CHAPTER 70: LOOT

Gara wasn’t wrong, Fian was experienced. But it wasn’t because of time spent with his kin. Ever since he could remember, he had been made to work and work, under the commands of humans.

He had done more kinds of labor than most could name.

While waiting, Gara let his gaze wander. The air was colder here, the altitude high enough to sharpen every breath.

Everywhere he looked, the forest’s deep green was broken only by the glint of the clear river. But upon closer inspection, other colors peeked through—the wild plants that climbed trees or spread along the ground.

"I’ll gather some wild plants from around here."

Without waiting for Fian’s reply, Gara walked off.

The elf watched him go, noting that he didn’t wander far, only foraging along the riverbank.

There were many wild plants Gara didn’t recognize, and he had no intention of picking them blindly. He gathered only the ones he knew well, including Thimvine—the cheapest and most accessible ingredient for his anesthetic.

Thimvine grew freely and was easy to find. Acotine, poppy, belladonna, and nerthalis did not grow wild near his village.

Though poppy and nerthalis could be harvested continually, their numbers could never match thimvine.

As for acotine, he had long since stopped buying it. Belladonna was the only one he couldn’t yet try.

Gara didn’t stray far while foraging. Once he was satisfied with the poisonous plants he’d collected, his gaze wandered to the crystal-clear river nearby.

"Whoa... it’s so clear the water’s practically shining," he murmured, squinting as the sunlight’s reflection glimmered off its surface.

But when he looked to the other side, the reflection wasn’t quite as bright.

"That’s... odd."

He stepped closer to the bank where the glare was strongest. Beneath the rippling surface lay a stone the size of a melon—slightly flattened, smooth, and gleaming ivory-white.

"What is that...?"

Water poured from his hand into the river, swirling under his control. With a thought, he coaxed the strange stone upward, lifting it from the riverbed and bring it to him.

It felt harmless—no poison, no strange aura—so he reached out and touched it. Nothing happened.

"Pretty and shiny... I’ll just take it with me."

Tucking it under his arm, he headed toward Fian. Even from a distance, he could see piles of serpent meat and skin threatening to swallow the handsome elf whole.

"How exactly are we going to bring all of this down?" Gara asked, voice thick with the weight of the problem.

Fian didn’t answer. He only blinked a few times apparently realizing he hadn’t thought that far ahead either.

"Stay here. I’ll run down and grab a cart and some sacks. Don’t move!"

Gara set the ivory stone on the ground and dashed down the mountainside in a blur.

Fian watched him go, face expressionless. Would he be left behind? Would he end up back in the hands of humans who treated him as nothing but labor cow?

Minutes passed. He didn’t blink once. His eyes reddened, locked on the trees where Gara had vanished.

Srrrk... srrrk...

Something was being pushed through the underbrush. Fian’s sharp ears picked up the familiar rhythm of someone’s breathing.

His cold gaze softened. He blinked again—once, twice... on the fifth blink, the pale-skinned, black-haired youth emerged from the forest, pushing a wooden cart.

"Load it up here!" the young man ordered.

Fian gave a brief nod and quickly set to work, cleaning and skinning the serpent with practiced speed.

Meanwhile, Gara hefted the ivory stone into the cart, then began stacking the already-prepared portions of snake.

When Fian finished, he added the remaining meat and skin before taking hold of the cart himself, pulling it downhill.

Before they left the riverbank, Gara swept his water over Fian, washing away the blood that covered him.

"We’ll stop by to get Rea’s kids first. This mountain’s too dangerous. Better for them to live with us, and I’ve got plenty of herbs they can eat."

Taking a longer route, Gara led the way to the tree where Rea’s nest rested.

Inside were wild fruits, seeds and flowers, lined with dry leaves. Rea’s children were no bigger than an adult’s thumb, their fur snowy white and their black eyes bright.

But unlike their mother, they had small streaks of black in their coats—each in a different place.

When they passed the herb field, it was still empty, though the villagers would be coming soon for their evening watering.

Please don’t run into Mom. Please don’t run into Mom. Please don’t—

Gara chanted it over and over in his head.

Sure enough, they didn’t see Wina the entire way home... but the moment they pushed open the low gate, his mother stepped out of the house.

Wina’s eyes widened when she saw the two young men frozen at the gate, hands still holding it open.

The cart in front of them, draped in burlap, sagged under the weight of something large, heavy, and plentiful. Fian, who was pushing it, was drenched from head to toe.

Beside him, Gara stood looking... undeniably guilty.

"Where have you two been?" Wina’s voice was firm, the kind that brooked no nonsense.

"We..." Gara’s mind spun, scrambling for another lie. His skill in deception had grown remarkably since transmigrating into this world.

But before he could speak, his mother approched then lifted the burlap, revealing a hide unmistakably belonging to a serpent.

"Good heavens!" Wina recoiled in shock, her feet tangling beneath her.

Before she could hit the ground, Gara sent water rushing beneath her, forming a cushion that bounced her gently back onto her feet.

He stepped forward quickly. "Mom, we were just bringing Rea’s kids here, so she wouldn’t have to keep traveling between the mountains and the village, and risk running into the villagers’ dogs.

The snake—we just stumbled on it, already dead. Since it wasn’t rotting yet, Fian cleaned and skinned it at the river. We weren’t in any danger at all. I’m serious, Mom."

He lied as easily as breathing, eyes steady, as if recounting the truth.

...