207. King of the North (1)
#207
Hot blood rushed out. Jager’s limbs, separated from his body, fell to the floor. Jager’s face was crumpled like tissue paper due to the intense pain that hit him late. Before long, a blood-curdling scream broke out.
“Huh, huh, huh!”
“Jeez, Master Jager!”
The beastmen’s fur stood up. Zeiger lost his balance and fell on his limbs. The pure white bone was exposed through a clean cut without any scratches. Adeshan let out a low laugh after confirming Ronan’s success.
“···also.”
My vision was blurry, probably because I had exhausted all my energy. She stumbled and fell to one knee. Her lower abdomen was covered in blood from her nose, but she didn’t even have the energy left to clean it.
‘It’s difficult. I just wanted to show my cool side.’
Adeshan’s head bowed. At the same time, the mental hold that had been holding the prisoners down was released. The prisoners who suddenly regained their freedom made a fuss.
“Ooh, it’s moving! “What happened?”
“It looks like that human woman did it. “I don’t know what method she used, but…!”
“Catch it, catch it and kill it!”
Several beastmen turned to her and said. Born with keen intuition, they instinctively realized that Adeshan was the subject of the paralysis they were experiencing. That was when some of her group turned around to pounce on her. Sigh! Ronan stomped on the back of Jager, who was lying down.
“Kwaaeook!”
“There you furballs. “Stop moving.”
The prisoners who heard Jager’s screams stopped. When he turned his head, he saw Jager struggling and Ronan riding on his back and pointing his sword at him. The tip of the knife, stained red, looked as if it would cut off Jager’s head at any moment. Ronan continued as he confirmed that no one was moving.
“Try to get at least one hair on her. “I will pluck your leader’s head off like a grape stem.”
“B-, cowardly…!”
“The cowardice of a subject that had 50 people rushing at it is a total mess. “Everyone is standing against the wall over there and raising their hands.”
Ronan pointed to the opposite wall with the hand that was not holding his sword. The beastmen hesitated and did not move.
Ronan, seeing the awkward reaction, cut off the tip of Jager’s tail with his sword. Suddenly! A scream came again from his mouth as he lay face down.
“Aaaah! do it! “Do as I tell you!”
“Damn it, Jager…!”
The effect was clear. One by one, the hesitant beastmen began to move towards the wall. They did as Ronan told them to do, clinging to the wall and raising their arms. The sound of teeth grinding filled the room.
“good. “Stay where you are.”
Of course, Ronan didn’t care. He warned once again that if he did anything foolish, he would immediately blow off Jager’s head with his sword, and then approached Adeshan. She was still frozen on her one knee. Ronan, carrying her Ade Shan over one shoulder, opened her mouth.
“thank you for your effort.”
“Hehe…thank you…”
Adeshan answered in a whisper. Unexpectedly, he did not lose consciousness. Her long limbs swayed as Ronan took her steps. She muttered in a voice filled with shame.
“I’m heavy.”
“Not at all. But is that sound coming out now?”
Ronan laughed as if he were dumbfounded. From what she said, it seemed that fortunately her condition was not as serious as she thought. Ronan carefully laid Adeshan down and moved to Jager’s desk. It was because of the means of escape she had thought of earlier.
At the bottom of the luxurious desk was a five-drawer drawer. Ronan, who was opening the drawers one by one, snapped his fingers. A scroll imprinted with space movement magic was lying on the silk.
“yes.”
“W-How can you do that…!”
Jager was astonished. It was an extra space movement scroll prepared in case of an emergency. I tried to escape using that after catching Ronan off guard, but I never thought I would be discovered like this. Ronan, who was holding the scroll, chuckled.
“It’s obvious what people like you think. “Would you like to look at another section?”
“Hey, stop. “Don’t go any further!”
Jager struggled and shouted. Judging by his reaction, it seemed like he had something to hide. Suddenly, Ronan noticed that there was a lock on the bottom drawer. The lock, which had several security magics applied to it, was an item that could be used in any bank.
“what. “What have you hidden so tightly?”
“Uh, I lost the key anyway so I can’t open it. “Get your hands off of there!”
“I can open it, don’t worry.”
Ronan placed the blade on the lock and pulled lightly. As soon as the engraved security magic was cut, the lock split in half. Jager’s jaw dropped open as if it were about to fall out. Ronan eventually checked the bottom compartment and tilted his head.
“This···?”
Several piles were neatly placed. It looked similar to the one Ronan used to hunt vampires in the past, but the energy it gave off was quite unsettling. It was the moment when he unconsciously touched the stake. A cold, disgusting sensation ran up his fingertips. Ronan, who realized the identity of the stake, cursed.
“···What the fuck.”
A thick vein stood out on his forehead. It was something that proved that one of his hypotheses was correct. He took a deep breath and resisted the urge to turn Jager into a carpet.
“There are more things I want to ask you. Jager.”
Ronan growled lowly. Je Igeo lowered his head and did not respond. He managed to control his anger and took a stake.
‘You must remain calm.’
Since the lives of one or two people were not at stake, we had to act carefully. Ronan, carrying Adeshan again, approached Jager.
“You are coming with me.”
“Uh, where are you taking me…keuuk!”
Ronan hit the back of the resisting Jager’s neck with his heel. His remaining body, one limb each, went limp. After confirming that he needed to be moved, Ronan said goodbye to the beastmen.
“Then goodbye. “Fulls of fur.”
Ronan opened the scroll. As the surrounding space became distorted, a portal that looked like a crack appeared in front of me.
“Stand there!”
“Mr. Jager!”
Several prisoners pulled themselves away from the wall and rushed towards me. However, the space crack had already swallowed the three people. Soon, where the portal disappeared, only a puddle of Jager’s blood remained, scattering red light.
****
“Umm…Ugh…”
Jager, who was moaning, opened his eyes. The ceiling made of leather joined together caught my eye. The stagnant air indicated that he was indoors.
“W-Where are you?”
I had no idea how much time had passed. Looking at the structure of the ceiling, it looked like a tent. There was an arch-shaped entrance on one side of the wall. There was soft fur underneath the back. He suddenly felt intense pain and flinched.
“Ugh?!”
It was a terrible feeling, like my insides were being set on fire. I could feel it all over my body, no matter where I was, but the pain in my limbs was especially severe. Wait, limbs? His eyes grew so big that they almost popped out as he raised his right arm.
“Boo, are you stuck?!”
Surprisingly, the severed left arm and right leg were still attached. As a test, I tried applying force to my hands and toes and they moved the same as before. Maybe I was dreaming? He was in the midst of confusion in an unbelievable situation. An unpleasant voice came from behind.
“Are you awake?”
“Kuhung! “You, you guys!”
Jager was so startled that he jumped up from his spot. Ronan and Adeshan, dressed in leather clothes, were standing right in front. Ronan continued speaking with his hands in his pockets.
“The escape point was designated far away. I never thought it would fly all the way to Tukan Plateau. Well, thanks to that, I didn’t have to worry about being chased right away.”
Jager’s escape scroll took them all the way to Tukan Plateau. It was like skipping a distance that would have taken three days even by horseback. He informed me that it had been about two hours since he escaped from his base. Jager asked, unable to hide his embarrassment.
“Well, what is it? “What did you do to me, or why did you do this to me?”
“First of all, you should be thankful for having your arms and legs attached, man. Would you like me to cut it again?”
Jager sucked in a breath at the calm yet intimidating tone. The will to resist that I had harbored within me disappeared in an instant. There was absolutely no way to win against these two humans.
“Yeah…yeah. thanks. But what happened? “I definitely…”
“My friend put it on. “Be thankful because I flew all the way here from the islands because of you.”
“friend?”
Jager narrowed his eyes at the incomprehensible sound. At that time, I felt a presence right next to me. Without thinking much, I turned my head and froze.
“Huh…!”
An unidentified strange creature was sitting on a shelf, looking at him. Its blood-red eyes and black feathers covering its entire body were extremely ominous. Sita, blinking her eyes, suddenly spread her four wings.
“Bye!”
“Kwaaaaaak!”
Jager, whose legs became weak, sat down on the fur. Sita giggled as if the reaction was amusing. Ronan, who was looking at Sita, who was almost the size of a child, laughed.
“Honestly, I didn’t know they would attach arms and legs. “When did it become so big?”
“It was much faster than the ghost horse.”
Adeshan also muttered as if he was surprised. As his size increased, his speed and recovery ability improved.
After receiving Ronan’s call, Sita flew all the way to Tukan Plateau in less than an hour. Since he returned from the Festival of Swords, she seemed to have done well to wear a magic tool anklet that could be summoned anywhere.
Now it was time to get to work. Ronan, who was petting Sita, squatted down in front of Jager.
“Okay, Jager. “I’m going to ask you a few questions now, but if you don’t want to get in trouble, you’d better answer them gently.”
“W-what a question. “What do you mean?”
“First things first. What is the identity of this advisor? Are you Jaifa?”
Ronan asked. Jager’s face hardened. He opened his mouth and was about to say something when he gritted his teeth.
“…I cannot answer.”
“I see. Even if all my limbs are cut off?”
“No matter how much you threaten, it’s the same. “I can’t say just that.”
Jager shook his head resolutely. His voice was trembling and his tail was drooping, making it seem like he was suffering from extreme fear. He slowly shook his head and took out a stake from his pocket.
“Okay, then let me ask you another question.”
“Well, that’s…!”
It was a stake found in a desk drawer in the office. Jager’s eyes trembled. An ominous energy was rising like a haze over the surface of the black pile. Ronan, who was shaking the stake in front of Jager, opened his mouth.
“The curse, you guys did it, right?”
It was a confident tone. Ronan, who studied curses at the Dawn Tower in the past, knew that this stake was a medium for casting a curse. Jager’s breathing became noticeably heavier.
“Huh…heuhuh…”
It was a reality I did not want to face. He lowered his head, frowning all over his face.
“···okay.”
“You used your head well. You put a curse on your compatriots in the north, and incited hatred by deceiving them as human actions. Surely there is nothing like this for propaganda. “The majority of indigenous people will have painful memories of being oppressed by the empire.”
There was even a hint of admiration in Ronan’s tone. It was a strategy that could only be called diabolical, both in terms of its ferocity and its efficiency.
That was the reason Jager was saved. Because it was never an idea that could have come out of this bastard’s head. Ronan continued.
“But Jager, do you know what exactly this curse does?”
“W-what do you mean?”
“You mean, have you ever personally seen people affected by a curse? “Aside from what you heard through reports, have you seen it with your own eyes?”
“No… I’ve never seen it in person.”
Jager shook his head. He only ordered the curse stakes to be driven in various places according to his advisor’s words, but he never saw what was happening. A meaningful smile appeared on Ronan’s lips.
“I knew it.”
“W-what are you trying to do?”
Ronan suddenly stood up and Jager became intimidated again. However, contrary to expectations that the torture would begin in earnest, Ronan turned towards the entrance of the tent. He put his hand to his mouth and shouted loudly.
“Hey guys! Jager has woken up!”
“what?”
Ronan’s voice echoed inside the tent. It started to get noisy outside. Jager’s eyes widened as he saw the werewolves rushing in.
“Oh my god, Jager. “You’re awake.”
“Ah… you don’t know how worried I was!”
“What about these people?”
Fifteen werewolves surrounded Jager. They all looked like the natives living in the Tucan Plateau, all of whom had messy facial expressions. Ronan said.
“Let’s talk. “If you don’t think anything of it after the conversation, I’ll just let you go.”
“Wait a minute, what on earth do you mean…”
Jager tried to say something, but Ronan and Adeshan ignored him and went out. The sky covered with gray-white clouds and the landscape of the indigenous tribes beneath it unfolded before my eyes. Two or three deformed werewolves were wandering in the snowflake-filled wind, drooling. Adeshan, who was looking at them pitifully, opened her mouth.
“Will it work out?”
“I hope so.”
Ronan nodded heavily. Now he had no choice but to leave it to fate. This was one of the werewolf tribes located on the Tukan Plateau. Although he basically hates humans, he somehow managed to get in by lying that he saved Jager.
“Pyeol~”
In the sky, Sita was circling and watching the tent where Jager was staying. He put a new pipe he had bought at Rundalian in his mouth. Every time I inhaled and exhaled, pure white smoke dispersed with the wind.
“Jager. “Is it true that those humans saved us?”
“It’s just an honor to meet you in person. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Gwae, it’s okay. “Yes, you took care of me.”
Jager waved his hands while sweating profusely. The natives treated the jager by bringing home-made food and clothing. Jager, who was forcefully eating the beef jerky they gave him, perked up his ears.
‘If I do this well, I might be able to escape…?’
All of the werewolves who appeared to be natives were his ardent followers. He seemed to be no less loyal than the SS in his hometown. It was a moment when he was secretly laughing at the humans who brought him to this place. A werewolf boy wrapped in swaddling clothes approached him.
“Jager. “Can you please heal my brother?”
“hmm? Brother?”
“yes. “Look at this, he was born last week.”
“Huh…!”
The boy lifted the swaddle. Jager got scared without realizing it and took a step back. What was inside the swaddle was a monster that could hardly be called a werewolf.
The joints of its limbs were twisted in bizarre directions, and there was an extra eye in the corner of its forehead. A bizarre moan was coming out of a mouth with abnormally developed fangs. The boy patted his younger brother and said.
“But it hurts a lot. Her next door neighbor’s baby also came out with an extra arm. “Almost all babies born these days die or are born abnormally.”
“Since when did something like that start happening?”
“About a year ago.”
Jager couldn’t say anything. A year ago, this was exactly the time when he followed his advisor’s advice and ordered stakes to be driven frequently throughout the North.
His gaze rested on the deformed werewolf writhing in the boy’s arms. It looked much more terrible than what was reported. His advisor also said he would definitely suffer only mild disability. One by one, local natives came out and started talking.
“My sister also got sick not long ago. No matter how much the shaman grandfather prays, he cannot get better. “If this continues, I will die soon.”
“The day before yesterday, my son went to the Najun Mountains to volunteer for military service. I’m just waiting for the canine night. “I hope you can rest as much as you want before returning.”
“Jager. Please defeat the evil humans quickly. “I will also give you my treasure here.”
A werewolf girl handed him a doll. It was an extremely ugly werewolf doll made from fur. Jayge, who was breathing heavily, covered his mouth.
“Whoop…!”
The moment I took my hand away, I felt like I was going to vomit. The werewolves, startled, gathered closer.
“Jager! Are you okay?!”
“Ugh, was there something wrong with the food? Mr. Jager!”
They shouted something, but Jager couldn’t hear it. The memory of ordering the stake to be driven in was spinning around in his head. As far as he knew, there were over a hundred tribes that had been cursed. In the end, after emptying his stomach, he opened his mouth.
“I, I…”
.
.
.
“Ronan, can I ask you a question?”
“What is it?”
“It may sound inhumane, but… is there a reason you were told not to take over your mind? “If the purpose was to obtain information, this would have been much more convenient.”
Adeshan said. It was a story about Jager. He could use torture or mind control to extract the information he wanted, but Ronan did not.
“It’s nothing special, and I think he might not be a very dirty bastard.”
Ronan, who had been chain-smoking, opened his mouth. He remembered trying to keep Jager from seeing the drawer with the stake in it. If nothing else, it meant that he felt guilty about putting a curse on his people.
Ronan saw the possibility of rehabilitation there. In fact, it would have been done by digging up information and killing them, but the North would be in chaos for a while. If he gave up his ambition and changed his mind, his backlash would be much less. Ronan shook off the cigarette ash and muttered as if he was talking to himself.
“And eyes are just the prettiest when they’re white.”
Eyes wet with blood and tears were not beautiful. The beauty of the snowy field emanated from its immaculate whiteness. He said, looking back at Adeshan.
“Shall we go in soon?”
“huh.”
Ronan and Adeshan entered the tent again. About an hour had passed since the residents left. Fortunately, no major incidents occurred.
Jager was the only one sitting in the tent where the residents had left. The sight of him leaning against the wall in a daze looked like a shell with his soul gone out of it.
“okay. “Have you felt anything?”
Jager didn’t answer. He was completely lost and wasn’t even looking at himself. Ronan, who had been waiting for a while, twisted his lips.
“If it’s not there, I’ll have to do as I promised. “It’s okay to go back.”
He stood up. Adeshan raised his eyebrows at the sight of Ronan actually turning his back and walking away. He was about to leave the tent again. A cracked voice came from behind.
“···wait.”
Ronan stopped in place and turned around. This guy had his head down and was hitting the floor with his tail. In his fluffy white hand he held a doll given to him by a native boy. After being silent for a long time, he opened his mouth.
“···His name is Barka. This is Barca Turgen. “He is Jaifa’s brother and the actual mastermind who planned the Fang Night.”
