Lord of the Magical Beasts-Chapter 24 - A Thousand-Mile Pursuit
Chapter 24: A Thousand-Mile Pursuit
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
There were several tents set up in the northeastern corner of Wissen Town, near the edge of the Terras Forest. If any people had walked past the area, they would definitely have noticed the image of a golden chariot flying over a vast plain stitched into the top of each tent. The material of the tents was thick and shiny, all brushed with a layer of waterproof tree sap. From far away, the tents looked like individual green wooden houses.
An average person would use the sky as their blanket and the ground as their bed when they went to the outdoors. It was a luxury just having a sleeping bag with them. Even the bosses of merchant organizations who were expanding toward other areas of the continent would only be able to afford one or two simple tents.
The lifelike golden chariots and magnificent waterproof tents all alluded to the identity of the owner of the tents. He or she was either insanely rich or royalty!
At this time, there were faint sounds of conversation coming from the largest tent. There were two fierce warriors guarding the door. If someone were to see this, they would definitely be shocked. Just who was inside the tent, for both the guards to be Great Swordsmen?
“Harribell, it is time to move. If we do not leave now…” An elder dressed in a gray robe was worried, his face pale. There were traces of blood all over his body, as if he had just undergone a huge battle.
“Master Grain, this thing is so little… Is its Essence Crystal really that useful?” A veiled young lady sighed, softly stroking the puppy-sized Unicorn in her embrace.
The expression of the gray robed elder sank when he heard the young lady. He heaved a heavy sigh. No one could truly guarantee the usefulness of the Essence Crystal of the little Unicorn, but it was not easy to capture a fully mature Unicorn. They had already paid a heavy price in trying to capture the little foal. Seven or eight of their elite warriors had fallen in battle, and even Master Gibson had paid for their escape with his life.
“Miss, it is all my fault. The ambush failed, and we even lost Master Gibson.” Hanks’s head was wrapped in a thick layer of bandages. After taking a sip of strong liquor, he lifted the heavy sword in his hands and said fiercely, “Even if I have to give up my life, I have to return to the Terras Forest and kill a mature Unicorn. My life was given to me by the Earl; without him, I would have been reduced to a pile of soil twenty years ago!”
“Yes, for the Earl, we will go all out!”
“Miss, give the order!”
…
Under Hanks’s lead, the group of brave warriors stood up.
Seeing the blood-covered warriors, then looking at the exhausted Great Spellcasters, the young lady shook her head. There were many Magical Beasts prowling deep in the Terras Forest. A Level Eight high-level Magical Beast like the Unicorn had terrifying abilities and a fleeting nature. The fact that Unicorns rarely staid in one place for a long time made them hard to capture, even when the hunters were at full strength, much less now, after suffering many casualties.
“I, Harribell, accept the goodwill of all of you. But the Terras Forest is dangerous; how can I make you all take the risk and enter the forest once again?” The veiled young lady’s eyes were red. She continued, “My family is blessed for having the assistance of you brave warriors. I, Harribell, want to express my heartfelt gratitude for all of you, whether or not we are able to save my father’s life this time!”
“Harribell, we must not tarry; let’s go, let’s leave now. Let’s hope to be able to return to Montson in three days!” The gray-robed elder had a gloomy expression. “If we cannot return before the illness inflicting your father acts up, then we might lose even this glimmer of a chance!”
Hearing the gray-robed elder’s words, the veiled young lady became even more worried. She made a quick decision and instructed the group to move out immediately. But just as the group stood up, they heard a deafening roar coming from far away. Following that, the sounds of galloping could be heard, as if a fast horse was charging toward them.
It was the middle of the night. Was it a knight passing by, or a Magical Beast searching for food?
Hearing the sound become clearer and clearer, the group was confused. This was the outer perimeter of the Terras Forest, and there were not many Magical Beasts here. This place was also far away from the residential area of Wissen Town. Not many people came to these parts even during the day, much less in the middle of the night. Just what was going on?
Neigh…
After listening intently for a moment, the little Unicorn in the arms of the veiled young lady neighed loudly and struggled. At the same time, after hearing the cries of the little foal, the roars outside became louder, the hoofbeats more hurried, the sounds clearer.
The gray-robed elder had a thought when he saw the struggling little foal. He shouted in worry, “Not good! A Unicorn has come here following the scent! Quick, charge outside, get into formation, quickly!”
Hearing the shouts of the gray-robed elder, the group reacted instantly, charging outside without much hesitation. After experiencing these days of pursuit, everyone understood that only by getting into formation could they have a chance of escaping with their lives. Otherwise, they were going to get slaughtered by the terrifying Unicorn.
“Miss, your sword!” In a fluster, a maid carried over the veiled lady’s sword. She shivered when she thought about the warriors whose heads were trampled on by the Unicorn.
After handing the little Unicorn to the maid, the veiled lady withdrew her sharp longsword. She said with a deep tone, “Mary, do not be afraid, we have the advantage in numbers. After the battle is over, remember to stay by my side. Do not run away in a fluster!”
As a Magical Swordsman, even though Harribell was extremely nervous, she was not as lost as the maid Mary, who did not have any Battle Energy. With Hanks’s help, she instructed the warriors to quickly get into a tight circle-like defensive formation.
Wissen Town experienced heavy rainfall, and its nights were often cloaked in thick fog. The roars of the Unicorn came closer and closer, but the thick fog hid its figure, despite the fact that they could hear its cries clearly. Staring into the thick fog, the group became more nervous. The hurried hoofbeats of the Unicorn felt like the sounds of death, causing their nerves to be strung taut.
“Miss, I…” Hearing the thunderous claps of the hooves, seeing the gleaming swords all around her, the maid nearly suffocated in her own nervousness. She stayed close behind the veiled young lady.
“Hanks, if the situation gets too dire later on, leave first with Miss. You must not try to play the hero!” The gray-robed elder instructed softly as he stepped up beside Hanks. They had been unable to deal with the crazed attacks of the Unicorn even when they were at full strength; now that they were left with injured and exhausted fighters, how were they going to withstand its assault? They had no choice but to sacrifice themselves to protect their master.
Neigh…
The Unicorn suddenly stopped when it was a mere hundred steps away from them. It paused for a moment before taking small steps toward them.
Thud, thud, thud…
Hearing the heavy, powerful footsteps, feeling a soaring killing intent, the group began to drop cold sweat. They clenched the weapons in their hands tightly, not daring to breathe.
Following a wave of footsteps, the Unicorn slowly closed in from the fog. Its red eyes, its lone horn covered in purple arcs of lightning, and the looming weight of its desire to kill all made the group incredibly afraid.
“Hand over the little Unicorn, or else you will all die!”
Just as the gray-robed elder and the Great Spellcasters were about to cast the Magic Shield, the figure of a young man slowly appeared above the Unicorn. He had a piercing gaze and an emotionless face. Even though they could not feel any ripples of Magical Power or Battle Energy coming from his body, they did not dare let down their guard.
After successfully taming the heavily injured Unicorn, Yang Ling had quickly understood the situation through its memories. He understood why the Unicorn felt this much grief and injustice as it was dying. He had tried his best to heal the Unicorn as he followed the scent of its child.
