"Haa... Haa... I believe I managed to escape in time." Balthazar said to himself when he had arrived in an open field. The sight of a purple late afternoon sky made him think that everything would be okay.
As long as two or three archers could get away with some rogues, the old thief believed he could round up more misfits to complete the gang.
But next, he heard the bushes behind him moving and then heard a loud noise, which was the half-wolf crossing the plants. In a few seconds, Luke made it through the woods and reached the open field.
"Wait, Wait! I'll give you all my money!" Balthazar exclaimed in fright as he backed away.
The half-wolf didn't answer him; after all, he wasn't doing it for money. This was necessary to help and protect his gang. Luke was only preventing the number of thieves in Oukiwa from increasing, which would draw the attention of the noble families and the adventurers.
As he had done with the archers, Luke killed Balthazar with ease, for he was just an ordinary thief. The rogues he had encountered on the way back required a little more effort, but all three were eliminated as well.
It wasn't Luke's intention, but he managed to profit eighty pieces of silver from these thieves, which was good. He also recovered all the throwing knives he had used to kill the archers.
Although he knew he had let one get away, he didn't regret this because it was a child. Zeld ran so hard that he felt that his lungs would explode. This was surely the scariest moment he had ever been through.
When the half-wolf returned to the carriage, both coachmen were terrified, but they were alive. The two horses carrying the carriage, which were already frightened in the presence of a half-wolf, became even more so when the bull appeared. Luckily, both carriage drivers were quite experienced and managed to calm them down.
"Can we go to Vasconcelos now?" Luke questioned after getting into the carriage and closing the door.
"Y-yes, sir." said the chubbier coachman. The other, skinnier one, just nodded and gave an inaudible groan.
The half-wolf realized that he needed to be more polite from now on, as he was going to live in a mansion and didn't want to create antipathy with anyone, not enough for them to suspect his loyalty.
"What are your names?"
"I am Albert Jognart." The fat man spoke and soon set the horses to go again. Thwack! The whip cracked.
"I am Alonso Jognart." The thin man said. He seemed to be a little more relaxed. "And you are just, Luke?"
"Do you wish to know my full name?"
"Y-yes."
"You can call me Luke Lange."
"Nice name your family has." The fat man, who was sweating profusely, complimented.
He didn't know that Luke had copied that name from a missing woman he saw on a poster. In a way, he envied that woman because his mother and father never looked for him; however, that didn't affect him today, not as much as a child.
"Are you two from Vasconcelos?"
"Yes...we didn't use to do this kind of service, but our little market broke, and now we needed to work."
Luke was surprised because he could have sworn that both coachmen were quite experienced. As the half-wolf was not very accustomed to making conversation, he soon closed his mouth, and this silence lasted for a few hours.
When night fell, the wagon drivers hit the brakes and switched seats. Now you could understand why they were working in pairs. While one rested, the other continued the journey. If it were not for the road built six months ago in a partnership between the Oukiwa and Vasconcelos guilds, this kind of carriage trip would never be possible.
Since the Matriarch of the Strogueher family had plenty of political and industrial competition in Oukiwa, with the recent discovery of Dungeons in Vasconcelos, she chose to expand the business to this other city.
Several members of the Strogueher family were irritated by this because it risked the market-leading position they had in Oukiwa, but Ayumi was already thinking about the future.
Nathalia Strogueher, the Matriarch's daughter, had been eager since she was eighteen to enter a Dungeon. As she had not yet finished learning all the main skills, her mother asked her to enter only when she had completed her training.
So, she learned everything that the old swordsman Class-B had to teach. Since she could not attend a school like the Academy of Nobles of Oukiwa, she would have to start from Class-F, which was disappointing to Nathalia, considering that she was rated as Class-D by her instructor.
That was why, to help her reach Class-D faster, Ayumi decided to hire someone. Several famous names crossed her mind, but none pleased her enough.
It would have to be someone who would not only sacrifice his own life but would also not be bold enough to flirt with Nathalia.
When Luke appeared in her vision, Ayumi believed she had found the perfect candidate. A scowling boy, strong enough to catch the eye of Oliver's sharp eyes and too serious to be a gallant. Ayumi only feared that her daughter would fall in love with this half-wolf.
***
p
It was dawning. Luke predicted that it would take them less than half an hour to arrive, considering the twelve-hour estimate. Since he hadn't slept all night, fearing more attacks by thieves or, worse, cannibals, he just wished he could get to the city soon. When very close to Vasconcelos, the Strogueher mansion could be easily identified. A house set apart from the others, with a beautiful labyrinth in the front yard.
'Is this a palace?' Luke thought as he approached.
The house had at least a hundred windows that seemed as big as the front door of Oukiwa's bank. On the panes of glass, there were several drawings of people that the half-wolf could not identify who they were; if he could take a guess, he would say they were saints or family heroes.
The carriage stopped in front of the huge staircase, and the carriage door was opened by a kindly smiling maid, who had soon volunteered to carry Luke's bags. He did not allow her to do so; after all, his luggage was only a few clothes, weapons, and money.
With his watchful eyes, the half-wolf could see out of the corner of his eye that a girl with white hair and pointed ears was watching him from one of the panes of glass near the main door. For some reason, just a glance at her was enough for luke's heart to start fluttering.
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