NOVEL NEXT Chapter 5 - Episode 005: Headhunter, Encounter with Destiny
Episode 005: Headhunter, Encounter with Destiny
Crossing the border took a few hours. Although it wouldn’t be strange for a child to be a bit demanding, Tina remained quiet, swaying on Ack’s shoulders.
“Haa… haa…”
However, due to the heat, she seemed a bit out of breath and uncomfortable.
She had been undernourished and in poor conditions. It was understandable.
“Is that…?”
Spotting something suitable nearby, Ack decided to take a break.
“Are you tired?”
“Yeah… just a little.”
He sat Tina down on a comfortable rock and asked, and she answered honestly.
She knew that lying would only cause trouble given her past life.
“Wait here.”
Ack approached a nearby tree, plucked some orange-colored fruits that were ready, and from his magic bag, he took out a bowl, a water flask with honey and water, and a cup.
The magic bag could hold far more items than it appeared, making it a rare and valuable item. However, mercenaries often traveled to various countries and places, so a magic bag capable of carrying many items was essential. Ack, who belonged to a top-notch mercenary group, had three bags: one for personal use, one for spoils of war, and one spare.
The reason for the division was that, even though they were designed not to mix inside, he disliked having personal items in the same bag as corpses.
The spare bag was originally intended for use when he opened a cafe, so he would now put it to use.
Ack dampened a clean cloth with water to wipe his hands and the fruits, then squeezed the Warrenge fruits over the bowl, exerting a little force.
– Splash!
With just that, the peel cracked, and juice overflowed into the bowl as the flesh was squeezed.
A refreshing citrus scent wafted through the air.
He repeated this process several times, mixed in water, drizzled honey, and stirred.
And what was made was Warrenge juice. Although originally tart, it had become milder with the addition of honey.
It should be easier for even a child to drink.
And this Warrenge also had a slight fatigue recovery effect.
“It’s Warrenge juice.”
He handed her the cup.
“Thank you.”
Tina took the cup and began to sip it eagerly.
“It’s delicious.”
Due to the high temperature, Tina, who was thirsty, quickly finished drinking it.
Tina smiled at Ack.
Tina, who usually didn’t speak much and had few expressions, had a very cute smile.
“I’ll make some more for you later.”
“Yeah.”
Ack gently stroked Tina, and she squinted as if ticklish.
-Rustle, rustle.
“Hmm?”
As he smiled at Tina’s cuteness, he heard a noise from the bushes behind him, and Ack immediately tensed up.
“Kyuu, Kyuu?”
What appeared was a pure white rabbit.
“!?”
The moment Ack and the rabbit’s eyes met, they were both struck by a shocking sensation.
In fact, this rabbit was feared as a Vorpal Bunny, known as the “headhunter rabbit,” despite its cute appearance.
On one hand, there was Ack, who, despite his fierce appearance and silent demeanor, and his dislike for combat, had the power to swiftly decapitate enemy heads in battle.
On the other hand, there was the Vorpal Bunny, feared as the “headhunter rabbit,” which had the power to swiftly decapitate the heads of those who posed a threat to them, despite its cute appearance, but did not actually enjoy fighting.
It was the fateful encounter of the two known as the “headhunter.”
“…”
“…”
Ack and the rabbit stared at each other in silence.
-Shuffle.
And then, after a while, they approached each other and shook hands without saying a word.
Two individuals who felt sympathy and understood each other without the need for words.
“Wanna come with me?”
“Kyuuu.”
The Vorpal Bunny readily nodded at Ack’s offer.
However, there was one problem as it was now.
Monsters couldn’t enter the city unless they became familiars.
In other words, the Vorpal Bunny had to become Ack’s familiar.
Luckily, Ack had the potential to be a tamer. When he learned this fact, Ack secretly rejoiced.
He had been even more feared for his uncanny expression of joy, but that’s another story.
“Will you accept my tame?”
“Kyuuu.”
The Vorpal Bunny readily accepted Ack’s proposal.
Just as Ack was tired of fighting, the Vorpal Bunny was also tired of being chased by humans every day.
And then, he had a gut feeling that the man in front of him was overwhelmingly stronger than himself and would protect him.
“I see. Your name is Snow.”
Ack recalled the snow he had seen while traveling as a mercenary in the past, and he named him after that, given his pure white and fluffy appearance.
“Kyukyu!”
The Vorpal Bunny accepted the name given to him. He officially became Ack’s tame monster, Snow.
“Ack, who’s this?”
Bringing Snow to Tina, she tilted her head curiously.
“This is Snow, who just became part of the family.”
“Kyuu!”
“It tickles!”
Snow climbed onto Tina’s shoulder with a light movement and rubbed his head against her face.
Tina chuckled.
“Nice to meet you, Snow.”
“Kyukyuu!”
As Tina stroked Snow’s shoulder, he happily chirped.
Seeing this scene, Ack felt a warm feeling in his heart.
After resting for about 10 minutes, Ack and his companions resumed their journey.