Chapter 125
The snake tribe was startled. The difference in numbers was only one, but the wolf tribe was known for their strength, and if a fight broke out, there was a high chance they would be pushed back.
One of the snake tribe members narrowed his eyes. Why were wolf tribe members here at the Blois ducal estate, which belonged to the cat tribe?
“Figures a sneaky bunch like you would be spying.”
“Hey, did you see them pull out a telescope? Their eyesight must be terrible.”
“Seriously. Who spies with a telescope like that? You can see everything just fine with the naked eye.”
As the wolf tribe mocked them with snickers, the snake who had thrown the dagger pulled out another and spoke in a chilling tone.
“Let’s see if you can keep laughing when you’re dead.”
Whish, whish, whish. Three daggers flew at once. The wolf tribe had no intention of taking it quietly. They swiftly dodged the blades, drew their swords, and charged.
Just as a clash between the snake tribe and the wolf tribe was about to erupt within the Blois territory.
Marcel suddenly appeared from behind and viciously bit into the neck of one of the wolves. Sent to the Blois estate under Aesir’s orders, he frowned as if he had tasted something unpleasant.
“Ugh!”
“It’s snake venom!”
Seeing the bite mark quickly darken, the other wolves flinched and stepped back. Marcel spat and stepped between the two groups.
“It’s only a paralysis venom, so there’s no need to be so afraid. I have no intention of eating wolf meat anyway. It tastes terrible.”
“…How are we supposed to trust the words of a snake?”
“If you don’t want to trust me, you’re free to abandon your comrade and run. I won’t chase you.”
“……”
The wolf tribe was known for their strong loyalty. They rarely abandoned their own. But when there was no hope, it was different. Even a comrade would be left behind without hesitation if death seemed certain.
At the snake’s calculated words, the wolves hesitated. At that moment, the one who had collapsed from the paralysis looked at them desperately. The remaining wolves watched Marcel carefully as they picked up their fallen comrade.
Marcel observed them quietly, recalling the carriage of the Crown Prince of the Pelles Empire he had seen earlier. If even the wolf tribe was here, then although there was no direct proof, it was almost certain.
The human from the prophecy was truly in the Blois Duchy.
After a moment of thought, Marcel stopped the wolves as they were about to leave.
“Is there someone nearby who gave you orders?”
“…Why should we answer that?”
“Then pass along a message. The enemy of your enemy is your ally, isn’t it?”
The wolves exchanged puzzled looks, but they seemed to understand the meaning.
* * *
This time, James had secretly infiltrated the Blois domain without drawing attention. The reason was simple. His instincts were sharply warning him. There was something suspicious about Duke Blois.
“Hmm, why did that black cat react to the word ‘human’?”
If someone reacted to a certain word, it usually meant they knew of that existence. At the time he had been focused on the fight and hadn’t thought deeply about it, but the more he thought about it after returning to the estate, the stranger it seemed.
“With all due respect, Your Grace, do you realize you’re actually quite petty?”
“Me? Why?”
“Because you’re still dwelling on being pushed back in the last battle.”
“…I’m not.”
“Of course, Your Grace wasn’t injured, and you even wounded the enemy. That’s fine. But we failed to secure the necessary supplies, so from our side, the battle was effectively a loss. You admit that, don’t you?”
“Admit it… absolutely not! Why would I? Didn’t you see that guy bleeding all over his shoulder? John, are your eyes already going bad?”
“……”
John, James’s aide, was worried. His liege was usually someone worthy of respect, but whenever his competitive streak flared up, he became childish. This whole infiltration into the Blois territory was probably because of that very temperament.
“Is secretly watching going to suddenly give us a way to win? We should be preparing for winter. What a waste of time.”
“John, I’m telling you, it’s the human. That black cat definitely knows something about that human.”
“…I’ve already sent three subordinates. They’ll report something eventually. Until then, I can’t take Your Grace’s words seriously.”
“Ah, come on.”
“Because it’s obviously just a hunch, isn’t it?”
“……”
Sometimes, quite often in fact, James felt a strong urge to fire his aide. But there was no one else who could handle work as well as John. More precisely, there was no one else who could clean up after the messes James caused whenever he acted on impulse.
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