TEB Ch 96

With only Sigrid watching with curious eyes to see how Liev would turn out. Liev sighed and stepped outside of the temporary base.

Since Renard would be watching from above, nothing dangerous will happen. Believing that, he slowly walked through the forest towards the darker, more secluded area where he could hear faint whispers. He couldn’t make out the words, but he could tell that someone was hiding and talking in the distance. However, as Liev continued walking, the whispers abruptly stopped somewhere nearby.

Is it about to begin now?

The fairies weren’t very imaginative. The scenes they showed through illusions were mostly just recreations of things they had seen in the forest. Therefore, there was a very simple method to make them show exactly what you wanted to see.

“Where is everyone? If I don’t find them soon, I’ll be in trouble.” 

As I muttered loudly to myself, I began to hear the soft whispers again from afar. Liev purposely put on a scared expression and then shouted. 

“What if I run into soldiers like this? That would be bad.” 

As I pretended to be anxious and scared, speaking lines that didn’t quite suit me, the soft whispers grew louder with the gust of wind. All that was left now was to wait for the fairies to act as they wished. Liev glanced up at the sky and noticed a faint dot that seemed to be Renard. He nearly burst into laughter, quickly covering his mouth to stifle it.

It’s quite reassuring.

I didn’t expect to receive help in this way, but when I think of Renard watching down at me with a dissatisfied expression from high above, my lips keep twitching. Even though Liev had by now come to accept that Renard was no longer like a puppy or kitten requiring constant care and decisions made for him, the image of Renard sulking and watching over him like a protective guardian somehow filled his heart with a strange, ticklish warmth.

To think that it might take hundreds or even thousands of years for them to meet again. Of course, it’s unlikely that it will work out the way Renard wants it to, since he needs to have descendants, but even if it does, he can’t stop worrying about it.

Is that okay with you? Is it really okay? No matter how many times I asked, it’s obvious that the only answer I would get is “Of course!” so he kept his thoughts to himself. But if he can continue to be with Renard like this, he can’t deny the fact that he also has a greedy desire to stay with him. 

Lost in thought about Renard, Liev suddenly realized he was letting his mind wander. He quickly snapped himself back to the present, shaking his head.

I need to focus here and now.

Hoping that the fairies would start playing tricks soon, he walked again. At that moment, from the other side of the bushes, he could hear a different conversation than before. 

<“…So, I was saying… go back there again…”>

<“You always… but… isn’t that…”>

Liev was surprised to hear the words he could barely hear, it made Liev’s ears perk up in surprise. The conversation mixed with the sound of the wind was not in Airen, the language was Irene. It was the common language of the Empire, and he had learned basic conversations from Mr. Lambert because guests who didn’t know Airen sometimes visited the mountain village where he worked. 

Damn, it’s a foreign language, and the sound is so quiet, I can’t hear it well.

Liev muttered a curse under his breath and listened to the conversation again. 

<Where do they have to go this time?>

<It seems like they’ve probably decided on Pistel Mountain. There… they’re going to build another large-scale research facility…>

…….! 

Liev memorized the place in his mind in order to remember it clearly. He thought it was suspicious because the clothes worn on people or the identification tag that was on the baby wolf’s leg were things he hadn’t seen before in Airen. He began to suspect that this monster commotion itself might have been a ploy by the Empire. And the purpose was clear…

They must be trying to swallow Airen whole.

It seems like their intention to raise security in the border zone was an excuse, they stationed their army and eventually luring Renard to their side to take control of the entire continent seemed to be the plan.

Is it possible to persuade Renard…? 

He was a stubborn one who wouldn’t listen to anyone, not even the person he imprinted on, so there’s was no way he would fall for the coaxing and persuasion of someone else.  Of course, Sigrid was able to defeat Renard with the help of another dragon when he was “Kevades.” It may not be impossible for the Empire to also receive assistance from other dragons. However, the Divine Dragon was known to be unusually friendly towards humans, while other dragons generally showed no interest in humans. 

“Just looking at Lindgren, even though they had the bloodline of a human he had loved, he was quite indifferent to them.” 

Renard, too, did not like to come forward unless it was related to him. Unless Liev asks first or Liev doesn’t want him to do so, he is quite stubborn.

How do they plan on getting Renard on their side? Or are they planning to turn him into an enemy and subdue him? But no matter what method he used, directly fighting Renard would not be advantageous for the Empire. It was not a land worth seizing for taking such risks.

Of course, if they conquer Airen, the Empire’s grand goal of conquering the continent will be completed, so it is a long-awaited goal that they will always pursue, but what good is it if half the country is destroyed for that purpose? In many ways, it was an irrational choice. Liev continued to listen, wondering if there was any more information he could gain.

<…So maybe I can aim for a promotion next time.> 

<Arthur… Didn’t you see it now?> 

Since it was a conversation between the two, the words were too fast, so he could only catch about half of it. However, it was clear that the Empire was conducting a large-scale project in the Piestel Mountains. Since fairies have relatively poor memories, it was likely recent information. He needed to confirm as soon as possible.

Was there anything else worth remembering? When Liev held his breath while eavesdropping on the soldiers conversation, one of them suddenly screamed in surprise. 

<Ugh, ahhhh!> 

What’s going on? What’s happening? When Liev was surprised and headed towards the sound he heard, a huge pack of wolf-like monsters was probably seen by other comrades. There was no need to be afraid, though, it was just a hallucination. Liev’s instinctive sense of danger sent shivers down his spine, but he called out to the most reliable support, who was watching over him.

“Renard!” 

And this time, without fail. Strong arms wrapped around Liev’s waist, and a familiar body temperature warmed his back, pulling him into a tight hug. The sound of children screaming and scattering was replaced by the peaceful atmosphere of the forest once again.

“Are you okay? Did you see something strange and get scared again, like before?”

Even though it wasn’t Renard but Liev who had witnessed the terrifying scene, he couldn’t help but laugh, seeing him sweat profusely as if it were his own experience. 

“Yeah, I’m fine. I was worried it might not be an illusion, but when you came, I felt at ease right away.”

In any case, at least they didn’t come back empty-handed; there was a harvest. Liev calmed Renard, who was whining like a puppy, and headed back to their temporary base. As soon as they approached the bonfire, their group looked at Liev with concerned expressions. 

“Nothing happened, right? I’m sure Renard did a good job, but we were still worried.” 

Rowena, who had been struggling with nausea from the fairy illusions earlier, handed Liev a water canteen and asked. Liev nodded lightly and accepted the bottle, taking a sip before responding.

“Yes, luckily we managed to get a bit of a harvest. I overheard some soldiers talking, it seems like the illusions were just a recreation of something that recently happened.” 

“…..!How did you? Fairies only show illusions to scare people or play pranks.” 

At the expression that seemed genuinely curious about the method, Liev explained, careful not to sound cocky.

“I used that to my advantage. If they know what I’m afraid of, they’ll try to exploit it.”