Chapter 112
Chapter 112
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 112
Chapter Title: Befriending the Beastkin
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Did she smell the aroma of the meal I was making, or was it the warmth of the cozy tent?
“Mm...”
Kasena Page let out a short murmur in her sleep before abruptly sitting up in a panic, staring blankly down at her own hands.
“Are you feeling better now?”
“Huh? Oh! I feel like I had the weirdest dream...”
“Kasena, Kasena, Kasena.”
As Pipi rubbed her head against Kasena’s cheek, Kasena finally let out a sigh of relief.
But then her face drained of color as she took in the people around her.
“B-Be-Beastkin...?!”
That seemed like a normal reaction, but before I could quickly caution her against rudeness, Kasena’s eyes sparkled.
“Real beastkin? Like, actual real beastkin?!”
Huh?
Beduel and Barlzen were even more shocked by her innocent reaction than I was.
No, could you even call that innocent? Wouldn’t an innocent reaction involve trembling in fear?
The shock didn’t end there.
She crawled over, linked arms with Kasena—who was glaring at her with arms crossed—and started petting Barlzen’s wolf ears, beaming brightly.
“Y-You bald little brat! Are you begging to die?!”
Barlzen jumped in alarm, scrambling to her feet and batting away Kasena’s hand with a growl, but Kasena’s eyes still sparkled.
“Um... miss, aren’t you scared? It’s a beastkin.”
“Not scared! Why would I be scared of beastkin?”
“???”
When we heard the story behind it, it turned out Kasena had never been taught that beastkin were cursed beings. Madelia Page’s foresight was impressive.
On top of that, after age six, she’d been so isolated from peers, tutors, and others that no strange rumors could creep in.
In fact, Kasena even harbored some wild fantasies about beastkin, something like this:
“Weirdly, all the old adventure books had stories about meeting beastkin, but the newer ones don’t!”
“Adventure books...?”
“So I planned to go meet beastkin myself and write my own adventure book once my legs healed! But now I’ve met them here!”
The gap in adventure books...
Something must have happened. I’d definitely investigate once we got down from the barrier.
“Anyway, I’m hungry! What’s that smell?”
“Perfect timing. It’s ready. Just a moment.”
That was also the moment I finally reintroduced ‘Lin’s Special Charcoal-Grilled Beef Soup’ to the world after so long.
As I served it heaping on a plate, Kasena drooled.
“Want some too, Barlzen?”
I offered Barlzen the ‘Lin’s Special Firewood Charcoal Skewers’ I’d made for myself. These were killer—my ultimate weapon.
“Me too, me too!”
“No, miss.”
Barlzen instinctively sniffed the savory aroma but haughtily turned her head at my question.
“Hmph, meat’s all the same meat. How can you become a warrior just stripping it and eating?!”
“Uh...”
“That’s why you baldies are hopeless. A true warrior eats meat raw, in any state, and absorbs the nutrients.”
“Still, just try it once. It’s not like we’re in a fight right now... or do you still not trust me?”
She really, really didn’t want to, but with the kid staring up like that, something stabbed at her heart.
She glanced at Beduel for help, but he just nodded encouragingly instead of assisting.
Damn it...
Running from an attacker was a warrior’s shame. In the end, Barlzen watched Kasena devour the chunks in her soup and swallowed hard.
“D-Delicious! Rain, this is so good!”
“Right?”
Seeing the pale purple kid scarf it down without issue meant no poison. Fine, my turn...
‘Mm, uwooooooh—?!’
Lightning stormed through my brain, dizziness hitting from the intense signals exploding from my taste buds.
What was this smoky char?
And this rich flavor?
Did meat juice taste like this?
As I wrestled the whirlwind of questions in my head, the heavy weight in my hand suddenly vanished.
“Gasp.”
I realized the truth in shock. I’d unconsciously devoured every bit on the skewer.
“Want another?”
“Me! Give it to me first!”
Staring at the empty skewer and the grinning kid made me feel oddly defeated, anger bubbling up.
“Don’t get cocky. It was so bad I swallowed it all at once. Who’d eat this crap? Only corpses would gobble it.”
“Really? It was my masterpiece... Sorry.”
“No, idiot! I just said it like that. It’s not that bad... Yeah, it was delicious, you punk! Don’t get all sulky over a man’s words!”
“Then one more?”
“...”
Barlzen glanced nervously outside the tent, then subtly shook her head as if afraid someone might see. As Rain and Pipi giggled, she immediately spat fire.
“It’s been ages since I’ve seen Barlzen get along with anyone like that. And with human kids, no less.”
Even Alakishi, who always maintained dignified composure, twitched an eyebrow at the bizarre—well, what should have been normal—situation.
「Truly strange children.」
“Yeah, tell me about it.”
Beduel, sitting beside her, replied in surprise before smiling faintly.
“But it’s not bad.”
* * *
After the brief commotion, I explained the situation to Kasena Page.
Everything at the Papal Office was true. We’d been transported here by Karen-den’s (probably) power, and survived thanks to Alakishi’s help.
It was a bit worrying, but Kasena took it more calmly than expected.
She even approached Alakishi warmly, peppering her with questions, shocking everyone again.
Later, I learned she’d been jealous of my friendly chat with Yoshuhar at the Papal Office. And upset I hadn’t introduced her.
“The important part starts now. Listen up.”
“Y-Yeah!”
“The beastkin are under a serious misunderstanding right now, one that’s led to conflict after conflict, nearly sparking war with humans. We desperately need your help here.”
Kasena, who’d been nodding eagerly, tilted her head.
“But misunderstanding? What kind?”
I had to glance at Beduel and Barlzen, but Beduel nodded that it was fine to tell.
So I carefully relayed what Beduel had told me—the bond between Enuel and the shock troops, and the loyalty passed down through generations.
Worried I’d missed something, Kasena suddenly teared up, nodding furiously and sniffling loudly.
“I-I undwerstand...! Me, Rain and me...! I’ll hewp Barlzen...! Onwy me, onwy me can...!”
I knew she was straightforward and simple, but not to this extent...
Still, maybe that simplicity struck a chord with warriors.
It was obvious even to outsiders that War Chief Barlzen—and the warriors eavesdropping outside—were deeply moved (they couldn’t hide their expressions).
“Wh-Who asked for your help? Don’t need it! Taking aid from bald brats is a warrior’s shame!”
“No, no, we’ll help...!”
“I said don’t need it! Ugh, gross! Where are you wiping that snot?!”
“No! I said I’d help!!!”
“Get off me, kid! And you, why’ve you been groping my ears since earlier?”
Her tone was still sharp, but the hostility in Barlzen’s eyes and voice from our first meeting was strangely gone.
I’d thought convincing Kasena would be the biggest hurdle, but we’d end up receiving her help instead.
The world is full of the unexpected, and that’s what makes it so beautiful...
With that thought, as the boy climbed one more step toward truth.
Socrafres.
- You can inherit ‘Unique Magic’ research progress from the surrounding environment.
- Progress: 50% -> 53.8%.
Rain and Pipi exchanged smiles watching Kasena tussle while clinging to Barlzen’s back, and a smile bloomed on Alakishi’s lips.
‘Strange children carrying the scent of gods...’
Her smile then turned to the dragon egg she carried preciously on her back, never parting from it—Alakishi’s clone and the vessel of her daughter’s life.
‘My daughter, I hope one day you can emit such a scent too.’
* * *
Over the ten days the Durankus tribe prepared to depart, I grew fairly close to the tribesfolk.
Barlzen grumbled but introduced each member and let me greet them, and the beastkin gradually lowered their guards, finding it novel.
Of course, the power of ‘Lin’s Special Firewood Charcoal Skewers’ helped, but I won’t explain lest it sound pathetic.
“What’s this?”
“Oh, this is ‘Delicious.’”
“Food’s named ‘Delicious’?”
“It’s ‘Rain’s Special Charcoal Skewers,’ but I figured you might not know the word...”
“?”
Truth be told, I nearly got labeled a lunatic and lost all trust, but I’d never admit it.
Fortunately, a chance to recover came: the undead raid on the sixth night amid the blizzard.
“U-Undead!”
Harbadonia, influenced by the Mountains of Madness, coexisted with undead, so warriors slept by day and acted at night.
Grown in such an environment, the beastkin warriors led by Barlzen fought impressively.
“Coming at us in a fearless swarm!”
They clashed with undead in pure melee. Just straightforward brawling.
Using massive builds, sharp fangs, and claws to rip undead limbs, rendering them immobile...
Normal human soldiers would stab futilely with spears and swords before fleeing in despair at their tenacity, but these beastkin were experts against the abyss.
Watching Barlzen claw through an undead heart then bite off another’s head from behind drew a wry laugh from me.
“This isn’t the time to admire!”
“Right. Miss, don’t use magic.”
“Why?”
“This is a melee where battle mages struggle—one wrong move and you hit allies.”
“You?”
Me? I’d experienced this ad nauseam in my Lin days.
No problem.
A fireball from my palm soared high, splitting into countless shooting stars raining on the undead. Coordinates perfect.
Roooar────!
Sparks targeted legs, crippling mobility, while ground fires rose as barriers, blocking paths.
“Not bad!”
Proudly, the beastkin whistled and thumbs-upped.
Kasena then telekinetically smashed a rock into an undead face, shrugging smugly.
But with no reaction, she pouted with fish-eyes.
“What?! Why no thumbs-up for me?!”
You want praise for that?
As beastkin scratched heads awkwardly, Kasena’s cheeks flushed red, cheeks puffing as she hurled objects wildly with telekinesis.
“No, stop! We’re sorry! Here, thumbs-up!”
The commotion paused as Alakishi, back from scouting, breathed fire, incinerating all undead.
An absolute lifeform indeed—such overwhelming disparity left even fellow beings humbled... No room for envy or despair.
Still, our efforts paid off; trust skyrocketed after. And one annoying thing increased.
“Teach me fire magic too!”
“Huh?”
“Teach me fire magic so I can fight like you, Rain!”
“You said no before even if I offered.”
“Teach me!”
Annoying, but in an emergency, making her part of the firepower seemed wise.
Time for intensive fire magic training.
「Hm?」
Then something infuriatingly enviable happened.
Alakishi, watching my lesson curiously, analyzed Kasena’s bloodline limit and taught her dragon words decoded into runes.
Kasena wielded them instantly. Drawing runes in air with fingertips birthed intense flames spewing massive heat.
“See? See?!”
Kasena turned, beaming innocently.
I was too shocked to reply immediately. Just one or two runes rivaled 3-star power...
I tried mimicking, but the decoded dragon words resembled witches’ incantation altigma, so I gave up.
Never envied the Page bloodline more. Damn, I want true dragon lessons too. Such chances are rare.
“Stronger than that one you used before?!”
“Seems so...”
I mumbled weakly; thinking me sulky, Alakishi gently patted my head (she occasionally acted un-dragonlike) and shook her head.
「It’s just a knack for dragon words, unrelated to Emit’s bloodline. Or perhaps thanks to it.」
That was meant as comfort, right?
Still, checking my journal’s unique magic progress rise was some solace.
“Wow, 53.8%!”
Days passed like that until the tenth dawn.
Beastkin moved by dismantling village tents whole, leaving the site empty by day ten.
Chief Beduel sprinkled sea elephant blood from his morning hunt, offering brief prayer.
“El Duira Tur Quiusveira (May the sun light our path).”
“““Durciel (So we pray).”””
Leaving their millennial home, the beastkin faces weren’t bright. Even Barlzen glanced back occasionally.
Remembering my departure from Osarius Academy tower and that loss, I deeply understood.
“You’ll come back, Barlzen.”
“Come back? When? How? The abyss’ll devour everything.”
“The day the abyss ends.”
Barlzen snorted disbelievingly, then softly patted my head reassuringly (so unexpected I jolted) before directing warriors into arrowhead formation.
I paused, gazing north at the mountains piercing heaven blasphemously from world’s end, stretching endlessly.
‘Mountains of Madness...’
Why?
The wind swirling that wondrous forbidden snowscape sounded eerily at times.
Like ancient ominous flute... chills prickled my spine each time. But no fear.
- You can’t stop the abyss’s corrosion. You were just chosen to deliver.
We’ll see.
I’m a grand mage, after all.
I clenched my fist resolutely toward the mountains, then ran to Kasena Page and Pipi waving ahead.
* * *
......Whooooosh………….
Somewhere in that devilishly ominous glowing mountain, in an abyssal spacetime beyond mortal senses or immortal eyes.
A primordial horror twisted in eons of agony, unleashing a chilling scream, shattering the dread abyss and quaking dimensions.
The cause of endless torment: the [Hot Things] sealing the king’s limbs.
The seal: chain-like overall. Chains sun-like, emitting unbearable heat incinerating all on contact.
Bound in thousands of layers, the king groaned ceaselessly in transcendent forbidden spacetime.
Yet even this seal couldn’t eternally withstand the kings’ immortal authority and absolute abyss.
Bit by bit, steadily, slowly.
Erosion gnawing the chains’ framework over ages snapped one link now, greatly weakening the seal.
Du……
……Abiras……
…………Graam Shar'kas…….
From the spacetime rift, a forgotten king’s edict leaked, flowing to the barren mid-mountains of ancient eternal snows.
The absolute thought swirled luridly, staining clouds with complex glows, reaching a boy impaled heart-first on a light wedge against an ice wall.
As it lunged, the wedge blackened with erosion, soon shattering into countless light shards powerless.
「…….」
This land: millennium of isolation, desolation, deathly silence in untouched snowscape.
But as the boy’s eyes cracked open in the snow, supreme abyss rampaged, beasts fleeing in mad howls shaking the mountains.
Meanwhile, in the calmly rising boy’s body, spiderweb blackness wove, instantly regenerating all pierced heart tissues and organs.
「Eurtiema, ron Shar'kas al broos.」
Boy prostrating to the thought, polite primordial tongue translating thus:
My king.
Your Shar'kas is here.
Had one from gods’ era witnessed this despair, they’d flee desperately, screaming:
He awoke, he has awakened.
The spider lordling Shar'kas...