Seeker 361

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Chapter 361. Dire Straits

In front of the bushes where the boys were hiding, two men appeared.

The boy covered the girl's mouth with his hand and held his breath, waiting for the men to pass by.

Neither [Stealth] nor [Concealment] would be very effective against these men, who were much more awakened than the boy. If they made a wrong move now, they would surely be caught.

However, contrary to the boy’s plan, the two men stopped, cursing as they looked around.

“Damn it, he got away? What the hell is that guy doing? Useless.”

“They said Nils betrayed us, didn’t he?”

“Tch, that bastard Nils. I always thought he had a rebellious streak, but he finally crossed the line.”

“He’s not worth keeping around anymore. His skill’s useful, but whatever. Time to take him out.”

“Yeah, if we let this slide, he’ll just get cocky.”

Hearing this, the girl glanced at the boy, her eyes full of worry.

The boy smiled at the girl and shook his head, conveying that everything was fine. This was his choice, and he didn’t regret it.

But—

“So now Nils is acting like a half-baked good guy, huh? As if he hasn’t killed his fair share of people.”

The boy’s heart skipped a beat at one of the men’s words. He nervously glanced at the girl’s face.

She looked puzzled. She didn’t seem to understand what they were talking about.

Before long, another presence drew closer.

“Hey, you two. Find him yet?”

“Nope. That guy’s only good at hiding and running.”

“What the hell, man? I told you to keep an eye out.”

“I had to piss. You want me to stink up the cave? Anyway, if I find that bastard Nils, I’m killing him. He’s still around here somewhere. Let’s split up and look.”

“Damn it, this is such a hassle. If we don’t find him, it’s gonna be a disaster.”

The men split up and began searching the area. The boy could only pray they wouldn’t be discovered.

Luckily, the hiding people weren’t found right away.

As the three men spread out, the boy slowly began to move. But the men seemed to pick up on his tracks, making it hard to find a big enough opening to escape.

It was a nerve-wracking battle. The boy, still hidden, carefully moved in the direction where none of the men were.

Time passed, and soon the boy lost track of where he was headed. He kept moving, focusing only on staying away from the men.

Eventually, the path sloped upward.

Unknown to the boy, the men were primarily guarding the direction toward town, and he had inadvertently gone the opposite way.

However, it was the men who started losing their composure.

“Hey, isn’t this area kinda dangerous?”

“No way. We’re still near the base of Thunderclap Mountain, right? Besides, we can’t let him get away.”

“Are we even going the right way? What if he already ran off?”

“No, I’m sure Nils went this way. There are signs all over the place.”

“You’re not sure? That’s not helpful.”

“Huh? This is your fault for letting him escape, idiot!”

“Say that again, punk!?”

“Cut it out! This isn’t the time for that. Damn it.”

Seeing the men arguing nearby, the boy cheered silently in his heart. If they started fighting each other, it would work out perfectly.

But then, an unexpected event happened on the boy’s side as well.

The girl, who had been quietly hiding in his arms, blushed, squirming in embarrassment as she moved her thighs.

Not now, he thought, when suddenly, the girl shyly muttered,

“...I, I need to pee.”

The boy stifled the urge to scream and replied,

“Hold it.”

“I’ve been holding it. I can’t anymore.”

“Damn it, are you serious...!?”

It was the worst-case scenario.

If the girl left his side to pee, the [Concealment] effect would break, and they’d likely be discovered. Even if he let her go nearby, the smell would give them away.

No way. Is this escape going to end because of something so ridiculous? The boy cursed inwardly. A chase that began with a man’s piss, ending with the girl’s.

But then, something even more dramatic interrupted their fate.

“W-wait... is that...?”

“No way! You’ve got to be kidding!”

“I told you, this area’s dangerous!”

The three men were now staring at the sky in panic.

From somewhere far away, the flapping of giant wings could be heard. The sound grew louder as it approached.

“Come on, you’ve gotta be kidding me...”

The boy felt exasperated by his luck.

Even without following the men’s gaze, he could imagine what was happening, and when he finally looked, it was as he expected.

“What the hell do we do!? We can’t possibly take on a freaking 《Rockbird》 with just the three of us!”

“What do you mean, what do we do...! We’ve got no choice but to run!”

“What about Nils and that kid!? Are we just gonna give up on them!?”

“Not the time for that! If we die, it’s over!”

“But we can’t run! It’s already here!”

At that moment, a powerful wind blew through the area. The men, having missed their chance to flee, braced themselves against the wind and drew their weapons with trembling hands.

There was nothing the boy could do now. The girl in his arms trembled as she looked up at the sky.

A gigantic shadow appeared overhead. A majestic figure resembling an eagle, with a size that rivaled that of a dragon.

One of its talons could easily snatch up a cow or a horse. And needless to say, a human stood no chance.

“That’s... a real Rockbird... It’s huge...”

The girl whispered, her eyes filled with awe at the sight of the majestic monster she was seeing for the first time.