Blood and Magic:The Oath of Master and Servant

Chapter 4: The Hunting Trip

Agas managed to make it to dinner in time. He received half a piece of black bread, a bowl of mixed - vegetable soup, and a small piece of lamprey that smelled a little bad.

Perhaps because he had been hungry for a long time, he actually felt a bit full after this meal. Ignoring the disgusted looks, he quickly finished his dinner and returned to his small hut.

This might be the only gain from being teased by Hovlf. He had a separate hut and didn't need to share a room with other servants.

Agas sat on the bench thinking about Hovlf's schedule. Tomorrow was Hovlf's hunting day, which was the most tiring day of the week. Every Thursday was Hovlf's hunting time.

About five kilometers southwest of the manor, there was a hunting ground exclusive to the duke. Hovlf was allowed to go there every Thursday to practice hunting skills. Thinking about what he would face tomorrow, Agas couldn't help scratching his head.

He had to run behind Hovlf's carriage to the hunting ground and was responsible for picking up the arrows shot on the ground. Moreover, since two weeks ago, Hovlf had stopped using hunting dogs and made Agas retrieve the prey instead.

If Agas ran slowly, he would be punished.

The sun had completely set. Agas thought that no matter how much he worried, what was coming would come. He stopped dwelling on the difficulties of tomorrow, took out a large wooden basin, filled it with water, and prepared to take a bath.

He glanced out of the window. The surroundings were still quiet. The already dim crescent moon was hidden behind the clouds, making everything even more hazy and indistinguishable.

Agas thought that maybe he was too nervous. Who would care about him?

He put his hand into the water and whispered, "Nailuo - Nuboyi, Ahwan, Kumurui". The water in the basin was immediately transformed into water elements by him, swirling around his palm.

However, this time there was no green light full of vitality, but a mass of white mist. Agas pointed his finger above the basin and continued to chant, "Feinaifa". Immediately, a cloud the size of a washbasin formed and suspended in the air.

Seeing that the magic had worked, Agas quickly stood under the cloud, stepped into the large wooden basin, and pointed upward with his hand, "Feinuopuluo". The cloud surged and, according to his command, began to "rain" slowly.

Agas shivered from the slightly cold raindrops and quickly started to scrub himself. With his ability, this spell could only last for a little more than a minute, so he had to hurry.

This elemental magic was originally used for raining on farmland. However, with Agas's skills, he couldn't cast a real rain - making spell. But he was unwilling to give up this magic easily, so he had a sudden idea. By controlling the size of the cloud and the speed of rainfall with his mental power, he finally transformed the rain - making spell into a shower spell.

At first, Agas was annoyed because of his insufficient elemental power, but now he was a little grateful because it made his life convenient.

A little more than a minute was really not long, but Agas still managed to wash himself roughly clean. Looking at the muddy bath water in the basin, Agas really didn't want to get dressed again and go out to pour the water. So he opened the window, planning to be lazy with the help of elemental magic.

"Elasi - Weiluwei, Paimaitien, Fulongdawisina". An invisible whirlwind gradually raged between Agas's hands. It rolled up the sewage in the water basin upward, and the muddy water outlined the shape of the whirlwind.

"Animostelovio" As Agas chanted softly, the whirlwind carried the sewage and flew towards the tree in the yard. Perhaps because of the lack of elemental power, the whirlwind dissipated before reaching the top of the tree, leaving only the bath water falling on the tree due to inertia.

Agas nodded with satisfaction when he saw this, closed the window, and prepared to go to bed. But he found that his hair was still wet, so he made up his mind and continued to chant, "Elasi - Bato, Upt, Bluo. Vio". A gentle wind blew over Agas's hair, and in a moment, his hair was dried.

After doing all this, Agas felt that nearly half of his elemental power had been consumed. He lay on the wooden bed and began to meditate. He adjusted his posture slightly, and the rag cushion deformed. Soon, he entered a meditative state.

However, Agas today was different from usual. There was a slightly sweet and innocent smile on his face.

Agas didn't know that an owl was standing outside his windowsill. It ruffled its wet feathers, squinted its eyes very human - like, and glared at Agas angrily. After a long time, it turned and flew away.

It flew to a villa and landed on a large balcony on the third floor. Then the elemental power around the owl surged, and it transformed into a tall and beautiful girl. Looking closely, it was Irene, the maid Agas had met once during the day.

At this time, she was wearing a black night - suit. Looking carefully, one would find that there were mysterious and complicated patterns painted on this suit. Obviously, this suit was not made of ordinary fabric. Paired with Irene's beautiful figure, everything was perfect - provided that the suit was not stained with bath water.

Irene stepped into the room through the window, took off her clothes, and shouted, "Jessie, Martha! If you don't want to be whipped, come quickly. I'll count to three. Three!"

The two maids came running like a gust of wind. Although the door was not closed, they still knocked on the door and said, "Miss, we're here."

Irene angrily threw the clothes into the maids' arms and said with a sullen face, "Quickly prepare bath water for me. I want to take a bath immediately! My elemental magic suit must be washed ten times, no, eleven times! Right now!"

"Yes, master." The two maids replied and quickly went to prepare the bath water.

Irene, soaking in the bathtub, took a long time to calm down. But when she thought of Agas, she gritted her teeth with hatred. That damn slave!

Irene had already noticed that Agas could use elemental magic and even often went to observe. Remembering Agas's delicate spell manipulation, Irene's hatred grew even stronger.

It was okay to use the rain - making spell for a shower, but he even dared to splash the bath water on her. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became, feeling both ashamed and annoyed. Irene slapped the water in the bathtub hard with her hand, and the water splashed onto her face, which made her think of Agas splashing the bath water all over her again.

"Agas. Agas!" Irene gritted her teeth and muttered the slave's name.

On Thursday morning, Hovlf was humming a tune, in an extremely good mood. Hovlf was wearing red leather armor, inlaid with magic protective gear that was neither gold nor jade. It was both beautiful and practical.

The spacious carriage was already ready, and all the servants were neatly waiting for orders. Hanging up the sharp sword and short bow, Hovlf glanced at the thin Agas with his peripheral vision, and tapped the window twice.

The servant heard it and gently pulled the reins. Some drove the carriages, and some rode horses. The convoy headed towards the hunting ground. Agas took a deep breath and ran behind several guards.

You may wonder why the guards could run long distances, but Agas couldn't. That's because Hovlf's guards were all elites, having undergone long - term training.

More importantly, the youngest of them was twenty years old, while Agas was only thirteen. Moreover, he was often hungry. For the goddess's sake, he was already doing quite well.

Halfway through the journey, Agas was sweating profusely. As usual, he deliberately fell behind a certain distance, keeping a distance where he could see the convoy but not very clearly.

He pointed his palm towards the ground and cast a "blowing spell": "Elasi - Bato, Upt, Bluo. Vio".

With the help of elemental magic, his steps became lighter. However, he still pretended to be "struggling" to keep up. Thanks to his precise elemental power control, he could continue to pretend to be "about to collapse from exhaustion like a dead dog". He didn't want to expose his secret.

The convoy moved forward steadily, and finally, after more than half an hour, they arrived at the hunting ground.

"Master, we're here." After the convoy stopped, Todd dismounted and came to Hovlf's carriage.

"I see, Mr. Todd. Bring my sword and bow. It's really boring sitting in the carriage. Luke, where's my horse?" Hovlf yawned and stepped out of the carriage.

"Master, the horse is here." Luke was the captain of the guards, about thirty years old. He was burly, with loose black hair and neatly trimmed mustaches. His figure was extremely muscular.

He held the reins with one hand and led Hovlf's horse with the other. Butler Todd hung the sword and bow on the horse and helped Hovlf mount.

"A wonderful day begins. Where is my good hunting dog Agas? Agas?" Hovlf mounted the horse and looked around, but didn't see Agas.

"Master, I'm here." Agas came out from behind two guards. He wiped the sweat on his face with his sleeve, and his hair looked even more messy. Hovlf, riding on the horse, looked down at the little guy in front of him. He was so young, pitiful, and helpless.

Alas... Hovlf sighed deeply in his heart. He felt guilty for a brief moment, and then he wanted to tease him even more.

"Go and get some water for my good hunting dog. Doesn't anyone notice that he's hot?" Hovlf gestured with his hand, indicating Butler Todd to get water for Agas.

Butler Todd understood and brought a small wooden basin for the hunting dog to drink water, placed it in front of Agas, and poured in cold water.

"Master, I'm not thirsty yet." Agas lowered his head, hatred surging in his heart.

"That won't do. We're about to start our hunting trip. If you don't drink enough water, how can you help me hunt?" Hovlf said seriously.

Agas didn't need to look at Hovlf's hateful face to know that if he didn't drink the water in the basin, Hovlf would surely order someone to hold him down in the basin and "help" him drink.

"Thank you, master. I'll drink." Agas gradually calmed down and thanked the master expressionlessly. Kind Lord Hovlf.

Seeing Agas go forward and gulp down the water in the small wooden basin, Hovlf nodded with satisfaction, gently squeezed the horse's belly with his legs, and everyone headed into the woods. Agas silently followed behind the guards.

The sound of horses' hooves came faintly, and Hovlf was humming a tune happily.

It was said to be practicing hunting, but it was more like playing, so the journey was not rushed. The sky was clear, the sunlight shone on the trees, the breeze in the woods was gentle and cool, and the leaves rustled. It was so beautiful, as if one could touch some shy emotions.

The grass in the distance shook. Hovlf raised his hand to signal, and the team stopped immediately. The sound of horses' hooves stopped abruptly. Hovlf squinted his eyes, raised his arm, and drew his bow. The arrow flew through the air, and in an instant, a short, sad cry came from the distance.

"Master hit it! Killed it!" Todd's heart trembled at the sight of Hovlf's golden - haired, upright figure. Hearing Butler Todd's words, Hovlf looked back at the butler and relaxed his slightly furrowed brows. Todd's look of worship was definitely sincere.

"It's just a gray rabbit. Don't make a fuss. Go and pick it up, my good hunting dog." Hovlf said arrogantly. Agas heard this and bent down, rushing out like a dog, using both hands and feet.

He did this because last week, Agas had been whipped for running in the wrong posture.

When he came to the prey, Agas saw the poor little thing. It was a gray rabbit. The arrow had penetrated its chest and pinned it to the ground.

It was undeniable that Hovlf's archery was indeed accurate. The poor little thing was not dead yet, and its legs were kicking from time to time, as if it was the instinct to survive, just like the enslaved Agas.

Agas stared at the poor little thing for a moment, silently prayed for it in his heart, and then picked up the gray rabbit with the arrow in his mouth and ran back to the team on all fours. Luke took the hare, pulled out the arrow, and then handed the gray rabbit to Butler Todd.

The arrow was still intact, but it was stained with rabbit blood and could no longer be used by Hovlf. Luke inserted the arrow into his own quiver. This scene was seen by the other guards, and their eyes were full of envy and respect.

"Master, your archery is really accurate." After doing all this, Luke gave a chest - thumping salute.

"You flatter me, Mr. Luke." Hovlf responded very gentlemanly, but his eyes were always on Agas lying on the ground.

Agas noticed Hovlf's gaze and made his breathing even more humble.

"What a good dog. Well done. Mr. Todd, remember to cook this hare well and reward Agas." Hovlf said with satisfaction.

Hovlf waved his hand, and the team continued to move forward.

There were wild boars, hares, and roe deer along the way. Lord Hovlf shot at whatever he saw. It wasn't necessary to hit them. He just shot the arrows far away and then made Agas pick them back. Watching his beloved dog - slave Agas run happily was much more interesting than just hunting.

Because of this, the number of prey on the carriage was not large, but it was not small either. The sun rose to the top of the sky, and it was extremely hot at noon. Captain Luke of the guards took several guards to set up stoves, gather firewood, and roast meat.

However, Hovlf wouldn't have meals with the guards. He had his own chef. Moreover, the food was also different.

Two wild boars were being roasted over the fire, obviously prepared for the guards. Adhering to the principle of eating enough, this was the survival need of the guards.

On Hovlf's dining table, there were carefully selected chest - head meats by the chef. This kind of meat was rare in itself, and it was close to the neck, which greatly tested the chef's knife - work.

Plus two slices of pig tongue, with a little marbled meat, roasted to medium - rare, dipped in seasonings and refined salt, it was extremely tender and delicious.

To capture Hovlf's taste buds, the chef really put a lot of effort into it.

Hovlf was leisurely enjoying the roasted meat and red wine on the dining table, chatting with the butler behind him from time to time. Being full was no longer his pursuit. Instead, he was enjoying food and life to the fullest.

It was not until Hovlf was full and returned to the carriage to rest with his eyes closed that the servants and guards started to have their meals.

"Mr. Todd, don't forget our good hunting dog. His performance today makes me very satisfied." Hovlf said and closed the carriage door.

"As you wish." Todd saluted. Agas silently ate most of the roasted rabbit and secretly hid a part in his arms when no one was looking.

After the meal, the atmosphere became quiet. Only the breeze blew from time to time. How long - lasting and powerful this natural force was.

Everyone was enjoying this rare comfort. Only Agas felt that today wouldn't pass so easily. He also heard Hovlf's words of praise just now. According to past experience, praise often meant more severe punishment.