Chapter 248: Meeting the Queen of the North
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 248: Meeting the Queen of the North
The past three days had been busy, to say the least. Work on the Foggy Forest, which connected the Eastern Continent to the Brother's Land, was nearly complete, and I’d also managed to spend some quality time with Laveua.
The moment Laveua saw me, she burst into tears and ran into my arms, but thankfully, she didn't throw a tantrum like before. It seemed Orbo of the Shield had spent a lot of time with her, so I now had a personal reason to thank him.
As for Lee Wanyong and Baek Ahyeon, as I mentioned before, they had begun construction on the underground city in earnest. After putting the human production workers in charge of site supervision, they had some free time.
I meant for them to rest as hard as they had worked, but Lee Wanyong, for some anxious reason, couldn't put his work down and immediately began preparing for war with Hakajin. The Green Skin trainees returned to the Brother's Land to resume their daily routines with the Goblin Three Sisters.
I still can't forget the look on Little Finger's face when we arrived at the Brother's Land. The sight of him tearing at the strange doll he always carried was chilling, and it was surely no coincidence that Giant Scream Apachi looked extremely pained when he saw it.
Goff, Black Spear, and I were currently on our way to the meeting place.
“I'm looking forward to this. Are you sure it's alright for us to come along?”
Goff spoke to me while I was spacing out. To be honest, I felt it would be sufficient for me to go alone, but if the talks went well, we would be seeing a lot of each other. That was why I had them come with me.
If they were truly willing to join hands with us Green Skins, even temporarily, I thought it would be better for them to get used to us this way. Of course, it might have been more advantageous to put the more human-like Green Skins, such as Mev the Fairy or Jung Hayeon the Alraune, at the forefront, but I felt that would be meaningless. They needed to be able to accept true Green Skins, not a clumsy imitation of humans.
“This will likely build more trust between us. Especially in a matter like this.”
It was Black Spear who answered. I nodded in agreement. Trust was what mattered.
“Ah. I know that much, Black Spear. In fact, even if Blood Dagger had told me not to come, I would have insisted on tagging along. After all, it's her, isn't it? Krrrrrrk.”
Seeing him chuckle like that, I felt a surge of irritation for some reason. It felt like he was teasing me. Even Black Spear, uncharacteristically, laughed in amusement.
“Indeed. The warrior who took Blood Dagger's honor and name. I've only heard stories, so the thought of meeting her in person is quite exciting.”
“She'll likely exceed your expectations, Black Spear. She was strong even when I met her long ago. I don't know for sure, but she must be even stronger now. I heard she's declared herself the king of a city. By our standards, that's no different from a Great Tribe Leader. You'll never see another human that strong.”
“Hearing you say that, Goff, makes me even more excited…”
The way they were openly baring their fangs made it obvious to anyone that they were thoroughly enjoying this. I sighed, looking at them.
“Ahem…”
“You seem to be looking forward to it already.”
“That's not it, Goff. I'm just worried. When you see her, I hope you'll refrain from any excessive provocation.”
“The one who needs to exercise restraint is not me, but you, Blood Dagger.”
He was right. In fact, my eyes were already starting to turn red. I had fought many battles, but none were as memorable as the time I crossed blades with the Queen of the North. There was a sense of regret, and also one of frustration.
But it was an undeniable fact that my defeat back then played a part in making me who I am today. She was strong, respectable, and had something about her that fired people up. Thinking about how much stronger I'd become since then, along with Choi Seulgi, made my hands and feet begin to tremble slightly.
Choi Seulgi said I would lose. Having regressed just like me, she had also become an exceptional powerhouse. By my rough estimation, she was slightly less powerful than me, but in the field of assassination, she was likely unrivaled. For her to make such a judgment made me think that the idea of me still being inferior to the Queen of the North was probably not just nonsense.
And that made me even more excited.
“I'm worried you might request a Sacred Battle right there at the summit.”
Black Spear joked upon seeing my expression. I could feel my face flush. I couldn't help but wonder if bringing them along had been a mistake.
“Ahem… As I've said before, reclaiming my honor will come after everything is over. What you're thinking of will not happen.”
“Understood.”
“Krrrrrrrrk.”
While they were busy teasing me, I glanced back at Gark and the Blood Dagger Clan, who were on standby.
The eyes of Gark, holding the banner, and the elite Orc swordsmen were shining brighter than ever, and I could see their bodies were painted with tattoos drawn by Nicole, as if they were heading into battle.
“For… For Blood Dagger…!”
It seemed like they were about to burst into cheers at my slightest glance, so I quickly turned my head away, hearing their disappointed voices behind me.
Originally, the meeting was scheduled to take place in a conference room between the leaders, but with Goff and Black Spear participating, the venue had to be changed from inside the castle to outside. Black Spear, who was slightly larger than me, could manage to sit in a conference room, but for Goff, it was impossible to even get inside.
That was why we had formed a small, demonstrative force. Green Skins quite enjoy showing off this sort of thing.
We are strong.
We are the Blood Dagger Clan.
It was a simple message, but their eyes were filled with pride. Thanks to Mev, who pays great attention to the tribe's appearance, even my Giant Wolf, Abar, was wagging her tail behind me for the first time in a while. The meeting place was a plain between the great city of Garia and the Brother's Land.
Jang Ye Ri's side had prepared everything for the summit, so I doubted there would be any discomfort during the meeting.
“It's about time. Let's go.”
At Goff's words, the sound of drums began to echo.
“Thump!”
“Thump!”
The Orc beating the drum, doing so for the first time in a while, pounded it like a fish back in water. Thankfully, it seemed he wasn't imbuing it with any buff effects.
“Uwoooooooooooh!”
The Ogres of the Goff Clan let out a roar. The elite spearmen of the Black Spear Clan advanced with cool gazes. The elite Orc swordsmen of the Blood Dagger Clan did the same. They weren't marching in step, but there was a strange excitement building in the air. It felt like a challenge to fight. I wouldn't normally recommend moving like this, but even to my eyes, it was a rather magnificent scene.
As I raised my head from atop Abar, I saw a giant tent. It must have been modified to fit Goff's size; I was quite curious about what it looked like inside.
Among the well-trained soldiers stood Park Han Cheol and the Witch of the East, Jang Ye Ri. Since Jang Ye Ri was already acquainted with Goff and Black Spear, she gave a slight nod in greeting, and Goff placed a hand on his chest in response. They, too, respected Jang Ye Ri.
Just as I was thinking the party from the North hadn't arrived yet…
Space distorted on one side, and a fluttering banner revealed itself. Choi Eunju had opened a portal. The banner, emblazoned with a magnificent spear, was the banner of the North I had seen long ago. A banner I had once admired. The first to emerge was Choi Seulgi. She waved in my direction, and I smiled pleasantly.
The next to appear was a familiar face.
‘The North Knight, Kang Changhoon.’
When it came to martial prowess, he was second to none. He looked like a knight straight out of some fairy tale. Seeing the man I had only heard rumors about in person was a novel experience. And that wasn't all.
‘The Master of the Frost Dragon Guild, Seo Yeonju.’
She brought two impressive individuals with her. For her to dispatch people of this caliber while the West and South were pressuring the North meant that the forces in the North's capital city had some leeway. They were likely not the only elites.
The knights looked imposing. Seo Yeonju approached, radiating a cold aura. Unlike our advance to the beat of drums, the thudding of the knights' boots echoed loudly. It was an impressive sight.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The advancing knights came to a halt.
And from their midst, a face I had missed dearly revealed itself.
She carried a spear far larger than herself on her back. Her appearance hadn't changed from back then, but the aura radiating from her body spoke of how much stronger she had become.
The knights raised their spears high, creating a path for the Queen of the North to walk. Seeing that, I realized we Green Skins weren't the only ones who cared for appearances. Theirs was likely a gesture of pure reverence.
Her lofty gaze, her breathing, her unwavering movements. Her expression, which seemed to admit no defeat, was not that of a woman, but unmistakably that of a warrior. I found my breath growing ragged and had to compose myself. The Queen of the North's strange gaze remained fixed on me, and my eyes couldn't help but turn red.
“So that's the human… A warrior.”
“You're right, Black Spear. She is a warrior.”
Black Spear and Goff murmured as they watched the Queen of the North. Despite how much time had passed, she hadn't changed.
She was a warrior.
And she wasn't the only one. The North Knight was like a well-honed sword, and though Seo Yeonju looked surprised to see us, she quickly regained her composure. If we were to clash now, it would be a damn good fight.
But of course, there was no reason to clash.
When our Brother's Land, the Queen of the North, and Jang Ye Ri finally faced each other in the center, a strange silence engulfed the field. Choi Seulgi wore an amused expression, the North Knight looked somewhat displeased, and Seo Yeonju appeared intrigued.
The Queen of the North shook hands with Jang Ye Ri, then looked back and forth between her and me. I assumed Choi Seulgi had told her a little about me. This meeting was only possible because of translation magic.
Alisha, who had been standing by Jang Ye Ri's side for some time, began to cast a spell on me and the Green Skins. I offered them my first greeting. From their perspective, it must have been quite a surprising discovery.
“I am Blood Dagger, Chieftain of the Blood Dagger Clan from the Brother's Land. It is an honor to meet you again.”
As expected, they looked startled. They had likely heard the stories from Choi Seulgi, but it seemed they couldn't quite believe that we were truly intelligent beings. Or rather, they were surprised by our developed civilization. It was understandable. No one who sees Green Skins charging with blood-red eyes would think they possess reason.
But the Queen of the North simply nodded. After our Sacred Battle, we hadn't touched them. All the Green Skins had watched our fight. And she must have heard the stories from Choi Seulgi. Her reaction was probably natural.
“Han So-Hye, Queen of the North. It's been a while.”
With that short introduction, she grinned and extended her hand. I took it.