༺ Beasts, their Kings, and Humans – 5 ༻

After my magical escape had concluded, Ebon’s face became a canvas of emotions—bafflement, futility, anger, despair, failure, remorse, aggravation, and more.

But what could he do? Things might’ve changed if I’d shown any signs of disassembling the claw midway, but it was already far gone, and there was nothing he could do about it.

“Lieutenant Colonel!”

“Hu!”

Right on cue, the undying and Tyr arrived. The undying rushed to support Callis, who was about to collapse, while Tyr seemed disinterested in the lieutenant colonel. She looked me over instead.

“You startled me! What was the thought behind running off on your own? You should have at least given a signal!”

She was suggesting the impossible. This vampire was concerned with nothing else but my life and death. If I had tipped her off, her knee-jerk reaction would’ve been to hold me back instead of letting me go.

But instead of being frank, I shrugged and replied evasively.

“Well, as long as I’m in one piece right? I’m fine, so could you recover her blood instead?”

Tyr narrowed her eyes at my nonchalant response.

“Her blood?”

“Yes. Your bloodcraft may have weakened, but you’re still capable of returning flowing blood to its source, aren’t you?”

Tyr was a healer in the distant past. Back then, she had employed bloodcraft to alleviate people’s wounds. Since she could do it before, I judged her capable of at least recovering some blood, even if she had come back to life. That was why I made this reasonable request of her.

But for some reason, she pouted in displeasure.

“Is that soldier’s life so precious? To the point of risking your life?”

｢I was fraught with worry for your life, yet for some reason, you value your life less than even I do!｣

Oh my, well isn’t she mad? How do I resolve this? Win by arguing? Or appeal to her feelings?

The situation wasn’t over, so it felt like I had to take the easy way. Instead of retorting, I raised my hand and gently touched Tyr’s hair. Her delicate silver strands twined gently around my fingertips.

As Tyr fell silent with a start at the sudden closeness, I slowly tousled the silvery locks in my palm.

“You would’ve turned me into a vampire if I died.”

My point slightly deviated from the issue, but to evoke emotions, words required weight rather than logic. It was a confession of sorts.

Tyr replied timidly to that.

“H-however… my bloodcraft is not whole…”

I asked innocently.

“You can’t do it?”

“Even if you turned with my blood right now, if we are far apart… your blood will not flow well.”

“So it won’t work unless we’re not close?”

With a faint smile, I held her hair to my nose and continued in a murmur.

“Then we’ll have to stay close. If it’ll bring me back to life, then well, it’ll be worth it. Don’t you think?”

“Ah…!”

Tyr’s face turned red as a beet, showing that her heart was indeed working properly. She reflexively moved away, then snapped at me while heading toward Callis.

“…Just you try and die. I shall bring you back, and work you to death!”

And then she did as I asked and restored Callis’ blood. She was even kind enough to gather the darkness to hold Callis up.

The undying understood that he had nothing he could do for Callis, so he left her to Tyr and came to me.

“Great job, Teacher!”

“I admit I did work hard. So much so that it’s about time to rest.”

“Still, I must point this out! You are truly mean! How could you joke in that urgent moment?!”

“A joke?”

“Pretending you could not undo the chain!”

“What? Did that look like a joke to you?”

“…Was it not?”

The undying blinked in confusion.

Wow, you’re reproaching me when I saved someone?

I proceeded to wail for the world to hear, not hiding my indignance.

“Goodness, I did my best yet you fault my attitude! Just think, what if I’d undone the chain right away? Do you think the lieutenant general would have simply backed off? He would’ve thrown a knife at me straight away!”

“Now that you mention it, you are right! I have nothing to say!”

The undying nodded in quick acknowledgment.

“I misunderstood because you appeared as though you were having too much fun! I apologize!”

“I’ll forgive you, so behave yourself from now on.”

It was true that I was having fun, but shouldn’t this be considered a secondary factor? Wasn’t it good to enjoy myself while I was acting for safety anyway?

“By the way, I am impressed by your talent. I did not expect you to undo it in such a short time.”

I shrugged at that.

“That’s what happens when you use something so fundamentally flawed like a claw. You should use whole weapons, not assembled or detachable.”

Not that Ebon had a choice in the matter. It wasn’t possible to become a general of the Military State while forgoing the weapon you shared the best affinity with.

Our conversation was interrupted then.

“Woof-woof! Woof-woof-woof!”

Azzy bounded joyfully from the opposite direction, dragging the chain connected to the claw handle on her arm. The 10-meter-long chain undulated like waves with every beat of her paws.

Lieutenant General Ebon had escaped somewhere the instant he met failure, so Azzy could sprint to me without any hindrance.

“You rascal, putting me through so much.”

I guess we were closest after all, seeing how she came straight for me. I felt moved and rewarded for having raised her… until I noticed Azzy wasn’t slowing down for some reason. Instead, she hopped straight into my arms.

“Guegh!”

I was confident I’d tumble rather awkwardly if just a regular dog jumped on me, but Azzy was a grown woman, in the physical sense at least. Coupled with that long chain, even my “sturdy” body couldn’t endure.

As I fell, Azzy clambered onto me and started licking away at my face.

“Woof! Woof!”

“Dammit, oi! I’m not hurt! Don’t lick!”

“Woof!”

It was heartening that she seemed to understand gratitude, but her way of repaying me was off. I would’ve preferred if she fetched me some cash instead of licking.

While untangling the chain from Azzy’s paw, I spoke to her.

“That aside, Azzy, there’s something I need you to do.”

“Woof?”

“There’s a cat outside, you see. A real cat, not a person who’s prickly like one.”

“Woof!”

How burdensome it must’ve been, to be bound by a chain, even by a promise. Poor girl. The suffering she must have endured, all because no one had told her something so simple to do.

The chain fell away with a clank. I turned to Azzy, her paws now freed, and issued a command. The command to release the chains that had been suppressing her all this time.

“That cat’s bullying us. So, go get her girl.”

“…Grrr.”

With permission granted, Azzy bared her fangs in delight. She sprang off me, emitting a low growl that resonated through the abyss, and stepped outside.

Good. It seemed like the regressor had nearly finished dealing with Nabi. With Azzy heading out, they should be able to finish the job for sure.

Having more or less sorted out that end of things, I dusted off my hands. Now, what remained was…

“Huh? Mr. Rasch. Where are you going?”

Looking up, I spotted the undying striding off somewhere. At my question, he replied with a wave of the hand.

“Ohh, do not mind me! I am on my way to meet the lieutenant general!”

“The lieutenant general?”

“Indeed. I have something to ask him!”

I stole a glance at Tyr. Perhaps due to the limited range of her bloodcraft, she was closely attending to Callis and couldn’t spare any attention our way.

I carefully rose to follow the undying.

“What a coincidence. I also have some business with him. Let’s go together.”

“I do not plan to fight or the like. Is that all right?”

“It’s not like I’m going to fight either. I just have some questions.”

“Understood! Well then, let us—!”

I urgently held a finger to my nose.

“Shh, quietly. Let’s sneak out. Tyr will go bonkers if she hears I’m going to the lieutenant general.”

Though the undying blinked momentarily, he eventually got the message and lowered his voice.

“Haha! You are like a henpecked husband! Very well. Let us go! In secret!”

Oh getting pecked would be a relief. Imagine eating one of her punches. Now that sent a Beast King to death’s doorstep in one blow.

For now, she still wasn’t sure how to properly use her strength, but once she mastered it? Oh boy.

I followed the undying out, shaking my head at the thought.

* * *

Lieutenant General Ebon was stealthily making his way to the rooftop with the grace of a catkin. I followed him alongside the undying.

｢What an utter disaster. I am ever ready to meet the end, but I cannot die in such failure.｣

Despite reaching this point, Ebon was steadfastly crawling toward life.

If this were a dedication to life, I would’ve offered applause… but I knew that this was the wail of a man in search of closure. He was a flame that, without concern, would set other books alight in his quest for the ever-elusive perfect ending.

｢The primary cause was… that criminal threat. Reports said he was overpowered by Sunderspear of the Six; therefore, he should be several tiers beneath the general. I believed that if I used the Cat King or intervened personally, it might somehow work out…｣

The regressor’s presence was an unexpected factor to him. Unlike the Beast King or the Progenitor, she was a threat whose very identity was an enigma, which made her difficult to approach.

I was relieved that we shared a similar sentiment.

I’m so glad that you’re not just violent to me, Regressor. Seems like you’re something of a fair calamity that threatens everyone the same.

｢…Yet even so, things took an unexpected turn. The lieutenant colonel defected, and the colonel and Cat King proved disappointingly powerless. There must have been another factor I overlooked…｣

Another factor you overlooked? We call that the world—a realm filled with the unpredictable. That’s just how it is. You’re no cheating prophet or the like, so how can you predict and see everything in the world ahead of time?

｢Hence, I must find a way out, and sink Tantalus… along with the anomaly.｣

“You can’t do that! Someone’s in the backseat!”

At my outcry, Ebon, who was walking toward the center of the rooftop, flinched and turned around in surprise. Before long, both the undying and I joined him on the rooftop.

Ebo greeted us amiably, not showing any signs of nervousness.

“Ah, the undying and the laborer.”

The undying spoke to him.

“Pleased to meet you, Lieutenant General. I am Rasch, the one you tore to shreds.”

“Yet, you resurrected to stand before me.”

He was adroit in his response, maintaining composure despite being on the run.

The undying replied with a big nod.

“Indeed! Well, it is not as if I hold a grudge against you, Lieutenant General. If I begrudged a little pain, the world would be full of those I resent! Between you and me, even within this abyss, everyone has played around with my body at least once!”

Admittedly, Azzy, the regressor, Tyr, and even I have all messed up his body before.

The lieutenant general flashed a benign smile at the undying’s spirited declaration.

“Yes, this is how you were. Thanks to your nature, I did not feel much guilt when I tore you apart.”

“No worries! No need for you to feel guilty about that! The others here do not feel guilt toward me either!”

I offered an internal apology before he started holding a grudge.

…I’m sorry, Mr. Rasch.

“However! I do have a question!”