Chapter 357
Chapter 357
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 357
Chapter Title: Side Story 41. Beasts (13)
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“Gah, heuk... Damn beast bastards...”
Lete gasped for breath.
A long stick was serving as his crutch.
His completely crushed left leg looked beyond saving.
'How dare they show me mercy?'
Lete was on his way from the fortress to the village.
He had lost almost everything, but if he could just preserve his life, he could somehow make a comeback.
For whatever reason, Zaifa hadn't destroyed the village or killed him.
How dare they show mercy to me.
Crunch.
The sound of his molars cracking echoed in Lete's mouth.
“I'll get my revenge no matter what... I'll make you regret letting me live...!”
“B-Boss?!”
At that moment, a woman's voice came from not far away.
He turned his head and saw a familiar face.
Lete, who had been stunned, furrowed his brow.
“...Vesper?”
“What the hell happened?! Why is the fortress... And what are those wounds?”
She was Vesper, one of the Northwind Corps' branch leaders.
She had passed out after Baren grabbed her by the scruff of the neck and only regained consciousness after everything was over.
In a way, she was the woman who had sparked the whole disaster.
Lete's face twisted savagely.
“This is all because of you...”
“Huh?”
“It's your fault, Vesper! You ruined the Northwind Corps! That pig you brought in destroyed everything!”
Lete bellowed.
If she hadn't fallen for Baren's handsome looks, the Northwind Corps wouldn't have fallen.
Unlike the other members who had been hacked to pieces, Vesper's body was unscathed.
Furious, Lete unleashed a torrent of accusations about her crimes.
Vesper, who had been listening silently, suddenly covered her mouth with both hands.
“So... all the members are dead? Blanta too?”
“Yeah, it's all over! Decades of planning down the drain! How are you going to take responsibility... Mmph?!”
“Haa... Thank goodness.”
This was in the midst of Lete venting his rage.
Vesper suddenly clamped his mouth shut and drew a dagger from her waist.
There was no time to resist.
Stab.
The dagger plunged into Lete's abdomen.
“Heuk...!”
“My eyes never lie, after all.”
Vesper murmured softly.
As she released the hilt, Lete's body pitched forward.
Whether his aorta had been severed or not, the blood loss was severe.
A cracked voice leaked from between Lete's lips.
“Wh... why...?”
“Why? You have no idea how long I've been waiting for this day.”
Vesper was smiling.
She hadn't agreed to Baren's request just because he was handsome.
Ever since she was young, she had sharp eyes and could glimpse the pulsing power within Baren.
“I brought him in on purpose from the start. Suspicious behavior and hidden strength? The goal was obvious. What else could it be but infiltrating to rescue a comrade?”
“You... you...”
“I knew that pig wasn't a member. We hadn't recruited any newbies in the last two months. Of course, I didn't expect him to be such a big shot.”
Vesper chuckled.
She had known he was hiding his power, but who would have thought it was Baren Phanasir in human form?
Lete still couldn't comprehend what was happening.
Vesper brushed back her hair and continued.
“Lete. My adoptive father was a werefox.”
“Wha...?”
“Three years ago, the Northwind Corps kidnapped him. I joined the corps to find him in the first place. But after digging around, I found out he had already died in the arena. The Northwind Corps' pride and joy, their champion. Torn to shreds by Blanta.”
Vesper's voice grew lower.
Beastkin adopting humans wasn't uncommon in the North.
Unable to even collect her father's ashes, she had bided her time in the Northwind Corps, waiting for her chance at revenge.
“From the day I found out, I went to the arena every day. To never forget my hatred. How do you think I felt climbing to branch leader?”
“N-No way...!”
“Lete. If there's one thing I learned in this organization.”
Vesper gripped the hilt again and twisted the dagger.
His entrails tore with a squelch, and blood gushed out.
She leaned in close to his ear and whispered softly.
“It's that anyone can become a beast if they set their mind to it. No matter the race.”
“Guh... ack.”
“Farewell, boss.”
Vesper pulled out the dagger and turned away.
The woman who had completed her revenge vanished into the moonlight.
Lete, gasping for breath, collapsed to the ground like trash.
His body was cooling rapidly.
As the pool of blood beneath him widened, his senses began to fade one by one.
“...!”
He wanted to protest that he was a victim too, but no voice came out.
“He should be back around now...”
“Piiiyu...”
Nemeia bit her thumbnail.
Marfez, perched on her shoulder, sighed.
The two were waiting for her husband, who had left on a diet journey with them.
Tomorrow was the start of the semester at Phileon Academy, but Baren was still nowhere to be seen.
'He didn't run into trouble, did he? Should I ask Principal Kratir?'
Dark circles shadowed her large eyes.
She hadn't slept properly since sending Baren off.
She had kicked him out out of concern for his health, but now she regretted it as too extreme.
If I'd known, I should've used a different method.
As she petted Marfez anxiously,
“Phew, it's been so long since I was home. This nostalgic smell.”
The front door suddenly opened.
A familiar were-lion poked his head in.
Nemeia and Marfez's eyes widened round.
Spotting them, Baren beamed brightly.
“Oh, honey! Marfez! Have you been well?”
“...!”
“It's been almost two months. You look tired. Did something happen while I was gone...?”
“Oh my god, honey!”
“Heuk!”
Nemeia cut him off and rushed over.
Baren choked on the intense hug, gasping for air.
The two stood embraced in the entryway for a long while.
Baren patted her back.
“I'm home. Sorry I'm late.”
“You could've at least called once. Making me worry...! You lost the weight properly, right?”
“Haha... To some extent. I tried my best.”
“Wait. Now that you mention it, you look totally different?”
Nemeia, still holding him, tilted her head.
The joy of reunion had blinded her to the changes.
She stepped back a couple paces and scanned him from head to toe. His completely transformed body came into view.
“Huh?”
His jawline was sharp as a blade.
No flab remained on his once-plump belly.
His rippling muscles, visible even through his clothes, were like a sculptor's masterpiece.
This was better than even ten years ago, when they had started dating.
Nemeia's eyes nearly popped out.
“Oh my god! What on earth happened?! How in just two months...!”
“So much... so much happened. I don't even know where to start.”
Baren wore a complicated smile.
For the past month, he had undergone one-on-one training with Zaifa.
It was special instruction from a former Sword Saint that any warrior would dream of, but Baren was just a dad there to lose weight.
- You're whining already, fluffball? If you can't climb this, no dinner!
- Guheok, save me!
Recalling those memories, Baren squeezed his eyes shut.
He had tried to escape several times, only to be caught immediately.
He had endured the training fit for an armed guard solely because he had to survive to see his family.
“Oh, right. Zaifa sends his regards.”
“What? The boss? You two met?”
“Yes. In the North... He's incredibly fit now. The Sword Saint tournament might reopen soon.”
Baren shook his head as if traumatized.
Zaifa, who had reached the realm of shedding his mortal form, had become a monster too terrifying to speak of.
The sight of him slicing through a glacier the size of an island for a training ground wouldn't leave his mind until death.
“The impassive one causing a stir. So the Sword Saint title might change again? I think Naviroje was gearing up too.”
“No idea. It wouldn't be surprising whoever ascends.”
“True. The spectators will love the show.”
Nemeia chuckled.
The Sword Saint tournament was one of her favorite spectacles.
Baren snapped his fingers as something occurred to him.
“Ah, honey. There'll be a big expense coming up soon. Is that okay?”
“Hm? It's your money anyway, so no issue. What for?”
“Nothing much... Just want to let some shade see the sun.”
“Hmm?”
Nemeia tilted her head.
This needed explaining too.
“Traveling this time made me realize there are still many suffering people out there. I'm thinking of buying land in the North and creating jobs for them.”
“Oho. That's so you— a good deed. But you're already busy; you sure?”
“Professor Secret will help. No Imperial more knowledgeable about the North.”
Secret had stayed in the North with Zaifa.
Too many curses left to study, too many knots of hatred to untie.
He would lead the delegation Baren sent and pioneer the shadows remaining in the North.
'A miraculous compromise. What a guy.'
Even thinking back, it was astonishing.
Shortly after the Northwind Corps incident, Secret had dramatically persuaded the fortress's lower village residents.
Now, instead of relying on the Northwind Corps, they would learn to coexist and work with the beastkin, washing away old hatreds.
'My kin will be fine too.'
Zaifa had taken charge of the beastkin captured in the fortress.
Whatever method he used, he had reformed the ones raging with hatred toward humans in under a week.
Who would defy a former Sword Saint, after all.
Except, he mercilessly purged those who had betrayed their own for the Northwind Corps' amusement.
Nemeia said,
“Whatever it is, sounds good. You have good judgment, and I trust you.”
“Hearing that makes me happy, honey.”
“Of course. Oh, want some cookies? I baked them thinking you'd be back soon.”
“You baked cookies, honey?!”
“Yeah. Felt lonely, so I tried a few times, but couldn't match yours. Still, I worked hard.”
Baren blinked in shock.
Nemeia, who hated sweets, baking cookies herself?
Come to think of it, the house was filled with a sweet aroma.
Soon, she returned from the kitchen with a plate of cookies.
“C-Can I really eat these?”
“Of course. After all that hardship.”
Baren's hand trembled as he picked one up.
The shape was rough, but her effort was obvious.
“...Here goes.”
Crunch.
Baren bit into the cookie.
A crisp sound accompanied sweetness flooding his mouth.
The first taste of sweetness in nearly two months.
Chewing, Baren suddenly bowed his head.
“Kuhung... Hnnguk... Hlurk.”
“Wh-Why? Did you break a tooth?”
Nemeia looked flustered.
Baren's shoulders shook.
“D-Did I go too far? Sorry, honey. I won't nag about your weight anymore.”
“No... it's not that. Just... just...”
Baren raised a hand to signal he was fine.
The past two months flashed before his eyes like a panorama.
He swallowed the last bite and gripped his mane.
“It's so delicious I'm crying... That's all.”
Baren wiped his tears.
He sniffled nonstop, devouring his wife's cookies.
Zaifa had said meat only for the next half-year to temper him, but who cared.
“What's that about.”
Nemeia giggled.
She gently embraced her husband, who didn't live up to his size.
The tumultuous diet ended successfully.
The warm autumn sunlight, transitioning from summer, enveloped the two.