Prince?”

People murmured again. This time Ryuie didn’t stop them, so a knight stepped forward to explain instead.

“The person drawn in that portrait is His Highness the Crown Prince. Show proper respect!”

“Really?”

“But then why did the Crown Prince come all the way here to us…”

“Shh.”

Finally, the villagers fell silent under Ryuie’s gaze. There’s a limit to being insolent.

Crown Prince, they say. If it were just some ordinary lord, one might feel like talking back. Suddenly it’s the Imperial family.

As soon as they roughly guessed Ryuie’s identity, the villagers instantly shut their mouths.

“When was the last time you witnessed His Highness the Crown Prince?”

A knight began investigating on Ryuie’s behalf. In any case, finding someone who recognized the Crown Prince’s portrait was a great harvest. The villagers absolutely refused to speak. It was better when they were attacking, calling her a witch.

“Tell us in detail. Only then will I feel like pretending not to know what you did.”

“We don’t know anything.”

“That’s exactly the problem.”

Ryuie chuckled at the awkward honorifics. The target of her laughter blushed with embarrassment.

He was a young man who had just reached adulthood with bright red hair. His slightly wavy hair was somewhat cute, unsuited to the situation.

Enough for Ryuie, who was about to laugh it off, to look at him more carefully.

As Ryuie’s gaze lingered, Glem’s head also turned in the same direction. Seeing Ryuie looking at the man in this situation, his expression turned cold.

‘Another oath activation candidate? This is really ridiculous.’

Intrigued, Ryuie approached with the gun barrel lowered.

“You. What’s your name?”

“Huh?”

“You, the red-haired one.”

“M-my name is Mos.”

“Right. So, Mos. I have some things I’m curious about.”

When the beautiful noble lady suddenly started speaking to him in a friendly manner, Mos stammered in confusion. The people around them also couldn’t grasp the situation and hurriedly sent signals.

“Don’t answer her!”

“Who knows what she’s scheming!”

“What? Do you need permission here before hitting on someone you like?”

Mos, who had been standing there bewildered until now, finally had his pupils shaking wildly.

“H-hitting on me? Are you trying to seduce me right now?”

“If someone already has an owner, I need to check first.”

“That woman has a fiancé. Don’t let yourself be fooled.”

Glem interjected with an extremely displeased expression. It seemed he couldn’t stand watching an innocent young man like Mos fall into Ryuie’s clutches.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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