If he’s going to repay a debt, shouldn’t he repay it to Taeyon? Kaniel looked back at Taeyon in confusion, but he was just smiling faintly.
It was awkward to shake off her hand and awkward to keep staying like this, so when he looked up with eyes asking for help, Taeyon chuckled and came over to gently remove the girl’s hand.
“We should get going now.”
“Y-yes. I’m sorry for bothering you.”
“Well. Was it bothersome?”
Taeyon’s question was directed at Kaniel.
“No, not at all! Not at all!”
“It wasn’t bothersome. So there’s nothing to be sorry about.”
When the blank stare reached him, Kaniel quickly nodded in agreement. It hadn’t been bothersome at all, and there was no reason for the girl to feel sorry. Only then did a faint smile appear on the girl’s lips.
“Then.”
Taeyon took Kaniel’s hand and started walking. Behind their backs as they left, words of thanks continued several more times.
Kaniel felt somehow ticklish yet a little happy. It was all thanks to Taeyon. His mood was elevated by emotions he wouldn’t have felt if it hadn’t been for Taeyon.
“But where are we going?”
“I think I need to find out about the situation.”
As he said that, the direction Taeyon headed was a place crowded with people moving busily. Knights were walking around on guard, and soldiers were ceaselessly carrying many items—food, weapons, firewood, and more—between tents. One or two more small tents were being erected, and a tent for distributing bread to the residents was also being set up.
Taeyon passed through them and went to the front of a large tent. There was a knight guarding the entrance, but when Taeyon approached, he personally lifted the cloth covering the tent entrance and opened it.
“Young Master!”
Lord Linford Breil, who had lifted his head at the cold wind, welcomed Taeyon warmly. The knights standing beside him also bowed their heads respectfully.
“Taeyon is enough, Uncle.”
“I couldn’t do that.”
The lord smiled faintly, sending a gaze mixed with subtle meaning. Then he looked puzzled at Kaniel standing awkwardly behind Taeyon, but before he could express his question, Taeyon asked.
“How is the situation?”
“Terrible. I don’t understand how it got all the way into the manor house. No one saw it coming in, so how could it suddenly appear there…?”
It was truly strange. The carnivorous beast that had appeared at the manor house wasn’t the kind of beast with a weak presence. Sometimes in the case of fox or small bird beasts, they might stealthily approach and suddenly reveal themselves, but that was impossible for such a powerful carnivorous beast. Because of its strong killing intent, it couldn’t escape the eyes of beastkin who were innately excellent at detection.
Taeyon, who had been examining the meeting room materials with a serious gaze, tapped the map with his finger and said.
“If it’s okay, I’d like to hear a briefing.”
“Ah, of course.”
The lord moved the tiger-shaped wooden figure to the back garden of the manor house.
“The beast was first spotted in the back garden of the manor house. The servants were busy preparing meals, and the knights were still in training. So there was only one person in this location.”
The wooden figure added to the back garden was bird-shaped.
“Azram.”
“…So that’s why you didn’t subjugate it immediately?”
“Yes. The tiger immediately attacked Azram and broke his shoulder. When the knights came running at the sound of his scream, the wound was so severe that bone was visible and he was on the verge of losing consciousness.”
The lord let out a short sigh.
“As you know, Azram’s ability is the power to cause earthquakes. And unfortunately, since the Winged Tribe lacks ability control, if he’d fainted in that state, it could have devastated this entire area.”
If an earthquake occurred inside the city, it would never end with minor damage. Especially since Azram’s ability wasn’t weak. The number of people crushed under collapsed buildings and fallen into cracked ground might exceed hundreds.
But it was also difficult to have one or two knights take Azram outside the castle. Azram was the eldest son of the Winged Tribe lord, destined to become lord in the near future. The lord was protecting Azram so he could recuperate at the request of the Winged Tribe lord, so if he treated him so insincerely, it could cause political problems.
No, since Azram was already injured, one could say a problem had already occurred, so they needed to work to minimize the problem as much as possible.
That’s why the lord personally took Azram to temporary refuge. To stabilize and treat Azram here before responding to the beast.
Perhaps feeling sheepish at the fact that he hadn’t paid attention to Taeyon belatedly, the lord added.
“Well, you, Young Master. You’re someone we don’t need to worry about.”
Taeyon asked without concern.
“How are the monsters’ movements?”
“The beast’s dominion area seems wider than expected. I heard even monsters from quite far away are running here. It’s not an unmanageable level though.”
“It might become unmanageable.”
“What? What do you mean…?”
Even Kaniel looked at Taeyon in surprise. This was a fairly large city, and there were many knights. In the Underground City, Arkan and Taeyon had succeeded in killing one beast by themselves, but they couldn’t handle one beast in a place like this?
At those insulting words, the lord shouted angrily.
“Surely you’re not doubting Breil’s defensive capability?”
Linford Breil, both a knight and a lord, had strong pride in his city. His city was among the top five cities in terms of number of knights within the territory of Oblyad Castle.
No one could doubt the city’s military power.
“When we just escaped from the manor house, my eyes met the beast’s for a moment. I thought it would attack immediately, but it turned away.”
“…What? That can’t be….”
The lord, who had been lost in thought for a moment, widened his eyes. Because an absurd possibility had raised its head.
Taeyon nodded briefly and continued.
“It seems to be nesting.”
“That’s impossible! I’ve never heard of a beast nesting in a place with this many enemies!”
But the protesting voice held more confusion than disbelief. Because he’d also never heard of a beast whose eyes met someone’s letting them go for no reason.
For a beast that attacks people and targets sealed lands to suppress that instinct, the only reason would be a nest.
‘What exactly is a nest?’
Kaniel quietly watched the people around him.
It wasn’t the first time he’d heard the word, but it seemed to be used with a different meaning from the ordinary nest Kaniel knew.
Noticing that curious look, Taeyon explained.
“Nesting means the beast is claiming a certain place as its territory.”
Taeyon moved the tiger wooden figure to the center of the manor house on the map, and scattered the black monster wooden figures from a small box around the manor house.
“When that happens, the dominion area where it can control monsters doubles, and the monsters split and increase in number.”
Everything that had been in the box.
Then the manor house was completely covered by the black monster figures.
“That many…?”
Kaniel muttered in a horrified voice.
Taeyon gathered knight-shaped wooden figures scattered here and there and placed them around the manor house. A total of 34 knights, plus the lord and Taeyon.
Even with everyone deployed, this side looked insufficient.
“A knight can face dozens of monsters. If it hadn’t nested, it wouldn’t be a problem at all.”
Taeyon, who had placed the black monster figures in front of the knights, proceeded to knock them down one by one.
“The reason it’s a problem now is.”
Taeyon took out the tiger beast figure from among the black monster figures piled in the manor house and placed it on top.
Then he stood back up the fallen monster figures.
“Because a beast that has nested can grant a regeneration effect to the monsters it dominates. From the moment the nest is completed, the monsters will keep reviving unless you cut off their heads.”
The lord and other knights listening to the story also silently nodded.
It seemed a nest could make monsters almost like zombies. The monsters were already strong and numerous, but they also wouldn’t die easily?
The cries of monsters heard from afar ominously gnawed at their ears. At the creepy sensation climbing up his spine, Kaniel unconsciously grabbed Taeyon’s forearm.
* * *
His head hurt.
His face scrunched up because of the ringing sound of tinnitus echoing in his ears.
“Ugh….”
Piyod grabbed his throbbing forehead and slowly got up.
‘Why was I lying on the floor?’
Since being with Matiel, he hadn’t slept on the bare floor even once. He’d eaten delicious and nutritious food, worn clothes made of soft cloth, and slept under fluffy blankets.
Sleeping lying on the cold floor was something that had happened in his childhood before he knew he was a tuner….
“What… happened…?”
The place he was in was the middle of the party hall. Chairs and tables were randomly piled against one wall, and the beautifully sparkling chandelier had fallen to the floor and shattered. The piano had lost one leg and fallen over. Several broken keys were rolling around on the floor.
