1063. A dream is just a dream.
The funny thing is, after thinking he had moved on from the past, Dunbakel didn’t really show any hostility toward them.
Afterwards, he saw a few of the beastmen kids and rolled around and played with them. He rolled around quite well, as if he were resentful for not fitting in during his childhood.
When he rolled around on the ground for a long time before the banquet started, he was covered in blades of grass thanks to the rice paddies, and it was quite a pleasant sight.
You stink.
One of the boys said.
Wash up.
One girl holds her nose.
“Ah, even you guys are acting like this? We’re going to roll around in the dirt anyway, so let’s just play for a bit.”
Dunbakel ignored both of them. They bickered and played happily. The children didn’t care who Dunbakel was or if he was a beastman who had been banished in the past.
They simply thought of him as someone who liked to play.
To the children, his golden eyes also appeared as nothing more than a fascinating color.
“Your eye color is interesting. What’s your name?”
“Dunbakel.”
“Uh, I’m Reggio.”
They even exchanged names. They certainly have a good time.
The banquet was laden with fruit and fruit wine, and Dunbakel, at least for this moment, sat glued to the table, tasting every single drink imaginable. Then, suddenly, he glared sideways at Taffy, Torsø, and the other members of the Council of Elders.
His eyes were filled with hostility. He exuded a violent aura, ready to bring up every past event if things went wrong.
And yet, the words he spoke were just like this.
“If you feel bad, why don’t I give you a few bottles of good liquor?”
He tilted his head to the side and spoke with a fierce intensity. Shamelessness was the specialty of the entire Order of the Mad Knights.
“Just ask for that. You’ve developed a strange habit rolling around outside.”
Torsø spoke, and Taffy and the Council of Elders brought out some precious liquor for Dunbakel. There were roughly over thirty bottles, including apple liquor and peach liquor.
It was too much to drink all here, so Enkrid set aside ten bottles.
“Why? Are you going to give it to the barbarians?”
I took a sip of Encred, and it is a drink that goes beyond being precious; it warms you up from the inside out.
You aren’t the only mouth.
Dunbakel recalled once again that the man known as the captain took good care of his members in various ways.
“Whatever.”
It was a good mood. Excited by the high regard for their own drinking, the excited Suin opened his mouth.
“It wouldn’t be wrong to call it medicinal liquor.”
“In the past, even an external healer who claimed to be making medicine coveted our fruit.”
It was the chatter of two female beastmen standing beside Encred.
They paid no heed, even though Sinar was glaring and Esther was standing idly behind them. It
was because, in a society where there was no rule that a man had to be with only one woman, things were like this.
Several female beastmen whispered about Sinar and Esther, who were acting like gatekeepers guarding the castle walls.
Why are those two acting like that?
I don’t know. It’s strange. Yeah,
right. We could just stay right here and play.
Naturally, Sinar had excellent hearing, so he heard everything inside and out.
“Kaat, get lost. Everyone.”
Speaking like that with a blank expression was a talent in itself, if you could call it that. Sinar threatened his opponent with only the movement of his lips.
Sinar knew that even if he left him alone, Enkrid would go under the leather roof they had built and do nothing, but knowing that did not give him any reason to endure it.
Given the environment, the Beastman City was an extremely dangerous place.
I’m glad I followed along.
Sinar simply thought so.
Taffy and Torsoe nodded vigorously in delight. Then, they put the meat, prepared by repeating the process of grilling and boiling twice, into their mouths.
The pork ribs crumbled softly in their mouths. It was tender, yet the lean meat was chewy. The distinctive seasoning delivered an intense sweet and salty flavor.
It was a dish that delighted the palate more than what the average city chef had made.
As they ate and drank, they looked at Dunbakel. Even though it was thanks to Encred, it was the beastman standing before them—the very one they had abandoned—who ultimately beheaded the monster.
Ten thanks would not be enough, but they said no more. After all, Dunbakel had said he was no longer needed.
The curse of the golden demon eye, passed down through generations, remained intact, though. At this point, it was understandable that even they would harbor distrust toward the curse.
Try this too.
Encreed accepted whatever food and drink were given to him by those who looked after him.
In addition to grilled and boiled meat, he ate offal stew with fruit, and also something called cured cheese.
The cured cheese was so hard that it was like a gray brick. It was not meant to be eaten raw but rather gently grilled over a fire and chewed slowly; despite the urine-like smell, it was salty at first, but then became incredibly savory and stuck to his palate perfectly.
It is a nutritious meal that is good to carry when going on a long journey. It also helps build muscle well.
This is what Tofi says. Looking at it this way, they are all healthy and nutritious dishes that Audin would likely love.
It was the wisdom they gained while living among themselves for a long time that developed into a culinary culture.
Since they must have lived by filling in what they lacked among themselves instead of trading with others, such unique dishes must have come into existence.
That’s nice.
Encred left a simple comment, but the beastmen were enthusiastic about expressing their joy.
“Kiho!”
Someone danced naked, and a beastman and a man who had made eye contact entered a secluded thicket.
Several precious fruits were found in the orchard. Being a race with innate athleticism, their movements were all extraordinary. They danced together in unison, and when someone beat a drum somewhere, they moved their feet to the beat.
Dunbakel mostly hung out with the children. There was no need to ask why. Because she, too, had found the path she was meant to follow.
I wish there were no unhappy children in the world.
In a way, it is a more difficult dream than Enkrid’s wish to abolish the Demon Realm and create a world without war.
But then again, the harder a dream is, the greater the joy when it is achieved.
Even if he eventually compromises with an unattainable dream and is satisfied with the life he has now, it was a good thing that Dunbakel found his own path.
Good luck.
And Encred is someone who supports anyone’s dream.
But is wiping out an entire city, including a child, really a dream? Dunbakel suddenly felt doubt and asked the question, to which Encred answered readily.
“That’s not a dream, is it?”
“……Huh?”
Didn’t you say just a moment ago that you support everyone’s dream?
That’s crazy.
Encred spoke definitively. His tone showed no room for compromise.
Couldn’t someone dream of revenge itself as the goal?
Dunbakel asked again. Because he had done that before.
That can happen.
Encred nodded in agreement. His face looked slightly flushed by the campfire.
Had he finished the entire bottle of fruit wine earlier, saying it was sweet and delicious? It seemed so. Seeing Encred return in a gentle tone, Dunbakel asked again.
“So, if he said his dream was to strike a city and kill some people, would you root for him?”
Then, a firm answer came back again.
“No, that’s not a dream.”
The way he speaks and closes his mouth is like a perfectly straight blade. One could glimpse a stubbornness that would not yield to his will no matter what anyone said.
“……uh?”
Dunbakel asked back in disbelief.
It’s not a dream.
Encred says again.
“You said you might dream of revenge?”
Dunbakel asked again.
“That’s possible.”
“Then do you root for a dream where you kill a few people too?”
It feels like I keep asking the same question.
That is not a dream.
Encred’s answer remained the same. It was a question and answer that went in circles, just like a repetition of today.
“Uh, um, isn’t this a bit strange? Dreams—I mean, don’t we need an explanation of what a dream is?”
Dunbakel rolled his eyes and asked, and Encred raised his head to look at the starlight and answered.
A dream is just a dream.
It was only then that Dunbakel realized. The dream Encred was talking about was somewhat different from what he had imagined. No, very different.
He wasn’t sure how to put it into words, but he seemed to have a rough idea of which was a dream and which was just madness.
Yeah. A dream is a dream.
Dunbakel readily agreed with the words of the one who had become his captain and home. It was a sentiment that made him nod from the bottom of his heart.
“Yes, a dream is a dream. Watching over good people and talking to them is a dream, more so than digging up the stars.”
Esther chimes in. It is uncharacteristic chatter for her. She must be enjoying the moment just that much.
Sometimes we see sides of her that were never seen before, and needless to say, the witch has changed too. Everyone knows who is to blame without even having to ask.
“My dream is simple. It is to spend my life with my fiancé.”
Sinar’s true dream is the well-being of the fairy city and a world that finds stability through everyone’s efforts, not through the sacrifice of a single individual.
However, she simply knows that if she discusses Encrid instead of her grandiose dreams, her own dreams will come true.
Isn’t that the wisdom of someone who has lived a long time?
If you just follow your fiancé around, your dreams will naturally come true, you know?
Neither the beastmen women around, nor Encrid, nor Esther, paid any attention to the word “fiancé.” Everyone was indifferent. They simply nodded, accepting it as the way things were.
I am breaking free from the anchor of duty.
Temares spoke as if spat it out. At some point, he began to suspect that the duty of tolerance was not an anchor sustaining life, but rather a prison that restricted it. That was the source of his words.
Naturally, he, too, was influenced by what he had realized while observing Encred.
The night of the banquet was deep, the sky was clear, the starlight was bright, and some of the beastmen wept. They
wept for the dead and laughed for those who had survived. The night of crying, laughing, eating, and drinking passed by like that.
* * *
When the next morning arrived after a day had passed, Enkrid called for Tofi. Dunbakel rubbed his sleepy eyes, got up, and lay down beside Enkrid, assuming the posture of a spectator.
There wasn’t really a place that could be called a training ground, but it was nice to have a wide grassy area between the orchard and the leather-roofed houses where they lived.
Enkrid had warmed up sufficiently, and Tofi looked at him with a mixture of tension and anticipation.
Enkrid had much to show before engaging Tofi in a direct fight. In his opinion, this was the most efficient method. It was a process of opening one’s eyes before the way to fight was ingrained in the body.
“Dunbakel.”
“Yes?”
“Get up. It’s a sparring match.”
“……Why would I?”
To do that, a good manual is needed. Given the circumstances, it would be better if it were a beastman, and fortunately, the best opponent was rolling around right next to me.
“Dalian.”
Encred did not offer any separate explanation. He simply pulled out his left foot abruptly and engaged in the fight with sheer force.
“This is crazy.”
Dunbakel vented her grievances, but there was no one here to listen to them. It would be the same even if she returned to the Order of the Mad Knights. Although
she grumbled on the surface, a deep look into her heart revealed that Dunbakel didn’t harbor any particularly negative feelings. After all
, this was the kind of home she had longed for.
A place where people wouldn’t reject her out of fear, wouldn’t glare at her for looking different, and where there were those who
would beat her, cherish her, and look after her. Because that is what home is. Not a place filled with men who avoided her because she was a good fighter, feigned leniency, or made advances out of lust for her body.
Nor was it a place where they would order her to kill people out of greed for her abilities.
That is why home is a place she would never leave, even if she were beaten to death. Dunbakel truly believed this.
After three consecutive sparring matches, Dunbakel spoke.
I’m afraid I might stay here.
She agonized deeply over whether to stay in the Beastman’s Cave. At least she wouldn’t have to engage in
sparring or anything like that while getting beaten up like this. Blood streamed down her nose. It was because she had been struck squarely by Encred’s fist.
It was quite a large move, too, but she couldn’t dodge it, overwhelmed by the sudden intimidation. She felt wronged in many ways. For some reason, today’s sparring felt different from the previous ones.
It felt less like fighting the swordsman Encred and more like fighting a monster that crushed people with murderous intent, intimidation, and sheer force.
“Tofi, bring it on.”
Only then did Encreed call out to the beastman, Tofi. Tofi, who had been watching, swallowed hard.
It was the call of the very person who, despite claiming it was a sparring match just moments ago, had beaten him up by kicking him as if to break his thigh, stabbing him in the stomach with his sword scabbard, and kicking his ankles. Tension naturally stiffened his body.
Encreed then proceeded to beat Tofi as well. On the surface, it looked like he was simply beating him haphazardly.
Tofi was unable to display his usual agile movements.
“……Did he save us just to beat us up?”
A young female beastman, who retained her innocence, muttered.
Since they were in a beastman city, Encred and Dunbakel stood out wherever they went. Before they knew it, the lawn was filled with beastmen.
Torsoe told us to make sure we watch it, so he won’t say it’s our turn next, right?
One of the warriors also muttered.
“Ugh!”
The sound of Topi throwing up felt like it wasn’t just someone else’s problem.
Hmm, next.
The warrior’s imagination became reality. Encred determined that the entire force of this Beastmen City needed a new experience.
Now that heroes had emerged, he intended to clear the way for them, but for the time being, they also needed to familiarize themselves with a new form of training. Naturally, it was a pure act of goodwill.
Of course, it was hard to feel that way when faced with it.
I’m doing this for your own good.
It was after Torsoe had said something unnecessary while standing with his hands behind his back.
“Ah, let the eight elders also step forward.”
Encred looked at him and said
“……Why us?”
“It’s not too late for you either.”
“No, we are late.”
Torsoe put his heart into it, but it had absolutely no effect.
“There is a lord named Graham in the Border Guard.……”
Encred’s ability to persuade was also exceptional. He told the story of a man who did not stop even in old age.
Oh, Graham.
It was a moving speech. Torsø braced himself and faced the blow. Taffy was struck while trying to dodge.
Those among the elders who were somewhat capable were struck even more.
I’m not a fighter.
The only ones who avoided him were the old fortune teller, the old man, the child, and those who were not combatants. In a way, his stamina was truly remarkable. Encred had beaten them one after another for three days without rest.
And yet, he didn’t skip his own training. He spoke as if he had forgotten and was only now remembering.
“A temple? A shrine? You know, the kind of thing? Can I take a look?”
“Go ahead.”
Taffy replied. There was no need for even an elders’ council. Although it was an important place in the City of the Beastmen, it wasn’t a place where treasure was hidden in the first place, and they were the ones who had saved them.
