Blood Assimilation

The man stopped in his tracks and turned around to face them with a suspicious gaze. He appeared to have lowered his guard, but he still seemed skeptical of their identity. With a nagging suspicion, he doubtfully asked: "Why are you here? I don't think you're from the nearby village. I haven't seen you the last time I was there, and I've met everyone in that village."

"We're just lost hunters from a different village." Liena answered politely, Brawler Randy merely observing the play being put on by her with interest as he didn't expect her to suddenly change her demeanor to put on an act.

He could infer that she was most likely putting on a pretense to catch her target off guard, making her job much easier, so he didn't plan on interfering by adding on to her words.

"Is that the case? I thought you were bandits. Then, which village are you from?"

As if waiting for this question, Liena quickly replied: "West Wind Village. We were experiencing drought and our hunting forest yielded less game than usual. We decided to venture out of the comfort of our village and search for food in other villages and hunting forests."

After listening to her narration, the man became silent briefly, seemingly pondering her words, before stating: "It must've been hard walking all the way here."

"You must be thirsty. Can I offer you some water? There is a creek not far from here with fresh water. I happen to have some boiled and filtered. It is safe for drinking. If you don't mind, you can come in to rest.

I live here by myself. It's good to have some company once in a while."

The man cordially offered, walking into his hut without waiting for their reply. Liena sharply exchanged a meaningful glance with Brawler Randy before taking a step forward, with the latter following behind her. They both entered the hut after the man.

Inside the hut…

Liena and Brawler Randy sat on a makeshift chair offered by the man. They sat side by side as they surveyed the interior of the hut, examining the rudimentary setup. Meanwhile, the man went to the back of the interior space where the storage was situated within the hut to fetch them some water.

While they waited, Brawler Randy looked around the interior briefly before turning to Liena with an ambivalent expression.

"Are you sure you're not mistaken? From my observation, he looked like a normal person." Brawler Randy whispered, afraid his words might be heard by the man, whom Liena confirmed to be her target from her actions.

Although he was slightly doubtful of Liena's judgment, in the event she was right about her assessment of the man, he didn't want to botch the current situation after promising he wouldn't interfere.

However, Liena didn't respond to his remark and merely gave him an unreadable look. Though she didn't speak a word, the frown on her face as she looked at him made Brawler Randy understand the meaning behind her stare. He was certain that she would have hurled insults his way if not for their current location and the seriousness of the scene unfolding before them.

With that realization, Brawler Randy decided not to utter any more words as they both patiently waited for the man, who was taking his time, to come to the small living room after claiming to be fetching them water. Shortly after, the man returned with two cups of water, offering it them.

"I didn't expect to have guests, so I had to make fresh cups using the log in the storage. Sorry for keeping you all waiting." The man said apologetically as he handed a cup of water to each of them.

"No problem. We're glad to be able to drink fresh water after walking for a few days without water. Are you a craftsman, by any chance?" Liena said as she took the cup, but she didn't drink it right away. Instead, she gave Brawler Randy a sidelong glance. To her surprise, he was happily drinking the water without a care.

'This idiot!' Liena was in disbelief as she observed Brawler Randy's carelessness. She wanted to warn him that the water was poisoned, but under the scrutiny of the man, who seemed to be observing their actions attentively, she relented and also placed the cup to her parted lips, ready to drink the water.

'Forget it. If he dies, then it's his own problem. At least, he won't pester me anymore.'

With that thought in mind, Liena drank the water with alacrity, causing the man, who was becoming impatient while displaying unconscious subtle changes in his countenance, to be pleased, a smile blooming on his lips.

"Something like that, but I merely craft things as a hobby." He happily responded.

After pondering for a moment, he said: "Do you care to spend the night? I have a spare room with enough space for you couples to share."

Liena and Brawler Randy became silent as they looked at each other with odd expressions.

Noticing their reaction and silence, the man thought they were suspicious of his offer, so he clarified.

"Of course, you don't have to stay if you don't want to. It's just that it's getting dark outside. Since you wanted a place to rest for a bit, I just thought it would be inappropriate to kick you out at night when feral wild beasts roamed the forest."

The man pointed to the corner, where the giant rabbit-like wild beast, freshly caught earlier lay, and added: "Look, as you can see, I just caught a wild beast, preparing to cook it for dinner. If you don't mind wild beast meat, I can share it with you."

The man mentioned the last statement as a test because he presumed they might not be who they claimed to be. If they were from the city, they might not like wild beast meat. From his experience associating with city people who came to his village in the past, he concluded that people in the cities all preferred eating magical beast meat as it was more delicious than wild beast meat.

He couldn't discern their identities from their clothes. Liena changed into normal attire to blend into her mission environment beforehand. Brawler Randy, on the other hand, was still wearing a simple garment he bought in some random shop. He didn't like dressing excessively, so his current attire didn't give away his identity or situation.

Contrary to his expectation, Liena gratefully responded: "Since you're offering, we can't be impolite to reject. Thank you for your hospitality."

"Then, it's settled." The man said, clapping his hands.

"Just wait for a moment, I shall prepare dinner soon. I don't have a kitchen, so I'll have to cook outside using firewood."

As the man went to pick up the giant rabbit-like wild beast, about to turn around to leave, Liena suddenly stood up, stopping him, pulling out her dagger.

"Wait, can I help you prep the meat? I am quite good at butchering." She offered, twirling her dagger.

Hearing her eager words, the man contemplated for a few moments before nodding.

"Sure, I don't mind. That would save me some time." The man said, gesturing for her to take the giant rabbit-like wild beast.

"Good. You won't regret it." After taking the giant rabbit-like wild beast from him, Liena followed the man outside to take on her role as a butcher, her sharp dagger gleaming with a deadly, cold light.