1056. Memories of childhood are
Encreed expected Dunbakel to get lost a little, but she didn’t get lost at all. She acted as if she were walking the same path she had taken yesterday.
“The City of Beastmen isn’t exactly hidden. There aren’t any typical guideboards or signs, though.”
And so, he blurted out things that weren’t even asked about.
“Then how do you find them? I heard you were kicked out when you were very young?”
Encreed was a person very skilled at keeping pace with conversation. Deep down, he was also genuinely curious. While
some childhood memories torment a person for a very long time—even after becoming an adult and old enough for others to say they have aged—such detailed memories were bound to fade naturally.
By smell.
Dunbakel answered. As she replied, she cast a glance to the left.
It was because packs of drowners would appear whenever they were about to fade away, but this time, six trolls blocked their path.
Judging by the way they rolled their eyes, they were monsters capable of thinking. Even among trolls, those that schemed like that could be considered high-ranking. Not that they posed any threat to the party at the moment, though.
Dunbakel may lack common sense, but she never forgot her duty. Dealing with the monsters that got in the way of the path. She hadn’t forgotten that this was her duty to protect the Border Guard and the people.
She was just as skilled at locating nearby monsters and beasts as she was at finding the Beastmen City by scent.
In a way, her mind must have been truly troubled, but she showed no sign of it. Perhaps it
was precisely because she was troubled that she clung to things that were valuable and rewarding.
I will do it.
Dunbakel returned after wiping out the entire horde of monsters, leaving only the answer “smell,” and continued speaking.
“I have a particularly sensitive sense of smell, and the City of Beastmen always leaves landmarks with scents.”
Dragons make the sky their roof, and humans build walls. If dwarves dig tunnels underground and fairies live in the forest as their companions, giants use their own bodies as fences. Frogs build huts in swamps and live there, and beastmen find cities by scent.
“Revenge, huh?”
Dunbakel muttered to himself, trailing off uncharacteristically.
The City of Beastmen—no, everyone who had raised her—had abandoned her. How would the City of Beastmen react if an abandoned child returned, seeking revenge?
Moving as if clearing the surroundings after defeating monsters, the party finally crossed the city boundary drawn by the Beastmen only after a full month had passed.
Considering how far and for how long they usually moved in a day, it was a considerably long time.
It was that distance. After all, they had already passed far past where the city once stood and were heading southeast.
If they went further this way, was the Black Leather Guild there? He wasn’t entirely sure, as Leona Lockfried, no matter how close they were, never shared information regarding merchant caravans.
“hmm.”
Dunbakel tilted his head. Judging by the smell, surely a few wary beastmen should appear if he passed this far?
With this thought, Dunbakel’s pace slowed, and Encred looked around accordingly. Between two large apple trees, he could see a grassy field where grass of uneven lengths grew.
The seasonal rain had stopped, but the weather was unpleasantly humid, as if the sunlight was heating the water on the ground and spreading it around.
“why?”
Encred asked. Esther walked with a blank expression and unfocused pupils, while Sinar admired the trees he saw passing by, remarking that they were fine trees.
“Suin are reclusive people; they don’t welcome other species coming to their city.”
It means they are exclusive and sensitive about their territory.
However, that doesn’t mean they don’t trade at all. For example, there is the Black Leather Guild, which the Lockfreed Merchant Guild trades with. After all, the foundation of the Black Leather Guild is the Beastkin race itself.
It is a group that developed from natural-born hunters who also mastered the art of hunting. It is a fact I never imagined before, but I know it thanks to Leona, who told me most of the information—excluding key details like Crys and Witch, who started handling information on a large scale and broadly.
Of course, while the Black Leather Guild includes a few people other than Beastkin, the core was Beastkin.
No sooner had Dunbakel finished speaking than a presence was felt ahead. What had appeared as small lumps due to the distance quickly grew larger, taking on human forms. Two Beastkin kicked the ground and ran straight up to the front of the party. Both were men with solid thigh muscles; one had long hair, while the other had short, curly hair.
“Who is it?”
The man with long hair asked, and the one with short hair twitched his nose and frowned.
“They aren’t people who entered with permission.”
How would they know whether or not they got permission?
Encred looked at the two of them with a leisurely thought.
“They distinguish those entering the city by giving them gifts with a distinctive scent.”
Dunbakel, who was said to have been driven out in his childhood, still knew a great deal about beastman society.
Is that so?
If it is revenge, does that mean knocking down the defenders of the city and entering? He didn’t know. Encreed intended to leave the choice to Dunbakel from here on.
Dunbakel did not readily open his mouth or take any action.
Revenge, huh?
She had always viewed everything simply and lived a simple life. That is why such worries were unfamiliar to her.
Moreover, hadn’t she even searched thoroughly for a way to return to the city for a while, just in case she might be able to come back to the beastmen’s side or her hometown?
Thanks to that, she had learned a lot. Whether it was fortunate or not, before Dunbakel could make a decision, the two male beastmen exchanged glances, and the long-haired beastman spoke.
“I assess that they are not an enemy. Am I correct? If they are not an enemy, please stand by for a moment.”
Dunbakel kept his mouth shut at the unexpected turn of events. He was sure he would tell everyone to get lost.
“We cannot tell you the details. I will bring an elder. Will you wait?”
The two male beastmen roughly sensed their opponent’s skill level by scent, and no matter how they looked at it, it was not a level where the two of them alone could stop it.
Although they could not gauge the exact skill level, they had smelled it with the intention of fighting, yet there was not the slightest scent of fear or tension coming from the opponent.
What kind of guys are they? At least they aren’t beneath us.
This was roughly the conversation they exchanged with their eyes when they met.
Moreover, a difficult situation had arisen within the city. If these were people who had stumbled upon it by chance, this was not the time to make them enemies. Even though
it was an exclusive society, it did not mean they would close off all channels of communication and fight to the death until danger struck.
I’ll ask you to do this.
The man with short hair also lowered his head. Dunbakel wore a blank expression, completely unlike usual.
She made no choice. Enkrid answered on her behalf.
“I will.”
If you are unsure which way to go, postponing the moment of choice is also an option. The group roughly settled down between two apple trees.
“This is no ordinary tree grown with care.”
Sinar looked at the tree and marveled once again.
“hmm.”
Dunbakel gazed blankly at the rising sun. The air was hot and unpleasantly humid, but they did not express their dissatisfaction to this extent.
“Shall we have a round?”
Dunbakel spoke abruptly. Of course, it was directed at Enkrid. It was the favorite phrase of the fight-loving man with black hair and blue eyes.
Let’s do that.
Enkrid draws his sword and aims. Dunbakel’s scimitar had broken while fighting Rem. It was a precious weapon made of indeterminate steel.
Instead, he wore two scimitars forged from pure iron by a dwarf. He drew one and aimed. Then, he thrust his sword off the ground. It was a charge faster than an arrow.
Enkrid thrust his sword diagonally. It was a situation where offense was defense. If he charged straight ahead, the blade would penetrate from his neck to his sternum before he could swing the scimitar.
Dunbakel dodged to the side, moving half as fast as he would have charged.
As he swung to the side, only a white shadow remained. Dunbakel’s scimitar, now just a shadow, flew toward Enkrid’s flank.
It was a movement as if a swallow had suddenly realized its true nature. It was fast, agile, and unpredictable.
Enkrid merely stepped back slightly to meet Dunbakel’s swift movement. The scimitar sliced through the spot where his flank had been.
Encred swung his sword from top to bottom. A golden light flickered in Dunbakel’s eyes.
Even without having undergone his beast transformation, he exuded an aura of sheer strength and ferocity. With his eyes shining with golden light, the blade of his scimitar curved inward like a full-force strike from Fel.
It was a blade striking as if wrapping around the blade Encred had swung.
It was a world of silence. There was no sound. Encred stopped his swinging sword in a bind-like motion, and Dunbakel, making a split-second decision, released his own sword, drew another scimitar, and thrust.
Using a sword meant for slashing in an unconventional thrusting manner was one of Dunbakel’s specialties. Encred pulled the sword bound by the bind with force and struck the incoming thrust.
Bang! Bang!
Two noises erupted. They were deafening roars that broke free from the world of silence.
The bang was from blocking an incoming thrust with a drawn sword, and the popping sound was from Encred suddenly extending his leg and kicking Dunbakel in the abdomen.
Dunbakel rolled backward several times and let out a choke as he vomited up some of what was inside him.
“……You’re really kicking me without any mercy.”
“I thought you looked like you were about to pounce if I hesitated even a little.”
“Damn it, you didn’t even fall for it.”
Encreed didn’t know about anything else, but he realized once again that Dunbakel was a tremendous genius.
Even though Primahild had given him a clue that he could fight without transforming into a beast, could you really call it enlightenment if you did everything just because you knew it?
Yet, here, a beastman who managed to do just that lunged at him with his eyes wide open.
I’m terrible at explaining it in words, though.
She embodies it with her body. Dunbakel fought just as well as a transformed beastman, even without transforming.
She lay sprawled on the ground, having been struck. It was on a shallow patch of grass. A few long blades of grass pressed against her body tickled her ears and cheeks.
“If only I had fought well without transforming into a beast like I do now, if only I hadn’t changed strangely, if only I hadn’t been born with ominous eyes.”
Encred listened obediently to Dunbakel’s words while holding his sword. Dunbakel looked up at the sky and spoke.
Then would they not have abandoned me?
It was a question difficult for anyone to answer, including Enkrid.
Certain experiences from childhood are never forgotten throughout one’s life. One cannot forget them even as one grows old, becomes an adult, or grows gray hair. They become memories that bind one for a lifetime like a tangled noose.
Dunbakel did not cry. She merely asked a poignant question. Her attitude was no different from that of a helplessly weak child asking a question while tears streamed down their face.
The river does not always flow as I will, so in the end, what matters is my heart.
Esther threw out a remark, and continued by adding a few words one by one.
Do you resent the world? It is alright. Who would blame you?
Sinar said.
You’re angry. Just because you don’t know where to vent that anger doesn’t mean you have to hold it in.
Even Yongin, who once paid no attention to the surroundings, chimed in.
The child, who had been sobbing uncontrollably, quickly got up. The tear stains remained on their face, but now, resentment and a venomous aura outweighed sadness and pain. It was all merely a change in demeanor, as they hadn’t actually been crying.
“Is it okay to demand a price from those who abandoned me?”
The answer was implied in the question. Encred did not answer. He simply waited for the beastman known as the Elder to arrive.
When that beastman known as the Elder arrived, Dunbakel smiled. It was a familiar face. To be precise, it was one of the beastmen who had driven him away.
“you.”
The Elder recognized her, too. White hair and golden eyes are not common features.
It would be even easier to recognize, especially if the appearance is associated with the myths of destruction passed down like legends in the City of Beastmen.
“Yes, I am back. Old man. Do you have anything to say?”
Encred, standing behind her, gazed at the Elder silently. Wasn’t he too robust to be called a hunched-over old man? It was a fleeting thought.
The Beastkin Elder was a middle-aged woman with her hair braided into a single strand. She was a Beastkin who always kept an eye on what happened outside. That is why she knew who the man standing behind the nightmare known as Dunbakel was.
“Could it be the Knight of Seduction, the Knight of the Wall, the Demon Slayer?”
The elder asked Enkrid instead of Dunbakel. Enkrid nodded.
“ah.”
The elder let out a short gasp. His pupils trembled violently, revealing his anxiety.
