101 Trill [1]

Flying around the small village, letting my tiny wings carry me in the air, I was surprised to see just how different the two countries truly were.

Even in Essen, which was quite a modest city, all the modern necessities were still present. Here, that didn't seem to be the case. It was like going back 500 years in time, to a time when technology was extremely limited and non-developed.

Houses made of rocks piled upon each other, with roofs made of logs of timber. Somehow, there wasn't that much snow in the village itself, so the dirty, muddy roads were completely visible to the eye.

With the air polluted, because of all the fires that were necessary to keep the population alive, it truly felt like I had entered the polar opposite of Mensch. A feeling that was only reinforced by the fact that the humans were a minority here, with most of the population being different kinds of beastmen.

Bear people, tiger people, bunny people, etc.

There were all kinds of furries... I mean all kinds of animalistic people here.

Landing at one of the houses, I tried my best to get an understanding of where the important buildings were located, but it was futile. Except for the smithy, which was obvious because of the fact that there were large metal ingots stacked outside it, every house looked the same.

'Guess I have no choice but to ask around myself...'

Taking flight, I quickly found a small, empty alley where I could transform into my human body.

Walking out of it, with my long, white hair falling down the back of my gray suit, it didn't take long until I started to get a lot of funny looks.

It wasn't as if I hadn't expected it. Even with me purposefully not wearing my mask, my appearance was extremely different from all the individuals around me.

Still, I thought it would be good to see how they would react, to get a general feel for how outsiders were treated in Kurat.

So, as I was casually walking around, I tried to read the faces of the humans and beastmen around me.

Funnily enough, it seemed like the humans were a lot more apprehensive towards my presence than the beastmen, who just looked like they saw something entertaining.

Even though it was pretty stressful to be under everyone's eyes, I kept on walking tall, determined to not let my anxiety take over.

It didn't take long until my first encounter with one of the locals happened, as a big tiger with a scar over his left eye came up to me.

"Hey, what are you doing here in Trill? Are you another one of those stupid hunters from Mensch who wants to try their luck?"

Covered in striped fur, and wearing leather armor that looked to be above the average quality here, it wasn't hard to conclude that this man wasn't just anyone. Most likely, he was some sort of prominent hunter.

Putting on the invisible mask called courtesy, I started to work my magic.

"Greetings, sir. My name is Jack, and I am, indeed, a hunter from Mensch. Why do you ask?"

The rough face of the tiger scrunched up a bit, seemingly not too happy with my answer.

"You shouldn't have come here. Lots of strong hunters from Mensch die every year because they underestimate just how harsh the lands of Kurat are. You should go back."

'Oh? A softie, huh?'

Although he wanted to appear cold and cynical, the fact that he actively approached me in order to give me advice gave his caring personality away immediately.

Waving my hands, I tried to quickly refute his thoughts that I was on a hunting excursion.

"No, no! I am not here to try and find fame and fortune, I am actually here because I need to go to the capital. There is someone waiting for me there, but I will have to spend some time here before I go."

"Tsk! Fine. If you follow this road you will find an inn you can stay at. Just say that Gael sent you and they will give you a good price."

Not waiting for me to respond, Gael walked away, leaving me a bit speechless at just how bad of an actor he was.

Although I hadn't spent all that much time here, it was time for me to return to my quarters as well, after all, I had a cozy, freezing cabin to take care of.

Sadly, even if I would have wanted to stay at the inn, I had no money. In fact, I didn't have anything of value anymore.

So I had no choice but to go back to the snowy wastelands, where my main body was currently using his divine farmer's weapon like a lumberjack's tool, trying to get enough wood to warm me for the night.

****

[3rd person Pov]

"So, are you happy now, ruler of Mensch? Even after helping you more than our contract dictates, it still ended up like this."

In the king's private room at the castle, the bedridden, armless George had gotten a surprise visit from an old friend.

"What do you want... If you don't have a way to return my arms, I would like it if you would let me rest. You see, I'm not in the best condition right now."

The principal of Ainu would never leave his beloved academy without a reason, and the bedridden man was well aware of this.

Making himself comfortable, without caring about getting permission from his king, the master of Ainu sat down on a chair next to the bed.

"Indeed, I can see that. My student seems to have done quite the number on you."

"That wasn't a student of Ainu, that was a demon. Why else would he suddenly be able to transform like that, and gain so much power in an instant?"

Waving his hand, the principal didn't care about his ruler's desperate attempt to fool himself, only digging himself deeper into the illusions of his own mind.

"If you say so. Anyway, I have come because I have gotten word from the Dreadnoughts. They are willing to cooperate if the conditions are lucrative enough."

George's forehead creased, not unhappy that one of the hidden families had shown their faces, but about what the principal wanted in return for mediating in his name.

"How many?"

"I need fifty. However, I need them to all be below the age of five this time. I assume that they will be sent to me within a month. Please get it done."

Looking at the small back of the crazy old man, the king couldn't help but grit his teeth in frustration.

It was one of his most valuable tools, not just because of how great the academy could foster amazing hunters, knights, and mages, but also because of how vast his social reach was.

However, the price he had to pay was always insane. And this time was no different.

Closing his eyes, George tried his best to not think about the horrible crime that he would have to yet again commit, knowing that it would ultimately be for the future of his country.

****

[James's Pov]

"Hupp!"

*Sching!*

Swinging my purple glowing, enlarged scythe, I managed to kill yet another yeti that was part of the indigenous species of Kurat.

When the burly body of the white-furred monster fell, I finally got a moment to appreciate my handiwork.

I had managed to massacre over 15 yetis that all lived in the snowy valley I was currently in. Blood and guys were strewn out, coloring the snow red around the bodies.

"Hmmm... Maybe they are [D-] rank?"

After my physical rebirth, the manipulation of my element was a lot easier to use, making me now able to, to a lesser extent, mimic the way Loki enlarged the scythe.

I now had no problems using a more complicated version of imbuement, with the only downside being that it cost a lot more mana than just force imbuement.

"Then, it's time to skin these guys... Maybe I should have brought my main body as well..."

Having purposefully left my main body in the shitty cabin in the woods, I was hunting with only sub-me so to make sure I didn't accidentally go ahead and died.

"But man! There are so many of them! Should I just leave a couple untouched? The skin of ten of them should be enough for now..."

'No way! We need all the money we can get. I don't want to have to stay in this cabin, what if there's a bloodthirsty unicorn hidden underneath?'

And of course, I was right. So there was no use in complaining, I wouldn't change my mind anyway.

However, when I started to skin the first body, a sudden glimmer of luck fell into my hands.

As soon as I sliced up the stomach of the yeti, my eyes were met by an orange gem, its insides swirling with energy.

"Seriously?! Did I just find an essence? This easily? Thank you, Theia!"

This would surely be enough for me to be able to afford to stay at the inn for at least a week!

'No! I'm an idiot!'

In my excitement, I immediately pulled it out, unable to remember what would happen.

*Schlurp!, Crack!*

With the broken essence in my hand, completely emptied of any semblance of energy, I fell to my knees.

"Noooo!"