The Forest Race Clonne

Chapter 71

Even though I had already guessed, my heart lurched painfully. Why are you here? You should have just forgotten about someone like me and lived your life. Why risk this much? Conflicting thoughts raced through my mind, but I quickly brushed them aside. Checking his condition came first.

But as I tried to approach, an inexplicable sensation gripped my legs strongly. A chilling, creepy feeling slowly seeped into my skin. I had felt something similar before… and it was something that should never be felt here.

“Sei! Your friend is here!”

“What are you doing, just standing there? Come on!”

The voices of my kin calling me felt distant, like they were coming from afar. I couldn’t tell what expression I had on my face. It felt like I was dreaming with my eyes open. No matter how hard I tried to clear my mind, the scene before me didn’t disappear. It was real.

Eventually, the one who noticed me stood upright as if he had never been in pain. The people supporting him were startled, but it seemed he didn’t care. His face, which was focused solely on me, wore a gentle smile.

“It’s been a while, Officer Sei. Have you been well? It’s been quite a long time, hasn’t it?”

“…It has.”

“I’m glad you remember me. I would have been quite disappointed if you hadn’t.”

“Of course, I remember.…Taron.”

I bit my trembling lips.

A white face marred by burn scars. Bloodshot eyes.

The Demonic Beast that had tried to kill me in the Imperial palace’s underground prison stood before me.

My heart pounded uncomfortably fast.

I looked at his hair again. What I had initially thought was silver was, upon closer inspection, a dull, ashy color. I couldn’t understand how I had mistaken it, even for a moment. It was completely different from Camille’s.

I should have known from the start that something was off. I knew better than anyone that Camille wouldn’t come looking for me. Yet, when I heard “silver hair,” I foolishly thought of only one person. Silver hair is uncommon in the empire, so I naturally assumed it was him.

“I heard you vanished from the imperial palace without a trace. So, you came back to your village, did you? That made things very easy for me.”

His friendly laughter made me clench my fists. I couldn’t let him inside. I should have insisted on meeting him outside. It was a futile regret now.

“Sei? What’s wrong?”

Sensing something off, Kalph asked. Others’ expressions were also turning grim. After taking a deep breath, I forced my unwilling lips to move.

“Everyone, step away from him.”

“What?”

“What are you saying, Sei?”

“Hurry! That person is a Demonic Beast!”

At my urgent cry, everyone’s eyes widened. In that instant, Taron’s body began to swell dramatically, as if he had been waiting for this moment. There were sickening sounds of bones cracking, and muscles expanding. I had seen this before—the moment when a Demonic Beast discards their human disguise and reveals their true form.

“What the hell is this!”

“Is it really a Demonic Beast?”

As Taron’s form changed before their eyes, shock spread across the faces watching. The overwhelmed voices stabbed at my heart. Even the bewildered expressions seemed to blame me.

“What are you doing! Get back now!”

Kalph was the first to regain his composure. At his shout, the others quickly scattered and drew their weapons. In a flash, they formed a defensive perimeter with a small gap to keep some distance.

Though it was many against one, Taron, having completed his transformation, seemed untroubled. Stretching his now-exposed and expanded form, he licked his lips with a red tongue.

“Kuhuhuhu. So many leafy greens here. It really makes me sick.”

“You wretch! Pretending to be Sei’s friend to deceive us!”

“It’s your fault for being so gullible. Even I didn’t expect it to be this easy. To think the race that guards the world is this pathetic. Past glory really counts for nothing, doesn’t it?”

“Ha, aren’t you the one who’s reckless for looking for us? You seem to be at best a mid-tier Demonic Beast. What do you think you can do on your own?

At someone’s confident shout, Taron’s smile deepened.

“So complacent. Even after coming this far, your situational awareness is lacking. Truly disappointing.”

“W-What?”

“Did you really think I came here alone?”

“…!”

It was at that moment.

Boom!

With a massive impact, the ground shook violently. Amidst the sudden tremors, people lost their balance, and confused screams rang out. It felt as though something had vanished. The protective barrier around us seemed to have disappeared. It wasn’t just a feeling; behind Taron, dark shadows began to emerge.

“My goodness.”

“Lord Syran’s barrier…!”

The faces of those who quickly grasped the situation turned pale. The barrier that had protected the village was destroyed. It was easy to imagine Syran’s condition, as he was on an escort mission and must have undoubtedly collapsed.

The number of figures appearing was easily over a hundred at a glance. From beast-like forms to more human-like appearances, they varied in shape, but all shared the same dark green skin and dull gray eyes. They were all Demonic Beasts.

“…”

For a moment, it felt as if the world had stopped. Everyone’s faces were blank as they stared at the scene before them. It was the look of confronting an unthinkable, surreal moment. My expression was probably very similar.

“Wow, looks like we’ve hit the jackpot.”

The silence was first broken by the Demonic Beasts. One showed giant claws matching his size and laughed, showing off his fangs.

“Living like rats hidden in a place like this. No wonder we couldn’t find you until now.”

“Well done, Taron. You’ve saved us a lot of trouble.”

Taron shrugged nonchalantly at his comrades’ praise. He smiled brightly at us, as if daring us to see what we would do next. Everyone’s faces twisted in anger and frustration.

“…Ha, they’ve really come in droves like a pack of dogs.”

“Are you crazy? Apologize to the dogs. How dare you compare them to those filthy creatures?”

“Oh, sorry, my bad.”

Despite everything, they still seemed to maintain their composure. With a low sigh, Kalph turned to me.

“Sei, get back. Stay out of the chaos.”

“But…”

“That’s an order. Move.”

“…Understood.”

I knew it. There was nothing I could do here anyway. If a battle broke out, I wouldn’t even be able to endure a single blow, so staying back would be the best way to help. I understood all of that, but…

As I stepped back, I clenched my fists tightly. It was because of me that the village’s location had been revealed. And yet, I didn’t even have the ability to clean up the mess. I don’t think I’ve ever felt as pathetic as I do now.

“Oh my, an order, huh? So impressive it’s making my heart race.”

“These damn things, acting tough even though they’ll all die.”

“Ignore them. They’ll come to their senses once we start beating them.”

“Looks like he’s the youngest, seeing how they’re protecting him. Should be fun to kill him right in front of them.”

The Demonic Beasts burst into raucous laughter, their mocking jeers escalating. The expressions of my kin darkened at the provocations.

“Hah, have they gone insane?”

“Demonic Beasts laughing and chattering in front of us? The world’s really gone mad.”

“Do they really think sheer numbers mean everything? They’ll regret coming here.”

But the Demonic Beasts didn’t back down. They looked even more confident.

“Why don’t we see who’ll regret it?”

“Just make sure it’s not you!”

With a taunting shout, the largest Demonic Beast charged forward. It was an unexpected first strike.

“Aron, defend.”

“Yes, Lord Kalph!”

The person named Aron quickly stepped forward. The clash of weapons reverberated through the air.

Clang! Boom!

“Ugh!”

We were noticeably pushed back. Our sides were at a significant disadvantage, primarily due to the sheer size difference. The Demonic Beast was massive, almost as large as a house, making our clan members look like children in comparison.

“Lydis!”

Aron gritted his teeth and quickly extended his hand, summoning his Guardian.

“Lydis! Restrain him!”

His Guardian appeared in the form of a squirrel. The squirrel immediately latched onto the Demonic Beast’s arm. Though swift, it did not appear particularly threatening due to its small size. The Demonic Beast burst into mocking laughter.

“Kuhaha! What’s this?”

However, the laughter didn’t last long. Suddenly, vines began to grow from the ground. The massive vines rapidly wrapped around the Demonic Beast’s body.

“What the—?”

The Demonic Beast struggled to resist, but the vines held firm. His body was soon cocooned within the mass of greenery.

“That’s it!”

“Great job, Aron!”

Relieved by their comrade’s success, the others cheered loudly. Aron’s expression brightened as he felt the momentum shift in their favor. Only Kalph remained calm and cautious.

“Don’t let your guard down!”

At Kalph’s shout, the vines all snapped, and the Demonic Beast burst out of the cocoon.

“Puhah! That was quite suffocating!”

“…!”

The atmosphere shifted dramatically in an instant. “This can’t be.” “How did he get free so quickly?” Seeing the confused faces and hearing their murmurs, it seemed that breaking free so quickly wasn’t supposed to be possible.

“Hey, do that again. That was really fun.”

The Demonic Beast even had the leisure to taunt us. Aron, shaken, gripped his weapon tightly and took a step back. Then, a voice of reproach came from the Demonic Beast’s side.

“Hey, stop playing around and get serious.”

The speaker wasn’t as large as the Demonic Beast currently facing us but had a more solid and formidable build. Judging by his demeanor, he seemed to be the leader of the group.