Chapter 119

Moments before — when Yuwon, Muquiam, and the River Serpent were tangled in a fierce three-way battle.

“Kahaad taking interest in that fellow’s companions is strange. Anyway… Father’s words are also on my mind, so let’s take them with us. If things go wrong, we can always decide not to let them live.”

At the words of the young man wearing a lion’s mane — the son of the tribal chief who had met Terrien’s group — the natives beside him all nodded in unison.

“Hmm… Yes, let’s do that. The chief will know how to handle them.”

“That would be best. Still, we’d better stay on alert. I’ve heard imperial pigs are weak, but these men don’t seem easy.”

“They must have some confidence to have dared come this far.”

“Is that so?”

“Well… we’ll find out soon enough. Since the chief is fluent in the imperial tongue, he’ll learn what they’re here for.”

The young native warriors drafted for this task all combined their opinions into one. Soon, the chief’s son conveyed their decision through Sparrow, who wore the head of a bird of prey.

“Come… fol… follow. You bastards.”

At Sparrow’s words, Terrien and Hastings exchanged glances.

“…? It seems they’re inviting us to their dwelling…?”

“Y-yes, that’s how I understood it as well. Though the last bit was… rather unpleasant, haha.”

“I don’t know who taught him imperial speech, but… haha, no, it’s fortunate that we can even communicate at all.”

“What do you think we should do?”

“I’d rather return and report to His Highness, but…”

Terrien knew what Hastings was thinking even without him saying it. He felt the same.

“…Going back won’t help anyone. Not with our strength right now.”

“….”

“We can’t keep our saviors waiting forever. I think we need to make a decision.”

“Hm… those people haven’t said it outright — or perhaps they can’t say it, given their limited grasp of our tongue — but I doubt they approached us out of pure goodwill.”

“I agree.”

“They won’t let us both go, will they?”

“Probably not. There must be a reason they spared us. If one of them can speak a little imperial, then someone at their settlement must be fluent. They’ll want to know who we are, where we came from, and who we came with.”

“Still… it won’t hurt to try once.”

Then Terrien and Hastings politely declined the natives’ invitation through gestures, footwork, and simple words Sparrow might understand. But the response that came back was cold.

“They take us for fools. We didn’t spare them because they were pretty. Sparrow, make it clear to them — refusing an invitation is a grave insult.”

“Alright. I’ll… try to explain it well.”

Speaking on behalf of the natives, Sparrow stepped forward again.

“Bastards… not come. Die… all.”

Whether by coincidence or not, Sparrow’s pronunciation of “bastards,” once laughably poor, was now frighteningly accurate.

“…Is it just me, or did I hear that perfectly?”

“I… I heard it clearly too. That word…”

“Hmm… looks like they won’t let us go quietly. What now?”

“We go. Since it’s come to this. Maybe as much as they’ll learn from us, we can also learn something from them. Who knows what’ll happen after… but at least we can talk a little.”

At the same time, Bernid scratched at his ear irritably.

“Ah, damn. What’s this? Why’s my ear so itchy? Someone talking about me?”

At Bernid’s muttered complaint, Kahaad — eyes glowing blue beside him — immediately reacted.

“What’s wrong, Bern?”

“Ah… forgive me, Master. My ear suddenly itched like crazy.”

“So that’s why you said your ear itched?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Hahaha, I see. Shall this teacher tell you an amusing story?”

“So suddenly? What kind of story, Master?”

“You guessed right. Someone must be talking about you. Or perhaps thinking of you deeply.”

“Eh?”

“Bern, you and I have both glimpsed the great wall leading to the truth of magic. Did you think someone of our caliber feels an itch in the ear for no reason?”

“…Master, are you teasing me right now?”

“Hahaha, do I look like someone who’d make such dull jokes?”

As Kahaad said that, he met Bernid’s gaze and smiled faintly. Bernid returned the look, but Kahaad’s unfocused eyes made it impossible to read what he was truly thinking.

‘…I can never tell what goes on in this old man’s mind.’

His words and actions were those of a madman — yet remembering the power he had once displayed, Bernid knew he was not merely insane. That made him all the more terrifying.

‘If I upset him, he might burn me alive on the spot.’

“Well, I…”

“Enough. Even if I tell you, you wouldn’t understand now. But you’ll come to know soon enough. Don’t be disheartened. Now, let’s focus again.”

“Yes, Master.”

Contrary to his companions’ worries, Bernid was treated with the utmost care among the shamans under Kahaad’s favor.

The battle between the River Serpent, Orc Chieftain Muquiam, and Yuwon was brutal.

Muquiam’s massive axe tore through the air, while the serpent’s venomous breath turned the battlefield into a hazy fog. Despite being small compared to his two monstrous foes, Yuwon did not retreat and fought with all he had.

In the end — the River Serpent lost its right eye to Yuwon’s dagger, and Muquiam was left with a deep scar across his chest, near his heart.

Though they had long fought with killing intent against each other, neither beast had ever dealt a decisive wound to the other — until now, through Yuwon, they both bore scars they would carry for life.

But Yuwon, too, could not escape the aftermath of that desperate struggle.

Deep within the dense jungle of the South, Yuwon lay unconscious among the overgrown foliage.

Drip… drip….

Dew from the leaves fell upon his smooth forehead.

Sssrr—

That strange touch roused him. Yuwon slowly opened his eyes to the dim night, where even the moonlight was hidden by thick leaves.

‘I… survived again.’

The deep, comforting darkness wrapped around him. Feeling more at ease in the night than in daylight, Yuwon immediately tested his body.

‘…Hmm?’

There was no pain. He didn’t know how long he had been unconscious, but every wound — from minor cuts to broken bones — had completely healed.

‘Perhaps it’s because of all the things I’ve devoured… my body’s recovery is monstrous.’

After so many brushes with death, he was no longer surprised. Smiling faintly at his perfectly healed state, Yuwon noticed movement in his chest pocket — Dragon-Scaled Serpent slithered out.

“Pii—”

Separated from his scattered companions, only Dragon-Scaled Serpent remained at his side. Yuwon gently stroked its head.

“You somehow survived that chaos, huh? Were you protecting me again? Thank you, little one.”

“Pii— piiii—!”

The creature’s tone carried protest. Yuwon could tell the difference.

“Ah, I see. You’re too grown to be called ‘little one’ now, aren’t you?”

It felt like only yesterday that it had been the size of a worm, freshly hatched from its egg — now it had grown into a full adult form.

‘Still… if I’m fine, those two must have recovered too, right?’

He remembered the moment his dagger pierced the serpent’s eye, and the instant he narrowly missed splitting the orc’s heart in two.

Then —

‘…Blank.’

The unnatural break in memory proved that Yuwon had lost consciousness mid-battle.

“Wait… then how am I still alive?”

If he had collapsed, his enemies would never have left him alone. It wasn’t merely a matter of recovery — something else had happened.

Yuwon shut his eyes again, retracing his last memories. The gap remained.

‘…! Both of them were still standing when my memory cut off. Then… what is this?’

His doubts didn’t last long. Soon, he found his answer nearby.

“You’re awake.”

“…!”

From behind him, a human voice spoke. Yuwon turned sharply toward it. There stood an unfamiliar man, hidden in the shadows — only his outline visible. A faint reptilian scent clung to him, reminiscent of serpents.

“…Who are you?”

“Oh ho, imperial tongue, is it? Interesting. The scent, your speech… I thought you’d be one of my kind since the serpents follow you — but you’re human, aren’t you?”

From the situation, it seemed likely this man had saved his life. Even so, Yuwon didn’t lower his guard.

“…And who might you be?”

“How amusing. You can understand me.”

“…?”

The stranger smiled at Yuwon’s expression, then asked:

“You look surprised. Haven’t you noticed yet?”

“What are you talking about?”

“The words I’m speaking now… and your question just now — what language do you think that was?”

At that, Yuwon froze.

“…!”

The words he had spoken so naturally — they weren’t the language of men.

Not as Yuwon knew it.

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