Persuasion (3)

“Why did that snake come?”

That’s when Arami caught Atilamancha’s eye.

Just as not all Lizardmen are warriors, the Azrami tribe isn’t all warriors either, and even to Atilamancha’s eyes, Arami was not a warrior. First, she was female, and her build, muscles, everything about her showed that she was not a warrior.

Moreover, the loose, baggy clothing typical of the Azrami tribe clearly revealed that she was an utterly ordinary snake. This made it even more questionable. Why was Arami, who seemed to be neither a warrior nor anything special, here—that was the question.

“She just came along. She said they couldn’t just sit still while I’m going to such lengths for them. Isn’t that a nice spirit?”

Atilamancha didn’t respond to Yona’s words. Spirit, it’s important, but. It was hard to understand why an ordinary snake would come all this way just for that. But it wasn’t something to pry into here—

“…You’ll just examine them. If not, it’s not allowed.”

“I’ll just examine them. Whether there are scars on the body or not. That’s all I need to see.”

That was Yona’s intention too.

Since there were no weapons, if there were knife marks on their bodies, it wasn’t the Azrami tribe’s doing.

It was indeed a simple matter, but—

‘…If there are knife marks, that’s a problem in itself.’

Yona kept this thought to herself, not voicing it out loud.

If there are wounds, that’s a problem in itself.

It means someone else was involved, and given the circumstances, when they were floundering in Catsy’s illusion, at that time—

• • I sense demonic energy.

    As Alevian had said, it would mean that something carrying demonic energy had intervened.

‘I probably don’t need to get involved beyond that point.’

From there on, it’s a matter for the two tribes to resolve.

Even if there’s evidence that someone else was involved, it wasn’t Yona’s place to intervene beyond that point.

She had ended the war, and even resolved the problem that arose from it.

That’s more than enough, almost too much.

Yona decided to go only as far as revealing that it wasn’t the Azrami tribe’s doing, just that far.

“This way.”

Yona walked behind Atilamancha.

And her companions walked behind Yona.

There was a moment of tension in the eyes of her companions.

The atmosphere of the Lizardmen who had gathered to watch them was still ominous, and knowing that where they were heading was the temporary tent where Adinimu and Barikian’s bodies were laid, it was natural that they wouldn’t be viewed kindly.

Nevertheless, Alec and the others didn’t draw their weapons.

Atilamancha was with them, and they thought that surely they wouldn’t point weapons at a group that was almost like envoys.

“We’ve arrived.”

The tent where Atilamancha stopped was clean and well-angled, probably newly erected.

A flag made of white cloth was tied low, just the width of the flag itself,

and although it fluttered in the night breeze, the pure white cloth reflecting the bright moonlight was very visible.

“After three days of enshrinement, we planned to perform sky burial. It’s meant for those who have left the prairie to return to the earth of the prairie one last time.”

Yona listened to Atilamancha’s explanation as she entered the tent.

The triangular tent had a window-like opening at the top, as if carved out, where moonlight poured in.

And right where that moonlight touched—there, the bodies of Adinimu and Barikian were laid on the bare ground.

“You’ve prepared them?”

“You know about funeral preparations?”

Atilamancha looked at Yona with curious eyes.

While Yona wasn’t unfamiliar with funeral preparations, seeing them neatly laid out in burial clothes was quite remarkable. How could the customs of the world Yona lived in exist here as well—

‘…Well, thinking about it now won’t give me any answers.’

It seems that the oral tradition about Hero Siwoo being from the same world might be true.

With what happened in Lizardden too, it’s enough for reasonable suspicion that it might be true, just to that extent.

“I’ll just examine them. Really.”

Arami watched nervously as Yona approached the bodies.

Unconsciously grinding her teeth, her tongue flicking in and out with a hissing sound between them, Arami was so anxious she didn’t even notice.

And Kairoc was watching Arami behave this way.

“What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

Kairoc stepped closer to Arami.

Being a civilian, Arami was right behind Yona and Alec, and when Kairoc from the back row stepped up to her, she ground her teeth even more fiercely under his imposing presence.

“N-no… I’m just c-cold…”

“Ah, the cold…”

Are snakes and Lizardmen similar in that way?

Kairoc thought so. Lizardmen do become a bit sluggish in winter, and it seems snakes are the same.

Still, seeing how she boldly came along in this situation—

“Look, there are wounds here.”

Kairoc turned at Yona’s voice.

Knife marks visible on the necks of the bodies lying still in their burial clothes.

Wounds that should have healed instantly originally, but now reopened and bleeding, leaving ugly traces.

“You must have seen this when preparing the bodies. Didn’t you know?”

At Yona’s question, Atilamancha stroked his chin and thought.

“There was no such report. Perhaps the report was…”

Omitted, he thought.

“That doesn’t make sense. They should have seen the wounds that led to death, yet they didn’t report it.”

Yona said, looking up at Atilamancha while crouching down.

There were many things that didn’t make sense logically.

Something, this, seemed to be extending its evil hand not only to the Azrami tribe but also to the Meadow Gill tribe—

And Yona felt as if she was in the middle of it all.

“Ah, aaaahhh!”

Arami’s scream rang out.

Yona, who had been crouching, turned around, Alec raised his head, Kairoc reached out his hand—

And avoiding all attempts to stop her, Arami was charging.

Arami, reflected in Yona’s eyes, was rushing towards her.

And in her hand, there was a dagger overflowing with red energy—

On the roof of a guard post on the outer wall of the imperial palace.

There, Alevian was quietly looking up at the sky.

There were some clouds, but the stars were still shining, and Alevian was staring intently at the night sky, not missing a single movement of those stars.

There hadn’t been any particular sign. Just something like a habit.

One star twinkling high in the night sky.

For her, an observer, astronomy was like a liberal art, so there was no problem with her looking up at the night sky like this.

“Rubina.”

“…Yes.”

“When are you going to tell our pretty one that you can speak now?”

Rubina, who had been alternating between dozing and waking on Alevian’s lap, closed her mouth at her question.

Rubina could now speak.

After the conversation with Berbaria, Rubina had become able to speak but had kept her mouth shut until now.

The reason wasn’t anything special.

She just wanted to surprise Yona, and for that, she wanted to tell Yona “ta-da!” that she could speak when Yona wasn’t as busy as she was now.

That was all.

Now that she was free from the worry of being abandoned by Yona and understood how much Yona cared for her, right now.

The greatest gift Rubina could give to Yona was probably the fact that Rubina could now speak.

“When Yona sis… becomes less busy, that’s when.”

“Hmm… I see.”

That might take quite a long time.

Alevian didn’t say those words out loud. There was no need to. Rubina’s wish might take a long time, but she didn’t want to discourage Rubina by telling her that.

“Maybe soon, our pretty one will be less busy too. Maybe, that’s how it will be.”

Perhaps it was Alevian’s hope as well.

Although she was speaking to Rubina, maybe Alevian was hoping for that too.

Now completely separated from Ceres, Alevian’s situation wasn’t very good in many ways either.

Originally, the two of them were supposed to gather information together, and based on that, establish and execute plans, but separated like this, they both can’t avoid being crippled. But while Ceres had prepared foundations and bases over time, Alevian didn’t.

‘…It’s fortunate that our pretty one is handling things better than expected…’

She had already subjugated Berbaria and Catsy, and killed Damian.

Thanks to that, the demon realm should have stabilized somewhat.

And when the demon realm stabilizes, she should be able to breathe easier.

At least knowing the consequences her short-sighted actions had on the demon and human realms, she probably wouldn’t do the same thing again, but it was still worrying.

Alevian sighed deeply and looked up at the night sky.

And then she suddenly stood up, unknowingly hugging Rubina.

A star was falling.

That star that had always shone brightly like Yona was falling, leaving a long tail.

“Our pretty one…”

Alevian’s face turned deathly pale.