I Picked Up an Abandoned Villain in the Polar Region

Episode 82

 

The place where the Erbe clan resided was in the upper part of the highlands.

Brody lay on the grass, gazing at the vast expanse of the blue sky that stretched to meet the horizon of the endless prairie.

She let out a small yawn, her mouth opening wide.

Waiting patiently for Kyle and Fabian’s conversation to end was proving to be unbearably boring.

As she sprawled on the grass, she noticed people passing by stealing glances at her.

They seemed intrigued by the sight of a small rabbit lounging fearlessly in a wolf’s den, despite her being a beastkin.

Feeling mischievous, Brody turned onto her side and began whistling a cheerful tune as if encouraging the onlookers to take a good look at her.

She, in turn, amused herself by watching the men of the Erbe clan who passed by, smirking as they chuckled at her antics.

“Humph, ridiculously handsome,” she muttered with mock annoyance, though her face betrayed her amusement.

 

***

 

While Brody was busy ogling other men and entirely unaware that Kyle and Fabian’s conversation had ended, Kyle emerged from the tent.

Inside, he had been lost in thought, reflecting on the conversation he’d just had with his uncle.

Although understanding Fabian’s true intentions had left him feeling conflicted, Kyle couldn’t afford to remain idle any longer.

Whether or not the Erbe clan was an enemy no longer mattered; his priority was returning home.

As Kyle stepped out, a young man who had been waiting outside approached him with a bright smile.

“You’re awake! Are you feeling better?”

The youth, like Kyle, had black hair and blue eyes.

Normally, Kyle would have been irritated by a stranger casually speaking to him in such a familiar tone, but for some reason, he didn’t feel the usual hostility toward this young man.

“Who are you?”

Kyle asked, his brow furrowing out of habit.

The man responded with a cheerful laugh, extending his hand.

“I’m Albert. We are cousins.”

Ah.

Kyle blinked in realization. He vaguely remembered hearing rumors about his uncle that he had a son Kyle’s age.

Hesitating briefly out of ingrained wariness, Kyle eventually accepted Albert’s handshake.

Albert’s face lit up with genuine joy.

“It’s so great to meet you. Out here, it’s just us when it comes to family and kin, so I’ve always been curious about my southern relatives—especially my cousins. Meeting you like this is amazing.”

Albert’s open and sincere words left Kyle feeling awkward.

While Kyle had grown up harboring hostility toward his uncle, Albert seemed only genuinely happy to see him.

It was a reminder that Fabian had never spoken ill of his brother in front of his children.

As they finished shaking hands, Kyle, still feeling uneasy, cleared his throat. When suddenly, he heard a child’s voice calling out.

“Rabbit lady, play with me!”

“Hey! Go away, you little brat! Stop bothering me!”

It was followed by Brody’s voice, sharp and annoyed.

Turning his head, Kyle saw Brody sitting in the grass, pestered by Fabian’s second son, Astrid, who was hopping around her, persistently asking her to play.

Kyle narrowed his eyes as he watched Brody.

She was waving her paws irritably at Astrid, trying to shoo him away while intently staring at something.

Kyle’s gaze naturally followed hers, landing on the object of her fascination.

When Kyle realized what she was staring at, his chest grew cold. A group of men sparring with swords came into view.

In other words, the rabbit was too busy ogling other men to even notice Kyle had emerged from the tent.

Suppressing his rising irritation, Kyle walked toward her.

“Hey.”

Startled by the sudden shadow looming over her, Brody’s small body jumped.

She turned around at Kyle’s call, her face lighting up with joy.

“Kyle! You’re up! How are you feeling? Are you okay?”

Unaware that Kyle was already annoyed because of her, Brody smiled warmly at him.

Without a word, Kyle picked her up in one hand. Though he was tempted to squeeze her, he refrained and instead gritted his teeth tightly.

“Oh, it’s Wolfie! Play with us, Wolfie!”

Astrid, oblivious to the tense atmosphere, hopped excitedly around Kyle, who was still fuming over Brody.

But as Astrid continued bouncing, he accidentally landed on his injured leg and cried out, “Ouch!” before collapsing onto the grass.

“Astrid!”

Albert rushed over, alarmed, while Kyle’s attention shifted to the fallen child.

Albert fretted over his younger brother, cradling him gently.

“Does it hurt a lot? Should I rewrap the bandage?”

Watching the affectionate interaction between the brothers, Kyle’s expression grew stiff.

Hearing the commotion, Fabian approached.

Upon seeing Astrid sprawled on the ground, he clicked his tongue in disapproval.

“Astrid, if you keep causing trouble like this, I’ll make sure you don’t leave your room until your leg is completely healed.”

“Nooo!”

Astrid was horrified at his father’s words and shouted in protest.

For a child who couldn’t sit still for even a moment, being confined to a room was nothing short of torture.

On the other hand, Albert, who knew his father was only teasing, looked at his frightened younger brother and turned to his father.

“Father, really, stop scaring him for no reason,” he scolded playfully.

Despite his eldest son’s mild rebuke, Fabian continued to maintain a mock-serious tone, saying, “You think I’m joking?”

But soon, laughter erupted among them.

A short distance away, someone silently observed the trio—and that person was Kyle.

The three of them looked incredibly close.

The playful teasing of the father, the carefree responses of the sons, the mutual affection between the brothers—it all overflowed with familial love.

Faced with such warmth, Kyle stared at them with a subdued expression, like a child envying a friend who had something he could never have.

He didn’t even notice Brody quietly watching him.

Lost in a chilly emptiness deep in his chest, Kyle was brought back to reality when Brody placed one of her small front paws gently on his hand.

Looking down, he met Brody’s warm gaze. His heart ached faintly. Though Brody likely had no idea what he was feeling, the warmth in her eyes oddly comforted him.

Kyle made up his mind then and there to leave this place with Brody.

“We’ll be leaving now,” Kyle said, announcing his departure.

Albert looked at him in surprise, his face filled with disappointment.

“You’re just leaving like this?”

His voice brimmed with sadness.

Kyle didn’t dislike the sentiment—it felt like Albert genuinely thought of him as family.

Unlike his usual interactions with others, Kyle responded to Albert with a touch of leniency.

“We were on a hurried journey to begin with,” he said.

Fabian, having already anticipated their departure, showed no sign of surprise or disappointment. He simply nodded and replied.

“If it’s urgent, you’d best be on your way. If you leave now, you should arrive in time for the festival.”

Kyle frowned at this casual remark and asked.

“What do you mean? The festival isn’t for another two weeks.”

Fabian, still calm, responded indifferently.

“I recently heard that your father moved the festival date forward. Apparently, it begins today.”

“What…?”

The words hit Kyle like a thunderbolt.

The festival starting today? The abrupt change in plans turned his face pale.

Those around him were startled at his sudden pallor, but Kyle didn’t notice their reactions.

The witch he had met earlier had told him that during the confusion of the festival, the tigers of Elders Canyon would launch an attack, slaughtering everyone in Roden’s valley. And now… the date had changed?

Kyle instinctively stepped back. The news was catastrophic for him, as he had planned to prepare countermeasures against the tiger clan’s attack before it began.

If the tigers attacked Roden’s valley without any preparations in place… everyone would die.

Zelda, his family—everyone.

For someone who once believed that, aside from Zelda, the others’ lives didn’t matter, the sudden thought of his family’s faces made Kyle’s heart pound violently.

He needed to return immediately.

“Kyle!”

Seeing Kyle turn away in a frenzy, Albert chased after him and grabbed his shoulder.

“What’s going on? Is something wrong?”

Albert, startled by Kyle’s sudden, pale face and hurried steps, held him back.

When he realized Kyle’s body was trembling, Albert’s expression grew more serious.

“Tell me, what’s happening?”

But Kyle couldn’t bring himself to speak. The only thought in his mind was that he had to leave immediately. He was in complete panic.

Moments later, Fabian approached Kyle.

“Kyle.”

His voice was firm. Kyle’s trembling eyes turned to Fabian.

Fabian’s voice, filled with authority, seized Kyle’s scattered mind in an instant.

“Tell me. What is happening?”

“I will help you.”

Kyle could see the sincerity in Fabian’s eyes.

It might have been that sincerity that moved him.

Kyle steadied his shaken heart, struggling to control his trembling voice and began to speak.

“I’ve received information that the tigers of Elders Canyon are planning to invade Roden Valley. They intend to exploit the distraction caused by the festival. But no one in our pack is aware of this yet.”

“The Elders pack is invading?”

Albert, shocked, looked at his father. They, too, had heard nothing about this.

Fabian, however, remained unshaken. He silently studied Kyle with piercing eyes, as if seeing through to the truth, and spoke just one word.