202. Jager (2)
#202
“This kid…”
Ronan raised his eyebrows. He was definitely a guy I had dealt with in a past life. He muttered in an absurd voice, having succeeded in salvaging his memories from his time as a punitive soldier.
“It’s dog food…?”
It was definitely true. He was such an insignificant guy that I even forgot his name for a moment, but he was definitely someone I knew. One-eyed tiger Jayger. He was the leader of a group of bandits operating near the Tukan Plateau.
Ronan annihilated the Jager gang without anyone’s help at the time. It feels like a pastime to do before lunch. The bandits, numbering at most twenty, were all a ragtag bunch, but the worst was none other than Jager.
‘I begged for his life and I gave it to him, but he tried to stab me in the back.’
Even now, thinking about it makes me laugh. Maybe Jaifa’s little finger is stronger than this idiot. Ronan remembered the ugly sight of Jay losing his weapon in one hit and begging for his life, and the feeling of being flayed alive as he returned his favor. Ronan tilted his head.
“This shit… no, is the tiger really Jayger?”
“okay. Ambitious to bring about the canine night once again. “The reason I didn’t return to Phileon and the reason I didn’t lift the curse of becoming a human being was actually because of him.”
“Night of the Fangs.”
Ronan twisted his lips at the word he had already heard several times. It seemed like I had discovered the root of the incident. The smile suddenly disappeared from Adeshan’s face.
“what?”
“Oh, are you awake?”
“huh···.”
Adeshan nodded. The sweet scent of vanilla still emanated from the breath I exhaled. After washing off her drunkenness with her dry face, she faced her three creats.
“professor. “Please explain in detail.”
“I think so. “It’s a little burdensome on the eyes.”
The intimidated Secret’s tail slowly lowered. An indescribable murderousness was creeping out from inside her gray eyes. She Ade Shan hurriedly closed her eyes.
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
“no. Do you think the position of student council president gave you that kind of charisma? So, this guy named Jager…”
Secret’s explanation continued. Jager. To be exact, Jager Urotan was a weretiger beastman who claimed to be the successor to Zyfa.
Jager, who has recently expanded his power explosively, is said to be trying to invade the empire again by rallying nearby beastman tribes, including Tukan Plateau.
It is said that they are inciting the prisoners with ideas that stimulate a sense of racial superiority and local sentiment, and are plundering nearby villages and cities and kidnapping talented people such as blacksmiths to expand their military. As expected, Ronan frowned at the figure, which was so different from his memories of his previous life.
‘How did such an idiot become a big deal?’
No matter how much you think about it, he was an unremarkable guy. Even though it was a short encounter, he was able to grasp his bowl-sized skills. All he has to offer is a charismatic face, and he looks more like a flyer model than a leader.
An intuition crossed my mind that something was going wrong. Ronan put the paper down on the bed and asked again.
“Well, okay. Then… what does Haeju research mean?”
“That is also a serious problem. Recently, a curse has been placed on the territory of nearby indigenous people. “It’s a curse with a nasty twist, so we’re working on a way to deal with it more efficiently.”
Secret spoke about the tragedies that have unfolded in recent months. Someone was placing a curse on the beastman tribes living in the Tukan Plateau, and more specifically, on the land where they settled.
A rumor was spreading among the natives that this was something the imperial army had done to exterminate the northern beastmen. curse. Curse me. Ronan suddenly remembered the group of thieves from last night and shrugged his eyebrows.
“···Is that curse a curse that will cause birth to deformed babies? Life expectancy is getting shorter.”
“huh? “How did you know that?”
“Yesterday I met some people who seemed to be victims of that curse.”
Ronan briefly explained the events of last night’s attack. Werewolves turned into monsters like those seen in hell, and the cries of prisoners cursing humans with hatred. I didn’t know they were related to Secret.
“Is that really what humans did?”
“I don’t know about that either. Anyway, that curse also contributes greatly to increasing Jager’s power. “Because the idea of hating humans is the same.”
It was indeed a bigger problem than I thought. If the curse of unknown origin continued, the natives would naturally try to join Jager’s divine beast union. Now I could understand why Secret did not return to Phileon right away. Ronan said.
“That’s why you were trying to figure out their home base.”
“okay. Even if I report to His Majesty the Emperor, I will have to wait a while longer for the imperial army to arrive. “I was going to contact them after finding their heart.”
“Damn, this is why I hate furry people.”
Ronan clicked his tongue. As Secret said, time was the issue. In order to suppress these rebels early, it was important to catch the ringleaders. Because it is an organization where the importance of the head is exceptionally great.
However, if the imperial army was called in hastily, there was a possibility that things could go astray. Not only was the long distance to Rundalian a problem, but it also had the potential to force Jager and his leadership, who were carrying out a guerrilla strategy, to hide even deeper.
The imperial army was strong, but the northern part was large, and it was impossible to allocate all of the power needed to comb this snow-covered land to a single Jager. But the misfortune did not end there. Secret continued.
“Hate crimes against humans have been increasing in recent months. To be honest, it is very dangerous to come to the North now. “Those robbers are on the move from Tukan Plateau to Heiran.”
“Damn it, even Heiran?”
“okay. I don’t know where the blacksmith shop you’re going to is, but there’s a good chance that it’s also occupied. “There are so many of them.”
“shit.”
Ronan, who was resting his palm on his forehead, bit his lower lip. It was the moment when something that could have been done later turned into a task that had to be done right away. If the blacksmiths were kidnapped, you had to save them, and even if they weren’t kidnapped and were on a sit-in, you had to clear out the enemies around them to open the blacksmith shop door.
“Anyway, I’ll look into the matter here further, so go back quickly. I think it would be a good idea to go to Heiran and the Sea of Ghosts at the next opportunity. They said they came with the upper class, but it would be better to advise them to withdraw as well. Even the Rundalians cannot be said to be completely safe anymore.”
“It’s not safe?”
“Jager’s forces are targeting the Hancheol mine located outside the city. “Until yesterday, a fairly large group attacked and the soldiers barely managed to drive them out.”
“···yes?”
Ronan’s face hardened. The reason Caravel Dandan came all the way to this faraway Rundalian was to save Hancheol. He remembered Marya’s words that he would visit a mine in the country of origin during his itinerary.
‘no way.’
An ominous premonition bloomed for a moment and tightened my heart. He and Adeshan turned to each other almost simultaneously. Secret’s ears perked up at the suddenly serious atmosphere. Ronan was about to say something. Dang-! Dang-! Dang-! A loud bell rang outside the inn.
“This, this!”
Setrit’s fur stood up. It was a bell that only rang when there was an invasion or the city was in danger. Ronan, who immediately realized the situation, opened the window and jumped out.
“Ro, Ronan?!”
“hey!”
Adeshan and Secret screamed. However, Ronan had already made a balanced landing after spinning three times. As he took a deep breath, cold air swept through his lungs.
“Whoa…fuck.”
The entire city was in chaos. None of the residents, who were busy running around looking for a safe place, paid any attention to Ronan’s spectacular appearance. The giant deer on the cart were also screaming and banging their heads against the wall. The sound of the bell grew louder and pounded my eardrums.
“Hey, what’s happening again?”
“They say Jager’s men attacked the Hancheol mine. Damn it, I came here yesterday and I’m not even tired of it.”
Ronan, who happened to overhear the residents’ conversation, narrowed his eyes. I couldn’t figure out why my bad premonitions always turned out to be right. As I closed my eyes and concentrated, I began to hear the noises everywhere, one by one.
The sharp sounds of metal, the sound of wood being crushed, and the screams and cries of humans and beasts could be heard between the sounds of the bell. Among them was the shouting of someone with an unusually loud voice. Ronan opened his eyes again and gritted his teeth.
“Marya.”
It was definitely Marya’s voice. Ronan turned his head to the source of the commotion. On the west side of the city, where the Hancheol Mine was located, thick black smoke was rising. It was the car he used to gather mana to leap. Suddenly, Adeshan’s shout was heard from behind.
“Ronan, get in!”
“senior?”
Ronan turned his head and his eyes widened. Right behind her, a huge reindeer was running with terrifying force. It was a Great Deer, an animal used by northern beastmen to carry luggage.
Adeshan held the horn with one hand, the other held out to Ronan. The Great Deer’s eyes were colored a dull gray color. It seemed like he had taken control of the mind of the guy on the cart. Ronan grabbed her hand and immediately climbed onto the Great Deer’s back.
“It’s west!”
“Yeah, we’re already heading there!”
Adeshan answered. Perhaps thanks to his ability, he seemed to be able to control it without having to hold the reins. Every time the Great Deer took a step, the surrounding scenery flew by.
The Great Deer was running between buildings, over the heads of residents, and leaping over high stairs with great strides. It soon broke through the gate and arrived in front of its destination, the Hancheol Mine. Ronan, who had also seen the mess, frowned at her.
“this···!”
The smell of burning wood was terrible. As expected, the wagons at the top of the caravel were lined up and stopped. Five or six horses were lying dead, spewing blood.
A thick plume of smoke was rising from a wagon engulfed in flames. Mercenaries, merchants, and city soldiers were on high alert and guarding the surroundings. The thieves were nowhere to be seen, as if they had just gone into hiding. Ronan, holding his breath until his lungs exploded, shouted loudly.
“Come out here! “You bastards!”
Ronan jumped, pulling out his sword. If trouble came to Marjana Duon, she would skin all the bandits alive, regardless of whether this was a city of beastmen or not. Adeshan stepped on the Great Deer’s horn and raised his crossbow. After looking closely at her surroundings, she tilted her head.
“Wait a minute Ronan. “Something is strange.”
“yes?”
“I can’t see the enemy.”
Ronan’s eyes widened. When Adeshan said that, he really meant that he could not see the enemy.
‘What does that mean?’
After calming down his excitement, Ronan looked around again. The atmosphere was definitely strange. The mercenaries, merchants, and soldiers were not tense and wary of their surroundings, but were just dumbfounded with embarrassed expressions. I feel an uneasy presence, but what happened? Suddenly, a familiar middle-aged man caught my eye in the crowd.
“Doon!”
“Ro, Ronan?! How can I get here…!”
“are you okay? Shit, what happened?”
Ronan hurriedly scanned Duon’s movements. Only his clothes were slightly damaged, but his body seemed unharmed. He made eye contact with Ronan and waved his hand.
“Well, I don’t know either. “Suddenly, an argument broke out and we were fighting, and the bodies of the opposing beastmen were flying upwards…!”
“stomach?”
Duon hesitated politely and pointed his index finger up into the sky. Only then did Ronan notice that there were strange shadows spread all over the floor. Ronan raised his head and frowned.
“···What is that?”
Dozens of strangely shaped lumps were floating in the air about 30 meters away. Each one was struggling so violently that it seemed like a living creature. Ronan was able to quickly realize that they were beasts that had attacked the top of Caravel.
“Beasts…?”
“Ronan, Sister Adeshan. “You came!”
At that time, a familiar voice was heard from not far away. Ronan lowered his gaze. A blonde girl was running, carrying a huge greatsword.
Fortunately, there seemed to be no injuries. Soon enough, Marya stopped in front of him, inhaling and exhaling her breath heavily.
“Whoa… I’m dying. “It was a great run.”
“Marya. “What happened?”
“I don’t know either… Hehe, we were in the middle of a fight when the thieves’ bodies suddenly appeared in my mind. “It’s been like that ever since…”
Judging by the blood on the large sword, it appears that he killed several people during that time. Ronan twisted her mouth at the not-so-helpful testimony. At that time, she saw Ade Shan, who was on top of the Great Deer’s horn, looking somewhere and shouting.
“Guys, over there…!”
“ok?”
Ronan and Marya turned their heads at the same time. Her finger was pointing to the roof of a mineral warehouse about 50 meters away. The two people tilted their heads.
“Is that…?”
“A girl?”
A little girl was standing on the roof. The impressive girl with long hair shining red like ruby stretched out her hand and aimed at the beastmen hovering in the air. One werebear that was floating low shouted at the girl in a loud voice.
“It’s your doing, you rat! “I can’t solve this right now!”
“Hyaaaaa! Sorry, sorry. “Don’t scream!”
“Ooooooooo! Huh, my waist!”
The girl who was stretching her arms shrugged her shoulders. At the same time, the beastmen screamed. It seemed like her holding power had become stronger. Hearing the girl’s voice, Ronan and Marja’s eyes widened to the point of popping out.
“That’s…!”
It was a familiar voice. A lot of that too. Ronan rubbed her eyes once or twice before looking at her girl again. As expected, she was someone she knew.
Why is that bastard over there? Ronan, who swept his bangs as if in shock, called his name.
“Hey, Asher!”
“uh?”
The girl turned her head. His eyes blinked several times as he met Ronan. It was exactly 3 seconds that passed.
“Ro, Ronan? Marya?!”
Asher, who belatedly recognized the two people, jumped up from his place. As concentration broke, the telekinetic power holding the beastmen temporarily disappeared.
“Hey!”
The beastmen’s fur stood up stiffly. It was good to regain freedom, but the place they were staying at was too high for them to overcome with agility.
Black lumps began to fall rapidly. Unfortunately, Asher did not regain his composure until they crashed to the floor. bang! Quang! The congratulatory gun announcing the birth of the disabled rang out loudly.
