The Runic Alchemist

Chapter 203: A Simple Request

"That's a lot…" Yovan murmured, his face lost in thought as he looked at Einar, as if recalculating everything about her.

"Wait a second, did my ears deceive me, or did you really just say 'Daughter of House Larven'?" Sam, the clueless one, asked the obvious question. Though Damian himself was curious about why she revealed it, she could have just said "son" and no one would have questioned her.

"You've got to be kidding me… For real? All those late, distant baths…" Ah, Yovan's brain was short-circuiting too.

"I'm sorry, guys. I didn't want to deceive you, but I was afraid to reveal my gender. I lived on my own in Pyron, and whenever I did… it just didn't go well…" Einar said, her face clouded with the weight of past memories.

"Stay here.. The beastmen are here, I should go," Damian said, stepping towards the exit. He gave Einar one last glance, and she quietly nodded.

Sam and Yovan, instead of Einar, followed behind him. They walked in silence, hearing the distant chatter of soldiers, reunited with friends after a long time, laughing and talking.

"She.. Uh.. She won't stop… Vengeance is not as pretty as it sounds…" Yovan mumbled.

"Vengeance Hhmn… She'll stop at nothing to get it. She was already reckless enough, now with her target around…" Sam voiced his concerns too.

"One thing at a time. Let's just get through this first. We will find a way somehow.. He's just a second-ranker…" Damian said, trying to reassure them.

"Only you would have the balls to say that," Sam scoffed, and Yovan chuckled behind him.

Damian finally spotted the beastman he'd been sensing—the mana emanating from him. He was an old man resembling a fox. His appearance was deceptive though; his mana rivaled Tristan's, and Tristan was the strongest second-ranker mage Damian had encountered—excluding the Faerunian princess, whose case was just too abnormal.

As expected, the white tiger beastman arrived with over 25 of his people. Damian sensed at least three second-rankers among them, including the old fox, who could be a high-level Spellsword or a mage who had just entered the second rank. The white tiger, along with the other beastmen, exuded an aura of danger.

Most of them appeared to be pugilists, experienced warriors, their bodies scarred from many battles. Continue your adventure at m|v-l'e -NovelBin.net

What kind of monstrous village was this? A second-ranker usually ruled over a small town, and here they were, as plentiful as fleas in a market.

The soldiers cleared the way for the arriving guests, mostly because no one was insane enough to start a fight with that lot. Damian sighed as he approached them, meeting them halfway between the camp perimeter and the wooden hall.

"If I remember correctly, two doesn't equal 24… Now, does it?" Damian said sarcastically.

"Even 24 is showing more trust in your kind than you lot deserve," the white beastman replied, his words harsh, though his tone remained measured. What was his play here? Testing Damian's reaction?

"Well, whatever… Let's get on with it," Damian had no time for games though.

Words meant nothing, unless they were used to get the job needed done. The beastman's eyes briefly showed amusement before they returned to their cold, neutral stare. However, Damian did notice the fox mage smiling at him warmly. What was that about? Maybe someone had told him about his spell from the other day..

They entered the hall together, and as expected, the new noble lord objected to so many beastmen participating. The captains didn't care much about it, but officially, the beastmen had openly disregarded an order, which Royce made a comment about, expressing displeasure. However, it was mostly for show. The captains didn't care as long as the beastmen helped.

If the beastmen had only one second-ranker as their leader, they might have insisted on following the rules. But with so many, they posed a threat no one could take lightly.

"As I introduced myself earlier, my name is Royce Alaris Dreysarr, and on behalf of all the captains present here, we've shared our knowledge of this hidden enemy that we face… Neither of your people can escape it or fight it alone. And we can't just let such a threat fester, not with hundreds of villages behind us depending on our protection.

We will fight, with or without you, but know this: once we engage, the enemy will deal with us swiftly, and then come right for you all."

Royce explained the situation, then ended with a bold statement that gave both hope and fear. The beastman could not run away with their families without being noticed and killed by the Ashenvale people and the lost captain's unit could not leave this area without help, or they would get surprise attacked again and again to death by the Ashenvale's hidden forces.

Both sides were relying on each other. The beastmen had plenty of second-rankers, but their first-rankers and mundane soldiers were lacking. No surprise there—they weren't a professional army, just villagers from many settlements banding together.

"That man over there has taken nearly a third of our people… scheming, deceiving a young innocent boy. He wants our valley. As long as he's here, there'll be no talk of alliances or trust. If there's even a drop of honor left in Eldorian's army nowadays, show it. Judge this abomination, and we will hold your words true.

Otherwise, it's just words… lost in the wind," the white tiger beastman concluded, making their stance clear with a simple request.

After hearing Einar's story, Damian was certain the man had done something truly unforgivable to deserve it. Still, no matter how pompous he was, the man was a noble, as were many others present in this room. They were all of the same rank, and no matter who decided the judgment, there would be objections, leading to an inevitable fight.

"Bah! Blatant disrespect to the Eldorian army and even questioning Lady Vidalia's honor! Is all of your blood made of water? How can a true Eldorian noble blood not boil at such savages' disrespect?"