It was torn in half from his effort but it was unmistakably a rabbit. And an elongated one at that. In length, it was similar to his whole arm. Even its mouth was twitching which suggested it was alive before he ripped it in half.

  (“What the hell?”)

  He quickly got back to his feet and formed several fire lances. This guy wasn't normal, and if worse comes to worse, he can always beg Elizabeth to heal him.

  He shot off a barrage and the man had little time to react, with one hitting his back and the other his leg.

  “Gah, you trash!” The man shouted.

  He limped and turned around to see Tina and Tibaut on his tail.

  He clicked his tongue and threw vials at both of them.

  “Rot in hell, the both of you! Blame only yourselves for what happens next.”

  With another hand, he immediately threw some odd-looking stones at the vials. Tina dodged them, having to roll to the side while Tibaut ran through the glass and liquid, certain he could reverse any negative effects.

  (“You bas-”)

  He received a punch to the gut before Tibaut grabbed at his cloak. It obscured his face and he pulled it down to reveal-

  (“Are those pointy ears?”)

  A man with jet black hair, possessing a brilliant sheen and pointy ears. He instantly flew into a rage and kicked Tibaut back, before pulling his cloak over himself. He formed a fireball and threw it forward, the pointy-eared fellow reaching into his cloak and threw several more vials at him, in response causing an explosion between the two.

  Well, whatever it was didn't smell so bad, so that was a plus. He quickly cured himself and when he ran into the smoke, the man…

  …had somehow disappeared.

  “Huh?”

  He looked through the grass the best he could but there was no sight of him.

  Tina quickly ran up to him and grimaced when she looked at Tibaut.

  (“She won't get mad right?”)

  He had small glass fragments embedded in his arms and parts of his face.

  “He somehow got away,” Tibaut said as he looked around. “You think there's a trapdoor here?”

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

  “Firstly, let's get those shards out of you.” She grabbed his arm and didn't take no for an answer as she headed back to the village.

  Tina quickly brought him back to the village and rushed to the Village chief's house as quickly as possible.

  “Tina, like I said this could wait, what if that guy was hiding somewhere in the grass?”

  They were gathered in the same room Agnes rested in and alongside Tina, Agnes and Aine were gathered around him taking the glass shards out of him.

  “(Shut the fuck you idiot! Damnit, maybe I can tell Elizabeth I got too rough with our sparring?) No, the villagers said he always comes back so we can always try again and be more prepared.”

  Her face was focused solely on his wounds as she quickly pulled out all the visible glass on his arms. Elizabeth had trusted Tina to ensure Tibaut wouldn't get in any trouble so the mysterious rabbit dumper was the least of her concerns at the moment.

  Agnes was slowly picking away at his face.

  “D-does it hurt?” She asked.

  “No, not really. Tina’s just overreacting for some reason. (I know I was out for nearly a month but this is a bit much.)”

  “I know that guy was annoying but I didn't know he had the moves to escape someone like you,” Aine added.

  “I-I know, it's kinda shocking. Wait, how do you know how strong he is?” Agnes asked.

  As the two began muttering to each other, Tibaut thought back to the man. (“Those ears… I didn't see his teeth but even with the black hair, it wouldn't make sense if he's a vampire right? He probably could have just turned into a bat and flown away. In the first place, I don't even know if vampires have pointy ears in this world.”)

  (“Hehehe, you reminded me of something amusing. But no experiment, that was no vampire. Are those the only creatures you think of with pointy ears?”)

  (“I considered an elf but those guys usually have blonde hair, plus they're tall no? He was about my size [~5'11”] and while I'm technically tall, elves are usually tall tall. Also, what did you find funny about vampires?”)

  (“If we meet him, I'll tell you one day. I don't mind exposing that wretch to more eyes. His punishment isn't anywhere near enough for his insolence. To have the gall to betray our Lord, no matter his form is an irredeemable offence.”)

  (“At least you're not trashing me. So is he an elf?”)

  (“...”)

  (“Hello? Anyone there?”)

  He could only sigh.

  “Why do I ever expect anything from that guy?”

  “What was that, Tibaut?” Aine asked.

  “Sorry, I was thinking about what happened. Aine, how familiar are you with the other village?”

  Aine picked a shard of glass just above his eye and wiped the sweat off her forehead after scanning his face to make sure it was clear of any glass.

  “(I suppose a man that gets into trouble every now and again, isn't a deal breaker. After all, if he didn't, I'd be dead by now. Hmm, I wonder if he'd let me follow him around, that sounds kinda fun. Those cultists talked a big deal and it did sound interesting at the time but all we ever did was maintain the base, pray and sometimes pack stuff up to evacuate. But I guess that's due to how I got in.) Sorry, what was that? Oh right, well I have been there before, and they seemed nice so I'm not quick to demonise them like the rest of the village. Unlike here, they grow a lot of different stuff but, I suppose the rabbits eat them all the same.”

  Tibaut paused as, for some reason, Agnes began patting him on his head after they were finished with his face.

  He didn't mind it and continued on with what he was saying.