IRE 26

chapter 26

Keris’s eyes were sparkling brightly.

“Are you not scared?”

“Hehe, Ersi may have a reason for fearing heights, but normally, our kind doesn’t shy away from dangerous places.”

Seeing her speak so proudly with her chest puffed out, I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Is that so? Then shall we climb as high as we can?”

“Yes!”

With that, I grabbed Keris and leapt upward with all my strength.

We soared more than twice as high as we had with Esrin, and Keris, lifted into the sky, let out a cheer as she reveled in the floating sensation.

“Kyaaahaha!”

Her eyes shone brilliantly as she took in the scenery from above, truly excited.

To her, this must have felt like flying. That was why she was so thrilled.

So, I was basically serving as a human amusement ride.

Something like a giant gyro drop, perhaps.

Damn, now that I think about it, I’m jealous. Anyone willing to put me on a gyro drop?

“Wi…ll.”

Before I realized it, her gaze had shifted to the ground, and she carefully but clearly enunciated the word.

Turning to me with a triumphant look, she grinned.

At that moment, I landed. Before I could even let her down, she shouted, her face flushed with excitement.

“Will! Isn’t it? That’s what El carved on the ground!”

“That’s right.”

When I replied with a smile, Keris clenched her fist in triumph and cheered.

“Waaaaaah!”

Standing firmly on the ground again, she suddenly hugged her sisters, laughing loudly.

Esrin laughed along innocently, while Ersi only frowned in annoyance.

But Keris ignored that, brimming with excitement, and then rushed over to me.

“Will! Haha! It was will! El, it was will!”

“Uh, yeah. It was will.”

Her over-the-top excitement left me dumbfounded.

I appreciated the enthusiastic reaction, but was it really worth getting this worked up over?

Seeing my expression, Keris shook her head and cried out, as if frustrated.

“No, you don’t get it! What I was lacking… was will! You told me, El—don’t get swallowed by the fate of my race, but instead find what I truly want to do!”

True, I had said something like that.

I told her to be selfish. To include herself in her guiding principles.

I hadn’t expected to find someone outside the elves who thought so much like me.

“After you said that, I thought long and hard about what I really wanted. What’s valuable to me, what I truly desire! Hehe, so many things came to mind, but I couldn’t sleep wondering if that was really it. Was it really what I wanted?”

Now that I thought about it, she had looked rather tired the day after our talk. I figured she’d lost sleep—and it seemed I was right.

“So I kept asking myself, what is it, what is it? And now, seeing the word you carved, El, I realized it perfectly. It’s not that I didn’t know what I wanted. I’ve always known! I just… lacked the will!”

Her eyes burned with passion and determination as she stared at me.

“I’ve decided, El. I will become the first Queen of the Beastkin!”

“…What?”

The first queen of the Beastkin.

The beastkin don’t discriminate against women; as long as one is strong, even a female can be acknowledged as a warrior.

Because of this, their society is incredibly complex, filled with polygyny and polyandry.

But there had never been a queen for one simple reason: no female warrior had ever been strong enough to surpass the males.

“I will become the greatest War Beast in history. I’ll grow so strong that no one can question me, and I’ll unite the remaining tribes. Then, I’ll rebuild Kelban! As the first queen!”

Her face glowed more brightly than ever before, her smile radiant, beautiful, and unshakably strong.

I didn’t know if I was enchanted or bewitched, but in this moment… Keris shone so brilliantly, she looked almost divine.

As I stared blankly at her, Keris continued confidently.

“Thank you, El. You helped me find what I was missing. I only ever seem to receive from you.”

Smiling brightly, she stepped forward, took my hand, and kissed the back of it.

“May your glory shine beneath the blessing of Kelga.”

“Uh… is that a blessing prayer?”

Even though it was just the back of my hand, having a girl kiss it out of nowhere made my heart ticklish.

Awkwardly scratching the back of my head, I watched as Keris smiled softly and kissed my hand again.

“Beneath the radiance of my forefather Kelga, I, too, dedicate my light to you.”

As her words ended, I heard Esrin and Ersi gasp sharply behind us.

Looking back, I saw them with wide eyes, covering their mouths with both hands.

Uh, what’s going on?

Why are they reacting like that?

Before I could figure it out, Keris stepped back, bowed deeply, and raised the corners of her skirt in a courtly gesture.

It was less like a beastkin ritual and more like a human royal courtesy.

“I am Keris Kella. Once again, I formally greet you. El, I promise: the beastkin tribes I unite will forever remain allies and friends to the elves. You made that possible. Because of you, I want it to be so.”

Her smile still shone dazzlingly.

For some reason, heat rose through my body, making me stammer.

Honestly, I was flustered.

I had only carved “will” into the ground to encourage myself—it was kind of embarrassing, actually. I never expected it to spark something like this in her.

Her gratitude felt overwhelming.

“Uh… yeah. Th-thanks.”

“No, thank you. This dream, this conviction, this goal—all of it is thanks to you. The Keris Kella who just swore her vow as a queen before you only exists because of you.”

“…”

Why did she have to put it so bluntly?

It only made me blush harder.

The heat wouldn’t die down—it only grew worse.

As I stayed speechless, Keris smirked mischievously.

“So… you’ll have to take responsibility.”

“Cough!”

I choked out of nowhere.

While I was stuck coughing and unable to respond, Keris simply smiled, gathered her sisters, and started heading home.

“W-wait… What do you mean, respon—cough cough!”

All I could do was keep coughing as she walked away.

“Big sister, big sister! Wow, you finally…! That was so moving! You were amazing!”

“Kyaa, even I, Ersi, was impressed. When did you decide that? So… when’s the marriage? Just say the word, I’ll help you kidnap that elf—”

“Shhh! Quiet, you two. Let’s talk inside.”

“Cough cough!”

My choking fit wouldn’t stop until they were gone.

What the hell.

Seriously, what just happened?

Unable to say anything, I could only stare dumbly at their retreating figures.

Maybe it was the sunlight, or maybe it was her golden hair… but her back shone so brightly that I was entranced.

And in that pitiful, coughing state, I had no idea.

I had no idea how Keris’s vow would change her future. How it would change the fate of the beastkin.

That a legend was being born in that very moment—the first Queen of the Beastkin, and the alliance with the Elves.

The next morning dawned.

Eldmir, together with Eshiria, set out alongside Ilian, who had come early to see them off.

Keris and her sisters bid them farewell with worried yet encouraging words.

Perhaps frustrated that they were still powerless, the sisters vowed with burning determination to reclaim their War Beast strength.

Leaving the forest behind, they eventually reached a rocky region after some walking.

“By tomorrow afternoon, we should begin to see Dragon’s Head Road.”

Even for Eldmir, venturing beyond the forest wasn’t common.

He had snuck out before to train, but he’d never traveled to such rocky lands.

As dusk fell, Ilian directed the Sentinels to set up camp.

They were still far from enemy sight, so there was little need for concern.

After helping set up tents, Eldmir gathered with the others around the campfire.

Eshiria had already gone to rest in her tent for the coming day, while Eldmir approached Ilian by the flames.

Ilian, warming his hands, waved him over with a smile.

“By the way, Eldmir, where exactly are you headed?”

He asked the question.

Seven elite Sentinels had joined them.

It wasn’t a large number, but in terms of strength, it was plenty.

“Us?”

Eldmir sat down heavily across from him, repeating the question.

“Yes. Considering your bond with those beastkin, I doubt you’re just escorting them out of the forest. Aren’t you traveling with them to their destination?”

At that, Eldmir stroked his chin thoughtfully.

Truthfully, he hadn’t expected to become this attached to them.

He had only planned to befriend them, escort them out of the forest, and then return home.

But now, after just a few days, the thought of parting felt impossible.

“Well, most likely. They’re heading for an ancient temple.”

Shrugging, Eldmir answered lightly, thinking it wasn’t something he needed to dwell on just yet.

“A temple, you say?”

Ilian’s eyes gleamed with curiosity. Eldmir explained what he had learned from Keris.

“Yes. A temple. As you may have guessed, they are of the Kella bloodline—the last surviving royalty of the beastkin. And you know what royalty means for them, don’t you?”

Beastkin royalty meant high-blooded lineage.

Ilian nodded, and Eldmir continued.

“Then you also know they’ve lost their power.”

“I suspected as much. Hard to believe, but their condition could only be explained that way.”

Ilian added with disbelief:

“High-blooded heirs inherit the power of the gods, but I didn’t know that power was still subject to divine will. Did they lose it because of divine wrath?”

“Hmm… they did say they broke a taboo, but whether that really angered the gods, I can’t say.”

Eldmir recalled the game’s events.

Normally, high-blooded beings were absurdly powerful, making them incredibly hard to defeat.

Even veteran players couldn’t challenge them without a fully trained character.

That’s why special methods were designed to defeat them—and the whole reason those methods existed was because of the beastkin’s downfall route.

The beastkin claimed they had broken a taboo, but from a player’s perspective, it was more like exploiting a bug in the system.

Still, that was something he couldn’t explain here. Eldmir only shrugged.

“I see.”

Ilian fell silent, gazing into the campfire.

Eldmir, too, had nothing more to say, and simply stared at the flames.

Sparks leapt into the sky, scattering the darkness.

The forest they’d left behind was no longer even a shadow. The dark silhouettes that appeared from time to time were so pitch-black that they stood out even against the night itself.