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After that, Merc and Law were able to quickly locate and kill another Belbit before returning to the rendezvous point.

Although it may have been impolite to Ganan, he was nowhere near the Large Tree’s Stump, as they had predicted.

“It’s your win, Sis.”
“According to my calculations, only about 30 minutes have passed since the beginning. Even adults would find it hard to gather three animals in such a short time.”

Nonetheless, this freed up some time for Merc to work on her catch.

She drained the blood of the two Belbits and was able to clean their intestines by using the water from the small stream that ran down the mountain.

She cut down Aryo, a tall, green plant, and used it to carry the water.

The Aryo had a lot of nodes, and the area between each node was hollow. Merc used the hollow parts to transport water. It wasn’t, however, quite enough.

As a result, the entire region was covered with blood, and Law was compelled to look aside due to the scenery and odor.

“C-Couldn’t you have done it somewhere else?”
“I would have preferred to do it near a waterfront so that I could also chill them, but there isn’t one here.”

Merc had been born in a poor village in her previous life, and she had been forced to hunt for food since she was a child. As a result, dealing with the catch had become a part of her. Even if she didn’t have access to a waterfront or tools, she could flawlessly prepare the ingredients.

“I guess I won’t have time to skin them as well. Ganan should be returning any minute now.”
“You’re right, it’s almost time… Still, I think that big brother Ganan will take a bit more.”
“Hmph. If his skill with the bow is as good as he says then he should be back soon. Even if it isn’t, he’ll most likely give up and return. He’s quite easy to give up, that Ganan.”
“Hmph… However, when it comes to you, Sis, that isn’t the case.”
“… You’re quite the smart cookie, aren’t you?”

Merc was taken aback by Law’s words. In her previous life, she hadn’t been nearly as clever as him at his age.

That could have been due to the fact that she devoted all of her time to sword training and had no interest in human relationships. Which is most likely why she didn’t have her first love till much later in life.

Really, it was a sad story.

“Sis, do you think big brother Ganan likes you?”
“If I’m not mistaken, yes. However, he has yet to say anything so don’t go asking him, okay? If it’s merely a misunderstanding, I’ll be embarrassed.”
“… Aren’t you happy?”
“What? Happy? Because Ganan likes me? Why would I be happy over him liking me?”

As she stared at Law, Merc asked with a perplexed expression. Law, on the other hand, only gave a tiny smile and a shake of his head.

If one had to describe his smile, it would undoubtedly be wry.

“My, my, I feel bad for big brother Ganan. He doesn’t stand a chance.”
“You’re right. Considering he hasn’t returned, it’s safe to assume he isn’t fit to be a hunter. Whatever the circumstances may be, he’s just way too slow. I’m quite shocked that he still hasn’t given up.”
“… I didn’t mean that, Sis.”

Law whispered. However, the sound of the bell ringing from the bottom of the mountains, signifying noon, drowned out Law’s voice.
　
With it, the hunting contest reached its end.

“That idiot. Could he have gotten lost? He’s been here numerous times already, that shouldn’t be the case.”
“… Perhaps he came across a Magic Beast he couldn’t handle?”
“Impossible. Almost no Magic Beasts appear in this mountain. Even if they do show up, they are usually timid and will not attack until provoked. Even if you do attack them, you can flee and they will not pursue you.”

Despite what she said, Merc began to be concerned as well, affected by Law’s anxious expression. The nape of the neck began to tingle before she realized it. It was something she remember from her previous life, and it warned her that something bad was going to happen.

However, Merc reasoned calmly that the mountain had no deadly Magic Beasts. And since her intuition wasn’t always correct, she reasoned that she was likely overthinking things.

After all, it was Ganan they were talking about. He had probably wandered off somewhere, completely forgetting about the contest. After all, Ganan had a habit of doing things like that.

“Let’s wait a bit more. If he doesn’t come back in 15 minutes, we’ll go looking.”
“Okay.”

However, even after 15 minutes, Ganan had yet to return. Both Merc and Law were beginning to grow suspicious.

“This is strange. He should have heard the bell, no matter how ignorant he is to the time. Could he have gotten stuck somewhere…”
“Should we go look for him?”
“Yea. If we don’t find him in half an hour, we’ll tell the adults.”
“Okay.”

With one hand, Merc tied her catch to the end of her wooden stick and hoisted it over her shoulder, while the other gripped Law’s hand.

“No matter what don’t let go, okay?”
“Okay… BIG BROTHER GANAN!!!”
“GANAN! COME OUT!”

The two of them walked in the same direction Ganan had when the competition had just begun. They both screamed at the top of their lungs as they walked, scaring the nearby animals, but they paid no attention to them. Rather, they were relieved that there were no animals who wouldn’t be intimidated by their shouts.

“Hey, you two, what’s wrong?”

They stumbled onto a familiar hunter from the elf village, who had a puzzled expression on his face, as they walked, shouting. He was carrying a cage on his back and wielding a bow and arrows.

“Mister! Have you seen Ganan? He didn’t show up when we said he would.”
“Ganan? I recall him asking for a location where he could easily catch games. So I told him about the Leda Trees and how the game gathers there. Although it is just a gathering spot for animals, it is by no means a place where games may be easily caught.”
“Leda Trees?”
“They have a red trunk with needle-shaped leaves. As a result, it’s easy to spot animals hiding in them.”
“… Oh! That tree. Got it. Thank you! You can have this as thanks.”
“What?”

As she spoke, Merc placed the blue bird and the Belbits inside the hunter’s cage. Even though she was remorseful, Ganan’s safety came first.

“C-Can I really have them?”
“Yes. I’ve already drained the blood so use them as you’d like.”
“I-I see. Thanks. I’ll be in the area for a while, so give me a call if you need anything.”
“Will do. Well then, see you!”

Law murmured regretfully as they distanced themselves from the hunter. “Our meat…” He was most likely looking forward to tonight’s dinner.

“I’m sorry. I’ll make sure you eat to your heart’s content the next time, so just bear it for now.”
“I know… Big brother Ganan’s safety comes first.”

Merc raced towards the grove of Leda Trees, silently thanking her brother for his understanding.

When they arrived, they discovered Ganan covered in blood and his clothes tattered.