Chapter 494: The Results
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 494: The Results
The election was fast approaching. I thought a heavy or solemn atmosphere might not be so bad, but this kind of mood seemed to suit the Blood Dagger Clan best.
“Fuck… Me too… Get me pregnant! Pregnant! Fuck!”
“You think it works like that?”
“Now! I feel like it’ll work if we do it now! Now! It’s the perfect time for conception! Conception time!”
“How can we do it here?”
Of course, the problem was that some were excessively drunk. Choi Seulgi, feeling miserable about being the only one left out, had rushed over the moment she heard about the festival and was now throwing a drunken tantrum. The content of said tantrum was also quite impressive.
Her original stance had been to leave having children to the providence of nature, but for some reason, she was now vehemently shouting that she wanted a child. Of course, I’d never even heard the phrase “time for conception” before.
Choi Seulgi wasn’t the only one who had let herself go in the joyous atmosphere.
“Taesung-ssiii… Please stroke my hair. Give me a kiss, too. Hold me. Please?”
“…”
“Pleaseee…”
“Alright.”
“A little more gently… Gently, pleaseee…”
Jung Hayeon, who had remained tense until the very end, was also completely drunk on Troll liquor. Naturally, this side of her was quite a surprise. The unguarded state of Jung Hayeon, who considered self-management to be of the utmost importance. To be honest, it was a positive development. So much so that I wanted to encourage her to get drunk more often in the future; no other words were needed.
Mev, sleeping soundly beside us, came into view, as did Baek Ahyeon and Choi Eunju, who were having a rather serious conversation.
As befitting those who had run nonstop without rest, the festival was proceeding more grandly than I had anticipated. It wasn’t just because it was a simple festival. It was likely because this festival was for two of the tribe’s biggest events.
The successor the tribe members had so desperately wished for,
And the coming-of-age ceremony for the first generation of the Blood Dagger Clan.
Originally, the plan wasn’t for it to be this grand, but it seemed the Green Skin mothers who organized the festival had put in some extra effort.
Of course, Lee Wanyong’s role in this could also be considered significant, as he tried to cover up his own mistakes. He was so engrossed in his work that his face was nowhere to be seen. His declaration that he would take the lead as the festival’s general director was typical of him, and the reason for it was just as typical.
He clearly wanted to avoid Jang Ye Ri’s notice as much as possible, but because of Wanhee, the two were fated to meet. He was desperately trying to run away, but he would probably be caught soon enough.
“I’m going to step out for a bit.”
“Hiiiing… Don’t go.”
“Hey! Where are you going! Kim Taesung!”
“Just to see the tribe members…”
“D-Don’t go.”
“…”
“If you’re going, get me pregnant first!”
“…”
“Taesung-ssiii…”
I had to agree, to some extent, that excessive drinking ruins a person.
“How can our Green Flower be so pretty? Your back! Let me see your back!”
“Kyaaahiiiing… Taesung-ssi… help me…”
“…”
Jung Hayeon had only been able to get pregnant thanks to the power of Mistletoe. It seemed Choi Seulgi was searching for the secret to conception, but why she was trying to find that secret on Jung Hayeon’s back was hard to understand.
“Oh my… Seulgi!”
“L-Lady Choi Seulgi, if you keep this up…”
Hoping that Choi Eunju and Baek Ahyeon, who were watching the situation, would intervene to some degree, I quickly exited the tent. As expected, the outside was still quite boisterous.
On the first day of the festival, many had let loose and played wildly, but as the important election day drew closer, a more natural atmosphere began to form. People started appearing in the prepared taverns, beginning to exchange their opinions.
“It is a sensitive issue. Krrrk. But… one must also be able to confidently state who they support.”
“I’ve decided to support Ratga. It was an uncharacteristic choice for the Blood Dagger Clan, but it wasn’t the wrong one.”
“It was honorable.”
“It was indeed honorable.”
Unexpectedly, Ratga’s side was quite popular. Though his actions had been uncharacteristic of the Blood Dagger Clan, the image he had shown remained in the memories of many.
Of course, for the troublemaker Laveua, the image she had shown in the past and the one she showed this time overlapped, seemingly causing some disappointment among the other tribe members. This was why, despite Lapura’s plea, I hadn’t given her a penalty.
Not many people knew the exact reason why Laveua had acted as she did. She kept her lips sealed on the matter even when I and a few others asked, so it was only natural that many didn’t know the truth.
Of course, the more perceptive ones had some idea, but they didn’t go out of their way to speak up on Laveua’s behalf. While Lapura diligently defended her older sister and publicly spoke of her own faults, it seemed that to the general tribe members, she just looked like a younger sister who cared for her older one.
“Laveua has certainly matured as well. Krk.”
“Considering what happened before, I am a bit worried, but a child of Blood Dagger is a child of Blood Dagger. Is she not the eldest!”
However, as she was quite friendly in her own way, it seemed she was maintaining her own fanbase.
But the hottest topic of this election was, without a doubt, Lapura.
Publicly displaying a level of power overwhelming for a child to all the Green Skins had been an excellent choice. They fundamentally admire strength. This was true even for our Blood Dagger Clan members, who were different from other tribes.
The image of Lapura commanding the great demonic tree was probably one of the most memorable scenes from this mock battle.
“Lapura is strong.”
“Mmm.”
I didn’t bother to say anything about campaigning.
I wanted to leave it up to them whether they campaigned or not during the remaining time. Laveua chose not to actively campaign, instead opting to simply hang out with the tribe members and play at the festival. Ratga held meetings with many Green Skins to discuss the East.
“Then our children will…”
“They will live alongside humans. They will attend school together and grow up together from a very young age.”
“I… I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.”
“It will be like living with Kim Yoora.”
You could tell just by watching him now, talking with the Green Skin mothers. He was explaining his vision. He didn’t know every possible outcome like Jang Ye Ri did, but perhaps because of that, Ratga’s explanation was easier to grasp. From the mothers’ perspective, all that mattered was that their children grew up strong and happy.
“Mmm! Kim Yoora is an excellent Green Skin.”
“Yes. She is.”
Perhaps that was why Ratga’s words resonated with them even more. It could be simple populism, but he had a clear goal.
Personally, I didn’t think a complete fusion with humans was a bad idea. However, the reason I didn’t bring up this issue was because I believed the choice was not mine to make.
It is right for the future generations who will live on to choose.
Those who agreed with Ratga would cast their votes for him.
As for Lapura, she hadn’t come out of her tent much since the festival began. She only started spending time with the tribe members little by little as the election drew near, which I thought was likely due to her guilt over having hurt her sister.
She often looked excessively downcast, and I had seen Laveua comforting her.
‘I told you I’m fine!’
‘S-Sister, but…’
‘I said it doesn’t matter!’
In fact, Jung Hayeon had even told me she thought Lapura might give up her claim to the succession, so no further explanation was needed. She might seem like a strong and upright child, but in truth, Lapura was quite soft-hearted. I myself had only realized this recently, so to others, Lapura might still appear to be an unwavering monarch.
Of course,
The tribe Lapura actually wanted was just that.
The meaning of ‘inheriting the tribe’ was, in a way, synonymous with creating a clan with no progress, but the tribe Lapura wanted was not one focused merely on maintaining the status quo.
It was a tribe that was strong, perfect, and not shameful of the name Blood Dagger Clan. While the Blood Dagger Clan didn’t obsess over honor as much as other clans, Lapura was the type of Green Skin who believed that the Blood Dagger Clan did have its own honor.
“Lapura is strong.”
“It feels like I’m looking at Blood Dagger himself.”
“Thank you.”
I caught a glimpse of her smiling quietly as she spoke with other Green Skins. For some reason, she slightly averted her gaze when our eyes met, but it seemed Lapura was also preparing in her own way.
Honestly, the clan Laveua wanted was the one I couldn't quite grasp. Being a child full of affection, it seemed she dreamed of a society where everyone was happy, but it was an undeniable fact that she lacked eloquence. However, I thought everyone already knew.
If Laveua were to become the successor and lead the Blood Dagger Clan, that clan would truly be just like her. Regardless of her past mistakes, those who wanted to follow Laveua would follow her. This was an undeniable fact.
As I was walking, lost in various thoughts, I unexpectedly ran into Jang Ye Ri.
“Where are you headed, my mate?”
“I was just looking around.”
“Have you seen Lee Wanyong anywhere? He’s been completely out of sight.”
“Do you have business with him?”
“It’s nothing much. I just have something I want to discuss with him. But I haven’t seen him much lately. It’s as if he’s avoiding me… I’m not so petty as to be angry about what happened before… but it seems he doesn’t think so.”
“…”
He was clearly avoiding Jang Ye Ri’s sight, knowing he would suffer one way or another. The question of why she was looking for him was about to burst from my lips, but I soon gave up on asking.
“Tsk. I was just going to talk to him about Wanhee…”
“?”
“Since that child wants to be Ratga’s mate so badly, I thought it would be right to start her education now.”
“I, I see.”
I didn’t know if Lee Wanyong would be happy about this or not, but I thought that, at the very least, Wanhee’s future would not be a smooth one.
“Well then, I’ll see you in the tent in a bit.”
“Hmph. I heard he’s preparing for the fighting tournament with Gark, so he might be over there.”
Jang Ye Ri nodded and slowly disappeared from view. I, too, began to walk slowly, watching the happy clan members. I wasn’t lost in sentiment, but I wanted to take a look around the Brother’s Land one more time.
As I walked, taking in the various sights,
My gaze stopped for a moment at the place where Ragia’s memorial stone stood.
It was a place I used to visit whenever I was bored, but coming here today felt quite new.
Naming these children after Ragia was an excellent choice.
“Right?”
‘Yes.’
“So. How do they look these days?”
‘They look… very warm.’
Of course, no voice came back.
But it felt as if I was hearing a phantom sound.
And I smiled.