’They don’t look in a hurry now...’ Adrian thought while watching the tribesmen dancing like maniacs around the bonfire.
They were ecstatic as if their ancestors had graced them with their presence. It was the night of the full moon, a night that signified the tribe’s triumph over the wilderness.
The tribesmen had lit a massive fire—big enough to light up the entire riverbank. Everyone gathered around it while the women were busy roasting meat and vegetables, with a few exceptions, while the men enjoyed indulging in various activities.
But the tribals weren’t the only ones partaking in the festivities. Marcus was revelling in the moment, dancing with the stunning bronze-skinned women, a stark contrast to his usual experiences when it came to ladies.
Previously, Adrian and Vincent were the only ones who got any attention from the ladies due to their handsome faces. Marcus was good-looking in his own right, but being a dwarf, not many ladies wanted to associate with him.
However, the tribe’s women, for some reason, seemed particularly fond of him. Unaware of their ulterior motives, the attention-starved Marcus was blissfully ignorant of their scheme.
’They’re trying to tire him out since he is the group’s tank,’ Adrian shook his head while petting Fenris. ’With a weak tank, it’d be easy for them to take the rest down.’
It had been decided they would embark on their journey early in the morning. Given the long journey ahead, Vincent and Clara had already retired to their rooms to rest and prepare.
But the ladies had insisted on Marcus accompanying them, which he agreed to quickly. Vincent had ’suggested’ not to spend a lot of time there, but Marcus wasn’t going to listen to anybody when he had women swinging their bodies for him.
Noticing the dwarf’s reactions to a pair of almost naked ladies, Vincent didn’t bother repeating his words as it would do more harm than good.
’To Marcus, who wasn’t exactly the sharpest tool in the shed, any push from Vincent might seem like jealousy. Forcing him to leave in that state would make them not trust each other anymore, harming the upcoming expedition.’
Adrian smiled. The tribe knew how to play their cards quite well. No matter what the heroes did, it would harm them in one way or another. If Marcus didn’t leave, he’d be tired and weak, and if the team forced him to go, it would only build resentment toward each other.
’A brilliant move.’
Adrian earlier used to wonder how the tribe managed to enslave so many heroes, but now he knew the answer.
The tribes let the heroes stay with them for a long time to better understand them. They start to play with their feelings once they know enough about the heroes. They make them mistrust each other, and then they use those ill feelings to divide them and enslave them.
’...were we always this easy to divide?’
Adrian sighed as everything clicked into place in his mind.
’Skaha is the one pulling the strings,’ he thought. ’I reckon Ahuli is just his puppet, too. The old man didn’t step down as Chieftain; he merely placed someone he could control from the sidelines. That way, if things went wrong, he could stay hidden and avoid blame.’
Dealing with enemies with brawl was a walk in the park for someone with an ounce of a brain. But when it came to outsmarting someone cunning like Skaha, it was a pain in the ass, even for Adrian.
Just then, a familiar face approached him and sat beside him. Surprisingly, Fenris didn’t mind the arrival of the newcomer. Probably because she was an elf, and elves were known to have their way with nature.
"It’s a lovely night, don’t you think?" Amelia said, her voice as sweet as honey.
Adrian nodded, looking at the sky, before returning his gaze to Amelia. He couldn’t remember the last time the two of them had shared a moment like this. They probably never did.
But he knew one thing for sure about the elf - she never acted so sweetly without a reason. Adrian looked around and felt the gaze of several jealous men focused on him. First, he took the wolf, and now he has a beauty snuggling up to him. How was it fair to them!?
Little did they know he was in a much worse position than the rest of them.
’At least someone has enough brain cells to know something is amiss here,’ Adrian thought as Amelia inched closer to him.
Amelia had likely seen what the tribe wanted and thought she’d do it too... by charming Adrian, who everyone called the great tamer’s ’protege’ all evening.
’Beauty and brains... it’s a deadly combination. People don’t see it coming, thinking a sweet-faced girl couldn’t be anything but harmless. But she’s more like a black widow on a hunt.’
"Can I pet it?" Amelia asked, acting shy.
Adrian shrugged, and she leaned in closer, her hand moving towards his lap, patting Fenris between his legs. Adrian immediately jerked backwards, thinking she would pat the wrong Fenris by ’accident’.
At this moment, Sula, the girl Skaha had chosen to accompany them, noticed the exchange, rushed over and sat on the other side.
"Is there a problem?" Sula asked Adrian, who shook his head, wondering why Sula acted so protective of him.
But Sula didn’t believe it and shot a dirty look towards Amelia, who was busy petting Fenris.
"Your friend here doesn’t speak much," Amelia remarked, not moving her gaze away from Fenris.
"Milka had an accident a while back," Sula replied, caressing Adrian’s shoulders. "He lost his memory and the ability to speak as a result of that incident."
"Oh... I apologise," Amelia gasped, cupping his hands together and pulling them towards her chest. "I’ll pray to goddess Aria for your speedy recovery."
Adrian nodded silently, keeping his gaze fixed downward. He might avoid girls, but at the end of the day, he was just a man, and having two girls so close to him had to have a reaction.
Thankfully, it was dark, so the girls couldn’t see the struggle within Adrian’s upper and lower heads. But even he wasn’t prepared for what was about to happen next.
"What do you think you’re doing, seducing my fiancee in plain sight?" Sula asked, quickly smacking Amelia’s hands away.