Chapter 164: A Star Falls.
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 164: A Star Falls.
Some time passed. Jang Ye Ri swiftly reformed several small cities in the East, a process that inevitably spilled a tremendous amount of blood. Given her personality and the situation in the East, it was impossible to stop people from calling her a witch. Still, unlike before, there was no longer a chance she would take her own life, so I had to consider that a relief.
Just as her mother had told her—Anai Totka, you must live on—she was doing her best to live for her dream.
The settlements of my clan, Goff's, and Black Spear's in the Brother's Land had formed an unofficial alliance with the Queen's forces.
The metropolis of Hadum had been renamed Garia, a word meaning "Mother" in the Green Skin language.
Although the great city of the East had fallen into Jang Ye Ri's hands, many people still clung to Jang Gi Young's old regime, leading to the formation of a new coalition of smaller cities.
Publicly, their goal was to stop the Witch of the East, who continued to carry out massacres. But I was certain that, privately, it was a coalition of cities desperate to preserve the now-vanished slave trade.
If Jang Ye Ri had her way, she would have wiped them all out, but her subordinates urged her to solidify her internal power first, so she was biding her time. The damage from the rebellion had been quite severe. Though her territory had shrunk, it had become more solid.
That was the current state of affairs in the East.
Painfully, Jang Ye Ri still held the Ring of Covenant. Since Baek Ahyeon was staying in our settlement for the time being, there was no need for her to have it.
Thanks to this, Baek Ahyeon’s expression was perpetually downcast, but I was grateful that she seemed to be enduring it somehow.
My ongoing conversations with Jang Ye Ri were about the situation in the East and the state of the continent. After a long silence, new information had emerged, and she had contacted me first.
[It seems a new queen has appeared in the northern metropolis of Wintergarden. The Queen of the North, Han So-hye, is her name. The North Knight, as well as the ice magician and the Frost Dragon Guild, have all submitted to her.]
[I see.]
[That's not all. The Sword Saint of the West and the South have formed an official alliance. I heard a rumor that the son of the South's ruler is quite taken with the Sword Saint, but there's no way to confirm if it's true. It's probably just a marketplace rumor. Not important news, I suppose.]
The news was quite interesting. The future was beginning to flow a little differently from the one I knew.
First, Han So-hye's ascension to Queen of the North was happening far too quickly. I had thought there would be a few more years, but it seemed Choi Seulgi was leveling up the Queen of the North at light speed.
The Queen was already called a genius, so it was like giving wings to Han So-hye, who was already growing stronger by the day. I had expected her growth to accelerate with Choi Seulgi's addition, but this was much faster than I’d anticipated.
To be honest, it was a little startling.
But I didn't feel bad about it. Watching a target rise higher isn't necessarily a bad thing. On the contrary, my heart began to pound.
The alliance between the West and the South was also something that hadn't happened in the original timeline. I figured the Sword Saint had seized power a bit earlier and might have felt threatened by the emergence of the Queen of the North.
For someone who claimed she would live only for the poor, she was acting with remarkable speed. Amusingly, of the four powers currently moving the continent, three were women and one was a man. It had been the same before, but the fact that there were three women was quite intriguing.
The Witch of the East, Jang Ye Ri.
The Queen of the North, Han So-hye.
The Sword Saint of the West, Ha Yuri.
Unfortunately, information about the southern city was blocked, so I couldn't learn much, but I felt that even these fragments of information would be a great help in deciding my future course of action. As I was busy turning things over in my mind, Jang Ye Ri's voice came through again.
[By the way...]
[...]
[When are you coming to see me?]
It seemed she wanted to continue where we had left off after that day. The truth was, something had happened on the day Jang Ye Ri had cried. I had gently hugged her to comfort her, but the atmosphere had suddenly shifted, and we had unexpectedly ended up in bed.
I think we would have gone all the way if her nanny, who had been asked to bring a meal, hadn't suddenly burst in. Most Green Skins wouldn't have felt any shame, but I was once human, and Jang Ye Ri had lived among humans. Moreover, the person who had raised and cherished her was the one who walked in; it would have been strange not to be embarrassed.
I could still hear her nanny's voice in my memory. She had been so moved she was sniffling back tears.
‘My lady, you've reached the age to find a partner. He may not be human, but this nanny supports you. What a handsome demon, with such magnificent horns. I'm so moved. Oh! My lady, you must use contraception. If you were to get pregnant, the citizens and the summoned might all wonder who the father is... Anyway, you there, demon sir, please take good care of our lady.’
‘Nanny...’
‘You can do it, my lady!’
Seeing the nanny smile so benevolently, any lust I had naturally vanished. I had my tribe members to look after, and she had her people, so I had no choice but to return to my settlement immediately. In the end, the matter was left unresolved. That was the truth of it. Thanks to that, she would send me these messages whenever she had a spare moment.
[I'll come see you soon.]
[Didn't you say 'soon' last time, too? You said Green Skins don't lie, yet you seem to enjoy lying quite a bit.]
[That's not it.]
[You clearly said you wanted me and that you would take me as your woman. Is it not also a duty to satisfy one's mate's desires? Do you intend to claim your rights but neglect your duties?]
It was true that I had received much from her, but the settlement was quite busy with various matters. She was just as busy, so the problem was that we couldn't find the time.
[When I lie down at night, your large, beautiful horns and your face linger in my mind. You're probably having a grand time over there. Are you planning to embrace the Saintess of the West and the Alraune woman to your heart's content while ignoring me? In matters like this, one must be fair. Or is it that you don't like my severed, ugly horn?]
I felt like I was being cornered. I'm a man, too. A beauty like her was, of course, more than welcome. Thinking it was best to escape this crisis first, I opened my mouth to speak to Jang Ye Ri once more.
It was the kind of bullshit I used to use back on Earth.
[I want to cherish you.]
[A lie! Did you not take me to bed that very day?]
I had nothing to say to that. But I calmly continued.
[I, too, am waiting for the day we can meet. Let's truly meet as soon as your work is settled. It would be best to meet in the underground city.]
Once I gave her a definite location, Jang Ye Ri finally sent a message of understanding.
[Alright. I was too excited... I was only thinking of my own position and failed to consider your situation. I apologize.]
[I apologize as well.]
The mood shifted to one of warm understanding. We talked a bit more about this and that before the communication ended. After finishing the call, I went outside to see the settlement's expansion in full swing. Black Spear was already looking after Little Finger, but it was possible that Goff and I would each be assigned one of the newly summoned Green Skins.
I was naturally reminded of when I first arrived at the Green Goblin Clan's settlement three years ago. For the Green Skins here, looking after their juniors was an obvious honor. It was no wonder those goblins were ecstatic when our clan chose the Green Goblin Clan.
It was the same for us. For my part, I couldn't say I was completely free of the stress of having to look after a troublesome burden for three years, but I thought our tribe members would be genuinely delighted.
"Move the supplies!"
"We must show them the dignity of the Blood Dagger Clan!"
They barely had enough time to train, yet seeing Gark and Hark working at the very front, I couldn't help but smile. But surprisingly, the most enthusiastic one was Lee Wanyong, who remained the clan's slave-in-all-but-name.
"If you could please come this way, I would be grateful."
He was speaking as politely as possible, but his expression was quite serious. This was a field where he could showcase his abilities, so he was running wild trying to get noticed again.
Seeing the Goblin Three Sisters also working hard together, I thought that if our Blood Dagger Clan wasn't chosen, they would be quite depressed.
Perhaps to avoid that depression, Hakajin, Ragia, and even the heavily pregnant Mev were squeezing out every bit of effort to be chosen. They would have to live with the newcomers for three years, so for the junior Green Skins who would witness the glorious future of the Blood Dagger Clan, it was impossible for Mev not to be concerned. Displaying her dignity was a given. Bringing Ibar, the Giant Wolf that the Green Goblins didn't have, was also essential.
Green Skins get excited about all sorts of stories, so I thought there would be at least one who would choose me, but I couldn't help feeling anxious nonetheless. The thought of seeing the Great Tribe Leader after so long also made my heart flutter. I was supervising the work when Jung Hayeon appeared out of nowhere and spoke to me.
"Taesung."
When I turned my head, she immediately began to speak.
"We have a guest. He's in Black Spear's tent right now. He asked me to quietly call only you. I think he has something to say only to the chieftains."
"I understand."
It seemed a messenger from the Land of Glory had arrived to invite us. I quickened my pace, and soon Black Spear's tent came into view. I entered immediately.
"It's been a while, Blood Dagger."
The figure that appeared was Storm Shadow, whom I hadn't seen in a long time. Goff and Black Spear were there too, but the atmosphere was strangely somber. Rather than looking pleased to receive an invitation, they looked as if they had received terrible news.
Storm Shadow was the same. I couldn't help but assume that something had happened. I cautiously opened my mouth to speak to him.
"What is it, Storm Shadow?"
"For now, I'd like all three of you to head to the Land of Glory after you've finished your preparations. Blood Dagger and Goff, you two should prepare to welcome the new Green Skins."
"Understood."
It was unexpected that Black Spear, who was already looking after Little Finger, would be coming with us, but this was something I had anticipated. I thought he would have one more piece of news for us, so I waited quietly for Storm Shadow to speak.
A little more time passed.
Slowly, his mouth opened, and I couldn't help but let out a deep groan.
"The Great Tribe Leader is dead."
The news was far too sudden.