Chapter 109
Chapter 109
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 109
Chapter Title: Lycanthrope Allies
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Up until the moment Aria told me in Vertie, the capital of the Philador Kingdom, that we needed wyvern wing membranes, the situation had seemed utterly hopeless.
I'd managed to put on a cheerful front and successfully convince Aria and Set to lend us their strength, but even so, it was like pissing in our boots.
Heading to the Dragon Mountains with just five people.
The premise itself was fundamentally flawed, leaving me in constant agony.
'If it were five who had ascended the jade throne, maybe—but five ordinary(?) folks conquering the Dragon Mountains? That's damn near impossible.'
Of course, we couldn't just lead an army there either.
The countless unknown plants, harsh environment, and monsters native to the Dragon Mountains would never reveal their secrets to an invading force.
'Damn it, how the hell are we supposed to... Huh?'
Right then.
My thoughts turned to the dagger I'd been carefully keeping tucked in my bosom.
From the fight long ago with Hatan, who had been mutating into a High Orc at the time.
It was the item he'd offered while proposing a deal and giving me a chance to retreat.
Hatan, who had been confident he'd soon become the king of the Dragon Mountains' orcs, had promised to grant me one favor, no matter what it was.
I didn't know why that memory surfaced just then—or rather, I think I did.
Because a path forward appeared right there.
'Yes, this is it!'
With just five people, we couldn't comb the Dragon Mountains like it was our backyard.
And if we led the family army in a brute-force assault, they'd just end up as fodder for the mountains.
So.
Why not flip the script and seek help from the natives already living in the mountains?
Especially ones who controlled vast swaths of territory.
'And they've got the numbers too.'
Compared to two years ago, when they'd clashed with the elves—and now with even more expanded territory.
I figured borrowing Hatan's strength wouldn't be too hard.
Plus, the lycanthropes were already favorably inclined toward me thanks to the teachings of Baukalrak, so pulling them in would give us even more power.
"...So, you're saying you'll use that dagger's favor on Hatan?"
Saladin asked, his tone a bit serious.
"Isn't that a problem? Weren't you saving that dagger for a later plan?"
Originally, in our grand scheme, the orcs were meant for a more critical moment.
Saladin was asking if this issue warranted altering that plan.
"No choice. We have to resolve this no matter what. If we fail, we'll just sit back and watch the Philador Kingdom—the one that gave our alliance a magical edge in the great war—get destroyed."
"......!!"
The weight of my words made even Saladin nod in agreement.
"If this falls through, there is no 'after' anyway."
"Exactly."
"...Hah."
Saladin, who had been lounging, sat up fully and let out a deep sigh.
"Damn it. I never should have gotten tangled up with you."
His resigned expression looked about as world-weary as when I'd first announced we had to head to the Dragon Mountains.
But at least his eyes weren't as dead as back then.
"Fine, whatever. How do we start?"
Sir Beskin no longer showed any sign of opposition, unlike at first.
"We'll have Ravins handle shipboard training for the time being."
The southeastern Dragon Mountains.
Unlike the range's fearsome reputation, one village here was peacefully welcoming the sunset.
At a glance, it looked no different from any ordinary village on the continent.
What set this village apart was its location—deep within the Dragon Mountains.
And the fact that its residents weren't human.
Crack!
Baukalrak, a lycanthrope splitting firewood with his claws instead of an axe, wiped the sweat from his brow with his other hand.
"Grrr. That's it for today?"
A few years ago, after being kidnapped into the human world and suffering the humiliation of the slave markets.
Baukalrak had headed to the Shield Family with the Blizzard Knight Order, gaining knowledge of the wider world and honing his strength.
And after witnessing a certain orc and human's makgora and being deeply inspired, he'd returned to his tribe and fought invaders more bravely than anyone, earning recognition as a true warrior.
"Grr. Thanks to that monster Hatan pushing into the northeast, it's been easier... but still."
Originally, Baukalrak had built his strength for a showdown with Hatan, the rising star of the mountains.
But after the makgora, Hatan had—for some reason, after some deal with Jerome—focused on expanding northward.
As a result, monsters displaced by his ruthless expansion had continuously invaded the lycanthropes' southern territories.
'At first, it was nonstop. Fought every damn day.'
It had been a brutal string of near-death battles, but that's how he'd swiftly earned warrior status upon his return.
But two years later.
The orcs' territories had stabilized too, and no more monsters were encroaching on lycanthrope lands.
Thanks to that, the lycanthrope village was enjoying unprecedented peace.
And Baukalrak's claws, sharpened to a razor's edge as a warrior, had devolved into mere firewood splitters.
"Grrr. Boring, so boring. At least in Bentan, I was never bored. Grrr."
He didn't hate the peace, but the boredom outweighed it, leaving him smacking his lips in frustration.
Then.
"Grrr, Baukalrak. You in there?"
His ears perked up at the voice calling from outside.
"Grrr. Yeah, Oborten. What's up?"
"Grr. Some humans here looking for you, Baukalrak. They said 'Shield Family'—ring a bell?"
Other lycanthropes who'd never left the mountains knew nothing of the human world, so they naturally turned to the veteran(?) Baukalrak.
"!!"
Baukalrak was shocked by the unexpected Shield Family visit.
"Grrr. On my way."
He tossed the split firewood haphazardly on the ground and bolted to the square where the humans waited.
Something told him this boredom was about to get a thrilling shake-up.
"Yo, Baukalrak. Long time no see?"
"Grrr. Not that long. Didn't you just send a letter?"
He waved at the familiar face but responded flatly.
"It's been ages since we last saw each other in person. Let's see, about two years and change?"
In those two years apart, Baukalrak had grown considerably stronger too.
'He said he busted his ass fighting monsters pushed south by Hatan's expansion. Guess it paid off.'
Not just Baukalrak—the other lycanthropes here weren't lacking either.
'For a bunch of demihumans crammed into this little village, their power's anything but ordinary.'
Truly the Dragon Mountains.
No matter how many layers you peeled, more surprises kept emerging like an onion.
"Grrr. Yeah, two years and change. So, Jerome, what brings you here?"
Baukalrak cut straight to the chase.
The lycanthrope village wasn't like the elves' Elunheim, brimming with rare specialties.
No way they'd come for trade.
"Ah, nothing much. Baukalrak, you must be pretty bored these days, huh?"
I could tell from the letters alone.
A mountain life without battles must have been suffocating for a hot-blooded lycanthrope like him.
"...A bit listless, yeah. Grrr."
As expected, the answer matched my hunch.
Probably not just Baukalrak—most of the young lycanthropes felt the same.
'Plenty of fish in the sea.'
Now I just had to toss in the bait, and the bored fish would swarm like bees.
"Then how about it, Baukalrak."
Gripping a handful of bait.
"Want to hunt some wyverns with us?"
I scattered it toward the fish.
"!!"
"!!"
The lycanthropes, curious about the human visitors, had been eavesdropping from around the square—their ears perked up en masse.
'Hell, no need to even fish—they're jumping right in.'
Seeing them, I couldn't help but think of the koi pond back at the lord's castle. No coincidence there.
"Gr—grrr! Wyverns? You're going to hunt wyverns?"
Not just Baukalrak—the strange hunger in the other lycanthropes' eyes was plain to see.
No mere boredom could spark that kind of fire.
'Wyverns really are the common enemy, huh.'
The mountains weren't called "Dragon" just for the word's intimidating ring.
Draconic beasts held massive sway over the entire range.
To other races, they were hated obstacles—mountains to overcome.
Especially wyverns, with their speed and nesting habits—they'd only ever been hunters, never the hunted.
In short, public enemy number one.
"Yeah. We've got our reasons for needing those lizards, but we're a bit short-handed on our own. Interested?"
"Grrr! Count me in! The chief'll approve for sure!"
Baukalrak nodded without a second thought.
"Grrrrr!! Wyvern hunt!!"
"Kwaaaaaang!!"
The lycanthropes who'd overheard cheered as if it was already decided.
'...Hotter response than I expected.'
This is why you don't make enemies with people—or monsters. Always be nice.
Moments later, a calmed Baukalrak asked back.
"Grrr. So, just us lycanthropes and you humans? Looks like you're here with a small elite group too. Our kind are one-against-many warriors, but grrr... numbers matter against wyverns."
Like Saladin and Beskin, Baukalrak worried about being outnumbered.
"Don't sweat it. We're not the key to this hunt."
I ended up repeating what I'd said back in Bentan to the lycanthropes.
After convincing Baukalrak, we headed with him to the hut of the village's eldest—the chief.
"Hmm, wyvern hunting, you say..."
A voice rich with the seasoned gravitas of years quietly mulled my words.
Unlike the sharp, feral demeanor of the others, this one exuded a boulder-like solidity and weight.
1.5 times larger than a typical lycanthrope, his name was Lugal.
He was the chief in charge of the lycanthrope village.
"True... we haven't had a real fight in the past year. No wonder the young ones are itching."
Lugal stroked his chin beard and nodded in understanding.
"But, human who saved Baukalrak."
His nodding gaze suddenly locked onto mine.
"Joining your wyvern hunt would indeed be good for our tribe's youth. However."
The aura of a leader commanding a pack flowed from him.
"That doesn't mean we'll spill our blood for your needs without compensation. So I ask."
The wolf clan's king, blessed by the moon, posed his question.
"What can you offer us?"
At Lugal's demand for payment, Baukalrak panicked.
"Ch-Chief! As a sacred moon tribe, how can you talk like some merchant...!"
"Shut it!"
Lugal bellowed without breaking eye contact with me.
"The elves have started adopting human civilization through trade with you, and the orcs rampage freely in the northeast under their non-aggression pact. If we sit idle in this situation, we'll just get weeded out of the mountains."
It was a fair point.
'Not just anyone becomes a tribal leader.'
Lycanthropes' combat prowess far surpassed ordinary demihumans.
They were arrogant by nature, looking down on other races.
Even Baukalrak, who'd been captured by humans, still carried that trait—it spoke volumes about their kind.
"So speak, young human. If we join your proposal, what do you offer for our survival?"
But this old lycanthrope fully grasped his tribe's predicament.
'Better this way.'
I'd sensed it from our letter exchanges with Baukalrak and planned to advise him sometime.
But since their leader already got it.
The conversation moved quickly.