I Picked Up an Abandoned Villain in the Polar Region

Episode 107

 

When Brody woke up, Kyle had already left for work, having piled the cabin with fruits and carrots for her to eat before heading out at dawn.

Alone, Brody rolled lazily once on the bed and plopped onto the soft pillow before sliding off onto the floor.

“Yaaawn…”

She stretched her tired body and got up, feeling a bit guilty about idling while Kyle was out working.

“I’m thirsty.”

Having eaten only dried carrots all day yesterday, Brody felt parched.

She hopped off the bed and searched for water, only to realize there wasn’t any.

Kyle, in his rush, had forgotten to prepare a bowl of water for her.

‘Oh well.’

She decided to head to the stream outside to quench her thirst and wash up.

Following the small brook flowing down from the mountain, Brody bounced like a mountain rabbit upstream to find cleaner water.

As she climbed, she stretched her body and looked out toward the mountain ridge.

Beyond it lay Alcamon Mountain, home to the fearsome black bears, known as the strongest predators in the southernmost part of the Knohen continent—more powerful even than the lions of the southern plains.

The realization that she was relatively close to their territory startled her, but she wasn’t particularly afraid.

After all, Alcamon Mountain was a separate domain, and there was no reason for her to encounter a black bear here.

But as she sipped from the clear water and began grooming herself on a rock, meticulously plucking loose fur, she suddenly caught a low humming noise beneath the bubbling of the stream.

What’s that?

She turned toward the sound, only to find herself face-to-face with a massive black bear clutching a beehive, surrounded by frantically buzzing bees.

“…”

For a moment, Brody doubted her eyes. But as the predator’s presence registered in her senses, she froze and instinctively held her breath.

She realized it was a shapeshifter, but fear overwhelmed her, and she couldn’t even scream.

If the bear was starving or desperate, Brody was as good as dead. Her only option was to run, and fast.

However as she turned to flee, a huge paw swiped toward her.

Whack!

She didn’t even manage a single step before the blow landed. Brody blacked out immediately.

 

***

 

Brody regained consciousness not long after.

She was unharmed; in fact, her fainting had more to do with shock than the force of the bear’s paw.

As she looked around, she realized she was in a rocky cave.

In front of her was a campfire, and beyond it sat the black bear, grilling fish over the flames.

Recognizing the bear as her captor, Brody immediately feigned unconsciousness, sticking out her tongue and playing dead.

Her mind raced. Why did that bear bring me here? Does it plan to skewer me like that fish and roast me over the fire?

But if that were the case, why hadn’t it tied her up? And there was something odd—this wasn’t Alcamon Mountain but Roden territory.

The bear must have entered wolf territory to harvest the hive she’d seen earlier.

As Brody mulled over these thoughts, she cracked an eye open to check if the bear had noticed she was awake.

“You’re awake, huh?”

“Kyahhh!”

Brody screamed as the bear loomed over her, its face suddenly close. She darted behind a nearby rock to hide.

The black bear, startled by her reaction, waved its paws frantically.

“Calm down, bunny! I’m not going to hurt you.”

It said in a surprisingly youthful voice.

Brody peeked out from behind the rock, her curiosity piqued.

“You’re not?”

The bear rubbed its head sheepishly.

“I accidentally hit you earlier while trying to swat away a bee. I’m really sorry about that.”

Hearing the apologetic tone, Brody felt her tension ease slightly. She cautiously asked,

“Then why did you bring me here? And where is this place?”

The young bear fidgeted awkwardly, its gentle expression almost comical.

“You were passed out, and I was worried you’d get eaten by a wild animal if I left you there. This is a cave not far from the stream. If you want, you can find your way home from here. But… um…”

“But…?”

Brody tensed again at the hesitation.

“Could you not tell the wolves I’m hiding out here? Please?”

The bear clasped its front paws together in a pleading gesture, causing Brody to furrow her brow.

This was clearly a child.

The bear’s confession confirmed it was trespassing in Roden territory without permission.

But why?

Brody’s sharp eyes noticed a small bundle in the corner of the cave. Could it be…?

“Did you… run away from home?”

The bear flinched at her question, and Brody caught the telltale reaction instantly. A smirk spread across her face.

‘So it’s just a runaway kid? I can’t believe I was scared of some rebellious little cub!’

Emboldened, Brody stepped out from behind the rock, puffing out her chest.

She pointed an accusatory paw at the young bear.

“You little rascal! Get back home right now! What kind of kid runs away from their parents?”

Feigning the authority of an adult, she scolded the bear, who looked both startled and sheepish at her outburst.

But the young bear, hearing Brody’s nagging, sat heavily on the ground. His face crestfallen, as he muttered,

“I’m not going back. Everything works just fine at home without me anyway.”

Brody paused, startled by the sadness in his eyes.

This wasn’t the usual rebellious teenager’s retort.

“What are you talking about? If your family heard you say that, they’d be heartbroken!”

The young bear shook his head and, as if confiding in a trusted stranger, began to share his story with the rabbit he’d just met.

“My family doesn’t care about me. Mom went to the sky a long time ago, and Dad only spends time with his girlfriends. My older siblings don’t even see me as their brother because we have different moms. Nobody in my house pays attention to me.”

It sounded like a textbook dysfunctional family.

Brody almost blurted out, What kind of people are they?! but managed to keep her emotions in check.

This wasn’t a situation to react to without hearing both sides, especially since young cubs often magnified their grievances.

Approaching the dejected young bear, Brody crouched down to console him.

“Sweetheart, even if it feels like your family doesn’t care, they probably worry about you deep down. Your dad is probably searching everywhere for you right now. So, why don’t you go home, okay?”

“No. Dad probably doesn’t even realize I ran away.”

The stubbornness of the cub made Brody sigh.

“There’s no way a parent wouldn’t notice their child missing for days. You must be mistaken.”

Despite her reasoning, the young bear stood his ground, refusing to go back.

When Brody asked his age, she found out he was only ten. A child that young living alone in this wild land without parental care was unthinkable.

Exhausted from reasoning with him, Brody finally resorted to her last option.

Standing tall with her paws on her hips, she sternly scolded the bear.

“Listen here, you! No matter how much you hate it, you can’t live here alone. Do you even know how dangerous it is to trespass on someone else’s land without permission? If the wolves catch you, you’ll not only get in big trouble, but it could also start a war between your territory and theirs!”

The mention of a possible war made the young bear’s eyes widen in fear as he clamped his front paw over his mouth.

Brody, though regretful for scaring him, had successfully convinced him.

She led the young bear out of the cave and began the trek to Alcamon Mountain, the black bears’ territory.

“I’ll take you to the edge of your land, but you have to promise to go straight home. Got it?”

However, Brody’s plan to escort him to the border and head back quickly unraveled. As soon as they arrived near the boundary, the young bear bolted, declaring he wouldn’t return home.

Not one to let matters lie, the meddlesome Brody grabbed him again and escorted him deeper into Alcamon territory.

‘It’s still afternoon. I’ll drop this kid off and make it back home before Kyle returns.’

Brody resolved as they headed together to the young bear’s home.

“…Do you really think my dad’s waiting for me?”

The bear’s stubbornness began to wane, and as they neared his home, a hint of hope appeared on his face.

Seeing this, Brody felt a pang of sympathy and loudly reassured him.

“Of course! I bet he’ll be thrilled to see you back.”

Encouraging the young bear, Brody soon found herself standing before the entrance to a massive cave—his home.

Her eyes blinked in astonishment.

“…Is this your house?”

“Yeah. It’s kind of big.”

“Kind of” was an understatement.

The entrance led into a vast cavern, almost temple-like in its grandeur. Past a large stone door, they entered a corridor lined with enormous columns supporting the high ceiling.

Brody felt dwarfed by the sheer scale of the place.

‘This is where this little bear lives?’

As they walked deeper, she noticed statues of bears flanking the pathway. Each was sculpted with an imposing posture—one with its claws raised aggressively, another baring sharp teeth as if ready to devour prey.

Beneath each statue, plaques bore inscriptions: ‘1st Leader of Alcamon,’ ‘2nd Leader of Alcamon,’ and so on.

What… is this? 

Needing confirmation about her thoughts, Brody turned to the young bear and asked urgently.

“Hey, what’s your name?”

“My name? Shanikah.”

“No, I mean your last name!”

The cub, looking a bit embarrassed, answered with an innocent grin.

“Oh, my last name is Alcamon.”

Brody’s jaw dropped.

Alcamon—the family name of the ruling lineage of the black bear territory.