Ch.411Chapter 411 – Morning of the Bestia (4)

I’ll prepare to go to the snow field.

After dinner, Sera said those words and immediately shut herself in her room inside the carriage.

From what I heard, she had been planning this for quite some time and had already made some things, but she needed to do a final check.

And she took both Eve and Chris with her as well.

‘Why did she take those two?’

I’m not sure why she took Eve, but in Chris’s case, Sera had mentioned it was for safety reasons.

Honestly, I was a bit worried.

The fact that she took Chris specifically for safety made me uneasy.

‘Come to think of it, Sera used to make bombs frequently.’

Sera had often used bombs created through alchemy in the past.

And the weakness of the monsters in the snow field is fire.

“She couldn’t possibly be making something that keeps burning until the target dies, could she?”

According to my knowledge from my homeland, such weapons existed.

What scared me was that Sera seemed perfectly capable of making such a thing.

But I quickly let out a hollow laugh.

If something like that accidentally went off, it would be a disaster. Considering how Sera always prioritized safety even when making dangerous items, she wouldn’t create something where a small mistake could lead to catastrophic consequences.

‘…I don’t even know if we need something like that anyway.’

With Sera’s raw power alone…

Anyway, since she took two people who had little to do with alchemy as her assistants, I was curious about what tools Sera would create and bring out.

“You look bored, sir?”

“Where?”

“Just looking at you, you seem bored.”

Noah approached me with a sly grin as I was lost in thought.

Though his shoulder seemed to be hurting, as he was holding it with his other hand, he maintained that mischievous smile.

“How did you know I was bored?”

“Well, I figured you were planning to spend time with your lovers after this, but since they suddenly headed to the carriage to prepare something, I thought you might have some unexpected free time. Am I right?”

Maybe I didn’t hit him hard enough.

Despite the risk of having his shoulder grabbed by Sera again if he acted up, his attitude remained consistent.

Since I couldn’t always rely on Sera, I figured I should either find another way to make him respectful or just leave him be.

“Is there anything else you’d like to know about the snow field?”

“I think I’ve heard as much as I need to.”

I had already extracted as much information as possible from Noah.

Weather, terrain, and dangers other than monsters—everything.

Naturally, Sera had confidently claimed she was prepared for most of it.

Since the bear tribe also knew what kind of place the snow field was and had agreed to help us prepare accordingly, I didn’t think we would lack in preparation.

If there were any shortcomings, they would likely be in areas we hadn’t considered or anticipated.

“Hmm, that’s a shame. I suppose my snow field stories are no longer of value. Despite appearances, the beastkin of Bestia live their lives alongside the snow field.”

“From our perspective, it’s just a place we’re briefly visiting, so it’s hard to respond to that kind of appeal.”

While the beastkin of Bestia might feel differently, for us outsiders, it was nothing more than an extremely dangerous place.

When I said this to Noah, he grinned.

“I suppose that’s true. The snow field is almost like Bestia itself, but not for you folks.”

Noah said this and then laughed lightly.

“The snow field is like Bestia?”

“They’re the same in that they’re both cold and dangerous. So it’s not strange that those who survive there become Great Warriors.”

Noah muttered something quietly in a language I couldn’t understand.

For some reason, I felt like he wanted to talk with me.

I figured it wouldn’t hurt to engage with him a bit since keeping my distance constantly seemed excessive.

Besides, I was curious about a few things regarding him.

“Is that because one must visit the holy land to become a Great Warrior?”

“That’s right. Every single Great Warrior has lived in that land and returned.”

Noah added that this was especially true because it was a land where the weak couldn’t survive. Based on what Noah and Sonya had said, it was an incredibly dangerous place, so anyone who returned alive was extraordinary.

“Both Baren, who was a Great Warrior before, and Lizanis, who is a Great Warrior now, both survived and returned from there.”

“And you too, right?”

When I quietly said this while looking at Noah, he grinned.

“Just to clarify, not everyone who survives and returns from there becomes a Great Warrior.”

“But isn’t it impressive just to return?”

“It is, but because it’s such a dangerous place, most people enter in groups. They divide roles and prepare as much as possible before going in and coming out, so surviving alone might not be enough to be considered extraordinary.”

Noah added with a shrug that the number of people who return from the holy land is still extremely small.

“Do you know how the current Great Warriors are structured?”

“You mean besides Lizanis, the other two?”

Noah narrowed his eyes as he spoke.

“The Great Warrior right above Lizanis, the second among the three, is a cow beastkin. He rarely leaves his tribe’s territory and has an unusually peaceful disposition for a Bestia beastkin. It’s quite rare for him to initiate a fight.”

“By local standards, he sounds like a gentleman?”

I couldn’t help but comment, thinking he must be similar to the others in this barbaric place.

But the fact that he was a pacifist seemed remarkable here, which was interesting.

“That’s right. He’s such a gentleman that he could live in human countries. But be warned—he’s not the type to avoid fights that come to him. Like Lizanis, he’s incredibly strong, so if someone picks a fight with him, he’ll pulverize them.”

I wondered who would be stronger between him and Sera, but I decided to keep that thought to myself.

Fortunately, Sera wasn’t around; if she had been, she would have somehow sensed my thoughts and subjected me to a painful interrogation.

“Personally, I think Seraphina is much stronger, but for the sake of my shoulder, I’ll stop there.”

Luckily, Sera didn’t happen to pass by.

“To get back to our conversation, that cow beastkin has recently become interested in livestock farming. He’s considering whether he could make money from animal products.”

“Didn’t you say this land isn’t good for raising animals?”

“That’s true, but… he’s trying to build barns and raise them safely and warmly inside. He personally stands guard to protect them. He even takes them out for exercise occasionally.”

Noah spoke as if he found it amusing.

His tone suggested he knew this person well and had seen these things firsthand.

“The way you talk makes it sound like you know him well.”

“Actually, that person is my friend.”

Noah said in a secretive voice.

Then he quickly added:

“By the way, the reason I didn’t take you to the cow beastkin’s territory is because he’s such a pacifist that the cow beastkin tend to subtly disrespect him despite him being a Great Warrior. It would have been more troublesome if we had gone there.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. And I was worried that if I introduced her to you, my shoulder might be in danger… ouch.”

Noah winced as if his shoulder was hurting a bit.

As I was starting to think his reaction was concerning, Noah smiled and continued:

“And then there’s the last one. The pinnacle of the Great Warriors, second only to the Beast King. The Head Great Warrior.”

“Do you know who it is?”

In response to my question, Noah smiled slightly and said:

“Roughly. He’s someone with a wanderlust.”

“Wanderlust?”

“The Head Great Warrior tries to stay away from Bestia as much as possible. You could say he’s thoroughly sick of the Bestia beastkin, or more precisely, his own tribe.”

Noah continued speaking without losing his smile.

“…His tribe, proud that their member had become not just a Great Warrior but the strongest Head Great Warrior, started bullying other tribes, claiming he was practically the next Beast King. It got so bad that the Great Warrior himself couldn’t stand it and tried to reason with them to tone it down.”

“And I’m guessing the tribe didn’t listen.”

I could already see where this story was heading.

Noah continued with a smile:

“Correct. …The tribe members captured the Head Great Warrior’s younger sister and handed her over to another tribe.”

Noah spoke quietly.

“The Great Warrior had lost his parents long ago and was living with just his sister. He became skilled with the sword to protect his sister in this survival-of-the-fittest world. His sister grew up healthy under his protection, but… there was a fundamental difference in ability, and she wasn’t as strong as the Great Warrior.”

Noah looked at me as he spoke.

“It wasn’t difficult for the beastkin to kidnap her. So they captured her and secretly delivered her to other beastkin. To kill her.”

“Why didn’t they keep her as a hostage?”

“Probably due to the hot-bloodedness and foolishness typical of beastkin. Perhaps they hoped that if other beastkin killed her, the Great Warrior would go berserk with revenge?”

Noah said with a smile.

“Naturally, the Head Great Warrior was furious. She was his weakness, his reverse scale. You know what a reverse scale is, right? It’s a dragon’s vulnerable scale. A very precious spot that’s also a vital point. Since it’s directly connected to life, a dragon goes mad if its reverse scale is touched. The saying ‘never touch a dragon’s reverse scale’ is widely spread across this continent.”

Noah looked at me with a grin.

“The Great Warrior took up his sword and went berserk against the tribe that had clumsily touched his reverse scale and tried to use him. He cut down everything in sight. Incredibly, two beastkin who were Great Warriors at the time also died.”

“…Why?”

“Because they attacked the Head Great Warrior while he was attacking his tribe. They thought it was a good opportunity since the Head Great Warrior’s power base was disappearing, so they brought their tribes to attack. And they all died in return.”

Noah looked at me.

“Soon, he had nothing left to cut down. Everyone was dead. Then, realizing the emptiness of it all, he began wandering from place to place. They say he occasionally returns to Bestia, but he’s rarely there, so no beastkin has fought him since. He’s been gone so long that even his name has been forgotten.”

“From the way you talk, it sounds like he’s no longer considered a Great Warrior.”

“Well, he was so mentally unhinged and went on such a mad killing spree that he left a record in Bestia, where records are rarely kept. He single-handedly wiped out three tribes. While most have forgotten him, in true Bestia fashion where strength is worshipped, the fact that he is the Head Great Warrior still remains.”

Noah said this and then grinned.

“Isn’t it interesting? A person who wiped out three tribes, whose name is forgotten, yet still holds the position of Great Warrior?”

“It was a good story to pass the time.”

“Oh my. It was supposed to be a profound story.”

Noah said with a smile.

Soon, he quietly muttered:

“Perhaps because it’s close to the snow field, it’s a cold and dangerous land. …Where people sell out even their own tribe members, claiming it’s for the tribe. A dangerous land where people are strangely obsessed with proving they’re stronger than others and surviving.”

“……”

“I think that Great Warrior would be extremely envious of other harmonious tribes. Maybe the bear tribe is one of them. While Baren might be different, his wife and daughter Jusha are almost pacifists.”

Noah said with a smile.

“By the way, so am I.”

“I see.”

Perhaps this is why he views Jusha more favorably than I expected.

After organizing my thoughts briefly, I asked Noah:

“Do you know who that Great Warrior is?”

“Does it seem like I do?”

“You seem to know the details.”

Noah smiled slightly at my words.

“Because it’s someone I know.”

A moment later, I quietly asked him again:

“Why are you telling me this story?”

“Because you seem to have many reverse scales, and it concerned me.”

Noah said quietly.

“…I would never say the insane thing of not cherishing them. Rather, I’d say the opposite. Cherish them. Cherish them unconditionally. And if you don’t have much time, spend a bit more time with them so you won’t have regrets. So that even if eternal separation comes without a chance to say goodbye, you won’t regret it.”

“……”

“One only realizes the weight of something after losing it.”

Noah said quietly.

“…I hope you never have to lose anything.”

For a while, Noah and I remained silent.

Then, after a moment, I asked him another question I was curious about:

“About what you said before, that even a human could become the Beast King?”

“Well, that’s just a possibility. But if I had to give a reason…”

Noah smiled quietly and said:

“…I think I said it because I strongly wish that in this cold, damnable country, where trampling on the weak and deceiving the strong is considered natural under the name of survival of the fittest, such sad events would no longer occur.”

I glanced at Noah’s eyes.

They were filled with sincerity.

+

Time passed, and evening came.

Jusha, who had been staying here until then, returned to her home, and Sera still hadn’t come out, presumably still making tools.

She did come out briefly for dinner, but afterward, she went back to making tools, taking Eve, Chris, and even Sia with her.

From what I heard, she had actually completed everything by the time she took Eve, but she wanted some fine-tuning and final evaluation.

‘I could have helped with that too.’

On one hand, I wondered if she was being considerate by letting me rest, and I recalled my conversation with Noah earlier in the day.

‘Reverse scale, huh.’

I quietly thought about the Head Great Warrior’s story.

The words of someone who had lost a precious person.

I felt that Noah’s words were both a warning and encouragement.

Did I appear precarious to him?

“So, to have no regrets even in the worst-case scenario, huh.”

I was already trying to do that.

Maybe Noah thought I wasn’t doing enough.

Maybe I really wasn’t doing enough.

‘In the end, I just need to do better.’

Perhaps.

I might not have noticed the feelings they’re hiding while trying to be considerate of me.

I was a bit worried.

‘It’s complicated.’

I wished I had someone to talk to.

Someone who could listen to my foolish worries, laugh lightly, and give advice.

In fact, there were many such people.

The problem was…

‘Most of them are with Sera right now…’

Of all times, Sera had taken everyone with her under the pretext of final tool inspection, so I had no one to discuss this with.

There was only one person left, but it was a bit awkward to call for them.

‘For some reason, she’s been avoiding me today.’

I thought of Beatrice, who would quickly disappear whenever she saw me.

Had I done something wrong to her?

‘I guess there’s no choice.’

At least for today, it was too late.

We would head to the snow field tomorrow, but I decided to seek advice from someone suitable while traveling if the opportunity arose.

Just as I made up my mind and was about to forget about it…

-Knock knock knock

Someone knocked on my door.

And at the same time, a voice was heard:

“Helmet, do you have a moment?”

Beatrice was outside the door.