The Villain Wants to Change Genres

Chapter 44

Luwen, who had been watching over Iru until dawn, woke up to a cold, wet sensation rubbing against his cheek. Iru was licking his face.

“Are you saying we should leave now?”

-Neigh!

Luwen jumped up at the powerful whinny.

“You liked the young master too, huh.”

Luwen stroked the mane of his beloved horse and leaped onto its back. The moment he gripped the reins and pressed his sides, Iru started running with all his might. The damp dawn air was quite refreshing.

‘Now I’m going to the young master.’

I’ll be able to see him soon.

Thinking that made him feel invincible. As if he could overcome any difficulty that came his way.

* * *

The forest was full of dangers. However, they were all things Fei had taught him about. Knowing what was dangerous and how to avoid it, Luwen advanced without hesitation. The more vigorously Iru ran, the closer he felt to Fei, and he couldn’t bring himself to stop.

After riding like that for two full days, as the sunset began, Luwen spotted a scout pack of Nols. Five in total. The four-legged Nols looked similar to hyenas.

‘Nols are monsters with the intelligence of a young child. They always move in packs, and because of their aggressive nature, it’s hard to avoid a fight if you encounter a Nol pack. They also have a good sense of smell, so it’s difficult to shake them off.’

Fei’s voice sounded as vivid as if he were right beside him.

‘I learned from the young master. If you create a strong scent to numb the Nols’ noses, you can confuse them.’

Since Nols were monsters commonly encountered in the forest, Luwen had already prepared a potion to counter them. It was something that emitted a strong smell, which Fei had stocked in his apothecary, saying it might be needed later.

‘If Luwen ever travels alone, this is something he must take. It’s not only necessary for dealing with Nol packs or scouts, but it also helps you avoid tracking parties afterward. I’ll draw a star on the label to show how important it is.’

-Growl!

The Nol scouts quickly detected Luwen’s scent and howled loudly. In response, others started barking in the distance.

Luwen calmly dismounted and took out the potion from his heavy bag. His fingers briefly brushed over the star drawn without a single break.

‘When I first saw it and tried to copy it, I ended up with a crooked, ugly star. Not a pretty star like the young master’s.’

Wherever he went, whatever he did, he kept thinking of Fei. He hadn’t realized how much he would miss him when they were together. Luwen now thought only of Fei, to the point where his past self, torn between the young lady and the young master, seemed foolish.

‘I need to deal with this quickly and keep riding before the pursuit party arrives.’

Shing-

The sharply honed blade was drawn from its scabbard. Having already been detected, there was no need for a cautious approach. Only speed mattered now.

Luwen rushed straight towards the Nol scouts. At the same time, he threw and shattered the potion, immediately releasing the smell of crushed grass. It smelled as if all the surrounding grass had been trampled by a giant at once.

‘It’s not as strong as I thought.’

In contrast, the Nol scouts were in disarray, unable to find their bearings. Huff, Luwen took a short breath to calm himself, then swung his sword steadily as he had been taught. He made a small mistake due to the difference in weight from his wooden sword, but another swing would suffice.

‘It might actually be fortunate to encounter monsters now.’

If a battle with the kidnappers were to occur, this current sense would be helpful.

Luwen gripped the sword handle tightly and proceeded to slash through the Nols’ heads. After dealing with the last one, he hurriedly returned to Iru.

“Hiya!”

Afterward, he increased his speed, occasionally throwing potions to spread the scent in various places. By the time the smell dissipated, he would be beyond the Nols’ range.

Luwen rode on and on, taking only minimal rest. He assessed traces of monsters to adjust his route, erased signs of his own presence, and sometimes left false trails in odd directions for any potential pursuit party from the First Prince.

‘I wonder if the young master anticipated this kind of situation.’

He had learned all the necessary knowledge from Fei. Ironically, without him, Luwen wouldn’t have been able to move to find him. Rash movements could have ended up guiding the First Prince’s troops instead.

‘I want to see you soon. Hurry.’

He kept patting Iru and shaking the reins vigorously. Just as he thought another day of endless riding would continue, Iru suddenly started to slow down.

‘It’s too early for a break, isn’t it?’

If so, there’s only one reason why he’s not speeding up as ordered. This is where they parted with Fei.

“Have we arrived?”

-Neigh! Neigh!

Hearing the horse’s cry while pacing in place, Luwen dismounted.

‘I can’t see anything.’

To the right was a cliff, and to the left, the forest continued as it had been. Beyond the tall bushes, a very narrow cliff path was visible, but it didn’t seem passable due to the overgrown grass and small trees.

‘Could this not be the place?’

There was a possibility that they had released the horse before reaching the destination and moved on.

‘No, this is the right place.’

After a moment of doubt, Luwen recalled Fei’s message and carefully examined the surroundings with conviction. Fei had clearly written that the ‘sleeping arrangements were fine.’ If they had been on the move, he would have mentioned it.

Moreover, what they wanted was an exchange of the duckling for Fei. If they were to hide completely, there would be no way to communicate even if the duckling was brought, so it must be somewhere nearby.

After thoroughly searching the area, Luwen finally turned his eyes to the cliff path. He had been taught that sometimes, when evading pursuit, one method was to disguise a path to look impassable. If he hadn’t been confident, he might have passed it by, but Luwen trusted Fei’s message and Iru.

‘I should check it out.’

If it wasn’t the right place, he could always look elsewhere.

Just as Luwen was about to draw his sword to cut down the tall bushes, a voice called out urgently from behind him.

“Wait, wait, wait!”

Startled by the voice he hadn’t sensed at all, Luwen quickly turned around. A skinny man was maintaining his distance with both hands raised high.

“Who are you!”

“Oh my, what a temper. Do you know how hard it is to restore that if you cut it?”

“Are you the ones who took the young master?”

“Young master? I’m a hunter. That’s the entrance to our village.”

“……”

Luwen maintained his guard against the man and took a stance. Still facing the fierce attitude, the man stepped back with a grinning face and continued speaking.

“It’s true! Are you an adventurer? You look quite young. Let’s resolve this through conversation, shall we?”

Although the man had his hands raised, Luwen knew there was no advantage in giving distance to an opponent with a bow. So he advanced, following the man.

Luwen, with his quick speed, had a fairly long range. Thanks to his burst of initial speed, the opponent wouldn’t know Luwen’s true capabilities.

“Ah! Since you said you’re looking for a young master, you’re not an adventurer? My, my, I’ve misspoken. I don’t know who your young master is, but we’re people with no connection to such noble individuals. We’d appreciate it if you could just pass by.”

“I’m sorry, but now that I know there’s a village beyond that path, I need to check it out.”

“Even if it’s just a village of ordinary hunters?”

“I’m looking for someone precious to me, so I can’t just pass by based on your word alone.”

Luwen answered while keeping his eyes on the man’s feet, trying to detect any change in posture that might indicate he was about to shoot an arrow.

“What if we refuse? Are you going to fight? Are you going to kill me? Have you ever killed a person before?”

“No. But if necessary, I will kill you.”

“What if I’m an innocent person?”

“Then I would feel sorry.”

“… Is that all?”

“What more is needed? If you simply let me check, there would be no need for you to die.”

The man laughed in disbelief.

“Wow! You’re blaming me for this? You’re a frightening young man.”

“If you’ve ever lost someone precious to you, you’d understand how I feel.”

At those words, the smile faded from the man’s face, and his posture relaxed. Surprisingly, there was no sign of aggression, so Luwen raised his gaze.

The man wrinkled his nose and repeatedly rubbed his face. Between the man’s fingers as he brushed back his hair, the seal of the Kans was visible.