Hunters: The Prequel - Chapter 262

“So how are you going to go about that,” Hildegarde questioned? Mane couldn’t just walk up to Dan and say, “Yo Dan, I know that you are a Mystic Path Warrior. I just want to know if you have any more of that secret potion called Savior. It would be even better if I could get the recipe.”

It would have been awesome if Mane could do that. Mainly because Hildegarde would have loved to see Dan’s expression after hearing Mane tell him he knew his secret. But something like that was a mere fantasy. There was no way Mane was going to do that.

“I don’t know yet, but I would think of something,” Mane replied. He sighed helplessly. This was the first time in a long while that he hadn’t a clue what to do. And that seemed to be how things were going to be in this trial. The Chaos level didn’t focus on one’s fighting prowess. It did assess it. But it seemed to place more emphasis on how a person reasoned, rather than how a person fought. If it was purely based on fighting prowess, there wouldn’t be so many mysteries surrounding the test.

“Well, you better think of something fast,” Hildegarde advised. Mane just nodded his head. He knew that she was right. The earlier he thought of a plan to achieve his goals, the earlier he could set out to achieve them. He wasn’t necessarily on a time limited quest, but Mane didn’t plan on staying in this virtual universe for long. Plus, there was a supposedly strong Village Head eager to have his head.

“Besides, there are more pressing issues,” Mane stated solemnly.

“What do you mean,” Hildegarde asked suspiciously?

“Someone is directing killing intent towards the house,” Mane informed Hildegarde.

“How is that possible? I don’t sense anything!” Hildegarde exclaimed.

She found it hard to believe that Mane sensed something she did not. If he still had access to his numerous abilities, she wouldn’t be so doubtful. However, the current Mane wasn’t the Mane who was a Tetra Wielder. He wasn’t even a wielder in this current build. On this planet, he needed her help to even tell when Dan was approaching his room. That was the reason he always asked her to be on the lookout. She was his replacement for his sensing abilities. So why would she have no doubt when he suddenly declared that there was someone approaching the house with killing intent. It wasn’t even his room, but the house. When did he become skilled enough to sense the presence of another who wasn’t even within the vicinity?

“You looked through my memories right? Then you know that I have been fighting beasts and Celestials for a large portion of my life, don’t you?” Mane asked Hildegarde

“How did you know that I have seen your memories,” Hildegarde had an aghast expression on her face. Mane wasn’t supposed to know that! So why did he?

“You think you fairies would have been able to break into my mind without my permission? It is one thing to forcibly move my consciousness without my approval. It is another to try to invade my mind and read my memories. There is no way you would have been able to read them had I not allowed you to.” Mane stated nonchalantly like it wasn’t a big deal. And indeed to him it wasn’t. He didn’t take it seriously at all.

“Besides, if you were trying to hide it, you shouldn’t have spoken about my origin. You could weasel your way out of knowing that I’m Asgardian because of the Allfather, but that isn’t enough. How would you be able to explain how you knew that my mother was Asgardian, and my father was Olympian when I didn’t tell you? Honestly, you are so bad at keeping secrets.” Mane sighed pretentiously.

“I’m sorry,” Hildegarde blushed and apologized. She had been feeling guilty for her actions. Although she wasn’t the one who pried Mane’s mind open, she was the one who got to see his memories. She felt guilty about it, but she always did a good job of hiding that guilt whenever it surfaced so that Mane wouldn’t become suspicious. But it turned out that he knew all along. Even worse was he was the one who allowed his mind to be read. She couldn’t help but feel apologetic.

“I said it is fine. If I thought it was a big deal, I wouldn’t have allowed you to see anything anyway,” Mane waved his hand to show that he really wasn’t bothered. Of course, he didn’t tell Hildegarde that he showed her only what he wanted her to see.

Information on his masters and Ananse was skillfully hidden, and some false memories were crafted in their place to offer a sense of continuity so there would be no suspicions. After all, it was certainly a higher level fairy that tried to pry his mind open so it could be read. It was likely this fairy that passed his memories to Hildegarde. Mane didn’t want to reveal any of his secrets to them. Even the storage ring on his finger was deleted from the memories he handed them. Instead of using it to transverse the realms and train, he fabricated some nonsense about realm travelling for them. Maybe the Elders and the Fairy King wouldn’t be fooled, but surely the others wouldn’t be able to see through his intricate web of lies.

“As I was saying, I have hunted beasts and Celestials most of my life. Battle Beasts are strong, and their battle intent is extraordinary. But there are some that unleash terrible killing intent when they grow mad. It took me years to accustom myself to their killing intent so I could move freely even when doused heavily by it.”

“Celestials aren’t animals, but they are a race made for war. Their killing intent is heavy and weighs down mightily on the hearts of any who encounters them. Even I had a hard time getting used to it. And I only started hunting them down after hunting Battle Beasts for years. So logically, the killing intent of powerful Battle Beasts should have prepared me for that of the Celestials, but it did not. However, once I got used to it, I was able to easily identify killing intent directed at me from several metres away. And that is without any of my abilities activated. With my abilities, that estimation grows by at least a hundredfold”

Mane spoke in a drab and uninteresting manner, but Hildegarde was intrigued anyway. She gulped saliva loudly when Mane spoke about hunting Celestials. Although she did see it in his memories, it was still amazing to hear it from the person himself. Celestials were a race known to Hildegarde. Although she had barely ventured outside of the Dreamscape, she knew of this famous race. They were a race built for war. Yet Mane hunted members of this race like they were sheep! It was like they were nothing to him.

But thinking about it, Hildegarde felt that it was only natural. After all, Mane descended from an Asgardian mother, and an Olympian father. His bloodline was much purer than a Celestial’s, and he was also the Supreme. If the Celestials were built for battle, Asgardians were the ones who made those battles, and Olympians were gods too noble to fight any battles, yet won all the same. So Mane who was born of the two races was a being that was made of war! Celestials were indeed only worthy to be tools for sharpening his axe.

“I can’t sense Dan whenever he is coming because he has no ill intent towards me. But this person who is coming is different. I can feel a dense killing intent directed here. Since Dan isn’t here, I’d say that this person came for me. But it seems that the killing intent is hidden – at least this person is trying to hide it. He/she is just not good at it” Mane smiled dangerously once he was done with his explanation.

“Do you think it’s the Village Head,” Hildegarde wondered?

“Village Head Samoa,” Mane smirked? “Of course it’s related to him,” Mane snickered. “But he isn’t a fool. He would never come here in person” Mane stated.

“Huh? Why?” Hildegarde questioned.

“Because he isn’t a fool. Lam said that all the members of the village are supposed to present a quota of what they hunt to the chief. Yet Dan who cares little about the current Village Head, has never presented anything to him. Yet Dan lives freely in this village and is unbothered. Why is that?”

“Because of Elder Fan,” Hildegarde wondered if it had to do with the fact that Dan knew the old Village Head.

“No, that isn’t enough. The new Village Head holds little respect for Elder Fan, and that is why he never stopped his son from harassing Lily and Lam” Mane shook his head and rejected Hildegarde’s proposition. That reason wasn’t enough. It didn’t hold water.

“It’s because of fear. Village Head Samoa is afraid of Dan. I’m sure he has been monitoring Dan’s movements, and knows that Dan is never around in the afternoon and only returns late at night. So although it is better to send an assassin in the dead of the night, he chose to send this person at this time – when the night is still so young.

“You think he sent an assassin after you? Why?” Hildegarde lowered her voice naturally when she heard that there was an assassin approaching.

“This is a small village. So it is likely that they have no need for assassins. But Lam said that all the Elders who opposed Samoa died. That means he converted one of his stealthier men into an assassin. Or maybe he made a lot of them. Who know? But it’s certain that they aren’t very good at their job. After all, an assassin who tries hard to hide his/her killing intent and fails anyway is not qualified to be called an assassin. They can only be called henchmen” Mane’s tone was filled with mockery.

“The person is almost here,” Mane whispered to Hildegarde and put a finger to his lips, indicating that she should be quiet. It wasn’t as if anyone would be able to hear her. However, without his sensing abilities, Mane could only judge the general trajectory of the killing intent. So he couldn’t afford to be distracted.

He picked himself up silently and placed some clothes under the sheets. Then, he blew out the lamp and lay under the bed.

He smiled faintly, excitement filling his bones as the feeling of danger washed over him once more after so long.

“At long last, I feel alive”