With heavy, slightly sluggish steps, the Bandaged Swordsman searched downstream along the riverbank.
"Wait for me!
Boss, wait for me!"
Eli darted out from the side, a rabbit in his hand. He was nimble, with lively eyes, a small mustache, and a hunting outfit.
"This rabbit's really fat!
Throw in some potatoes, and we'll have another feast!
Still, beef or lamb makes a tastier stew than rabbit. Shame we don't have any more money. Say, boss, do your bandages need changing?
They're getting a bit dirty."
Eli chattered on and on.
It was hard to imagine that this man was a tail.
The Bandaged Swordsman ignored him completely.
Not just because he was used to it, but because he knew why Eli had come along with him-
He simply wanted to dig more information out of him.
Besides, the strength he had displayed made Eli feel safe.
Likewise, he was happy to pick up information from Eli's chatter.
And so, a strange, mutually beneficial partnership had been born.
"Huh?!"
Eli abruptly stopped chattering.
His ears kept twitching, and then the tail's gaze locked onto the source of the sound.
On a stretch of shore around a bend, a man lay facedown, his back covered in blood, groaning constantly.
Eli wouldn't bother with someone like this, someone on death's door.
Because such people were unlikely to survive.
And...
People like that were bound to bring trouble.
Possibly serious trouble.
He didn't want to get caught up in anything serious. He was just a part-time information broker, not some big shot. Making a little pocket money was enough. If something really happened, he wouldn't dare risk his life...
"Hey, hey, boss!
Don't!
You can't save someone like that!"
While Eli was still thinking, he saw the Bandaged Swordsman already walking toward the