Chapter 152
Chapter 152
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Deep Night (7)
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“I am Hummels Hobet, the son of the Black Elder!”
His confession brought silence to everyone.
*How ridiculous. Staying quiet all this time, only to step forward now…*
Elder Wolf glanced at me and Hobet, then asked with cold red eyes.
*No way out of death, so now you’re pretending to be his son, even if late?*
“No, I have solid proof that I’m Hummels’ son!”
The knight shouted so loudly his mustache twitched.
Then, pointing at me, he said.
“Ask that man what my father’s family name is! He’s not even from Bakal, so he won’t know!”
*…*
Only then did the old wolf glance down at me.
And he asked.
*What is the family name…?*
“Uh…”
I hesitated to answer his question.
Finally, I managed to recall one name.
“Luper… Hummels Luper.”
The only name that came to mind was that piggish senior.
At that, Hobet triumphantly shouted.
“See? He doesn’t even know our family name…! The answer is Hummels Caesar!”
*Then how did you hide being the elder’s son all this time?*
Elder Wolf asked flatly, leaning on his staff.
Princess Tina chimed in as if in agreement.
“That’s right. If you were the Black Elder’s son, he surely would have bragged about it everywhere.”
The princess’s sharp question.
Hobet placed a hand on his chest and said.
“T-That’s… because I’m a bastard child of the family…”
His voice trembled.
He struggled to expose his shame in a desperate bid for survival.
“Since my mother was a commoner, I wasn’t a legitimate son. That’s why I never inherited black magic and wandered between knight orders…”
As the truth came to light, I alone crossed my arms.
Standing beside Elder Wolf, I boldly asked.
“Then you wouldn’t know the location of the wolf pup’s body or the black crystal.”
Hobet panicked at my question and frantically shook his head.
“No, of course I know! The black crystal is currently my father’s pride!”
He eagerly grasped the lifeline I had provided.
“It’s stored in the underground of the palace! If you let me live, I’ll return everything!!”
The man knelt on the ground, begging.
The chief and I looked down at him impassively.
“What do you think, Elder Wolf?”
I asked the one who had seen through Hummels’ lies with just a glance.
The leader of the beastkin nodded.
*It seems true.*
“Understood.”
I approached Hobet like an interrogator.
And…
“…!”
I pulled a rope from my back pocket and bound his arms.
“We’ve finally caught him. His son.”
*Well done, Sir Veil. It worked just as you said.*
As Hobet was bound, the red murderous glint faded from Elder Wolf’s eyes.
He returned to his gentle black pupils.
*…?*
Princess Tina and Hobet’s eyes widened at the sight of us looking at each other approvingly.
“Now that the culprit is out, the chief will keep his promise.”
*Indeed. I permit you to return to Bakal and hand over the black crystal and my son’s body.*
“With the body and soul returned, you’ll be able to properly honor his memory.”
I led Hobet over to the princess.
Princess Tina, who had been watching, stared at me blankly.
“W-What is this…? Wasn’t Veil betraying us…?”
Until just moments ago, she had thought I was trying to survive alone.
She wore an expression of utter incomprehension at the sight of me binding Hobet.
“Yes, I asked the chief for a little play to catch his son.”
*Sorry for startling you, Princess.*
Elder Wolf looked at the princess with a somewhat gentler expression.
*…*
But Hobet was different.
His lips trembled at the realization that I had colluded with the chief to deceive him.
“What is this…”
To the mustached knight, I said coldly.
“Consider yourself lucky. I created a pretext for your survival in exchange for finding the body.”
I had maneuvered the situation into dire straits.
The key to this scheme was then offering the bare minimum conditions to spare his life.
Anyone facing total loss would grasp at even crumbs.
“T-Then I can live too?”
Hobet asked with eyes alight with hope.
“That’s for Her Highness to decide.”
I glanced back at the white-haired princess.
Then, I politely requested of her.
“Your Highness, what do you intend to do with this man?”
Tina still looked bewildered.
She took a deep breath, finally erasing the bloodbath that had loomed in her mind.
“If you’re still troubled, allow me to humbly make a plea on his behalf.”
For her sake, I defended Hobet in her stead.
“Of course, it’s true that Hobet stepped forward too late and nearly got us all killed. However, the root cause of this incident is solely his father.”
The knights glanced at Hobet.
They still harbored resentment toward him.
“A bastard like him couldn’t have stopped his father in the first place. Must we hold his faults against him too?”
I placed a hand on my chest.
With a sympathetic gaze, I said.
“Even I would feel wronged.”
Hobet quietly looked up at me, defending him.
Then, he bowed his head deeply and sobbed.
“So, if we reduce his punishment by having him return the black crystal and body to the chief in his father’s place, I would be grateful.”
Of course, his attempt to lead us all to death was a crime.
But to make him hand over the black crystal willingly, we needed to offer hope of survival.
A form of appeasement.
“Have Your Highness oversee the handover process yourself. Then, judge him once you see signs of true remorse.”
The princess and the beastkin leader both looked at me.
Neither seemed dissatisfied, as both had gotten what they wanted.
Tina had ensured everyone survived except Hummels.
Elder Wolf could now hold a proper funeral for his son.
“Understood.”
The princess looked at Hobet, who was weeping pitifully.
With the cold gaze of a monarch, she said.
“Hummels Hobet. You will not be executed.”
The princess placed a hand on the man’s shoulder.
As if her touch absolved his sins.
“When we return to Bakal, there will only be an investigation into your family. So, ensure the chief receives his son safely.”
His legs gave out, and he knelt.
Overwhelmed by relief at surviving, he wept mournfully.
“Th-Thank you, Your Highness…!!”
His mustache was soaked with tears.
Hobet, who had lived a sorrowful life as a bastard.
He had saved his life precisely because he was a bastard, not a legitimate heir.
Had he been legitimate, he would have learned black magic and abetted Hummels’ atrocities.
He wiped his tears as if receiving recompense for all the discrimination he had endured.
“…!”
But he abruptly stopped crying.
Elder Wolf and his subordinates were slowly approaching Hobet.
“My son must have died looking just like that.”
The old wolf asked, imagining his captured son.
Tina, who had witnessed it firsthand, nodded.
“Yes, that’s how it was…”
*…*
Elder Wolf closed his eyes tightly.
Sending the enemy’s son away alive was a sorrowful act.
But in exchange for sparing him, he had gained something far more precious…
*I will break the chain of vengeance here.*
He resolved to erase the anger etched into his heart.
*Son of Hummels. Rest assured and simply return my son’s remains.*
“Thank you so much, truly…”
The enemy’s son prostrated himself on the dirt floor, kowtowing repeatedly.
He pressed his forehead to the ground, expressing gratitude to Elder Wolf.
*…*
The chief let out a rough breath, as if vengeance still lingered.
To quell his anger, he turned to look at Tina.
*Princess, I apologize to you as well. I nearly killed you unintentionally.*
A situation where he had nearly massacred them unjustly.
No one would accept such an apology lightly.
But Tina was different.
As a ruler who had governed countless subjects, she responded with thoughtful eyes.
“No, when your son was unjustly captured, I too saw him as a villain deserving death.”
The princess placed a hand on her chest.
Humbly, she said.
“It was prejudice against beastkin.”
*…*
Elder Wolf’s eyes turned bittersweet at Tina’s sincere words.
Her northern, subtle crystal-colored hair fluttered as she continued.
“Through this incident, I will engrave upon Bakal that not all beastkin are savage. That they are beings like humans, capable of shedding tears.”
Dawn was breaking.
With the lava-boiling sun at her back, Christina’s blue eyes sparkled with determination.
“So, will you trust me?”
The silver wolf gazed intently at the princess.
With eyes that had lived over a century.
*…*
Having watched countless humans, he silently regarded Tina’s vow.
As if confirming in her the qualities of the next emperor.
*Will you do that…?*
“I pledge it on my status as the emperor’s second daughter.”
Elder Wolf, satisfied with her mature response, smiled faintly for the first time.
Then, he released everyone in the camp and headed to the entrance.
*Everyone, withdraw.*
Bakal’s princess watched his departure.
Her snow-white hair fluttered like the tundra.
The woman, just turned 23, turned her head and looked at me.
Dawn glowed in her rippling blue eyes.
“Veil…”
“You’ve endured much, Your Highness.”
Tina slowly approached me as I bowed my head.
Then, her tension released, and her body swayed.
“Careful.”
I supported her body.
At that, a blue tear welled in the princess’s eye and fell.
“Thank you…”
“No need; I’m grateful you trusted me.”
Tina wiped the corner of her eye with her finger.
Embarrassed by the sight, she turned her head to hide her face.
“But how on earth did you come up with this scheme…? I never even imagined…”
The princess changed the subject to hide her sniffling.
I decided to play along.
“In the past, I read a book from our empire’s Third Imperial Princess’s study.”
I recalled the novel and said flatly.
“The princess chuckled, saying the character in it was as sly as a fox, just like me.”
As I slowly helped Tina stand, I shared the anecdote.
“One of the schemes that character used was similar to this situation.”
The princess’s lips parted at the revelation that the plan stemmed from fictional content.
She simply stared up at me blankly.
*Her name was probably Jiahu or something…*
“How amazing. To remember something like that and put it to use here.”
“With no formal education, I have to rely on these little tricks.”
Tina gave a small smile at my casual laugh.
Then, she pressed her sensual figure—clad only in a nightgown dress—against my shoulder.
“Little tricks, you say… Executing them is skill in itself.”
Together, we went to see off the departing werewolves.
They exchanged final farewells at the camp entrance.
*It’ll take five days to reach Hummels’ mansion and back.*
“Yes, about that long.”
The princess swallowed her tears and replied.
*I’ll wait.*
“Do you trust us?”
*Yes, when I saw you, Princess, you seemed trustworthy enough for a human.*
Elder Wolf said to her with a calm expression.
*Exactly ten days from now, meet here. That’s when I’ll receive my son back.*
Dawn had broken.
His subordinates vanished into the underbrush ahead of the chief.
Only one remained to guard him.
*Ah, and you.*
Before leaving, Elder Wolf called out to me, who had stepped back.
“Yes.”
Our eyes met, and I bowed politely.
The beastkin leader asked with sharp eyes.
*You’ve got quite the cunning mind.*
“It was mere desperation to survive.”
Elder Wolf approached me slowly.
Mindful of others, he spoke quietly.
*There was a human woman outside the camp. With power as strong as yours…*
*He means Leah… So he knew after all…*
“You knew…”
*Well hidden, but you can’t fool a wolf.*
Elder Wolf chuckled.
Then, he looked toward the underbrush with me.
There stood Leah, in uniform over her nightgown.
Around the First Imperial Princess gathered the hidden knights of light.
*Had she gathered the hidden wand and remaining forces to counterattack us?*
*How did she even sneak Damian out…?*
*Impressive.*
Elder Wolf sighed deeply.
Then, he made a request of me.
*Tell the Empress there’s no need to fight anymore.*
“Understood.”
The old wolf’s eyes brimmed with wisdom.
As if foreseeing the future, he referred to Leah as empress.
*To pair the leaders of two nations as mates—remarkable.*
“Mates? That’s absurd…!”
Fearing Tina and Leah might overhear, I hurriedly denied it.
*No need to be shy; I saw you two meeting by the stream at midnight.*
“Please keep that a secret…!”
At my first flustered expression, Elder Wolf chuckled delightedly.
Then, the beastkin leader pulled three black spirit pills from his fluffy bosom.
*A gift for resolving things smoothly.*
“Yes…? What have I done to deserve such precious items?”
Seeing my discomfort, Elder Wolf said flatly.
*If gifts burden you, think of it as a bribe. You seem like someone who’ll become important in the empire.*
“Me…?”
I pointed at myself, and the silver wolf nodded.
*Yes. So when you rise to a high position, remember our tribe.*
Elder Wolf turned his head.
And quietly requested.
*Ensure nothing this horrific happens again.*
I silently pocketed the three spirit pills.
Then, chasing after the wolf, I whispered discreetly.
“I’ll reluctantly accept, but… what exactly are these for…?”
The silver wolf smirked at my question.
*Elixirs our tribe uses for grand ceremonies.*
“Grand ceremonies…?”
*From what I saw, those women seem like your mates.*
“Absolutely not.”
I denied it firmly.
The old wolf chuckled.
“No need to be embarrassed. Have each of the three share one. It’ll be great ‘strength’ for each other.”
As I furrowed my brow, Elder Wolf looked at me pityingly.
*Truth be told, they were prepared for my son’s wedding, hoping for grandchildren. He was around your age…*
The revelation that they were his late son’s.
At those suffocating words, I was at a loss.
*Just a gift because you remind me of my son.*
I could only stare at the three black elixirs in my hand.
*Grandchildren…*
At the chilling words, I swallowed hard.
*Don’t worry. They only temporarily lend our wolf strength.*
*Wolf strength…?*
I pressed my lips shut.
Elder Wolf patted my shoulder and whispered.
*To endure those women’s robust vitality, you’d better take them—especially since there are two.*
The wolf said that, then slowly entered the shadows.
The rest of the werewolves followed leisurely.
Thanks to them, the nightwood forest, once thick with killing intent, fell silent once more.
As if nothing had happened.
“Ha…”
I blankly stared at the pills in my palm.
Leah and Tina approached calmly and examined them together.
“What did the werewolf give you?”
The two women showed interest in the pills.
I hurriedly hid them and said.
“Oh, it’s nothing…!”
Wolf strength, huh.
Would a tail grow or something?