On the next day, Lux was woken up by a loud squeal from a pig that sounded like it was about to be slaughtered.
Originally, he planned to ignore it, but for some reason, the squeal sounded very familiar to him.
"It's not possible, right?" Lux muttered as he got up from bed and did a bit of stretching. However, the squeal only became louder as the minutes passed by, making him frown.
Out of curiosity, Lux got out of his tent and went to where the squealing was coming from.
It was then he saw an unexpected scene that made him wonder if he was still dreaming.
Cai, the shameless boar, was tied up and hung upside down over an open fire. Standing in front of the bonfire was a young lady, with hair that only extended down to her shoulders.
Just like Cai's human form, the young lady had sun-kissed skin and was quite a beauty as well. Lux believed that given two to three more years, the young lady would blossom into a charming lady that would make the heads of any man turn to look at her.
Currently, this young lady, who seemed to be at least two years younger than Cai, had her arms crossed over her chest, as she looked at the squealing pig with a determined look on her face.
"Xander, add more Rosewood to the fire," the young lady ordered.
"P-Priestess, I think you should calm down a bit and talk with Cai in a calm and civilized manner," Xander replied anxiously.
"Are you going to do it, or should I also have you tied up, so you can be roasted alongside her?" The young lady asked with a glare.
"How many should I add?" Xander's attitude had a complete reversal after receiving the young lady's glare, which made his heart tremble.
The young lady sneered after seeing Xander's change of heart. "A dozen will do. Make sure to pick the ones that burn well!"
Cai, who was still tied up on a stick, squealed louder as she hurled insults at Xander who betrayed her.
"Xander, you traitor!" Cai roared. "I hope you grow bald in a year! I will pray and ask the Gods to make you impotent!"
Xander, who had just been cursed by Cai, looked at the young lady with a smile.
"Priestess, a dozen won't do," Xander stated. "How about we make it two dozen?"
"Good!" the young lady replied. "I want to see her burn!"
The Half-Elf watched as Xander threw several logs of wood on the fire, making it larger. Lux couldn't believe that Cai's retainer, who would give his life to protect her, didn't dare to provoke the young lady, whose hands were now resting on her hips.
'Just what the hell is going on?' Lux thought as he scanned the surroundings.
The members of the Tribe were looking at the spectacle sneakily through the partitions of their tents. Those who were outside were pretending that they weren't seeing anything as they went about their business.
It was at that moment when Lux spotted a middle-aged man peeking through the tent of the main residence. Recognizing the other party, the Half-Elf looked at him in a dumbfounded manner.
As if sensing Lux's gaze, Maximilian hurriedly let go of the tent flap as if nothing was happening.
'Even Sir Maximilian didn't want to offend this young lady?' Lux thought. 'Just who is this girl?'
Keane, who stood not far away, looked at the young lady as if she was an angel. He had never seen anyone bully Cai so much that it made him wonder if he was still dreaming.
Just like Lux, he hurried over after hearing Cai's squealing. But, after seeing this scene and the reaction of the Rowan Tribe, he also assumed that the young lady, who was wearing a priestess robe, wasn't someone simple.
Cai, whose entire body was now being licked by the orange flames, squealed louder and started to cry crocodile tears.
"Don't do this to me, Rose!" Cai pleaded. "How can you do this to your big sister? Where did my cute little sister go?!"
"Shut up!" Rose replied. "While you were out playing, I was the one doing all of your responsibilities. You even missed our yearly migration ceremony. Grandpa has spoiled you so much. It's time for you to know your place!"
Without another word, Rose took out a whip and was about to whip the tied-up boar, when a hand caught her wrist, preventing her from swinging her whip.
"I think that's enough. Don't you think so?" Lux asked.
Rose, whose wrist had been held by the Half-Elf, turned her head to look at Lux and glared in his direction.
"You must be that Half-Elf that my sister and Hector talk about," Rose commented as she looked at Lux from head to foot. "This is a family affair. I would appreciate it if you didn't intervene."
"I can't do that," Lux replied firmly. "Cai saved my life, so I can't watch her suffer."
Cai, who heard Lux's words, looked at the Half-Elf with a grateful expression.
"That's right, My Daddy!" Cai shouted. "You tell her who's boss!"
While Lux was confronting Rose, a Golden Baby Slime snuck out of the tent and hurried to where her Master was.
Cai was tied up by metallic chains, preventing her from breaking free. Seeing that her Master was bound tightly, Fei Fei fearlessly jumped up toward Cai, despite the flames that were licking Boar's entire body.
Just as Fei Fefi was about to bite through the chains that bound her Master, a whip coiled around her body and pulled her away.
"It seems that my sister had found a very loyal pet," Rose said as she held Fei Fei with her left hand, preventing the Baby Slime from breaking free. "Still, such loyalty is rare and must be rewarded."
Rose then kissed Fei Fei's forehead, making the golden slime stop struggling. A moment later, Fei Fei yawned and drowsily closed her eyes to sleep.
"Rose! You monster!" Cai, who saw what Rose did to Fei Fei, started to struggle more than ever. "How dare you do that to Fei Fei?!"
"Shut up," Rose replied before shifting her attention to Lux. "Can you let go of my hand now? I am doing a cleansing ceremony here and you are getting in the way. Grandpa, take this guy away, or else I won't cook you dinner later!"
Maximilian then exited the tent and looked at his granddaughter with fawning eyes.
"Don't worry, I'll explain everything to him," Maximilian stated as he grabbed hold of Lux. "Come, Lux. Let's have a bit of a chat. Keane, do you want to join us?"
"No," Keane replied. "I'll stay here, Sir Maximilian."
"Okay, just don't get in the way of the ceremony. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Sir."
Maximilian then gave the swordsman a brief nod before dragging Lux to the Main Tent, which belonged to their family.
Keane continued to stare at Rose, who was now chanting something as she whipped Cai every now and then, making the Boar wail pitifully.
As someone that had been bullied by Cai almost every day, seeing someone bully her back made the skinny swordsman feel as if he was looking at an angel who had come to bring salvation to the world.
Amidst Cai's continuous, pitiful squealing, Keane suddenly achieved enlightenment.
For a brief moment in time, it seemed that the peace that he had been looking for ever since he left the mountains, was finally within his reach.
