IPUAVNP Chapter 134

Chapter 134

 

Brody agreed to leave together, but she had only vaguely guessed the timing—she never imagined it would be so soon.

At least, not until she heard Kyle’s next words.

“If you’re okay with it, I’m planning to leave Roden as soon as I recover.”

“So soon?”

Brody’s voice rose in surprise. Kyle chuckled at her reaction.

“Why? Does it seem too rushed?”

“Well, yes… but more importantly, where are we even going? We don’t have a destination.”

Feeling a bit embarrassed for reacting so dramatically, Brody scratched her cheek.

But Kyle seemed resolute, and he immediately told her the destination he had in mind.

“For now, let’s go to your home.”

“You mean Asgar?”

Brody hadn’t expected that at all. Her eyes widened again, and Kyle quickly explained.

“Well, you wanted to go there anyway, and… I should meet your parents properly.”

By the time he finished speaking, his face was slightly flushed, and he glanced at her nervously.

Brody was taken aback at first, but then she bit her lip, realizing his intentions.

He wanted to formally receive my parents’ approval for our relationship.

The thought was both endearing and amusing—seeing him nervous like this was a rare sight.

Feeling a little mischievous, she put on a serious expression and asked,

“You’re going to introduce yourself to my parents?”

“Yeah. I need to greet them and… get their permission for us.”

“Hmm, I’m against that idea.”

Kyle’s face turned to one of shock.

“W-why?”

“Well, because my parents will never approve of us.”

Brody’s eyes were round with certainty.

“Did you forget? I’m a rabbit, and you’re a wolf. My family will oppose this way more than the wolves here did. They might even faint from the shock.”

“…”

“Oh, but don’t worry about my sister. She’s just like me. The moment she sees your face, she’ll approve.”

Although she added that to reassure him, Kyle already looked dejected. Brody swallowed her laughter, waiting for his response.

After a moment of serious contemplation, Kyle steeled himself and met her gaze with determination.

“That’s fine. I’ll just wait until they approve.”

“And how do you plan on doing that?”

“Somehow.”

His face was completely serious.

Brody stifled a laugh but also felt a bit worried.

In reality, meeting her parents wasn’t even the main issue. The real problem was that Kyle might not even be able to enter her village.

The Clock Rabbit Village strictly prohibited outsiders. Of course, they could arrange a meeting outside the village, but…

It was doubtful that her timid family would be willing to meet her wolf boyfriend beyond their safe borders.

‘Still, we can’t just skip meeting them. I guess we’ll figure it out when we get to Asgar. Sometimes, it’s best to just go for it and think later.’

Having convinced herself with this reckless logic, Brody looked at Kyle and spoke.

“Then how about we go next summer instead? Through the magic gate.”

She suggested this because she was worried that leaving too soon would sadden the family they were leaving behind.

“If we leave right away, your parents will be really upset. Shouldn’t we give them some time to prepare emotionally?”

But Kyle’s expression turned somewhat awkward as he replied,

“Staying here longer would actually be worse for them.”

Hearing that, Brody thought he was still misunderstanding his family’s feelings and firmly responded,

“Kyle, that’s not true. There’s no way your family wants you to leave.”

However, Kyle shook his head, clearly uncomfortable but determined to explain.

“It’s not like that. As I said earlier, politically speaking, I’m an inconvenient presence here.”

He hesitated for a moment before continuing honestly.

“People think I haven’t truly given up my claim to the heir’s position, and the longer I stay, the more they’ll believe it. It’ll make things tense for everyone. Leaving early is better for Roden and for my family.”

Still, he quickly added,

“But if you don’t want to leave right away, I won’t either.”

Hearing that, Brody couldn’t insist on staying any longer.

She recalled the whispers she had overheard at the banquet.

‘He’s only lying low for now, waiting for the right moment to take back the heir’s position.’

Kyle had never said or done anything to indicate that, yet people were already gossiping about him.

If he stayed in Roden, they would continue watching him closely, twisting his every action into proof of their suspicions. It would only create more trouble between him, Abel, and their father.

Just as Kyle had said, staying would make life exhausting.

Realizing this, Brody had no choice but to accept his decision.

Once he recovered, they would leave for Asgar.

But even after making up her mind, the long journey ahead felt daunting.

With a weary sigh, Brody muttered to herself,

“I’ve done it once before, so the second time should be easier, right? No, it has to be…”

Kyle, feeling guilty as he watched Brody mumble to herself in a dazed voice, spoke up.

“This time, let’s take a safer and more comfortable route than the one we came on. Didn’t you say there was one?”

Brody’s expression stiffened slightly at his question before she answered.

“There is… but it’s a very slow route.”

Her deliberately enunciated response made Kyle, who always insisted on taking the fastest route no matter what, lower his head like ripened grain.

After glancing at her cautiously, he hesitantly took hold of her fingers and said,

“Then this time, let’s make sure to take the ‘absolutely safe and comfortable’ route.”

“Huh?”

Kyle gently shook her hand as if trying to placate her. Brody let out a little huff as if she was still sulking, but soon, a playful smile crept onto her lips.

 

***

 

After meeting with Amidal, Simon Elders, the leader of the Tiger Tribe, immediately sought out the Black Tigers of Karman Coast.

His reason for summoning the Black Tigers, whose relationship with Roden had worsened again after the war, was simple.

‘The Clock Rabbit turned back time during the battle with the Black Tigers at Mount Nevo. If you want to confirm that the rabbit is here, call in the Black Tigers from Karman Coast and ask them. Some of those present at the scene might have vaguely sensed the shift in time. Of course, they’d probably dismiss it as their imagination.’

Simon Elders wanted to verify the Clock Rabbit’s presence with the Black Tigers’ own testimony.

Taking Amidal’s words at face value and seeking revenge based on that alone would be too much of a gamble.

However, venturing out himself would risk exposure to Roden’s spies. So instead, he discreetly summoned two survivors from the Black Tiger forces who had directly faced Kyle Roden at Mount Nevo.

“You were among those who fought Kyle Roden at Mount Nevo?”

The Black Tiger beastmen, despite their faction’s strained relations with Simon, had been lured here by the promise of gold.

They nodded in response to his question.

“And did you see the rabbit that was with Kyle Roden?”

“The rabbit?”

One of the men tilted his head, looking as if he had just heard something absurd.

But it was too soon for disappointment.

The next moment, the other man provided the exact answer Simon Elders was hoping for.

“I saw it. I was startled to see a small, white rabbit on the battlefield, but it turned out to be the one Kyle Roden had brought with him. Even while fighting, he was extremely careful to protect that rabbit.”

At the mention of the rabbit, Simon Elders felt his heart pound. His suspicion that the Clock Rabbit was here was inching closer to confirmation.

Without hesitation, he asked his next question.

“Did you notice anything strange about the area where the rabbit was?”

He directed his gaze toward the one who had seen the rabbit.

“For example… did the flow of time seem to change?”

“The flow of time…?”

The man recoiled slightly, startled by the intensity in Simon’s eyes. His expression showed disbelief, as if he had just heard nonsense.

In other words, while he had seen the rabbit, he hadn’t realized that time had been rewound.

The momentary hope that had sparked within Simon Elders dimmed with disappointment.

But then—

The other Black Tiger, who had been silently mulling over Simon’s question, suddenly spoke up with a thoughtful expression.

“I don’t know about time flowing differently… but I did experience something strange during the battle at Mount Nevo.”

Simon Elders’s head snapped toward him.

“You felt something strange? What was it?”

His urgency was evident.

The man, though caught off guard, explained steadily,

“Well… I remember standing at the top of a hill. But in the blink of an eye, I found myself climbing up that same hill again, as if time had rewound.”

At the time, he had dismissed it as a hallucination due to the chaos of battle and had forgotten about it—until Simon’s words had triggered the memory.

Then, he added a sharp question.

“But what does that have to do with the rabbit?”

However, Simon Elders didn’t even register the question.

His golden eyes gleamed with exhilaration.

Amidal’s claim that the Clock Rabbit was nearby had just been confirmed.

If a creature capable of reversing time was within reach, there was no need for hesitation.

No matter what it took, he had to capture the Clock Rabbit and turn back time—to a point before his family was killed, before he lost everything.

Shortly after, he handed gold coins to the Black Tigers and sent them on their way.

Then, he called for one of his subordinates.

The warrior, still reeking of blood, entered the chamber.

“You summoned me?”

Simon Elders ignored the scent and issued his command.

“Go to Amidal and tell her—my mind is made up. We must meet again and devise a strategy.”