Episode 224. The Scapegoat (3)
“… … .”
“… … .”
The Chieftain’s scar.
Opposite Inakitu sit the ‘Flame of the Fighting’ and the ‘Wind of the Fighting’.
The face was utterly miserable. As soon as he woke up from his unconscious state, he received Rubin’s will through Inyakitu.
Imakarum grabbed my head and screamed.
“shit!”
“Take a deep breath, Imakarum.”
Then, it was Imakarum who glared at Kundalit with angry eyes.
“Kundalit! How can you be so calm?”
“We have to approach this with a cool head. At least we have a choice. It means it’s not the worst.”
“Cold head? Choice? Put yourself in my shoes. I fought that guy to the point of death and passed out. When I woke up, this guy was here.”
“… … .”
Despite Imakarum’s loud voice, Chief Kundalit closed his eyes and remained silent. He rested his hand on his forehead and became lost in thought.
Chieftain Inyakitu, who faced Rubin’s side that ruled the inner world, and Imakarum, who fought in a personified state. At least these two people were able to guess through their own experiences that Rubin was not an ordinary person.
Kundalit, on the other hand, was completely unprepared for the storm that Rubin would bring.
Still, he expanded his thinking, pondering what would be best for the wound.
‘perhaps.’
At that moment, a single thought crossed his mind. Suddenly, he thought that the person Rubin had in mind as a scapegoat might be himself.
Logically speaking, Inyakitu and Imakarum could not have been sacrificial lambs in place of Rayubia.
First of all, Inakitu.
The chieftain had injured his leg a long time ago. And the place where Rayubia’s aura was discovered was on the grassland border. Even with just a little investigation, the empire would have uncovered Inyakitu’s lies.
And the imakarum.
‘There are logical flaws as well.’
Just as he was trying to gather his thoughts, Imacallum took a deep breath and pounded his chest.
“Kundalit, Inyakitu.”
“… … ?”
“I will be the sacrificial lamb for the cause. I know that the Chieftain and the Chieftain feel the same way, but I am still the best.”
“Why? After all, you escaped from prison?”
“Yes, Kundalit! I am the one the Empire would truly welcome.”
Kundalit chuckled at those words.
It was understandable to think so. But as I said, there were obvious logical contradictions in Imacarum’s actions that made him a scapegoat.
“You can’t do that, Imakarum.”
“… … ?”
“You were not fit to be here in the thorny plains when Rayubia was killing livestock.”
“Uh, uh… … .”
Imakarum grabbed my head again. At the time when Rayubia left her mark on Aura, Imakarum was locked in Tresden’s ‘Valley Prison’.
Who are they? They were the Imperials who perfectly analyzed the faint traces of Aura that had been left behind.
Of course, the escaped criminal would be happy, but it was impossible to overlook such an obvious logical gap.
“I’ll go forward.”
“You? You are the one who should lead the Collarbone Tribe. One day, you will become the chieftain and lead all five tribes of the Tohun!”
“Luhan Melas wanted to know if I had the courage to be a scapegoat. That’s why he created this place.”
“Stop talking like an orc, Kundalit. Why would Luhan Melas have you in mind?”
“Actually, I’m the best liar. Luhan knows that.”
The other two frowned, not knowing whether Kundalit was serious or joking.
“What lie did you tell?”
at that time.
Knock knock knock! Knock knock knock!
Kundalit began to cough. It was a cough so violent that it felt like it would break his whole body.
Even as he shook his body, Kundalit thought to himself that he was lucky. It was just the right time. This cough that had always tormented him was now extremely welcome.
“You, aren’t you better yet? Wolf meat is the best for a cold! Elkio is being raised by Rayubia, so I can’t kill him… I should go on an expedition somewhere!”
“No. There’s no need for that. Imakarum.”
At that moment, a handful of blood flowed out between Kundalit’s fingers that were covering his mouth. It was extremely serious hemoptysis. Despite that, he tried to keep a gentle smile on his face.
“Now, do you know what kind of lies I’ve been telling? I don’t have much time left… until I return to the wind of the meadow. This is the lie I’ve been telling.”
To return to the wind of the prairie. That meant death.
“Luhan Melas knows about my illness. That’s why he’s waiting for me to come forward.”
* * *
At the same time, Rubin was on a hill near the Clavicle Tribe’s territory. From here, he could clearly see the numerous tusks of the Clavicle Tribe.
-Are you really sure that Kundalit will offer himself as a scapegoat?
‘All three of them would like to be the scapegoat. I don’t doubt their sincerity.’
But what Rubin wanted was a fighter who could convince the Empire.
The only one who matched in every way was Kundalit. He had not mastered Brion Aura, but that was easy to solve. The traces of Aura that Rayubia had left behind as a pretext for tracking him were also weak. He would be able to teach Kundalit Brion Aura in no time.
And Kundalit was a much colder person than Imacalum. He must have realized that he was the only one who could accept Rubin’s proposal.
-Then what will be Kundalit’s end…?
Haneke trailed off. It must have been an unpleasant thought for the general. Just as his grandson Felkion died because of him, Kundalit also ended up losing his life because of Rayubia.
If you were lucky, you would be locked up in an imperial prison, but the Emperor had ordered you to find him himself, so the odds of that happening were extremely slim.
‘The chances of Kundalit surviving are 50/50.’
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-hmm?
‘After handing him over to the imperial command, we can plan a rescue operation.’
-But what do you mean the odds are 50/50?
‘I might not be able to concentrate on Kundalit work.’
If Rubin himself took the initiative, saving Kundalit’s life wouldn’t be a difficult task. He could just hand it over to the Imperial Command and then instigate the accident.
But it was a matter of choice. I couldn’t guarantee that I would spare his life, because I didn’t know what would happen to him in the future.
-I know what you mean… … .
At that moment, Haneke, who had been answering, disappeared from inside Rubin. There is only one case where Haneke disappears from inside.
Ssssssssut.
Instead of disappearing from within, Haneke materialized before my eyes. It was Rayubia holding the Black Soul Sword.
‘Are you ready to start now?’
In fact, Rubin wasn’t up on the hill to take a leisurely stroll and look down at the Tuhun tribe’s houses.
Rayubia has now entered Brion Aura 3rd Star. According to Elkio, 3rd Star is the minimum requirement to be declared the ‘Lord of Red Cloud Castle’.
“Grandpa! I’ll show you now.”
“Okay, I’ll watch with Rubin.”
Haneke, who had stepped out of Rayubia’s shadow, approached Rubin and stood next to him. In fact, Haneke looked even more nervous.
‘The Lord’s Declaration.’
In other words, it was a declaration as the ‘Lord of the Red Cloud’. It was said that only after going through this ritual would the Red Cloud come to her.
Swaaaaaaaaaah.
The wind blew across the meadow. And on the other side of the hill, standing serenely, was El Chio, the ‘Sentinel of the Red Clouds’.
It looked different than usual. Its gray fur was fluttering in the wind, and soon a mass of air began to surround its body.
Support support support support.
Electricity flowed into the air mass, like a blood vessel.
There was no change in El Chio himself. He remained the same, but the mass of air surrounding him was gradually expanding.
The veins of electricity spreading out inside also became thicker and sharper.
“Huh, it seems like you’re casting magic.”
Soon, the mass of air broke away from El Chio and began to take shape of its own.
A body of wind and lightning, a giant wolf modeled after Elchio.
“If it’s that size… I guess it wouldn’t be wrong to say it’s the natural enemy of the Grandbird.”
Rubin nodded and added to Haneke.
“But I heard that the castle in the sky exists not on the ground, but in the sky above. Next to the red clouds.”
“So that means you can step on the sky.”
Leading and protecting the clouds for the lord. That was the reason for the existence of ‘The Guardians of the Red Clouds’.
Soon, Rubin and Haneke’s gaze turned to Rayubia, who was standing ten meters ahead. Now it was her turn.
The eyes of Rayubia, who was holding the Black Soul Sword with both hands, became even darker.
Wooooow.
Three layers of aura quickly gathered around the Black Soul Sword. Holding Brion Aura, she began to rush towards Elkio.
Tadadadadot.
He raised his sword above his head and jumped up, kicking the ground. He soon landed on the ‘Wolf of Wind and Thunder’s’ ankle and went up against its body.
Electricity flashed up her ankles, but she was unstoppable. She simply climbed quickly and leapt onto the wolf’s skull.
Bullfight!
She plunged her sword into the giant wolf’s skull. Once again, electricity enveloped her body.
But strangely enough, it was a moment where I felt comfort rather than pain.
Saaaaaaaah.
The ‘Wolf of Wind and Thunder’ disappears as soon as the sword strikes.
fault.
The moment Rayubia landed on the ground, a small bubble of air appeared above her head. Likewise, above the head of the ‘Crimson Cloud Watcher’.
Phew.
The two bubbles continued to rotate around each other and rose into the sky, beyond the sky, into the vast heights of the firmament.
“The declaration has been made, Rayubia.”
“Then what about the ‘Castle of Red Clouds’? Are you saying that clouds will appear for me?”
“Now that the declaration has been made, a huge cloud will soon appear in the sky. It is literally a cloud, but there will be a powerful barrier surrounding it. It will be like a ground you can step on.”
“A cloud I can stand on? I have to live there alone? That would be so boring.”
“No, you can bring in other people. But only those you allow. As your realm increases, the area of the red cloud will increase.”
“Whew, if we want to expand the area and accommodate more people, there’s no time to waste.”
Rayubia turned around and looked at Haneke and Rubin. Blood ties, and a relationship that was no different from a blood alliance.
Haneke was pleased with the magical scene, while Rubin nodded with a somewhat indifferent expression, as always.
at that time.
‘You’re here.’
New characters have entered Rubin’s shadow.
“Haneke, I will go and meet Kundalit and Imakarum.”
“That’s right. I’ll go see Rayubia.”
Rubin walked down the hill. Soon he saw two men walking towards him.
“Hey, where’s Rayubia?”
It was Imakarum. He regained consciousness and met Rubin for the first time. Although the memory of defeat was bitterly engraved in his mind, he seemed ready to confront Rubin at any time.
Rubin snickered at the sight of her, who seemed willing to give up her life at any time if it was a match.
“Stay well on the other side of the hill.”
“Really?”
“By the way, have you made a decision?”
“… … .”
Imakarum’s fist trembled. As expected, Kundalit had convinced the other two.
Finally, Kundalit opened his mouth.
“First, I would like to thank Luhan for giving us the choice on behalf of Rayubia. According to what the Chieftain said, you are an Imperial Inspector, but you are not loyal to the Emperor.”
Kundalit showed his sincere respect. Rubin also decided to treat him differently from Imacallum because of his polite attitude.
“The Chief of the Clavicle Tribe has decided to step forward.”
“Yes, it’s a choice you gave me knowing that only I could make it anyway. But, Luhan.”
“… … ?”
“What about the Imakarum?”
Before he met the otherworldly blacksmith, it was Rubin’s plan to hand over the escaped prisoner Imacalum to the Empire. It was to please the Emperor, but he had now changed his mind.
“The Empire still does not know the whereabouts of Imacallum, so it will not return him to prison. However, it does not intend to give him freedom either.”
“yes?”
“If I stay here, I might take Kundalit’s place as the chief of the Clavicle Tribe. But if I do that, it will be revealed that I released Imakarum.”
“… So you have to leave the meadow.”
“But you won’t be alone.”
Rubin looked back. On the hill, Rayubia and Elkio had just discovered them. Rayubia smiled brightly and waved her arms high above her head.
“Surely not, with Rayubia?”
“Yes, Rayubia will also leave the meadow. She cannot remain here with Brion Aura.”
Then, Rubin turned his gaze and spoke to Imacallum.
“A unique vehicle just for Rayubia will arrive soon. You will ride it and leave with Rayubia. Protect the child.”
A unique means of transportation? Naturally, the two had no idea what it was.
* * *
‘When will that arrogant inspector finish his work?’
The office of the Lord of Hiberdad.
A large boa constrictor had coiled up to form Nerheim’s chair, and Nerheim was buried deep inside it.
Looking out the window at the vast expanse of northern grasslands, she frowned. She couldn’t help but feel regretful about the wolves she couldn’t control.
As soon as the Imperial Inspector left the plains, he planned to immediately enter the plains and steal the wolf from that Tohun woman.
Sha sha sha shak.
At that moment, the snake on the chair suddenly raised its head and looked toward the door.
There was another guard snake outside the office door, so Nerheim realized that his adjutant had come.
“What’s going on? Don’t you know I came back from the meadow last night? I said I would start work tomorrow unless it was something serious.”
The adjutant nodded his head in embarrassment.
“I’m sorry, Your Majesty, but an important document has arrived.”
“Official document? Where?”
“This is the military city of Hiklion. It seems they sent me after learning that the lord had returned.”
If it was Hiklion, it was a military city bordering the northern grasslands like Hiberdad. Unlike Hiberdad, which had a strong gateway concept, it was one of the main strongholds where imperial troops were stationed.
Even though they were the same lords, Lord Hiklion was Nerheim’s superior. Since it was an official document from there, the adjutant couldn’t have delayed it.
Sha sha sha shot.
Nerheim’s boa constrictor stretched out his head and received the official document from his adjutant. Nerheim received it as is, broke the seal, and read the document.
“… … !”
At the unexpected content, Nerheim strained his eyes and read the official document over and over again.
‘An important meeting of the lords? Testing the drugs and performance… What on earth are you talking about?’
But the most surprising part came at the end: the name of the conference organizer.
‘…Why is the Imperial General present at the Holy Lord’s Council?’
