Chapter 339: He needs to be punished
"Sniff... sniff..."
"What happened to my sweet child? Is no one going to tell me?" the lady demanded, holding her son tightly against her chest as she glared at the warriors who had followed him into the forest.
They had stopped somewhere deep within the woods on their way to a small village, their journey interrupted when one of the carriage wheels became hopelessly lodged in the mud.
That was when her son had eagerly wandered off to play with his pet. When he returned, his face was flushed, tears streaming freely down his cheeks.
"His wolf was hunted, First Lady."
"Hollow was only trying to run away from that monster, and yet..." His voice broke as another wave of grief overwhelmed him. "Waaah!"
His crying intensified as he clung tightly to his mother.
The woman sighed softly, stroking his back as she tried to calm him.
Then her expression hardened. Turning a sharp glare toward the leader of the small group, she asked, "And why is that hunter not kneeling at my feet by now?"
The warrior lowered his head.
"Lady Ilya told us not to."
The woman scoffed.
"Again, that girl. She never misses a chance to make my child’s life miserable."
"She is your daughter, Mara."
The voice of an older man came from behind them, and the warrior lowered his head even further.
A man with long black hair falling to his shoulders stepped up beside his mate. His gaze settled briefly on their son before he said, "Ilya is our child too, and she is older than Virj. She must have made her decision after considering the situation."
Mara snickered. "You always find a way to defend her, even when you weren’t there to see what happened."
"That’s right!" the youngest one cried. "Hollow was only playing when that swine attacked him and killed him ruthlessly. I wanted to save him, but that butcher slapped me aside and said he wanted Hollow’s pelt."
The older man’s eyes narrowed.
He turned toward his trusted warrior. "Grum... is that true?"
Grum nodded solemnly. "The wolf was trying to escape, my lord. The hunter struck the young Lord as well."
"Did you hear that?" Mara demanded. "And you still say Ilya was right not to punish the hunter? Is this how these villagers intend to treat us now?"
The man’s expression darkened, but his voice remained measured.
"I will speak with Ilya about what happened. Only after that will I decide whether the hunter deserves punishment."
The woman looked frustrated.
"You can go against anyone to protect her. Forget it. If I find that dog myself, I will punish him accordingly."
With that, she led her son away, leaving the warriors behind.
The older man sighed and shook his head. Turning his attention to Grum, he asked, "Have you seen her since then? My daughter?"
Grum shook his head. "After that, she vanished, my lord. She said she would meet all of you in the village."
A trace of helpless amusement touched the man’s lips.
"She is always like this. Well, there is no point waiting for her. Let’s get going."
The village was only half a day’s journey from where they stood. They had already been traveling for two days, and everyone was looking forward to finally reaching the village and getting some much-needed rest.
...
"Would you look at that?" Monica said the moment they stepped inside. "Someone is smiling a little too much."
Laila’s face grew even redder at the teasing as she glanced toward Luke.
Luke chuckled. "Don’t I always say? The forest is the best remedy for everything."
Ginna gave a thin smile. "Can’t argue with that."
Luke grinned at her response before adding, "I’ll need an extra pair of hands later to brew some potions. Can I rely on you, Ginna?"
The older woman immediately nodded, prompting Monica to groan.
"Why not me as well? Was I really that bad the last time I helped you?"
Luke laughed. "Not at all. You were so good that I was hoping, in the near future, you could brew potions for me."
He approached his beloved and continued, "It’s just that I want you to rest for a few more days. We’ve only just returned, and your health hasn’t been the best these past few days."
Monica nodded in understanding.
"I understand."
She also wanted to give Ginna and Luke some time alone. Now that she thought about it, she regretted whining about accompanying them in the first place.
She had spent so much time with Luke during the trip, much of it alone with him. Now that they were back, Ginna deserved some of his attention too.
Just a moment later, Lex rushed out of the room, looking unusually hurried.
"What happened, Lex?" Monica asked with concern. "Is everything all right?"
"Yes. I’ll talk to you later."
With that, he hurried away.
Everyone exchanged confused glances, Luke included. He had no idea what had suddenly sent his brother rushing off.
Just then, Dalia stepped out of the room and explained, "The people from the other tribe arrived a day earlier... or so Lex heard."
Luke sighed.
Right. They weren’t very far from the village after all.
"Shouldn’t we tell Father too?" Laila asked, knowing that the man was also helping secure the village’s perimeter during the visitors’ stay.
"Let him be. I know Gary would pay him in full even if he arrived later," Luke replied.
He then slipped an arm around Ginna’s waist and led her toward the back of the house.
Watching them leave, Dalia suddenly seemed to realize something.
"Wait. They’re getting paid according to their capabilities, right? Lex is receiving five toras for the day, while Father gets three. I wonder how much Luke would have received if he had agreed to join."
Laila chuckled.
"That’s probably why I never heard Gary ask for his help."
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A/N:- Check out my new story and join discord for more images, those which I can’t post here.