novelraw Chapter 136
Chapter 136
Chapter 136
Thunder Bird Tribe’s village. After the battle in the Great Jungle, the Thunder Bird Tribe’s tribal chief and village heads had gathered together in one place.
“Ha… those outsiders ended up causing trouble after all….”
“Indeed. We never should have taken them in… What do you think will happen from here on, Tribal Chief? Surely… there won’t be a war, right?”
At one village head’s question, Tribal Chief Herran slowly shook his head and replied.
“No. I do not wish for it either, but… it seems a bloodstained wind will soon blow through the Great Jungle. The lesser monsters of the smaller groups would not dare to step forward no matter what the snakes, backed by the power of the new ‘King of the River,’ do. But the orcs are different.”
At Herran’s answer, the village heads seated around him nodded quietly in agreement.
“Hm… so the orcs really won’t stay still….”
“That’s right. If they had simply killed all the intruders and neatly divided them up to eat, that would have been one thing. But instead, they made enemies of the orcs over things they were not even going to eat. There’s no way Mukwiam will stay idle… Snakes and orcs never had good relations to begin with, and this incident became the fuse. Soon, a great battle between snakes and orcs… no, it would not be strange if a war were to break out.”
“…If the stench of blood fills this land due to fighting between those two groups, the other monsters will not stay idle either.”
“Yes. Exactly.”
At this point, it was no different from a definite answer. Tribal Chief Herran expected a great war to erupt within the Great Jungle. Herran did not possess prophetic abilities like the shaman Kahaad, but his predictions were rarely wrong. Especially when it came to matters of this magnitude.
“Then, Tribal Chief… it seems we must prepare for war as well.”
“Yes. We will not take sides and fight alongside anyone, but at the very least, we must ensure that our tribe does not get swept up in the chaos and shed great amounts of blood.”
The sharp, gleaming gaze of the seasoned veteran Herran slowly swept over the faces of the village heads. Under his resolute eyes, some of them quietly swallowed hard.
Then, Herran’s mouth opened heavily.
“Even if we leave the jungle, we will leave on our own feet. We will not be driven out.”
Around the same time. On the opposite side of the Thunder Bird Tribe, in the shamans’ village. At its center stood the largest and most luxurious tent.
With his eyes tightly shut, Kahaad quietly rested his hand over an eerie green flame. Though blind, Kahaad saw farther and more than those who could see with open eyes.
A few minutes later, Kahaad, who had been peering into the future with his own power, shuddered violently and snapped his eyes open.
‘Hoh… so it is war after all. War… When all that can be seen is crimson blood, how could it not be war? I had long guessed he was no ordinary individual, but the young Emperor of Aphahiel truly bears a fate that carries blood wherever he goes.’
Among all the futures Kahaad had seen in his lifetime, there had never been one this red. If he so wished, he could see the future more vividly than with his own eyes, yet today, all Kahaad glimpsed was a world dyed crimson like blood.
“How should I deal with this….”
As Kahaad pondered deeply, Bernid came to visit his tent.
“Teacher. I have returned.”
“Ah, yes. Good timing. I was waiting for you. Come in.”
After seating Bernid in front of him, Kahaad spoke.
“Bern. From today onward, you will undergo special training.”
“Yes? Special training all of a sudden? Is it because I left without informing you, Teacher? That… that matter was extremely urgent at the time… But you must have already known—”
“That is enough. That is not the reason. As you said, I already knew.”
“Then…?”
“That child you follow. Your younger brother.”
At Kahaad’s mention of Yurion, Bernid immediately straightened his posture and focused on his words.
“Did you… see a future where something bad happens to my younger brother?”
“Heh heh, just mentioning your brother and your eyes change at once. Do not worry. That is not it.”
“Then why…?”
“It is your problem.”
“My problem?”
“Yes. The path your younger brother will walk from now on is the path of an asura. A path where corpses become the road and blood forms rivers. The problem is you, Bern. This teacher worries whether you can survive intact beside such a monster.”
“So… you are saying I am still lacking.”
“Is that how it sounded?”
“…Yes.”
“Well, it is not entirely wrong. But do not worry. This teacher has no intention of letting you die screaming on some random battlefield before you reach the end of your natural lifespan. I had planned to start by teaching you everything I could, beginning with the magic you are already familiar with, but….”
“Magic alone seems insufficient.”
“Yes? What do you mean by that…?”
Instead of answering, Kahaad quietly spread his hand. Between his wide-open fingers, the eye embedded in his palm rolled about terrifyingly, its gaze bloodshot red.
“It seems it is time for you to open your eyes as well.”
Yuwon’s blood-soaked destiny and the approaching war pressed Bernid to grow.
“Then, please convey my regards to Count Valaris.”
“There’s no need to call it a favor… Of course I will. Thanks to Your Highness, both I and the Valaris private soldiers were able to keep our lives.”
“Before being Valaris troops, are they not citizens of the Empire? As Emperor, I merely did what I ought to do.”
“Emperor… you say?”
At the weight carried by the word Emperor, Renania asked back with a startled expression. Yuwon responded with a faint smile.
“That is how it is now. With fake Emperors running rampant, the one who will become the true Emperor cannot remain a Prince forever.”
Yuwon spoke as if it were nothing, but this was by no means something to take lightly. The sight of Yuwon referring to himself as Emperor without the slightest hesitation left deep ripples in Renania’s heart.
‘Ah… His Highness has decided to no longer remain a Prince. His Highness… no, His Majesty has finally…!’
“Then please return safely. Hastings and those children will escort you securely along the way.”
As Yuwon called out ‘the children,’ he casually nodded his chin toward the monsters clustered to one side. Though she had received their help before, Renania still seemed unaccustomed to being escorted by monsters and smiled awkwardly.
“H-Heh… yes. With Viscount Bartlett and them… it should be safe.”
“They may look like that, but they have their own kind of charm. Since I have ordered them, they will not attack people. Ah, and I told them to return once they leave the Great Jungle, so there will be no unnecessary clashes caused by misunderstandings. Please do not look at them that way and try to cherish them. They are children who trust and follow me.”
“Th-That… would be best.”
With Yuwon having gone this far, there was no other choice. Renania could only try to view the monsters favorably somehow.
“Then. Let us meet again in the not-too-distant future. I will take my leave now. I should say my goodbyes to Hastings.”
“Y-Yes…!”
At Yuwon’s polite dismissal, Renania snapped back to her senses and returned to where the Valaris troops were. Hastings filled the space she left behind.
Srrk—
“…My lord. Did you summon me?”
“Ah, yes. Hastings. First of all… I am sorry for placing such a heavy burden on you.”
The changes that had come over Yuwon after the time spent in the Great Jungle. He had long mixed honorifics and informal speech when addressing his subordinates, but now he showed no hesitation in speaking down to and commanding them.
It was the same now. On the surface, Yuwon said he was sorry to Hastings, yet he had no intention of personally taking back the burden Hastings had stepped forward to shoulder.
Yuwon’s growth in the Great Jungle was not limited to brute strength centered on instinct alone. Becoming a king and commanding the snakes had acted as a catalyst, awakening the dormant qualities of a monarch within him.
“Please allow me to bear it. To be given the chance to step forward for my lord’s will, how could it be called a burden? It is nothing but an honor.”
“Yes… I expected that answer from you.”
“In truth, I hoped you would step forward. Had you not done so and Terrien or Bernid gone instead, I would have personally ordered you to go. There is something you must do when you go, Terrien.”
“Command me as you wish. It will be carried out exactly as you desire.”
“Go south and find the Thieves’ Guild. Take control of it. I suspect Marcellus’s influence may have reached that place while he was alive. Confirm the circumstances and report back to me.”
“I shall obey my lord’s will.”
“And also….”
Yuwon hesitated for a moment, uncharacteristically, then continued as if having made up his mind.
“Those prisoners over there will only cause Valaris discomfort if left alive. Kill them all.”
The hunting dogs of Gion captured as prisoners in the last battle. From Yuwon’s mouth came the order for their execution. At the long-awaited command, Hastings trembled as if struck by lightning.
‘Ah… His Highness already knew that I had resolved myself.’
This had been the true reason Hastings stepped forward for this southern journey. Even without Yuwon’s order, Hastings had intended to personally kill every last one of those prisoners. Yet, as if having read Hastings’s intent completely, Yuwon stepped forward himself and stained his own hands with that blood.
“Your Highness…!”
“It is no longer Your Highness. It is His Majesty now.”
“M-My apologies. Your Majesty!”
“I know you always toil for my sake, Hastings. I also know that you try to take upon yourself the dirty work that is difficult for me, and for Terrien or Bernid, to do. But remember this. There is no need for you to bear my burdens. Your lord is me, and all the blood that stains your hands is blood shed by my command.”
Yuwon no longer intended to avoid blood.