We live at the foothills of Dragon Peak.
Predators hiding in the bushes.
“To be honest, I thought the beast race would put up a bit more of a fight.”
“Once we entered the Ruined Capital, they stopped interfering. The battle on the grasslands was their final defense line.”
“I thought they were a short-sighted and rough bunch, but they actually seem to respect rules.”
The fact that Ristea and I can have this calm conversation is entirely due to the beast race’s decisive attitude.
Folganne and the others regained consciousness after a few hours of sparring and learned of their defeat.
“Human Hero and King of Dragons, you have proven your strength and existence. We, in reverence to your abilities, will obediently follow. On behalf of the beast race, we thank you for stepping forward as Mei’s guardian.”
Folganne bowed her head with surprising ease.
This was not because of Lily, who was still holding her ground on the grasslands, making them back down. The beast race had acknowledged our strength in their sparring match. They live by a simple principle: to follow the strong. This applied to their Suzerain chosen by the eldest, Jabalan, or to those who could subdue them. Apparently, Ristea and I had been accepted by the beast race.
As opponents in battle, they were ferocious and uncontrollable, but we learned that in reconciliation, they were a straightforward and sincere race.
If Mei receives the Rite of Baptism and officially becomes the Suzerain, I believe the beast race will surely move towards a wonderful future.
I think Ristea and I will be supporting them in this endeavor, and I’m very much looking forward to it.
Mei was chosen as Suzerain through a divination that identified her as the one who would lead the beast race to prosperity. To prove Elder Jabalan’s divination correct, I hope to assist in cultural exchange with Dragon Peak and the human race.
Though I was worried about how things would turn out for a while, looking back, it seems everything is progressing in a beneficial direction for both the beast race and us.
However.
Not everything was going smoothly.
“Elnea-kun, Mei-chan isn’t waking up.”
Two days had already passed since the commotion.
Mei, who had been in critical condition due to poison, had been saved thanks to the care of Ruiseine and the others. However, her subsequent condition was not improving.
There was no sign of her waking up.
Something was wrong, so we decided to consult with Folganne and the other representatives of the beast race.
Perhaps the poison used was unknown even to Miko Ruiseine and her kin.
We also suspected curses or something similar, but Elder Jabalan investigated and found no such malevolent aura.
It was decided that we should summon Apothecary Foushen. However, the horse-type beastmen sent to fetch him had not yet returned.
“Brave warrior Gawon, tell me more about Mei.”
Folganne and the others entrusted Mei’s care to us and waited outside the Ruined Capital for the Rite of Baptism.
Apparently, the Ruined Capital where Elder Jabalan lived was a sacred place for the beast race, and they could not stay there casually.
That’s why the area before the Ruined Capital was their final defense line.
“I succeeded my uncle’s will and visited Mei’s sheep-type settlement. However, I was too late…”
“Please wait a moment. May we ask one question as well?”
Ristea raised her hand and requested to speak.
“From the beginning, I felt a question. What happened to Gawon’s uncle, Razegan? From what you’ve told us so far, Razegan was guarding Elder Jabalan, wasn’t he?”
“Ah, I wondered about that too.”
Razegan, who was supposed to be Elder Jabalan’s bodyguard. However, he had not been seen for the past two days. We only saw the rabbit-type people, who were tending to Elder Jabalan.
But other races, like the dog-type men that Gawon belonged to, not only were they not seen, but their presence wasn’t even felt.
“My uncle… was murdered.”
“What!?”
“After receiving Priest Jabalan’s divination, my uncle was supposed to inform the sheep-types. But the day after leaving the Ruined Capital, he was attacked by someone. My uncle barely made it back to the dog-type settlement and entrusted me with his mission.”
“By whom, precisely, was he killed?”
Logically, it would be other beastmen who opposed Mei becoming Suzerain, wouldn’t it? However, Folganne’s words raised further questions.
“First of all, the next day, which tribe’s member would become the Suzerain should have only been known to Elder Jabalan and the messenger. Therefore, when Razegan was killed, no one knew who the next Suzerain would be. We only found out because someone who heard the dying words he entrusted to Gawon spread the information. It makes no sense to kill Razegan when it wasn’t even known who the next Suzerain would be.”
“Please wait. So, you still haven’t identified the attacker who ambushed Razegan?”
“It’s embarrassing, but yes, that’s how it is.”
Folganne and the others, who were trying to prevent Mei from becoming Suzerain, were, in the beginning, outside the loop.
Perhaps they themselves might be chosen as the next Suzerain. Many prominent beastmen must have held expectations and awaited Razegan’s message. It made no sense for such a person to preemptively attack Razegan, the messenger. If that’s the case, what was the attacker’s intention?
“I’m also concerned about the attacker, but Mei is our priority. Gawon, continue your story.”
“Understood. It’s more important now than talking about scarce clues. Let’s get back to the point. I succeeded my uncle and headed to the sheep-type settlement. It was dinnertime. But, as I said before, I was too late. A poison had been put into Mei-sama’s dinner.”
“What!?”
Folganne exclaimed in shock.
“Huh? Why are you surprised? You guys didn’t poison Mei, did you? After all, you were lying in wait, not approving of Mei becoming Suzerain.”
“Don’t be foolish. Recall the story up to this point. We only learned about it after Razegan died. There’s no way we could have overtaken Gawon, who rushed ahead to the sheep-type settlement. And there’s no way we could have poisoned Mei’s dinner.”
“Now that you mention it…?”
Then, who poisoned Mei’s meal? The answer came easily. It was the “someone” who attacked Razegan.
“As one possibility. Is it possible the attacker extracted the information from Razegan? Also, not to disrespect the deceased, but Razegan was also against Mei becoming Suzerain, wasn’t he? If so, is it possible he leaked it to someone beforehand?”
Despite Ristea’s sharp observation, all the beastmen present shook their heads.
“In Razegan’s case, that’s absolutely impossible.”
“My uncle was a magnificent warrior and a trusted guardian of Elder Jabalan.”
“Razegan was human too. He must have had his own thoughts, but he would never betray Elder Jabalan. He was someone who dutifully carried out his role, even with reluctance, entrusting his dying wish to Gawon.”
The strong words of the beastmen refuted Ristea’s assertion.
“Um, may I say something?”
This time, Ruiseine raised her hand.
“I also have a question: is the sheep-type settlement far away?”
“For the durable dog-type Gawon, it’s about half a day’s run from here. By the way, the dog-type settlement is nearby.”
“Then, for other races?”
“While the lion and leopard species are overwhelmingly faster, they lack endurance. For us, it would take about a day. Herbivorous races also have endurance, but they are cautious and it takes time.”
“…”
We exchanged glances.
This meant that Gawon, the dog-type, would arrive at the sheep-type settlement the fastest. However, the person who poisoned Mei’s meal must have arrived earlier than Gawon.
And then.
“Isn’t it strange? Folganne and the others learned about Mei later, right? Gawon was the first to reach the sheep-type settlement, right? …So why were Bollard of the tiger race and his group attacked in the Urangala Forest? Moreover, on the very night Mei was poisoned. Also, I overheard a conversation between Bollard and Gawon, and at that point, Bollard knew Mei was critically ill from poison.”
“…!”
The expressions of the beastmen contorted.
“Where is the swift warrior Bollard!?”
Come to think of it, the tiger-type warriors were not present at the final defense line.
I had assumed the tiger-type warriors had gone ahead and attacked Gawon and Mei, but apparently, that was not the case.
In response to Folganne’s shout, someone waiting nearby hurried away.
However, everyone knew. Bollard was not among the beastmen gathered at the Ruined Capital.
When we apprehended him in the Urangala Forest, Gawon had said they would catch up in half a day, but it had been two days, and none of the tiger-type beastmen, including Bollard, had shown themselves.
It’s not that we didn’t find it suspicious. However, many tribes were not involved in this commotion. There was no reason to suspect deeply just because one or two tribes were absent.
But it seemed something was different.
“Those scoundrels… what are they thinking.”
Folganne growled menacingly, his throat rumbling. Gawon also bared his fangs, revealing his anger.
“If only I had been a little more attentive…”
“Regretting the past now is pointless. The important thing is to find Bollard and his group and question them.”
If the tiger-type individuals were the ones who attacked Razegan, the messenger… But Razegan wasn’t the kind of warrior who would spill information.
How did Bollard and his group find out about Mei?
The meeting ended without us reaching a conclusion.
Ultimately, the cause of Mei’s unconsciousness remained unknown. The key was likely held by Bollard.
The entire beast race began searching for Bollard and the tiger-type warriors.
However, even after another two days, Bollard’s whereabouts remained unknown. It seemed they hadn’t returned to their settlement either. And only women and children remained in the settlement; the warriors were all out and their whereabouts were unknown.
The bad news continued.
As the return of those sent to fetch Apothecary Foushen was delayed, a second party was dispatched. However, the report they brought back led to a situation none of them had expected.
“Apothecary Foushen’s residence had been attacked by someone.”
“What!? And Foushen?”
“Yes. He was nowhere to be found. Only the corpses of the first party, along with scattered furniture, were there.”
“They were attacked. Not content with attacking Razegan and poisoning Mei, they also attacked and abducted Foushen!”
Foushen was apparently a monkey-type beastman. It was said that in his youth, he traveled extensively throughout the Northern Land, acquiring profound knowledge and wisdom.
The beast race shared a common understanding: for illnesses and minor injuries, they relied on Foushen, who was well-versed in the medicines and poisons of the Northern Land, and for life-threatening crises, they relied on Jabalan. However, Foushen had been attacked by someone and his whereabouts were now unknown.
“The fact that he wasn’t killed on the spot and was abducted suggests he may still be alive…”
“That doesn’t mean we can be at ease.”
The movements of the beast race became more frantic. Those who had been waiting on the grasslands in front of the Ruined Capital began to disperse to various locations in the Northern Land.
“It’s time to hunt!”
Under Folganne’s command, they began to track down those acting in the shadows, coordinating like a pack of beasts.
