Chapter 48
Raoul said with a bitter expression.
As an individual, surrender would be humiliating, but he thought it might be possible if he considered his tribe.
Pride was important, but it could be sacrificed for the safety of the entire tribe.
There were definitely times when one had to survive, even if it meant groveling.
“How many members does the wolf tribe have?”
“At least ten thousand.”
“Are there really that many?”
Unlike the elephant tribe, which had trespassed into their territory without permission, the four chieftains had formally requested a meeting through Pent, so Jade showed them a certain degree of courtesy.
Their situation was entirely different from Pent's, so Jade treated them accordingly.
And all four of them knew that very well.
Of course, even if he had treated them condescendingly, none of them would have dared make a peep.
“That is the minimum. The Great Forest is vast, after all. Not only is it broad, but it is also tall and deep. The Great Forest is more than what meets the eye.”
“That is true.”
Jade had ventured as far as the central region of the Great Forest.
That was why he knew how enormous the Great Forest was.
Though he had never truly experienced its full scale.
“My tribe alone would number around ten thousand in total. We have lost so many in the war that we don't reach that number anymore, though.”
“The monkeyfolk are numerous too. At one point, they even boasted the largest population.”
“And they're smart, too.”
“That's not true.”
Fenil firmly shook his head at Moik's words.
The monkeyfolk were relatively intelligent, but they were by no means the smartest.
“What's the use of that? Their combat ability is lacking.”
“What are you talking about? We like peace and playing around, but if we fight seriously, we won't lose to the lionfolk.”
“Want to try right now?”
The lionfolk were second to none when it came to competitiveness.
Moreover, the White Lion Tribe had the greatest pride and fighting spirit among the lionfolk.
That was why Raoul glared at Moik.
“Enough. What kind of disgraceful behavior is this in front of our lord?”
“Mm!”
“Nngh!”
But even those two could not compare with Pent.
Of course, the lionfolk and tigerfolk were among the strongest tribes of the beastfolk.
But even they were no match for the elephantfolk.
Both of them had once been helplessly defeated by Pent, after all.
“What is the current situation? Has the war ended?”
“There are still sporadic battles, but the wolf tribe has nearly unified the beastfolk. The wolf tribe's king is especially strong. I don't know whether you heard that from Uncle Pent……”
“I did. That he is a descendant of the Silver Tribe, known as the legendary wolf tribe.”
“He could be a mutant. The line of wolves with silver fur definitely ended long ago.”
Raoul said this decisively.
As far as he knew, the Silver Tribe had been wiped out several hundred years ago.
That was why he thought it highly likely that the current wolf king was a mutant.
“He may have awakened on his own. It is also possible that a faint trace of Silver Tribe blood survived.”
“That could be the case.”
“What matters is that the bastard is terrifyingly strong.”
The Silver Tribe had been a race of monsters whose strength surpassed even that of the elephantfolk, who were called the strongest of the beastfolk.
And the king of the wolf tribe had proved that fact himself.
He had defeated Pent, the chieftain of the elephant tribe, all by himself.
Perhaps the memory had resurfaced, because Pent wore a bitter expression.
‘Can I handle him?’
Fenil's gaze shifted to Jade.
Fenil could tell that Jade, sitting before them, was strong.
Fenil also knew that he had slaughtered nearly two hundred werewolves with a single gesture.
But Fenil wasn't certain that Jade could defeat the wolf tribe's king.
‘With this force, we probably won't lose easily. But is the real problem their numbers?’
Those gathered here were some of the strongest among the countless beastfolk.
However, the wolf tribe's momentum and numbers were overwhelming.
Since the strength of a united force was greater than expected, Fenil could not guarantee victory.
“Then they will be coming this way soon.”
“That is highly likely.”
“At least ten thousand……”
“If we all gather, we should number around ten thousand as well.”
Jade, who had been murmuring quietly, twitched an eyebrow.
Seeing that, Moik continued speaking.
“We came here first as representatives. The members of our tribes are gathered not far from here.”
“The four tribes together should easily number ten thousand. We are still inferior to the wolf tribe, though.”
“The difference in numbers should not be enormous.”
“Ho.”
Jade nodded at the chieftains' successive remarks.
The situation had changed completely.
The elephant tribe's numbers had been so small that their greatest concern was their numerical disadvantage. But if they could field around ten thousand troops, the situation was different.
“Of course, it won't be easy. The casualties on both sides will be considerable. But we have to fight if we want to survive.”
“This is a war that won't end until one side is wiped out.”
Though they had been pushed all the way here, Pent, Raoul, and the other chieftains still possessed plenty of spirit.
They were determined to fight until the very end.
Watching them, Jade fell into thought.
In fact, Jade's original plan had been to use the beastfolk to stop the monsters of the Great Forest, setting one enemy against another.
Since his territory did not currently have enough troops, he had planned to fill the gap with the elephantfolk.
But the scale of things seemed to be growing larger and larger.
‘But looking at it another way, if we win, we can gain reliable allies and buy ourselves time.’
The wolf tribe's numbers were said to be enormous, but the number gathered on this side was not small either.
Moreover, since the wolf tribe had forced them into submission, the other beastfolk were unlikely to participate in the battle enthusiastically.
If that was the case, they had a chance of winning.
-A great war, huh. A tremendous amount of blood will be spilled.
-In a way, this is a good thing. We can show the Great Forest Jade's true power.
Unlike the chieftains, who wore serious expressions, Elestra and Silestin were no different from usual.
They knew Jade's power better than anyone, so they were not particularly worried.
What concerned them, however, were the territory and its residents.
Elestra wore a worried expression, since the territory and its residents might be dragged into the beastfolk's war for no reason.
“Let's gather everyone first. We will choose the location ourselves. That will give us many options.”
“I understand what you mean.”
Moik of the Rocky Mountain Monkey Tribe's eyes lit up.
He was the first to understand what Jade meant.
The wolf tribe had no choice but to come to the place where they had gathered.
They had to make full use of that fact.
“What? What do you mean? Tell me too.”
“This is why people call us stupid lionfolk.”
“I understood.”
“What? You did?”
Raoul glared at Moik, who was clicking his tongue, then turned to Tyler with an incredulous expression.
He had always known that Fenil was intelligent, but Tyler was not.
That was why Raoul snorted and glared at Tyler.
“You can figure it out if you think about it a little. It's nothing that impressive.”
“You're pretending to know even though you don't.”
“I really do know!”
Raoul and Tyler bickered.
Fenil, however, paid them no attention and was lost in thought.
Fenil had already begun considering how they should prepare.
Jade quietly watched them.
Countless beastfolk gathered around Baden Village.
Their appearances were not much different from humans, but their clothing was completely different.
Like people who lived in the wild, they settled near the elephant tribe with only their vital parts covered.
Then an unexpected person arrived in Baden Village.
“It's been a while, hasn't it?”
“Lady Aruellia.”
“Hmm, can't you call me Lia now? We fought a war together. We're comrades-in-arms.”
With a refreshing smile like the forest, Aruellia appeared in the training yard.
She had suddenly appeared without any warning.
Despite her effort, however, Jade was not surprised.
Silestin had told him about her, so he hadn't been surprised.
“W-wow!”
“Eeeek, it's an elf!”
“Her ears are really long!”
“Even my grandfather said he had never seen an elf!”
Instead, the children went into an uproar.
The children, who had been training while drenched in sweat, cheered at Aruellia's sudden appearance.
They were all shocked to see with their own eyes the elves they had only heard about.
Aruellia gave them a clear, radiant smile in response.
“You have all contracted with spirits. It isn't easy to gather so many people with spirit affinity like this.”
“Gasp!”
“Ugh!”
As Aruellia met their eyes one by one, the children's faces turned bright red.
Their breath caught at the sight of the otherworldly beauty they had only heard about in books and rumors.
And Farzali was no different.
In fact, as the only young man in his twenties, he had the strongest reaction of all.
-Kya-ha-ha! Farzali's face is completely red!
-I wonder what he's thinking about.
-Kheh-heh-heh! Obviously, he's having lewd thoughts!
-Hmm, that's the usual reaction for a man, though.
Elestra, perched on Jade's shoulder, looked at him with a strange expression.
Even though he had come from another world, he seemed far too calm.
Men naturally reacted to the opposite sex, regardless of their species, after all.
“Strangely enough, there are quite a lot of them. I didn't see a single one in the royal palace.”
“I think the Great Forest has something to do with it as well. There is so much mana here. Its purity is somewhat lower, of course, but its concentration seems even higher than in our village.”
Aruellia spread both arms wide.
It was as if she were smelling the fragrance of the mana.
At the sight, the children's eyes grew hazy once again.
“Were you on your way back from the royal palace?”
“No. The two siblings are Clora's grandchildren, but I have no particular connection with them beyond that. That is why I also turned down the professorship in the Spirit Studies Department at the Royal Academy. I have no desire to teach humans who aren't even war elves, nor do I particularly want to mingle with them. The capital feels rather stifling.”
“I understand what you mean.”
“As expected, spirit mages understand one another.”
“But I think you picked an unfortunate time to visit.”
Aruellia opened her eyes wide.
Her expression clearly asked for an explanation.
Jade briefly explained the situation with the beastfolk.
“Ah, so that's why the beastfolk are staying together.”
“Yes.”
“Then let me lend a hand as well. My hands were itching for something to do anyway.”
Aruellia smiled as if things had worked out perfectly.
As the War Elves' great warrior, she did not shy away from fighting like other elves did.
Moreover, since this matter was related to Jade, she naturally intended to lend a hand.
“You really don't have to go that far.”
“Of course, I won't be a huge help, but wouldn't I still be better than nothing?”
“No, that isn't what I meant.”
“Hehe! It's for the experience. This is my first time in the Great Forest, too. And it will be my first time fighting beastfolk. So, if it isn't an imposition, please let me join you.”
“We wouldn't merely grant you permission—we'd be grateful. You are offering to step forward and help us.”
Jade shook his head.
Aruellia was the powerful warrior who had defeated Marquis Madrain, the holder of the title of the Kingdom's Greatest Swordsman, all by herself.
Moreover, he had personally crossed swords with her, so he knew her martial prowess all too well.
That was why Jade smiled and welcomed her joining them.
“I'm glad you feel that way, Lord Jade.”
“No, I should be thanking you for helping us. I will definitely repay this debt.”
“A debt?”
Aruellia's eyes sparkled.
The word debt had brought several thoughts to mind for an instant.
But that expression vanished in the blink of an eye.
“Now, I would like everyone to stop gawking.”
“S-sorry!”