Chapter 311: Puberty
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 311: Puberty
Kim Yoora’s day was quite simple. It began with waking up early in the morning to clean Blood Dagger’s tent after he had left. This was originally the job of the goblin mothers, but a few years ago, she had strongly insisted on doing it herself.
Cleaning the chieftain’s tent was considered a rather honorable task among the goblin mothers, so it wasn't easy to secure the job. However, for some reason, many of them yielded, allowing her to take on the duty consistently. Nicole had probably persuaded the goblin mothers for her.
Of course, the women who spent the night with Blood Dagger sometimes cleaned the tent before leaving, and there were times when Blood Dagger left his tent a little late, but even then, she would always head to the tent during her free time.
Today, the woman named Choi Seulgi and Blood Dagger had left the tent earlier than usual, so her routine wasn't disrupted. According to the rumors, the chieftains in the Brother's Land were holding a meeting today for the first time in a while. It was fine for the tent to be empty during her free time, but taking time away from training or using the mock battlefield made her feel a little sorry toward her friends.
Anyway, on her way to the tent after waking up a bit earlier, Kim Yoora ran into Gark, a subleader of the Blood Dagger Clan.
He was the strongest Orc, standing at the very pinnacle of the Elite Orc Swordsmen, the most powerful military force in the Blood Dagger Clan. Blood Dagger himself had once said that in terms of pure martial prowess, Gark was an Orc stronger than him. Of course, Gark himself didn't seem to think so, but the strength of the one-armed swordsman, Half Blade, was real.
Despite his position as a subleader, he was always the first to wake and the first to move. Today, too, he was likely making his rounds, patrolling the settlement.
“Kim Yoora.”
“For Blood Dagger.”
“Mm! For Blood Dagger.”
“Where are you headed?”
“Ah, I'm on my way to clean Lord Blood Dagger's tent. I heard he had things to do early this morning...”
“Indeed. But it is a time when young Green Skins should be sleeping a little longer. Diligence is good, but getting enough rest is also important.”
Kim Yoora bit her lip slightly at Gark's words. She remembered the previous conversations they'd had whenever she met him early in the morning. As expected, he was after it again today.
“In that case, you can go back and rest well today. Leave the cleaning of Blood Dagger's tent to me.”
She didn't know why an Orc of his stature was so obsessed with cleaning a tent, but he was known throughout the clan as one of Blood Dagger's most loyal followers. Thanks to that, whenever she ran into Gark in the morning like this, she had to be careful not to have her job stolen. In fact, she'd heard that even the goblin mothers had lost this job to him before, which spoke to the gravity of the situation. Kim Yoora bit her lip slightly before speaking again.
“No, Lord Gark. This is one of the few tasks entrusted to me, a child of the clan. I understand your words, but if I fail to do my duty, Lord Blood Dagger will be very disappointed. It doesn't take long to clean the tent, so I will finish quickly and then go rest.”
In other words, she was saying, Please don't take my job. It's one of the few things Blood Dagger has entrusted to me. Gark wasn't one to throw a tantrum. This should be enough to get him to back off.
“I suppose it can't be helped. Yes, it is an honorable task. But if it ever becomes too much for you, you can tell me.”
“Yes. I'll keep that in mind.”
I escaped.
He gave up much more easily than she expected today. Usually, he would have pressed the issue a few more times. Thankfully, his brother, Hark, wasn't with him today. He must have been away on some mission or exploring a dungeon. The behavioral patterns of Hark and Gark were usually very similar.
In any case, having successfully defended her job for the day, Kim Yoora headed toward Blood Dagger's tent with a little more confidence. Thanks to Blood Dagger leaving early for work, she could spend a little more time in his tent today.
The corners of her mouth kept turning up without her realizing it.
It was a joy to spend time in a place that carried Blood Dagger's scent.
“Hee...”
A small giggle escaped her lips, and Kim Yoora quickly covered her mouth as she began to walk slowly into Blood Dagger's tent.
When she opened the tent flap, the scene before her was quite a sight. It was often a mess, but today, there wasn't a single thing in its proper place. Above all, the strong male scent vibrating in the tent was enough to make her head spin. Kim Yoora was approaching her own coming-of-age ceremony soon.
She didn't know everything, but she had a rough idea of what this mess signified.
How nice.
A strange thought entered her mind, and Kim Yoora shook her head with all her might. She felt she had thought something profane. There are no selfish desires. Blood Dagger was the benefactor who had saved her from hell, and having such thoughts was surely a sin. Her feelings for him were sufficiently filled with respect and adoration.
But the more she cleaned, the more she noticed the traces left behind, and she couldn't keep her mind straight.
Archers usually read tracks. Kim Yoora couldn't read them as well as an archer, but she had learned the skill, thinking it would be necessary. Of course, she hadn't learned it for this, but she found herself searching for traces without realizing it. The traces she found—on the blankets, on the table, on the tent walls—made her heart pound.
Ah... no. I shouldn't look...
Wouldn't a little be okay?
Y-Yes.
The person in this tent yesterday was definitely the woman named Choi Seulgi. She knew that, of course. The woman who had recently been receiving most of his favor. The official mistress of the clan was, without a doubt, Lady Mev, but even at a glance, Choi Seulgi and Blood Dagger seemed to have a very special relationship.
They looked like old friends, and also like lovers who would spend their entire lives together. Because of this, the women of the clan, especially Jung Hayeon and Choi Eunju, were sending immense, unspoken waves of jealousy her way.
It was the same for Kim Yoora. His eyes were different. When he looked at her, his eyes were no different from when he looked at Laveua. She was very happy that he saw her as a daughter, but...
The truth was...
Kim Yoora swallowed unconsciously and carefully lay down on the blanket.
Was it like this?
She couldn't read the signs perfectly, but this was probably the position. After Blood Dagger grabbed Choi Seulgi's head, from behind...
She put a little strength into her waist and lifted her lower body.
For some reason, her breathing grew heavier. But Kim Yoora kept shaking her head.
Profane thoughts... Profane thoughts...
She kept imagining what would have happened if it had been her here yesterday, not that woman.
It was impossible anyway.
Thanks to that, the thought stealthily surfaced.
Just thinking about it should be fine. Surely.
Just then, a slightly different trace caught her eye.
Was there another person?
It was a trace she hadn't seen before. She couldn't identify the source of this trace that had suddenly become visible. She regretted slacking off on her training a little, but unless one was an expert archer, it would be impossible to perfectly identify who this person was.
Three... three of them? Is that even possible?
No.
That wasn't it. This person, who had joined late, hadn't participated in yesterday's activities. They had only been teased and bothered a little. That was all. Kim Yoora breathed a sigh of relief. Then she suddenly shook her head.
She needed to focus on her work instead of these useless thoughts.
When she was younger, she never had thoughts like these. Lately, her mind had been filled with so many stray thoughts that she even wondered if something was wrong with her. At its worst, she couldn't concentrate on training, and her mind would wander even while she was working.
She was supposed to grow into an adult who would be an asset to the clan, yet her head was filled with nothing but strange thoughts.
Kim Yoora kept shaking her head. It was happening again right now. She couldn't even understand why she had laid down on the blanket like this. What was slightly reassuring was that others in the clan had recently been suffering from similar symptoms. The symptoms were especially severe among her younger siblings, who had also been human. Even Nicole and the other Green Skins were the same.
They often got irritable, and Nicole had started arguing with her mother more frequently.
She wondered if they had been hit by some unknown enemy magic, but there were no signs of any spells. Perhaps it was just part of growing up.
It would probably be best to talk about this in more detail with her friends. She could ask the adults, but for some reason, she felt too embarrassed to bring it up. I keep having strange thoughts... There was no way she could tell the clan's adults about something like that.
Adults like Hakajin, who was teaching her strategy and tactics, or the very kind Orbo of the Shield, would be terribly disappointed if they knew.
Kim Yoora forced her eyes shut and began to quickly tidy the tent. She would replace the blanket with a new one. It would be best to take the old one to her tent first and wash it later. Once she started moving properly, the cleaning finished faster than she expected. It was a bit disappointing to leave, but now that she had something to do, she couldn't stop.
After a final wipe of the stains on the floor, the cleaning was done. In contrast to her usual slow movements, Kim Yoora quickly exited the tent. She headed for the tent of her best friend, Nicole. By now, it was the time of day when all the Green Skins were active.
“Nicole! Nicole!”
She saw Nicole drawing a picture with her wolf, Yaja-ah. What was a little strange was that her other friends weren't there.
“Yoora!”
“Nicole! Where is everyone else?”
“Ah! They went out to play with Laveua. Lately, they've been obsessed with the children's battlefield instead of card games... which is a very good thing for the Blood Dagger Clan. Did you need to see me about something, Yoora?!”
“No... it's not that. It's... just.”
It was still embarrassing to talk about this, even with her best friend. But Kim Yoora began to speak calmly. Seeing Nicole's serious expression for the first time in a while, Kim Yoora continued speaking a little more cautiously. After she finished, Nicole nodded as well.
“I think I know what you're going through, Yoora. To be honest, it's the same for me. Lately, I've also felt like... something's a bit off. I think the feelings you're having might be love, but...”
“No! That... that kind of thing... It... it might be, but...”
“I don't really like it, but in times like these, it might not be a bad idea to ask her.”
“Don't tell me...”
Nicole nodded in response to Kim Yoora's question. Kim Yoora could also guess which Green Skin Nicole was talking about.
Shakara.
Shakara, the daughter of Black Spear. She was a talented Troll who was being discussed as the next successor of the Black Spear Clan, surpassing her younger brother and siblings. In Green Skin years, she was one year older than her and Nicole. They had played together before, but unlike Goff's son, she was a Green Skin who didn't quite get along with Yoora.
Above all, Shakara showed immense interest in Blood Dagger. She was a Green Skin who openly expressed that interest, which left Yoora with a vague feeling of discomfort, but right now, solving this problem was the more pressing matter.
“Somehow... it feels a little uncomfortable... but I guess we have no choice.”
“I feel the same way, but I heard Shakara is very knowledgeable about these things. It wouldn't hurt to bring it up with her once.”
“Okay, Nicole.”
The three clans in the Brother's Land were completely open to each other. Of course, they usually lived in their own territories and didn't cross into another clan's area unless there was a major issue or business to attend to, but that didn't mean visiting other clans was forbidden.
In fact, it was very free. Kim Yoora and Nicole quickly made their way to the Black Spear Clan's territory, exchanging greetings with the adults as they headed for Shakara's tent.
“Shakara?”
“Shakara!”
As Nicole called her name repeatedly from outside, one side of the tent opened, and Shakara peeked out.
“Hmm... Yoora and Nicole? What's up?”
“Well... it's nothing much. We just wanted to talk for a bit, since it's been a while...”
“Really? That's a surprise. Well... I have a rough idea what this is about... but instead of talking here, how about we go to the Blood Dagger Clan's territory?”
As expected, her recommendation to move to the Blood Dagger Clan's territory suggested she was hoping for a chance to see their chieftain. For some reason, it left a bitter taste in Yoora's mouth, but they were the ones asking for advice.
“My younger siblings are always running in and out of my tent, so your clan's territory would probably be better for talking.”
With a reason like that, there was no cause to object. Kim Yoora and Nicole nodded, and Shakara smiled gently.