Hunters: The Prequel - Chapter 253

“Dan! Is everything okay?!” A raspy voice sounded from behind the door. The voice which reeked of old age was full of concern, and Mane could tell that whoever it was thought highly of Dan.

“I’m fine, Old Fan,” Dan opened the wooden door to reveal three figures. Two of the visitors were young, and the last person was an old man. All of them were fair skinned, and standing next to Dan was like looking at night and day standing side by side. The old man held a wooden stick on which he entrusted to bear his weight. His back was hunched, and his head was full of gray hair. His wrinkled face looked kind, and his smile gave one a feeling of comfort. Mane’s first thought seeing the man was, “He looks so kind.”

The younger ones behind him shared a bit of resemblance with the old man. They were a young handsome boy, and a beautiful and naïve looking girl. The boy wasn’t as tall as Mane, but he wasn’t far off. He had a staunch look, and radiated an air of seriousness and calm that wouldn’t be broken even in the direst of situations. His forehead was wrinkled in concern as he looked at Dan. The girl was different from the boy. Unlike the boy who looked like he knew a bit about life, the girl looked innocent and gentle. She was so frail looking that Mane didn’t doubt that a strong wind would be able to easily knock her over. However, just as the boy was handsome, she was very beautiful. He pretty face and big green eyes could generate the feelings of pity in any man, and make them want to protect her. Her beautiful curly hair cascaded down her shoulders and onto her back like a hazy waterfall, and its black color complemented Dan’s skin color gorgeously. Seeing that Mane was gazing at her, she smiled curiously and wondered who he was. However, she displayed her excellent manners by keeping to herself and waiting for the elder to finish speaking.

“We heard a loud noise so we were worried,” the one referred to as Old Fan by Dan struck the ground delicately with his wooden staff and voiced. The worry in his voice was still there, but it had reduced by a large margin.

“Oh that was nothing,” Dan laughed and said. “My nephew and I got carried away in our spar and caused a little damage to our property,” Dan smiled embarrassingly and replied. Mane’s expression was the same even when Dan called him his ‘nephew’. Although Mane had never ventured outside the house, it was a given that he would go outside eventually. After all, the only reason he had never gone hunting was because Dan forbid him from doing so. Eventually, if he was to go hunting, he would have to meet the people of the village. So the two came up with a reliable story for his background. After all, Dan couldn’t go around telling people that he picked up Mane in an Enchanted Forest. In this world where Magical Beasts existed, anyone would be skeptical of a strange boy who was found in an Enchanted Forest. Although Magical Beasts who could assume the human form were rare, some Mythical Class Magical Beasts possessed this ability. Stating Mane’s true origins would only breed suspicion, and put him in danger whenever Dan wasn’t around.

“Oh, I didn’t know that you had a nephew,” Old Fan opened his eyes wide and exclaimed in shock. The young boy and the girl behind him also had surprised expressions as they evaluated Mane with their vision. Seeing Mane staring right back at her, and nodding in her direction, the young girl blushed a little and hid behind the boy.

“So naïve and innocent,” Hildegarde smiled and flew off Mane’s shoulder. She flew around the young girl and examined her closely, like a kid who had just discovered a new toy.

“Yeah. He was staying with his parents. However, a plague robbed them off their lives and he came to find me. He was a bit injured from his travels, so he has been resting all this while. He only recovered a few days ago” Dan lied effortlessly without batting an eye. When he carried Mane back, although it was daytime, his movement speed made it impossible to see who was slung over his shoulder. After all, at the time he was rushing towards his house to save Mane’s life. Thankfully, the fact that no one saw Mane turned out to be a blessing.

This was the story the two had come up with: Mane was Dan’s nephew who lived in a village pretty far from here. Before his parents fell ill and died, they informed Mane that he had a strong Uncle in another village, and pushed him to look for his Uncle if they weren’t able to make it. In this land where medicines were rare, and herbs weren’t always effective, it wasn’t aberrant for plagues and unknown diseases to reap a person’s life. So the story was believable.

Hildegarde who was watching him spin his tall tale, smirked and said to the hearing of the only person who could see her, “And you felt bad for lying to him. Seeing how he does this so well, he seems like a seasoned liar. Who knows how many things he has said to you that aren’t true?”

Mane didn’t bother about her words. After all, Dan was lying for his sake. Besides, just like he was keeping secrets, Dan was also entitled to keep his own secrets. Mane had no right to judge the older man for that.

“That’s so sad,” the girl who was hiding behind the tall youth peeked at Mane and mumbled with a sad expression on her face. She blushed when she realized that everyone was now paying attention to her, and hid behind the boy once again.

“Forgive my granddaughter. She is very shy. But accept our condolences. Believe me when I say we are sorry for your loss. Those two also lost their parents in a plague, so they can relate to your pain,” Old Fan smiled kindly and nudged the handsome boy with his cane.

“Thank you” Mane curtly replied.

The serious looking boy nodded his head at Mane and said, “My name is Lam, and this is Lily. Although we don’t look alike, we are twins.” His voice, unlike his staunch look, was gentle and kind like his grandfather’s. He smiled wryly when he saw Mane’s strange gaze.

“It’s one of the reasons I don’t speak a lot,” he said, understanding that Mane was gazing at him strangely because of how feminine his voice sounded.

Mane shrugged and replied politely, “I am Mane. I don’t care about your voice. And as for you not looking like your sister, I think you look like each other more than you think. Besides, I don’t look like my Uncle either.” His words brightened up Lam’s face, and the slightly shorter boy looked at Mane favorably.

“It’s true. You are fair, and Sir Dan is dark” Lam smiled and pointed out the difference in color between the two.

“Why don’t you come inside Old Fan? Let the youngsters talk amongst themselves. Besides, I just procured some new wine and need someone experienced enough to help me appraise it” Dan smiled as he opened the door widely to allow Old Fan to come in. He pushed Mane out even before Old Fan could reply. It was clear that even if Mane protested, he wasn’t going to budge.

“That’s a wonderful idea,” Old Fan nodded with a generous smile and proceeded to walk into the compound. As he walked by Mane, he stopped and asked, “Have you ever gone into the village?”

“No Elder Fan” Mane shook his head.

“Why don’t you give him a tour then, Lam. Lily, go with your brother” Old Fan ordered and walked past the door.

“Yes Grandpa,” the twins assented as the door closed behind Old Fan.

“You have a strange hair color” Lam pointed at Mane’s hair and remarked immediately. Mane smiled at the question. Although Lily was silent, she was constantly gazing at his hair. Mane could tell that his hair color was strange from the way she stared at it. Because she was innocent and didn’t hide her feelings, unlike Lam who didn’t look too much at Mane’s hair, she had been staring the entire time. Even when she was hidden behind her brother, she kept stealing peaks at Mane’s hair. So Mane knew that his hair must be strange.

“I got it from my mother. Apparently, her father and grandfather have the same hair color. It’s a pity I have never met them” Mane smiled and replied.

“I see,” Lam nodded his head and continued walking.

“Do you want to touch it,” Mane stroked his hair and asked Lily?

“M-Me,” the beautiful young girl stammered.

“Yes. There’s no one behind you is there?” Mane laughed and said. Staying with Dan had forced him to pick up some of the man’s habits. Laughing and teasing another person he didn’t know was something he would have never done before.

“Can I really,” Lily asked, her eyes sparkling with curiosity?

“Yeah. And you don’t have to be so formal with me. I am only 15” Mane smiled and extended his neck out to Lily. He lowered his head to her level so that she could touch his hair. Although Mane was tall, Lily wasn’t short either. She was shorter than her brother, but she wasn’t far behind.

“It feels so soft,” Lily exclaimed as she grabbed a handful of Mane’s hair. She reluctantly let go after sniffing it a few times.

“Are you a dog,” Mane teased when he realized her actions.

“Y-You are just like Sir Dan,” Lily grumbled and moved away from Mane. Mane smiled wryly at the comment, but he didn’t refute it. He was indeed acting like his guardian. Lam laughed happily seeing his sister interact with Mane. Although she looked naïve, Lily had a gift for growing close to people with kind souls. If she was acting so jovially with Mane, then it meant that he was a good person.

“Oi, look who it is. It’s the sissy; and he seems to have a new friend.” An unpleasant voice dented the delicate atmosphere that had been building. Mane looked ahead and saw four boys walking towards them. One of the boys walked before the others, and looked like their leader. He had an obnoxious look on his face as he approached them. Although they were quite some distance away, Mane could see his eyes clearly. His eyes which were glued to Lily were filled with unhidden l.u.s.t. Lily shivered at his gaze and unconsciously hid behind the closest person to her – Mane.

“Hah. Why does trouble follow me everywhere,” Mane thought to himself? However, the smile on his face showed anything but unhappiness at the current situation.

Seeing Mane’s smile, Hildegarde who had long returned to her position on Mane’s shoulder looked at the approaching entourage with pity.

“They just had to come when Mane was already unsatisfied with his battle against Dan,” she thought to herself. But seeing how the leading boy was looking at the naïve Lily with unbridled l.u.s.t and the intent to possess her, Hildegarde’s eyes lost their pity and became cold.

“If they annoy you in any way, you should break their legs,” she whispered in Mane’s ear. Although Mane couldn’t respond, he smirked and thought,

“Only their legs?”