The black, plump bumblebee gradually drifted further away, until it finally disappeared from sight.
"This time, it will surely succeed."
Listening to Xenon's reassurance, I gazed into the distance at the path. Indeed, there were no traps reacting to the small bumblebee.
"See, this time for sure..."
The moment I parted my lips with a smile, I saw something like powder bursting from somewhere in the distant air.
A hazy smoke began to spread at the path's entrance.
"...."
A premonition struck me. A sinister and absurd premonition that somehow, this time too, would end in failure.
* * *
'I should have just taken the easy path instead of trying to go around needlessly.'
After placing Tristan, who was thoroughly doused in some unidentified sticky powder and had returned all droopy, into Mori's pocket, I thought to myself.
That I had wasted time.
"Let's go."
Because of traps and snares and nets, we couldn't pass through?
Then the solution was simple—find the human who set them up and make them dismantle everything!
What if they refuse?
'Then I'll make them do it.'
Whether by paying them, threatening them, or coaxing them!
I should have done this from the start.
With irritation rising to the very top of my head, I went to the house of that hunter called Cheche or whatever.
Having failed to reach the rock mountain four times already, I was in an extremely sensitive state.
Bang bang bang!
"Who is it?"
A voice called from inside. Instead of answering, I knocked on the door again, and after a moment, the wooden door opened with a creaking sound from its hinges.
"Who is it?"
Beyond the door, which had opened about a span's width, someone peered out with only their eyes visible. It was a woman with brown hair braided into two plaits and a face full of freckles.
Upon seeing my face, the other party sent me a gaze full of wariness.
But soon, discovering Samuel and Xenon behind me, her expression changed.
"Oh my!"
As if she had never been wary, the door swung wide open.
"You've come back!"
With a beaming face, she addressed Xenon and Samuel, wearing a friendly smile.
She looked only at Xenon and Samuel as if I didn't exist.
The two, seemingly a bit flustered by the other party's reaction, checked my expression instead of answering.
However, the other party still wasn't looking at me.
Is she treating me like I don't exist right now?
"Are you Cheche?"
I spoke first. But the other party looked at me briefly, then withdrew her gaze again.
......So she is treating me like I don't exist.
Wondering what on earth this situation was, I looked back at Xenon and Samuel. Samuel was the one who stepped forward after gauging the atmosphere.
"We've come regarding the previous matter."
"Yes, has the temple finally decided to acknowledge me?"
"That's not it. On the path to the rock mountain, you've set up a lot of traps and snares."
"That's right. Only I can pass through that path. Because I'm God's apostle!"
Not a single trace of doubt appeared in her twinkling eyes. She genuinely believed herself to be God's apostle.
I was inwardly marveling at her remarkably firm faith when the hunter's gaze turned toward Xenon, who stood beside Samuel.
"Mr. Mage, Mr. Mage also came back to protect me, God's apostle, right?"
Oh?
"Ahem. No, that's not it. As this paladin mentioned, we came because of the traps and snares laid on the path. We want to pass through there. Since you, Hunter-nim, have made the path into a complete mess...."
"I told you to call me by my name? Please call me Cheche."
Is that so?
"I'll decline. More importantly, we need to pass through that path."
"I haven't caught that demon yet. Until I catch the demon, I won't remove what I've set up. I've blocked it thoroughly so that demon can't escape, so how about you wait here? Have you eaten?"
Oh ho.
"We need to pass through that path right now, Hunter-nim."
"I told you it's Cheche? I also... ack!"
The moment I judged there was no need to listen any further, I grabbed the collar of the other party standing at the door and shoved her violently.
Cheche, having her collar seized unexpectedly, staggered backward. Thanks to that, I could easily enter the house.
"Wait, what is this!"
Still holding Cheche's collar, I strode in and pushed her against the wall directly in front.
Crash!
Various odds and ends lying nearby tumbled over with a loud noise.
Pushed against the wall without a chance to resist, she belatedly grabbed my wrist with both hands as if trying to push my hand away.
But when I pressed down hard on her throat while holding her collar, she soon began to gasp for breath.
"Since we don't have time, I'll get straight to the point."
My seized wrist was being squeezed painfully. But I didn't loosen my grip on her collar.
"Restore the path to its original state."
"Cough, cough!"
"Clean up all those filthy things you laid out."
"Cough!"
Cheche's face flushed bright red. However, she didn't look pitiful or regrettable.
As I was coldly glaring at Cheche, about to press for an answer, someone's hand covered my tightly gripping hand.
"Lord Anelli, if you keep holding her collar, she won't be able to answer."
The voice reaching my ear was calm. It was Xenon who was slowly making me lower my hand that had been exerting force.
When I released my hand, Cheche coughed violently while bending at the waist. Whether she did or not, Xenon examined my hand.
"Is your hand alright? No, your wrist will bruise!"
Only after hearing Xenon's exclamation did I look down at my hand. The part where Cheche had grabbed with both hands just moments ago was swollen red.
Looking at Xenon who was fussing over my wrist with disapproval, I quietly withdrew my hand.
"Let's finish talking with this person first."
When I gestured toward Cheche with my chin, Xenon looked at me with an ambiguous expression.
"Was that a conversation?"
"Then was what you had with her a conversation?"
"At least... no, it wasn't. That was nonsense by anyone's standards. Now that the atmosphere for conversation has finally been established, let's talk quickly!"
Perhaps worried that someone might come due to the earlier commotion, Samuel checked the outside situation before coming back in.
After confirming Samuel had closed the front door, I turned around with an indifferent face.
The interior of the house was small. I didn't know if she lived alone or if other family members were away, but no presence was felt.
Right next to the entrance was a space too narrow to call a living room.
Two or three wooden chairs of different shapes were placed, and what appeared to be animal skins were spread on the floor.
On the inner wall, a taxidermied animal head was hung. It was a male deer's head with magnificent antlers.
As if to reveal it was a hunter's house, an indescribable smell faintly permeated the air.
"Cough, cough!"
Cheche, who had been coughing with tears welling in her eyes, only came to her senses by the time I chose an appropriate chair and sat down.
Samuel helped up the woman who had been sitting down in surprise from the sudden attack. She leaned against Samuel's arm and glared at me.
"What are you? How dare you attack me? Do you know who I am?"
Her seething face was full of anger and indignation.
Propping my chin on my hand, I looked at such Cheche for a while, then spoke in a dry voice.
"No matter how high the Resurrected One's prestige is these days, how can just anyone invoke God like this?"
"What, what!"
"A hunter whose only claim is having seen a Dullahan once is God's apostle? That's not even funny."
"H-how can you do this to me?"
Cheche's tearful gaze passed over me and rose slightly diagonally. It was toward Xenon, who had quickly approached my side.
I didn't particularly want to know what Cheche's gaze meant. I called him.
"Xenon."
"......Yes."
"I know well that you usually want to beat Sir Samuel, but still. Using a honey trap even to find a witness?"
Seeing Samuel carefully extracting his arm caught by Cheche in this situation, I didn't know whether to call it funny or absurd.
All this situation was so ridiculous that I let out a hollow sigh, when Xenon whispered to me in a resolute voice.
"Absolutely not."
"Oh, is that so?"
"Mages from the Magic Tower are all pure-hearted, you know? I told you how many mages married their first loves."
Listening to Xenon desperately emphasizing his purity, I felt hollow wondering what I was doing right now.
In the first place, what did that hunter woman matter?
'Why was I so irritated by what that woman said that I grabbed her collar and wrestled with her, a skill I don't even have.'
When my sensitive mood subsided, self-reproach surged up. The price for momentarily failing to control my emotions was this shame. A truly great lesson.
'No, I should have already learned sufficiently from the cases of Maxel and Lilia.'
I pressed my forehead and suppressed the welling depression.
Instead of me who was silent, it was Samuel who spoke to the tearful Cheche.
"The situation is urgent. Because of the traps and snares you've laid, time is being delayed, so we need you to dismantle them."
"B-but catching that demon is my job! My traps should be enough to catch it!"
Cheche cried out resolutely with both fists clenched. Hearing those words, a sneer naturally emerged.
"Catching a Dullahan with traps? Is that foolish or stupid?"
I had sent all Dullahans into the bracelet just in case, but if even one had been out, they would have probably laughed loudly.
Of course, those troublesome tools might be able to wound a Dullahan. But what comes after that?
I didn't know how an ordinary hunter planned to subdue a Dullahan. Did she think it was possible? She surely doesn't believe that tying it tightly with rope would be the end of it?
As I clicked my tongue briefly and shook my head, Cheche's bewildered voice reached my ears.
"Don't tell me, are you people monster hunters?"
What is that again?
"Monster hunters?"
I was about to express doubt at the incomprehensible title, but Cheche raised her voice with a ferocious expression.
"Absolutely not! I'm the one who saw this demon!"
I didn't know that witnessing a Dullahan was such a significant matter as to claim ownership. I really don't know how the world works these days.
Looking at Cheche with a confused gaze, I turned my eyes to Samuel, who was quietly distancing himself from Cheche.
"You didn't say the witness was a crazy person."
"I apologize."
"......I'm tired, so let's finish this quickly."
Waving my hand dismissively, I spoke in an inattentive voice.
"What I want is for the path to the rock mountain to be cleaned up."
"I won't...!"
"There is no choice."
When I cut her off decisively, Cheche fell silent.
"I don't like what you're doing, but if you go out right now and quickly clean up those damned things, I'll provide some compensation for your trouble."
Cheche gave no answer.
But an answer wasn't needed in the first place. I hadn't come to negotiate or make a deal with her.
"If you don't like that, I can also threaten you with my best effort."
I had come to deliver a notification.