Chapter 43: Real Thoughts

The moment Gavasa charged forward, “Forgehook” activated the Blossom Stone Bead hidden beneath his left eye patch.

He had found it during a desperate escape from a beastman’s pursuit, when he accidentally wandered into a strange labyrinth.

It was a round bead adorned with a pattern of blossoming flowers, capable of generating a powerful magical barrier strong enough to withstand a single full-strength strike from someone of level 55. Not only that, it granted a one-time short-distance teleportation. Thanks to these two functions, “Forgehook” had evaded countless dangers throughout the Human-Demon War, surviving against all odds, and later becoming a slave trader specializing in beastmen.

This was his trump card, one he had never revealed to anyone. And this time, the Blossom Stone Bead saved him once again.

He used its teleportation function to transport himself to a grassy field not far from the manor.

He had wanted to teleport directly to the forest east of the estate—though the forest held its own dangers, it was far better than being caught by the demons. Unfortunately, the teleportation range was insufficient, so he ended up in the grassland instead.

Still, this wasn’t a bad outcome. It was difficult to pinpoint someone’s exact location in such an open field. If he could just slip into the forest to the east, he’d be safe. “Forgehook” thought to himself.

A flash of light passed, and when “Forgehook” opened his eyes, he found himself standing in the grass. He rose and scanned the surroundings, only to discover he was already surrounded by “people.”

Lola froze at the sight of the suddenly appearing human, then cautiously picked up a stone from the ground. But as she got a better look at his face, she stiffened completely.

She recognized him. When Lola had first been brought back by the mercenary band and was about to be sold, she had seen this man before. He was “Forgehook,” the slave trader who dealt in beastmen.

Her body slowly shifted from stiff to excited, clutching the stone in her hand tightly as if it weren’t just a stone, but a tool that could change her fate.

One after another, the other beastman slaves began to recognize him as well. At first, the slaves were terrified and ready to flee, but once they realized he was alone, their expressions changed.

“Forgehook” also identified the “people” around him. His expression flickered from surprise to anger, then quickly to panic as he assessed his own precarious situation.

How long had it been since he last took matters into his own hands after the Human-Demon War? With his current abilities, could he still handle these creatures? And what if the demon caught up with him during this delay…

Seeing the hostile looks around him, “Forgehook” forced himself to steady his trembling hands, trying to tell them now was not a good time to attack a human.

“E-everyone, wait! I…”

Before he could finish two sentences, a stone struck his head.

The stone’s force was weak, more like it accidentally hit him than anything else. It didn’t even hurt, but after being hit, “Forgehook” was stunned—he hadn’t expected them to act like this.

It seemed that the stone set off a chain reaction. One after another, stones were hurled from the slaves’ hands. Few actually hit “Forgehook,” but they kept throwing them anyway. Some, unable to lift stones, simply scooped up handfuls of dirt and flung it into his face.

Watching the meaningless rebellion before him, feeling the grit accidentally swallowed, “Forgehook” stood frozen. The scene felt painfully familiar, like when he was a child and beastmen raided their village. He had witnessed his childhood friends trying to resist with stones and sticks, only to be torn apart by the beastmen without mercy.

Smack!

Another stone hit “Forgehook’s” head. He slowly turned to look at the culprit—a small, fox-like or dog-like beastman. Despite her slender frame, her eyes carried a hatred beyond her years.

That was the very same look he had once cast at the beastmen. But now, the roles had reversed.

Recalling the deeds he had done in the past years, “Forgehook” suddenly burst into laughter. The laugh grew from a faint chuckle to a loud guffaw. It was as if he was mocking the beastmen before him, or perhaps laughing at his former foolish self.

“Hahaha! Hahaha! Ha-ha-ha…”

The moment he laughed, Lola and the other beastmen froze. They didn’t quite understand why “Forgehook” was laughing. Was it because their resistance was so weak and ridiculous?

Lola suddenly realized they were blinded by hatred, acting out meaningless defiance. They should escape as soon as possible!

Just as Lola was about to signal her companions to flee while she covered their retreat, “Forgehook” spoke again.

“Hahaha… I never thought I was one of those beastmen myself… But so what! Beastmen or humans, anyone who dares block my path or cut off my profits—I won’t spare a single one!”

Indeed, “Forgehook” had finally seen how laughable he had been—once selling beastmen under the banner of revenge. How absurd! He should have known all along he wasn’t seeking revenge; he just wanted to make money!

Yes! What he truly wanted was money! Otherwise, why as a child would he have sold out his entire village to the beastmen for a single gold coin?

Of course! Even during the Human-Demon War, beastmen wouldn’t have bothered attacking such a remote, poor village with no strategic value!

The real reason was that he coveted the one gold coin bounty offered for information! For that single coin, he sneaked into the demon-controlled town and lied about high-level adventurers hiding in the village. So, to eliminate these supposed adventurers opposing the demons, the beastmen traveled all the way to his village, killing everyone they saw and ransacking every corner!

Seeing “Forgehook’s” increasingly grim expression, Lola hurriedly prepared to sneak away with her companions while he wasn’t looking. But just as they took a few steps, his voice called out from behind.

“Where do you think you’re going? Weren’t you coming for revenge? Hahaha! If not, how about a deal—one that benefits us both!”

From behind, “Forgehook” no longer hid his true intentions, slowly stepping forward.

Just moments ago, he had realized not only his true feelings but also one other fact: this group of slaves could not harm him.

After all, he was a veteran of the Human-Demon War, a level 20 combatant, no match for these pale, weak beastman slaves.

Therefore, he planned to use them—to scatter them across the grassland, making them run amok and clouding the demon’s sight, giving himself a chance to escape!

Envisioning his perfect plan, “Forgehook” slowly approached Lola.