Chapter 488: 488

Across the continents, irritation toward the druids was not uncommon.

They were too zealous. Too… different.

It wasn’t just their doctrines—it was their unwavering protectiveness of nature. The creatures that inhabited it. The wild places others sought to tame or harvest, the druids vowed to defend with their lives.

More than that, they didn’t merely coexist with nature—they melded with it.

They reshaped themselves, both body and spirit, to better understand the creatures they protected. Some took on the forms of beasts—wolves, birds, reptiles—losing their humanoid shape entirely for seasons at a time. Others built their homes within the dens of wild animals, sharing space with them like family.

To outsiders, it was… unsettling.

Their bond with nature wasn’t just mystical—it was deeply personal, deeply emotional.

And among the creatures most fiercely guarded by the druids were the Beast Kings.

While most of the world regarded these titanic beings as natural hazards—dangerous entities to avoid or subdue—the druids saw something far deeper. To them, the Beast Kings were ancient spirits of balance, the raw and untouched will of the world incarnate.

It was not rare for some druids to befriend a Beast King, forging bonds that exceeded even the ties they had with their own kin. Some Beast Kings even took young druids under their wing—or paw, or scale—and raised them in remote, forgotten places.

For the druids, there were no “bad” creatures. Only misunderstood ones. And for those that could speak, reason, or emote—even if only in gesture—they would rather remain silent or feign ignorance than ever be complicit in their harm.

They refused violence against nature unless absolutely necessary. Even the suggestion of it drew their scorn.

And so they stood apart.

Even from their own people.

They abstained from meat, unwilling to take the life of another creature for sustenance. Their diet consisted only of plants, fruits, and roots—often harvested in ways that wouldn’t even harm the plant’s life.

They were difficult, they were strange.

But they were also essential.

Because if anyone knew what the Beast Kings were doing—where they were going, what they were thinking—it would be them.

And that, perhaps, made their silence the most frustrating thing of all.

“I’ll be bringing one of them into this meeting,” Zephyr said, his voice calm but tinged with uncertainty. As he waved his hand, the enchanted mirror branched into another pane, its surface swirling as it attempted to establish a connection.

The other kings and queens sat in patient silence, though some shifted slightly in their seats, their expressions mixed between curiosity and skepticism. Moments passed. Then, the mirror flickered.

The call was answered.

A druid appeared.

Or rather… something resembling a druid.

The brows of the gathered rulers collectively furrowed. Even Zephyr, who initiated the call, now had a hand over his face, half-shielding his expression in secondhand embarrassment.

What stared back at them through the mirror was a massive white tiger, easily the size of a carriage, lounging lazily on what appeared to be a bed of moss. A single horn curled elegantly from the side of its head. Its fur shimmered slightly in the light—clearly not an ordinary beast, but a druid in one of their many animal forms.

That alone wasn’t the issue.

The issue was the object it was cradling between its massive paws.

“…Is that catnip?” Raina asked, her voice flat with disbelief.

The tiger-druid gave the leafy bundle a slow, appreciative sniff, eyes glazed over in bliss. It blinked at the gathered rulers with the unfocused contentment of someone interrupted mid-dream.

Wulv’s composure cracked for a fraction of a second. A brief grin tugged at the corner of his mouth, and though he tried to hide it, the slight shake of his shoulders gave him away.

The druid finally stirred, stretching lazily before flopping back down with a yawn. “Mmm… who’s calling…?” it asked, voice thick and dreamy, like it had just woken from a week-long nap.

Zephyr sighed audibly, muttering something under his breath about regretting his choices.

The other kings exchanged looks—equal parts baffled and amused.

Zephyr’s eye twitched.

He inhaled deeply, as if summoning every ounce of restraint he had left. “It’s me, Zephyr,” he said through gritted teeth, “and in case you haven’t noticed… there are others on this call.”

The druid paused, mid-sniff. Its glassy eyes blinked slowly. There was a brief moment of lucidity, just enough to process Zephyr’s words. The paw holding the catnip hesitated. And then—with all the deliberate grace of a misbehaving child—it drew the herb to its nose and inhaled deeply once again.

Its body gave a sudden shudder as the catnip hit.

“…Oh,” was the druid’s only response. Monotone. Detached. Unbothered.

Zephyr could no longer contain himself. With a sharp slam, he struck the armrest of his chair and shot to his feet.

“You’re a fifth-stage powerhouse!” he bellowed, pointing an accusatory finger at the mirror. “Act like it! Stop embarrassing me in front of the others!”

The druid blinked lazily at him, its long pink tongue briefly flicking out to lick its lips before tilting its head ever so slightly, as if trying to comprehend the outburst.

Zephyr’s face reddened, his composure unraveling by the second.

Sensing the rising tension, Kael quickly stepped in with a small laugh. “We still have questions to ask,” he said, his tone laced with amusement. “Zephyr, calm yourself—your blood pressure’s climbing higher than your title.”

The other kings murmured in agreement, some clearly struggling to hide their own smirks. Even Wulv’s stony expression twitched at the corners.

Zephyr, fists clenched at his sides, slowly sat back down—muttering under his breath and shooting the druid a murderous glare.

The druid simply rolled onto its back, paws in the air, utterly unbothered.

Zephyr exhaled slowly, regaining a semblance of composure as he sank back into his seat.

“Have there been any changes with the Beast Kings on your side?” he asked, voice steadier now. “Any strange movement or behavior?”

The druid, still sprawled on its back in tiger form, scratched at its twitching nose with a claw. “They’re doing great,” it said casually. “We had an amazing party about a week ago.”

The room fell into stunned silence.

The druid’s ears twitched as a thought seemed to surface. “Oh right,” it added. “Now that you mention it, a few of the Beast Kings did say something about being visited by some beautiful snake woman… made them offers, or something? Forgot what it was. Anyway, the party was great. You should all come next time. Good vibes.”

Kael, eyes narrowing, waved his hand, casting an image into the shared mirror. It showed a towering serpentine figure—an enormous snake coiled around a mountain, its upper half distinctly feminine and draped in silken scales.

“Did she look like this?” Kael asked.

The druid blinked lazily, then squinted at the image. “Yeah, yeah. I think that’s her. Lucky bastards, honestly. How come I never get visited by women like that?”

Before another word could be spoken, Zephyr’s eye twitched violently.

With a swift wave of his hand, the druid vanished from the call.

Silence returned—thick, awkward, and oddly tinged with secondhand embarrassment.

Zephyr tried to maintain a composed, serious expression as he turned to Kael. “How did you get your hands on the image of the snake woman?” he asked, voice tight with suspicion.

Kael, unfazed, gave a nod and raised a hand. A soft pulse of light shimmered from his throne, casting a brief glow across its surface. A moment later, several new images floated into the shared mirror, slowly spreading out like cards on a table for all to see.

“These,” Kael began, his tone somber, “are the few images we’ve recovered from my people last visit and apperance into the Cursed Lands. What you see here… are believed to be its rulers.”

The first image to expand depicted a massive beast—its frame hulking and covered in dense, golden fur. Wulv’s eyes narrowed. “Zirikon,” he muttered, recognizing the creature immediately. Only this time, he wasn’t in the humanoid form Wulv had seen him in. Here, he was fully bestial—a colossal, gorilla-like figure with glowing gold in his fur, and a dreadful rage in his gaze.

“Unbelievable,” Wulv added grimly, the image in front of him could hardly compare to the composure the Zirikon he met had.

Kael nodded and waved again, prompting the mirror to shift focus. Another image enlarged—this one showed a demonized leopard, lean yet monstrous, its fur blackened with ash, eyes glowing with an eerie purple hue.

“This,” Kael said, “is the one we suspect to be Krogan. The same Krogan who once came to terms with our former queen. The image was captured the day she chased a figure into the cursed lands—her figure seen high in the sky with the Phoenix of Flame, Ursula, circling above.”

The visual showed a scorched sky, lit with ethereal fire, a majestic flaming bird hovering behind a female figure draped in regal armor. The very air in the image seemed to hum with divine energy.

Kael’s voice dropped slightly as he continued. “When Wulv mentioned a golden gorilla before, I thought perhaps it was a coincidence… or maybe a rogue beast king. But with the recent confirmation of a serpentine visitor—the one Zephyr’s druid spoke of—my doubts have only deepened.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep