The Black Wolf Tribe's Feast

"Mmm."

"What is it? Hungry?"

"Yeah!"

At those bright, sparkling eyes, Luden fished a strip of dried jerky out of his pocket.

Sara snatched it away in one swift grab and stuffed the whole thing into her mouth, chewing away contentedly.

"Good, isn't it?"

"Yeah!"

"There, there. There's plenty more, so take your time."

Her tail swayed back and forth in a way that clearly said she was pleased, and it was honestly rather adorable.

"Well, that's a first. Sara's never taken to anyone before."

"Really?"

"Even back in the village, all she ever did was hunt. She rarely played with the rest of us."

Ruka poked his head out from the cargo compartment, blinking as he looked back and forth between Sara and Luden, who sat on the driver's bench.

He looked quite fascinated by the whole thing.

"Anyway, we'll be reaching the forest soon. They're not going to attack us on sight, are they?"

"No problem. We have good noses."

In other words, as long as he stayed with these children, the tribe would sense them coming well in advance.

No need to worry about being set upon without warning, then.

"So they might even come out to meet us."

Before long, the wagon arrived at the vast forest.

The Wolf Forest.

The moment Luden laid eyes on the dense, sprawling woods, an involuntary frown creased his brow.

I never thought I'd come back here.

In his past life, Luden had fought a desperate, bloody battle against the Black Wolf Tribe in this very forest.

It was not a fond memory.

The sight of beastfolk prowling these woods like it was their own hunting ground, picking off humans one by one — that had been terror incarnate.

It had haunted his nightmares for a long while afterward.

The Black Wolf children, on the other hand, were positively glowing at finally being home.

"We'll guide you from here."

"That's probably for the best."

Beyond this point lay Black Wolf territory.

Ruka and the children took the lead through the forest, with Luden following behind.

"Hehe."

"Sara. The human is uncomfortable. Get off him now."

"I'm fine! How much farther is it?"

"Not much longer. By now the village has probably already heard we're coming."

The moment Ruka said those words—

someone dropped down in front of them without warning.

"Halt. This is the territory of our Black Wolf Tribe."

"Kyle!"

The man glaring sharply down at them was a Black Wolf tribesman, same as the children.

Judging by how warmly Ruka greeted him, he seemed to be part of the welcoming party from the village.

No—

Luden studied him, then glanced casually around.

Of course. We were being watched from the very start.

Before he knew it, other Black Wolf tribesmen had surrounded them on all sides.

Every single eye fixed on Luden burned with hostility.

"Human who travels with the children of our lost tribe. Answer me. Were you the one who kidnapped them?"

The question, delivered amid that murderous atmosphere, came from the man called Kyle.

He was calmer than the others.

The moment he'd confirmed the children were safe, he'd moved to assess the situation — which suggested he was someone dialogue could reach.

At least that's something.

Keeping his guard up inwardly, Luden stepped forward and spoke.

"No. I came only to return these children to their home. I have no intention of harming you whatsoever."

"It's true. Kyle, this human saved us."

When Ruka backed him up, the tribesmen stirred.

Apparently none of them had expected a kidnapped child to defend a human.

"……"

Kyle, the only one who had kept his composure, fell deep into thought as he looked between Luden and the children.

A crease formed between his brows, as if he were genuinely weighing the matter.

After a moment, he spoke.

"I will take you to the Chieftain. Follow me."

"Kyle!"

"Announcing that the children have returned comes first. And whatever this human's intentions may be, as long as we're watching him, he can't try anything foolish."

At that, the other tribesmen reluctantly relented.

They might grumble, but it was clear they deferred to Kyle's judgment.

And so Luden was escorted to the Black Wolf village under a barrage of wary stares.

The Black Wolf Tribe's village lay at the very heart of the Wolf Forest.

Built in the middle of the dense woods, the settlement was far more orderly than Luden had imagined.

So this is my first time actually seeing it.

In his past life, this had been a village soaked in blood, trampled mercilessly by human hands.

Being escorted here now, Luden couldn't help but feel a strange swirl of emotions.

Even if the stares directed at him were anything but friendly.

Upon arriving at the village, Luden was brought before the Chieftain at once.

"I am Vargar. Are you the human who saved our tribe's children?"

"I am."

Under the Chieftain's piercing gaze, Luden answered with due courtesy.

The thick white hair and deeply lined face certainly looked aged, but the fighting spirit radiating from those sharp eyes seemed stronger than any of the beastkin he'd met only moments before.

"I would hear the full circumstances."

"Of course."

Luden told him the same story he'd given Viscount Valen.

All the while, he made sure to emphasize that Bern was innocent of any wrongdoing.

The Black Wolf Tribe had been the victim in this ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠affair, but Bern had suffered for it as well.

With Drag, the ringleader, already gone, there was no reason left for the two sides to fight.

"Viscount Valen has said he will come in person before long to offer his apologies. He said that because this happened through his own oversight, he has no face to show you."

"A human leader would do that?"

Luden nodded at Vargar's faintly surprised expression.

He'd only met the man once, but Viscount Valen was responsible and possessed sound judgment.

He would hardly want his relations with the Black Wolf Tribe ruined either.

And Vargar, it seemed, had reached the same conclusion.

"Very well. The children have returned safely, so we too shall lay no further hand on the humans. That matter was only ever a few hot-blooded fools acting on their own — I'll see they're sternly reprimanded."

"Thank you."

"It is we who should be saying that. Though you had no part in this affair, you brought our children home unharmed. As Chieftain of the Black Wolf Tribe, I offer you my gratitude."

So many windows flashed before his eyes that they blurred together.

Every fiber of him wanted to check the rewards right that instant, but Luden forced his gaze away.

Vargar was still speaking.

"If there is anything you desire, speak it. Though we have no treasure that humans would covet, we beastfolk never forget a debt of gratitude."

"No, thank you. I didn't do this expecting anything in return."

That was his answer, but Luden's heart felt rather different.

He fought desperately to keep the corners of his mouth from curling upward.

"Hoh. Rare for a human to be so free of greed. But you are our benefactor. Should you ever need the strength of the Black Wolf Tribe — whatever it may be — I will aid you."

"In that case, there is one thing I would ask."

Luden had saved the kidnapped children to prevent the war of his past life.

But there had been one other reason as well.

A single fact that had come to light after the war with the Black Wolf Tribe ended.

Something that had once been the hottest topic of conversation among mercenaries — and Luden asked for it now.

"I want to go to the Black Temple."

"How do you know of that place?!"

Vargar, who hadn't lost his composure even when the children had returned, widened his eyes in shock for the very first time.

The Black Temple.

It was the name of a dungeon — an ancient ruin — hidden deep within the Wolf Forest.

That night, a feast was held in the Black Wolf village.

It was part celebration of the children's safe return, part welcome for Luden.

A great pile of logs stacked at the center of the village roared with flame, pushing back the darkness.

Around it, the Black Wolf tribesmen roasted the day's catch ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a golden brown.

"Human. Try this."

"No, eat this one! The finest game I caught today!"

"Don't get cocky over some scrawny minnow. Mine's bigger!"

Faced with tribesmen tripping over each other to shove food at him, Luden managed an awkward smile.

These were the same people who'd brimmed with killing intent when he first arrived — watching them crowd around in excitement was hard to get used to.

Wait. Come to think of it, this isn't the first time, is it? It was like this before, too.

Back then they'd simply been far more ferocious, and bared their fangs while doing it.

Their change in attitude came down to one thing: they now knew Luden was the children's benefactor.

While he'd spoken with the Chieftain, the villagers had heard the full story from Ruka and the children as well.

Beastfolk always repay a grudge — but more than that, they never forget a kindness.

To the Black Wolf Tribe, Luden was the village's honored guest.

Still, this is a bit of a problem.

He was grateful for the hospitality, but the food they kept offering was uniformly dire.

Beastfolk had no concept of cooking.

They gnawed their game raw, and the closest thing to preparation was holding it over a fire.

Meat reeking of gaminess, blood still dripping from it — even Luden couldn't quite work up the courage to put it in his mouth.

Such were the beastfolk.

So wildly feral that he wouldn't even dream of imitating them.

Fortunately, someone came to his rescue.

"That's enough, all of you. Can't you see the human is struggling?"

"Kyle."

It was Kyle, the man who had escorted him to the village.

As he approached, the other tribesmen parted to make way.

"Human. We meet again."

"Ruka's here too. And Sa—"

"Kyang!"

"Oof—!"

Suddenly Luden's whole body lurched.

He'd let his guard down, which made the impact all the greater.

Barely keeping his balance, Luden looked down at the little girl clinging to his chest.

"Sara, there you are."

"Hehe!"

Her tail wagged with pure delight.

Would it be rude to say she was like a puppy greeting its owner after a long day apart?

Kyle watched with an expression of open fascination.

"So it was true. Sara actually took to a human."

"Perhaps because I saved her?"

"I don't think that's it. She lost her parents ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠last year — maybe she caught a familiar scent on you."

So there was a story behind it.

But a familiar scent?

Luden surreptitiously raised his arm to his nose, but smelled nothing at all.

"Anyway — I heard from the Chieftain. You'll be staying in the village for a while. Is that true?"

"Yes, well. It is. I have my reasons, so I'll be imposing on their hospitality for the time being."

After some deliberation, the Chieftain had ultimately accepted Luden's request.

But not right away.

Reaching the Black Temple required a fair amount of preparation, and so Luden had agreed to stay in the village for the time being.

"I see."

At his nod, not only Ruka and Sara but — for some reason — even Kyle's face lit up.

Then he squared his shoulders and declared with confidence:

"If you need anything, just say the word. I'm the one who brought you here, so I'll take responsibility and look after you."

"Oh, you really don't have to go that far—"

"Human. I shall show you around our village."

"That's very kind, but—"

Do beastfolk just physically die if they don't repay a favor?

He was musing on exactly that when—

"Huh?"

Luden's eyes went round at the window that had popped up out of nowhere.

But it didn't stop there.

What?

"Human, what's the matter?"

"N-nothing. Just enjoying the fire."

"Hmm. Staring into the flames, are you? Nothing wrong with that, but mind you don't wet the bed tonight."

Kyle's oddly out-of-character joke went entirely unheard.

Luden could barely conceal his bewilderment at the windows popping up one after another.

He managed his expression quickly enough, but his heart refused to settle.

A party?

It wasn't that he had no suspicions.

But why at this exact moment?

Half hoping, half dreading, Luden carefully opened his mouth.

"Party Window."