novelraw Chapter 137
Chapter 137
Chapter 137
The evening of the day Renania and Hastings were sent back to the Valaris Territory.
Yuwon, accompanied by the snakes under his command, walked along the riverside with Terrien.
Worried that they might interfere with the conversation between the two, the snakes followed at a distance of more than ten meters. Yuwon, who had summoned Terrien first, remained silent for quite some time.
About ten minutes passed like that. Then Yuwon, who had been silent, quietly opened his mouth.
“Terrien. Do you know why I sent Hastings to the south instead of you?”
“…I do not know.”
It was something Terrien had wanted to ask as well. However, he had thought that asking such a question itself would be impolite, so he had held back. Knowing Terrien’s thoughts yet pretending not to, Yuwon gave his answer.
“It must have been hard not to be curious, yet you endured well. Hastings is… the successor Marcellus personally chose and appointed while he was alive. For now, this is only my conjecture, but I believe there is ‘something’ Marcellus left behind in the south. That is neither mine nor yours. From the beginning, it belongs to Hastings. That is why I sent Hastings. I have no doubt he will find what it is.”
Yuwon spoke of arrangements that might or might not exist. Terrien, who felt doubt toward Marcellus’s arrangements whose very existence was unclear, asked a question.
“If that is the reason, would it not be faster for me to go and help?”
“Perhaps so. But you have something to do here with me. Terrien.”
Terrien was not a fool, so he had already sensed it. Whether it was a war centered on the Great Jungle or a war to reclaim the imperial throne, war was drawing near.
“If that is the reason, I am prepared to do anything. Please just give the order.”
“Unfortunately, it is not something like having you stand at the vanguard. That will happen before long, but not yet.”
“…Then what is it you mean?”
At Terrien’s question, Yuwon answered with a faint smile.
“The Thunder Bird is not merely a monster, but a spiritual creature. And Terrien, you personally cut down that spiritual creature with your own hands. Have you not felt anything strange since then?”
“Something strange… um… ah… perhaps!”
Terrien seemed to ponder for a moment, then recalled the bizarre occurrence that had happened after the battle with the Thunder Bird, when he had stood before its corpse.
“Right. You must have some idea. You returned after becoming enemies with the Thunder Bird Tribe, carrying something interesting within your body. It is time to make that power truly yours. A kind of special training. Terrien. You will become even stronger.”
Terrien was not the type to refuse. As if he were already fully prepared, he brought his hand to the hilt of his sword.
“I am always ready to receive your teaching! Your Majesty!”
‘He Who Cuts Lightning.’ Terrien Calmodet.
In later days, rather than being called the White Dragon’s knight, he would be known as the Lightning Sword, becoming a role model for countless knights and a legend. Terrien took his first step on the path to being remembered as a legend. No, he was about to take it.
“I was thinking of starting right this evening, but… let us rest today and begin tomorrow.”
“…Pardon?”
Just as Terrien, filled with anticipation, was about to voice his disappointment, Yuwon took his gaze off Terrien and turned it in the opposite direction. Toward the darkness of the Great Jungle, where not even a single light existed beyond the moonlight, Yuwon spoke.
“What brings you here?”
A presence Terrien had failed to notice. From the dim place where nothing could be seen, the uninvited guest’s reply was heard.
“King of the River. I need help… I require your help.”
At the clear Imperial language, rarely heard within the Great Jungle, Terrien’s eyes widened.
‘That voice… could it be…?’
It was a voice Terrien remembered. The person Terrien guessed was correct.
“…To think the chieftain of the Thunder Bird Tribe would come such a long way. Let us change locations. It seems an important conversation will take place.”
The chieftain of the Thunder Bird Tribe, Herran, had come to see Yuwon. As if he had expected it, Yuwon welcomed Herran.
The visit of Herran, chieftain of the Thunder Bird Tribe.
Yuwon, who had been with Terrien, moved to another place for a while and continued the conversation with Herran alone.
“You said you needed my help?”
“Yes, that is correct. The King of the River must also be aware of what has recently happened to our tribe.”
Though it was their first meeting, the two spoke as naturally as if they already knew each other well.
“You are speaking of the death of the Thunder Bird, I presume. Yes, I am well aware of it.”
“And you must also know that the one who beheaded the Thunder Bird was your subordinate, Terrien.”
To the Thunder Bird Tribe, Terrien was a criminal guilty of the great sin of slaying a god. Though it was a sensitive topic, Yuwon brushed it aside without concern, as if cutting down a single monster were of no great consequence.
“How could I not know? If a figure as great as the Thunder Bird fell and I did not know, the grand title of ‘King of the River’ would weigh heavily on me.”
“…Then this will make things easier. Since the Thunder Bird met such an end, the situation within the tribe has not been good. This old man managed to barely stabilize things with great effort, but… the problem came after that. On this matter, Your Majesty must also be well aware.”
Spilled water could not be gathered again. Perhaps because he had no intention of making another enemy in an already chaotic time, Herran quietly passed over matters related to Terrien.
‘…As expected, it does not seem he came to make an issue of Terrien.’
The problem was the recent battle that occurred when Valaris and Gion’s hounds had trespassed into the lands of the Great Jungle.
“You are speaking of the recent battle.”
“Yes, that is right. The Great Jungle is no stranger to turmoil, but… that battle was the problem. To clash with the orcs in order to save external intruders… it was a mistake. The orcs led by Mukwiam will not let this humiliation pass.”
“I had expected that we would eventually clash greatly with the orcs, who do not speak reason. It is nothing surprising.”
“This is not something to be taken lightly. King of the River, are you truly… thinking of waging a war?”
“If they come at us first, there is no reason we cannot.”
“…That is madness. No matter how strong the river monsters are, if you fight the orcs to mutual destruction, both sides will suffer irreparable damage. The orcs may seem like a nuisance of the Great Jungle, but that is not truly the case. For the sake of the Great Jungle as well… please reconsider that choice.”
There was something unexpected in Herran’s words, piquing Yuwon’s interest.
“An interesting story. To say the orcs are not a nuisance. For what reason do you say that?”
“The Great Jungle is our home, but at the same time it is itself a vast living being. If the orcs’ momentum weakens, other groups of monsters will surely take their place. The King of the River may not know this well, but those of us who have lived in the Great Jungle for generations know it well.”
“…Do I look like someone who would allow others to steal my achievements, in the eyes of the chieftain of the Thunder Bird Tribe?”
Yuwon firmly stated that there would be no room for others to grow stronger in the place left by the diminished orcs. However, Herran did not merely listen.
“No matter how strong Your Majesty may be, you cannot control all the upheavals of the Great Jungle with one hand. The jungle knows the answer. Even the dragonkin, beastkin, and vampires who once dominated the Great Jungle could not resist that change. Now, the center of that change is you, King of the River, but I am telling you that it cannot last forever.”
One of the native groups that formed a pillar of the Great Jungle. Herran, their leader, was indeed seasoned.
Maintaining a respectful posture and pretending to advise Yuwon, Herran was subtly threatening him.
However, he had chosen the wrong opponent.
“Dragonkin and beastkin aside, to think vampires actually existed… surprising. Just how much more does the Great Jungle intend to astonish me?”
Though Yuwon’s words were like that, his tone was not. Then Yuwon looked straight into Herran’s eyes and replied.
“I understand well what you are trying to say. However, my choice will not change easily. If you have nothing more to say, Chieftain, you should return now.”
A politely worded dismissal. At that moment, Herran focused not on Yuwon’s words, but on his eyes. The gaze of Yuwon, which held not the slightest hesitation or fear, froze the old yet stalwart Herran in place.
‘Ah… ah…!’
Eyes, said to be windows reflecting the heart. Yuwon’s unwavering, clear, and restrained gaze was looking not at the Great Jungle, but beyond it.
‘Ah… this man is not the sort I thought he was. The Great Jungle is not his goal. To him, the Great Jungle is merely the first stone placed on the board. This man… he desires not the Great Jungle, but the world.’
Was this what a ferocious beast looked like when it hid its fangs and claws? Yuwon’s gaze made Herran tremble with fear.
“Do you still have business here?”
The desert connecting the Great Jungle and the south.
Renania, Hastings, and the Valaris forces on their way home were retracing the path they had come.
“Do you really… have to do it that way?”
Renania’s voice trembled as she tried to hold Hastings back. However, she could not stop his steps. Without even turning back, Hastings replied.
“…Please rest comfortably. It will not take long, nor will it be noisy.”
With those words, Hastings left the temporary tent that served as Renania’s quarters. The southern night sky, as if stars might pour down, and the chilly night air welcomed him.
‘…The sky is truly clear.’
A plain impression, devoid of worry or emotion. After looking up at the sky, Hastings resolutely drew a dagger from within his clothes. His draw was so discreet that not even the faint sound of a blade crying could be heard.
‘I become a blade and clear the path His Highness will walk. That is the meaning of my existence.’
With dagger in hand, Hastings walked step by step toward the place where Gion’s hounds were being held captive. Thanks to Renania having spoken beforehand, when the guards watching over the prisoners saw Hastings, they quietly stepped aside.
The prisoners were bound so tightly that they could not properly move even one arm, shackled by restraints that limited the use of magic. Standing before them, Hastings was no different from a reaper.
“W-what… what is this in the middle of the night. Wait! Put that knife down and let’s talk—!”
“…”
Slash—
“Ghk, keuk—!”
Late at night.
Under the silent southern desert sky.
The last raven of the House of Reqil spread its wings.