Chapter 243
Martai has coniferous forests to the north, plains and the Border Guards to the west, the territory of the Eastern Kingdoms to the east, and a rather large forest to the south.
That forest was called the Grateful Forest.
“But why is it called the Grateful Forest?”
Torres was working to get familiar with the geography of the newly established territory.
A soldier, a ranger from the forest unit, walked alongside him and answered.
Behind them, five members of the Border Guards followed.
“Because people are grateful for it.”
Just before Torres could scowl, thinking, ‘Is this guy messing with me?’, the soldier continued.
“Have you been to the northern coniferous forest? No one can live there. Even rangers avoid it. Do you know its nickname? The Cliff Forest.”
Torres had heard of it. It was a famous place.
The northern region of Martai is coniferous forest—a natural boundary dividing the continent.
Why call it a cliff? Because if you go in, you’ll fall to your death, that’s why.
“But to the south, there’s a forest full of fruit and game. People who’ve lived around here since ancient times were so grateful for it, they named it that.”
Grateful Forest.
Does the name have character or not?
Torres didn’t dwell on it, just continued his patrol, familiarizing himself with the land.
Then—
Kiiiihiiiiiing!
An unearthly shriek, nothing like a horse’s neigh, rang out. It was so vicious and bloodthirsty that it sent chills down the spine. It was the cry of a beast.
“What is that?”
Torres spotted a horse at the forest’s edge.
But it wasn’t an ordinary horse. Since when do horse fangs grow that long?
“Looks like a beast.”
“Yeah, looks like one.”
Horses are herbivores, and it’s rare for a herbivore to become a beast. Rare, but not impossible.
Torres frowned, then relaxed and gestured.
Is it alone? Or are there more behind it?
Has it spotted us yet?
Maybe not.
“A horse beast, huh. That’s rare.”
The ranger said.
“Aren’t there any rangers in that forest?”
Martai stationed ranger units in the surrounding forests. Forest units were basically scouts who used the forest as their base.
This continent is always under threat from beasts and monsters. Regular patrols are standard.
“There are.”
The soldier continued.
He had a habit of breaking up his sentences.
“Monsters and beasts have shown up in the Grateful Forest before, but around here, it’s usually considered a safe zone since there are so few beast sightings.”
The soldier swallowed and continued.
“A squad-sized unit goes in on rotation.”
“Even now?”
“Yes, even now.”
Behind the horse beast, more monsters appeared.
They were dog-headed fiends. Their muzzles were torn, red with blood.
“Everyone, stay alert.”
Torres reacted quickly and appropriately.
What happened to the ranger unit that went inside? Wiped out?
At the very least, they must have been ambushed and incapacitated, so he retreated.
Did they really get taken out by just that small a group?
Or was it a surprise attack?
There must be some explanation.
The herd of more than ten horse beasts and dog-headed fiends didn’t charge.
Torres found that odd, too.
“Do beasts in this area just lick their lips when they see humans?”
“Huh?”
Torres couldn’t wait to see Zimmer’s face for sticking him with this idiot.
Why couldn’t this guy ever answer in one go?
“Ah, no, not at all. Up until the last patrol, there were no problems. No trace of such a group, either.”
That’s strange. For rangers patrolling the Grateful Forest not to notice a dozen beasts gathering?
And why are there both horse beasts and dog-headed fiends together?
Strange.
Some of the monsters watching began to approach.
Torres didn’t wait—he moved to intercept.
“Kill them all.”
Kaaaah!
Several dog-headed fiends charged. The horse beast retreated.
It wasn’t a hard fight.
Torres and his team killed three or four dog-headed fiends, and the horse beast watched for a moment before fleeing into the woods.
Going in after them was too dangerous, so they stopped there.
Torres wiped his bloody sword on the hide of a dog-headed fiend and spoke.
“Time to report.”
He went back and reported to the former Border Guard Captain, now the lord, who concluded there must be more beasts out there and requested support from the Border Guards.
It was more efficient to delegate the job, as there was plenty else for the Border Guards to do.
Law and order within the territory wasn’t fully established yet.
There were also rumors that the so-called Eastern Mercenary King was displeased that Martai had fully transferred to Naurilia.
Some soldiers from the east had even deserted at night.
“Just let them go.”
Zimmer advised. If they’re easterners, they’ll just end up stabbing us in the back anyway.
They’re tough, stubborn, and unyielding.
That’s what explorers have always said about eastern nomads.
After that, Torres focused on other duties. The Border Guards would handle the monsters in the southern Grateful Forest.
The lord of Martai and Major Markus of the Border Guards likely wanted the two territories to interact more naturally—redistributing work was part of that plan.
Torres spent two days with Zimmer organizing the local law enforcement.
Meanwhile, a newly assigned ranger reported on the Grateful Forest.
“It doesn’t look like there’s a large colony.”
That was good news.
‘But why was the ranger squad wiped out? Desertion again?’
Desertion—maybe.
—
A few days later, a small force from the Border Guards arrived to fulfill the request.
Not even ten of them.
One of them looked familiar.
A golden-eyed beastfolk from one of Encrid’s platoons, formerly of the Black Blade Bandits, was among them.
Martai’s own soldiers could have handled the job, but this was about the first step in fostering ties between the two territories.
“Looking forward to working with you.”
Torres greeted them, and the newcomers nodded.
The soldier who spoke in short bursts again took the lead as their guide.
With the beastfolk woman at the front, the rest followed.
‘Why hire mercenaries when you can use Border Guards?’
Beasts run rampant in winter.
If the two territories kept fighting monsters and beasts together, they’d naturally become like one.
When spring came, even if the Mercenary King caused trouble, Martai would have the strength to stand its ground.
Torres had no worries.
Border Guard soldiers are elite. They wouldn’t lose to horse beasts or dog-headed fiends.
Especially with the beastfolk woman on the team.
Nothing could go wrong.
—
– “Hey, where’d you learn that?”
Rem asked, and Dunbakel replied.
She’d learned by watching and stealing from those beside her while working as a mercenary.
No one had ever taught her anything back in her homeland.
Her cursed shapeshifting and golden eyes were enough to make everyone shun her.
She tied back her long white hair and twitched her cat-like nose. Rem grinned and raised his fist.
– “Let’s begin.”
Begin what? The start of violence, of beatings.
A day that started with a beating ended with one. Or rather, it used to.
Was that a memory, or just the pain of trauma?
Walking, Dunbakel hugged herself, running her hands over her arms as she shivered.
“Cold?”
“No.”
A soldier behind her asked, but the beastfolk shook her head.
Cold didn’t bother beastfolk. Their body temperature was higher than humans’, and they were warm-blooded.
In fact, beastfolk were more vulnerable to heat than cold. Their fur grew thick and fast.
The soldier didn’t ask again.
As Dunbakel headed toward the area where beasts had been sighted, she thought back on Rem’s teaching methods.
Did they help?
She wanted to say no, but she couldn’t.
– “Is this really teaching?”
– “Have you ever seen a beastfolk this dumb? So what do you think I’m doing right now?”
– “Punching, kicking.”
At her honest answer, the brute barbarian grinned.
– “How have you survived this long, being so clueless?”
She got hit again. After two days, she thought she’d die at this rate.
Desperate to live, she’d crawled under Encrid.
Dunbakel craved life.
She realized for the first time how hot that craving burned within her.
‘What do I have to do to survive?’
Her body responded before her mind did.
After countless beatings, her body learned first. Dunbakel stole Rem’s moves by watching.
– “Now we’re getting somewhere.”
That was the right answer.
– “Steal whatever you can. If you don’t want to die, that’s what you’ll have to do.”
Anyone who’d seen that barbarian’s eyes in that moment would have felt their bladder shake. So did Dunbakel.
With a strange look that was both excited and irritated, Rem beat her again.
What do you have to do to survive?
Steal and learn.
That’s what Dunbakel did. It took a week to forget what she’d learned as a mercenary, and another week to learn it anew by stealing with her body.
– “I have a question.”
Around then, Dunbakel spoke first.
No matter what Rem said, she wanted her curiosity answered.
– “You teach the Independent Platoon Captain so kindly, don’t you?”
Was that a trigger? Dunbakel didn’t know. It was all a misunderstanding. She was just curious, nothing more.
– “Are you fucking kidding me?”
That was the start. Rem said nothing, just picked up his axe. Dunbakel had to draw her scimitar.
Thud!
It was a miracle she survived the first blow.
– “That guy!”
Rem kept talking as he fought. How could he keep moving and talking at the same time?
Dunbakel couldn’t catch her breath, but Rem never stopped moving his mouth.
– “No matter how simply I explain!”
– “Even if I demonstrate, he never improves!”
– “He just doesn’t get better.”
The last bit was spoken close, close enough to feel his breath.
Surprisingly, his breath didn’t smell bad, even though beastfolk have a sharp sense of smell.
– “So, is that your problem? If you’ve got a problem with it, train like the captain every day.”
It was a misunderstanding from the start. She was just curious—not complaining.
The brute didn’t want to hear any answer. He just seized the chance to lay into her.
At the end of her thoughts, a soldier’s voice snapped her back.
“We’re here. That’s the Grateful Forest, and the reason it’s called Grateful is…”
Dunbakel stepped forward, ignoring the rambling soldier. Unintentionally, her left eyebrow twitched. Her raised brow quivered.
The beastfolk’s instincts warned her.
“Horses and dog-headed fiends—weren’t there supposed to be about a dozen?”
Dunbakel asked.
“Yes, that’s why the forest is… huh? Yes.”
The guide trailed off, tilting his head.
“Everyone, prepare for battle.”
Dunbakel commanded, her golden eyes looking beyond the forest.
Her vision could pierce the darkness. Instinct and battlefield experience gave her intuition.
Dunbakel sensed danger.
Among humans, giants, Frok, beastfolk, elves, dwarves—
Giants were the strongest.
Elves were the most sensitive.
Frok had a keen eye for talent and unique abilities.
Beastfolk had superior physiques.
– “You idiot, you’re not using half your body’s potential.”
She’d learned by watching human mercenaries’ swordplay. She thought that was right and copied them.
Rem was a brute, but his lessons were not wasted.
– “Don’t limit your athleticism when you fight.”
Don’t rely on established stances—trust your body and fight with everything you have.
That was Rem’s lesson.
Even without going berserk, moving that way under control was the right answer.
Ever since Rem forced her to do that, Dunbakel felt herself improving rapidly.
It was time to put that skill to the test.
Rumble.
One horse beast and a pack of dog-headed fiends?
Not even close.
She saw how many were sneaking out of the forest.
Over twenty horse beasts, and more dog-headed fiends than she cared to count.
Dozens of red eyes glowed within the forest.
“You—go call for backup.”
Dunbakel told the guide.
“Huh?”
Could this guy ever answer the first time?
Whack!
Dunbakel didn’t hesitate—she smacked him on the back of the head.
“Ugh!”
The guide hunched over, hand on his head, with a dumbfounded look.
So what?
“If you don’t want to die, run.”
Dunbakel was already talking like Rem, but this was no time to notice.
The guide, clutching his head, started to run.
The soldiers tensed up—the beast extermination job had become a life-or-death battle.
“Shit, what the hell…”
“Why didn’t they check properly before taking this job?”
Dunbakel cracked her neck.
If this was all of them—
There was no danger.
That’s how confident she’d become.
– “Do you want to live? Don’t want to die? Then fight back.”
Rem’s voice echoed in her mind.
She hated to admit it, but her bouts with Rem, her trials with that brute, kept igniting her desire to live.
A hunger for life, burning and fierce, apart from any instinct to breed.
That’s what set her eyes ablaze.
Ting.
Dunbakel drew her scimitar.
“Don’t come in front of me, don’t come near me.”
With that, the beastfolk charged forward. Dirt and gravel burst beneath her feet. Her body blurred with speed.
Two horses on the opposite side reacted at once.
Neigh!
A short, beastly shriek rang out as they charged in with terrifying speed.
Soon, Dunbakel and the two beasts crossed paths in a flash.