207. King of the North (1)
#207
Hot blood rushed out. Jager’s limbs separated from his body fell to the floor. Jager’s face was crumpled like tissue paper due to the intense pain that hit him late. Before long a blood-curdling scream broke out.
“Huh huh huh huh!”
“Je Jager!”
The beastmen’s fur stood up. Zeiger lost his balance and fell on his limbs. The pure white bone was exposed through a clean cut without any scratches. Adeshan let out a low laugh after confirming Ronan’s success.
“…also.”
His vision was blurry probably because he had squeezed out all his energy. She stumbled and fell to one knee. Her lower abdomen was covered in blood from her nose but she didn’t even have the energy left to clean it.
‘It’s difficult. I just wanted to show my cool side.’
Her Ade Shan’s head bowed. At the same time the mental hold that had been holding the prisoners down was released. The prisoners who suddenly regained their freedom made a fuss.
“Ooh it’s moving! “What happened?”
“It looks like that human woman did it. “I don’t know what method she used but…!”
“Catch it and kill it!”
Some of her prisoners turned to her and said Born with keen intuition they instinctively realized that the subject of the paralysis they were experiencing was Adeshan. That was when some of her group turned around to pounce on her. Sigh! Ronan stomped on the back of Jager who was lying down.
“Kwaaeook!”
“There you furballs. “Stop moving.”
The prisoners who heard Jager’s screams stopped. Turning her head she caught sight of the struggling Jager and Ronan on his back sword pointed. The tip of her red-stained sword looked as if it could almost sever Erador Jay’s head at any moment. Ronan continued as she confirmed that no one was moving.
“Get one of her hairs on her. “I will pluck your leader’s head off like a grape stem.”
“What a coward…!”
“The cowardice of a subject that had 50 people rushing at it is a total mess. “Everyone is standing against the wall over there and raising their hands.”
Ronan pointed with her free sword hand to the wall opposite her. The beastmen hesitated and did not move.
Ronan seeing the awkward reaction cut off the tip of Jager’s tail with his sword. Suddenly! A scream came again from his mouth as he lay face down.
“Aaaah! Do it! “Do as I tell you!”
“Damn you Jager…!”
The effect was clear. One by one the hesitant beastmen began to move towards the wall. They did as Ronan told them holding her against the wall and lifting her arms. The sound of teeth grinding filled the room.
“good. “Stay where you are.”
Of course Ronan didn’t care. He warned once again that if he did anything foolish he would immediately blow off Jager’s head with his sword and then approached Adeshan. She was still frozen on her one knee. Ronan carrying her Ade Shan on one shoulder opened her mouth.
“thank you for your effort.”
“Hehe…thank you….”
She answered Ade Shan in a whisper. Unexpectedly she did not lose consciousness. Her long limbs swayed as Ronan took her steps. She muttered in a voice filled with shame.
“I…it’s heavy.”
“Not at all. But is that sound coming out now?”
Ronan laughed as if he were dumbfounded. From what she said it seemed that fortunately her condition was not as serious as she thought. Ronan carefully laid Adeshan down and moved to Jager’s desk. It was because of the means of escape she had thought of earlier.
At the bottom of the luxurious desk was a five-drawer drawer. Ronan who had been opening her drawers one by one snapped his fingers. A scroll imprinted with space movement magic was lying on the silk.
“yes.”
“How did you do that…!”
Jager was astonished. It was an extra space movement scroll prepared in case of an emergency. After she caught Ronan off guard she tried to escape using that but never thought she would be discovered like this. Ronan chuckled as he took her scroll.
“It’s obvious what people like you think. “Would you like to look at another section?”
“Stop it. “Don’t go any further!”
Jager struggled and shouted. Judging from his reaction it seemed like he was hiding something. Suddenly Ronan noticed that there was a lock on the bottom drawer. The lock which had several security magics applied to it was something that could be used in any bank.
“what. “What have you hidden so tightly?”
“Well I lost her key anyway so I can’t open it. “Get your hands off of there!”
“I can open it don’t worry.”
Ronan placed her blade over her locks and she tugged lightly. As soon as the engraved security magic was cut the lock split in half. Jager’s jaw dropped open as if it were about to fall out. Ronan eventually checked the bottom compartment and tilted his head.
“Is this…?”
Several piles were neatly placed. It looked similar to the one Ronan used to hunt vampires in the past but the energy it gave off was quite unsettling. It was the moment when he unconsciously touched the stake. A cold disgusting sensation ran up his fingertips. Ronan who realized the identity of the stake cursed.
“…What the fuck.”
A thick vein stood out on his forehead. It was something that proved that one of his hypotheses was correct. He took a deep breath and resisted the urge to turn Jager into a carpet.
“There are more things I want to ask you. Jager.”
Ronan growled lowly. Je Igeo lowered his head and did not respond. He managed to control his anger and took a stake.
‘You must remain calm.’
He had to act carefully as it was not a matter of one or two people’s lives at stake. Ronan carrying Adeshan again approached Jager.
“You are coming with me.”
“Uh where are you taking me…keuuk!”
Ronan hit the back of the resisting Jager’s neck with his heel. His body with only one limb left on each side went limp. After confirming that he needed to be moved Ronan said goodbye to the beastmen.
“Then goodbye. “Fulls of fur.”
Ronan opened the scroll. As the surrounding space became distorted a portal that looked like a crack appeared in front of me.
“Stand there!”
“Jager!”
Several prisoners pulled themselves away from the wall and rushed towards me. However the space crack had already swallowed the three people. Soon where the portal disappeared only a puddle of Jager’s blood remained scattering red light.
****
“Umm…Ugh….”
He groaned and opened his eyes. The ceiling made of leather joined together caught my eye. The stagnant air indicated that he was indoors.
“W here…?”
I had no idea how much time had passed. Looking at the structure of the ceiling it looked like a tent. There was an arch-shaped entrance on one side of the wall. There was soft fur underneath the back. He suddenly felt intense pain and flinched.
“Ugh?!”
It was a terrible feeling as if my inner flesh was being set on fire. I could feel it all over my body no matter where I was but the pain in my limbs was especially severe. Wait limbs? His eyes grew so big that they almost popped out as he raised his right arm.
“Are you attached?!”
Surprisingly the severed left arm and right leg were still attached. As a test his hands and toes moved as before. Maybe I was dreaming? He was in the midst of confusion in an unbelievable situation. An unpleasant voice came from behind.
“Are you awake?”
“Hey! “You guys!”
Jager was so startled that he jumped up from his spot. Ronan and Adeshan dressed in leather clothes were standing right in front. Ronan continued speaking with his hands in his pockets.
“The escape point was designated far away. I never thought it would fly all the way to Tukan Plateau. “Thanks to you I don’t have to worry about being chased right away.”
Jager’s escape scroll took them all the way to Tukan Plateau. He had skipped a distance that would have taken three days even on horseback. He informed me that it had been about two hours since he escaped from his stronghold. Jager asked unable to hide his embarrassment.
“What is it? “What did you do to me and why did you do this?”
“First of all you should be thankful for having your arms and legs attached man. Would you like me to cut it again?”
Jager sucked in a breath at the calm yet intimidating tone. The will to resist that I had harbored within me disappeared in an instant. There was absolutely no way to win against these two humans.
“Uh…yeah. thanks. But what happened? “I definitely…”
“My friend put it on. “Be thankful because I flew all the way here from the islands because of you.”
“friend?”
Jager narrowed his eyes at the incomprehensible sound. At that time I felt a presence right next to me. Without thinking much I turned my head and froze.
“Huh…!”
An unidentified strange creature was sitting on a shelf looking at him. Its blood-red eyes and black feathers covering its entire body were extremely ominous. Sita who was blinking suddenly spread her four wings.
“Bye!”
“Kwaaaaaak!”
Zeiger whose legs were weakened sat down on his fur. Sita giggled as if the reaction was amusing. Ronan who was looking at Sita who was almost the size of a child laughed.
“Honestly I didn’t know they would attach arms and legs. “When did it become so big?”
“It was much faster than the ghost horse.”
Adeshan also muttered as if he was surprised. As his size increased his speed and recovery ability improved.
After receiving Ronan’s call Sita flew all the way to Tukan Plateau in less than an hour. After returning from the Festival of Swords it seemed like a good idea to wear a magic tool anklet that could be summoned anywhere.
Now it was time to get to work. Ronan who was petting Sita squatted down in front of Jager.
“Okay Jager. “I’m going to ask you a few questions now but if you don’t want to get in trouble it would be best to answer them gently.”
“What a question. “What do you mean?”
“First things first. What is the identity of this advisor? Are you Jaipa?”
Ronan asked. Jager’s face hardened. He opened his mouth and was about to say something when he gritted his teeth.
“…I can’t answer.”
“I see. Even if all my limbs are cut off?”
“No matter how much you threaten it’s the same. “I can’t say anything about that.”
He shook his head resolutely. His voice was shaking and his tail was drooping making him seem like he was suffering from extreme fear. He slowly shook his head and took out a stake from his pocket.
“Okay then let me ask you another question.”
“That’s…!”
It was a stake found in a desk drawer in the office. Jager’s eyes trembled. An ominous energy was rising like a haze over the surface of the black pile. Ronan who was shaking the stake almost in front of Jay opened his mouth.
“The curse is what you guys did right?”
It was a confident tone. Ronan who studied curses at the Dawn Tower in the past knew that this stake was a medium for casting a curse. Jager’s breathing became noticeably heavier.
“Huh…heuhuh….”
It was a reality I did not want to face. He lowered his head frowning all over his face.
“…okay.”
“You used your head well. You put a curse on your compatriots in the north and incited hatred by deceiving them as human actions. Surely there is nothing like this for propaganda. “The majority of indigenous people will have painful memories of being oppressed by the empire.”
There was even a hint of admiration in Ronan’s tone. It was a strategy that could only be called diabolical both in terms of its ferocity and its efficiency.
That was the reason Jager was saved. Because it was never an idea that could have come out of this bastard’s head. Ronan continued.
“But Jager do you know what exactly this curse does?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“You mean have you ever personally seen people who are cursed? “Have you seen it with your own eyes other than hearing it through reports?”
“No…I’ve never seen it in person.”
He shook his head. He only ordered the curse stakes to be driven in various places according to his advisor’s words but he never saw what was happening. A meaningful smile appeared on Ronan’s lips.
“I knew so.”
“What are you trying to do?”
Ronan suddenly stood up and Jager became intimidated again. However contrary to expectations that he would begin the torture in earnest Ronan turned towards the entrance of the tent. He put his hand to his mouth and shouted loudly.
“Hey guys! Jager has woken up!”
“what?”
Ronan’s voice echoed inside the tent. It started to get noisy outside. Jager’s eyes widened as he saw the werewolves rushing in.
“Oh my god Jager. “You’re awake.”
“Ah…you don’t know how worried I was!”
“What about these people?”
Fifteen werewolves surrounded Jager. They all looked like the natives living in the Tucan Plateau all of whom had messy facial expressions. Ronan said.
“Let’s talk. “If you don’t think anything of it after the conversation I’ll just let you go.”
“Wait a minute what on earth does that mean…”
Jager tried to say something but Ronan and Adeshan ignored him and went out. The sky covered with gray-white clouds and the landscape of the indigenous tribes beneath it unfolded before my eyes. Two or three deformed werewolves were wandering in the snowflake-filled wind drooling. Adeshan who was looking at them pitifully opened his mouth.
“Will it work out?”
“I hope so.”
Ronan nodded his head heavily. Now he had no choice but to leave it to fate. This was one of the werewolf tribes located on the Tukan Plateau. Although he basically hates humans he somehow managed to get in by lying about saving Jager.
“Pyeol~”
In the sky Sita was circling and watching the tent where Jager was staying. He put a new pipe he had bought at Rundalian in his mouth. Every time he breathed in and out pure white smoke dispersed with the wind.
“Jager. “Is it true that those humans saved us?”
“It’s just an honor to meet you in person. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“It’s okay. “Yes you took care of me.”
He waved his hand sweating profusely. The natives treated the jager by bringing home-made food and clothing. Jager who was forcefully eating the beef jerky they gave him perked up his ears.
‘If I do this well I might be able to escape…?’
All of the werewolves who appeared to be natives were his ardent followers. It seemed as if their loyalty was no less than that of the SS in their hometown. It was a moment when he was secretly laughing at the humans who brought him to this place. A werewolf boy wrapped in swaddling clothes approached him.
“Jager. “Can you please heal my brother?”
“hmm? “Little brother?”
“yes. “Look at this he was born last week.”
“Huh…!”
The boy lifted the swaddle. Jager got scared without realizing it and took a step back. What was inside the swaddle was a monster that could hardly be called a werewolf.
The joints of its limbs were twisted in bizarre directions and there was an extra eye in the corner of its forehead. A bizarre moan was coming from a mouth with abnormally developed fangs. The boy patted his younger brother and said.
“But it hurts a lot. The lady next door’s baby also came out with an extra arm. “Almost all babies born these days die or are born abnormally.”
“Since when did something like that start happening?”
“About a year ago.”
Jager couldn’t say anything. A year ago this was exactly the time when he followed his advisor’s advice and ordered stakes to be driven frequently throughout the North.
His gaze rested on the deformed werewolf writhing in the boy’s arms. It looked much more terrible than what was reported. His advisor also said he would definitely suffer only mild disability. One by one local natives came out and started talking.
“My sister also got sick not long ago. No matter how much the shaman grandfather prays he cannot get better. “If this continues I will die soon.”
“The day before yesterday my son went to the Najun Mountains to volunteer for military service. I’m just waiting for the canine night. “I hope you can rest as long as you want before returning.”
“Jager. Please defeat the evil humans quickly. “I will also give you my treasure here.”
A werewolf girl handed him a doll. It was an extremely ugly werewolf doll made from her fur. Jayge who was breathing heavily covered his mouth.
“Woof…!”
The moment I took his hand away I felt like he was going to vomit. The werewolves startled gathered closer.
“Jager! Are you okay?!”
“Ugh was there something wrong with the food? Mr. Jager!”
They shouted something but Jager couldn’t hear it. Memories of ordering him to be pegged were spinning through his mind. As far as he knew there were over a hundred tribes that had been cursed. In the end after emptying his stomach he opened his mouth.
“I am…”
.
.
.
“Ronan can I ask you a question?”
“What is it?”
“It may sound inhumane but…is there a reason you told me not to take over your mind? “If the purpose was to obtain information this would have been much more convenient.”
Adeshan said. It was a story about Jager. He could use torture or mind control to extract the information he wanted but Ronan did not.
“There’s nothing special about it and I think he might not be a very dirty bastard.”
Ronan who had been chain-smoking opened his mouth. He remembered trying to keep Jager from seeing the drawer with the stake in it. If nothing else it meant that he felt guilty about putting a curse on his people.
Ronan saw the possibility of rehabilitation there. In fact it would have been a matter of digging up information and killing them but the North would be in chaos for a while. If he gave up his ambition and changed his mind his backlash would be much less. Ronan shook off the cigarette ash and muttered as if he was talking to himself.
“And your eyes are just the prettiest when they’re white.”
Eyes wet with blood and tears were not beautiful. The beauty of the snowy field emanated from its immaculate whiteness. He said looking back at Adeshan.
“Shall we go in quickly?”
“huh.”
Ronan and Adeshan entered the tent again. About an hour had passed since the residents left. Fortunately no major incidents occurred.
Jager was the only one sitting in the tent where the residents had left. The sight of him leaning against the wall in a daze looked like a shell with his soul gone out of it.
“okay. “Have you felt anything?”
Jager didn’t answer. He was completely lost and wasn’t even looking at himself. Ronan who had been waiting for a while twisted his lips.
“If I don’t have it I have to do as I promised. “It’s okay to go back.”
He stood up. Adeshan raised his eyebrows at the sight of Ronan actually turning his back and walking away. He was about to leave the tent again. A cracked voice came from behind.
“…wait.”
Ronan stopped in place and turned around. This guy had his head down and was hitting the floor with his tail. In his fluffy white hand he held a doll given to him by a native boy. After being silent for a long time he opened his mouth.
“…His name is Barca. This is Barca Turgen. “He is Jaifa’s brother and the actual mastermind who planned the Fang Night.”
