Chapter 170: Funeral (2)

People were gathering in the capital square. The hero Wolf, clad in armor befitting a hero, surveyed the area below the podium with a solemn expression.

Alexander, dressed in solemn attire and wearing a stern face, was directing the priests, while Mobius’s seat was empty. It seemed the news of Fabian’s death hadn’t reached him at all; he was still engrossed in research upon research at the magic tower.

Wolf shook his head and looked down again. A group of beastmen was walking through the crowd. A reliable soldier was hurrying at the front, followed by the Snow Leopard beastman, walking with his head bowed. According to the explanation Wolf had received, that Snow Leopard beastman was the leader of the beastmen.

Indeed, he exuded an aura befitting a leader just by his appearance. His gaze, scanning here and there, was fierce even in captivity, and his build was slightly larger than the other beastmen. His thick arms and legs gave off an imposing presence, seeming impervious to arrows, and even his swishing tail looked like it could be a weapon.

“Kneel!”

The beastmen knelt simultaneously at the soldier’s shout. The subordinate beastmen hesitated instead, while the Snow Leopard beastman prostrated himself as if he had been trained for this very purpose. Wolf frowned as he watched the scene. From head to toe, his every action reeked of subservience.

The soldier shouted.

“Does the leader of the beastmen have anything to say?!”

Wolf had heard various stories about the Snow Leopard beastman. Because of him, Orland survived on the northern front. Because they helped, the North was able to endure. However, the reason they helped was solely because Drak-Sai had died. It felt like even the word ‘pride’ was too good for these beastmen who betrayed them the moment their lord died, as if they’d been waiting for it. The soldiers who had already heard the rumors were snickering, and many knights were also mocking the beastman’s pathetic deep bow. Wolf, too, could not give a favorable assessment of such cowardly behavior.

“Thank you for sparing our lives!”

Just then, the beastman shouted. The Snow Leopard beastman shouted this with his head pressed to the ground. Wolf frowned, looking at the back of the Snow Leopard beastman’s head. He had no intention of sparing them. Those beastmen were scheduled to be thrown into the fiery abyss immediately after the construction work was finished. Therefore, the Snow Leopard beastman’s actions felt even more pathetic.

“We will never forget your grace, Hero-nim! Thank you!”

The Snow Leopard beastman shouted once more. Jeers erupted from the crowd that had come to watch.

“You shameless bastard! Do you remember the faces of the Northerners you trampled?! My son died because of you!”

“Kill them! Kill them right now!”

“Let’s hang the beastmen and appease the dead!”

The people were pushing past the soldiers. They looked ready to break through the barriers and beat the beastmen to death at any moment. The subordinate beastmen and the young beastmen flinched nervously, glancing at the Snow Leopard beastman, who motioned for the others to remain seated quietly.

“Silence!”

Wolf shouted, infusing his voice with power. Even though he had neglected his training, he was a man with the strength befitting a hero. As he drew upon his mana and let out the sound, people covered their ears and grimaced. The frenzy, which had seemed ready to kill the beastmen on the spot, subsided, and the soldiers let out deep sighs of relief.

“Snow Leopard beastman. I’ve heard rumors that you’ll do anything to survive.”

The Snow Leopard beastman did not answer. He kept his head pressed firmly to the ground, merely nodding as if acknowledging the hero’s words were true. Wolf waited for his response before continuing.

“First, you betrayed the leader of the beastmen and sided with the demons, then you betrayed the demons and sided with humans. Truly, a display utterly devoid of pride.”

Wolf said this and unconsciously glanced back. Fabian was always present behind him at such official events. It was to guard against potential assassinations from behind. But the spot where Fabian always stood was now empty. Wolf froze for a moment, looking behind him, then continued speaking.

“However, the world’s resentment is too deep to simply kill you all immediately. People whose children were ravaged by demons in the North pound on the city gates daily, demanding vengeance. My comrade, Fabian, died while defeating the very demon you followed.”

Seeing the people start to murmur again, Alexander gestured this time. A commander, following his instructions, stepped forward and shouted.

“Please be quiet!”

At the commander’s voice, the people’s restlessness subsided once more. Wolf nodded and continued.

“Before you face death, you must realize the weight of your sins. From now on, all of you, from the young beastmen to the adults, will participate in constructing a building here. A statue of my comrade, Fabian, who sacrificed his life for us, and a memorial tower to honor the souls of the deceased will be erected atop the building.”

The Snow Leopard beastman shouted.

“Understood! We will do our utmost to build the structure!”

Wolf raised his hand. Soldiers stepped forward, each carrying short daggers, razors, and the like. Even the Snow Leopard beastman, who had been prostrate on the ground, looked up at Wolf with a bewildered expression at this moment. Wolf spoke.

“Before commencing the construction that will cleanse your sins, I shall offer you a special consideration. Can you really work in this sweltering weather wearing those thick fur coats? While beastmen are stronger than humans, wearing such fur coats would quickly lead to exhaustion under the blazing sun.”

“Ah… Ah…”

The Snow Leopard beastman blinked and looked around. It seemed even he hadn’t anticipated this moment. Soldiers with razors and knives were all around. The people chuckled, watching the beastmen reduced to a spectacle, and the priests and Alexander also snickered at the unusual sight.

“Shave their fur off!”

At Wolf’s command, the soldiers charged forward in unison. The beastmen startled and struggled as if intending to resist. Wolf prepared to raise his hand, while the remaining soldiers drew their weapons, ready for any potential incident. The soldiers grabbed the Snow Leopard beastman’s head and began shaving the fur off his back. Watching his white, glossy fur being unceremoniously shaved away, the Snow Leopard beastman ground his teeth. Trembling and twisting his lips, he opened his eyes wide again, and Wolf shifted his stance slightly, preparing for an attack from him.

“Thank you!”

And then the Snow Leopard beastman shouted. Smiling broadly as if not angry at all, he yelled repeatedly at Wolf.

“Thank you! Hero-nim! Thank you for your consideration! Thanks to you, Hero-nim, we beastmen won’t die from exhaustion in this heat!”

Wolf lowered his hand again, dumbfounded. The soldiers exchanged incredulous glances, while the beastmen meekly began to have their fur shaved. Looking at the now-bare beastmen, the people could no longer laugh. Their extreme self-abasement evoked a strange sense of dread instead. Wolf sensed the strangely shifting atmosphere and shouted.

“Beastmen! Build the tower to console the North and awaken even a sliver of pride!”

“Understood! Hero-nim!”

The Snow Leopard beastman replied. Towards the end of the event, the date for the funeral was announced. On the official funeral day, Hero Wolf and his party would break ground for Fabian, and the beastmen were scheduled to begin construction. Invitations were sent out in all directions so people could attend the funeral.

The people of the Flancia main family, annoyed at having to attend the funeral, checked the seating arrangements to see if they would be seated in the honored positions. Isabel of Flancia received an invitation stating that as a member of the Flancia family, she must attend the funeral of Fabian, part of the hero’s party. Unlike Isabel, who felt burdened, Evan prepared his clothes as if it were obvious he had to go, and Taffy also pestered them, wanting to go. However, since various devices would be installed at the funeral venue to prevent the intrusion of demons or evil sorcerers, Evan and Taffy decided to move separately from Isabel. Even if they couldn’t sit in the funeral seats, they could still watch the ceremony from the second-floor windows or the attic.

A funeral notice also flew to Mobius, who was deeply immersed in his research. He mourned the fact that he hadn’t known of his comrade’s death due to his research, wiped away his tears, and hurried on his way. He did not go to the capital. There was someone he needed to inform of this sad news before heading to the capital.

Petunia Titi.

Mobius had to inform the hidden fifth member of the hero’s party of this news as well. The carriage sped away with Mobius inside.