Two adventurers and one dunnir.
A team with a weird combination that no one could ever imagine but bizarre things do happen in every world.
The three of them venture to the Lostin Forest on the next day after making sufficient preparation. Since they're just going to scout the location, nothing much needs to be prepared anyway.
None of them spoke a word beyond their necessity despite already walking for more than two hours.
It is understandable.
Prey and predator will never get along.
From time to time, Traikoda would open his mouth to guide them far into the deep forest.
When it comes to navigating in the dense forest, humans' skills are far inferior to the dunnirs, the original inhabitants of the forest.
Perhaps uncomfortable with this eerie silence, the Master of Detection who goes by the name Royce tried to initiate a meaningful conversation with Traikoda. He doesn't know if he would have another chance to meet a dunirr in the future.
"So, Mr Traikoda, how do you know Lord Viscount?"
Traikoda who is standing on Royce's shoulder this entire time replies with an unfriendly tone, "Is there any reason why I should tell you?"
Royce shook his head vigorously, "No, no, no, you don't want to tell me, it's fine. It is just me being curious. After all, it is hard to meet Lord Viscount let alone form a connection with him. I heard he was swamped by hundreds of invitations every day."
True. Viscount Andrei is the most sought person in the kingdom due to his monopoly over dunirrs. In the past, nobles who tried to recreate Aeglen's success were mercilessly destroyed by them.
Not only is Royce curious but Xenon, the King of Hunter was also curious.
After thinking for a while, Traikoda decided to humour Royce for a bit, "I did nothing special, we were just cooperating because our individual interest is aligned."
"Interest?" Royce asked. Xenon put up his ears.
"Yes, interest. What made you think dunirrs and humans could work together aside from mutual interest?" Traikoda asks Royce sarcastically.
Honestly, he couldn't believe Royce asked him this kind of question. He's getting the impression that Royce is some sort of sheltered kid with pureness and naivety.
Traikoda takes a quick glance at Royce from the corner of his eyes. Appearance-wise, Royce looks like in his late teens or early twenties with a clean and fresh face. Given the fact that he was called a Master of Detection at such a young age, his family must be rich to pour a resource on him and let him sharpen his skills and rise in popularity.
There is simply no way Royce can be well-known at a young age purely by skills. Even if he starts his career early, it is still impossible. Someone must pull strings from behind. Normally, most male humans reach their prime in their thirties or early forties. In this range of age, they had a stable career, a fair amount of wealth and sufficient experience in the real world and its dark side.
Royce has none of that.
His partner, Xenon is a middle-aged man at best. He doesn't have a fresh and energetic face like Royce. No matter how he looks at it, Xenon couldn't be younger than that. His face is full of stress, evidence of someone who went through hardships.
It's unbelievable for two people who worked as a team to experience a different amount of stress unless one does more than fifty per cent of the work by himself. Xenon must be Royce's instructor or bodyguard travelling with Royce under the order of his rich family.
"You're right...There's no way that Viscount will make a connection out of pure sincerity." Royce nodded his head. "However, that doesn't explain why you're helping humans locate your fellow dunirrs."
Traikoda let out an exhausting sigh. He is tired of this series of stupid questions. "Royce, betrayal is not a privilege for humans. Other species betray each other as well. There's nothing weird about it."
"May I know your reason?"
"No." Traikoda outright rejects him.
The conversation ends just like that. Traikoda had no reason to befriend them so he didn't bother to share anything personal.
The trio continues their journey based on Traikoda's guidance.
"Mr Traikoda, have we gone the wrong way? We are not aware of this path." Xenon's hand reaches the hilt of the sword tied to his waist in a split second. Ready to cut Traikoda down if he is planning to do something funny.
However, Traikoda snorted at Xenon's reflexes in the case of danger. He remains unfazed although Xenon is overreacting.
He truly lives up to his title as King of Hunter.
"I never said I'm going to lead you on the settlement you failed to find. I am going to show you the one I know. The mission is simply to locate the dunirrs settlement so it doesn't matter which one we choose."
Both Royce and Xenon nod as Traikoda's words is true. The atmosphere between them calmed down again.
A few hours later...
The sun descends in the west, the forest is getting darker and colder. In their current location, the temperature drops more because of the high elevation. To a point where it is not suitable for a normal human being to survive with only one layer of clothing.
Fortunately, none of the three is normal. Each of them immediately cast the same spell.
'Heat Adjustment'
'Heat Adjustment'
'Heat Adjustment'
The layer of heat covered their entire body like a blanket. The spell gave them the additional heat they needed to bring their body temperature up to a comfortable level. It's a convenient spell to have while travelling due to its little consumption of mana over a long span of time.
Royce's eyes bug out when the sees Traikoda use mana, "I don't know that dunirr can manipulate solaria and use fire magic."
"There's a lot that humans don't know about us. More importantly, look...We have arrived at our destination." Traikoda pointed his finger in a certain direction. "Stay quiet, we don't want to alert them."
They maintain a certain distance from the settlement and peek through the branches and leaves. Because the quantity of firewood used by dunirrs is so low, the smoke rising up from the settlement was barely seen. Moreover, the presence of trees helps in masking it. If not for Traikoda, the two humans won't be able to notice it.
"What do you know about this settlement, Mr Traikoda?" Xenon ask.
Traikoda gives them a brief explanation, "This settlement is called Elid, one of the largest settlements I found. According to my investigation, there are more than 17,000 dunirrs living there. Their strength...Well, nothing notable. I'm sure Viscount Andrei can manage it."
'17,000!' Both of them exclaimed. They found a treasure trove! Each live dunirrs can go up to thirty to forty gold coins in the market. And the price of dunirr-based dishes can go up to hundreds of gold coins.
At this rate, Viscount Andrei will die out of pure happiness when he hears the news.
Xenon calms himself down, "Let's scout the surrounding area and collect information first. I bet Lord Viscount would be willing to buy it with a hefty price."
"I agree with you." Royce nod.
The three spend another hour studying the terrain around the settlement including the possible escape route the dunirrs might use.
Before they leave, Traikoda takes a quick glance at the settlement. Although he can't hear it, he can imagine the laughter and chatter in that thriving community. Especially when it is currently a dinner time.
'Enjoy your last days because soon you won't be able to laugh anymore.'