Episode 232. The Falling Horse
Rattle rattle.
The carriage carrying Kundalit moves away. Kundalit’s aloof eyes briefly appear through the carriage’s square window and then disappear.
Rubin watched the carriage until it disappeared from sight. Kuze and Tina, who had been hiding in the bushes next to him, approached.
Tina was on Kuje’s shoulder in squirrel form. She tilted her head and looked into Kuje’s ear as if she had discovered something new. Then she pulled on his ear playfully.
“Ahh!”
Kuze swung his hands wildly with a scream. Tina dodged here and there and giggled.
‘…Anyway.’
Rubin sighed at the two’s antics and unfolded the map.
“From now on, you will move south, stopping at cities and castles every day.”
“Are you telling me to pass through the gate so that it leaves a trace?”
Rubin nodded and handed his pass to Tina. Squirrel Tina accepted it and tilted her body to examine it carefully.
From now on, Tina will move around as a fake Rubin. She will maintain her status as an Imperial Inspector for a while, so there will be no problem in moving around.
“Think of it as a vacation and wander around naturally. After all, you have to return to the meadow after a week.”
“Vacation? How much trouble are you going to make me suffer like that!”
Kuze took Rubin’s pass that Tina was holding and kept it in his bosom. If he left it with Tina, he might lose it at any moment.
“What about you, Master? Do you plan to rescue Kundalit?”
Rubin nodded. The fact that the Imperial Commander was lower-ranking than he had thought made things a lot easier, but he still needed a four-day gap.
If Tina leaves enough traces as she heads south, Rubin won’t be suspected even if the convoy is attacked.
A war that will soon unfold on the plains.
The reason Rubin took the time to save Kundalit was because of this war.
Only when symbols of the Tohun, such as the Kundalit and the Imakarum, are active can we reduce the sacrifices of the Tohun tribe even a little.
“Then let’s go.”
“Meet me in the meadow!”
I saw Tina, who was walking away, transform from a squirrel to Rubin. Tina waved her arms in Rubin’s form.
After breaking up with Tina, Rubin wore a robe to hide his face.
‘Should I follow along slowly?’
Rubin, having gained enough distance from the carriage, began to follow its trail. As he did so, he tried to sort out the current situation.
Haneke and Layubia, who had ascended above the cumulus clouds, returned to the clavicle tribe’s territory. When I last spoke with Haneke, he had just arrived and was about to descend to the ground.
He’s probably talking to Chieftain Inakitu about ‘Operation Sunset’ right now.
Blane will be there with you. As was originally planned, he was to observe the situation in the meadow for a week and then meet with Rubin again… … .
The situation had changed. Red Cloud had returned, and was waiting there for Rubin’s instructions.
* * *
The Chieftain’s scar.
In the silence, Inakitu was lost in meditation, enveloped in acrid smoke. He felt the young men of the Collarbone tribe approach him, one by one, to check on his condition.
They are worried that the old chieftain will die of grief.
Right now, the atmosphere of the Clavicle Tribe was indescribable. Kundalit, Imakarum, Rayubia…. Those who were so precious had suddenly left.
Even to the tribesmen, the reason for their departure was not properly explained.
‘The weight of the secret is heavy.’
Kundalit’s sacrifice. Rayubya’s fate.
Even the chieftain who could see into the soul found such sorrows hard to bear. He simply gathered the tribesmen together and told them that he would never see them again.
“Chief.”
A young man cautiously called out to him from in front of the thudding pond. He opened his eyes and looked, and there was more than one person reflected in the thudding pond. He could tell who it was by the way the long hair was flowing.
“Blane, you haven’t left yet?”
Luhan Melas’s entourage was supposed to leave the meadow this morning. We even said goodbye, but it was surprising that they hadn’t left yet.
“I set off and then turned my horse’s head sharply.”
“wherefore?”
“The red clouds of Layubia. They are coming back. Something must have happened.”
“Hmm… . Lift the toe cap.”
The young man followed the chieftain’s instructions. A wide, grassy plain was spread out, and many clouds were seen decorating the sky.
A reddish cloud was moving in the opposite direction of the other clouds. For a moment, I felt unfamiliar. Is that really the cumulus cloud of Rayubia?
“I can still vividly remember the sight of Rayubia ascending to the sky a few days ago… I wonder if that’s the cloud from back then.”
“Just wait. I think he’ll come back because he has something else to talk about.”
Blane had already confirmed through Roinekrow ‘Ojos’ that the clouds were cumulus clouds of Layubia.
A strong barrier was forming outside the red clouds, so I couldn’t get close, but I did come face to face with Elkio, who was pulling the clouds.
And Elchio recognized Roinekrow of Blaine and told him that ‘we need to talk’.
“Help me out.”
Two young men came and helped Inyakitu up. He moved his skinny legs with difficulty and went out of the hut.
A huge cloud. People were seen walking down from the cloud that was hovering over the clavicle tribe area.
There seemed to be an invisible floor in the air beneath the clouds. Every time they stepped, ripples spread out.
“I guess you have no intention of keeping it a secret any longer.”
The clavicle tribe people were in an uproar.
Something was strange. It was different from when I climbed the red cloud a few days ago. Back then, I moved around so as not to be noticed by others.
There was no need for that anymore. What on earth was going on? Inyakitu’s eyes darkened. It seemed like something unusual was happening.
Haneke was the first to set foot on the ground. Then came Rayubia. Then came Imakarum.
Imakarum was carrying something. It was in a sack and kept moving.
“Imakarum, what is that? Is that why you came back?”
“What are you talking about? This is evidence that needs to be shown to everyone.”
——————
faqwiki.us
Join our Discord for new chapter updates!
https://discord.com/invite/xr7SxG5T6V
——————
“Evidence?”
What are you proving? I looked at Rayubia with curious eyes, but Rayubia seemed to have lost her mind.
“Rayubia, are you okay? What happened?”
“Chief… We need to talk first.”
The plan of the empire that Rubin found out. It was delivered through Haneke, and that’s why Rayubia was shocked.
She couldn’t accept it at first. She thought Rubin was mistaken, that it couldn’t be. Clearing the grasslands through the monsters and orcs beyond the wall? And reclaiming this land.
In fact, most of the other people besides her would have reacted similarly.
It was true that the Tuhun people hated the Empire, but even that hatred arose within their own common sense.
According to the common sense of the Tuhun people, the empire could not have been that evil. They took away three-quarters of the Tuhun grasslands and pushed the Tuhun people close to the poles, but they still did not try to exterminate them.
Of course, to Rubin or Haneke, this would be nothing but absurd common sense. It is absurd common sense created because they do not know much about the empire and Telmach.
“That’s ridiculous… … .”
So when Haneke finished explaining, Inakitu’s reaction was similar to Rayubia’s.
“That’s ridiculous. Even the Chieftain doesn’t know the empire like Rayubia, so that’s why he’s saying that!”
Imakarum shouted in frustration. Come to think of it, he was the only one here who knew the true face of the empire.
While imprisoned in the Empire, he had a vivid experience of the world outside the plains.
“I was wondering why you were experimenting on me like that… Now I know! You’ve found a way to escape the ‘Tsundere Wave’.”
Inakitu sighed and touched his forehead. Then he suddenly remembered the ‘evidence’ that Imacarum had carried.
“You said that was evidence?”
“Yeah! He was having a blast spraying this on the Grandbird. I’ll show you what the drug was.”
The thing struggling inside the sack was a monster commonly seen near the barrier.
Also known as the polar cockroach. Its appearance and habits were similar to a cockroach, but its size was similar to that of a newborn calf. It was a creature that traveled between the polar regions and the grasslands through small gaps in the barrier.
Even if they invaded the grassland, the lives of the polar wheels would not survive the night, as the ‘tidal wave of the fight’ would come crashing down and destroy them.
But this one was different. It was a parasite living on the barrier and had been drugged. Imacalum had quickly snatched it away before it could be eaten by another monster.
“First, the sun has to set. Then I can check.”
Then Haneke intervened.
“What if it is confirmed that these guys are immune to the ‘Tsundere Wave’?”
“… … .”
“Chief. If we can get hold of the immunity-nulling drug on our side and spray it during the battle, the Taunts can avoid extinction.”
“Anyway, you’re saying that a fight is unavoidable.”
“You can’t just embrace an enemy who is attacking you. If you can just hold out until night, you can aim for a decisive victory.”
“Really… does that immune-nulling drug even exist? And can I get it?”
Haneke nodded. Rubin said so, so he had no choice but to believe it.
“The bigger question is whether we can keep them up until night. As far as I know, only about 5% of the Tohun are capable of becoming humanoids… We need to utilize them as combat soldiers as much as possible.”
At that moment, Haneke felt something strange. When Inakitu and Imakarum’s eyes met, it seemed as if they were sharing a secret message with each other through their eyes.
‘What? Is there something different from what I know?’
At that moment, Imakarum carefully opened his mouth.
“Inyakitu. How about telling me the ‘Secret of the Fighting Mark’ while we’re at it?”
It’s a secret?
But Inakitu shook his head, indicating that he would keep the secret.
Haneke looked at his great-granddaughter with curious eyes this time. It seemed like Rayubia would tell him the secret of the fight.
But Rayubia also shook her head.
“Grandfather, I am half Imperial, half Tohun.”
“Are you saying you can’t tell me either?”
“Yes, only the Chieftain can decide who will know the secret.”
“… … .”
Again, Inakitu continued speaking.
“Don’t be upset. The fate of our fight is at stake.”
“I don’t know if the secret holds the fate of the Struggle, but please keep in mind that the fate of the ‘Operation Sunset’ that will unfold from now on is also at stake, Chieftain.”
“… Yes, I know. If the ‘Tsundere’ passes the polar wheel, then I’ll gladly reveal the secret.”
The sun finally set.
A meadow where darkness spreads. The people of the Collarbone Tribe came out of the Tohunpu and gathered on one side of the meadow.
The chieftain gathered them together and spoke frankly about what was happening.
“How could that be, Chieftain?”
“That imperial person must have misunderstood something!”
As expected, it was as expected. Even though they are not members of the Tohun tribe, they do not believe that they can avoid the ‘Tsundere Wave’.
To them, the grassland was religion, and the wind of the grassland was the breath of God. The phenomenon they called the ‘tidal wave of the fight’ was no different from the horse sent by God to protect their territory.
“… … .”
Before the verification began, Haneke closed his eyes tightly. Now, only the darkness of night spread over the meadow, but soon fear and shock will take its place.
Haneke noticed that Rayubia, who was sitting next to him, was shaking.
“People will be very surprised… . They will be scared… .”
Haneke grabbed Rayubia’s shoulder.
At that moment, Imakarum was seen raising his arm in the distance. The Tohun people had much better eyesight than ordinary people. They confirmed that Imakarum was taking out the polar wheel from the sack.
The polar wheel came out of the sack. It moved its long tentacles and looked at the imakarum.
Imakarum transformed into a black panther to chase away the polar wheel. Black fur covered Imakarum, and as his black-and-white eyes flashed, the polar wheel began to run away in fear.
Puhahahahahaha.
The clavicle tribe people laughed as if they were watching a funny play.
“… … .”
Imakarum stared at the polar wheel running away in silence. At that moment, the sound of horse hooves began to ring in his ears.
The tidal wave of the battle. The tidal wave of the battle is advancing like a cavalry, aiming for the polar wheel.
Doo doo doo doo doo.
“What, what is it!”
“Did I see something wrong?”
All the people who came out to see the ship expected the polar wheel to capsize and fall over.
But that didn’t happen. The tidal wave of the blast disappeared without a trace just before it hit the polar wheel.
Phew, phew.
“This can’t be happening.”
Chieftain Inakitu, who had been supported, stumbled and fell to one knee.
