Chapter 53. The Last Beast-kin (1)
Reaching the Beast-kin village took quite a long distance.
The place they arrived at, guided and watched by the Beast-kin, was surprisingly a village of considerable size.
“We’ve finally arrived.”
Inside the slowly moving operation vehicle.
Askel quietly said beside Enoch.
Crude, embedded buildings exquisitely set into various parts of the endlessly soaring rocky cliffs.
On the large road, Beast-kin children laughing innocently and playing, as well as pedestrians coming and going, could be seen.
Without a doubt, it was the village of the Beast-kin.
Askel looked around and tilted his head.
“It’s quite larger than I thought. This size is almost close to a city level.”
But Enoch shook his head slightly.
That was true, but something seemed strange.
‘Few people compared to the village size.’
While there were many city-level buildings around, looking closely revealed many uninhabited places, and parts of the village felt somewhat deserted.
Enoch looked outside and muttered quietly.
“More unfamiliar than I expected.”
“I too have only heard rumors and this is my first time coming to the Beast-kin village, so there’s much I don’t know. Besides….”
Askel pointed towards the scenery outside the window of the vehicle, which was moving slowly according to the Beast-kin's guidance.
“I’m also curious what that large ‘tunnel’ is.”
Looking where he pointed, behind the plaza where the buildings stood, there was a huge cave.
A cave heavily reinforced with steel.
Inside the dark passage, wide stairs leading deep underground were visible.
However, the steel lattice structure blocking its entrance seemed to have been neglected for many years, heavily rusted.
‘Looks suspicious to anyone.’
Enoch narrowed his eyes slightly for a moment, looking at the entrance of the massive underground structure.
“Such a huge underground passage, why in the village?”
Askel shrugged his shoulders.
“Who knows. I’m curious myself, but……”
He looked at the Beast-kin warriors walking around the vehicle holding their magic gears and spoke lowly.
“Given the atmosphere towards us… I doubt we can ask the locals.”
The gazes of the Beast-kin surrounding and guiding the operation vehicles were still filled with sharp tension.
They stopped the vehicles in the center of the village.
In the middle of the plaza where the convoy of operation vehicles stopped, another group of Beast-kin warriors holding magic gears was waiting.
“We received the communication and were waiting. The Chieftain wishes to see you.”
One of the Beast-kin stepped forward and said.
“Not everyone here can go, so only the direct descendant Lord and the Nemesis Deputy Commander, please follow.”
Enoch, called out suddenly, exchanged a glance with Lien behind him, then stepped forward.
Even if inevitably separated from her for a while, if anything happened, Lien would likely come to rescue him using the threat detection magic placed on him.
After witnessing firsthand just how obsessed she was with Enoch last time, if nothing else, his trust in that aspect had grown limitlessly.
Clack.
Meanwhile, from the side, Teano stepped forward from among the Nemesis knights dressed in uniform, adjusting her formal cap calmly.
The female knight with long violet hair in uniform, and the boy with jet-black hair carrying a long black cloth bag.
The two walked through the center of the large village for a while, following the Beast-kin's guidance.
From the alleys and buildings throughout the village, many Beast-kin peeked out, watching the two. Quite eagerly, at that.
- Look over there, they’re outsiders.
- Don’t get too close. They might be dangerous.
- R-Right! Mom also said they were scary people…
Whispering voices brushed past Enoch’s ears.
Apparently, the appearance of outsiders was a major commotion and a noteworthy spectacle for the entire village.
“This is the place.”
After walking for a long time, they reached the base of a huge rocky cliff soaring into the sky. A large entrance was cut into the front of the rocky cliff.
Step.
Entering inside revealed a corridor lined with glowing magic stones.
Beast-kin warriors stood in ranks there.
Beast-kin guards gripping crudely crafted magic gears shaped like stone axes made from carved magic stones. Their sharp gazes turned towards them.
‘Their gazes could pierce rock.’
Enoch glanced sideways, looking at them.
Setting aside the heavy guard, their gazes towards Elsyde weren't particularly friendly either.
Just as they entered the innermost part of the corridor.
A rough voice spoke out.
“…Heard you came from the Elsyde Main House.”
The ranked Beast-kin warriors stepped aside left and right, and from inside the cave illuminated by magic stone lamps and candles, an old man with white hair climbed the stairs.
Though aged, he had a considerable presence. Atop his white hair, wolf ears of the same fur color stood sharply.
He scanned the two with stern eyes and said.
“The Chieftain of the village, head of the Lycaon family.”
Thump.
He seemed to have difficulty moving, leaning on a very heavy-looking staff that appeared to be a magic gear.
The Chieftain spoke slowly.
“I heard the communication. Heard you met my granddaughter outside the village, but please forgive her generously even if the child committed any rudeness. She is still young.”
Sirocco was his granddaughter.
Then the current Chieftain must be Sirocco’s grandfather.
The Chieftain was a character who never appeared in the original work anyway.
Enoch observed him with interest for a moment. As if proving the bloodline, unlike his faded white hair, his eyes were red like Sirocco’s.
“No need to drag things out. Let’s get straight to the point.”
Meanwhile, the Chieftain, having offered seats, slowly opened his mouth.
“A few days ago, I heard the Elsyde family mages dispatched near here went missing.”
He scanned Teano and Enoch slowly and said.
“Is the reason Elsyde came here to investigate whether that incident was the doing of our Beast-kin?”
“That is correct. Our purpose is to investigate the recent attacks and kidnapping incidents targeting innocent civilians by Beast-kin in this vicinity.”
Teano answered properly.
“Furthermore, we have heard that some of the Beast-kin have colluded with the dark mage organization called Vendetta and are plotting rebellion against the Empire.”
She asked, her eyes shining darkly beneath her formal cap.
“…Is this true?”
“It is true that some Beast-kin attacked civilians outside the southern Elsyde domain.”
The Chieftain stated in a low voice.
“However, it was not the doing of our village Beast-kin.”
The culprits were Beast-kin, but claiming they didn't belong to the village. Teano retorted sharply.
“Do you have proof?”
The Chieftain removed his hand from the armrest of the chair and replied.
“Our village has strictly prohibited contact with or attacks on outsiders since the past. Those who break this rule, regardless of status, are branded criminals and exiled.”
Enoch instantly recalled Askel’s words.
According to him, the Beast-kin indeed lived together in the southern Elsyde domain and had almost no interaction with the outside world.
Setting aside the reason why the Beast-kin village itself regulated outside contact so strictly, the Chieftain’s words didn't feel much like lies.
“As you say. If it wasn’t the village’s doing?”
At Teano’s words, the Chieftain leaned forward and said.
“Two years ago. There were those in our village who committed such acts, and they were exiled according to the law.”
“Exiled?”
“Correct. In the south, a barren rocky desert teeming with Magical Beasts, exile means death.”
At his words, Teano’s eyes narrowed.
“Then are you saying the Beast-kin colluding with dark mages are currently not in this village?”
“Correct. Long before they touched your affiliated mages, those guys were exiled from this village long ago. It is their doing.”
Teano spoke quietly.
“You said earlier that exile means death.”
“Correct. Normally, even outstanding warriors like them should have died not long after exile.”
“But, they survived?”
“Correct.”
The Chieftain received a photo from a Beast-kin beside him who appeared to be his attendant and handed it over.
The photo, seemingly taken secretly from hiding, captured the figure of a male Beast-kin.
It was a Beast-kin with lion ears atop his head and grey hair flowing down like a lion's mane.
“The exile, 「Leontos」.”
The Chieftain looked at the Beast-kin in the photo and said.
“This man named Leontos was previously known as the strongest warrior in our tribe and this village.”
“Such a person joined Vendetta?”
“Correct. Currently, the village exiles led by Leontos have joined the dark mage organization called Vendetta, established a base, and are acting as their puppets.”
The Chieftain continued, his expression filled with anger.
“…The exiles, supported by Vendetta, are kidnapping not only outsiders but even fellow village Beast-kin and offering them to Vendetta as research materials.”
Instantly, Teano’s neat eyes narrowed slightly.
“Did you say research materials?”
“I heard it’s some kind of human experiment.”
Human experiment.
Enoch briefly stroked his chin with his hand, covering his mouth. A sufficiently familiar term.
‘Tantalus. Just as expected.’
The experiment journal received from Omen earlier, and the incident being related to human experiments.
It seemed certain that Tantalus was deeply involved in the events unfolding in this Beast-kin village.
“I understand your words, but if so.”
Teano spoke coolly to the Chieftain.
“Chieftain, knowing of their continued criminal acts, have you merely stood by and watched?”
“…How could that be!”
The Chieftain spoke, almost growling lowly.
“Already, strong warriors of the village have headed several times towards the place the exile bastards use as their base to stop them. However….”
In his eyes, as he uttered the next words, pure anger born from helplessness lingered.
“Each time, what returned were reports of the tribe warriors’ crushing defeats.”
Teano’s eyes narrowed.
“It’s not just the exiles then.”
“Correct. It seems those guys received additional combat personnel and equipment support from the organization called Vendetta, becoming much stronger.”
“Vendetta.”
Enoch muttered briefly.
A force strong enough that even the warriors of the Beast-kin village, born and raised in the desolate rocky desert, couldn't handle.
Although it was 5 years before the original work, Vendetta’s power seemed formidable even now.
“Currently, we are unable to resolve the situation ourselves.”
The Chieftain slowly stood up from his seat. He leaned on his staff and spoke gravely.
“We too wish to eliminate the group of exiles, but we cannot afford to recklessly deplete more warriors. The tribe’s population has already passed dangerous levels.”
“Are you saying you lack people?”
“Correct. Our Beast-kin population has decreased.”
The Chieftain narrowed his brow and said.
“You folks probably also saw the large underground passage entrance in the village plaza.”
Clack.
At the Chieftain’s gesture, an attendant pulled back a tapestry covering the wall. A large window-like light opening was revealed there.
Beyond it, the massive underground entrance in the plaza was visible.
A structure large enough to be seen even from here.
The Chieftain looked at the underground entrance outside the window and continued.
“That entrance is a passage leading to the complex tunnels spread beneath the village grounds and the 「Residential Area」.”
Enoch tilted his head slightly.
‘Residential Area?’
So that underground area was a place where people lived. The Chieftain explained again.
“In the past, when our ancestors settled in this village. It was a residential area used to accommodate all the Beast-kin gathered from across the Empire.”
Outside, the sun was setting before long.
The fading twilight sadly illuminated the Beast-kin coming and going in the plaza and the sealed entrance of the underground passage.
“However, as you can see, it is now entirely sealed off. Because there are no longer people left to live there.”
A chillingly realistic reason.
A crisis of existence due to population decline.
“Our ancestors did their best to survive in the desolate south. But this is now the limit.”
The Chieftain continued gravely.
“With the tribe’s current strength alone, we cannot even properly stop the exiles who joined hands with dark mages.”
He turned his head towards Enoch and Teano.
The Chieftain’s red eyes, backlit by the setting sun outside the window, looked at the two.
“Therefore. Here, as the Chieftain of the village, I deeply bow my head and implore the Elsyde family.”
The Chieftain slowly bowed his head deeply while leaning on his staff.
“…Please. Stop the evil deeds of the exiles and Vendetta.”
He spoke in a low voice, as if lamenting.
“Leaving those guys alone like this will not only harm this village and the innocent civilians nearby…”
The Chieftain murmured in a voice filled with resentment.
“It is also disrespectful to our ‘ancestors’.”
“Ancestors?”
“Correct.”
A Beast-kin attendant spread a large map on the table. Looking at the map, the Chieftain slowly continued.
“The place those guys currently occupy is an old 「Fortress」 that has been abandoned for several hundred years.”
The Chieftain raised his large hand and pointed to a certain spot on the map marked in red.
In the detailed photos attached to the point he indicated, a very old-looking fortress built atop a massive cliff was captured.
“Though abandoned now due to migration caused by increased Magical Beast swarms, that fortress was, in the distant past…”
The Chieftain quietly opened his mouth.
“…Once the place where the great one, called the ‘Empire's Last Sword Saint’, resided.”