New law of Beast Taming

"Looks like these people were not the ones we were looking for. They have no valuable information available. What should we do now?"

As much as Aqua wanted to rest, she also felt like she needed to crack this case. She had spent too much time and effort on this case to not feel like she was connected to it.

"Ugh, so much effort wasted on chasing petty clowns. Let’s go back to the settlement for now. I am sure our friends are in trouble with the local guardian already."

’They’re what now? Why do I not even feel surprised about this?’

Aqua was getting used to Lady Suzuki’s weird habits and way of speaking. Aqua had managed to understand her in a matter of hours.

To waste all this effort on her own and then complain about it. This was just so much like Lady Suzuki that even commenting would be a waste of time.

"By the way, what do you mean by ’being in trouble? I thought that the Divine Guild and the local guardians had a good relationship with the guardian tribe."

Aqua asked that question with a tone of disbelief. She could not believe that something like this was even possible to happen.

As for Lady Suzuki, she seemed to have no guilt inside her about this issue.

"Huh? We do have a good relationship with the local tribe but I am not sure if they would look away if someone other than me arrives there with my name. But Sakura is a resourceful kid so I am sure she will be alright."

Aqua felt sorry for Sakura in her heart. The other girl had been dealt an unimaginably bad hand.

She hated to even think what Sakura could have done to incur such wrath from the divine leader.

"Hey, didn’t she have that kid in her team as well? Don’t tell me that you decided to sacrifice the kid as well?"

Lady Suzuki had the most confused face right now. It almost made Aqua feel sorry for her as well before she remembered that Lady Suzuki did not deserve this sympathy right now.

"So you mean to tell me that you send two kids out into hostile territory knowing fully well that they were in danger? What kind of adult does that?"

"Doesn’t everyone do that? I remember that my guardian regularly used to throw me off cliffs to make me grow stronger when I was a kid. But of course, it has been a lot of years since then."

This new piece of information left Aqua stunned again. Had she thought a little deeper into this topic, she would have realized how obvious this information was.

Lady Suzuki had lived past a time when danger was everywhere and wars were going on around every corner of the world.

As such, this kind of background or upbringing was not that weird or controversial to see. A lot of people who had managed to survive until today would tell you similar stories about their background.

Their conditions had been harsh so the adults around them had not held back as well.

’But still, to do that to a defenseless kid is too much. I guess I can see why Lady Suzuki had such a weird character. She must have been dropped off a lot on her head and now had brain damage as a result.’

"Hey, hurry and keep up with me. The territory from here is a little difficult to travel without a guide so make sure you pay attention to me."

Whatever good feelings Aqua had about Lady Suzuki evaporated at her rude words. Suddenly, Aqua wanted nothing to do with Lady Suzuki anymore.

Her tone was too arrogant and her voice was too loud. She was like a kid who never managed to grow past her childhood.

"I’m coming. You can afford to go a little slow, right? I need to keep up with you."

Aqua picked up speed as well. She told herself that it was not because she was feeling sympathy for Lady Suzuki but because she cared as a whole.

And also because she wanted to get out of this forest with all her limbs intact.

’God, if I ever manage to find the adult who raised Lady Suzuki, I will talk with her. But not before cursing that person out. Just how fucked up did one have to be to raise a kid like this?’

_________________

Amane sneezed soon after she entered the cave. She had a feeling that someone was talking about her behind her back but she had no proof of it.

’Who is badmouthing me behind my back? They should come out so that I can deal with them openly.’

Amane was annoyed but also beyond caring if someone talked about her. But if it caused her bodily functions to become compromised, then Amane did care.

The moon dragon walked faster at Amane’s side, her big head turning at small intervals to look at Amane.

They were both tracking down the man who was running away faster and faster. At least he was smart enough to lead them back to his base.

"Do you think he will try to make a run for it as soon as we reach the base and he gets a cure? Should I let him run away from us?"

Amane asked the moon dragon who did not reply to her words. She was smelling something in the air and Amane watched as the boulder in front of the cave was pushed away by that man.

She was about to make herself visible but she stopped herself in time. She was lucky that she had not shown herself because more people were coming out from the other side.

"Hey man, where were you until now? You missed the big beast we just brought in."

"Y-Yeah. Look, I don’t have time right now. Boss is coming and I need to take care of a few things."

"Boss is coming? Why did you not say that before? I-I suddenly realized that I have a lot of work to do."

"Y-Yeah, me as well."

Amane watched that all happen in front of her. It seemed that she did not have to interfere with the progress this time.

Once the man was sure that he was all alone, he turned toward Amane’s direction and gestured for her to come closer.

"Look, I took you to the cave entrance. Now give me the cure for my poison. Please, I beg of you."

Amane could see that the man was no longer typing to trick her. That was why she gave him the cure and walked into the base.

After that man was gone, Amane focused her attention back on the matter at hand. She could feel so many strong auras around her.

It made her wonder how so many strong beasts had managed to get caught in the hunter’s trap without trying to kill these poachers.

"Moony, keep close to me. I have a bad feeling about this leader."

Amane pulled the dragon closer to her body. That tiny body was shaking in her grasp with excitement. But this was no time to be excited.

She followed the feeling she was getting and Amane instantly entered the room where all those beasts she was feeling were being kept.

They were locked up in tiny cages, their eyes closed. They had been drugged up quite badly.

Amane neared a cage to look at the situation more clearly when she felt her senses dulling quite a lot.

There was a powdery substance on top of these beasts that made Amane suspicious about its true nature.

She smelled a small part of it and instantly was hit was a dizzy spell. There was only one thing that could make Amane behave like this.

"Moony, keep away. Don’t breathe in this air…"

But the moon dragon collapsed before Amane finished speaking. She was feeling a lot dizzier now that she had breathed a lot of that air.

These pheromones were causing Amane to feel sleepy and her eyelids were dropping. She would not be able to hold on until the end.

"Awww, look at that. The fly managed to enter our trap all on our own. So this is what the family head of the Tsurugi family is capable of? How tragic."

Amane was not able to keep her head any longer. She was all but asleep at that point and her eyes were hurting a lot.

How did this group manage to get their hands on such concentrated pheromones? And how did they even manage to spread them around?

"Go to sleep our golden hen. Once you are awake, you will have a lot of work to do."

The voice whispered but Amane was not going to allow herself to fall asleep just like that.

She was going to fight against that feeling of sleep and make sure she was free right here and now.

’Don’t joke with me. I am not going to fall for such cheap tricks.’

Amane channeled her magic more and more into her core until it exploded with power. It was the only thing keeping her awake.