Chapter 46: Just Take One Hit, You Little Punk (6)

"Captain, we've searched all the places they could be hiding... but there's nothing.”

Jordic slowly closed his eyes.

"They're not hiding,” Jordic replied.

"You’re saying they're among the villagers,” Arnold said.

"Bring me the village chief. He’ll know.”

"The chief is dead.”

"What? Why did you kill him?”

"We had no choice.”

Arbold then reported everything he had discussed with Keter to Jordic.

After hearing the full story, Jordic ordered, "Go to the basement and check if the chief’s body is still there.”

"Understood.”

Without a word, Arbold ran off. He returned in an instant, his face ashen.

"He’s... he's gone,” Arnold said.

”...Bring me that conman from Sefira.”

"W-we already ordered his capture, but...”

"Don't tell me, you didn’t keep him under surveillance?”

"We did, but once we saw him leaving the village, we didn’t think much of it.”

”...We’ve been thoroughly played.”

Thud!

Striking the floor with his spear, Jordic let out a deep sigh.

“The village chief is gone, and so is Keter. We can’t find the beastfolk either.”

“The beastfolk must be hiding among the villagers. That is the only option.”

“Probably was.”

As Jordic implied it wasn’t anymore, Arnold hastily replied, "He couldn't have gone far, since he wasn’t on horseback. No matter how fast he runs, he couldn’t have gone far. If we move now...”

"Shut your mouth. I'm thinking,” Jordic interrupted.

Jordic’s eyes were still closed. Arbold didn't press him further. He knew that when Jordic closed his eyes like that, it meant he was either angry or deep in thought. This time, it seemed to be both.

Whistle.

A sound cut through the sky, making Arbold look up. As soon as he found where the sound was coming from, an arrow pierced the pillar of a building. Arbold silently approached the spot where the arrow had struck.

“This is...”

It was a Sefira arrow. This was both expected and unexpected. Why, and how, had an arrow from Sefira suddenly flown towards the village? And at this exact moment?

Arbold retrieved the arrow and returned it to Jordic.

“Captain, this.”

Jordic furrowed his brow as he accepted the arrow from Arbold.

“Where did it come from?” he asked.

“I'm not entirely sure. Somewhere over in that direction, but—”

“I'm going first. Leave two of your men in the village, and bring the rest with me in the direction the arrow came from.”

“Captain, I could be mistaken,” Arbold said, unsure.

“This is the only piece of evidence we have anyway.”

Holding the arrow, Jordic jumped away dozens of meters. With just two leaps, he swiftly left the village and soared into the sky. He scanned the area meticulously.

Over there.

In the vast plain that stretched out like an endless ocean, his eyes locked onto something—a large barn in the middle of a bean field with nothing else around. That had to be it: the place where the arrow was likely shot from.

At the same time, another thought crossed his mind.

So blatant. He’s calling me.

It was an obvious trap. Whoever fired that arrow wanted the knights of the Bydent family to know their location. That someone was most likely Luke, the foolish Sefira knight.

Why would he?

A flood of thoughts raced through Jordic’s mind. As they weren't hesitations, but calculations, his steps toward the barn were as fast as ever.

“They're here.”

His sharp senses had already detected the presence inside the barn.

There are three of them. Two are obvious: it must be Keter and Luke. But who is the third?

Jordic arrived at the barn and kicked the door down, breaking it to pieces. From inside, a mocking voice called out.

“Is that how the Bydent family opens doors? I'll do the same if I ever visit.”

“Keter!”

Jordic swung his spear toward the voice, not to attack but to intimidate. Yet, someone grabbed the spear's shaft.

“...!”

They suddenly began tugging on the spear. The veins on Jordic’s neck bulged in effort.

Who is this?

It wasn’t Keter or Luke. Neither of them had the strength to block him. As the dust settled, the figure of a third person emerged—bloodstained, wearing tattered clothes, and radiating the energy of a wild beast. Their face was unremarkable, but Jordic recognized them at once.

It's him. This is the flying wolf that I and the high elder have been searching for!

Jordic felt a mix of excitement and confusion.

I thought Keter and the beastfolk were on the same side. Why do they both look like they’ve been fighting, and now, why are they standing together, wary of me?

It didn't matter.

Bydent’s higher elder, a moon rabbit, had anticipated this situation. They warned Jordic that the Flying Wolf Tribe was highly distrustful and wouldn't believe him, no matter how much he tried to explain that a moon rabbit had sent him. That was why the high elder gave Jordic a token—a symbol to prove that he was a representative of the Moon Rabbit Tribe. The high elder assured that with this token, the flying wolf would have to believe him.

"Wait, I'm not your enemy,” Jordic said, loosening his grip on the spear to ease the tension of the flying wolf.

As Jordic reached into his belt pouch to retrieve the token...

“Ever hear a thief admit he’s a thief? Let's beat him up first!” Keter shouted suddenly, firing an arrow directly at him.

That was the spark. At the same time, Karon, the flying wolf, swung the spear he'd taken from Jordic right at him.

* * *

They say first impressions went a long way, and it seemed like it was true. Getting Jordic here went according to plan, but the look on his face was strange. Jordic was looking at Karon like a long-lost lover. And on top of that, he was saying that he wasn’t an enemy and put down his weapon.

This is getting more interesting than I thought.

The House of Bydent was trying to protect a beastfolk, something the emperor despised. The emperor had enough power to disintegrate even the most prestigious houses like dandelion seeds in the wind.

They know that, and they’re still doing this?

Just then, Jordic reached for something at his waist. Keter didn’t know what it was, but he couldn’t let him pull it out.

Striking first is always the best bet.

After shooting an arrow, Keter provoked Karon.

“Ever see a thief admit he’s a thief? Let’s beat him up first!”

Though Karon seemed a bit unsure, it seemed like agreed with Keter’s plan to attack first and ask questions later.

“Hey! I—”

Jordic stopped mid-sentence to crouch and dodge Karon’s spear. Keter took that opportunity and lunged at Jordic.

“In the name of my fallen beastfolk friend!” Keter shouted, pretending to be enraged over a non-existent friend’s death, as he swung his bow at Jordic.

“Stay out of this!”

Jordic just dodged Karon’s attacks, but kept throwing real punches at Keter.

“You need a nail trim,” Keter said.

“Shut up!”

Jordic swung his arm toward Keter, but Keter blocked it with his bow and absorbed the blow with his body. Then, Jordic slammed his elbow into Keter’s back, again and again.

Fine, hit me all you want. What I'm more interested in is what you’ve got stashed in that pocket of yours.

After about the eighth hit, Keter finally managed to snatch the item from Jordic’s pocket and quickly retreated.

“Repeating the same strike over and over. Is that how you killed the beastfolk too?” Keter taunted.

Surprisingly, it wasn’t Jordic who got angry at what Keter was saying, but Karon. He had been swinging his spear carelessly before, but now, he was moving faster—still careless, but much faster.

Even getting grazed by that thing would make my bones ache every time it rained for the rest of my life.

It seemed like Jordic could also see how powerful Karon’s swings were, as he continued to dodge them with exaggerated motions, clearly trying to avoid even the slightest touch.

“I represent the Moon Rabbit Tribe!” Jordic suddenly shouted, thinking that this wasn’t going to end anytime soon.

It seemed to work, as Karon stopped attacking.

The Moon Rabbit Tribe, huh?

Keter was pretty familiar with most beastfolk species, but he had never heard of the Moon Rabbit Tribe. Seeing that Karon stopped attacking, it seemed like a real species.

“I came here to protect you. I even have proof,” Jordic said.

Karon seemed intrigued, and to be honest, so was Keter.

The proof he’s talking about—it’s probably this thing I just swiped from him, isn’t it?

“Luke, hold onto this for me.”

While the two were distracted, Keter quickly passed the jewel he stole from Jordic to Luke.

“What is this?” Luke asked, curious.

“My treasure.”

Luke didn’t know what it was, but he carefully tucked it away, treating it like something precious.

I guess Luke can be cute, although he’s nowhere near as cute as Dork.

“What proof do you have?” Karon pressed Jordic.

But Jordic was just rummaging through his pockets, searching frantically.

Good luck finding it.

“Wait a moment! I really have a token given to me by the Moon Rabbit Tribe!” Jordic insisted.

“I'll believe it when I see it,” Karon replied, crossing his arms.

Now it’s my turn to step in.

“Karon, don’t trust that filthy human’s words. It’s nothing but a wicked trick to buy time.”

Karon’s eyes narrowed as Keter spoke. It seemed like Keter had just shortened Karon’s patience from five to three seconds.

𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

“You, Keter! You despicable conman and thief! You took it, didn’t you?”

Didn’t I just say it? Why would a thief call himself a thief?

“Now you’re trying to drive a wedge between us. You may be okay with this, Karon, but I can’t take it anymore.”

Keter dashed toward Jordic before Karon. He sloppily swung his bow at Jordic, who looked enraged. Naturally, Jordic responded with a powerful punch. Keter could dodge or block it if he wanted to, but...

Thud!

“Gah!”

Keter fell to the ground. He spat out some blood to make it seem like he had taken a critical hit.

“Keter!”

Luke. Instead of just shouting, why don’t you try fighting?

Instead, it was Karon who charged at Jordic. He didn’t swing his spear half-heartedly; he swung his fists like a wild beast. Judging by his fighting style, he looked like either a bear or a wolf.

I’d bet ten thousand gold he was a wolf.

“This is a misunderstanding! If you search that guy, you’ll find the token!”

As Jordic spoke, Karon hit Jordic’s side with his fist.

I know what that feels like because I’ve been hit by that, too. It’ll feel like you’re dreaming.

“Keter, Keter!”

Just as Keter was enjoying the spectacle of the fight, Luke shook him, shouting his name.

“Why.”

“Geez, you scared me. A-are you okay?”

“It hurts. A lot.”

“Can you get up? Let’s get out of here quickly.”

“All you think about is running away.”

“I don’t think fighting is the only solution to our problems.”

“Neither do I.”

Jordic was just taking hits from Karon to prove his innocence. Watching him get beaten up was somewhat satisfying, but just watching wouldn’t balance the scales.

“Where are you going?” Luke asked Keter.

“I always make sure to return whatever I’ve received, no matter what it is.”

Keter approached Jordic, who was getting pummeled by Karon. Karon was trying to control his strength. It seemed like his anger was dying down, as his punches were getting slower and weaker.

Thwack!

“Ugh?”

Keter kicked Jordic’s side, where his guard had become loose.

Man, that feels good.

Feeling the immense pain, Jordic dropped his guard and raised his head. Keter immediately gifted him a punch as their eyes met.

“Just take one hit, you little punk! No, two!”

Keter continually aimed for the back of his hand.

I know from experience that this really hurts.

“...I’m going to kill you.”

It seemed like that hurt a lot.

Jordic dropped his guard and approached Keter with a menacing glare. At that moment, Karon stepped between them.

“Stop!” he shouted.

Jordic halted at those words, and Keter slipped a punch through Karon’s side and hit Jordic in the stomach.

“You... bastard!”

Karon tried to calm Jordic, who became agitated. No matter how strong Jordic was, there was no way he would be able to withstand the strength of a beastfolk.

“You, the one claiming to be the representative of the Moon Rabbit Tribe: what is your name?”

At Karon’s serious tone, Jordic managed to regain his composure and replied. “Jordic El Bydent.”

“My name is Karon. Jordic, it’s hard to believe you are the representative of the Moon Rabbit Tribe without proof. However, I can at least tell that you don’t harbor any ill will towards me.”

“That bastard stole the proof. I’m sure of it.”

“Is that true?” Karon asked Keter.

Looking wrongfully accused, Keter said, “Karon, I don’t care if I get stripped bare and get humiliated. What’s truly unfortunate is seeing you be so easily deceived like the other beastfolk.”

“Hmm.”

As Karon looked troubled, Jordic shifted his target.

“Keter, no Lord Keter. It seems we need to have a conversation.”

“I have nothing to discuss with a tool of the empire.”

“I am not a puppet of the empire! Just as you protect the Flying Wolf Tribe, we do the same.”

What? What the hell is this? What does he mean by “we do the same”?

What Jordic said next gave Keter certainty.

“Our Bydent family also protects the Moon Rabbit Tribe, just as the Sefira family protects the Flying Wolf Tribe. We are comrades who share the same secrets. I believe there’s plenty of reason for us to talk.”

This is interesting, very interesting.

Jordic was claiming that the Bydent family was protecting the beastfolk that the emperor was hunting down with fierce determination. And it seemed like Jordic was under the impression that the Sefira family protected the Flying Wolf Tribe as well.

Wait, maybe it’s actually true. The Flying Wolf Tribe is indeed hiding in a village within our territory. It seems like this was Reganon’s independent decision and not the patriarch’s, but there’s no need to tell that to Jordic.

“Really? You should have said so sooner,” Keter said.

“I did! I said I’m the representative of the Moon Rabbit Tribe!”

“But you have no evidence, do you? No proof.”

“I will get back the token you stole. For now, let’s negotiate. We received information from the Moon Rabbit Tribe about the location and dangers concerning the Flying Wolf Tribe. We cannot stay here for even a day longer; we must leave.”

“Sounds like you’re saying the Bydent family will take the Flying Wolf Tribe.”

“The crumbling Sefira family cannot protect the Flying Wolf Tribe; only our Bydent family can. Don’t deny that.”

“You said we should negotiate, yet you are threatening me. Should both of our families just hold hands and march into hell together? You know that the emperor doesn’t hesitate to eliminate families that help the beastfolk, right?”

“Are you saying you would kill your entire family with your own hands?”

“Because family is one body.”

“You're insane.”

“You’re correct.”

No matter how low they tried to keep their voices, the other was an overpowered beastfolk. Karon was listening to their entire conversation, and with no progress being made, he was now suspicious of both Jordic and Keter.

Jordic has to be sensing this as well, so he’s probably getting anxious. It’s time to take the finishing blow. Karn doesn’t completely trust me anyway, and Jordic won’t hand over the Flying Wolf Tribe to me.

“How about we resolve this through a fundamental approach?”

“Spit it out quickly.”

“I agree with what you said. To protect the beastfolk, we need power.”

“...?”

“But I keep hearing that it’s a given that Sefira is weaker than Bydent?”

“Ha. I was wondering what you were getting at. Are you suggesting a war between our families?”

“That wouldn’t be bad, but as you said, it would be a waste of time. So, let’s confirm through the two of us as representatives.”

“Are you saying you want to fight me right now? You, a mere conman, against me, the Spear Dragon?”

“No, not that.”

Keter pointed behind Jordic. A group of people was approaching from afar. The Bydent knights, or in other words, Jordic’s subordinates, were coming this way.

“Not just you. I’ll take them all down.”

“You truly are insane. I have no reason to refuse. I accept your challenge.”

Exactly. There’s no reason for him to decline.

It seemed like Luke thought differently. He approached Keter with a horrified expression.

“Keter, what are you thinking? I know you can fight well, but the opponent is a genius known as the Spear Dragon!”

“Well... now that I think about it, I probably can’t win.”

“Winning or losing aside, you might die! The opponent is a Bydent who despises us. Let’s run away.”

“From now on, you can only mention running away three times. Got it? If you say it four times, I don’t care whether you’re the Gramps’s kid or not.”

“Are you saying you want to die? I don’t.”

“What if you think about it this way? Let me tell you what will happen if you run away right now. You’ll be known as the knight who abandoned Keter, your partner and the patriarch’s son, and fled. You’ll be a knight who couldn’t protect Sefira’s secrets, and...”

Luke was frowning so deeply that it was hard to tell if he was angry or wanted to cry. It really seemed like he wanted to escape badly.

But I hate cowards the most. Of course, you are indeed a coward right now. But you won’t always be a coward, right? Let’s take this opportunity to mature a little faster.

“Don’t worry. We have a trump card.”

“Right, Amaranth!”

Luke’s expression brightened as if he had just remembered something.

“I won’t use Amaranth. Because I have you.”

“Huh? Me?”

“Yeah, you.”

Keter placed his hand on Luke’s shoulder.

I mean it sincerely, Luke. You are strong. Strictly speaking, it’s not you who is strong; it’s the blood flowing in your veins that is strong. But it’s only meaningful if you can utilize that strength. I was going to use the beastfolk as sacrifices, but change of plans since they don't intend to kill us.

“You are the secret weapon that will save Sefira.”

Keter glanced at Jordic.

Very good. His expression clearly shows that he wants to kill us.