“If you value his life, hand him over immediately.”
She shot me a glare filled with hostility.
If looks could kill, I would have been pierced through and coughing up blood by now, such was the intensity of her aggression.
Adina, who had quietly slipped behind me at some point, was visibly uneasy, glancing around nervously.
“To add insult to injury, you dare to steal a sacred artifact from your own kind? There’s a limit to how much leniency we can offer. Don’t further disgrace the honor of your tribe. That concludes my business with you.”
She silently alternated her gaze between Adina and me, then spoke with evident disinterest in me. It seemed her concern truly lay only with Adina, as she had claimed.
‘Has she not spoken yet?’
Certainly, Adina was the one responsible for the theft of the Rune—an event which could be considered the starting point of this conflict. However, ultimately, the one who ended up keeping the Rune wasn’t Adina, but me.
I made a deal with her—she would join our group, and in return, I would take the Rune.
Given that, I had expected her to act like a coward, naming me outright at the first sign of trouble. Instead, she somehow maintained a sense of loyalty, which frankly surprised me.
I interjected with a nonchalant tone.
“Are you the leader of the White-Haired Tribe?”
My question earned me a frown and a sharp retort from her.
“Unrelated parties should step aside from our internal affairs. And…”
Her gaze slowly shifted to Arkhan.
“Grand Lord, what brings you here? Surely, you do not intend to meddle in our tribe’s affairs, do you?”
“Huh? What for? Just settle your family affairs on your own. As long as it doesn’t affect me, I have no intention of interfering.”
“Then, I would appreciate it if you stepped aside. I only have business with that child.”
Right then, another presence was approaching.
It was the other members of the White-Haired Tribe, who had been watching from a distance.
Really, for what should have been a simple capture mission for a single person, they had brought quite a number, probably to intimidate. At a glance, there were at least twenty of them, and their readiness suggested they were prepared for combat, causing my expression to stiffen involuntarily.
Adina gripped the sleeve of my robes, anxiously asking,
“Um, what should we do?”
“Hmm. Frankly, I’m not sure.”
Clearly, this wasn’t a situation that would be resolved easily. Her eyes burned with a fierce determination, as if they wouldn’t hesitate to wage war if necessary.
Aggressiveness, known to be a characteristic of Beastmen, isn’t prevalent in all tribes, but the stronger a tribe’s heritage and history, the more pronounced their pride and bellicosity becomes. And the White-Haired Tribe stood at the pinnacle of this pride.
Of course, this is because their ancestors were none other than the legendary divine beast, the White-Haired Nine-Tailed Fox, who first stepped into the realm of transcendence.
Thus, the history of the White-Haired Tribe is closely intertwined with the history of all Beastmen. And the martial prowess of each member is no laughing matter.
Particularly this woman, who glared at me, was the current leader of the White-Haired Tribe, her martial might on par with that of the Grand Lords in the Lord’s Council.
“Hiiiik…!”
Knowing all of this explained why Adina was trembling like that.
To be honest, the only ones who could potentially stop her were Arkhan and…
‘Me, just me.’
I turned my gaze to Arkhan.
She was smiling mysteriously, watching everything unfold like someone who had stumbled upon a rare form of entertainment after a long time.
It was immediately clear that expecting help from her was a futile hope.
With a sigh, I spoke calmly.
“…That’ll be enough.”
“Humans, step aside.”
“That will be difficult. You see, she’s part of my group now.”
“Group? A human?”
She then glared at Adina and hissed.
“Living with humans, are you?”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“Naturally. Can a member of the White-Haired Tribe dare fraternize with humans so carelessly? You’re disgracing your own tribe.”
“Honor? Are you talking about the narrow-minded, prejudiced honor that cast a child out of the pack simply because they were afraid?”
“…”
“To embrace one’s own kin, regardless of the reason, and bring them into the fold is what the honor of the White-Haired Tribe should be. In that regard, you are the one disgracing the tribe—not her.”
As I met her eyes, it was clear she was the leader of this group.
I took a more authoritative stance, issuing a warning.
“Therefore, leave us be. Stop pressuring us on someone else’s territory.”
Beastmen, after all, aren’t easily persuaded. So, I deliberately pushed her buttons.
I could sense Adina looking at me in surprise from the side. She clearly hadn’t expected me to take such an open stance in her defense.
But I had no choice.
Once I had taken possession of the Rune, I could no longer evade responsibility.
“You are going too far.”
The hostility in her eyes, sharp enough to pierce through the skin, intensified.
The White-Haired Tribe members, who had been watching silently, began encircling us.
The ominous atmosphere made Adina’s face turn ashen, her body shaking.
I glanced briefly at Rudine.
The corner of Rudine’s lips slowly curled up. The dense killing intent that filled the air seemed to excite her. Her crimson eyes were wide open as the red light flickered, and the celestial star’s aura flowing from her soul was subtly engulfing my surroundings.
“One last time I ask: Where is the stolen sacred artifact?”
“Must I answer that?”
“Answer me properly.”
I smirked.
“That one?”
I had somewhat managed to act ignorant earlier, but it was clear by this point that this was a situation I couldn’t avoid.
Truthfully, I had expected a situation like this when I first absorbed the Rune of Time.
At this point, it would be better to just be honest.
With Arkan nearby observing, it wouldn’t be wise to try to wiggle my way out of the situation with lies.
Thus, I recited the prepared answer.
“I used it.”
“…What?”
“I said I used it. Personally.”
What could I do?
Looks like I’ve got no choice but to face the music.
At least, that’s what I thought.
“Hmph.”
A bluish, spiral-shaped sphere of light, bright like a star, hovered over her palm.
Next,
“Your reckless words will cost you your life.”
Zzzzt!!
The spiral-shaped projectile soared across the sky, emitting violent shockwaves of lightning.
The relentless spinning increased, and the waves began gouging the ground.
Crreeak!!
I looked up, gritting my teeth against the earsplitting roar as dozens of streaks of lightning condensed into a single point in the shimmering blue light.
The energy compressed,
tore through space,
and pierced through.
BOOOOM!!
The blue beam that plunged towards me swept over the area where I was standing.
BOOOOM!!
The aftermath of the lightning bombardment revealed a large charred crater where everything had been obliterated by the high voltage.
The leader of the White-Haired Tribe, Arkaban, naturally believed it was all over.
Her assault had been amplified by five White Cycles, a unique trait of her tribe that boosted magical power.
And that wasn’t all.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Following her assault, the rest of her kin unleashed a barrage of coordinated attacks.
The dust clouded the vision, but it was clear no one could have survived that.
Even Adina, who possessed a natural resistance to magic, would have struggled.
There was no way out; any form of defense would have been futile, because the magic of the White-Haired Tribe consumed the opponent’s magic power, effectively making their attacks the sharpest spear, an unyielding force capable of piercing any defense.
So it was settled.
“…What?”
There was a shadow in the dust.
They were standing perfectly still, untouched, as if nothing had affected them.
Before them was a frozen tableau, a world where time itself had stopped.
The piercing blue beam that had charged downward hung motionless in the air. The spells that followed from her kin remained suspended, as well as the rising dust and electric heat waves. Everything was arrested in time and space.
All the magical constructs created by mana were suspended like museum specimens.
Arkaban could not conceal her astonishment.
The feat of capturing the magic in mid-air was far beyond merely blocking it.
Slowly, the man stepped forward.
One step.
Then another.
Until he stood right before the stunned Arkaban, looking into her eyes directly.
“Didn’t I say?”
And then, slowly, he spoke.
“The one disgracing your tribe is you.”
The rune imprinted beneath his right eye glowed faintly blue.
The Rune of Time was marked there.
