Chapter 64: Face your fears
"How much?" Maria asked eagerly as Lary finished counting the coins from the pouch.
Lary scowled and tossed both the coins and the parchment aside. "Just ten damn coins. Seriously? They were flat-out broke."
Olivia groaned, shaking her own pouch. "This one’s no better. A few rusty coppers. Shit, we risked our necks for pocket change."
They usually lured clueless tourists and rookie hunters to that hidden spot—then fed them to Ghirodah. The beast was a monster lurking in the forest, and their job—unofficial as it was—was to keep it fed. That was their excuse anyway.
The truth? They just wanted easy loot.
Plenty of townsfolk knew what they were doing. Even the guild master turned a blind eye. After all, as long as the beast stayed fed and deep in the woods, the town was safe.
But lately, things weren’t going so well. The number of victims had gone down, and because of their reputation, no one wanted them on quests. Everyone knew they were scum—just no one said it out loud.
"Damn it. Should’ve at least fucked that woman. Might’ve made the whole mess worth something," Lary muttered, running a hand through his greasy hair.
Olivia laughed coldly. "Please. I smashed that pretty little face of hers. She was probably bawling like a lunatic before the mutt got her."
Maria chuckled, still holding the staff she’d taken from Luna. "Think this staff will sell for anything?"
Lary glared at the staff, then back at the forest. "It’s better. Or next time, I’m gutting the target myself to check for hidden coin."
They weren’t heroes. Not protectors. Just cowards hiding behind a beast’s hunger—leeching off fear and pretending it was duty.