It was after Reytan had driven the wild dog tribe away.
He scanned the area, searching for his daughter. Theon, who caught his gaze, pointed toward the forest.
‘The forest?’
Marshall often told Reytan to reflect on his own childhood whenever he was troubled by Berry.
Each time, Reytan confidently replied.
“I was the quiet type.”
If Brown had heard that, he would have been utterly speechless. Unfortunately, in the witnessless village of Bonwell, his claim was as good as a perfect crime.
Reytan stood up. In truth, he had been restless for a while.
If he had arrived just a little later, Berry could have been in real danger. Fortunately, he had given Berry the hairpin that glowed under the moonlight.
“……..”
As Reytan made his way toward the forest, he stopped in his tracks when he saw who was coming out from between the trees.
He had no idea what was going on this time.
Berry was walking toward him with the leader of the wild dog tribe and the young wild dogs.
“Dad!”
Berry waved her hand.
Her carefree and cheerful demeanor, entirely devoid of any sense of danger, made Reytan resolve himself.
‘No allowance for her this year.’
Berry needed to understand the gravity of the situation, and that seemed like the only way to make her realize it.
“Coco’s dad has something to say!”
“Coco?”
“Yeah! This is Coco!”
Berry picked up Coco, who had come with her, and introduced the pup to Reytan.
Shivering, the young wild dog faced the terrifying human. Its body trembled like a leaf in the wind.
“Berry, p-put me… down….”
Eventually, the trembling Coco leaped out of her arms and dashed back to the other puppies.
Reytan wasn’t bothered by the fact that the young pups were afraid of him. He was used to it. What concerned him more was his daughter.
Crossing his arms, he looked down at Berry.
“So, Berry, why don’t we have a little chat?”
“Ah, but I’m worried about Coco! I’ll just go check on Coco and be back! You can talk to Coco’s dad instead! He said he has something to tell you!”
“What? Berry, wait.”
“I’ll be right back~!”
Berry, sensing the impending lecture, quickly vanished after Coco. Left behind were Reytan and Zikal.
Not long ago, one of them had been crawling on the ground, begging for their life, while the other had been forcing them to do so.
An awkward tension lingered between the two men.
It was Zikal who broke the silence.
“Ahem, ahem. The moon is bright tonight.”
“What do you want to say?”
Reytan cut him off as if he didn’t need to hear any excuses.
Zikal smacked his lips. It wasn’t easy for him to speak his mind.
Just moments ago, in the forest.
The human child, Berry, had been asking questions about the dried-up land, her eyes sparkling with interest.
“The spring was created by the Forest Spirit? And now it’s dried up?”
“Yes. Our ancestors, betrayed by humans, wandered without a home. Out of pity, the Forest Spirit created an ever-flowing spring in the barren mountains. Our tribe has protected that spring for generations, ensuring no one could encroach on our mountain.”
Originally, the sacred spring was supposed to be a secret.
Zikal had only shared this with the child because everything was already over.
There was nothing left to protect.
About a month ago, the spring had completely dried up.
Without water, the plants withered, and the animals left. Only the wild dog tribe remained, unwilling to abandon the land of their ancestors. They could do nothing but watch as the land died.
That’s when they learned that humans had released alchemists’ chemicals on their mountain as part of the land development.
The wild dog tribe was furious.
Humans. It was all because of humans.
“It’s the alchemists’ chemicals. That’s what dried up our spring. Why do humans try to destroy us when we’re just minding our own business? What is land development, anyway? That’s why we decided. We’ll capture humans, stop the land development, and protect our mountain.”
“No, I don’t think so.”
“What? Young human. You’re a human too. How repulsive—”
“I don’t think it’s because of the alchemists’ chemicals.”
“We heard it clearly. They said they were spreading a poison to kill the mountain. The intruders who snuck into our mountain admitted it.”
Growl. Zikal’s quiet anger was evident.
“But the spring didn’t dry up all at once, did it? It’s only recently that it’s completely dried up.”
“…How do you know that?”
“Hehe. In that case, I think I can fix it! I’m 90% sure!”
The child’s words were anything but ordinary.
Fix the spring? This young human?
It didn’t make sense. But as the child continued to persuade him, Zikal found himself nodding as if under a spell.
“The wild dog tribe has no way to restore the spring, right? So what’s the harm in trying? It’s not like you have anything to lose~”
“…Fine.”
“But since Berry is only seven years old, Berry can’t go without a guardian. Coco’s dad will need to invite Berry’s dad!”
And that’s how Zikal ended up standing before Reytan.
Reytan Quartz Travel.
The merciless human who had forced a proud warrior like Zikal to crawl on the ground.
But if the spring could be restored. If their mountain could be saved—
“What is it? I’m busy, so get to the point.”
Reytan urged Zikal, clearly impatient. Clinging to the shreds of his pride, Zikal finally spoke.
“It seems Coco has become friends with Berry…. Would you… like to visit our home…?”
“No.”
The warrior of the wild dog tribe desperately proposed the idea, only to be flatly rejected.
Zikal hadn’t expected this outcome, so he panicked and grabbed the edge of Reytan’s clothing as the man turned to leave.
Rip.
Zikal’s sharp claws tore Reytan’s outerwear. It had been a new outfit tailored just recently.
“…….….”
“I-I’m sorry. But I really need you to come. The view from the mountaintop is quite beautiful. Humans value such things, don’t they?”
“No.”
“Please reconsider.”
“I said no.”
“Oh, come on! Can’t you just come?! You’re our leader now!”
Zikal’s exasperated outburst caught Reytan’s suspicion.
This wasn’t an uncommon occurrence. There were always those who tried to align themselves under him to exploit his power.
“I see now. It was strange how you kept calling me ‘leader’ despite your supposed hatred for humans. You’re just trying to dump the responsibility of protecting your mountain onto me, aren’t you?”
“What—?”
“Cough, ack!”
“Urk.”
“Gag.”
Reytan’s words stunned Zikal, and the four wild dog tribe members who were eating meat began choking in unison.
Reytan’s sharp gaze darkened.
“So that’s your plan.”
“N-no! I never intended such a thing.”
Zikal frantically waved his hands, but Reytan wasn’t interested.
Looking at the wild dog tribe members who avoided his gaze, Reytan curled his lips into a smirk. Those who sought his strength by pledging allegiance to him—he could make use of them.
“They’ll be useful.”
But he would push them to their limits in return.
***
“Baron Voltman!”
It was early morning.
Thomas, a young man from Leaf Village, burst into Baron Voltman’s home without even knocking.
“……….”
Baron Voltman was in the kitchen.
Last night, a thief had stolen some meat. Waking up early to prepare meat stew again, the Baron was staring blankly at Thomas.
“Was it you?”
“What?”
“Did you steal my meat?”
Normally, Thomas would have been scolded for not greeting him properly. But instead of that, he was being accused of stealing meat. The Baron’s grim expression made Thomas flinch.
“Baron! This is no time for jokes!”
“My jokes don’t need your input. Then what’s going on?”
“The Count of Travel’s young master! Master Reytan! Is he here?!”
Baron Voltman turned his head toward the guest rooms where Reytan and Theon had stayed.
“They don’t seem to be up yet.”
It was the ambiguous hour between dawn and morning. At the Baron’s words, his wife entered the kitchen and shook her head.
“No, they’re not home. Their rooms are empty.”
“They’re not home?”
“Yes, their rooms are completely empty. Theon isn’t there either… and Anne left earlier, saying she was going to visit Mrs. Marshall.”
As the couple discussed, a sigh escaped Thomas’s lips.
The young man, tall and sturdy, looked pale as a ghost.
“W-what should we do?! The wild dog tribe is attacking the village!”
“The wild dog tribe?!”
Baron Voltman shouted.
“What are you talking about?! The deadline isn’t until midnight tonight!”
“I-I don’t know! But Hans said he saw the wild dog tribe running down the mountain while coming out of the mill this morning! What should we do, Baron?! Please, tell us what to do!”
There was no time to waste.
Baron Voltman grabbed his sword and stormed out of the house.
