Ch.1230Who the Hell Are You Guys?

======[ Haschal ]======

What is this now?

I looked down at the furry bundle held by the scruff of its neck in my hand and let out a hollow laugh.

Just as I was about to have a smoke and head back down, this non-human had been carefully approaching me with its presence minimized as much as possible.

It wasn’t a species I hadn’t seen before. Rather, we were acquainted to the point of slight weariness, you could say?

“A Werebeast… It’s been quite a while since I’ve faced your kind.”

Werebeast.

Yes. The identity of the predator subdued before me, unable to move and lying prostrate, was a fox Werebeast with lustrous golden fur.

And not just an ordinary Werebeast, but a skilled one just one step away from entering the realm they call “king.”

In other words, this was a mediocre opponent that none of my companions could defeat… though that’s not to say this one was weak—rather, we were strong.

Being at the highest level of Champion meant that, excluding the variable of the “Ghost Blade,” one could fight on equal terms with the old Valenstein.

Unless you had an excessive abundance of troops, this wasn’t the kind of force you’d waste as a mere scout.

So when I first sensed its presence, I suspected it might be an assassin trying to ambush me, thinking I was exhausted and not knowing its place.

Well, seeing how it’s being held without struggling, my suspicion seems to have been excessive. If it were an assassin, it would have at least swiped with its claws even while being grabbed by the neck.

That means it’s either truly just a scout, or someone approaching me with some business… I wonder which it is.

“Who are you? Surely not from Baryachrus… I heard there’s a Werebeast demigod in northern Naraka, are you one of their subordinates?”

“…Did you come from the surface?”

The fox Werebeast in my grip flinched as if realizing something and asked. Was I not from Naraka but recently descended from the surface?

…How the hell did this bastard know that? It’s something no one could know unless I told them directly.

“Answering a question with a question? That’s not polite.”

I pressed down slightly on the back of the creature’s neck with Frosting, whispering threateningly.

“I’ll ask again. Where are you from? What’s your relationship with Baryachrus?”

The creature flinched when the word “Baryachrus” left my mouth. In other words, this Werebeast likely knew something about that name.

Perhaps it was one of the remnants of Baryachrus who didn’t follow Oleg… No, that couldn’t be. Thinking about it, it couldn’t be one of Baryachrus’s remnants.

If it were one of them, it would certainly recognize me. And it wouldn’t be using honorifics with me either.

From the perspective of Baryachrus’s remnants, I was the mortal enemy who killed Rurik, their rightful king, and ruined a war they were about to win.

They would either flee at the sight of me or hurl all manner of curses, not approach stealthily like this.

“That’s—”

Just as the fox Werebeast was about to answer in a voice strained from its throat being squeezed.

“Let go of him!”

With a fierce, sharp cry like that of a beast, a black spear flew from far away, tracing a lightning-fast trajectory.

“Ha, what’s this now?”

And then, upon touching the crimson flames that bloomed in midair, it melted into a pool of molten metal and scattered.

“Kyaaaak!”

Despite seeing the spear thrown with all its might melt away pathetically, another Werebeast charged toward me with a fierce roar, paying no heed to what had happened.

A female wolf Werebeast with gray fur and blue eyes rushed at me like a frenzied beast.

“Your companion?”

“That idiot. I told her to run away if things went wrong…!”

The fox Werebeast grumbled with a growl, as if lamenting her inevitable death.

Well, that’s not a misjudgment.

She does look quite fierce, charging on all fours with a knife in her mouth, but the level of energy I sense from her is not much different from the one in my grip.

With that level of skill, even if a miracle occurred, she couldn’t inflict even a single wound on me.

“I said let go—!”

“How annoying.”

The wolf Werebeast leaped up, grabbed the knife from her mouth, and swung it down.

I let out a hollow laugh, knocked the knife away with the back of my hand, grabbed her by the throat, and slammed her into the ground.

– KWAAANG!

“Kyahak…!”

The earth shattered on impact, scattering fragments of bedrock.

In the crater formed in the ground, the wolf Werebeast, with her skull and spine completely shattered from the back of her head down to her spine, coughed up blood and trembled.

It was a severe injury that would prevent her from standing for a while, even with a Werebeast Champion’s regenerative abilities. And that was me being lenient.

If I had intended to kill her, she would have been beyond having her spine crushed—she’d be nothing but meat paste spilled on the floor.

“Asla!”

The fox Werebeast cried out in shock. Asla—probably the wolf’s name. Quite an old-fashioned name.

“Don’t worry. Whether it’s friendship or affection, I admire that courage, so I didn’t kill her.”

I pressed down firmly on the fox Werebeast’s back, warning him that his companion was still alive, so he should behave and not do anything foolish.

“You understand what I mean, right? If you don’t want to die like a dog, it’s better to stay down.”

I issued a similar warning to the wolf Werebeast who was coughing up blood and struggling.

“Grrrrrr…!”

Despite my warning, the wolf Werebeast named Asla tried with all her might to get up, but could only manage to twitch her limbs.

“Ah, just stay still, will you? Can’t you understand?”

After I lightly kicked her jaw to shut her muzzle, she finally seemed to give up, rolling her eyes back and going limp.

[ You spared her because you admired her courage? You talk well. Since when did you care about such things? ]

‘Of course I don’t care. But even if I’m going to kill them, I should at least find out who they are first.’

Saying I spared her because I admired her courage was just a white lie to set the mood. I had no intention of killing them from the start.

At least for now, I planned to keep them alive. Until I found out their identity and why they approached me.

What will I do after I find out? Well, that remains to be seen.

If they were at Rurik’s level, I would have considered them walking materials and skinned them alive, but unfortunately, they’re only at the Champion level.

The hides of such creatures are worth nothing more than decorations. They wouldn’t withstand even a single strike from a Master, let alone a Hero or Demigod.

Anyway, I’ve knocked out the wolf, and there don’t seem to be any more Werebeasts coming… now we can have a proper conversation.

“Hey, fox. I’m asking for the last time. Who are you? Where did you come from?”

The question repeated for the third time.

If he hesitated to answer again, I was prepared to open a butcher shop, so I added a bit of killing intent to my words. The fox Werebeast trembled in fear and finally opened his mouth.

“You want me to… reveal our base…? What… what are you planning to do with that information?”

Ah, this bastard is answering a question with a question again. And now he’s even dropping the honorifics. Does our little darling not want to live?

“This won’t do. Let’s start by casting a spell.”

“A spell…?”

“Yes. There’s a spell that makes Werebeasts tell only the truth. I’ll teach it to you specially.”

As I grinned and drew Durandal, the fox’s complexion turned deathly pale.

“First, we skin exactly half of the hide, then season the exposed flesh with salt and roast it over fire—”

“I’mLatisentbyLordCaliburnbyorder!”

The fox Werebeast blurted out in rapid-fire desperation. I hadn’t even started the spell yet, but the lesson in manners was already complete. It seemed he had finally gained some sense.

“Good, finally a proper answer. Lati, was it? Surely you didn’t come to kill me with that level of skill, so what’s your business?”

I moved Durandal away from his back and asked again.

“Our Demigod, Lord Caliburn, wishes to join hands with you. To destroy our common enemy together, and further, to conquer Naraka and divide it in half…”

Ah, so he’s a messenger sent by the Werebeast Demigod. Did he decide to extend a hand first, fearing he might become my next prey? A wise decision, if you could call it that.

“Really?”

The ‘minor’ issue of whether I have any reason to accept this offer—whether there’s any benefit in accepting it—aside.

“An alliance with a single Demigod and their forces… Setting aside whether I can trust it, I wonder if there’s any need for it. I would accept if they came under my command, though.”

A Werebeast Demigod and their subordinates. Considerable force, certainly, but not a force worth forming an equal alliance with—unless I were to take them under my command.

“How many Demigod-level powerhouses does your force have? Is this Caliburn the only one? If so, this conversation is pointless.”

It might have been different before, but now I have Bergelmir, a Demigod-level subordinate. And if his persuasion succeeds, I could even have Caljarat as a subordinate.

With me, Bergelmir, and Caljarat, we’d be equivalent to at least five Demigods. If they want to form an alliance with us, shouldn’t they bring at least three Demigods?

Anything less than that, well, there’s nothing to discuss. They’d be prey, not allies.

“…The only one with divine status is Great Chief Caliburn. However, he has already formed alliances with two ancient dragons, so our effective strength could be said to be three.”

Ah, three? That changes things.

One Demigod and two ancient dragons is certainly a formidable force. I could win in a fight, but it would be a level where I’d have to accept some losses on my side.

“Hmm… alright, explain in detail. Start with this ‘common enemy’ part.”

In other words, it’s worth hearing the details now.