Chapter 60
‘…Looks like we’ll make it out alive after all.’
Giverny swallowed a bitter smile.
“Let’s go in. Prince Krinini has prepared something delicious.”
Tete drew a large circle in the air over his head. That probably meant there was a lot of food.
Giverny glanced at his pale-faced knights.
“Alright, let’s go inside. I feel bad for coming empty-handed.”
“No problem! Good news!”
“I’m glad you think so.”
Tete and Krinini led Giverny’s group into the Snow Beast nest.
Until now, the only time knights had entered this enormous nest was for one purpose—search and destroy.
Never before had they entered for peaceful reasons.
The Snow beasts’ massive nest, built from trees, resembled a bird’s nest—except it was the size of an entire human village.
Several such nests existed throughout the northern forest, and the Snow beasts traveled between them.
Bones and skulls of Snow beasts were woven between the branches, creating an eerie atmosphere.
However, despite the grim setting, the Snow Beasts gathering to watch the humans had bright, curious eyes.
Their expressions seemed strangely innocent.
Unlike before, their gaze lacked hostility. Their large, glassy eyes were clear and gentle.
“Welcome! We like you!”
“Grrroooar!”
The Snow beasts waved their hands excitedly as the humans walked deeper into the nest, toward their king.
Finally, they stood before the Snow Beast king.
“Bow to the king.”
Awkwardly, Giverny and his knights gave a formal human-style bow.
The king let out a hearty laugh.
Luckily, he seemed pleased.
“We welcome you, King.”
“Grrrooo, grrrooo.”
“We like you, King.”
“Please tell him that we are grateful to meet under good circumstances like this.”
“Grrrooo!”
Giverny swallowed hard.
The atmosphere remained friendly.
“For this alliance to work, we must keep our promises.”
“We will. Promise kept.”
“I also have a question. Do you know where the monsters are?”
Tete shook his head.
“We don’t know. They disappeared.”
There was no sign of a newly opened monster gate.
The gate they had emerged from remained inactive.
Hundreds of knights were stationed nearby, guarding it.
“Our knights are keeping watch near the gate. Can you help us?”
“Grrrooo! Grrrooo!”
The Snow Beast King nodded.
“We will guard. We are strong.”
“We will find the monsters and tell you.”
That must mean they would inform the humans if they found any signs of the monsters.
Giverny nodded and whistled sharply.
A falcon swooped down and landed on his wrist, flapping its wings.
“This is a messenger bird. If you need to contact us, you can use it.”
Tete’s eyes sparkled as he observed the bird.
“Ooooh.”
“The way to call it is—”
Before Giverny could explain, Tete extended a finger.
Without hesitation, the falcon hopped onto Tete’s hand.
The bird let out a long cry.
“Sharvé. Its name.”
“…How did you know that?”
“Sharvé told me.”
Giverny was stunned.
Could the Snow beasts understand the language of animals?
If they could communicate with beasts, tracking the monsters would become much easier.
They might even be able to explore unknown parts of the vast northern forest.
“How did it go?”
“It was a very beneficial deal. We sent the promised food supply as soon as we returned.”
Cassius nodded. This had already been approved.
If the alliance succeeded, they had agreed to send food to the Snow beasts.
At the same time, the knights were preparing for battle in case of any unexpected disaster.
But luckily, Giverny and his men had returned safely, and they had gained much in return.
The alliance with the Snow beasts was now a reality.
“First, the Snow beasts can communicate with animals.”
Giverny reported the most shocking discovery.
“They understood Sharvé’s name and spoke with him.”
“…That is quite fascinating.”
Cassius narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.
“They are using this ability to track the monsters. However, they said the animals are too scared to speak freely.”
“Hmm…”
“Also, the reason their nests were discovered so often was that the monsters had been using animals to spy on them.”
“So the monsters can also understand animal speech?”
“Yes. That’s why it was so easy for them to track us.”
After all, rats and birds exist everywhere.
“Exactly.”
“They could even be watching us right now.”
“That’s also true.”
Cassius frowned.
“…Looks like it’s time to get rid of some rats.”
“I’ll inform the head maid.”
At those words, Cassius nodded. Just as Giverny had said, they had learned many things thanks to the Snow beasts.
“The Snow beasts have also agreed to stand guard. Now we can have double security. The monsters won’t be able to escape through the gate.”
“We must block their return. Those creatures are just the small ones. If they go back, they could bring something much worse.”
“Understood, Your Excellency.”
Cassius clenched his teeth. Sometimes, he felt the urge to burn the entire forest down to destroy the monsters.
But that would cause more harm than good.
He let out a deep breath and continued speaking.
“It’s a relief that we have the Snow beasts’ cooperation. Call back all search teams. If the enemy is watching our moves, we’ll never find them like this.”
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
Cassius bit his lip.
His mind was racing.
Over the years, humans and Snow beasts had fought many battles, learning each other’s strategies and strengths.
‘Is it possible to train together?’
In that case, they might create decoy strategies.
In the long run, they might gain valuable allies to fight against the monsters coming from the gate.
“Your Excellency.”
A voice pulled him from his thoughts.
Giverny spoke seriously.
“According to the Snow beasts, their species is divided into several groups. There are five known tribes, but since they live deep in the forest, they have rarely encountered humans.”
“…Can we communicate with them as well?”
“Snow beasts are very protective of their young. They will never forgive those who harm them. There’s a chance that some of them have also been attacked. From the monsters’ perspective, large Snow beasts would be an easy food source.”
“We should try to contact them too.”
If they could train more Snow beast warriors, it would be a great advantage.
‘Perhaps it’s a good thing they only live for three years.’
By the time they learned too much about human combat, a new generation would replace them.
This alliance would last for only three years at most.
“Based on your experience, do you think we can train the Snow beasts for battle?”
“…Snow beasts are peaceful by nature. They aren’t very intelligent. I don’t know if they can be trained, but if they can, it would be beneficial. They don’t attack unless provoked.”
“After we finish hunting the monsters, do you think they will turn against us?”
Giverny thought of the simple, kind-eyed creatures he had met.
They only cared about having enough food.
“As long as they have food, I don’t think they will attack us first.”
“…Good. Giverny, I want you to maintain communication with the Snow beasts. At the same time, organize a training unit and take them to the Snow beasts. We should practice fighting together.”
“Understood, Your Excellency. Will you also provide them with weapons?”
Cassius fell silent.
He tapped his fingers on the desk, deep in thought.
Arming the Snow beasts…
That was not an easy decision.
-ˋˏ ༻❁✿❀༺ ˎˊ-
• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Freya• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
If you want to support the translation and the translator, you can buy a coffee~
Advance chapters of this novel are available of my kofi channel
-ˋˏ ༻❁✿❀༺ ˎˊ-
