Chapter 78
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 078
Chapter Title: Gnoll Tribe (2)
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Even people of the same race inevitably sense cultural differences when conversing with foreigners. With the gnoll tribe, the gap was even wider.
'Because they’re an entirely different species.'
Communication was possible, but the unique traits of each species inevitably led to misunderstandings.
Over time, these misunderstandings would make mutual understanding impossible, potentially escalating into conflict between the two forces.
To solidify their alliance, then, they first had to acknowledge their differences.
"Honored guests have come from afar... We should share a meal with them."
Knaartash muttered to herself. No sooner had the queen spoken than the gnolls sprang into action, hauling in a massive wooden table.
The human delegation and the gnoll queen took seats around the table. Food was soon placed before each of them.
The delegation stared in shock.
"...W-What is the meaning of this?"
Roland asked cautiously. On the table sat a long bone. It resembled a chicken neck, as thick as an adult's forearm.
It looked like discarded scraps from a previous meal. But to the gnolls, this was their idea of hospitality.
"It's dried neck bones from duck beasts. A delicacy among our tribe."
Most beast meat was unpalatable—bitter, tough, and foul-tasting. For that reason, gnolls considered beast bones superior ingredients.
Properly dried duck beast neck bones offered a crisp texture and rich, nutty savoriness. They were rare and labor-intensive to prepare—a treat seldom seen outside feast days.
Once Woojin explained, the delegation nodded with interest. But knowing the truth didn't make the situation any less awkward.
"So... how exactly do we eat this?"
Roland muttered, eyeing the massive bone. As if in answer, Knaartash bit into her duck neck bone.
Crunch—!
The gnoll's fangs effortlessly tore off a chunk. She chewed and swallowed the fragments with grinding crunches, like someone munching a mouthful of biscuits.
The delegation's representative, Saintess Cecilia, mustered her courage and picked up a bone. She lifted her veil slightly and took a tentative bite.
Crack!
"...Hngh..."
A pained whimper escaped from beneath the veil. Her teeth ached from gnawing the hard bone.
A hyena's powerful jaws could shatter bones with ease, but humans weren't built for it. Even so, Cecilia persisted in chewing away.
She must have believed it impolite to leave offered food untouched.
'She'll chip a tooth at this rate.'
Woojin couldn't bear to watch. He snatched the duck bone from Cecilia's hand. Knaartash looked baffled.
"Is there something wrong with the food?"
"Humans have weak teeth—we can't chew bones. We appreciate the hospitality, but this is beyond us."
"Really? That's surprising. Even our tribe's younglings can eat duck bones..."
"Gnolls have jaws like steel from birth."
The best intentions could backfire without considering differences—like the fable of the fox and the crane.
The crane couldn't lap soup from a wide plate, nor could the fox extract food from a narrow jar. Meals between species demanded the same awareness.
In any case, they couldn't let this historic feast end in disaster. Woojin made a suggestion.
"You've treated us to gnoll cuisine, so now it's our turn to offer something."
He'd anticipated this and instructed the delegation to prepare human food in advance.
Knaartash had noticed it too.
"No wonder that delicious aroma's been teasing my nose... Shall we take a look?"
With the queen's permission granted, Woojin signaled Cecilia. She nodded in understanding, and the clerics soon brought out human fare.
Smoked pork grilled over a campfire. Its savage appearance and intoxicating scent left Knaartash half-dazed.
"It's fresh off the fire—still hot."
Woojin warned her. But Knaartash had already grabbed a piece from the wooden bowl with her bare hand.
The gnoll queen chewed into the human food.
Crunch—
The charred pork rind shattered crisply. Juices burst forth in an explosion. Scorching hot, yet Knaartash devoured it without flinching.
The flavor was impossible to stop midway.
To humans, pork was just something bought with coin. To gnolls, it was ambrosia from the gods' own kitchen.
"...Shocking. I've never tasted anything like it. Now I understand why you ignore our food."
Knaartash murmured. Woojin nodded as if he'd expected as much.
"Environment makes all the difference. Humans don't even consider bones food."
With that, he offered the duck neck bone to Rex. It would make a fine snack for a wolf with powerful jaws.
Sniff sniff.
Rex sniffed the bone.
...Turned his head away.
A disdainful rejection, as if it wasn't food at all. Knaartash let out a bewildered chuckle.
"Even a hunting dog turns this down... and we've treated it as a delicacy all along."
"Rex is just picky. Honestly, duck bones aren't bad."
Woojin replied, taking a bite himself. Tough, but persistent chewing brought out the nutty savoriness.
Still, it paled next to ingredients from inside the barrier.
"An alliance with humans means regular supplies of this."
A tempting offer. But Knaartash sighed, visibly conflicted.
"Once our warriors taste this, they'll turn into picky eaters. The alliance's purpose is sound, but the aftermath worries me."
Gnolls were big eaters, and there were plenty of them.
Human rations alone wouldn't fill them all, and exposure to such delights could corrupt their mindset.
The moment they touched human civilization, age-old traditions could twist. The tribal leader fretted over the change.
"Hadn't considered that... From your perspective, it's a valid concern."
Woojin crossed his arms, pondering. Truth be told, the possibility hadn't crossed his mind.
After some thought, he spoke up.
"...Might be overstepping, but I think change is sometimes necessary."
"Why?"
"Not everything old is inherently good."
Stagnation could mean decline. One misstep, and they might fall behind the times and fade away. Clinging to unchanging ways was just as risky.
Woojin’s words prompted Knaartash to reflect, then nod.
"...You're right. Worn-out relics can threaten us at times. It's time to embrace the new—to confront those even older than us."
The Old Ones were stirring. To halt their southward push, reinforcements were vital.
Thus, Knaartash’s hesitation was brief.
"Prepare the covenant rite."
The gnoll queen accepted the alliance.
For the rite, Brotul and the other shamans brought a large brass brazier. Portable, with folding legs—it was spoils taken from the Second Expeditionary Force.
Whoosh—!
Brotul lit the kindling. When the shamans sprinkled black powder, the flames shifted to a sulfurous green.
Three figures stood before the blaze: gnoll leader Knaartash, delegation head Cecilia, and witness Woojin.
Knaartash plucked a fistful of her fur and tossed it in.
Fwoosh!
The flames roared fiercer, devouring the fur. Cecilia then carefully sliced a lock of her hair with a dagger and drew it out from under her veil.
Her hair was an unusual color.
Fresh and verdant, like newly picked grass leaves. Tossed into the fire, it released a strange aroma—like mugwort pounded in a mortar.
'My turn now.'
Woojin cut a clump of his own hair and threw it in.
Fwoosh!
As the three offerings burned, their scents filled the air. Through the rite, the covenant was sealed. The gnolls’ keen noses would never forget this fragrance.
The delegation’s first objective was complete. Humanity and the gnolls were now bound together.
'Just handle the rest smoothly.'
With the alliance forged, the remaining task was gathering intel on their shared foe. Woojin cut straight to it.
"What’s attacking you? Give me the details."
"The monsters you call abominations."
The gnolls had been forced to abandon territory and retreat south under abomination assaults.
Woojin voiced his surprise.
"That's unexpected... Your warriors should handle abominations easily."
"These aren't ordinary ones. They reek of the Old Ones. That makes them stronger, stranger."
Abominations infused with Old One power.
Woojin fell into thought, sifting through the dark cultists’ memories in his mind.
'...Doesn't ring a bell.'
Abominations were mindless flesh lumps driven by instinct. Even the dark cultists couldn’t control them.
Failures.
The cultists dismissed them as such. If signs of abomination emerged during baptism, the subject was immediately discarded into the deep underground waste pits.
'Did the Old Ones tamper with them somehow?'
To gauge the threat, he’d need to see for himself. Woojin stood.
"Let’s head to the northern front while we’re on the topic."
"Agreed."
Knaartash nodded. Those around them rose as well.
As they stepped outside...
The gnolls had gathered around the building in droves. Not just a few—the entire city’s worth, by the look of it.
Woojin asked the queen beside him.
"Why the crowd? Some festival?"
"Beats me."
It was a mystery. Knaartash tilted her head in confusion, then questioned a nearby gnoll.
"What’s everyone doing around my quarters?"
"...That delicious smell..."
The gnoll gulped hungrily. Only then did Woojin understand.
'They caught the pork scent.'
Evidently, the grilling pork belly had outdone even the covenant rite in allure.
The gnolls stared like they were under mass hypnosis. Unable to ignore her subordinates’ pleading gazes...
Knaartash ventured a request.
"That pork from earlier... Any left?"
"Even if not, looks like we’ll have to make more."
They’d need to feed the horde before departing. All part of survival, after all.