Chapter 508: Once the Rabbit is Dead, the Hound is Cooked
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 508: Once the Rabbit is Dead, the Hound is Cooked
Sacrifice the Dog King, and the wolves’ wrath can be avoided. The safety of Ende could be guaranteed with the sacrifice of just one person. No, just one animal.
Okma had heard this information from Urukfang. He uncharacteristically convened a secret meeting, urgently gathering the elders.
“If we offer the Dog King as a sacrifice, we can avoid the wolves…? Is that really true?”
Matriarch Halpana answered, her wrinkled face scrunching up even more.
“Hmph. I’ve heard the Wolf King is searching for the Dog King. That’s why humans who wished to avoid fighting the wolves would often drive the Dog King away. The last time the dogs and wolves fought was… around the time your mother was born, so I suppose it’s been about half a century.”
“Which nation fought the wolves fifty years ago?”
“The Sanctum, of course. The Empire and the Sanctum do not shy away from fighting wolves. With their power, they can crush a pack of wolves in an instant. However… hmph. Other nations aren't so fortunate. Their circumstances are more complicated.”
Matriarch Halpana was an elder who had seen sixty years pass twice over. She was long-lived even among those who practiced Qi Arts, and considering she didn’t know the first thing about Qi, it could only be called a miracle.
She wasn't wealthy, nor did she have the blood of an ancient chieftain, nor had she mastered Qi Arts or magic. But Matriarch Halpana held her seat among the council of elders with dignity, backed by her experience, wisdom, and connections. She was the very definition of an elder.
“Since then, the human nations have avoided fighting the wolves. My memory is hazy as to when… but I recall hearing a rumor that the Magenta vassal state drove out the Dog King. An envoy from the Empire even went to investigate, so it was a huge commotion. In those days…”
The old woman’s words were like tidal flats; though they seemed murky, one could find all sorts of useful things if one filtered them carefully. A flicker of life returned to Poina’s face as she processed Halpana’s words.
“…In that case, if we either drive the Dog King out or let the Wolf King kill her, the wolves will have no reason to attack Ende.”
The solution everyone had considered but dared not speak was uttered from Poina’s lips. A few orcs stared at her, terrified. But Poina, oblivious to their gazes, voiced the idea that had just bloomed in her mind.
“We can’t send an envoy to the wolves to make a treaty. So, we must use the Dog King as bait and lure them far away. We’ll create a situation where the Wolf King can hunt the Dog King without any interference.”
“I-Is that really alright?”
At someone’s murmur, Poina’s head snapped around, and she shot back.
“And what, exactly, is not alright about it?”
“Well, I mean, doing that to the Dog King who came to us for help is a bit…”
“It hasn’t been long since spring came to our city. We need time. We’re still making mistakes because we’re not used to this, but we orcs can do it. We can do anything the humans did.”
Poina was still filled with faith. The city was struggling now, but she believed everything would be fine if they worked hard. She believed that orcs, just like humans, could govern a city well.
However, to achieve the future she envisioned, something had to be sacrificed.
“But we cannot shed blood for a fight that is not ours.”
“Not our fight?”
“That’s right. This is a fight between dogs and wolves. We orcs have no grudge against either of them. We cannot waste precious lives, swayed by a promise made between the Beast Kings in the past.”
Before today, Poina had never given a single serious thought to the conflict between dogs and wolves. But now, she felt she could list over a hundred reasons why they shouldn’t fight the wolves. She looked at Okma’s elders and continued.
“It’s a promise that even human nations, the vassal states, easily forsake. It’s unfair from the start to expect a single city on the frontier to uphold it. Even more so for a city that has only just found true equality.”
“The Dog King is merely a symbolic animal. If you compare the life of a beast to the life of a human, a human’s life naturally takes precedence. And if you weigh one life against tens of thousands, of course, the tens of thousands are more important.”
“And are we the only ones being vile? The Dog King is just as shameless. If she truly cared for humans, she would fight alone so that no human gets hurt. Why is she searching for humans to help her? Isn’t that just asking them to die with her?”
“In the first place, her intentions were impure from the moment she brought the Dog King to Ende. She probably planned to use us as meat shields to defeat the Wolf King. It’s not fair to play along with such intentions. Why should we be the ones to make the sacrifice?”
With every word, her logic became clearer. The orcs owed the dogs nothing and had made no promises. Therefore, they had no need to get involved in a fight between dogs and wolves. In fact, it was a nuisance for them to drag humans into their own fight. Humans had no obligation to see that conflict through.
Having constructed dozens of arguments in an instant, Poina collected her thoughts for a moment before speaking.
“It is heartbreaking, but if we make a firm decision, we have much to gain. By driving out the Dog King, we can obtain a great deal. We orcs are now the race that leads this city. We must make cold, calculated choices.”
Poina’s words seemed so perfect that no one could find fault with them. No, there was no reason to find fault in what was clearly right. Why should the pig beastkin, who had been persecuted until now, step up and fight for the Dog King? Such a struggle was the duty of the humans who had reigned at the top of the pyramid, or the dog beastkin who were directly involved. There was no need for pig beastkin to shed blood for dogs.
It was the logic everyone had wanted to hear, so it was easy to accept. Gulta nodded and said.
“Alright. Then let’s consider it decided and summon Mayor Triver.”
Although nearly a week had passed since Okma had entered Obeli, Mayor Triver was still in charge of major administrative affairs. Gulta’s suggestion was appropriate, but Poina, remembering something, hastily stopped him.
“No. He’s a noble from a vassal state and a dog beastkin. He’ll definitely oppose our decision.”
“Ah, right. What do we do then?”
After a moment of thought, Poina spoke with a cool smile.
“…First, we must reveal the Dog King’s identity.”
*
The wolves were no longer an unseen threat. They appeared intermittently, attacking all over Ende. If one were to compare them to an army, these individuals were mere scouts, but the powerful wolves were as fast and dangerous as knights on horseback.
“Wolves! The wolves are here!”
A massive city like Ende inevitably had outskirts. Despite the evacuation order, there were people scattered everywhere who hadn’t managed to flee in time. Some had nowhere to put their flock of sheep, others had a harvest to bring in, and some simply couldn’t bear to hand their livestock over to the wolves. But the wolves couldn’t care less about their reasons.
“Everyone, hide!”
At someone’s shout, people grabbed their children’s hands and hid inside their homes. They bolted their doors, carefully shut their windows, and huddled together in shelters built in their basements.
After the entire city fell silent at the sight of the wolves, a wolf that had been circling outside leaped over the wooden fence. The fence had been reinforced, but the wolf jumped to a height far exceeding it. With astonishingly light movements, the wolf invaded Ende, baring its teeth as it set foot in the village.
Clank.
It happened in that instant. The moment it took one step past the fence, steel gears hidden in the sand shot up. Sharp, jagged edges like an animal’s teeth clamped down on the wolf’s foreleg.
“Yelp!”
“Whine, awoooo!”
As the startled wolves leaped back, Kito, the trap designer who had been hiding in the bushes, popped up with a faint smile.
“H-heeheehee. How do you like i~it? It’s a specially modified bear trap I worked all night to insta~all…”
Traps enhanced by Kito’s abilities reacted more powerfully to even the slightest trigger. As clever as the wolves were, they failed to avoid the trap that had been perfectly concealed under the dominion of her Unique Magic. In an instant, nearly thirty percent of the wolves were caught in traps, immobilized.
“Beasts are just beasts… As long as I have traps, there’s nothing to be afraid of!”
Kito shouted triumphantly, as if trying to convince herself.
However, the wolves paid a surprisingly small amount of attention to Kito. After glancing at one another, they all began to do the same thing.
Crr-runch.
They stomped hard on the trapped foreleg. They hooked their claws on the latch and bit down on the trap with their teeth. Twisting their heads, they pried the interlocked jaws open again. Crunch, crr-runch. The uncoiled spring contracted, and the trap returned to its original state.
They understood the trap’s structure. They dismantled it skillfully, as if they had experienced it before.
“H-Huh?”
No matter how tough a beast was, it should have expected a major injury to escape a steel bear trap. But the wolves invading Ende dismantled the traps as if they had encountered them before, just as a human who had accidentally been caught in one might.
And the alpha simply chewed through the spring itself. Broken metal fragments dripped from its mouth along with saliva. Having neutralized the traps, the wolves swept through the village unopposed.
“Aaaaargh!”
“Help…”
“Woof! Woof!”
Gray fur darted through the streets. People and dogs who hadn’t hidden in time were bitten to death by the wolves. Not content with their prey, the wolves broke down house doors and clawed at the floors, searching for hidden humans. Basements were a bit more troublesome for the wolves to find, but it was only a matter of time. The persistent and cruel wolves moved with the intent to annihilate the entire village.
“Hee, heeeek! Sa~ave meeee!”
Kito, now being chased, fled from the wolves. Three of them pursued her. Kito was fast, but she was no match for a real wolf, and the distance between them gradually closed. Glancing back, Kito saw the wolves and burst into tears.
“Waaaaah!”
The defining traits of a rabbit beastkin are their perked-up ears and their ability to change direction in a flash. The pursuing wolves snapped at empty air several times as Kito vanished from right in front of them.
Even as a mage who had awakened her Unique Magic, Kito’s essence was that of a rabbit beastkin. Her experience from a childhood spent in endless games of chase in Ende proved quite effective, even against wolves. Moreover, Kito also possessed her Unique Magic.
A rope she dropped while fleeing was tied into a knot by her Unique Magic, and a carelessly thrown trap set itself. In contrast, when Kito stepped on a trap, it didn’t react at all. Within her Unique Magic, only enemies could activate the triggers. After buying time using every method at her disposal, she stood with her back against a wall, panting for breath.
“Ugh. Ugh. I shouldn’t have come alone without an esco~ort…!”
How did Kito, a key military asset of the city, end up in such a state? Why was she setting traps on the frontier where wolves might appear? As she calmly retraced the reasons, Kito recalled the source of all her troubles and muttered.
“This is all because of those damn piggies!”
Okma had ordered Kito to set traps. Kito had accepted, as it was part of her usual duties.
But she hadn't expected to be told to just mindlessly set them up, dragging out even the old, outdated traps, with no escort and no strategy. To be told to plaster every village with traps without even knowing where the battlefield was or how long they would be used—it was a brutish idea, one only a pig beastkin would come up with.
“So why am I the one paying the price for their stupidi~ity?!”
Kito was a rabbit beastkin. She could evade the wolves for a while, but she couldn’t run forever. Before long, the wolves began to close in on her.
Terrified, Kito trembled and tried to channel her Unique Magic. But no matter how she searched, there were no more tools left to use in this village. With tears welling in her eyes, Kito squeezed them shut.
“Waaah… Is this the e~end…?”
But what Kito expected did not happen.
When she realized her head was still attached to her neck, Kito slowly opened her eyes. Before her stood an unfamiliar beastkin, on all fours. Its tail was held stiffly erect, and it radiated a terrifying aura. The Dog King bared her teeth at the wicked wolves.
“Grrrrr, woof!”
Azzy moved.
Ende was vast. No matter how sharp Azzy’s senses were, she couldn’t detect everything within the city’s entire sphere of influence.
But as the wolves invaded, the humans fled toward Ende, naturally compressing that sphere. Azzy might turn a blind eye to fights between humans, but she was endlessly threatening toward the enemies of humankind. Dashing out of the mansion in a single bound, Azzy took down the wolves attacking humans one by one. The wolves halted their assault and began to gradually surround the city.
Azzy’s existence, which had been a quiet secret, was now brought to light. Every citizen of Ende became aware of the Dog King, who shot out like a bolt of lightning to bring down the wolves. The dog beastkin cheered for their king’s prowess, but the other beastkin were not nearly as pleased.
Part of it was jealousy, as the Dog King was unusually friendly, but more than anything…
—The wolves are attacking because of the Dog King.
It was because of a single rumor, whispered in the shadows.