Hunters: The Prequel - Chapter 268

“Mane! Are you okay? We heard some noise outside so we came out to check”

“Oh great” Mane smiled wryly when he saw the figures of Lam and Lily approaching him. Lam was in his sleeping clothes and Lily was wearing a flimsy see-through nightgown.

“And I thought I could do things quietly” Mane mumbled as he lamented his bad luck. He hid the rag he was planning to use to clean up the blood and faced the twins. But his actions didn’t change anything. There was a dead body right behind him, and anyone with eyes could see it.

“Is that,” Lam was the first of the two to notice that something was wrong? As expected of the smart boy, he immediately realized that Mane was trying to hide something from them.

“As I thought. Nothing gets past you huh.” Mane laughed dryly and took a step to the left. The assassin he was trying hard to hide from the twins’ view was displayed before them.

“Elder Brother, is that an…” Lily started, but trailed off.

“Yes. That’s an assassin.” Lam confirmed her thoughts and walked towards the man who had lost his life here today. It seemed that he wanted to see if he could recognize the deceased assassin.

“Are you okay Mane? You are bleeding!”

Lily on the other hand, forgot all about the assassin once her emerald eyes caught hold of Mane’s bandaged hand. The constant moving around had increased the blood flow into his hands, and the cloth he was using as a substitute for a bandage was now soaked with blood. Lily must have been paying attention to him to see what Lam didn’t. She rushed to Mane’s side and caught hold of his arm even before she could finish her statement.

“It’s fine. It’s just a cut. It will heal in a few days.” Mane tried to reassure her that everything was okay. He even tried to pull out his hand from her grasp, but she was holding on to him surprisingly tightly. This was the first time she had acted forcefully with him. Mane didn’t dare use too much strength to free himself because he didn’t want to hurt her. But he was inwardly surprised.

“So the pure maiden falls for the big bad wolf,” Hildegarde sighed from atop her favorite position – Mane’s shoulder.

“What,” Mane subconsciously mumbled? He didn’t quite hear her words. He realized he had been careless by speaking out in the presence of others, but when he looked at the twins, he noticed they were each occupied and didn’t hear his words. Lily was busy unwrapping the cloth that was now sticky with blood from his hand, and Lam was critically analysing the deceased assassin. It also helped that his mumble was as silent as a whisper so the twins didn’t hear it.

“Nothing. Just treat her right” Hildegarde didn’t repeat herself. Rather, she made a statement that left Mane even more confused. If the twins weren’t here, he would have asked her what she meant. Unfortunately, that question would have to wait.

“His parents and guardians only taught him how to fight. They didn’t teach him a thing about the opposite s.e.x” Hildegarde lamented when she saw Mane’s clueless expression. The boy was vastly superior to several of his peers in terms of intelligence. He was miles above the younger generation when it came to wielding and his battle strength could leave the older generation of gods blushing with shame. Yet his emotional quotient was as minuscule as an ant’s. From Lily’s actions, it could be seen that the young girl was interested in Mane. How did Hildegarde know this? It was easy really. Lily was frail and usually listened to her older brother most of the time. But now, this frail lady was blatantly ignoring the dead body right in front of her, and only paying attention to Mane’s hand. And the injury was just a small cut.

“Ouch” Mane wrinkled his brows in pain when the cloth was fully removed. The partially dried up blood had stuck the cloth to his healing skin. In the process of peeling it off, the scab that was covering the wound came off. It brought him some slight discomfort. It seemed that this body had a great constitution, for the wound was healing at a very fast pace.

“Sorry. Are you okay?” Lily quickly apologized with teary eyes. She looked as though she was the one that got hurt. She subconsciously drew close to Mane and started blowing on his hand.

“Oh no I’m fine” Mane hurriedly said when he noticed her teary eyes. Her warm breath on his skin caused a small itch, and produced a strange feeling in his c.h.e.s.t. He suddenly realised that she smelt good. She smelt like lilies in the summer. Warm and sweet – the very embodiment of her name. Her skin felt cold, but it wasn’t the uncomfortable kind. It brought him a sense of peace and tranquility.

“We have some bandages and some medicine for wounds in our house. Please Mane, let me treat your wounds” Saying this, Lily drew in so close that there was no space between them. Ignoring the blood on his clothes, her body was pressed against Mane’s in a very intimate position. From the side, it looked like they were hugging. Normally, that wouldn’t be a problem. But this time was a bit different.

As mentioned before, the twins were in their sleeping clothes. And Lily’s sleeping cloth was a see-through nightgown that was a few inches above her knee. Her deep cleavage was exposed and if Mane was to look a little lower, that enticing view would be within his eyesight.

Mane blushed subconsciously. Looking into her pure and innocent eyes, he suddenly felt lost. He tried to shake off the strange electrifying feeling that was slowly engulfing him but to no avail.

“What is happening to me,” Mane wondered helplessly? He could feel a part of his body that had been asleep all these years slowly react.

“Hehe. At least it seems he’s also attracted to her” The only person who could see what was going on was the mischievous fairy sitting on his shoulder. She could tell that both Mane and Lily were greenhorns in the matters of love. Although Lily was undoubtedly gorgeous, she had spent most of her time fending off the advances of Tito, and had slowly withdrawn herself from others. Adding to the fact that she had an overprotective brother, even she didn’t realize that she was slowly but surely, falling for Mane.

Mane wasn’t any better. As someone who grew up under the care of guardians with his parents absent for most of his life, he knew little about the opposite s.e.x. The fact that he was just 11 also played a part in their decision to not inform him about the teachings of the opposite s.e.x. He was able to appreciate beauty, but his immature body had no idea about love. But now that he was in a teenage body, things were a bit different. This body was in a phase were it would react to provocations from the opposite s.e.x. And Lily was a very beautiful girl in every way. Her flimsy nightgown showcased how developed her body truly was. She had a very pretty face and beautiful emerald eyes that threatened to suck the soul of even the most heartless man. Her delicate curves were exposed to his ocean blue eyes. She had perfectly perky b.r.e.a.s.ts, a slim waist, glamorously wide h.i.p.s and protruding ample b.u.t.t.o.c.k.s. Not only was she outwardly beautiful, but she was even prettier on the inside. She was kind and caring, and had a resolute spirit that remained undaunted even from the constant harassment of Tito and his friends. She was truly perfect in every way.

Mane was no slouch either. Because of the prior fight, he was soaked in sweat. His shirt clung to his skin and outlined his perfect physique. His arm muscles were exquisitely carved and were a perfect mix and strength and speed – big enough to carry the heaviest of weights, but still possessing some delicateness that allowed him to explode forth with great agility. His c.h.e.s.t was broad and parted, and his abs were outlined by the sweat-soaked shirt. His leg muscles were well developed as well, and his tall physique made him appealing to many women. His blue eyes were bright and sharp, and his golden hair was unusual and precious. He was a good match for Lily. But to Hildegarde, Lily was a cut above Mane due to her kind and gentle nature.

It was for this reason that Hildegarde referred to Mane as a bad wolf. Unlike Lily who had never harmed even a rabbit before, Mane had killed more than his fair share. So to Hildegarde it was like a perfect angel falling for the perfect devil.

“Should I tell him,” Hildegarde thought? “Nah. I’d let him figure it out for himself” She laughed mischievously.

“I have to clean up the place though,” Mane tried to argue. He tore his eyes away from hers in an attempt to regain his cool.

“We can do that later,” Lily softly turned his head back to her and said. She truly looked like a doting wife.

“I finally figured it out” Lam suddenly exclaimed! As he was fully focused on the corpse, he didn’t notice the interaction between Mane and Lily. His shout startled the two, and Lily who finally realized she was a bit too close to Mane jumped back like a startled rabbit. She bent her head in an attempt to hide her face that had been reddened with shyness.

“Cough. Ehem. What did you figure out?” Mane coughed as he tried to gloss over the event. But his expression was unnatural, and Lam who finally looked at the two of them, could see that something was off.

“Why is your face so red? And you too Mane?” Lam wondered. Like a scared ostrich, Lily’s head was buried deeper into her c.h.e.s.t as she tried to avoid the embarrassment, and Mane was fl.u.s.tered.

“Are you going to say or not?” Mane quickly uttered, eager to get Lam’s attention away from them.

“Alright, I’d talk” Lam raised his arms up in mock surrender. Although he watched the two with a dubious expression, he went on to share what he found out.

“I knew he looked familiar, but I just couldn’t place him. This man is one of the most fearsome warriors under Village Head Samoa’s command. No one knows his name. We only call him Wild Boar because of his strength.” Lam revealed.

“He’s extremely powerful and has few equals in this village, much less superiors – excluding Sir Dan of course. I didn’t think you were strong enough to deal with him” Lam expressed his admiration for Mane.

“Wait, are you bleeding,” Lam asked in shock? It was now that he noticed that Mane’s hand was bleeding. Lily quickly lifted her head and exclaimed in a small voice before rushing to Mane again. Since the cloth was off, there was nothing to stop the blood and it was now flowing freely.

“Let’s go to our place. I can dress your cut there” She said again. But this time, she didn’t wait for Mane’s response. She started dragging him to her house. Mane looked on with a moved expression. He could see the blood on her dress. No doubt the result of her checking out his wound, yet she ignored the stains and still tried to help him.

“She’s really kind,” he thought to himself as he allowed her to drag him towards their place amidst the protests of Lam who was complaining that they were too close to each other. But Lily who was usually very obedient ignored him and stuck close to Mane the entire journey.