IPUAVNP Chapter 126

Episode 126

 

The night fell over the borderlands.

The thin crescent moon’s light was insufficient to brighten the land.

What little light there was was soon obscured by drifting clouds, making the ground darker than usual. For the sentinels watching for intruders in the plains, it was the worst kind of night.

Then, from the distant Roden Valley, a lone crow cut through the night sky, heading toward the Baldwin Plains.

The crows of Baldwin, who had been given a special night watch by Leonit Baldwin, perched in a row on the branches of dead trees.

It was a grim sight, like murders gathering around a corpse.

They awaited the approaching Roden crow to verify its identity before it crossed the border.

“Kernels, you’ve come looking for your tattered master, haven’t you?”

Baldwin’s crows cackled mockingly as Kernels landed.

Having flown in breathlessly, Kernels perched on a branch, glaring at the Baldwin crows that surrounded him, and swallowed his anger.

He clamped his beak tightly before speaking.

“Where’s Kyle?”

The Baldwin crows tilted their heads mockingly and replied.

“Who knows? We didn’t really keep track. Leonit dragged him around all over the place, beating him up. He’s probably dying somewhere nearby by now.”

“Quite the grand love story, huh? Kyle Roden, of all people, lost his mind over love and rolled straight into enemy territory. All to save some rabbit girl.”

“Shut up, Patrick.”

Kernels fixed his pitch-black eyes on the crow named Patrick, glaring murderously.

Baldwin’s crows hesitated momentarily.

They knew that, like his master Kyle Roden, Kernels could turn into a crazed crow when his temper snapped. But even so, Kernels was alone, and they were many.

The Baldwin crows regrouped, realizing this, and resumed mocking him with renewed confidence.

“Honestly, Kernels, aren’t you embarrassed by your master’s little love escapade?”

“Yeah. At least when he was an arrogant jerk, he had guts.”

Kernels’s body trembled with rage. He looked ready to start a wild brawl then and there. But he held himself back, enduring the humiliation.

He had to obtain their permission to enter the plains. He had to confirm Kyle’s condition and complete the mission he had been tasked with.

After jeering at Kernels to their hearts’ content, Baldwin’s crows finally opened a path for him.

“Alright, go on and fetch your master. But don’t pull any funny business inside.”

“Oh, and don’t be too upset if your master’s dead. Leonit’s tolerated his arrogance for too long, but not tonight.”

‘Talking big after being humiliated so many times.’

Kernels thought bitterly as he shot off from the branch, leaving behind the crows’ laughter.

He soared through the sky, searching for traces of Kyle.

Baldwin’s crows had said Kyle was ‘dragged around,’ but Kernels guessed Kyle had deliberately led his pursuers inland, to a place beyond the watchful eyes of the border crows.

Calculating this, Kernels ventured further inland.

As expected, the faint smell of blood began to waft through the sparse, dry field. Moments later, he found a bloodied wolf collapsed amidst a field of scattered bloodstains.

Horrified, Kernels flew down to him.

“Kyle!”

The wolf’s black fur was soaked entirely in blood. From his neck to his legs, there wasn’t a single unscathed area.

The wounds, torn open by a lion’s teeth, still oozed blood, and every step Kernels took splashed in the crimson puddles.

Shocked by the grisly sight, Kernels cried out in anguish.

“Kyle! Wake up! Please get up!”

He screamed desperately, but Kyle neither opened his eyes nor moved. His body hung limply, lifeless as a corpse.

Kernels, at a loss, darted around his master, shedding tears.

But then, from the seemingly dead Kyle came a faint voice.

“…ls.”

Kernels’s tear-filled eyes widened in disbelief.

Though the word was faint and muffled, it was unmistakably his name.

Kernels rushed to Kyle’s face, shouting,

“Yes, Kyle! It’s me! I’m Kernels! Are you awake?”

Kyle couldn’t respond.

Harsh, ragged breaths escaped his mouth as if he were clinging to life by a thread.

Yet even in that state, Kyle struggled to move, forcing his body to speak a single sentence.

“…Go. To Brody….”

“**** it, who cares about that rabbit right now? Is that really what’s important?”

Kernels cried out, wiping his tears with his wings, frustrated. But he couldn’t ignore Kyle’s orders.

He had to get to Brody, as Kyle had said. That was, in fact, why Kernels had come.

 

***

 

Hours earlier, Oswald had reported finding traces of lions near the cabin, leaving everyone in the meeting hall in shock.

At the same time, those who had attended the meeting with Leonit Baldwin finally realized the source of the unease they had felt even after abolishing the unfair provisions as planned.

The reason the Baldwins had quietly returned to their homeland without causing a scene, despite the humiliation Alexander had inflicted upon them in the meeting hall, was now clear.

Leonit Baldwin hadn’t come to Roden to reaffirm peace.

From the very beginning, their goal had been to kidnap Brody.

As this realization dawned upon them, leaving everyone in dismay, Kyle immediately tried to storm out of the meeting hall as soon as he heard the report from Oswald.

He had already lost all sense of reason, acting without any thought of the consequences.

Abel grabbed him on the spot.

“Brother, what do you plan to do by going alone? They’ve already taken her back to the plains!”

But Kyle shook off Abel’s arm roughly. He seemed deaf to any rational restraint, ready to kill anyone who dared to stop him.

When Abel failed to hold him back, Alexander finally stepped forward, blocking Kyle’s path.

“Kyle, calm yourself! You’re reacting exactly as they want. Don’t you see that kidnapping Brody is meant to provoke you?”

Hearing this, Kyle’s crazed eyes shifted to Alexander.

Holding Kyle’s trembling shoulders firmly, Alexander spoke resolutely.

“They won’t harm Miss Brody as long as they haven’t achieved their objective. So don’t act rashly. You’ll only hurt yourself and put her in greater danger.”

It was evident that Baldwin’s lions intended to use Brody as leverage to provoke Kyle and demand concessions from Roden.

These demands would undoubtedly be political—restoring the abolished provisions or other such terms. Until their demands were met, they wouldn’t dare to harm her.

Alexander’s words brought Kyle back to his senses. His tense shoulders began to relax, and his shaking eyes steadied.

Only after Kyle calmed down did voices begin to emerge in the previously tense meeting hall.

“How much must they look down on Roden to dare kidnap our guest—our leader’s fiancée—on our own soil?”

“Leader, we must declare war and punish them. If we let this go, they’ll continue to mock us!”

“But our warriors have only just begun recovering from the battle with the Elders. Leading them into another war now would be reckless.”

As the elders split into two opposing camps, Alexander, burdened with the responsibility of leadership, was consumed by deeper deliberation.

On one hand, the lions had committed an outrageous act by kidnapping Roden’s guest, who was also Kyle’s beloved. There was ample justification for declaring war.

Yet, as the opposing elders warned, Roden was still reeling from the war with the tigers and was in no condition to engage in another conflict.

Moreover, with Roden’s wolves relying on their strength in numbers, leading only the recovered warriors into Baldwin’s plains would put them at a significant disadvantage.

Such an attempt would likely result in heavy casualties among Roden’s warriors.

As leader, Alexander was duty-bound to protect his people, which made war a last resort. He needed to consider alternative solutions first.

“It would be best for me to meet Ascal Baldwin personally to negotiate.”

Alexander finally proposed.

“Negotiate?”

Kyle, who had remained silent after regaining his composure, let out a bitter laugh.

He turned to Alexander and spoke.

“Do you still trust those who betrayed a 20-year treaty as if it were a mere scrap of paper?”

Kyle shook his head in exasperation and rose abruptly, heading for the door.

But just as he was about to leave, Abel’s voice stopped him in his tracks.

“I feel the same as you, brother.”

Everyone, including Kyle, turned to Abel with surprised eyes.

Abel Roden, known for his staunch opposition to war, had reacted in a way no one had expected.

His expression was different from usual, and his voice was firm as he addressed Alexander.

“If we negotiate, they’ll undoubtedly demand more than just the provisions we abolished earlier.”

Abel turned his gaze to Kyle.

“And even if they promise to release her in exchange, I can no longer trust the lions either. I agree with my brother—we cannot let them manipulate us anymore. Now is the time to respond with strength.”

 

This chapter and the next two chapters are a request from Jean 💌