Chapter 101: Chapter 82: Hunting Competition

When he arrived at the stables, the Little Nun was, as expected, surrounded by five or six men dressed as stable hands. She clutched the Gold Coin tightly, her small, tear-stained face filled with defiance.

Baron glanced at the silver emblem printed next to the stable’s sign—it was the symbol of the Iron Thorn Gang.

His heart sank. ’Just my luck.’ This meant the stables were under the protection of the Iron Thorn Gang. They had probably already been notified and were on their way.

The men surrounded her, tugging at her nun’s habit while interrogating her with a mix of threats and jeers.

"Speak! Why do you have an Iron Thorn Gang Gold Coin! Who gave it to you! If you don’t talk, we’ll strip you out of that nun’s habit you probably stole and parade you through the streets!"

"She may be young, but her figure and looks are decent enough. Perfect to be sent to a brothel as a new girl!"

"I’ve already notified the Iron Thorn Gang. They’ll be here soon. I say, instead of letting those Demon Hunters have all the fun, why don’t we brothers have a taste first!"

"Hand over the Gold Coin! Now!"

The burly man in the lead grabbed the Little Nun’s frail shoulders. He claimed to be after the Gold Coin, but his hand immediately snaked toward Olivia’s still-developing chest.

A look of despair crossed the Little Nun’s small face as the surrounding stable hands erupted in a chorus of vile laughter.

Rage flared in Baron’s heart at the sight. Without hesitation, he stomped heavily on the ground. His Golden Eye flashed, and Dragon Flame compressed and exploded under his feet, the resulting thrust launching him forward like a rocket.

He didn’t waste words, delivering a flying kick that sent the burly leader flying. He followed up with several brutal punches to the man’s face, beating him until he was black and blue and seeing stars, but he wasn’t finished.

Before the other stable hands could react, Baron stomped on the man’s arms, breaking both, then delivered a vicious kick to his groin.

The man writhed in agony, the intense pain turning his large, stubbled face the color of liver.

"You... what are you just standing there for!" he roared hoarsely from the ground.

At his words, the onlookers who had been watching the spectacle instantly scattered. The stable hands, as if just waking up, grabbed pitchforks, goads, and horsewhips and closed in on Baron.

However, Baron dealt with all of them with a single spinning kick, leaving the men clutching themselves in agony.

Baron’s enhanced hearing picked up the sound of hooves pounding the street, a sound that was approaching like a hurricane—a thundering torrent.

Fude City prohibited riding horses at a gallop within the city walls. Only a few top-tier Law Enforcement Organizations had the authority to ignore this rule.

Obviously, it was the Iron Thorn Gang’s riders.

Baron thought of the lost Gold Coin, of the Young Master Savi whom he had beaten senseless, and of the Vice Gang Leader Tate, whose horses he had let out of their stable that very morning.

He realized that while he and the Iron Thorn Gang might not have a blood feud, their enmity was already as high as a mountain.

He scooped up the Little Nun and turned to run, but the burly man’s voice came from behind him.

"I’ve memorized your face and the nun’s! The Iron Thorn Gang is here, and they definitely won’t let you escape!"

Baron, who had long since donned his [Concealment] trench coat, paused. The Little Nun heard the Demon Hunter let out a long sigh, and then L turned and slashed out, blinding the burly man’s eyes.

As the man clutched his eyes and cried out in pain, Baron whispered, "Well, now you can’t see."

Seeing this, the surrounding stable hands clutched both their groins and their eyes, signaling that they didn’t know anything and hadn’t seen anything.

After all, as a gentleman who had received a 21st-century education, Baron knew he couldn’t just kill all these people after just arriving. So, he simply got his bearings toward the Blood Church, scooped up the Little Nun, and fled.

A short while later, the Demon Hunters of the Iron Thorn Gang arrived.

The leader questioned the followers and bystanders, then pulled on his reins and led a large group of riders in the direction Baron had fled.

...

As he fled, Baron could hear the sound of hooves growing closer.

"Get out of the way! The Iron Thorn Gang is on official business! All irrelevant personnel, clear out, or don’t blame the [Beast] for destroying your house on Fog-Sweeping Day!"

Their arrogant shouts arrived long before they did.

’It seems the members of the Iron Thorn Gang are generally uncultured.’

As he thought this, Baron vaulted over to a deserted bridge pier, set the Little Nun down, removed her nun’s coif, and covered her with a black poncho he had prepared beforehand.

After telling the girl to go on ahead to the Blood Church and wait for him, he leaped onto a corner in the opposite direction and fired a few shots at the approaching riders of the Iron Thorn Gang.

The bullets hit the horses’ legs, sending several riders tumbling in a chaotic heap of man and beast.

Confirming he had drawn their full aggro, he took off running.

He wasn’t just running aimlessly.

Relying on his hearing, Baron carefully navigated the city, identifying which areas were more crowded and heading toward places that would create more obstacles for the Iron Thorn Gang’s search.

...

「Fude City, West City District, site of the Hunting Competition!」

The sun hung high in the sky, its rays beating down on the tournament grounds, but the scorching air did nothing to dampen the audience’s enthusiasm.

The stands bordering the open-air arena were packed to capacity, buzzing with the roar of a crowd filled with residents eager to watch the fights.

Next to each section of the stands were several huge blocks of ice. Alchemists had set up Alchemy Arrays beneath them, which generated a gentle breeze that carried the cool air all the way to the highest seats.

The ice blocks themselves were created by Wizards’ Magic Cards, all sponsored by the City Government.

The crowd was a sea of people from all walks of life, from common peddlers to powerful nobles, from sweat-drenched laborers to scantily clad courtesans.

They cheered for the battles in the arena, gulping down free ice-cold beer provided by the City Government. In their excitement, workers would rip off their shirts, and the courtesans, ignoring the stares of others, would slip off their shorts to wave them in the air and toss them toward the field.

If any out-of-town visitors were to frown at this spectacle, an Attendant would promptly appear with a prepared betting tray to explain the rules:

[Take out your Gold Coins, name your chosen contestant, and give the money to an Attendant to place your bet.]

Fude City had a ban on gambling, so foreign visitors quickly understood that the so-called seven-day Hunting Competition was actually a state-sanctioned public gambling event.

For the vast majority of common people, the outcome of this city-wide gambling frenzy usually ended in one of two ways: either they struck it rich overnight, or they lost everything they had.

As for the middle ground, that was reserved for the ordinary people who came only to watch and not to gamble.

But the intoxicating mix of money, strong liquor, and the scent of male and female hormones could drive anyone mad, from elegant ladies to dashing young masters.

Not gambling here was about as likely as a prostitute in a brothel claiming to still be a virgin—it was impossible.

Several luxurious Griffin Carriages were parked beside the arena. The Mechanical School’s latest steam-powered awnings were raised, and beneath them, five figures were seated.

A man with gray hair and a white beard, one hand replaced with a metal prosthesis: Lewis, the City Lord of Fude City, a Bronze Knight, and the founder of the Hunting Competition.

The one standing ramrod straight in full armor despite the sweltering heat, even refusing the Attendant fanning him: Victor, Lewis’s former knightly squire and the current Knight Order Leader of the Amel Glorious Knight Order.

The heroic-looking middle-aged man dressed in expensive, magnificent robes: Ferdinand, the leader of Fude City’s Iron Thorn Gang.

As for the remaining man and woman dressed in Hunting Outfits, they were Stephen, a Silver Beast Demon Hunter from the First Hunter’s Guild...

...and from the Rose Commerce Association, the Pure-blooded Fierce Tiger, Viscountess Yarilan.