TEB Ch 96

As Sigrid watched with curious eyes, Liev stepped outside of the temporary base with a sigh. 

With Renard 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. It sounded like rustling leaves and footsteps until the sound of whispers suddenly stopped. 

“I guess we should start now?” 

Fairies did not have much imagination. Most of the scenes they recreated through hallucinations were things they had seen in the forest. There was a simple way to show them the scenes you wanted. 

“Where is everyone? … If we don’t do it quickly, we’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, the soft whispers grew louder and more chaotic, like a gust of wind. Now all that was left for them to do was move according to their wishes. Liev looked up at the sky and noticed a faint dot that appeared to be Renard in the sky. He couldn’t help but stifle a laugh with his hand as he covered his mouth. 

He’s quite dependable.

I didn’t expect to receive help in this way, but when I think of Renard looking down at me with a dissatisfied expression from high above, my lips keep curling. Now that Renard has somewhat accepted the fact that he is not a being who must make all decisions, seeing him pout and look like a puppy or a kitten waiting for his guardian was so cute that his heart felt itchy somewhere. 

To think that he has to wait for hundreds, even thousands, of years. Of course, as long as I have descendants, it doesn’t seem like Renard will behave as he wants. But even if it were to come true, I couldn’t stop worrying. 

Is that okay with you? Is it really okay? No matter how many times I ask, it’s obvious that I would only get an answer like “Of course!” so I kept my thoughts to myself. 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. 

Liev, who had lost himself in idle thoughts, quickly shook his head. He might soon see strange hallucinations, he quickly came to his senses and shook his head. 

“I have to focus on this 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. 

<…why…going there again…> 

<Always, do you think so?> 

Liev was surprised to hear the words he could barely hear, and his ears seemed to perk up. 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 a basic conversation 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 we go this time?> 

<I think it was decided to be Pistel Mountain. I think they’re going to build a large-scale research facility there> 

…….! 

Liev engraved the place in his mind 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. In the first place, this whole monster incident could be a play of the Empire’s own making. And the purpose is clearly..

They are probably trying to devour Airen. 

It seems like their intention to raise security in the border zone was an excuse, they stationed their army and then persuaded Renard to their side, and ultimately, it seemed like they wanted to take control of the entire continent. 

Is it possible to persuade Renard…? 

When even his own words are stubbornly ignored, it’s difficult to imagine him being persuaded by someone other than himself. Of course, Sigrid was able to defeat Renard with the help of another dragon during the time of “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, his body was as heavy as his body weight. 

How do you get 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.> 

<Aruthur… Didn’t you see it now?> 

Since it was a conversation between the two, the words were too fast and the pronunciation was somewhat inaccurate, 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 what appeared to be wolf monsters revealed themselves—likely what his colleagues had seen. There was no need to be afraid, though, it was just a hallucination. Liev got goosebumps on his back due to an instinctive sense of crisis and then called his most reliable supporter, who was watching him. 

“Renard!” 

And this time too, without fail. His strong arms wrapped around his waist, and his familiar warmth was against his back as he hugged from behind. With the screams of children and the chaotic sounds of scattering, they were back in the peaceful forest once again. 

“Are you okay? Did you get scared again like before?” 

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

“Yeah, I’m fine. I was worried it might not have been just a hallucination, but I immediately felt relieved. when you came.” 

In any case, at least they didn’t come back empty-handed, there was a harvest. Liev soothed the whimpering Renard like a puppy, and they 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 some harvest. I overheard some soldiers talking here, it seems like the illusions were just a recreation of something that recently happened.” 

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

Liev explained carefully to Rowena’s curious expression. Who was genuinely curious about the method.

“I took advantage of it. If they know what I’m afraid of, they’ll use it against me.”