IPUAVNP Chapter 149

Chapter 149

 

Mr. May stood firm in front of the hostile villagers, pretending to be composed, but his face was drenched in cold sweat.

Brody, who had been standing behind him, noticed this and bit her lip.

In the end, she couldn’t bear to see her family suffering because of her. Stepping forward, she addressed the villagers.

“I was the one who brought the guests into the house. My family has nothing to do with this. They only let them in because I asked them to.”

She and the others would leave, but the May family would have to live in this village for the rest of their lives.

If they were labeled as rule-breakers, they would suffer forever. So she had to clear up the misunderstanding for their sake.

“These guests saved my life when I was in danger, and they were injured in the process. That’s why I brought them here to treat them. They didn’t come with any other intentions.”

Right on cue, Kyle and the twins still bore visible injuries on their bodies. The villagers couldn’t ignore this evidence.

Still, some remained stubborn.

“Even if you say that, Brody, bringing outsiders into the village was reckless!”

“Have you forgotten about the past outsiders who came with good intentions at first, only to turn on us when they learned our secret?”

“If we let them go, they might leave the village and sell our information to others!”

Those determined not to let them leave gripped their axes tightly, their hands trembling with fear and anger.

However, others who had been swayed by Brody’s words started holding back the more aggressive ones.

Mr. May noticed this shift and gathered his courage to speak.

“These people will never harm us or reveal our secrets. I stake the name of the May family, who have protected this Clock Rabbit Village for generations, on this promise.”

The May family had lived in the village for centuries, never causing trouble and always serving as model citizens. The villagers knew this well, and Mr. May’s firm words began to soften their resolve.

When he further assured them that no harm would come from these guests, the villagers finally lowered their weapons.

Of course, this didn’t mean they approved.

Before leaving, they issued one final warning.

“Mr. May, since you’ve staked your family’s name on this, we’ll believe you this time. But our stance remains unchanged, these outsiders must leave the village immediately. Get them out as soon as possible. If we see even a hint of trouble, those wolves and your family will be expelled from the village permanently.”

With that chilling warning, the villagers left, though their wariness of the wolf beastmen remained.

Only after the people were gone did the May family finally exhale, their tension releasing all at once.

Meanwhile, Kyle, who had stayed silent for fear of escalating the villagers’ anger, now turned to the May family and apologized.

“I’m sorry. I should have kept my subordinates under control… This was entirely my fault. I’m truly sorry for causing you trouble.”

The Oswald twins, who had caused this mess, bowed their heads beside him.

Yet, even though he now faced being treated as a traitor in the village he had lived in all his life, Mr. May did not blame them.

“It’s alright. But to avoid further misunderstandings, you must leave here as soon as possible—before sunrise at the latest.”

His sorrowful gaze turned to Brody.

Mrs. May and Judy also looked at her with the same expression.

Brody couldn’t raise her head, ashamed that she had put her family in this position and that they now had to flee in such a hurry.

“I’m sorry…”

But instead of scolding her, Mr. and Mrs. May and Judy embraced her tightly.

To them, Brody was far more important than any punishment they might face.

Kyle, watching the May family’s sorrow, felt a pang of guilt. At the same time, a vague unease that had been bothering him since the villagers stormed in made him glance around the room.

His sharp gaze eventually landed on the Oswald twins standing in the back.

“…”

Kyle suspected that the twins had caused this mess by peeking out the window.

After all, even when he had come down to the reception room to speak with the May couple, they had been lingering near the window.

Someone must have spotted them and alerted the villagers.

But…

Kyle recalled how the villagers had shouted outside the door.

‘Come out, you wolf *****s!’

The twins had been in their human forms inside the house. Even if someone had glimpsed them through the window, at most, they might have sensed a predator’s aura.

‘But how did the villagers already know we were wolves?’

His gaze sharpened.

The wolves that a village child had supposedly seen in the north last night were not Kyle and his group.

They had arrived in the village two days ago and had been staying indoors ever since.

That meant the wolves the child saw were someone else entirely—specifically, the white wolves of the Asgar continent.

And now, those wolves were lurking near the Clock Rabbit Village.

 

***

 

Meanwhile, four white wolves roamed the snowy mountains all morning before making their way to a rocky cave.

This was the temporary shelter they had chosen last night.

Inside, a large wolf sat waiting for them. As the returning wolves entered, he asked,

“Did you find anything worth eating nearby?”

The young wolves, each carrying prey in their mouths, answered.

“Yes, boss. We caught a squirrel and two weasels.”¹It seems that one of them didn’t have anything and he/she should be the one talking.

They placed their meager catch before their leader, who was far older than them. But the so-called boss immediately frowned.

“You went out hunting at dawn, and this is all you got? You little punks, you didn’t steal any for yourselves on the way back, did you?”

He bared his teeth menacingly, making the young wolves tremble and shake their heads in fear.

“No! We didn’t eat anything! We swear!”

Indeed, there were no signs that they had eaten. Only after confirming this did the boss withdraw his suspicious glare.

Then, without hesitation, he began eating all the food himself.

The young wolves sat a distance away, watching him devour the prey they had caught. They could only eat what was left after he was done.

Even though they had been starving for days, they patiently waited for their turn.

These four siblings had been living with this so-called boss ever since their parents died.

But the only adult they had hoped would protect them turned out to be someone who merely used them to fill his own belly.

Every day, they survived on scraps-leftovers from his meals.

“Brothers, sister… I’m hungry…”

The youngest of the four, the little one, weakly collapsed, exhausted from the early morning hunt. The hunger was unbearable.

But his older siblings had nothing to give him. The best they could do was share a small portion of their own meager share.

They had once tried to escape from this unfair life. But when the boss caught them, he nearly killed them.

Since that day, they had lived in fear, giving up on ever running away.

For now.

Once the boss finished his meal, the young wolves rushed to scavenge whatever remained.

But there was barely anything left-just tiny rodent bones.

Despite having eaten everything, the boss grumbled about how little food there was.

Then, watching the children gnaw on the scraps, he clicked his tongue.

“Don’t eat too much. Tonight, we’ll feast properly in that rabbit village.”

His gaze turned toward the hill outside the cave. Beyond that hill lay the village they planned to raid tonight.

While the boss drooled at the thought of plundering the village, the young wolves froze at his words.

Raiding always meant more than just food.

The wolves would steal livestock, break into houses, take anything valuable, and kill anyone who resisted.

Something similar had happened just last night.

They had been wandering, starving, and searching for shelter when they stumbled upon the rabbit village.

While scouting for food, a young rabbit beastman had spotted them.

At that moment, the boss had given them a chilling order.

‘Kill that rabbit.’

He had planned to raid the village the next night, and he didn’t want the child warning the adults about their presence.

But no matter how hungry they were, the young wolves couldn’t bring themselves to kill a fellow beastman-especially not a child.

So, instead of killing him, they only pretended to, leaving the rabbit unconscious.

Of course, the boss never found out.

By now, that rabbit had surely returned home and alerted the villagers about the wolves.

Security would be tighter. The raid would likely fail.

But despite knowing this, the young wolves said nothing. Even if they were starving, there were things they simply could not bring themselves to do.

So they remained silent, watching their boss as he dreamed of the slaughter to come.