Chapter 107
Chapter 107
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 107
Chapter Title: The Sea King's Suspicion
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"Keruk! Father!! What in the world are you doing right now?!"
Lasna cried out in shock at the Sea King's utterly shameless rudeness.
"If it weren't for these people, I would've died a miserable death near the Twenty-Seventh Path! How can you be so rude to the very ones who saved my life...!!"
"Lasna, be quiet."
The Sea King Zakura coldly cut off Lasna's words.
"It's only because they saved you that these humans are allowed to breathe in my presence and open their mouths. Otherwise... do you think I would ever deign to meet the likes of humans on this land? Moreover."
Zakura scolded Lasna in a chiding tone.
"If you hadn't run off on your own, your father wouldn't be in this unpleasant situation. If you have any conscience, then hold your tongue."
"...Ugh!"
Was the logic that, since they had the merit of saving his daughter, he was sparing them as repayment and letting them live?
...Kuh! That Maximus or whatever who was guiding us earlier said something similar. I can't keep up with how these guys think.
It was truly an arrogant and presumptuous way of thinking.
"...Keruk! Father, Ian here is a direct descendant of the Lichtenauer Martial Clan! If you lay a hand on him, it could spark a war with the Lichtenauer Martial Clan!"
At a loss for words, Lasna tried to curb Zakura's rudeness by emphasizing Ian's high status.
...Damn.
In Ian's view, that was far from a wise move.
No, it was arguably the worst possible one.
The reason the Takryu, who held absolute dominance in the central Great Floodlands including the Amatres River, hadn't extended even a single step into human territory... was none other than the master of the Lichtenauers, Paon Lichtenauer.
"Hoo..."
In other words, Lasna's words had just touched upon Zakura's long-standing sore spot.
"That human is Paon Lichtenauer's spawn, you say?"
In truth, at Lasna's shout, the immense pressure radiating from Zakura vanished without a trace.
Instead, the cave air, warmed by sunlight filtering through the ceiling, chilled in an instant.
It was due to the killing intent emanating from Zakura.
"I see... So that's it. Yes, Paon's bloodline... that would explain how you withstood my aura. Considering you're carrying his blood. But tell me."
Swipe!
Zakura fixed his gaze on Ian and asked in a low voice.
"Is there any reason why I should tread carefully around those words?"
Haa...
Ian let out a secret sigh.
Because flustered Lasna had blurted out something unnecessary, things might veer into a pointless clash of pride and emotions.
"...Why would there be? Your exalted Sea Kingness has no need to pay any mind to my distant father. That's not what's important right now. Don't we have more pressing matters to discuss?"
"Keruk, keruk! As expected of a cunning human—your tongue rolls as smoothly as if it's oiled."
Zakura sneered at Ian's tactful retreat and asked.
"Fine, then. Let me ask you this. By your own logic, there should be traces of the Grand Canopy left on the battlefield in our territory. But from what we've confirmed so far, we haven't found anything we can definitively pinpoint as Grand Canopy traces. So how exactly can you prove that the Grand Canopy is behind all these incidents?"
"Keruk! Father, I heard it clearly at the Seventeenth Path! When Uncle Duke fell heroically at the Seventeenth Path...!!"
"Excuse me for a moment, Lady Lasna."
"Mmph, mmph!!"
At Zakura's gesture, subordinates waiting nearby clamped Lasna's mouth shut.
"If you think you can sweet-talk me like some inexperienced girl, you're gravely mistaken. Give it a try—answer me."
Ignoring the struggling Lasna entirely, Zakura interrogated Ian.
"The elites sent from Golden Heaven might have spotted Lasna hiding and noticed. The crafty direct subordinates of the Golden Eye could have deliberately mentioned the Grand Canopy to exploit that. Plus, with the pursuit feeling so vividly life-threatening, my daughter could easily have been mistaken. However... Paon's son would already know this, wouldn't he?"
As if testing Ian's reasoning, Zakura continued.
"The pursuers just happened to be trolls. Trolls can be found anywhere in the Great Floodlands. No... in fact, if you look closely, there are far more troll tribes dwelling on the Golden Heaven side than with the Grand Canopy. So isn't it entirely possible they were pretending to be Grand Canopy?"
Zakura coldly reviewed the situation point by point.
"And that's not all. There have been clashes with what appear to be Golden Heaven forces in multiple locations. Yet in all those places, we haven't found any clear evidence confirming Grand Canopy involvement. I ask you."
Zakura spoke like a judge questioning the defendant before passing judgment.
"In the current circumstances... is there any evidence that forces us to suspect the Grand Canopy?"
It was reasoning so profound it was hard to believe it came from a monster. If Ian hadn't come via the Fourteenth Path, he might not have been able to refute it at all.
"There is."
"...Hmm?"
Zakura double-checked at Ian's unexpected response.
"Where?"
...Thud!
Instead of answering, Ian had the Latent Dragon Squad shove the captured dark elf forward.
"...Hoo."
Even Zakura showed interest in the evidence.
Having fought countless battles in the Great Floodlands, he knew better than anyone that dark elves were the Grand Canopy's tentacles.
"We caught this one erasing traces at the Fourteenth Path on the way to Hasfel. His very existence proves the Grand Canopy's involvement, doesn't it?"
"Hmmm... True enough. A dark elf certainly serves as evidence of Grand Canopy interference."
Zakura looked at Ian with an intrigued expression.
"Then that should answer your question. The reason Takryu is fighting Golden Heaven right now is..."
"However, it's insufficient."
Zakura cut Ian off.
"Insufficient? What do you mean by that?"
"Exactly what I said."
A pile of papers on the table.
Rubbing his temple as if the battle reports from Palro—one of the Amatres River's major tributaries—were giving him a headache, Zakura replied.
"One measly dark elf isn't enough kindling to douse the flames that have already started raging. Already... too much blood has been spilled for a single elf's life to put it out."
This young human of the Lichtenauers didn't know yet.
In the beast fields, the fierce battleground where Golden Heaven and Takryu clashed daily...
What report had just come in.
Kwaaaaang!
"Kerurrrruk!!"
Quintus, one of the Eight Demons guarding Palro where the beast fields lay, rampaged wildly while roaring.
His scales, long exposed to the fire demon, had lost moisture and twisted dry.
Between the cracked skin from repeated combat shocks and burns, red flesh was fully exposed.
Injuries unfit for a high-ranking Takryu executive.
All from his deathmatch with the blue wolf, Jorg.
Serious wounds, but for a demon like him, they were commonplace.
The sole reason for his rage was one thing.
His missing left arm.
"Damn it, damn it!!!"
Quintus spat curses nonstop, damning Jorg.
"That filthy pig bastard, how dare he!!"
Feeding on field plants and corpses in the flames he'd nurtured, Jorg had landed a desperate blow, finally severing one of Quintus's arms.
All Four Dragons and Four Demons of Takryu had stepped into the Master realm.
Among them, the Demons were titles for those specialized in martial prowess.
For an orc not even at the Master realm to sever a Demon's arm and inflict such grave wounds was an monumental feat.
Of course, Quintus hadn't yielded his arm easily.
In exchange... Jorg and most of the Blue Lightning Tribe had paid with death or incapacitation.
Naturally, Quintus didn't think his arm was worth so little.
He was a Demon.
One of the Sea King's glorious blades.
...Swoosh!
Quintus's eyes fell on his gear leaning against the wall.
The keenly sharpened gladius, and the shield that had steadfastly protected him through countless foes.
All like extensions of himself.
But now... he could no longer wield that shield that had guarded him all this time.
His combat strength, once proud in the harmony of sword and shield, had fallen to half or less.
Quintus simply couldn't accept it.
"...Kerurruk! Is anyone outside?!"
His voice, laced with killing intent and fury, echoed, and lizardman warriors quietly standing by rushed in.
"Keruk! Lord Quintus, did you call for us?"
"Those Blue Lightning orcs... those filthy pigs—what are they doing now?"
Even wounded, he was still a Demon.
The lizardman warrior swallowed involuntarily at Quintus's oozing killing intent and answered.
"...Keruk! The remaining remnants have retreated and are fleeing toward Sky Mountain."
"Sky Mountain..."
Sky Mountain was Golden Heaven's stronghold, seat of their boss, the Golden Eye.
Jorg could never survive.
For severing his left arm, Quintus had ripped out Jorg's guts whole.
It was too late.
No matter how tough the orcs, they couldn't survive such wounds.
Even honored warriors risen to elite status in Golden Heaven, seasoned veterans who'd survived the Great Floodlands for ages.
Impossible.
Yeah, he absolutely couldn't survive.
...But.
If he made it to Sky Mountain... that damn old coot would get an honorable funeral before his orc warriors.
That couldn't happen.
The geezer who'd cut off his arm, who deserved to be devoured a thousand times over... had to be torn apart miserably by river fish.
Arms, legs, head, torso... shredded into pieces, scattered so no trace remained on this earth.
No honor, no name left behind.
Yes, that was the end befitting that old orc.
"...Send a messenger to the Sea King."
Swoosh!
Steel-willed, Quintus forcibly rose his wounded body.
"Tell the Sea King that this inadequate Demon, Quintus... will personally sever the heads of the orcs who dared invade Palro without fear and offer them up."
"...Keruk! Lord Quintus! You don't mean...!!"
"Keruk! Indeed."
Quintus gripped the gladius propped against the wall with his right hand and said.
"We'll pursue the pigs. Not a single one... not one will reach Sky Mountain alive."
The Blue Lightning orcs had come charging in first with intent.
To uphold Takryu's dignity and Quintus's own prestige.
It was only natural to give intruders a fitting welcome.
...Thud!
The bold strides reminiscent of a wolf were now heavy, as if weighted with iron.
Whether from blood loss draining his body, his vision kept blurring, warping the surroundings dizzily.
The longsword on his back was snapped in half, and a massive gash marred his abdomen.
The warrior, little more than a routed soldier, looked precarious.
And bearing the weight of his supported comrade only worsened the already dire situation.
"Krruk, krruk..."
Once a promising leader with steel-like flesh and inexhaustible stamina, the warrior had become as frail as a petal in a storm.
"Chiiiik... Nurbag."
The supported warrior spoke lowly.
"Leave... me behind."
"Chiiiik! Don't talk nonsense, Chieftain! Just a little further, just a bit more!"
Nurbag desperately tried to bolster Jorg, whose life flame flickered dimmer by the moment.
The chieftain's battle had been truly legendary.
Who would've thought he'd sever the arm of the wall-transcending monster, a Demon!
Even with Jorg and many past great warriors, the beast fields had seesawed back and forth.
Why hadn't they claimed it despite all those great warriors?
All because of the monster Quintus.
Reducing that Quintus's strength by half or more would drastically shift the beast fields' tide.
Abandon such a chieftain who'd earned such merit here?
Let this great warrior rot as field fodder?
That... that would tarnish the chieftain's honor.
Far too cruel for a great warrior.
"Chiiiik... Quintus... won't ever give up on me... That spindly bastard... never lets anyone who harmed him go..."
"Chiiiik! Not scared, Chieftain! Just some lizard who lost an arm!"
Nurbag shouted boldly, but he knew too.
If Quintus truly pursued, no number of warriors like himself could stop him.
"Chiiiik... If you keep stubbornly dragging me and our tribe all perishes... who will spread word of this old orc's feats...?"
...Plop!
Jorg weakly pushed off Nurbag's supporting shoulder.
"Go... Go tell them how this old one... fought Takryu... Let the hesitating orcs know this old one's end... ."
"...Chieftain!"
He was right. At this rate... even the surviving tribesmen would all die.
After agonizing torment, Nurbag finally steeled his resolve.