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Chapter 13
“Mm.”
“What is it? Are you hungry?”
“Yes!”
Seeing the sparkle in her eyes, Luden pulled some dried jerky out of his Inventory Pocket.
Sara snatched it from him and immediately stuffed the whole piece into her mouth, chewing happily.
“Is it good?”
“Yes!”
“Yeah, yeah. There’s more, so eat slowly.”
Her tail swayed back and forth, clearly showing how happy she was. It was rather cute.
“This is unusual. It’s the first time I’ve seen Sara follow someone.”
“Really?”
“Even when Sara was with the tribe, she would only hunt and never really played with us.”
Luka poked his head out from the back of the wagon, blinking as he looked back and forth between Sara and Luden sitting in the driver’s seat.
Apparently, he found it quite fascinating.
“More importantly, we’re almost at the forest. They won’t attack us right away, will they?”
“There’s no problem. We have a good sense of smell.”
In other words, if he was with these children, the people on the other side would notice them in advance.
There was no need to worry about being attacked out of nowhere.
“Then they might even come out to meet us.”
Before long, the wagon arrived at the vast forest.
The Wolf’s Forest.
Luden couldn’t help but frown when he saw the dense forest.
“I can’t believe I’m coming here again.”
In his previous life, Luden had fought a desperate battle against the Black Wolf Tribe in this forest.
It wasn’t exactly a pleasant memory.
The sight of the beastmen roaming the forest as if it were their own home and hunting humans had been terrifying.
It had been bad enough that he suffered nightmares for quite some time afterward.
On the other hand, the Black Wolf Tribe children looked extremely happy, probably because they had finally returned home.
“We’ll guide you from here.”
“That would be best.”
From this point onward, they were entering Black Wolf Tribe territory.
Luka and the children walked ahead through the forest, with Luden following behind.
“Hehe.”
“Sara. The human is uncomfortable. Stop clinging to him now.”
“I’m fine. More importantly, how much farther do we have to go?”
“Just a little farther. By now, the village should have heard that we’ve returned.”
The moment Luka said that—
Someone suddenly landed in front of them.
“Stop. This is the territory of our Black Wolf Tribe.”
“Kyle!”
The man glaring sharply at them was a member of the Black Wolf Tribe, just like the children.
Judging by the way Luka called out to him happily, he seemed to be someone who had come from the village to meet them.
No.
Luden looked at him and then quietly glanced around.
‘As expected. We’ve been watched from the beginning.’
Before he knew it, other Black Wolf Tribe members had surrounded them from all sides.
Every pair of eyes staring at Luden was filled with hostility.
“You human who has come with the children of our tribe who disappeared. Answer me. Were you the one who kidnapped the children?”
The man named Kyle was the one who asked the question in the fierce atmosphere.
He was calmer than the others.
The fact that he was trying to assess the situation as soon as he confirmed that the children were safe suggested that he was someone Luden could reason with.
‘At least that’s a relief.’
Without letting his guard down, Luden stepped forward and spoke.
“No. I only came to return these children to their homes. I have absolutely no intention of harming any of you.”
“It is true. Kyle, this human saved us.”
When Luka supported Luden’s words, the Black Wolf Tribe members became agitated.
Apparently, they hadn’t expected one of the kidnapped children to defend a human.
“……”
Kyle, who was the only one who didn’t lose his composure, looked at Luden and the children and fell into deep thought.
His brow furrowed as though he were struggling with a decision.
After a moment, he spoke.
“I’ll take you to the chieftain. Follow me.”
“Kyle!”
“Informing the chieftain that the children have returned comes first. And whatever this human’s intentions may be, as long as we’re watching him, he won’t be able to do anything foolish.”
After hearing that, the other Black Wolf Tribe members reluctantly accepted his decision.
They were clearly dissatisfied, but they seemed willing to follow Kyle’s judgment.
And so, Luden was escorted to the Black Wolf Tribe’s village under their hostile gazes.
The Black Wolf Tribe’s village was located in the heart of the Wolf’s Forest.
The village, built in the middle of the dense forest, was surprisingly orderly compared to what Luden had imagined.
‘This is my first time coming here.’
In his previous life, this had been the Black Wolf Tribe’s village, a place that had been brutally trampled by humans after countless lives were lost.
Naturally, being escorted to such a place gave Luden a completely different feeling.
Although the gazes around him weren’t particularly friendly.
As soon as Luden arrived at the village, he was immediately brought before the chieftain.
“I am Vargar. Are you the human who saved the children of our tribe?”
“Yes, I am.”
Under Chieftain Vargar’s gaze, Luden answered politely.
His thick white hair and deeply wrinkled face made it clear that he was old, but the spirit radiating from his sharp eyes seemed even stronger than that of the beastmen Luden had met earlier.
“I wish to hear the details of what happened.”
“Of course.”
Luden told him the same story he had told Baron Valen.
Of course, he made sure to emphasize that Bern itself was innocent.
The Black Wolf Tribe were the victims in this incident, but Bern had suffered because of it as well.
With Drag, the mastermind, already gone, there was no reason for the two sides to continue fighting.
“Baron Valen said that he would come personally soon to apologize. He said he was ashamed that this happened because of his mistake.”
“The leader of the humans?”
Vargar looked slightly surprised, and Luden nodded.
Although he had only met Baron Valen once, Luden knew him to be a responsible man with good judgment.
He probably didn’t want his relationship with the Black Wolf Tribe to deteriorate for no reason.
And Vargar felt the same way.
“I understand. Since the children have returned safely, we will no longer harm the humans. In the first place, it was only a few hot-blooded young warriors acting on their own. I will have to make sure they understand that clearly.”
“Thank you.”
“If anyone should be saying that, it is us. Although you had nothing to do with this incident, you safely brought our children home. As the chieftain of the Black Wolf Tribe, I offer you my gratitude.”
[Congratulations. Main Quest completed.]
[You may claim your reward.]
[Party System unlocked.]
[Congratulations. Sub Quest completed.]
[You may claim your reward.]
Numerous windows filled Luden’s vision.
He wanted to check his rewards immediately, but Luden deliberately looked away.
Vargar wasn’t finished speaking yet.
“If there is anything you desire, tell me. We may not possess treasures that humans would desire, but we beastmen never forget a kindness done to us.”
“No. I didn’t do this expecting anything in return.”
Although he answered that way, Luden’s true feelings were somewhat different.
He desperately suppressed the corners of his mouth from rising with anticipation.
“Hah. It is rare for a human to be so free of greed. But you are our benefactor. If there is ever anything that requires the strength of the Black Wolf Tribe, we will help you, whatever it may be.”
“If you put it that way, there is one thing I’d like to ask.”
Luden had rescued the kidnapped children to prevent the war that had occurred in his previous life.
But there was another reason as well.
A certain fact that had been discovered after the war with the Black Wolf Tribe ended.
It had once been a hot topic among the mercenaries, and Luden now asked for it.
“I want to go to the Black Temple.”
“How do you know about that?!”
Vargar, who hadn’t even lost his composure when the children returned, widened his eyes in shock for the first time.
The Black Temple.
It was the name of a dungeon and ancient ruins hidden deep within the Wolf’s Forest.
That night, a feast was held in the Black Wolf Tribe’s village.
It was held to celebrate the children’s safe return and to welcome Luden.
Logs piled up in the center of the village burned brightly, illuminating the darkness.
Around them, the prey the Black Wolf Tribe had hunted that day was roasting until golden brown.
“Human. Try this.”
“No. Eat this meat. It’s the best prey I caught today!”
“Don’t get cocky just because you caught such a tiny fish. Mine is bigger!”
Luden gave an awkward smile as the Black Wolf Tribe members competed to offer him various things.
It was difficult to get used to seeing people who had been filled with murderous intent when he first arrived now swarming around him excitedly.
‘No. Come to think of it, this isn’t actually the first time. They were like this before, too.’
The only difference was that back then, they had been much more ferocious and had bared their fangs.
The reason for their changed attitude was that they had learned Luden was the benefactor who had saved the children.
While Luden was speaking with the chieftain, the villagers had also heard the full story from Luka and the other children.
Beastmen always repaid grudges, but they never forgot kindness either.
To the Black Wolf Tribe, Luden was a benefactor of the village.
‘But this is a little troublesome.’
He appreciated the hospitality, but every single piece of food they gave him looked absolutely dreadful.
The beastmen had no concept of cooking.
They either tore into their prey raw or, at most, cooked it over a fire.
No matter how strong Luden’s stomach was, he couldn’t bring himself to eat meat that smelled gamey or still dripped with blood.
This was the beastmen.
They were so wild that Luden couldn’t even imagine trying to imitate them.
Fortunately, there was someone who came to Luden’s rescue.
“That’s enough, everyone. You’re making the human uncomfortable.”
“Kyle.”
It was Kyle, who had escorted Luden to the village.
When he approached, the other Black Wolf Tribe members made way for him.
“Human, we meet again.”
“Luka came too. And Sa—”
“Grr!”
“Guh!”
Suddenly, Luden’s body jolted.
Since he had been caught off guard, the impact was even stronger.
Luden barely regained his balance and called out to the small girl clinging to him.
“Sara came too.”
“Hehe!”
Her tail wagged excitedly.
Would it be rude to say she looked like a puppy meeting its owner after a long time?
Kyle spoke with an expression of genuine curiosity.
“So it really is true. Sara actually follows a human.”
“Maybe because I saved her?”
“I don’t think so. She lost her parents last year. Perhaps she sensed a familiar scent from you.”
So she had such a story.
But what did he mean by a familiar scent?
Luden subtly raised his arm to his nose, but he couldn’t smell anything.
“By the way, I heard from the chieftain. Is it true that you’re going to stay in the village for a while?”
“Yes, well. That’s true. There are some circumstances, so I’ve decided to stay here for the time being.”
The chieftain had been hesitant, but in the end, he had accepted Luden’s request.
Not immediately, though.
Luden needed to make several preparations before he could go to the Black Temple, and after hearing that, he decided to stay in the Black Wolf Tribe’s village for the time being.
“I see.”
When Kyle nodded, Luka and Sara, and for some reason even Kyle himself, brightened up.
Then he puffed out his chest and confidently said,
“If you need anything, tell me. I’m the one who brought you here, so I’ll take responsibility for looking after you.”
“No, you don’t have to go that far…”
“Human. I will show you around our village.”
“It’s kind of you, but…”
Were beastmen simply incapable of feeling comfortable unless they repaid a kindness?
Luden was thinking that when—
[You can invite Kyle to your party.]
“Huh?”
Luden’s eyes widened at the window that suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
But it didn’t end there.
[You can invite Luka to your party.]
[You can invite Sara to your party.]
[Some quest systems will be applied when party members are added.]
[Party window activated.]
What?
“Human, what is wrong?”
“Ah, no. I was just watching the fire.”
“Hmm. Watching the fire, huh? It’s nice to look at, but be careful not to wet the bed at night.”
Kyle’s strangely inappropriate joke didn’t reach Luden’s ears.
He could only stare in bewilderment at the consecutive windows appearing before him.
He quickly composed his expression, but his heart wouldn’t calm down.
‘A party?’
It wasn’t as though he had no idea what this meant.
But why now?
With a feeling of anticipation, Luden cautiously opened his mouth.
“Party Window.”
[Party 1 (Please name your party)]
—There are currently no registered party members.
—A maximum of five party members can be registered.
[Sub Quest generated.]
<Sub Quest: You, Become My Companion>
Recruit at least one party member.
▶ Reward
1x Random Item Box (Rare)
“Huh?”
In the end, a bewildered voice escaped Luden’s lips.
