Chapter 317: The Children
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 317: The Children
With so many eyes on us, I decided it was best to return to the settlement and speak with Mev in private. I could already guess what sort of questions she would have for me. However, the settlement we returned to was just as chaotic.
I’d noticed it before when watching how fast tales of my honor spread, but Green Skins have an unexpected love for this kind of gossip. This was especially true for stories that weren’t about love or petty affairs.
Lapura, the child of Blood Dagger and Jung Hayeon, had taken down a massive beast without even reaching her adult form.
It was a tale so incredible that even if it reached the Land of Glory in the South, few would readily believe it. It sounded like something straight out of a founding myth.
It was more unrealistic than tales of being born from an egg or becoming human after eating garlic. Even I, who had seen it with my own eyes, could hardly believe it; for the other Green Skins, it must have been even more astonishing. I glanced around again. Every single Green Skin was outside, watching as the carcass of the great beast was butchered.
“I heard Lady Lapura caught it.”
“Indeed, blood will tell! To hunt a beast like that, you need a well-organized party. Taking it down alone is something even I, Hazaku, could not do.”
Even Hazaku, an elite Orc swordsman, said as much. He was right. To hunt a beast of this caliber, one needed a party with excellent balance. The fact that a mere child had accomplished it single-handedly was unbelievable.
“She must have inherited the strongest of Blood Dagger’s blood.”
In truth, if you looked at them, Laveua was the one who had inherited my blood most strongly. But to these simple-minded folk, I suppose strength was synonymous with Blood Dagger. They were so excited they even wanted to display the massive beast’s carcass in the settlement; I didn’t need to say a word to know how thrilled they were.
As I’ve always said, Green Skins revere strength. Of course, honor and wisdom are also values they uphold, but strength remains an object of aspiration for them. Their current excitement was perfectly natural. Just as I was about to lead Mev into my tent, I saw someone emerging from it.
‘Jang Ye Ri.’
It was Jang Ye Ri. I wasn’t sure what was going on, but as she appeared holding Ratga, the other Green Skins began to part ways for her. She probably wanted to rest, but with all the commotion outside, it was impossible for her to stay inside.
“I thought I sensed a tremendous surge of magic. So it was this child.”
“Mm… yes.”
Everyone already knew, so there was no need to hide it. From inside my tent, Jung Hayeon came out. Her eyes widened in shock at the sight of the beast, and she looked at Lapura before rushing over to embrace her. Lapura quietly let her mother hold her, watching the situation unfold.
“Lapura. Are you hurt?”
“N-No, Mother.”
“Hmm… I knew she was strong, but it seems a child even stronger than I imagined has been born. The birth of a strong child in the clan is certainly cause for celebration. I’m sure Ratga will be able to do the same once he grows to that size. After all, no matter what anyone says, he is your child who has inherited your blood most strongly.”
I couldn’t deny that. He might not be able to do it as easily as Lapura, but whether it was possible or not would depend on how he was raised. Still, the atmosphere was strangely delicate.
“Lapura can become even stronger, Taesung.”
“Learning to control her power comes first.”
“Ch-Chieftain…”
As I expected, Jang Ye Ri already knew that Lapura had failed to control her power. She must have read the anxiety and self-reproach on Lapura’s face.
I looked at Mev, Jung Hayeon, and Jang Ye Ri with a slightly bewildered expression.
They weren’t baring their teeth at one another, but I could feel a subtle tension, a sense of them keeping each other in check. Mev was simply anxious, but Jang Ye Ri and Jung Hayeon were unmistakably staring at one another. Seeing this, I couldn’t help but clutch my head for a moment.
The cheering Green Skins fell silent, sensing the strange mood. They had a rough idea of what was happening.
‘The clan’s succession.’
In an instant, I realized this was a far more sensitive and important issue than I had thought. If there was a designated heir, the clan members would feel more secure. They looked at me like courtiers of old, urging their king to name an heir.
Honestly, I had never imagined a situation like this would arise. Their relationships hadn’t been that bad. They weren’t exactly close friends, but they sometimes ate together, and I often saw them talking.
But right now, they weren’t just women; they were mothers. It is a mother’s heart to want her child to be loved the most, to want the father to look upon her child with the most favor. I suspected it was something even they couldn’t control.
My suspicion was confirmed when Jang Ye Ri, who was usually unshakable, came out first and spoke to me directly about Ratga.
“Ha…”
I felt like I was beginning to understand why the kings of old died young.
It was already like this when the children had just been born. If they all grew to adulthood, or if—however unlikely—new children were born, this conflict could intensify. There wouldn’t be assassinations by poison or secret struggles, but discord had to be nipped in the bud. It couldn’t be prevented completely, but my top priority was to sort it out, at least for now. I immediately turned to the three of them.
“Mev, Jung Hayeon, Jang Ye Ri. I’d like you to come inside the tent for a moment to talk. And Gark, dismiss the Green Skins nearby. After the beast is butchered, have it stored in the warehouse.”
“For Blood Dagger.”
At my command, all the Green Skins began to disperse. Some looked anxious, as if they thought something was about to happen, but I hadn’t called them together to have a serious talk.
Jang Ye Ri handed Ratga to a wet nurse, and Jung Hayeon entrusted Lapura to Choi Eunju for a short while. Only then did the three women follow me inside. The atmosphere was quite grim, perhaps due to the strange tension. They must have realized my expression was a little serious. I looked at them and spoke softly.
“I didn’t call you here to reprimand you or to say anything else. I just felt we needed to talk. So you can all relax.”
“I can roughly guess what this is about.”
Jang Ye Ri nodded at my words. Unlike Jung Hayeon and Mev, she had actually lived as a princess. She would know what I was about to discuss. I took a seat, and they also settled down on one side of the tent.
For some reason, Mev seemed uncharacteristically timid, while Jang Ye Ri wore a calm, proud expression, and Jung Hayeon watched me with a quiet smile. I wasn’t sure where to begin. Deciding it would be best to hear everyone out, I turned to Mev first.
“First, Mev. You said you had something to talk about…”
“Uhm… Ch-Chieftain! It’s… well…”
It was probably difficult for her to ask. Asking directly about the heir could make her seem materialistic, and she was likely worried it might displease me.
“This is a family meeting, so you can say whatever you want.”
“O-Okay!”
Emboldened by my words, Mev nodded firmly and continued.
“I-I was just… wondering… if the children who aren’t chosen as the heir… will they have to l-leave the clan, or will they stay… I was… curious.”
“....................”
Her question was a little unexpected. I had anticipated she would ask who the heir would be. But Mev was thinking about Laveua’s safety. Different clans handled succession in different ways. Extreme cases like killing the children who weren’t heirs didn’t happen, but it was quite common for them to be sent away to establish their own independence to avoid conflict.
They would be distanced from the clan.
Mev, knowing I didn’t want to have many children, probably thought I was being sensitive about this issue.
“Why do you ask that?”
“Well, it’s just…”
“Laveua is my child too, Mev. I have never felt that Laveua is lacking.”
What I said was the absolute truth. It was just that Lapura and Ratga were too, no, excessively capable. Laveua was by no means lacking or weak. My answer seemed to hit Mev like a ton of bricks; she looked stunned. One of my children, Ratga, was born a demon like me, and his mother was the queen who ruled a great city in the East. He was born with immense magic, and even I could see how great he would become.
As for the third child, Lapura, no further explanation was needed. In terms of pure martial strength, she was top-tier—truly in a league of her own. If the next chieftain were chosen based on strength alone, there would be no argument that she was the answer. Mev must have compared Laveua to the other two, assumed she would fall behind in the succession struggle, and gotten scared.
“Furthermore, even if I choose the next chieftain, I will not cast out or send away my other children. I believe it is right to leave that decision entirely up to the child. If my children wish to leave my side, they may leave. If they wish to stay, that is for the best.”
Only then did her expression begin to brighten. If Laveua were forced to leave the settlement like an outcast upon reaching adulthood, Mev would surely leave with her. That was not an outcome I wanted.
“And you are still the mistress of this settlement, Mev.”
“Wh-What? Then!”
“That doesn’t mean Laveua is the next chieftain. I am grateful for everything you have done for me until now. I know you took good care of the mother goblins, and that you prepared for Jang Ye Ri’s birth and the festival that followed. It was the same with Jung Hayeon. Separate from the matter of the next chieftain, I respect you.”
“Ah… u-uhm… Chieftain. Th-Thank you.”
She was cute, bowing her head with tears in her eyes, clearly moved. I nodded and turned my gaze to Jang Ye Ri and Jung Hayeon.
“I’m saying this just to be clear, but the next chieftain won’t be chosen based on who is the strongest or the smartest. This is a matter I will consider and decide on my own. It is far too early, and I do not want talk of succession to start now, when we don’t know when things might erupt.”
“I understand.”
“Yes, Taesung.”
“I’d like you all to use this opportunity to ask anything you’re curious about. I’ll say it again: this is not a place for reprimands. Ask whatever you wish, and I will answer without holding anything back.”
They were all hesitant, but at my words, they slowly began to speak. The first was Jung Hayeon.
“Uhm… will the position of the next chieftain… go to the… f-firstborn?”
That was a concept from Earth. Mev’s eyes sparkled with a glimmer of hope, but I shook my head. Birth order didn’t matter.
“Then what about Ratga’s case? It is a foregone conclusion that my son will inherit the city in the East. Can my son also inherit the chieftain’s seat here in the Brother’s Land?”
It was a sensitive question, but the answer was already decided.
“If Ratga has the ability and the other clan members follow him, it is possible.”
“Hmm…”
This question seemed less about Jang Ye Ri’s ambition and more about her thinking of a perfect union with the East. Of course, she was also expressing her desire for her son to do well, but frankly, as long as he had the capability, it didn’t matter. I was skeptical about whether one person could rule two nations, but in any case, Jang Ye Ri simply nodded.