Chapter 13

After taking them to the outer city's inn, Nikea and I went back to our inn. Today is a productive day for the two of us. Nikea gets a snack for her midnight eating while I get the trust of both Ernst and Norma.

After walking for a few minutes, we return to our inn and decide to rest.

=//=

I smile a little at Belcoot winning the ticket to the Grand Final against Childerich. This is the fourth day of the Sacred Games, and Belcoot just defeated his opponent for the Grand Final. The last few fights are fantastic.

With him winning, I won more than five million potch in the betting game. The first one is what makes the most profit as the other still underestimates Belcoot, but when it reaches the big sixteen, people start to open their eyes.

I regret not putting in a large amount of money the first time Belcoot fought.

"Tomorrow will be the last day, huh?"

I nod at Nikea's words as we walk out of the arena.

"Yup. Do you still want to bet on Belcoot?"

I shake my head and say.

"No. We will bet on Childerich."

"Eh? Really? I thought you liked Belcoot more than Childerich?"

"Yes, that is true. However, there is something that makes him lose. You will know about it later."

Nikea looks at me for a few seconds and nods.

"Sure. Should we go to the betting center and bet on Childerich?"

"Nah. Let's do the private transaction here."

"Very well. Where should we go now?"

"I think we should–"

Before I can say more, I feel something connected to my brain—the same feeling as when I first captured Nikea. I smile and take out my phone. I check the notification and see that I have eighteen points. Norma and Ernst give me twelve points.

Eighteen points… should be enough for me to buy a tier-four character or buy another talent or defense. I can buy them now or wait for two more points for me to buy another [Template Stacking] that lets me get another power from other characters.

Hmmm, I think I will wait. There will be a time for me to get those two points.

"Boss! Boss! What happened? Why are you looking at your magic tool with that smile?"

"Ah! I'm sorry, Nikea. I just got some good news from home."

"Really? What kind of news?"

"I become an uncle."

"Oh~ Congratulations! Is it a boy or a girl?"

"My sister has a beautiful daughter."

"Oh!"

I decided to make that excuse as we walked to our inn.

"Oh, Nikea. Do you want to ask Norma and Ernst to come with us to celebrate?"

"Of course! Celebration is more fun with a lot of people. Let's go!"

=//=

After getting Norma and Ernst from the inn, we decide to go and have some shopping. Just like Nikea, Norma and Ernst get charmed by my cooking. As expected of [Faerie Feast].

Oh, well.

After spending a hundred thousand Potch for the food ingredient and booze, we decided to camp outside the city where we did not disturb the other people. However, as we walk, I see the prince and his companion leaving an inn where Norma and Ernst stay.

I can see their worried expressions. What happened? Oh! I just remember! This is where… Who is her name?! Gah! The one that became Belcoot's wife. The barmaid! Gah!

Anyway, she gets kidnapped to get him to give up the tournament, but the prince and his companion manage to rescue her. Sadly, the shadow behind the curtain did not give up easily and used other methods to ensure Belcoot lost in this tournament.

I quickly walk toward the prince and his companion.

"Yo! It is nice to see you again, prince!"

I give a bright smile that quickly turns to a frown when I see they did not greet me quickly.

"What happened?"

I can see Sialeeds, Lyon, and Georg looking at Freyjadour. After a few seconds, the prince gets close to me and says,

"Someone is kidnapped," Freyjadour whispered those words to me. "We want to rescue her."

I look at him for a few seconds before saying.

"Let us come with you. We can blend in and help you in this rescue."

Freyjadour looks at us for a few seconds before smiling brightly.

"Thank you! I will be indebted to you."

"Don't mention it. Anyway, let's go!"

=//=

While they are getting out of the city, Gerrald looks at the prince and says,

"So, how do we do this?"

Freyjadour looks at his aunt and lets her do the talk.

"There is a hidden path that the hunter uses near the location of Maria."

Right! Maria. That is the name of Belcoot's future wife.

"We can use them to sneak over the cabin and rescue her."

"Hmmm, we can be bait."

Sialeeds looks at me in shock, and I decide to explain more.

"I can be a hunter that hunts an animal. Ernst over here can be my 'prey,' and I can distract them while you guys rescue Maria."

Sialeeds looks at me for a few seconds before nodding his head.

"We will do that. For now, we need to go to the forest. It is not too far away from here."

We leave Stormfist and quickly go to the forest to the east of Stormfist. As we get inside, Sialeeds stops and starts to walk to the bush on the right. She pushed the bush away and a footpath behind it.

"This is the path. The cabin should be over there. We will leave the distraction to you."

I nod before Ernst, and I go the other way. Ernst and I use the thick forest instead of the road.

"Can you smell them, Ernst?"

The leopard nods.

"Lead the way. However, we need to wait before we do our job."

After a minute or so of walking, we are next to a cabin in the middle of the forest. I can see ten young men holding a club and short sword, looking for someone. While waiting for the other to arrive, one of the young men starts to get annoyed.

"Are you sure you have sent that letter?"

"I did! I truly did! I don't know why he did not come! I know that he cares for this woman."

"Tch. It looks like he does not care enough for her. Let's wait for another hour before we leave her here."

I look away from them when I feel Ernst tapping my foot. I look at him, and he points his nose at the forest on the opposite side. They have arrived, huh? I look at Ernst and say.

"Let's do this."

After I said that, Ernst released a roar to attract the attention of the people in front of the cabin. I quickly jump out of the forest and 'chase' after Ernst, who is now running at the people in front of the cabin, and even manage to stab one of the men right in his crotch.

"Ah! Watch out! That Leopard is a feisty one!"

"Who the fuck are you?!"

Three people come out of the house and shout at me.

"I'm a hunter, but this Leopard managed to get away from my trap! Oi! Careful! If you damage the skin, the price will go down!"

"Fuck with your target! That thing makes my dick bleed! It needs to die!"

"Oi!"

I make sure that man cannot hurt Ernst and lure the other three people away from the house. However, we all stop when I hear a loud noise coming from the cabin. The others also notice it; I know it is time for us to act.

Ernst changes back into his human form and starts to disarm the people one by one while I punch them on the back to make them unconscious. I did not kill them because I didn't want to make a negative impression on the prince and his companion. I decided to use a nonlethal takedown. Lucky for me, my unarmed fighting style increased after watching many fighters in the Sacred Games.

After finishing with the people in the front, Ernst and I walked inside the room. I can see confusion in the prince and his companion's eyes, but they are more concerned about Maria, who looks weak.

I quickly kneel next to Maria and say.

"Let me heal her."

Belcoot looks at me for a second before nodding his head.

I sneakily take out the stamp and activate my rune.

"[Kindness Drop]"

The rune activates, and a blob of water washes Maria away. However, instead of leaving her soaking wet, the water evaporates and leaves her with clean and dry clothes. After establishing a connection, I nod and store the stamp back into my inventory.

After another two seconds, Maria opens her eyes, and Belcoot starts to hug her.

We all have a happy ending. Maria is safe, and I get another point.