I Picked Up an Abandoned Villain in the Polar Region

Episode 85

 

Three minutes prior. 

The hands of the pocket watch, which had been ticking forward, abruptly stopped moving.

After a moment of stillness, the clock face began to vibrate slightly as the hands trembled, then started turning backward, retracing their path.

Simultaneously, the shadow of death that loomed over Zelda, the flow of air, the wind, and all sounds ceased.

In that profound silence, everything that had passed was rewound to its place three minutes earlier in the blink of an eye.

Zelda, who had been on the verge of death, and Abel, who had been running toward her in despair, were suddenly back at the base of the hill along with Kyle and Brody.

Kyle and Brody weren’t the only ones who realized time had reversed. Zelda, Abel, and those nearby quickly grasped the situation. ¹No no no༎ຶ⁠‿⁠༎ຶ

The only ones who remained oblivious were animals and those who had lost their reason, consumed by a frenzy of violence.

“Kyle!”

Brody called out to Kyle, who was momentarily frozen in confusion.

The fact that everything had returned meant they now had a chance to change the past.

This time, they had to save Zelda.

Snapping back to his senses at Brody’s call, Kyle quickly assessed what needed to be done.

He first set Brody down on the ground, then sprinted toward the black tiger charging at Zelda, just as it had three minutes earlier.

Moments before the tiger reached Zelda, in a critical instant, Kyle threw himself at the tiger, tackling it to the ground.

Together, they rolled across the dirt, and Kyle, not missing a beat, swiftly climbed onto the beast’s massive body.

Before the tiger could slash him with its claws, Kyle pinpointed its throat with unerring precision and tore it open.

“Gah!”

Blood splattered in every direction.

The shadow of death that had been about to claim Zelda now transferred swiftly to the black tiger as it collapsed to the ground.

Nearby, Zelda stared at the scene, breathless and unable to speak, overwhelmed by what had just happened to her and the sight of the black tiger lying in the same position she had been in moments before.

She struggled to calm her frantic breathing, her mind reeling at the unbelievable events unfolding before her.

Abel was equally stunned. Even more so, as he saw Kyle, who had been banished to an unreachable place through a magical gate, suddenly appear before him.

“Brother…?”

Abel’s face froze in shock.

Kyle met Abel’s gaze but ignored him, turning away without a word.

There was a chilling coldness in his demeanor. And their reunion lasted only a fleeting moment.

Moments later, Fabian, who had been following Kyle with his men from the foot of the mountain, arrived, bringing Brody along with him.

“Kyle!”

“Brody!”

Fabian called out, but his eyes focused only on Brody, who was being carried by him.

Tossing Brody to Kyle, Fabian immediately spoke up.

“It seems those Elders have allied with the tigers of the Karman Coast. But since there aren’t any Elders here, they must be attacking another location. If there’s anyone who can provide information…”

Looking around as he spoke, Fabian’s gaze landed on Abel.

He paused for a moment, studying the unfamiliar wolf before instinctively recognizing him as his nephew, Alexander’s second son.

The resemblance was undeniable, and Fabian let out a faint laugh of disbelief.

Without hesitation, he asked Abel.

“Where is your father?”

The sharp instincts ran strong in their family.

Abel, despite never having met Fabian, recognized him immediately—his uncanny resemblance to Alexander and his question made it clear.

However, despite his wariness of his estranged uncle, Abel realized that Fabian’s men were currently fighting the black tigers on their behalf. It was obvious that Fabian had come to help them.

The situation was bewildering: Kyle’s sudden appearance, the reversal of time, and now the arrival of an uncle he had always considered an enemy.

But hearing his father’s name from Fabian’s mouth brought Abel back to his senses.

This wasn’t the time to lose focus.

Steadying himself, Abel replied to Fabian.

“My father is currently in the Segod Forest to the east, holding off the Elders’ forces. The situation there is likely far worse than it is here.”

Fabian, who had already assessed the number of black tigers while climbing Mount Nevo and calculated the resources needed to fight them, immediately responded.

“Leave this to Kyle and me. Take my men and go to your father at once.”

 

***

 

As Abel feared, the situation in Segod Forest was indeed dire.

The wolves, having fought relentlessly against larger tigers for two straight days, were visibly exhausted.

Their situation grew more precarious with each passing moment, with no sign of relief.

Injured comrades lay scattered around them, and corpses remained unburied with their eyes left unclosed.

Eventually, Alexander and his forces were pushed out of Segod Forest by the advancing Elders by mid-afternoon, under the blazing sun.

Even so, Alexander fought desperately to defend the capital, refusing to yield.

For three hours, he battled without resolution, drawing mocking laughter from the Elders’ leader.

“Typical dogs. All they have is their stubborn pride. This fight is over, yet they insist on dragging it out. Why can’t you just accept defeat gracefully? Must you always take things to the bitter end?”

Alexander shot back, undeterred.

“Coming to steal someone else’s land and talking about grace? Now I see why our ancestors warned us never to associate with shameless, ignorant felines like you.”

Listening to Alexander’s sharp retorts, no one would have guessed his strength was waning.

But now, Alexander was barely holding himself together, forcing his exhausted body to stand firm.

If he failed to dodge the tiger’s imminent attack, this might truly be the end for him.

However, just as the Elders’ leader seemed ready to strike, he suddenly straightened his neck and looked off into the distance.

His expression froze as he stared over his shoulder.

Following his gaze, Alexander turned to see a dark mass flooding the field from the direction of the capital.

“Father!”

It was Abel.

He was charging toward them with Zelda and an army at his back.

In that instant, Alexander seized the opportunity.

While the Elders’ leader was distracted by the sight of the wolf forces, Alexander launched a swift and decisive attack.

The method of exploiting an opponent’s momentary lapse—a technique Kyle had perfected—was something he had learned from his father.

With a single, precise strike, Alexander dealt the Elders’ leader a critical blow.

The wolves arriving with Abel also engaged the Elders’ generals, catching the previously dominant tigers off guard.

Reinforced by the new troops, the exhausted wolves launched a fierce counterattack against the tigers.

As the number of tiger corpses began to surpass that of the wolves, a desperate cry of “Retreat!” rang out from the Elders’ ranks.

The wolves pursued the fleeing Elders’ forces, but Alexander left the chase to them, turning back instead to reunite with Abel and demand an explanation.

“What’s going on? Have the black tigers that appeared in the north already been dealt with? And where did you gather so many wolves?”

Faced with his father’s questions, Abel hesitated, unsure where to begin. After taking a deep breath, he started to speak slowly.

“Father. Fabian Erbe has appeared to help us. Along with Kyle.”

 

***

 

Meanwhile, Kyle, Fabian, and Fabian’s son Albert had driven the black tigers northward in Mount Nevo.

Interestingly, the black tigers, finding themselves at a disadvantage, hadn’t fought to the death but had instead abandoned the battle and fled.

It seemed they hadn’t come prepared to risk their lives but had merely hoped to exploit the chaos created by the Elders.

Thanks to this, Kyle and Fabian had been able to drive them out with minimal casualties before immediately descending Mount Nevo and heading to Segod Forest to assist Alexander.

However, as they approached the capital, they encountered Alexander’s forces, who had already ended the battle and were rushing toward them after hearing Abel’s report.

The two groups stopped a short distance apart, facing each other in silence.

Time seemed to freeze as the wolves stared at one another, none daring to speak.

The Brothers who had lived as enemies for over 20 years recognized each other instantly, as did the brothers who had repeated their father’s tragic history.

Kyle’s gaze shifted from Fabian to meet his father’s and Abel’s.

“…”

These were the family members who had inflicted unhealable wounds upon him. And yet, seeing them alive brought an inexplicable sense of relief.

He had always thought he would feel liberated if they died, but perhaps that wasn’t true after all.

The atmosphere between them was unbearably heavy, laden with lingering mistrust and tension. No one was willing to break the silence.

Among them, only one seemed unable to endure this stifling standoff.

“What is this? Can someone say something? What’s with this mood?”

It was Brody, the rabbit clinging to Kyle’s back.

Brody, who had eagerly anticipated a heartwarming family reunion, felt her patience snap as she watched the wolves remain speechless, unsure how to proceed.

A breeze carrying fallen leaves passed through them, emphasizing the awkwardness.

‘Ugh, these frustrating wolves!’

Unable to shake the feeling that they might stand here all night, Brody slid down from Kyle’s back and decided to take matters into her own hands.

“Ahem!”

The sudden noise shattered the tense silence, drawing the attention of all the wolves to its source.

Emerging from among the bloodied, massive wolves was a small, fluffy white rabbit bouncing toward the opposite group.

With a cheerful voice, Brody called out to them.

“Hello!”

I really didn’t plan to update now, but your comments as well as your enthusiasm made me want to save you from the cliffhanger.*Ehem* and I maybe just maybe wanted to know what will happen next(⁠◠⁠‿⁠・⁠)⁠—⁠☆