The campfire crackled from time to time, its swaying flames casting rolling waves of light and shadow across the faces of the two figures.
Though Luge's mind lingered on the site of that inheritance, his feet still carried him toward the fire. The Light of Spirituality flickered within him, matching the wild thumping of his small heart. He knew full well that the burly man gazing into the campfire had him locked in his sights. As for Fetid Skin, Luge had shut it down the moment the eager fellow had uttered his very first word. Sometimes malice was not immediately fatal, but the complications it stirred up could spiral in entirely unexpected directions.
He took a seat on the opposite side of the campfire.
"Thank you, sir."
He had read in Kaliu's diary that lower-ranking apprentices had to show respect to higher-ranking ones, especially limit apprentices like this.
"Actually, that fellow didn't necessarily harbor any real malice. Besides, knowing I was in the group, he knew things wouldn't play out that way, so chances are he wouldn't have done anything," Baonte said.
Luge could not help feeling that this limit apprentice was remarkably earnest, speaking so much even to a low-ranking apprentice like himself. According to Kaliu's diary, many apprentices gradually grew reclusive, and some veteran apprentices were notoriously difficult to get along with.
"I wasn't trying to help you, so there's no need to thank me. I only did it because I loathe the man and wanted him out of my sight. If anything, your arrival helped me, and I ought to thank you for giving me an excuse. To tell the truth, I was itching to pick a fight with him—something fierce, so I could seize the chance to beat him black and blue." As Baonte spoke, he tossed something across.
Luge reached out and caught it. To his surprise, it was a large magic stone.
*Crack! Bang!*
The flames flared violently, nearly sputtering out before unsteadily recovering.
A figure stepped out from the flames—the very man who had been playing with fire earlier.
"Hm? Where did he go?"
The flame-wielding man held a massive beast leg, stripped from some unfortunate subterranean beast. It looked like a plump, tender hind leg.
Faced with his question, Baonte merely shrugged.
A look of understanding crossed the flame apprentice's face. He set about dressing the beast leg, muttering under his breath as he worked.
"You used Ghost Sound when you told me to fetch the beast leg, didn't you? Hm? I answered 'fine,' but what did that fellow actually hear?" The flame apprentice kept his head down, working as he spoke. His tone remained remarkably steady, as though he had already guessed what had happened. "Little guy, remember this: don't let this big brute's appearance fool you. He's an odd one. 'Odd' is about the fairest description you can give him—neither vile nor particularly good..."
Hearing that, Baonte shrugged again. "What he heard was 'fine' as well. Only the sentence before it was different. I didn't risk tampering with your words; I only altered my own. You know I'm no good at that sort of thing, so it was a pain to pull off, not to mention figuring out how to mask the spell's fluctuations. It's just that the fellow was too irritating."
Rendered fat dripped from the roasting beast leg into the fire with steady sizzles. The two men fell silent at times and exchanged a few words at others.
Watching them, Luge felt the atmosphere had softened enough that he could probably take his leave.
"Gentlemen, thank you for your hospitality. I believe it is time for me to go."
He rose and spoke calmly, though internally he was still somewhat rattled. Sitting beside two formidable apprentice wizards felt even more nerve-racking than facing two powerful subterranean beasts.
In an instant, he felt his presence locked down once more. It was as though his every move were blanketed by a pair of invisible, massive hands, hands that shifted with his motion so closely that any hesitation would brush against his fur.
"You can't leave just yet," the flame apprentice said.
As the flame apprentice turned the leg over the fire, waves of rich fragrance wafted out. He sprinkled a succession of seasonings over it, none of which Luge recognized. A culinary depth of this caliber was something Luge had not tasted in ages. In an instant, the boiled worms in his storage pouch—which he had been too frugal to eat freely—lost all appeal.
The mouthwatering aroma made it almost impossible not to swallow hard.
Yet the saliva Luge swallowed now stemmed far more from sheer tension, like a criminal awaiting sentencing.
If he had committed any crime at all, then by his modest understanding, weakness itself was the ultimate sin in the Earth Cave world.
"This is a portion meant for three. Wasting it wouldn't do. We must maintain reverence for the living creatures of the Earth Cave world."
With that, the flame apprentice began carving the meat from the leg. He casually brought out clean plates adorned with golden patterns, which momentarily left Luge in a daze. Taking one in a stupor, he had the strange, fleeting illusion of being back in the civilized world.
Luge tried his best to act refined, but it proved exceedingly difficult. Even under the dual weight of fear and worry, the allure of the feast was simply irresistible.
A kobold's sharp senses of smell and taste finally came in handy. He had been genuinely worried that eating slimy worms year in and year out would dull them completely.
"Look at that, Baonte. This little guy's appetite is the highest praise I could ask for."
The flame apprentice seemed thoroughly pleased with Luge's reaction.
Baonte paid him no mind, eating quietly with his head down while glancing occasionally at a crystal orb in his hand.
"Those troublesome big bugs ought to be truly wiped out by now. I just wonder where that little worm has crawled off to hide," Baonte said.
With an impassive face, the flame apprentice sliced off another thick strip of meat for Luge.
"This mission is far from ordinary. I'll give it three more days. If no clear outcome emerges by then, I'm abandoning it and leaving this place," the flame apprentice said.
"Hmph!"
Baonte let out a cold grunt.
"Lord Wizard Niteli's reward isn't that easy to claim. Putting up that kind of bounty was meant from the start to lure limit apprentice wizards eager for advancement. So failure in the mission's first stage was inevitable. Some limit apprentice wizards might have even covertly helped that little worm slip away, giving it more room to maneuver so it could follow its spiritual guidance toward that city." The flame apprentice shifted his gaze. "Were you one of them? Now that the little chrysalis worm-person's trail has gone cold, whining about it only makes you look all the more foolish and incompetent."
"Hmph! The bounty for simply capturing the worm is only fit for petty fry like this kid to covet," Baonte retorted.
Luge stood up once more. Having finished his food, he felt he truly ought to depart.
The way the two spoke about the little chrysalis worm-person made him feel like he was sitting on pins and needles, terrified that some formidable spell might detect his connection to that little crybaby worm.
Moreover, the two were speaking in the common tongue of the Earth Cave. He lived in dread that the nurturing bag at his waist might suddenly twitch and draw their notice.
"Thank you both for the feast. This was the most delicious meal I have had in a very long time."
He did his best to stay composed, offering them a polite bow as he spoke.
This time, no one stopped him.
He only cursed the fact that he lacked any dashing movement technique to make a swift, graceful exit. Walking away step by step only heightened his anxiety, and he nearly twisted his ankle in the process.
"Hm?"
Baonte suddenly rose to his feet, staring intently at the crystal orb.
The flame apprentice, on the other hand, remained completely unhurried.
"If it's that little chrysalis worm-person, I'll go. If it's just that snake again—your private affair—perhaps you can take that little guy along. A low-ranking apprentice can still be of some use against an injured snake. And don't give him any more magic stones. What someone like him needs most is spell knowledge, even elementary ones. Apprentices who started as experimental subjects are all like that."
The flame apprentice's words brought Luge to an abrupt halt.
"I know you could easily slaughter that snake, but right now, you need to capture it alive."
Chapter 32