Chapter 398
Chapter 398
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 398
>Chapter Title: I'm Just an Innocent Warrior, You Know?
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Thump—
His heart was pounding.
With Oukan's encampment right before his eyes, Yurubuke was seized by the impulse to rush straight into the tents where the Pushk tribesfolk were staying.
His blood boiled, his chest burned hot. Heat surged all the way to the top of his head. Then a voice drilled into his ear.
"Driman."
"...Speak."
"Shouldn't a Driman speak informally to a young warrior?"
"...Speak."
Only after Yurubuke switched to informal speech did Aster smile in satisfaction and continue.
"We're here to deceive them right now. But if your heartbeat's that loud, do you think Oukan will fall for it? Or not?"
"...I see. I'll be careful."
Yurubuke slowly regulated his breathing. A warrior's heart must always burn hot, but a capable warrior knew how to cool that heat when needed. Yurubuke was a capable warrior, and when he recognized the need, he could masterfully control his own emotions.
How long did he regulate his breathing like that?
"That's good now."
"..."
Yurubuke gazed ahead with eyes like a blue lake. In the distance, warriors who had spotted him approached. They came warily, but soon one recognized Yurubuke and stepped forward.
"Pushk Driman! It's been a while!"
"You know me?"
"Yes! I'm Shohola, son of Shakara. I greeted you alongside my father before."
"Shakara... Ah, I remember. He was an excellent warrior. I haven't seen him since Pallota. How is he? Doing well?"
The warrior who introduced himself as Shohola seemed deeply moved that Yurubuke remembered him, his eyes gleaming as he nodded vigorously.
"Yes, he's doing well!"
"Good, that's fortunate. Visit often. Since he was an excellent warrior, he'll have plenty of good things to say."
"Haha..."
The young warrior gave an awkward smile. Yurubuke tilted his head at the sight.
"What's wrong? On bad terms?"
"No."
"Perhaps you don't respect your father?"
"No."
"Then why?"
At Yurubuke's repeated questions, the warrior looked up at the sky and smiled faintly, a hazy smile playing on his lips.
"It's just... he set off on a journey to a place I can't visit even if I wanted to."
"Could it be..."
"...Yes, following the guidance of the wind."
Setting off on a journey following the wind's guidance meant the young warrior's father was no longer of this world. Realizing his mistake, Yurubuke quietly shifted his gaze to the sky above.
"May he be visited as late as possible."
"...Yes."
And so, a brief silence.
An awkward atmosphere.
Even Aster was looking up at the sky, but the young warrior gathered himself and asked.
"But why has Pushk Driman come here...?"
"Am I not allowed?"
"No! Not at all! It's just... I thought there might be an order from Geyar Driman..."
He seemed quite cautious, but the young warrior scanned Yurubuke sharply from head to toe. He probably thought he was being discreet, but Yurubuke wasn't one to miss it.
"I have urgent business for Geyar Driman."
"Urgent business..."
"Must I tell you? You're doing what your father never did."
Yurubuke smiled softly, but his eyes were anything but soft. The young warrior flinched under that gaze.
"I'm sorry. I was rude. But... please understand our situation—we have no choice but to ask."
"Our situation?"
"...Yes, that is... In recent days, traces of intruders have been found in the encampment. One great warrior said it was traces of magic... Things are tense inside and out. On Jorte Great Warrior's orders to tighten security, we've been seeking permission from the other Drimans as well."
Yurubuke was inwardly startled by the words 'magic' and 'intruders,' but he tried not to show it. Instead, he steadied his breathing and asked nonchalantly.
"Is Geyar Driman alright?"
"Yes, no one could do anything to Geyar Driman no matter who came. But the mage's level doesn't seem ordinary, so Jorte Great Warrior went out to scout. Did you not see him by any chance? You came from the same direction..."
"Well, I didn't. But... so those empire's trash have flowed all the way here. This is no small matter."
As Yurubuke expressed concern, the young warrior smiled brightly and shook his head.
"Pushk Driman needn't worry. You've been on the battlefield all this time—rest easy here. Our warriors aren't that fragile."
"Haha, is that so? That's reassuring. Alright, then... may I go in now?"
"Yes, Driman."
Yurubuke smiled good-naturedly as he urged his horse forward. He didn't forget to pat the young warrior's shoulder as he passed—a gesture of encouragement. But the moment he passed the warriors, the smile melted away.
His gaze turned to Aster, riding beside him.
"Was it you?"
"Driman, a Driman should speak informally to a young warrior, right? I think I mentioned it earlier."
Yurubuke frowned at the innocent prattle and those guileless eyes.
"Fine. Anyway, was it you?"
"What?"
Yurubuke glanced around cautiously before speaking.
"...The mage."
"I'm just an innocent warrior, you know?"
He said that, but Yurubuke could tell just from the look in his eyes. That the mage who had stirred up the main camp was the monster before him.
And moreover...
"...You planned it."
"What? I have no idea what you're talking about."
"You stirred things up on purpose."
Yurubuke didn't know the exact level of the monster before him. But he couldn't believe that a monster of this caliber would clumsily rampage through the main camp and leave traces behind.
If he hadn't attempted intrusion at all, maybe—but no.
This was deliberate.
So, what was the aim?
...The answer was simple.
He had already seen it.
'...Jorte.'
The ill-fated warrior of Kaliman grade, caught pathetically in a vile scheme.
That was exactly what the monster had targeted.
"Honestly, I thought it was fifty-fifty. If a guy like that showed up, great; if not, oh well. Things worked out better than expected, though. Maybe the moon helped out."
"..."
Yurubuke's eyes twitched at Aster's infuriating act. Meanwhile, unable to shake his curiosity, he pressed his horse close.
"Didn't it occur to you that you'd just make them heighten their guard for nothing?"
"Nope, didn't think of it."
"You didn't?"
"Yeah, because even if they tighten security, I have ways to divert their attention. And you know? The moon over the great plains is really bright. Where the moon is bright and wyverns are, good things usually happen."
"What do you mean by ways... Never mind."
Yurubuke gave up trying to understand around the time 'moon' and 'wyvern' came up. This guy wasn't ordinarily mad. To converse with him, you'd have to go mad yourself—and Yurubuke had no confidence in that.
Above all, right now Yurubuke was hard-pressed just thinking about the 'Aul.'
'Secure it, or end it.'
Truth be told... he had doubts.
He had sent this monster ahead to convey his will to the grand sorcerer.
Now the grand sorcerer would convey his will to the tribesfolk in his stead.
So, would they...
'...follow the tribesfolk?'
He had no certainty.
Not just the tribesfolk. The warriors too.
The great warriors had said no one in the tribe would defy a Driman's choice... but he couldn't be truly sure.
As mentioned before, it was abandoning the land and following the wind. Pushk children would no longer be born of the earth, nor fade in the wind.
Abandoning their ancestors' land—could Pushk truly...
"Driman, you seem to be thinking too much."
"..."
Yurubuke narrowed his eyes at Aster. Could this monster read minds too? Fortunately, no.
"Your heartbeat."
"...Got it."
"And who was it that said brains with poor mass-to-efficiency ratio shouldn't think too much? You look like one of those, Driman, so don't overcomplicate it."
"Mass-to-efficiency ratio...?"
He didn't understand, but the nuance alone was deeply unpleasant. But before the discomfort could spread, Aster deftly changed the subject.
"Watch your heartbeat. There's a monster ahead."
"...A monster?"
Yurubuke narrowed his eyes. A monster? Who was the real monster... He thought that far when—
Yurubuke spotted a man walking out toward the main camp's entrance.
Despite it being midwinter, the man was lightly dressed, strolling leisurely as if out for a walk, with attendants bowing their heads as they followed.
The moment he saw the man, Yurubuke understood who the monster meant by 'monster.'
Red hair, brown eyes. Smooth copper skin unlike a plains tribesman. The man was small for a warrior, yet his trained body showed he knew combat.
But 'small' was only by warrior standards; by continental measures, he was quite large.
...But such physical traits were irrelevant. What mattered was the title before the man's name.
"...Geyar Driman."
"Long time no see, Driman Yurubuke. Nice day for a walk, and I run into such a welcome guest."
"..."
Yurubuke looked at the smiling man and dismounted. Aster, quick on the uptake, dismounted too and mimicked Yurubuke's actions toward Oukan.
Yurubuke placed one hand on his chest, hid the other behind his back, and bowed politely.
"I greet Geyar Driman. Please forgive my past rudeness."
"Please forgive."
Oukan shook his head with a beaming smile.
"What's to forgive? Though depending on what you say in our upcoming talk, you might need forgiveness again. Straighten up."
"...Thank you."
"Not standing around here—come inside. The sun's nice, but the wind isn't."
Yurubuke nodded silently and took his horse's reins. Oukan watched him for a moment with unblinking eyes, then turned to walk ahead.
...Or tried to.
"Hm?"
Oukan, about to lead, stopped. The attendants following hesitated and asked.
"Geyar Driman, is something wrong?"
Oukan didn't answer. He simply stood still, staring piercingly at one spot.
Yurubuke narrowed his eyes at that gaze. At the same time, he regulated his breathing to keep his heartbeat steady. But maintaining composure wasn't easy.
Why?
Because Oukan was looking.
'...At the Tower Master.'
The monster from the continent.
...Oukan took in Aster with narrowed eyes.
An inexplicable emotion flickered in those eyes, while Aster stood blankly, meeting the gaze.
And thought.
'The moon...'
Wasn't out.
It was daytime.