Chapter 53: Release

“…Why are you here?” Nagu couldn’t help but feel suspicious because the timing of being grabbed was too coincidental.

Hamoyin looked at the pale-faced girl, her arm still trembling uncontrollably. “I’ll explain later. What happened inside the house?”

“Granny died…” Nagu’s head was dizzy, the shock of realizing the death still lingering. “The witch, the witch died… I need to tell others, let me go.”

But Hamoyin didn’t release his grip; instead, he held on tighter. “You’re coming with me today. You can’t stay in the village anymore.”

“W-what do you mean?” Nagu felt her wrist being squeezed painfully and tried to struggle free, but the man didn’t relent. She was already confused by the witch’s death, and Hamoyin’s sudden, inexplicable firmness without explanation made her panic. “Why do I have to go with you today?”

“I said I’ll explain later. Now, listen to me.” Hamoyin glanced at the open door behind Nagu, then lowered his head and pulled her towards the house.

Nagu was a bit scared of this side of Hamoyin, but out of instinctive trust, she stumbled along with him into the house, even though she wasn’t ready to face the old witch’s stiff corpse.

“Don’t be afraid.” Hamoyin tightened his grip, wrapping Nagu’s cold hand completely in his. He knew he had been a bit rough due to his anxiety.

“Let’s go inside and take a look first, then I’ll take you back to the treehouse.”

“Okay.” Nagu sniffled, moving closer to Hamoyin. “But are you going to check on Granny now?”

“Yes.”

“Can I… can I wait by the door? I’ll just stand here.” Nagu stopped at the doorway of the inner room. The old witch was still lying on the rug inside, the blanket on her body still in the same disheveled state as before. Nagu couldn’t bring herself to look inside; she could only stare blankly at the corner of the door frame.

“Alright.” Hamoyin let go of her hand and walked inside. Unlike the obviously nervous Nagu, he knelt seriously beside the witch’s body, occasionally leaning in to sniff.

“Have you found anything?” Nagu couldn’t help but ask after about ten minutes. She found it strange that Hamoyin wanted to examine the witch’s body because she had almost assumed the witch had died of natural causes. But Hamoyin’s inspection suggested he thought someone had killed the witch. “No one came in last night, right?”

“You didn’t leave last night?” Hamoyin’s hand was feeling the skin on the witch’s neck.

Nagu shook her head. “Dogaro called me out for a while, but I came back quickly.”

“I see.”

“What do you see?” Nagu felt this sudden event was strange and couldn’t make sense of it. She could only place her hopes on Hamoyin. “Do you mean Granny didn’t die naturally?”

“It looks like she died of old age.” Hamoyin withdrew his hand and stood up, pulling a brown fur blanket over the old woman.

“Looks like?” Nagu felt uneasy about this ambiguous wording. “Looks like… does that mean Granny might have been killed by someone else? When I wasn’t home?”

“Yes.” After settling the old woman, Hamoyin walked back to the door and took Nagu’s hand again. He knew Nagu was obedient, but he wanted to hold her to prevent her from running out of the house in fright. “The next one will definitely be Gongduo. If I’m not mistaken, he will probably die during the group hunt in four days.”

Nagu instantly understood what Hamoyin meant. The old witch had been with Gongduo before, so this ‘accidental’ death meant… She swallowed hard. “Could it be Duogaluo who did it?”

Hamoyin shook his head, then nodded. “About Duogaluo, he seems to be planning something. He wanted to talk to me alone before, but I refused.”

“Ah, he called me out last night to talk about this too. He wanted me to persuade you…”

“Duogaluo can’t be trusted. Do you remember I told you he lied about releasing the monster? He said he let it go, but I found out the truth was different.”

“You found out…?” Nagu was completely bewildered. She stared blankly at Hamoyin, not knowing what to do. “What do you mean?”

“He didn’t release the monster; he killed it. I found the monster’s body in the forest near the sacrificial site yesterday.” To prove his point, Hamoyin pulled out a sharp, yellowish claw from his belt, still stained with blood. “He only pretended to release the monster in front of you. As for why he lied to you, I don’t know yet. Because if he didn’t tell you, this matter could be entirely blamed on Gongduo.”

“Blamed on Gongduo?”

“Yes, I think he wants to use Azuran’s hand to get rid of Gongduo and his supporters.”

Nagu felt dizzy from Hamoyin’s words. “What is going on? Who killed the witch?”

“It could be Azuran’s people, or it could be Duogaluo. You said he specifically called you out last night, so the witch must have been dealt with during that time.”

“…Duogaluo was inside the house then, so it must have been Azuran?”

“Not sure, and you don’t need to figure it out.” Hamoyin pulled Nagu towards the door. “Although I promised you to heal before taking action, now it’s impossible.”

Nagu’s face turned pale. “Are you going to kill Azuran?”

“Yes, after killing him, we’ll leave here and find a safe place.”

“…But the medicine will be ready tomorrow.”

“We’ll talk about it later. Now, come back to the treehouse with me, and don’t have any contact with Duogaluo.” Hamoyin felt uneasy as he spoke, his face stiffening. He didn’t want Nagu to notice, so he stopped talking.

“But if I suddenly leave the village, others will find it suspicious.” After all that had happened, Nagu didn’t dare stay in the village anymore. She had a close relationship with Duogaluo and knew about Gongduo’s matters. If Azuran wanted to settle accounts, she might be implicated. She didn’t want to die!

“You’ll hide in my house as before. They will think you’ve disappeared.”

“So you mean to lock Nagu in a cage? You’re really a beast, occasionally showing such rough thoughts, I understand.”

The sudden voice interrupting their conversation froze the air in the room.

Hamoyin frowned, protecting Nagu as he stepped back a few paces, looking towards the hidden corner behind the door. Duogaluo stood in the shadows, smiling at them.

“So, so it was really you who… killed Granny?” Nagu wanted to step out from behind Hamoyin to question Duogaluo, but Hamoyin held her too tightly, so she could only ask in a muffled voice from behind him, “Why did you do it?”

Duogaluo stepped out of the shadows, carefully closing and locking the door behind him. “Why do you think it was me who killed her? I was at home last night. You saw me.”

“No matter what you plan to do, it has nothing to do with me or Nagu.” Hamoyin freed one hand and drew a bone knife from his waist, pointing it at Duogaluu. “Take one more step, and I’ll kill you.”

“…” Duogaluo wisely stopped in his tracks. He knew he couldn’t defeat Hamoyin. In the entire tribe, probably only Azuran could fight Hamoyin one-on-one and come out unscathed. “I mean no harm. From the beginning, I had no ill intentions toward either of you. I want to make that clear.” He smiled again. “Last night, I lured Nagu away to help some people. But that person doesn’t seem to know gratitude. Not only does he not appreciate it, but he also wants to pin the murder of the witch on me, so I don’t plan to cover for him anymore.”

While speaking, Duogaluu didn’t look at Hamoyin but directly at Nagu. “Hamoyin, you yesterday…”

Clang!

Duogaluo’s words were interrupted by a bone knife that landed at his feet, almost embedding itself in the floor. Hamoyin lowered his arm after throwing the knife, staring coldly at Duogaluo.

“Ha-Hamoyin?” Nagu didn’t understand why Hamoyin suddenly became so terrifying. He looked like a beast about to pounce and tear its prey apart. But she couldn’t let him kill Duogaluo. “You can’t kill him, it will cause trouble…”

“You scared the girl.” Duogaluo, who was being threatened, didn’t seem to mind. He bent down to pull the knife out of the floor. “And why are you so nervous? Afraid that if I speak out, your position will become awkward?”

Nagu was indeed scared by Hamoyin, as Duogaluo said, but she didn’t want to show it. “Duogaluo… you, you better say less.” She was terrified that Hamoyin would pounce and cut out Duogaluo’s tongue.

“He wants to take you back and lock you in his house, and you don’t doubt him at all but doubt me?” Duogaluo pointed at Hamoyin and then at himself. “I think you trust him too much.”

“I have no reason to doubt Hamoyin,” Nagu said without thinking. “You don’t understand anything. Hamoyin wouldn’t lie to me, and even if he did, it wouldn’t be for anything bad.”

Hamoyin’s body stiffened.

“Then why do you think I’m lying to do bad things?” Duogaluo’s tone carried a hint of dissatisfaction. “Think carefully. Why did Hamoyin just happen to appear at the witch’s house to catch you today?”

“He said he would explain it to me later…”

“Did he explain?”

Nagu looked up at Hamoyin. From her position, she could only see his shoulder and the lower part of his face, not his expression. “…Hamoyin.”

But Hamoyin remained silent.

“He doesn’t want to say it, so I’ll say it for him.” Duogaluo raised the bone knife in front of his chest, slightly bending his waist in a defensive posture. “Even if I get killed, I think this would fit right into your and Azuran’s plan, right?”

What does he mean by Azuran’s plan? Nagu grabbed Hamoyin’s arm to stop him from moving forward. “Hamoyin… what is he talking about? Why is it your and Azuran’s plan?”

Hamoyin finally turned to look at Nagu, his eyebrows almost tangled together. “I…”

“Tell her. You were in the village last night, weren’t you? Why don’t you tell Nagu that you haven’t returned to the treehouse for the past two days but have been hiding near the witch’s house?” Before Hamoyin could speak, Duogaluo revealed everything.

“Hamoyin, you killed the witch, didn’t you? Because Azuran told you to.”

Chapter 54: Slightly Red

Of course, Nagu trusted Hamoyin no matter what, but she found the current situation difficult to understand.

Azuran’s plan? Hamoyin hadn’t returned to the treehouse? He had been in the village all along? Hamoyin killed the witch?

After a brief moment of confusion, Nagu came to a conclusion. If what Duogaluo said was true, then Hamoyin was still working for Azuran for reasons unknown. He must have his own thoughts, but why was he unwilling to discuss them with her? Was he afraid she would tell others?

This vague feeling of not being trusted by Hamoyin made Nagu uncomfortable. At this moment, Hamoyin, who had been exposed, didn’t pounce on Duogaluo to tear him apart but turned to look at Nagu. His face showed an expression Nagu had never seen before—fear.

Hamoyin was actually afraid…

“What is going on?” Suppressing her unease, Nagu grabbed Hamoyin’s hand and asked him, “Do you… do you have a reason?”

“This is when you should be angry at him.”

Standing behind them, Duogaluo suddenly interjected. He tucked the bone knife into his belt and said to Nagu, “He lied to you and tried to frame me. Don’t you find him suspicious at all? Trusting him to this extent makes you a fool.”

Previously, Duogaluo had vaguely known there was something between Nagu and Hamoyin. Now, it seemed it was more than just ‘something.’ Nagu was clearly infatuated with Hamoyin, always siding with him. And who would have thought that Hamoyin, who seemed like a block of wood, actually had some tricks to deceive girls, and quite skillfully at that…

“Listen to me, don’t trust people who work for Azuran too much. He can even harm his own kind.” Duogaluo was still trying to persuade Nagu.

“Although I know Hamoyin doesn’t seem like someone who would deceive others, this is the reality now.”

“Even if he lies to me, I trust him. He must have a reason for doing this.” Nagu defended Hamoyin without hesitation. She hoped Duogaluo would say less because although Hamoyin hadn’t acted yet, it might not be the case later. She really didn’t want to see Duogaluo’s guts and blood all over the room.

This level of trust seemed almost drugged. Seeing that persuading Nagu was futile, Duogaluo gave up and fearlessly turned his attention to Hamoyin. “She said that, and you still don’t plan to explain?”

“…” Hamoyin’s bloodless lips pressed into a tight line. He hadn’t expected Duogaluo to discover this, nor had he expected Nagu to be still willing to trust him. This made Hamoyin very flustered and very guilty.

“I’m sorry.”

Finally, Hamoyin spoke, his voice small and trembling. “I will explain to you. Will you forgive me?”

“I never blamed you.” Hearing Hamoyin apologize, Nagu instinctively felt heartache. She rubbed Hamoyin’s palm with her fingers to comfort him. “You don’t need to apologize. I just want to know what’s going on. Just tell me.”

Duogaluo, standing behind them, showed a look of disbelief. “He should apologize, and what about an apology to me? I’ve been helping you from the beginning, and in the end, one of you suspects me, and the other wants to harm me.”

“…I’m sorry.” Nagu leaned her head over Hamoyin’s shoulder, looking at Duogaluo apologetically. “But can you leave for a moment?”

Duogaluo looked at Hamoyin, who stood motionless with his back to him, and sighed. “Alright, I’ll be outside. We’ll deal with the witch’s body later.”

After Duogaluo left, Hamoyin spoke again. “I told Azuran about Gongduo after discovering Azuran was deceiving me.”

Why start with something I can’t handle? Nagu was utterly confused.

“Why tell him about Gongduo after knowing he deceived you? I thought we were still somewhat allied with Gongduo.”

“I wanted more of his trust, so I gave him information and agreed to help him kill the witch and Gongduo.”

Nagu began to understand. “You wanted Azuran to let his guard down so you could strike? But why choose this method? Wouldn’t it be better to work with Gongduo and the others?”

“Too slow.” Hamoyin stared intently at Nagu. “Azuran still thinks I’m waiting to rely on him to become human. As long as I continue to show loyalty, he will trust me and give me the opportunity to get close to him. Then, I can find a chance to kill him.”

“But Duogaluo just said that if you kill him here… it would fit Azuran’s plan? Does Azuran want you to kill Duogaluo too?”

“He hasn’t said so yet, but with a traitor in the village managed by Duogaluo, the leader will eventually suspect him.”

The implication was that Duogaluo would eventually be killed, but if Hamoyin could find a chance to kill the leader before he became suspicious, Duogaluo could escape.

“But didn’t you promise me to wait until your wounds healed before seeking revenge on Azuran?” Nagu still didn’t understand and felt a bit disappointed. “Why are you in such a hurry…”

“Because I want to take you away from here now.”

“Huh?” Nagu was stunned. She didn’t expect Hamoyin to say that suddenly. “Me?”

“Two people have already discovered you. I killed them, but what if more come? They haven’t noticed you yet, so after I kill Azuran, I can take you away immediately. But if you draw attention, things will get complicated. I don’t want you to face those terrible things again.”

A few seconds later, Nagu’s cheeks began to flush. “I, I, I… I…”

She stammered for a long time without saying a complete sentence. Finally, she lowered her head, her voice as small as a mosquito’s. “But I still think what you’re doing is too dangerous…”

“Now that Duogaluo has found out, I think this plan won’t work anymore.” Hamoyin raised his arm and hugged Nagu. “I’m sorry. I should have discussed it with you earlier.”

“…” Nagu buried her head in Hamoyin’s chest, feeling dizzy. She knew it was inappropriate to think about this now, but Hamoyin’s words kept echoing in her ears. This feeling… this feeling was like a confession. So, was it a confession? Could it be considered one?

“So what should we do now… Should I stay in the village while you and Duogaluo discuss Azuran’s matter?” Nagu asked, still dizzy.

“No, you should come back to the treehouse with me.”

“Why? Won’t the villagers think I’ve disappeared?”

“…That was a lie.” Hamoyin’s ears turned slightly red. He didn’t have to say this, but the guilt of deceiving Nagu made him decide to tell her everything. “The villagers won’t think you’ve disappeared.”

“Huh?” Nagu looked at Hamoyin in confusion. “Why?”

“…Azuran said I could ask for a reward if I killed the witch without leaving a trace.”

“I originally wanted to say I didn’t want anything, but then I thought I could use this to keep you at my house, away from Duogaluo and others, so I…”

Hamoyin avoided Nagu’s gaze, the slight redness on his ears now spreading to his neck. “I said… I have a woman I want.”