“Really now,” a man said with a shake of his head as he clicked his tongue. “There was no need for the both of us to tire ourselves out because of this. You’re just giving me more work.”
Signard didn’t reply to the man’s words.
Even if he wanted to, he couldn’t reply.
Signard was covered in blood and a large hand was wrapped around his throat. Like this, he couldn’t even breathe properly. When Signard finally managed to part his lips, the only sound that emerged was a faint moan.
“This is all because you misunderstood me,” the man said with a sigh as he shook his hand.
This set Signard’s body swaying back and forth like a doll hanging from a string as his blood sprayed across the floor.
The floor that was already covered in his blood.
“I had no intention of harming you,” the man claimed. “I have no desire to bully the weak.”
“...Krgh…” Signard groaned as he swallowed back the blood that was filling his mouth.
“Didn’t I say as much in the first place? I just wanted to stay here for a while, a few days at the very most. I wasn’t going to bother you and there was no need for you to pay any special attention to me either.”
Signard squeezed out the last dregs of his mana and strength, then he swung his arm as if he was trying to slice open the man’s throat with his hand.
“All I wanted—”
Before his hand had even reached the man’s throat, Signard’s body was smashed into the ground.
Baaang!
The ground shook, as clumps of blood and dirt sprang up into the air. Signard’s lips stretched wide open, but he wasn’t even able to release any of the excruciating pain that he was in with a scream.
“—was to stay here until that brat returned. Asking you to just pretend to be hostage, so that we could all have a pleasant negotiation… was that really such a difficult request for you to accept?” the man asked rhetorically.
It felt as if all the bones in Signard’s body had been shattered. As the last of the mana in his core had just been exhausted, he didn’t even have the strength to lift a finger.
The man’s figure appeared in Signard’s blurred vision. He was wearing a hood that cast a deep shadow over his face, of which only his golden eyes could be seen. Each time he opened his mouth, sharp fangs were revealed.
“...Kukugh!” While glaring at the man, Signard let out a gravelly attempt at laughter. “...Only a hostage? You weren’t going to hurt us…? Stop spouting… such bullshit.”
“Really now,” the man sighed once more. “There should be limits on how much someone can keep their guard up. Have you only ever encountered deceit your whole life?”
“Your… your very existence is poisonous to us. It infects us with that disease and pushes us closer to death,” Signard accused.
The man hummed in agreement, “Hm… that’s something that can’t be helped. However, it would be good if you would just recognize the fact that I don’t have any say in it. In fact, I pity you elves. The sight of you falling sick and dying is quite pathetic. Therefore—”
Signard interrupted him with a choked laugh. “Ka… kakakagh! Are you really trying to say… that we should be grateful for the chance to become dark elves…?”
“Isn’t it better than dying from disease?” the man asked. “You wouldn’t just be any dark elf either, I even offered you a recommendation so that you could serve directly under the Rakshasha Princess herself. It looks like you don’t know just how great of an opportunity that really is.”
Signard spat out, “Stop with your bullshit… and fuck off. You beast.”
The man no longer felt like smiling and feigning pleasantries. The word ‘beast’ was an unforgivable insult to the man — no, to the man’s whole race.
“It looks like you don’t understand your place,” the man hissed in a cold voice as he let go of Signard’s neck.
Looking around, the man spotted the other terrified elves. Some of the elves were strewn across the ground, covered in blood just like Signard was. These were the young elves who had stood alongside Signard to resist this violent invader.
But to this man, the resistance put up by the elves was nothing. Except for Signard, none of the other elves in this town could really be called a warrior. If they had that sort of strength in the first place, they wouldn’t have needed to come back to this forest.
“It should be alright if I kill a few more,” the man muttered to himself.
For this type of task, he needed to set an example. He had no intention of killing everyone here. If he successfully brought back all these people with him and gave them to the Rakshasa Princess, his big brother would also be happy as it meant that the Rakshasa Princess would owe them a favor.
In any case, there were a lot of elves here. There shouldn’t be any problems with killing two or three of them. As the man came to his decision, he raised a foot into the air above Signard, who was still collapsed on the floor.
His foot fell bit by bit.
The man intended to slowly crush Signard to death beneath his heel.
Then the man suddenly noticed something, “...Hm?”
Just before he could put his foot down, the man’s expression changed. While twisting his body around quickly, the man swung his arms at something.
Baaaaang!
The man’s figure disappeared with a loud roar. Signard, who had been prepared to die, couldn’t understand what had just taken place in front of him. His eyes had been able to keep up to the point where the man had swung his arms around in order to counter a ‘bombardment’ of some sort, but Signard couldn’t believe that this powerful monster had been sent flying so easily.
This was the power of the Dragon Spear Kharbos.
The downside of this spear was that it consumed too much mana, but as long as the user had enough mana, they could continue to shoot out powerful bombardments without needing any complicated magic formulas. Even though the bombardments fired by this weapon weren’t as strong as a true dragon’s Breath, the attacks it generated were overwhelmingly more powerful compared to the mana it consumed.
Eugene landed on the ground with the large Dragon Spear leaning against his shoulder. He looked around at the elves who had collapsed to the ground while covered in their own blood. Among all these casualties, Signard was the one in the most serious condition.
“...Ha—,” Signard unconsciously tried to call out ‘Hamel,’ only to realize what he was doing and quickly clamp his lips shut.
The one who had attacked them wasn’t dead yet.
“Who is that bastard?” Eugene said without another look down at Signard.
Eugene couldn’t afford to do so. Even though the Dragon Spear’s explosion had directly landed on its target, it hadn’t been enough to kill the man.
“...He said that he’s one of Jagon’s brothers. Eugene, he’s aiming for you,” Signard warned with a gasp.
Eugene’s face slightly stiffened as he heard the name Jagon. Although he had never met the man in his previous life, Eugene was familiar with the name.
It was the name of the current chief of the beastfolk who served under the Demon King of Destruction.
The son of Oberon.
Even if he didn’t know anything else, Eugene wouldn’t be able to help but recognize Jagon’s name because the beastman had torn out the throat of Oberon — his own father — and usurped the position of chief. Oberon had been so violent and powerful that he had even taken the title ‘The Depraved’ for himself, so as the son who had been able to kill someone like Oberon, it was clear that the man had to be at least as crazy and vicious as Oberon.
“...Siblings, you say,” Eugene muttered as a corner of his mouth twisted. “But it looks like he doesn’t really resemble his father.”
The man who had been sent flying into the distance had stood up once more. Although Eugene had already felt this from the moment that the attack had landed, it looked like there weren't any serious wounds on the man’s body. It was just to the extent that the cloak the man had been wearing had become ragged.
‘He showed a quick reaction,’ Eugene noted to himself.
He had shot out the attack from a reasonable distance. Eugene couldn’t do anything about the sound it made when it was launched, but the Dragon Spear’s attack wasn’t something that could be avoided just by hearing the roar of the shot before it landed.
“Ptew.” The man spat out some blood from his mouth as he stared at Eugene. “Eugene Lionheart. You’ve returned much more quickly than I expected.”
Now that his robe had been turned into rags, the man’s appearance could be seen clearly.
Lycanthropes were a mutation developed from vampires and demonfolk. Like vampires, they could increase their numbers by feeding others their blood. Even if someone was once human, once they were infected with lycanthropy, their soul would be stained with demonic essence.
Beastfolk were different from lycanthropes. Just like the elves and the dwarves, beastfolk were just a separate race from the humans. They weren’t able to change between human and beast forms like a lycanthrope; instead, their appearance held a mixture of a beast and a human from the moment that they were born.
In other words, they could be described as beasts with human intelligence. In that regard, most beastfolk still retained their bestial instincts and those beastfolk who were born in the wild were especially susceptible to being swayed by their natural impusles.
In order to live in this world, you needed to know how to suppress your own instincts. The difference between beastfolk and beasts was merely whether or not they had the reason needed to suppress their own bestial natures.
However, three hundred years ago, the beastfolk led by Oberon had fully unleashed their true natures. They had all lived as predators, like the carnivores that fed on herbivores. And not just any carnivores, but wild predators that stood at the top of the food chain. Instead of using reason to suppress their true natures, these predators used their ability to reason to kill even more effectively and take delight in the act of slaughter.
The man who was now walking over to them was one such predator. A beast who was able to walk like a human. He had golden eyes and fangs, and his face looked like a mix between a tiger and a human. Unlike beasts, he had the upper limbs of a human, but tiger-like stripes clearly stood out against the fur covering his body.
“So you said that you’re a brother of Jagon?” Eugene asked as he glared at the beast. “That means should also be a son of the Depraved Oberon. From what I’ve heard, Oberon was a bear. If you’re the younger brother of his son, why are you a tiger?”
“Brat,” the man said as he licked his lips with a smile. “You should be careful with what you say. Our former commander’s name bears far too much weight to be used carelessly by someone like you.”
“A bastard beast pretending to be a human,” Eugene scoffed as he tucked Kharbos back into his cloak. “Are you some kind of mongrel? Did a tiger happen to catch Oberon’s eye, so when he had kids with her, the eldest son Jagon was born as a bear and you, the second son, was born as a tiger?”
The man growled, “I said—”
“If that’s the case, then it’s quite a surprise,” Eugene interrupted him without any hesitation. “To think that a child could actually be born between a bear and a tiger…! Even a bastard beast like you knows what a mule is, right? It’s a hybrid that’s born between a horse and a donkey. It’s said that such hybrids cannot produce any children no matter what gender they’re born as, so… are you a eunuch as well as a beast?”
“—be careful with your words,” the man spat out as his face twisted into a scowl.
Eugene also no longer had a smiling expression on his face.
“If I am careful with my words, are you really just going to let me go as I please?” Eugene asked, his hands still inside his cloak. “You’ve come here to kill me, haven’t you? So no matter what I say, you’re going to try and kill me, so why should I watch my mouth?”
This man knew exactly who Eugene was, but Eugene had never once revealed his identity upon entering Samar. In this forest, only Kristina and the elves living in this village knew about him.
So the fact that this bastard beast had come here in order to catch Eugene meant that….
‘Who was it?’ Eugene asked himself.
Someone outside of the forest had opened his mouth. Could it have been someone from the Holy Empire? Or perhaps… it might even have been someone from the Lionheart clan’s side of things. Eugene didn’t want to even imagine that this was a possibility.
Among the members of the Lionheart clan, not many had been informed that Eugene would be going to Samar.
There was Genos, Commander of the Second Division of the Knights of the Black Lion; Doynes, Head of the Council; and Gilead, the Patriarch. Apart from those three, no one else had been informed of the fact that Eugene was heading to Samar. Even Eugene’s biological father, Gerhard, and the twins, Cyan and Ciel, were unaware of Eugene’s departure from the Black Lion Castle.
“You sure have a disgusting mouth on you, brat,” the man said without any attempt to conceal his bared fangs. “If I was going to kill you, then I could have killed you at any point before now. Did you know? When you picked up the one-legged elf, I was the one who took care of the warriors from the Garung tribe that were chasing after you.”
“Thanks for taking care of such a troublesome task for us,” Eugene said insincerely.
He had thought that the pursuit was a bit looser than he’d been expecting. Eugene narrowed his eyes as he glared at the man. That being said, this meant that the man had been following Eugene right from the very beginning.
‘I didn’t even notice,’ Eugene thought regretfully.
It couldn’t be helped. No matter how sharp Eugene’s senses were, it was impossible for him to have noticed someone who was following them from such a considerable distance. On the other hand, the man had already been aware of Eugene, and the uniquely strong sense of smell that beastfolk shared meant that he wouldn’t lose Eugene’s scent even from a distance.
“So you were saying… that your goal isn’t to kill me? So what is your purpose?” Eugene asked.
“Unlike that stupid elf, it seems that we’re able to communicate,” the man said as his slips twisted nto a smile. “My name is Barang. Brat, about what you’ve been yapping, I might not share the same blood as Jagon, but we do share a bond of brotherhood between us.”
As he had thought. Wasn’t it impossible for a tiger to be the descendant of a bear?
“The reason I’ve been following you is in order to find the elven domain that’s said to be hidden somewhere within this forest,” Barang explained.
Eugene listened silently, “....”
“Brat, I saw you enter the elven territory. Since I wasn’t able to enter along with you, I came here instead in order to wait for you, but that elf bastard sprawled at your feet tried to attack me first while saying that he was going to kill me,” Barang stated calmly.
“Of course he’d attack you,” Eugene said as a smile twisted the corners of his lips. “So what, are you asking me to lead you to the elven territory?”
“That’s right, let’s just keep things simple and make a deal,” Barang said with a nod.
“And what happens after I lead you there?” Eugene inquired.
“Then we can just part ways with a smile.” Barang reassured him, “Like I said, I have no intention of killing you.”
Eugene changed the subject, “Why are you looking for the domain?”
“I have no intention of telling you that,” Barang denied.
“Fine. If that’s the case, I’ll ask you something else. Who’s the one who flapped his lips and told you about me?” Eugene demanded.
Barang warned him, “You shouldn’t try to know too much, brat.”
“It seems that even though you’re asking so much from me, in reality, it looks like you don’t really want to grant me anything that I desire,” Eugene observed.
“Such unreasonableness is the privilege of the strong,” Barang boasted with a chuckle.
Instead of making another reply, Eugene tilted his head to the side.
‘He says that in the end, we’re just going to part ways with a smile?’
As if that would really happen. Eugene couldn’t trust Barang’s words.
Moreover, he was asking Eugene to lead him into the elven territory. It was an unthinkable request. Sienna and the other elves were still sealed away in the World Tree that stood in the center of the elven domain.
Although he didn’t know why that bestial bastard wanted to enter the elven territory, or what he was going to do there once he entered, Eugene didn’t even have the slightest intention of leading him there.
And this wasn’t an opponent that he could turn away with words alone.
“...Eugene, run away,” Signard squeezed out from between trembling lips.
Barang also heard these words. He laughed loudly and shook his head.
“Are you really asking him to abandon over a hundred elves?” Barang taunted Signard.
Signard’s face contorted at these words. …If he sacrificed himself, would it be possible to stall for time?
No, that was impossible. Even though Signard had charged at him with all his might, that beast didn’t even have a single wound on him. Regardless of how much weaker Signard had gotten from his prime due to being afflicted with the Demonic Disease, it was an indisputable fact that this beast was strong.
Eugene was also aware of this fact. This was a tough guy who had only received minor injuries even after being hit by a bombardment from the Dragon Spear. It was impossible for Eugene to fight Barang and win.
“Sir Eugene!”
A voice called out from behind him. It was Kristina, who had been following after him and had just now reached the village. With a pale face, she took in Signard and the other elves who had been horribly wounded. Eugene stretched out a hand and stopped Kristina when it looked like she was about to come to his side.
“Stay there,” he ordered her.
“...Huh?” Kristina gasped with a puzzled expression, unable to understand his reason for this.
Eugene took a step forward. Barang smiled at this step, as if he thought Eugene was foolish for doing so.
Barang had heard about this brat, Eugene Lionheart. A genius who was said to be the ‘next incarnation’ of the founding ancestor from the history of the Lionheart clan.
But Barang could only see him as a nineteen-year-old young boy.
Barang scoffed. “Just give up, brat.”
Eugene had no intention of negotiating with Barang, nor did he intend to follow Barang’s orders.
‘The fortunate thing is…’
Eugene checked the weapons stored within his cloak. There were dozens of miscellaneous weapons, as well as the Storm Sword Wynnyd, the Devouring Sword Azphel, the Dragon Spear Kharbos, and the Thunderbolt Pernoa.
Then, there was the Moonlight Sword.
‘...I have plenty of weapons, and…’
Eugene pulled out his right hand that had been immersed within his cloak. Brang smirked and shook his head. The hand that emerged from his cloak wasn’t holding any weapons.
Instead, Eugene placed his right hand on his chest.
‘...I’ve got a high-ranking priest here who can stop the worst of the side effects.’
This wasn’t an enemy that he could handle as he was now, so Eugene would just have to adjust his own condition so that he could handle Barang.
The nineteen-year-old Eugene couldn’t handle the Barang in front of him.
However, the Hamel he’d been in his previous life would definitely have won.
If his current abilities weren’t enough, then….
He would just need to get close to the abilities from his prime.
‘Ignition,’ Eugene chanted silently.
Eugene’s right hand stayed on his chest. The mana flowing from his hand put pressure on his heart and his Cores.
Badump.
Everyone could hear the loud beat of his heart.
A burst of flames rushed out from him in the shape of a lion’s mane.
