When Your Secret Crush Wizard Took a Love Potion - Chapter 68
“Even though it’s frustrating, it’s still useful. Just one blow of the whistle and the riders on the horses are taken care of, making things easier.”
The vague connections suddenly clicked together like beads on a string, leading to a single conclusion: the stable owner was in on it too.
He would assess the financial situation and travel plans of the travelers renting horses and send information to the thieves ahead of their arrival. The thieves would use their knowledge of the forest to set traps before the travelers arrived, and any valuables they seized would end up in the thieves’ hands.
Some of this loot likely made its way to the stable owner in exchange for providing information.
“When are those guys coming? I’d rather go out and scare people myself than stay cooped up here.”
“If you’re bored, you can play with this.”
The man sitting on the rock kicked a cage near his feet. The rectangular cage made a squeaking noise, suggesting there was a small animal inside.
On closer inspection, the creature inside was a young owlbear. It was so small that it looked like a two or three-year-old child, with black, fluffy fur that made it appear more like a defenseless, adorable animal than a monster.
“What’s a useless insect like this good for anyway?”
The man with the hooked nose clicked his tongue in disdain as he glanced at the cage.
“Look at it. Even though I fed it yesterday, it’s still whining about being hungry.”
An owlbear is an omnivore, eating both meat and fruit, and its appetite is enormous. Keeping it in the cage and feeding it only once a day was akin to torture.
Examining the young owlbear more closely, I could guess how they treated it. Its dark, filthy fur and cracked, missing claws were signs of severe neglect and abuse. Even though its appearance might seem normal at first glance, a twisted, deformed limb was an unmistakable mark of mistreatment.
Seeing the young owlbear huddled up, trying to avoid the kicks and keeping as small as possible, left me speechless.
Why are they doing this? Even if the monsters don’t understand us and have low intelligence, they are still living beings that experience hunger and pain.
“When will this one grow big to have its hide removed? It’s such a hassle to feed it every time. If I had known, I would have just killed it.”
“Come on. Thanks to that thing, we easily lured out the mother owlbear. If we had confronted it directly, we wouldn’t have been able to skin it cleanly.”
The man sitting on the rock chuckled as he patted the large hide tied around his waist. The young owlbear, recognizing its mother’s hide, whimpered pitifully.
“These guys are the worst kind of scum.”
Angel Runport, who had been watching with me from behind the wall, whispered in disgust.
“And where is that guy who was supposed to be back after relieving himself? Why is he taking so long?”
“Who knows? He must be an early shooter, he seems to have a long stream of p-e.”
“D-mn, disgusting.”
The men, laughing and backstabbing each other, were revolting. It seemed better to neutralize them before they realized we were here, so I prepared to cast one of my strongest fire spells.
Just then, an unfamiliar voice came from behind.
“Looks like we have a guest.”
It seemed there were three sentries keeping watch.
While I had been observing, an unfamiliar presence appeared behind me. As the voice, tinged with mockery, brushed past my ear, a sharp edge struck the back of my neck.
It was a mistake. I should have realized they weren’t just two sentries from the start. Or at least, I should have trained physically to avoid fainting so easily…
My vision soon went completely dark.
* * *
“Kill them.”
While my consciousness flickered in and out, I heard a faint voice.
“We need to kill them to prevent any future trouble. It would be a problem if they started talking about how we wore monster hides and committed robbery. Once the guards arrives, it’s game over for us.”
“Wait a minute.”
Another voice intervened, swallowing nervously.
“Both of them look unusual… How about having some fun with them and then selling them into human trafficking? I heard the slave market in the Eastern Continent is still thriving.”
“The red-haired one was trying to gather magic and cast some strange spell earlier. Could she be a wizard? What if she seeks revenge?”
“With the magic suppression shackles on, what could he possibly do?”
My fainted consciousness gradually returned to reality.
