Chapter 5

“Filth!” Ziad cursed, finally tearing up the blessed map.

He didn’t believe it. What kind of idiot got lost using a map?

They were clearly on the right path, so how did they end up in the middle of nowhere?

“I knew we should have turned right” Rubbing his face in frustration, he looked to the sky as if looking for help “I know you’re laughing, you can stop!”

Turning his head Ziad looked at the person next to him, which made him instantly cover his mouth. But the shaking shoulders indicated that he was enjoying the situation.

“Oh, is it like that then?” approaching like a predator, he grabbed the person’s waist and placed it over his shoulder.

Being taken by surprise, Aart let out a silent scream before punching the person in the back. Only to receive a slap on the ass in response, which made him shocked for a few seconds.

“Why are you surprised? And that’s what you get for mocking me!” giving that meaty ass one more slap, Ziad lowered himself until the person on his shoulders could touch the ground with his feet. So he released him from ‘punishment’ “shit, where do we go now? Someone tore up the last map!”

‘ you ripped it! Just like you did with the other five!’

“details are not important” Ziad spoke evasively “Don’t you want to try to lead the way? Aren’t elves good at trails?”

‘I’m half-elf’

“I know, but you must be capable, right?”

‘ who knows…’

“then…” clearing his throat loudly, Ziad made na exaggerated bow “...the great and wise half-elf, guide this poor lost soul to his destiny.”

‘OK, poor lost soul. But you owe me a favor.’

“What a petty wise man” Ziad muttered, giving Aart space to go ahead.

Looking at how happy the person looked, he smiled internally. It was the right choice to bring him along.

In the last two months, as bad as Aart’s initial reluctance was, they started to get along well. And they got to the point where they did everything together, from sleeping to even taking a shower sometimes.

The latter was extremely difficult for Ziad, who had to bend in two to prevent his erection from being seen. He didn’t want to be considered a pervert!

And I also didn’t want to be seen as a freeloader. Even more so if you take into account how much Aart suffered before they met. And whatever he experienced made him wake up screaming and crying in the middle of the night.

It broke Ziad’s heart every time, so he would hug him while comforting him as best he could. Always said words of support, that he was there and he didn’t need to be afraid.

Amazingly it always works, and Aart would go back to sleep in no time.

Feeling that the person behind him seemed to have stopped, Aart turned and looked at him with a questioning look, as if to say, “Aren’t you coming?”

When he felt he was being watched, Ziad quickened his pace and began to walk side by side with him.

“I got distracted.”

Ignoring the look of: “Really? How distracted were you at this end of the world!“. He decided to focus on something more important.

“You know, I feel like there’s something wrong with this demon. He just spreads chaos and occasionally hurts a person or two. But, he never actually killed anyone…”

‘What do you think it could be?’

“I don’t know. He is very elusive, I can’t even tell if he is a demon. No one has ever seen it in person, and when it seems like we’re about to catch it, it simply disappears and appears again in another region.”

‘This is already extending, several guild members are joining this hunt’

“that’s true” stroking Ziad’s chin “At least we managed to get rid of some monsters along the way. Because of the way things are going, there will come a time when we will go hungry.”

‘ I’ve always found the monsters we encounter strange, they’re quite weak. But its value compares to one in class B or A.’

“I had already noticed that too. It’s like someone wants to play with us specifically. But if he’s dumb enough to pay a high price on low-level monsters, well... we can only thank him for the sponsorship.”

Aart smiled, and his eyes curved gently. It was indeed a very welcome “sponsorship”, and as Ziad didn’t seem concerned, he decided not to focus too much on the subject. Whoever it was would reveal themselves at one time or another.

Now, he needed to focus one hundred percent on finding the right path. Luckily, even though he was a half-elf, the trees would still help him find his way around, and guide him in the right direction.

So in a short time, they returned to the main road and were able to continue on their way without any further unforeseen events.

His current destination was Poxiao, a small town formed between mountain ranges which, according to reports, was the last place the “escaped demon” was seen.

After setting fire to some houses, hurting some people, and burning the words: “Catch me if you can” in the rice fields. He disappeared.

So now, basically all the guild members who joined the “hunt” were gathering in Poxiao. As they exchanged information, and formed groups among themselves.

To be honest, Ziad didn’t remember a city with that name. He didn’t even know exactly where it was located, he just followed the information given by third parties. It wasn’t like he cared much about where they were going either, as long as they didn’t end up in the “forbidden place” Ziad wasn’t worried.

Now focusing on the city again, the local population didn’t know whether to be happy or worried.

Well, happy with the amount of travelers stopping in the city. Which exceeded the number of people who should have passed through there... in eight or nine years.

And worried... well, that many people would possibly provoke the fury of the creature that attacked them. Which would certainly make it more violent and hostile.

But as everyone was adventurers, mercenaries, and such. They should be fine... at least they hope so...

“what do you want to eat when we get to town?” Ziad asked when some houses began to appear along the way. At first, they were far apart, but as they progressed they became closer and closer.

‘I want something sweet!’

“you’re like na ant” Laughing, he gently pinched her swollen cheeks.

Aart slapped his hand away lightly as he glared at him.

Raising his hands in surrender, Ziad tried to bribe him.

“Okay, I stopped. Satisfied?” seeing that the other nodded in agreement, he smiled “So… what else will my little ant want? Maybe a meat skewer? Or do you want to try something new? I heard that they have a sweet made with pumpkin here, and it seems to be very popular, and…”

Ziad abruptly stopped his words when he heard screams up ahead. Exchanging a look with Aart, the two nodded tactically.

Then they started running towards the noise.