Episode 494
A Life Wandering in Search of Monsters.

The Atan tribe carried only two things with them: a knife to strip flesh from bone, and a vial to catch blood.

Following the scent of monsters carried on the wind, they moved instinctively, naturally shedding any unnecessary burdens along the way.

Somewhere near the northern border of Bariel, almost touching it, Efdiram stretched and greeted the fresh morning air.

“Let’s eat!”

“Looking for food first thing after waking up? That’s the spirit.”

“Is there any meat left from last night? How much?”

“The kids snuck some during the night, so about half remains.”

“Figures. Tell them to stop stealing bites!”

“Words don’t work. Midnight snacks taste best. I’ll get a fire going. Hey! Go gather some wood!”

At the call, the tribe members slowly rose and began moving. Aside from the fact that they fed on monsters, their routine was no different from any other community. The only problem was that they had to chew constantly, rarely feeling truly full.

“Efdiram, here’s the predicted northern route.”

“Not asleep yet?”

It was Beno, the tribe’s leader and a demon swordsman. Without a word, he handed over a map. Efdiram chewed on some dried meat as she studied it carefully.

“It’ll get harder to find monsters in Burgos. We should swing by the wide-open rift zone beyond the Bariel border up north.”

“Good. Tell the others the same.”

“Yes, and—”

Swoosh.

Both Efdiram and Beno turned their heads sharply, sensing an unfamiliar presence.

They stared quietly into the bushes, then reacted differently. Efdiram raised an eyebrow with interest, while Beno gripped his sword tightly.

“Foal, almost didn’t recognize you after so long.”

“Still got that curly mop on your head.”

“If I were you, I’d at least try to hide my presence out of courtesy.”

“We’re not exactly on polite terms, are we?”

“You lost your way?”

“…No.”

“Then why are you coming out from there?”

Berik frowned as he pushed aside thick branches. Damn it. Hail had brought him right up to the edge, but he’d gotten a bit lost. He wiped his nose and deliberately ignored the well-trodden mountain path nearby.

The Atan tribe, sensing the outsider, began to arm themselves and gather behind Efdiram.

“Enough. First, I’ll introduce myself.”

“Bullshit. All of a sudden?”

Berik showed a cracked magic stone ID badge. The first instruction Ian had given him.

‘Berik. Identify yourself. Tell them you’re from the imperial palace and that you’ve come under the orders of the Crown Prince to meet the Atan tribe. That’s how the talks start.’

Snap!

“This is who I am. See?”

The entire Atan tribe, including Efdiram, stared at Berik with a look that said, “So what?” No words were spoken, but their disdain was clear.

“Half your ID’s missing.”

“Doesn’t matter. Anyway, I’m here on orders from the Crown Prince of Bariel. Chief Pagal, I want to talk.”

“…From curly to Pagal now, huh. Hm.”

Despite the teasing tone, Efdiram’s eyes narrowed. Look at this—The Crown Prince, on the verge of his coming-of-age and coronation, had sent someone to the Atan tribe? And that someone was a palace guard with Atan blood?

She perched on a rock and shrugged at Berik, clearly puzzled.

“As you can see, we don’t have much.”

“Didn’t expect you to.”

“So, why would the great Crown Prince of the empire send a mutt like you? Even a passing stray dog would know you’re not cut out for this.”

“Multi-purpose.”

“Ah, multi-purpose?”

So there was more to his mission.

To Efdiram, Berik was a goldmine. If she just dug a little, palace secrets would spill out. She shifted her posture and smiled. What a cute, cheeky little bastard.

“So, what’s the message?”

“Tell the Atan tribe to stop causing trouble up north and leave the mages alone. Or else, we’ll wipe you out.”

For a message from the Crown Prince, it was crude. Probably Berik’s own embellishment.

The Atan tribe, overhearing this, snapped to attention, weapons raised. Their fierce glares said they were ready to attack at any moment.

“Wipe us out? Do we look like trash to you? I’ll kill you!”

“Chief, let’s skin him alive to teach him a lesson!”

“Cancel those words and apologize right now, rookie!”

“Hey, you loudmouths—I’ve got your faces memorized. We’ll settle this after the talk, got it?”

Berik pointed between his eyes and the Atan tribe, warning them.

As tensions rose, Efdiram frowned and raised her hand. Instantly, silence fell.

“Not exactly pleasant words.”

“You should come to the palace and hear them yourself.”

“…Seems like there’s a misunderstanding. We never intended to harass the mages—just trying to survive. There’s been no armed conflict between us. And I’ll be away from Bariel for a while. So things should quiet down as the palace wants, no problem, right?”

“No. There’s one more thing. You’re going after Rutherford?”

“Did the mages tell you?”

“Don’t go. Stay with Bariel, not Burgos.”

Efdiram let out a small breath. Though brief, the information was unmistakable. She laughed in disbelief and took a drag from her cigarette.

“Damn. So Rutherford really is back?”

They were moving to confirm the rumors themselves. And now a palace envoy was here, casually revealing the truth. Incredible.

Efdiram wagged her cigarette between her fingers and scolded Berik.

“If I were your superior, I’d have cut your eyes out for this. Got it?”

“Go ahead, cut them. Our boss doesn’t care about that stuff.”

Berik scratched his ear and shrugged it off. Then he recalled Ian’s second instruction.

‘If time hasn’t dulled her, Efdiram is sharp. It won’t be easy to take control of the conversation or extract information. But she tends to interpret things her own way. We just need to leak information.’

‘So, tell her Rutherford is in Burgos?’

‘No need. She’ll figure it out herself during the talk.’

‘But is that okay? Wouldn’t it be better if she didn’t know, so she’d side with us?’

‘Not really. The info will lose value over time anyway. And Rutherford means a lot to the Atan tribe.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘A long time has passed, and now it’s more than just a friendly relationship.’

Snap!

Berik was lost in thought when Efdiram snapped her fingers, telling him to focus. The conversation had solidified her resolve.

“Hey, if Rutherford really is back, there’s no reason to stay in Bariel. Not even for a moment.”

“Why?”

“Are you asking because you don’t know?”

First.

Bariel wants to seal the rift completely, while Rutherford aims to activate it. As a tribe that feeds on monsters born from the rift, it only makes sense to seek out Rutherford.

Second.

Idgal was created to check Bariel’s mages and maintain balance. But with the mages half-destroyed, Idgal’s original purpose is gone, and now it’s used to stabilize the rift.

They needed to confirm if Rutherford still aimed to activate the rift. If not…

‘They’d have no choice but to kill Rutherford, the source of Idgal.’

This was crucial. Understanding Rutherford’s intentions and future actions meant facing him directly.

“What about the Bariel monster hunting squad?”

“We’ll kill them. Live off the scraps the empire throws at us like livestock? Hunting and fighting are our identity.”

“We could even give up the northern zone.”

“On the condition of belonging to Bariel.”

“Not interested, huh.”

“Maybe in the past, but the world’s changed. Since the Clifoford rift formed, the number of those who’ve awakened to Atan’s blood has skyrocketed. Do you know what that means?”

Efdiram flicked the ash from her cigarette and eyed Berik, especially the black sword at his side. A blade that calls monsters, a sword every Atan is destined to meet.

Carrying it was proof of being Atan. So why live caged in the palace like livestock?

“The rift is the source and power of the Atan. Fencing it off means safety and food, but no growth. You’ll understand soon enough.”

“So, you’ll side with Rutherford eventually?”

“Not right now. If Bariel supports rift expansion, I might reconsider.”

“That sounds insane.”

‘The Atan must meet Rutherford, and it can’t be stopped. So when they do, it’s vital to steer the situation toward us. Berik, this is where it gets real.’

Berik recalled Ian’s advice and stood. The Atan tribe parted to let him pass.

“Anyway, I’ll pass that on. Bariel’s out, siding with Burgos.”

“Athan’s goal isn’t the downfall of Bariel, but to activate the Rift. I want you to make sure that happens precisely.”

“It’s the same thing, idiot. I told you clearly—starting right now, we’re each going our own way. Got it?”

As Beric loosened his shoulders, Efdiram shot him a suspicious look. The guy was crazy—he couldn’t see the middle ground. That black-and-white way of splitting everything felt off. No diplomat would act like that, but since it was Beric, it was hard to tell if it was intentional or just reckless.

At that moment, Beric gripped his black sword and unleashed his magic.

Ziiiiiing! Ziiing!

“…You!”

“What? This is an order too.”

It was a declaration of his unwillingness to let anyone threatening Bariel walk away alive. The deadly tension thickened, and Efdiram, Beno, and the Athan clan all drew their swords simultaneously.

“Idiot! You want to die?”

“No! I want to kill!”

Swoooosh!

Even though they were the palace guard, Beric had no chance of winning here. Efdiram was a seasoned mage, and Beno wasn’t the only magic swordsman present. Beric’s skills were still rough around the edges.

No matter what, Beric’s move was sheer foolishness.

Boom! Boom!

‘We need evidence that goes beyond mere hostility—that they actually threatened Bariel. His Majesty has already prepared a justification for war, but the more reasons we have, the better. If Athan enters Burgos, Bariel can follow suit. That gives us a strong pretext: pursuing the threat to Bariel.’

‘What if Burgos refuses?’

‘Then it’s war. But say they accept and Bariel’s forces enter Burgos. Since the royalists are allied with Bariel, they’ll see it as a gain. So who would oppose that?’

‘The opposition. The anti-royalist faction.’

‘Exactly. And who do you think the anti-royalists side with?’

‘Oh, Rutherford?’

‘Right on. So Rutherford will be reluctant to back Athan, and naturally, interests will clash. From Athan’s perspective, stepping into Burgos means losing power. When that happens, they’ll want to talk to Bariel again.’

‘So what do you want me to do?’

‘Beric, you’re the palace guard and the diplomatic envoy personally sent by His Majesty, representing Bariel. If Athan and Bariel are to be established as hostile, what should you do?’

‘Well… fight?’

‘Exactly. Good job.’

Ian patted Beric on the shoulder with a grin.

‘Go to the Athan clan, stir up a fight, then pull back at the right moment. The mages nearby will have drawn a boundary and be waiting. Once the mages get involved, it becomes a dispute you can’t back out of. Athan won’t be able to chase you all the way and will have to turn their backs on Bariel.’

‘So, get beaten up and come back?’

‘Just don’t get hurt too badly.’

Beric chuckled, recalling Ian’s instructions. This kind of thing was his specialty! His sword carved a massive arc through the air, and a loud explosion followed.

Swoooosh!

Boom!

‘Ian! Damn, I think I’m actually doing pretty well!’