Chapter 281
Chapter 281
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 281
Chapter Title: Dogs and Wolves (6)
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Oh-jin took a potion bottle from his backpack and approached Leo.
He slowly poured the potion over the boy's body, which was covered in wounds from what must have been a fierce battle.
Leo, who had been refusing the potion with eyes full of suspicion, quieted down and accepted it once he saw his wounds healing at a rapid pace.
"Calmed down a bit now?"
"Hmph! D-Don't think something like this is enough to..."
"You looked like you were about to die of joy just a moment ago."
"Sh-Shut up!"
Leo's cheeks flushed bright red as he shot up from his spot.
Ha-eun narrowed her eyes and clicked her tongue.
"Honestly, all men are the same. What's so great about a lump of fat like that?"
Ha-eun glared at Isabella's chest with clear disapproval.
Isabella smirked slightly and crossed her arms.
The action made the already massive twin peaks assert their presence even more.
"Who knows? I don't understand why they like this sort of thing either, you know?"
"Y-You bitch."
Ha-eun clutched the back of her neck at the sight of Isabella nonchalantly sweeping her hair back as if it had nothing to do with her.
"I-It's not like that!"
Leo shouted, an aggrieved look on his face.
Having recovered to some extent thanks to the potion, Leo jumped back to create distance and once again assumed a battle stance.
"Don't move from there! If you take even one step..."
"Brother."
Riru approached Leo, who was burning with vigilance, his ears and tail perked up.
Riru calmly patted Leo on the back, soothing him.
"You know they don't mean us any harm, right, brother?"
"...That's."
"Stop it now, brother. I'm okay."
Riru smiled bravely and flexed her biceps.
"......"
Leo relaxed his stance and whipped his head away.
"Don't you have something to say to them?"
"N-No, I don't."
"Brother."
Riru looked at Leo with a stern gaze.
Leo, who had been avoiding her eyes with his head turned, hesitantly moved his lips.
"...anks."
"Hm? What was that~? I can't hear you~?"
Ha-eun grinned and poked Leo in the side.
Leo's face turned beet red as he yelled.
"Th-Thank you! For saving us!"
"Hahaha! Finally being honest, you little brat."
Ha-eun burst out laughing and patted Leo's head.
An irritated Leo bared his teeth as if to bite Ha-eun's hand.
"By the way, you called us 'devils from beyond the Veil' earlier, right?"
"Huh? Yeah. That's what humans are called among us."
"They say if you're bad, they'll come at night and eat you whole!"
What are we, boogeymen?
Oh-jin let out a hollow laugh at the treatment, which was so far from what he'd expected.
"Isn't it because of the Black Star Guild?"
"Ah."
Come to think of it, the Black Star Guild was said to have hidden in the Demon Realm.
"Well... it's rare for even the Executors to have actually lived in the Demon Realm, though."
Isabella herself had never even been near the Demon Realm.
"Still... Cassia was in the Demon Realm."
In the first place, over 90% of the Awakeners who crossed over to the Demon Realm were people who had committed heinous crimes or were fleeing execution orders.
It was only natural that a sinister rumor like 'devils from beyond the Veil' would spread.
'It's ironic, though.'
To think that the beings of the Demon Realm, arguably the greatest source of fear for humans, were themselves afraid of humans.
It was a testament to how ignorant humanity had been about the Demon Realm.
"St-Still, Oh-jin doesn't seem like a bad person!"
Riru's eyes sparkled as she looked at Oh-jin.
Ha-eun snorted and shook her head.
"This bastard is a bad guy. A complete son of a bitch."
"I-I don't think so..."
Riru mumbled, shrinking back.
Oh-jin gave a bitter smile and stood up.
"More importantly, which way is your home? I'll walk you there."
He couldn't just leave young children in a dense forest like this, even if it wasn't as dangerous as the Sea of Trees.
"...Our tribe has a village where we live together. It's this way."
Following Leo's lead, Oh-jin's party headed toward the village of the Silver Mane Tribe.
* * *
The village was located quite a distance from the kingdom.
"L-Leo! Riru! You're safe!"
"Dad!"
Upon arriving at the village, a beastkin man ran out and embraced Leo and Riru.
"And you are..."
The man sent a wary gaze toward Oh-jin's group.
Leo and Riru began to explain what had happened.
The beastkin man, who had initially shown hostility, seemed to have a change of heart after seeing the two children desperately defending Oh-jin's party. He bowed his head politely to them.
"Thank you for saving my children. I am Leoru, and I am responsible for the Silver Mane Tribe."
"Responsible, you say..."
"...Yes. I may be a poor excuse for a man who can't even protect his own children, but I hold the position of chief."
Leoru embraced his two children with a bitter expression.
"...Your father was the chief?"
"That's right! My dad is the chief who leads the Silver Mane Tribe!"
Leo looked at Leoru with eyes full of respect.
Leoru lightly stroked Leo's head and approached Oh-jin's party.
"Please, come inside. I'll explain everything to the villagers."
As they followed Leoru into the village, gazes filled with suspicion and hostility poured in from all sides.
"Please, come in."
Leoru opened the door to a shabby hut and went inside.
The house was far too humble to be a chief's residence.
It was even smaller and more dilapidated than Baek Mu-gang's hut.
"Leo, Riru. Go outside for a moment."
"Okay! I'll go tell the villagers we're safe!"
"M-Me too."
Leo and Riru scurried outside.
Leoru, who had been watching their backs with a bitter expression, opened his mouth.
"Thank you for saving my children."
"Didn't we already receive your thanks earlier?"
"I could thank you a hundred times and it wouldn't be enough."
He was Leo's father, so I expected him to have a temper.
But Leoru was more mild-mannered than expected.
"I heard you are human, Mr. Oh-jin... What brings you to the Demon Realm?"
"I came to meet Horos."
"......"
Leoru's face hardened.
A chilling killing intent filled the hut.
"Why do you seek the king of the Black Mane Tribe...?"
"To confirm if there's any connection between him and the Heavenly Demon."
"The Heavenly Demon..."
Leoru frowned and continued.
"I don't know about the Heavenly Demon, but he certainly has a connection to the Fiend Tribe."
*Grind.*
Leoru bared his white teeth and spoke as if spitting out the words.
"He is the son of a bitch who sold out the kingdom to the Fiend Tribe."
An intense killing intent swirled inside the hut.
It was so thick that if a human without mana had been present, their heart might have stopped.
Leoru's gentle features had instantly transformed into those of a ferocious beast.
"...Could you tell me what happened?"
Oh-jin asked in the calmest voice possible to prevent Leoru from exploding.
After taking a moment to calm his breathing and suppress his anger, Leoru continued in a low voice.
"A hundred years ago... no, more than a hundred years ago, there was a great war between the Khan Kingdom and the Fiend Tribe."
It was the story he had heard from Baek Mu-gang.
"The beastkin fought desperately against the fiends' invasion. But the fiends' power was too great."
A long war.
As defeat loomed for the beastkin, the Fiend Tribe made a sweet offer.
The first tribe to surrender would not only survive but also be granted wealth and honor.
"...So Horos surrendered to the Fiend Tribe?"
"Yes."
Leoru bared his teeth fiercely and growled.
"He betrayed 'Khan,' who had led the beastkin until then, and became a loyal dog to the fiends."
"The Silver Mane Tribe..."
"Fought until the very end."
And this was the result.
Exiled from the kingdom, forced to build a village and hide in a remote forest.
"...That's unfortunate."
"No, it is an honor."
Leoru's eyes, as he shook his head, were gleaming fiercely.
He placed a hand over his chest with a look of immense pride.
"We are wolves. We will never become dogs."
A voice filled with grim resolve.
Oh-jin nodded and asked.
"So, is the Khan Kingdom currently under the rule of the Fiend Tribe?"
"...To be precise, it's ruled by the factions that follow them. The number of fiends actually residing in the kingdom is small."
"How many?"
"Five."
"Pardon?"
No matter how elite the Fiend Tribe was, that number was far too small to occupy an entire nation.
"There used to be more. It's just that a large number of fiends have started to leave recently."
"Is there a particular reason?"
"That, I do not know."
A mass exodus for an unknown reason.
'Is this related to the Heavenly Demon?'
Oh-jin frowned and shook his head.
There was still too little information to jump to conclusions.
"Ah, now that I think about it, a strange rumor started circulating as the fiends began to leave."
"A strange rumor?"
"Yes. A rumor that they are preparing for war."
"...War?"
Oh-jin's eyes narrowed.
"There's a rumor that Horos is gathering troops, preparing for a war with the devils from beyond the Veil... ah, my apologies. With the humans."
"......"
A war with humans.
'Is this what Cassia was talking about?'
In any case.
It wasn't a rumor he could afford to ignore.
"Of course, it's still just a rumor. No official conscription order has been issued."
"Thank you. You've given me some valuable information."
Oh-jin bowed his head slightly.
"It's nothing for the one who saved my children. By the way... what do you plan to do when you meet Horos, Mr. Oh-jin?"
"We'll see. First, I need to confirm if he's connected to the Heavenly Demon."
"...And if he is?"
"I'll have to kill him."
Before a greater disaster strikes.
"......"
Leoru's gaze glinted sharply for a moment.
He parted his lips as if to say something, but then shook his head.
"Then please rest comfortably in the village until you leave for the kingdom. I will arrange a place for you to stay."
"Thank you."
"Haha. The Silver Mane Tribe never forgets revenge or kindness."
Leoru smiled amiably.
"Then I will show you to your lodgings. Please follow..."
"One thing."
Lyak, who had been listening to the conversation quietly, spoke up.
"There is one thing I wish to ask."
"...Yes."
Leoru seemed wary of the black-furred Lyak, clenching his fist slightly.
"Do you... not regret it?"
The question was packed with a multitude of emotions, as if chewed up and crushed.
"Regret what..."
"Because you did not yield, you now live miserably, hiding in a remote forest like this."
"......"
"You live in fear, trembling at the thought of being kidnapped and sold into slavery at any moment, suffering from hunger without proper food or clothing. Even so... do you not regret it?"
"...You."
Leoru frowned, glaring at Lyak.
"I do not regret it. He has passed now, but... our former 'Khan' used to say it."
Leoru placed a hand on his chest and said in a voice brimming with pride.
"That we are proud wolves."