Chapter 291
Chapter 291
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 291
Chapter Title: Interlude - The Banquet (1)
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“Alright, everyone, raise your glasses.”
Leoru lifted his glass, his expression heavy.
He scanned the members of the Silver Mane Tribe gathered around him.
One by one, the warriors of the Silver Mane Tribe, their bodies wrapped in bandages, stepped forward to take a glass.
They headed toward a grave site established on one side of the village.
It was where the warriors who died fighting the demonic race’s faction in the recent rebellion were buried.
“The first drink is for the warriors who have passed.”
He tilted his glass over a tombstone.
The clear liquor trickled down like tears, wetting the stone.
“The second is for the warriors who survived.”
The injured filled their glasses and gulped down the drink.
Some were so severely wounded they could barely lift their glasses, but they all poured the strong liquor down their throats as if it were nothing.
“And the last is for ourselves.”
The villagers tipped their glasses in unison.
Among them were young beastkin like Leo and Riru, who squeezed their eyes shut and drank the potent alcohol.
Leoru looked over the Silver Mane Tribe and spoke in a low voice.
“For the last hundred years, our tribe has been robbed of its home, living in constant fear and hunger.”
As if their pent-up sorrow had finally burst, the number of weeping tribespeople began to grow.
“But!”
*Thud!*
Leoru stomped his foot roughly, drawing everyone’s attention.
“No matter how much the demonic race plundered our lives, there was one thing they could never take!”
A fire ignited in the eyes of the weeping tribe members at his impassioned voice.
“Warriors who have preserved your pride as wolves! I am more proud of you than anyone!”
He raised his brimming glass high.
“I declare it here and now!”
A heated roar echoed powerfully.
“The Silver Mane Tribe… no, all beastkin are finally free from the demonic race! We have become wolves who hold our pride!”
“Waaaaaaaaah!”
Cheers filled the entire village.
Leoru watched with warm eyes as the villagers shed tears of joy and embraced one another. When the cheers began to die down, he spoke again.
“It is shameful to admit, but our liberation from the demonic race was not achieved by our strength alone.”
Leoru subtly stepped aside on the platform, giving Oh-jin a meaningful look.
Oh-jin walked onto the platform with an awkward expression.
“This is the great warrior who pierced the heart of the wicked Kalike.”
Leoru introduced Oh-jin to the villagers who hadn't participated in the battle.
Oh-jin felt countless eyes on him and bowed his head lightly.
“I couldn’t have killed Kalike if the valiant warriors of the Silver Mane Tribe hadn’t led the charge.”
This wasn’t mere lip service born of humility.
If the Silver Mane warriors hadn’t taken down two of the demonic race before Oh-jin arrived at the royal castle, it would have been impossible for him to face all three of them alone.
“The Silver Mane Tribe will never forget the debt we owe you, Oh-jin.”
Leoru bowed his head deeply to Oh-jin, showing his respect.
“You two, please come up as well.”
Leoru looked toward Ha-eun and Isabella.
“Huh? U-Us too?”
“Are you not the benefactors who protected the villagers who were nearly taken hostage?”
“Urgh.”
At Leoru’s firm insistence, Ha-eun and Isabella also ascended the platform.
Leoru glanced around, looking for Riak, but he was nowhere to be seen.
“As you all know, these are the benefactors who saved our village from the clutches of the vile demonic race while our warriors were away.”
“Waaaaaaaaah!”
Another thunderous cheer erupted.
The Silver Mane Tribe, who had initially been wary of Oh-jin’s party as outsiders, now welcomed them as enthusiastically as the ninjas of the Hidden Leaf Village welcoming Naruto as their Hokage.
“Uh… well, I mean.”
Ha-eun scratched her head, seemingly burdened by the roaring cheers from all around.
Isabella stepped forward in Ha-eun’s place.
With an elegant motion, she bowed her head to Leoru and began to speak.
“If not for the kindness of the chief, who so graciously welcomed us strangers, we too would not have been able to achieve our goal.”
Isabella flashed a beautiful smile.
“Thank you for inviting us to this banquet.”
The beastkin murmured amongst themselves, struck by her wondrous beauty.
“There is plenty of food and drink, so please enjoy yourselves.”
Leoru smiled faintly and nodded.
The cheers erupted once more, and Oh-jin’s party descended from the platform amidst the ovation.
“And…”
Leoru’s gaze turned to the other side.
Outside the village, various tribes had gathered, including the Black Mane, Brown Mane, and Red Mane tribes.
They were all members of the ‘anti-demonic race faction’ that had resisted the rule of the demonic race.
While they hadn’t fought the demonic race head-on like the Silver Mane Tribe, they were the ones who had helped from the shadows, secretly freeing Silver Mane members who had been sold and treated like slaves, or providing the village with needed supplies.
The representatives of each tribe came forward one by one and stood before Leoru.
“The Black Mane Tribe recognizes Leoru, wolf of the Silver Mane Tribe, as ‘Khan’.”
“The Red Mane Tribe recognizes Leoru, wolf of the Silver Mane Tribe, as ‘Khan’.”
“The Brown Mane Tribe recognizes Leoru, wolf of the Silver Mane Tribe, as ‘Khan’.”
They stood straight, striking their chests three times with a clenched fist.
Leoru looked at the beastkin of the anti-demonic race faction and gave a slight nod.
“Until now, we have bared our fangs at our own kind, deceived by the vile tongues of the demonic race, but we are all proud beastkin with the same wolf’s blood flowing through our veins.”
Kalike and his demonic followers were dead, but the pro-demonic race faction, which had enjoyed power by siding with them, still remained within the kingdom.
To purge them and rebuild the kingdom, it was crucial to prevent conflict among the remaining beastkin.
However, even within the anti-demonic race faction, the emotional rift between the different tribes ran deep.
That was the purpose of this banquet.
To get tipsy on alcohol, dance, and talk, and in doing so, mend the deep emotional divides.
“Today is the day of liberation, the day the beastkin have reclaimed their freedom for the first time in a hundred years!”
There were still many unresolved issues.
No, there was nothing but unresolved issues.
But for today, at least.
“Let’s forget everything and get drunk!”
“Waaaaaaaaah!”
The banquet began amidst the erupting cheers.
***
As the heady scent of alcohol wafted from the village, signaling the start of the banquet, a man with silver hair stood silently in the nearby forest.
“…Haaah.”
The man let out a deep sigh.
Riak bit his lip as he looked down at his old friend’s grave.
“You fool.”
He spat out a curse in a gloomy voice and placed a hand on the tombstone.
“How can a Khan die and be buried in a place like this?”
Normally, a beastkin who inherited the title of ‘Khan’ would be buried in a place called the Warrior’s Tomb beneath the royal castle.
However, Horus had not officially inherited the title of Khan, and he was denied burial in the Warrior’s Tomb for having succumbed to the demonic race and surrendering the kingdom.
He was buried here, in a remote forest far from the castle.
It was a place where Riak, in the past, had dragged Horus along when he skipped his lessons.
“Hmph, on second thought, a shabby grave like this is a perfect fit for an idiot like you.”
Riak took a bottle of liquor he had brought from the village and poured it vigorously over the tombstone.
In a matter of seconds, the bottle was empty.
“……”
A droplet, not of liquor, fell onto the wet tombstone.
Riak’s shoulders trembled, his head bowed.
“Hey, are you crying?”
“Khh!”
Riak snapped his head up, turning toward the source of the voice.
He saw Oh-jin, a bottle of liquor in one hand, ambling toward him.
“W-What are you doing here?!”
“Came to watch you blubber.”
“I-I wasn’t crying!”
Riak shook his head frantically.
Oh-jin chuckled and sat down beside him.
“You sure about this?”
“…About what?”
“Giving the position of Khan to Leoru.”
“……”
He had finally achieved the liberation of the beastkin he had so desperately longed for.
He must want to remain as Khan and witness the kingdom restored to peace.
“Right now, I have something more important to do than remaining as Khan and leading the kingdom.”
“I don’t think one less of you will make much of a difference.”
“Hmph. Don’t try that clumsy bluff on me, kid.”
“You saw through it?”
Oh-jin smirked and shrugged.
Facing the demonic race this time had made him keenly aware that Riak was an indispensable asset.
“My place is by Lady Vega’s side.”
Riak smiled faintly as he thought of the goddess.
“How is Vega doing?”
“She is resting in the Sanctuary. She should be able to return soon.”
“Looks like the constraints of the Law have really weakened.”
Normally, after using her blessing once, she would have to stay in the Sanctuary for weeks.
Thanks to the weakening of the Law’s constraints, that period had been drastically shortened.
“Heave-ho.”
Oh-jin set down the bottle he’d brought and offered an empty glass to Riak.
Riak took the glass from him.
*Clink.*
After filling their glasses, the two silently clinked them together.
“Whoa. Why is this so strong?”
As he took a sip, the potent scent of alcohol exploded in his mouth.
Watching Oh-jin grimace and shake his head, Riak downed the contents of his glass in one go, as if to mock him.
“Kehehe. Looks like the traditional liquor of the beastkin is a bit too much for a kid.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Liquor is meant to be as bitter as life itself.”
“You crazy old man.”
A dry laugh escaped Oh-jin’s lips.
“Come to think of it, this is the first time we’ve had a drink together like this.”
“…Never in the past life either?”
“Who knows?”
Oh-jin shrugged and refilled his glass.
Sitting there before Horus’s grave, the two of them quickly emptied the bottle.
“I should probably head back.”
Oh-jin picked up the empty bottle and got to his feet.
He had left without a word to Ha-eun and Isabella, so they were probably looking for him right about now.
“You not coming?”
“I’ll stay a little longer.”
“Alright.”
Oh-jin nodded and turned to leave.
Just as he was about to head back to the village.
“Kid.”
Riak called out to the departing Oh-jin.
“What?”
“……”
Riak silently bowed his head.
He muttered in a voice that was barely audible.
“…Th-Thank you.”
“Hm? What was that?”
“Kugh! I said, thank you!”
“Huuuuh~? I can’t quite hear you. Could you say that one more time?”
“Y-You little brat!”
Riak’s eyes flashed fiercely as he glared at Oh-jin.
Oh-jin burst out laughing and waved his hand dismissively.
“I’m heading out.”
“……”
Left alone, Riak looked up at the night sky, now draped in darkness.
In the sky, a single star burned brilliantly, even in the gloom.
“…Always needlessly sentimental. You’re just like him.”
Riak looked at his friend’s tombstone and let out a small, wry smile.
***
After parting with Riak, Oh-jin headed straight for the village.
The banquet seemed to be in full swing, as the sounds of drunken beastkin shouting loudly could be heard from within.
He was walking along, feeling the heated atmosphere on his skin, when—
“Oh-jiiin~? Where are youuu~?”
“Oh-jin, you jerk! Where’d you run off to, leaving such a pretty nunna behind?!”
As expected, he found Ha-eun and Isabella looking for him.
However, he hadn’t expected their condition.
“…Are you drunk?”
Ha-eun and Isabella, their faces flushed red, spotted Oh-jin and ran over.
The two women stood before him.
Isabella glanced at Ha-eun and gave her a subtle nod.
Ha-eun, despite being tipsy, blushed as if embarrassed and sharply turned her head away.
“Come on, Unni. We agreed to do it together, right?”
“B-But it’s embarrassing.”
Ha-eun mumbled, her words slurring.
“Then I’ll do it by myself?”
Isabella took a step forward and raised her arms, like a puppy welcoming its owner who had just come home.
“Woof woof~♬ Welcome home, Master?”
“…Excuse me?”
The words made Oh-jin doubt his own ears, his jaw dropping.
Ha-eun, who had been looking away in embarrassment, squeezed out her words.
“M-Meow. W-Welcome back.”
“……”
What the hell is this situation?