Chapter 5 : I believe in you

“Grrrr… Boss, I told you! Humans are not to be trusted!”

“The promised time hasn’t passed yet. Calm down and wait!”

There were only a few minutes left until the time the red-masked human had promised to return with food.

As the appointed time drew near, the lieutenant beast grew impatient and began to lash out.

“Boss, you’re too naïve! You still don’t understand humans! They’re nothing but invaders and plunderers!”

“What did you say?”

“Hurk?!”

“Gah!!!”

The chieftain and the lieutenant, who had been bickering, suddenly flinched in shock at the sound of a human voice.

Their heads snapped toward the source of the sound.

The red-masked human was walking into the cave, pulling a cart behind him.

“Of all the beings to ever borrow the power of a Celestial, you’re the first one to use it just to loot a warehouse! Pathetic!”

Phoenix scoffed as he watched Luan sneak into the warehouse, move one cart at a time, and repeat this manual labor dozens of times.

“So what? I’m just using my own power.”

“How is this your power?! It’s mine—!! Aaargh!!”

“Grrrr…!!”

“M-Meat! I smell meat…!!”

“It smells delicious! Grrrr!!!”

The starving beasts instantly picked up on the aroma of cooked meat wafting from the cart.

“Calm down. Your chieftain hasn’t accepted the deal yet.”

“Boss! Hurry up and take the deal!!”

“I’m starving!!”

“I can’t hold back anymore!!!”

The beasts started throwing tantrums like impatient children.

The lieutenant beast looked at them with a gaze sharper than an axe blade.

The chieftain spoke.

“You really brought it…”

Even he had been skeptical.

It was hard to believe that a human would truly deliver food, given the deep-seated hatred between their races.

“So? Will you accept my deal?”

“Do you… trust us? Even though my kind has relentlessly tried to kill yours?”

“No.”

“Then…”

“But I trust you.”

“….!!”

“I trust the heart of a leader who cares for his people. If you accept this deal but still attack that fortress later…”

“I understand exactly what you mean.”

The red-masked human and the chieftain locked eyes.

Then, the chieftain extended his hand first.

“I accept the deal. I look forward to working with you, human. My name is Tartakan. And yours?”

“Lu… No, call me Sage.”

“Sage?”

“Yes. Everyone seems to call me that.”

The Sage took Tartakan’s hand and shook it firmly.

“Let’s work well together, Tartakan.”

“Likewise.”

At that moment, a historic event unfolded—something never before achieved in human history.

The first trade agreement between humans and beasts.

The first-ever non-aggression pact.

***

“Elena!! ELENA!!!”

Taris Glacia, the head of the Glacia Count family, stormed into his study, kicking the door open in fury.

“What is it now?”

“Didn’t I tell you to report to me before making any decisions?!”

His flabby, greedy jawline quivered as he shouted.

“I haven’t done anything.”

Elena Glacia, his daughter, remained seated, reading reports from the lords of the territory.

Her expression was cold, her tone dry.

Her silver hair, unkempt and greasy from days without washing, clung together in thick strands.

Her eyes still had sleep crust at the corners.

She looked nothing like a noblewoman.

“How dare you lie to my face?!”

“Here we go again…”

“Why did you send the warehouse’s supplies without my permission?!”

“What?”

For years, Elena had handled most of the administrative work in her father’s place, as he wasted his days drinking and indulging in pleasure.

At first, she had tried to do things the right way—reading reports, collecting tributes from the various fiefs, and redistributing supplies to struggling territories.

Then, she learned her lesson.

The first time she attempted to redistribute resources fairly, her father flew into a rage.

After that, she carefully adjusted her actions to avoid provoking him.

But as a result, the reports from the lords became increasingly dire.

People were starving.

Freezing to death.

Dying in battles against the beasts.

The frontier fortresses were gradually losing their population.

One day, she couldn’t take it anymore.

She ignored her father’s orders and secretly sent supplies to the suffering territories.

A few days later, she was horrified to discover that her father had seized everything back and returned it to the main estate.

They had a massive argument that day.

“Are you the Count now?! How dare you defy me?!”

“If you’re so incapable, maybe I should be!”

“This is why your mother left you!”

“And this is why you’re a useless Count!”

The fight between father and daughter shook the mansion.

If there’s one thing she had realized after all that, it was that no matter how pathetic and foolish her father was, she couldn’t ignore him.

If she went ahead and did things without his approval, not only would all her efforts be undone, but she’d also have to endure a meaningless argument afterward.

The exhaustion from that alone was unbearable.

Moreover, he was still the Count.

Within this territory, he possessed the strongest power granted by the constellations, so she had no choice but to lower her head.

“I never touched the tribute. I haven’t even been to the warehouse in over a year.”

“Don’t lie to me!!”

“Ask the guards at the warehouse. See if I’ve been there or not.”

“You must’ve bribed them in advance!! Who else would dare touch the rice, wheat, fruit, and meat—several carts worth of tribute—if not you?!”

“Oh. I don’t know. It wasn’t me, anyway.”

Rather than worrying about how to solve the issue of the stolen tribute, dealing with her greedy father was far more exhausting.

Seeing how he only acknowledged his own words and kept shouting, she felt ashamed to be his daughter.

“You should be ashamed of yourself, Count.”

Yeah.

Be ashamed, Father.

No, wait.

“Ugh?!”

“W-Who are you?!”

A mysterious man wearing a crimson mask suddenly appeared behind Elena’s chair.

It felt as though he had been there from the very beginning.

“You were granted this land, yet rather than taking care of your people, all you do is hoard the tribute for yourself. How greedy can you be?”

“W-What?! Shut your mouth! I am the highest authority in this land!!”

Hearing the Count’s arrogant response, the crimson-masked man couldn’t help but scoff.

Above a count was a marquis, above a marquis was a duke, and above a duke was the imperial family.

Yet here he was, exploiting his people just because he lived in a remote area, thinking he was untouchable.

“I don’t know who you are or where you came from, but you dared trespass into my estate? You will face punishment! Elena, come here at once!”

“…..”

“Elena? Why are you just standing there?!”

“…Why should I? He’s only speaking the truth.”

“W-What…?! Y-You… You insolent—!!!”

The power granted by the constellation—the ability to control countless shards of ice manifested in the Count’s hands, all aimed at the crimson-masked man standing behind Elena.

“I’ll hold him off. I don’t know how he got in, but take this chance to.”

“Fwoooosh!”

“…!!”

A wave of dark flames burst forth from the crimson-masked man’s hand, instantly filling the room.

The ice shards evaporated into steam without a trace.

“You…”

“Who the hell are you? What noble house do you belong to?!”

“That’s none of your concern.”

The crimson-masked man stepped forward toward the Count.

“D-Don’t come any closer! Stop right there!! I said stop!!”

“Count. You are in dire need of some education.”

“Agh…!!!”

The Count panicked and launched another barrage of ice shards.

But it was futile.

This time, a brilliant radiance emanated from the masked man’s hand, and as soon as the ice shards made contact, they vanished completely.

“Even this power is too much for someone like you.”

“Ugh…! Aaaack…!!! Gaaah…!!!”

The Count’s thick neck was gripped by the radiant hand, lifting him high into the air.

‘I can’t completely erase it, but I can weaken it.’

The Holy Path, which connected a human to a constellation.

The stronger this connection was, the more divine power a human could receive from their constellation.

And the stronger that divine power, the more formidable the abilities they could wield.

But with the Extinguishing Divine Energy, a power that directly opposed the constellations, even the Holy Path itself could be erased—though for now, he could only weaken it due to the limited amount of energy he had accumulated.

“Ugh… Urk…?! W-What is this…?! What’s happening to me?!”

The Count felt it clearly—his connection to the constellation was weakening.

“W-What are you doing?! S-Stop!! Stop it!! I-I’m sorry! Forgive me!!! Please!! Please…!!!”

The Holy Path and divine power were essential to a noble’s foundation.

Realizing that this strength was being drained in real time, the Count immediately dropped his arrogance and began to beg.

“I-I’m sorry!! I’m truly sorry!!! I won’t resist anymore…!! Please, have mercy…!!”

Hmm… This is as far as it goes.

‘The Count’s Holy Path had weakened to a certain threshold, but it wouldn’t deteriorate any further.’

That was the limit of his current Extinguishing Divine Energy.

“…I trust you’ve learned your lesson.”

The masked man released his grip, and the Count crashed onto the floor with a loud thud.

The crimson-masked man turned and walked toward the door.

Before leaving, he left the Count with one final warning.

“I’ll be watching you, Count.”

Elena quickly rushed to open the door, but—The masked man had already disappeared.

***

“Boss! We can’t keep living like this anymore!”

The second-in-command beast, Krevkan, challenged Tartakan.

“Like this? What do you mean?”

“Grrr…!! We can’t live by eating the meat given to us by humans!! Humans must be exterminated like the vermin they are!!”

“If not for that human, half of our kin would be dead by now. And yet, you still think this way?”

“Who knows what he did to this meat?! There must be some hidden scheme behind it, Boss!!”

After the crimson-masked human’s visit, the beasts in the cave had split into factions.

One side, led by the chief Tartakan, believed in upholding the deal and surviving.

The other, led by Krevkan, refused to trust humans and insisted that they must all be killed.

“Then if we cut off ties with the humans, what is your plan for survival?”

“We’ll find another way! Boss, when did you become so weak?! We are the proud vanguard of the Demon King Erblan! Even if we must die, we cannot join hands with humans!!”

Tartakan turned to the hundreds of beasts standing behind Krevkan.

“Is that what you all think as well?”

The beasts hesitated, unsure of what to say, only exchanging glances among themselves.

“It seems they don’t agree with you, Krevkan.”

“Grrr…!! You fools…!!”

“Enough. Just eat your fill and get some rest.”

With his faction still unstable, Krevkan had no choice but to retreat for now.

***

Late at night, deep within the cave.

“Boss!”

“Boss…!!”

“Wake up, Boss…!!”

Tartakan abruptly opened his eyes to the urgent whispers of his subordinates.

“What is it? What’s going on?”

A dozen or so beasts stood before him, their faces filled with anxiety.

“Krevkan is gone…!!”

“And the ones who followed him…!!”

“At least forty of them have disappeared…!!”

“What…?!”

Krevkan had vanished, taking forty of their kin with him.

There was only one place he could have gone.

“Everyone, follow me! We must move immediately!!”