Yamiyo no Hotaru

Chapter 178

 On the outskirts of a nameless village in the northern region, an eerie silence hung over the area around a small cabin.

 "..."

 While holding back his hunting dog, the hunter aimed his shotgun, completely hiding his presence as he lay flat on the snowy ground. He watched the cabin closely.

 It was really, really a shabby and small cabin. It looked slightly smaller and more worn out than the average house in this village. The hunter continued to stare at that cabin...

 He had fired 3 shots. After shooting, he immediately moved and changed direction. It was a lure. A trap. He intentionally made it seem like he was hiding in one direction, waiting to catch his target when it tried to escape from the other side. This was a strategy for hunting alone. Just in case, he had buried plenty of traps like tiger traps in the snow around the blind spots near the front door...

 "...Damn it!"

 The hunter clicked his tongue in frustration at how long it was taking. He realized something. He stood up and headed toward the cabin. He ran and forcefully kicked open the back door. He looked inside the cabin.

 ...It was empty. No one was there. Some furniture was scattered around. A faint smoke rose from the hearth. He stepped inside with his shoes. Just as he thought.

 "Did they see through my plan?"

 He pulled open the front door from inside. There were footprints in the snow. As he tried to follow them and took his first step... he immediately stopped at the roar of the dog he had brought with him.

 "..."

 He stared intently at the snowy ground. He pulled his foot back. There was a slight disturbance in the snow. When he tried pushing his spear into the snow, a poisoned tiger trap sprang out. It bit deeply into the spear. It had been carefully buried right next to the footprints.

 "Playing tricks on me."

 "Hey!? What was that gunshot just now!?"

 He muttered in annoyance. Then, a shout echoed. Villagers began to arrive from far away, reacting to the hunter's gunshot, gathering without understanding what was happening...

 "Don't move carelessly! You'll get caught in the traps!!"

 The hunter shouted to stop the villagers. They froze in fear at his fierce voice, but still looked at him in confusion.

 "What happened...?"

 "Did you really shoot at Miko's house?"

 "You'll be cursed!? What on earth are you doing...!?"

 The men were deeply shaken as they saw the hunter, who had barged into the house of the fox-possessed woman and even fired a shot. Such a terrible act was exposed in front of everyone.

 "...I made the wrong choice. I was trying to end this peacefully."

 The hunter muttered, thinking about the residents who had fled the house. There was no way to fix this now. He had hoped to handle it quietly before it became a big commotion, but... it was already too late. They had wasted his goodwill. Those wicked, lowly beasts.

 "Monsters! Monsters have been hiding in the village!!"

 And the hunter shouted. He declared.

 "Burn this cabin! It's a beast's nest, burn it to the ground!! Tell the village leaders! There are monsters in Miko's house!"

 The villagers looked at each other in shock. They were astdemonshed and horrified.

 "I missed my shot. Organize a hunting party! Don't let the village's shame escape! ...Absolutely don't let them live!!"