Chapter 40 : Aruka

Aruka

Looking at the werewolf riding atop a giant silver wolf, Serea asked,

"You are..."

"Aruka, chieftain of the Bloodthirsty Fang Tribe—that's me."

Aruka introduced himself, then looked at Lola with a bewildered expression.

"Queen Lola, what's going on here with you all?"

"I am no longer the queen. This lady beside me is now the trusted Queen of the Elves; her name is Serea."

Lola reminded him, and at these words, Aruka stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"Queen Serea..."

As he spoke, he glanced at the Skeleton Warrior and Little Black, then at the withered corpses scattered on the ground—he seemed to understand something.

"Was it you who had the Skeleton defeat these humans?"

"Mm, that's right."

Serea admitted it, and upon hearing this, Aruka burst out laughing.

"Hahaha."

Seeing Aruka suddenly laugh, Serea had a hard time figuring out his train of thought. After laughing for a while, Aruka continued,

"Although I don't know why you can command those monsters, you are a strong individual who even beat humans to protect our friends. A friend of a friend is also a friend. You are a powerful friend, and we of the Bloodthirsty Fang Tribe acknowledge you!"

"Huh?"

Serea was completely unable to understand this guy.

System: The Orc tribes worship strength; strong individuals are respected by them.

The system jumped out to explain to Serea.

"Thank you for defeating those filthy humans for us,"

Aruka said sincerely.

"Thank you... The culture here is really simple and honest, huh."

"Of course. We never rely on schemes or trickery. In the perilous great forest, only by relying on friends can one survive better."

"To become friends with monsters like us?"

"Are you referring to those undead warriors?"

Aruka turned towards Little Black and the Skeleton Warriors, and Serea nodded. At that, Aruka laughed again.

"Haha, to me, they are not monsters, but respectable warriors."

At Aruka's words, the soul fire in Little Black's eyes flickered fiercely.

"This is the first time I've heard such an assessment."

"On the battlefield, powerful warriors need only a look to recognize each other. I trust my judgment."

Aruka was neither afraid nor repulsed by Serea commanding the undead—instead, what he felt deep down was respect.

"In that case, I will gladly accept your kind words."

Serea ended her casual conversation with Aruka. At that moment, Lola stepped up again.

"Chieftain Aruka, thank you for coming to support us this time."

"Well... I'm sorry I came late this time and wasn't of any help."

"No, we're already very grateful that you reached out to us at a critical time."

"Friends in the great forest ought to help each other—yes, indeed!"

Aruka said, arms crossed. At these words, the wolf riders behind him cheered in approval.

"Ohhh!"

"Awooo!"

But then, Aruka rubbed his hands together.

"By the way, isn't it the season when the Kakashi fruit ripens? I still savor last year's taste."

Aruka gazed up at the sky, pretending to be nonchalant.

Upon seeing this, Lola covered her mouth and chuckled.

"Yes, it is the season for the Kakashi fruit to ripen. We just picked some today. If you don't mind, everyone can stay for dinner tonight."

"Great!"

Aruka agreed without hesitation, and the wolf riders behind him cried out joyfully,

"Ohh, long live Lola!"

For some reason, Serea couldn't help but feel that she was being ignored.

But fortunately, starting today, she no longer had to hole up in that shabby little hut. For the foreseeable future, she would temporarily develop the elven village as Queen of the Jungle Elves.

Perhaps, before long, she would even become the Blood Elf Queen.

But those titles didn't matter—the important thing was...

The Bloodwell would soon be under construction. Once the power of the Blood Altar was unlocked, Serea's strength wvould rise to a whole new level!

At the same time—

On the southern borders of the eastern continent, a human capital city stood like a titan, guarding this land.

The Otto Kingdom, successor to the name of the Crimson Tempest, was an ancient kingdom in the southern part of the eastern continent. But now, this ancient human kingdom was in its twilight years.

After passing through the main street in the capital, 'Oakenthor,' the royal castle—home to the royal family of Otto—came into view.

In the lavish palace of the royal castle, a middle-aged man, crowned and clad in a battle robe, sat atop the royal throne. Beside him stood a handsome young man, and below were two rows of kingdom ministers.

At this moment, the king looked deeply troubled, for he was reading a cipher from the royal house of Ailera.

The old king, Gibusk Otto the Crimson Tempest, read the cipher with a grave expression on his face.

Streaks of white had already appeared in his short hair, and the wrinkles caused by his frowning made him appear even older.

The palace was very quiet; the repressive atmosphere made it hard for everyone to breathe, and all kept their heads slightly bowed.

Suddenly, a furious roar broke the silence of the great hall.

"Ai! Le! Ra!"

The king shouted hoarsely, shredding the cipher in a frenzy as he did so. Soon, the letter was torn into countless pieces.

Even after venting, the old king's anger had not abated at all. He turned his eyes on the Minister of War—Elma.

"Ready the army! Otto Kingdom and the Ailera Empire are enemies to the death!"

Gibusk Otto the Crimson Tempest roared, his voice booming through the bell-like great hall.

At the king's rage, a few people looked up, their eyes filled with battle spirit—proud citizens of the Otto Kingdom would never bow to others.

But that was only a few; most were cold and numb, saying nothing and responding to the king's call with silence.

As no one answered for a long time, elma stepped forward, carefully choosing his words before speaking.

"My great King, please calm yourself. Surely, what you just said was only said in anger."

"Anger? What do you mean by that?"

Gibusk glared at the man, but Elma did not flinch, explaining,

"We have only just managed to achieve a chance at peace. If we continue the war with the Ailera Empire, there will certainly be an outcry throughout Otto. Should we start a war in this condition, I fear by the time we seek peace again, even that won't be possible."

Once he finished, the general of the kingdom, moka, also spoke up.

"That's not all. The Ailera Empire now has a vanguard of one hundred thousand elite soldiers alone, and a reserve army of three hundred thousand. With our total force of only eighty thousand, I doubt we could even stop the enemy's vanguard."

"Yes, Your Majesty, at this point, seeking peace is the only way to preserve Otto. And only by surviving can we have a chance to strike back."

The trade minister, poltoni, also stood up. Seeing the other chief ministers' silence, it seemed they too favored seeking peace. This gave Gibusk a deep sense of helplessness.

"Peace! Peace! My daughter has already died in this so-called peace treaty—can that not make you see Ailera's true colors?!"

Gibusk roared, and in the wooden box beside him, the bloodstains on the platinum dress were blindingly vivid.

That was the dress Serea—Otto's second princess—had worn when she left, but now it was sent back as a relic by envoys from Ailera.

Along with it came the news that Serea had died at the hands of bandits five days prior.

Yet anyone with a bit of sense could see that Serea's death was undoubtedly linked to the Ailera Empire—they had never intended peace from the very beginning.

Only a fool would believe Ailera would let victory slip from their grasp.

Yet now, in Otto's government and royal court, only these foolish and shortsighted idiots remained!

(To be continued...)

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=