Chapter 7: Hunting Trip
Lumin did not take his father's scarf out of nostalgia, nor out of respect for his memory, but because the scarf was the only thing he could use in the Link Pathway ritual. To him, the keepsake he had received from his father was nothing compared to the possibility of returning his sister to normal.
Rather than killing one of the farm animals at the edge of the city and arousing suspicion and unease among its owners, he chose to hunt during the hunting trip and take the leg bone of one of the creatures they hunted. He did not want to add new fear to the faces of the small city's residents... and beyond that, a hunting trip seemed less conspicuous and more in line with what he had done in the past.
Lumin chose to walk on foot instead of taking a carriage.
After some time, he passed by a small bakery run by an old man.
He took his wallet from his trouser pocket and counted how much money he had left. He found four one-pound bills, along with fourteen silver coins and twenty-three bronze coins.
Lumin approached the door after passing two tables near the entrance. At one of them sat a man wearing a black robe. Lumin felt a gaze brush against his back, but he did not turn around.
Before his eyes stood a thin old man. Even with his hunched back, he was taller than the average citizen of the Kingdom of Fajin. The old man had wrinkles on his face that suggested he was over seventy.
Lumin approached the counter table and spoke respectfully. "How are you?"
The old man stared at Lumin for a while and said loudly, "What? Speak louder."
Lumin sighed and shouted louder. "Has your health gotten better?"
After hearing him, the old man replied, "Yes, yes, I am in perfect health. I would even be able to go on a hunting trip if I were not busy in the shop."
Lumin took one silver coin and three bronze coins from his wallet and placed them on the counter while speaking. "I see. I want two cheese-filled ones, and one plain one."
The old man nodded and took the money from the table while saying, "Would you like to eat breakfast here?"
Lumin remained silent for a moment to think before speaking. "I will only eat the bread here. I will give the cheese to people I am going to visit shortly. Put them in a bag."
The old man nodded and slowly walked toward the back door.
Lumin left the bakery and went to the empty table outside. When he sat down, he noticed that the man in the robe was watching him while eating a piece of bread and holding, in his other hand, a cup with a few ice cubes and wine inside.
Lumin's eyes met the eyes of the robed man, and he recognized his identity.
The robed man stood from his table and approached Lumin.
He sat in the chair across from Lumin at the same table and said, "It seems that you have moved past her disappearance."
Lumin remained silent for a while before sighing and saying, "Do you think so?"
The man beneath the robe broke off a piece of bread with his hand and held it out to Lumin while saying, "I heard you are going back to the hunting club..."
Lumin took the piece of bread and spoke. "Yes... I need money."
The man beneath the robe bit into his bread before saying, "You can still come and work with me. You will become an apprentice assistant, and you will receive proper training from my assistant before he retires."
Lumin laughed before saying, "And become the count's assistant? No, no, I will refuse your offer."
Count Vicoth smiled before taking a sip of the cold wine and saying, "When you joined the hunting club four years ago, you were able to show your intelligence and strength. It would be a loss not to use your intelligence in the place where it belongs..."
Lumin looked at the wine in the count's hand and said, "You are only saying this because of your goal of developing the city."
Count Vicoth smiled on his face and chuckled a little. "You will earn money and your city will develop. What is the problem with that?"
Lumin responded directly, "There is no problem with that... but as I told you before, if I become your assistant, I will have to go to your mansion all the time. That does not suit me."
He sighed slightly before continuing. "Why did you come to me instead of hiring a certified assistant? I have no experience."
The count took a sip of wine and said, "I see that things have become mixed up for you."
The count stood up and continued speaking. "Assistants from private associations, such as the nobles' association, have notable advantages, but they lack the most important thing for any assistant... trust."
He sighed a little before continuing. "Do not take my next words negatively, but I am certain that you are a genius unlike any other in the city or nearby cities. However, I do not think you are the only genius in the province, and you are still far too distant from becoming a prodigy..."
Lumin said, "Your words contradict your actions. This is the second time you have sent me your offer in the last six months. Why do you keep asking me when there are other people besides me?"
The count answered directly, "Wouldn't it be better to hire someone who knows the city and all its streets instead of a stranger? Just because you rejected the offer twice does not mean I should stop trying."
The count moved away from Lumin while speaking without giving him room to reply. "Since you have decided to return to the hunting club, do you know about the Walkers?"
Before Lumin could answer, a girl came out of the bakery and placed two bags on Lumin's table.
Lumin thanked her and waited until she returned to the bakery before continuing his conversation with the count. "I heard some talk. Rituals that grant people extraordinary abilities."
The count spoke while turning his back on Lumin and walking away. "Only that? There are many hidden dangers beneath the water weeds... Become my assistant and you will know much more, and you will become a true Walker..."
Lumin said no more and watched the count walk away from the bakery.
He saw him approach a gray carriage and climb into it without speaking to the driver. Its gray color was what made Lumin realize it was the count's carriage.
He kept watching the carriage until it moved away from the path.
After the carriage left, he glanced at the table and noticed that the count had forgotten his cup of cold wine.
A faint smile appeared on his face as he said, "Today's breakfast will be good."
...
Lumin left the Daisker house before Dico and Fiona.
Fiona placed one hand on her belly and held Dico's elbow with the other before saying in a soft tone, "I think it would be better if we go slowly. That is okay, right?"
Lumin knew Fiona was speaking to him. He slowed his pace without turning around and replied in a calm voice, "That is fine. There is still time before the hunt begins."
Dico spoke and asked Lumin, as a former member of the hunting club like Lumin, "How is the club? I noticed more people wearing hunting suits than before."
Lumin sighed before saying, "Well... it is plotting something."
Lumin stopped for a brief moment and continued without giving Dico a chance to respond. "Two weeks ago, the club went on an expedition, but they returned five days later than scheduled with some dead bodies. Do you know why?"
He did not give Dico a chance to answer and immediately continued, "A rumor spread from the inn tavern that a live unicorn had been found, and that they were trying to hunt it... And it seems to me that the matter has gone beyond being a rumor, and now everyone wants to join the club to find it."
"But Lomet did not explain the reason for the delay, and he did not say anything about the rumor. He even did not mention the reason for today's trip. That is why I think there is a conspiracy."
After Lumin fell silent, Dico spoke. "A unicorn... what is that creature?"
Fiona drew a faint smile on her face before laughing lightly and saying, "You do not know it because you were sleeping during history class."
Dico shrugged and said indifferently, "I was not interested in the history of the Red Moon..."
Lumin drew a faint smile, as if remembering his past when he was a child, and said, "It is an extinct creature: a white horse with a spiral yellow horn. It has wings extending from its back and can fly with them, and it can transform into a human form."
"The Red Moon records state that Zarmitchel was a loyal friend to one during the beginning of his journey. In humanity's first decisive battle, his friend suffered fatal injuries in order to save him. The unicorn asked Zarmitchel to take a bite of its flesh... and that made Zarmitchel stop aging."
Dico interrupted Lumin. "Eternal youth..."
Lumin nodded. "Yes... Lomet will neither deny the rumors nor support them, and that has increased people's greed for eternal youth. He gained many people to his club because of this rumor."
Fiona spoke and gave her opinion. "Isn't it strange for rumors to spread this far? A mythical creature that is supposed to have gone extinct in the First Era or before suddenly reappears? If I were in his place, I would not spread rumors—I would try to hunt it myself."
Lumin spoke in agreement with Fiona. "That is why I think it is a conspiracy... He spread the rumors to add more people to the hunting club. His profits will rise this way..."
Dico frowned and asked, "I do not think so... Why would he do that? If too many beginners join him, he would have to pay a lot of money in compensation for their lives."
The three fell silent for a few seconds before Lumin decided to speak. "I think it has something to do with Vicoth, but I do not know the reason."
Dico spoke in a decisive tone. "I do not think he has anything to do with it..."
He paused briefly to arrange his thoughts and continued. "Yes, one of his followers may have spread the rumors in the inn, but the count has nothing to do with this. Lomet wanted to cover up the death of his followers by spreading rumors about the unicorn. The families of the dead will back down from demanding an investigation in order to take a share of its flesh later, for heaven's sake."
He lowered his voice and added bitterly, "Compare the two: a leader who lost all his followers is worthless, and a leader who sacrificed his followers for the sake of hunting a mythical creature mentioned in church records."
"The difference between them is like the sky and the earth. Wait until you reach the square—Lomet gained many men, and there are even people from neighboring cities and villages. It is a complete cover-up from him."
Fiona frowned and said with clear concern, "Even so, why did no other club intervene? They also lost some of their men."
Dico was silent for a moment before adding in a low voice, "Of course they lost some of their men, but they did not stop in place and ignore the matter. No doubt they sent some of their men as spies. This is an opportunity that will not repeat."
...
The three reached the house, and Lumin stepped forward to open the door. It gave a soft creak, as though the house were waking up to their arrival.
Lumin handed the house key to Dico before saying in a calm voice that carried no trace of exhaustion, "I bought some food and necessities."
Dico looked at the house and said, as though his eyes were trying to anticipate what might happen, "Do you expect Litch or someone else to come to the hunt?"
Lumin took a deep breath, turned his gaze for a moment toward the village's northern front, where the wind lightly moved the trees, and said, "I think so... It is impossible for them to ignore the rumors about the unicorn when they are searching for mysterious and supernatural things."
Fiona intervened, and her chest tightened suddenly. "You have to come back."
Lumin nodded slowly, then drew a faint smile on his face—a smile that did not hide the danger so much as challenge it—and said, "I will not die before your stupid husband does."
...
Lumin left the village, carefully following a group of people. His footsteps matched the damp ground beneath his shoes. He looked ahead and behind, which made him realize that the number of people in the trip exceeded a thousand. Most of them were between seventeen and forty years old. He noticed that some of their bodies were tense and ready for any confrontation, while most of them were engaged in side conversations.
After some time passed, Lumin noticed that the group in front of him had stopped walking.
His feet stopped automatically as well. Within a few moments, everyone on the trip had stopped, and a strange silence spread through the forest.
Suddenly, a loud voice rose from among the shadows, cutting through the silence with its sharp tone: "Our numbers are enormous, and that may cause problems later... That is why we have decided to use a strategy to make the journey and the search for creatures in the area easier. From now on, every five people must form a group and work together. The groups will move behind leaders we choose specifically."
"You have one hour to form your groups and determine your team members."
The voice paused for a moment before continuing. "Every person who hears their name must come forward... Kris Lund, Hams Lawn, Kristy Russell..."
The man called the names of fifteen men and ended with Lumin's name.