Chapter 249
Chapter 249. Discontent of the Clan
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—Former Defteros Kingdom, near the western border.
In the hilly mountainous area, Emelgias Izanis in hunting clothes stood.
This area was territory granted to the Izanis tribe as a reward for subduing the western half of the Defteros Kingdom. It stretched vertically north and south, adjacent to the Evaroti Autonomous District.
“…There it is. Over there!”
While the night breeze fluttered his hunting clothes, Emelgias suddenly opened his eyes and pointed to the forest below.
Together with the Izanis tribe warriors who were waiting around him, he ventured into the woods.
Currently, they were in the midst of a mountain hunt.
Slashing through the long-neglected underbrush with spears and magic, the Izanis tribe warriors led by Emelgias advanced through the forest without hesitation.
Eventually, they stumbled upon a strangely open space within the woods—a territory where trees had been shattered, and the claim of ‘territory’ was fiercely asserted.
There, a massive magical beast lay.
“GROOOAAARRR!”
The beast, which had been lying down, stood up and roared at the blue-skinned intruders. With huge bat-like wings, a magnificent mane, a lion’s face capable of swallowing a person whole, and a tail that resembled a mottled poisonous snake.
It was a ferocious beast called a Manticore.
Emelgias used a combination of the powers of the [Voice Transmitting Spell] and [Jealousy], sending a curse into the wind to ‘envy’ a creature that was physically superior to him, even without magic enhancement, to pinpoint the Manticore’s location from the vast territory.
Indeed, far more powerful beasts than Emelgias, a high-ranking demon, were present in their natural state. For the frail humans, even a hundred people couldn’t match such a dangerously formidable existence.
Yet, the Izanis tribe warriors remained unperturbed. While demons prided themselves on their combat skills, and everyone was regarded as born warriors, above all, they were hunters.
Such a beast was nothing to fear.
“GRRRROOAAARR!”
The Manticore, perhaps wounded by its pride being challenged by the unflinching demons, raised its claws and charged.
Using its wings for a terrifying leap, it closed the distance of over a hundred paces in an instant—but—
It was reckless to soar before the Izanis tribe, who excelled in wind magic.
“[Fall!]”
A powerful downward current emerged from Emelgias’s incantation, slamming the Manticore into the ground.
“GROOOAA—”
“[Tear!]”
Though it immediately tried to get back up and attack, its face was slashed by a blade of wind, making it flinch.
“[I am Emelgias Izanis]”
Even the Manticore, with magic power no greater than that of the lowest-ranking demons, could clearly sense Emelgias’s magic power—his oppressive aura swelled.
“[I am the one who will hunt and kill you]”
The Manticore’s mane bristled, its eyes widened, and it froze in place.
The beast, which had until now acted as the king of this territory, now faced the first recognition of an “upper being.”
“[Get out of here swiftly!]”
Along with a sharp intent to intimidate, the blade of wind came down once more, slashing its chest alongside the mane, prompting the Manticore to flee like a startled rabbit. Its wings aided its escape, making it effective even in retreat. In no time, its figure disappeared deep into the woods.
“[Tear!]”
As Emelgias launched an additional blade of wind, a distant cry of “GYAN!” echoed from the Manticore. Perhaps its rear had been sliced. The sound of trees being crushed rang out in the distance—
“Good, good.”
Looking up at the night sky, Emelgias confirmed the direction and nodded with a faint smile of satisfaction.
That Manticore—just as planned, had fled east.
The creature that had been utterly defeated in the turf war wouldn’t return to this place again.
“…With this, have we hunted down all the notable big game in this area?”
A female demon, carrying a spear over her shoulder, spoke beside Emelgias.
Her name was Hysidia Izanis, one of Emelgias’s close aides. She was a muscular woman who looked almost bulkier than Emelgias.
However, her magic power was only that of a Viscount at its best, and compared to the rapidly-growing Marquess Emelgias, the difference in strength was evident.
“Yeah, I suppose so…”
From Emelgias’s feet, a gust of wind charged with magic surged up, swaying the grass and spreading out like waves.
“…There’s no one left. That Manticore was the last one, and it’s currently fleeing desperately. It’s barely keeping pace with the Gowaulfs I drove out earlier.”
With a snort of laughter, Emelgias was met with murmurs from the other Izanis tribe warriors. The ability to ascertain the position of the magical beast that had run far away showcased their high tracking skills—perhaps no one in the long history of the Izanis tribe had mastered the [Voice Transmitting Spell] as effectively as Emelgias did now.
For a long time, Emelgias had faced disdainful gazes from his kin, but recently, opinions around him were beginning to shift.
His magical power, which had been stagnant since rising to Count, was finally beginning to grow again. While it wouldn’t reach Duke status overnight, it was undeniably strengthening. His handling of demonic powers was improving too, as evidenced by the results of this mountain hunt.
“Well then, I hope those youngsters manage to find a new home safely in that new land.”
With a sarcastic tone, Emelgias spoke as if it were an afterthought, causing the warriors of the Izanis tribe to smirk maliciously.
—The purpose of this mountain hunt.
On the surface, it was to deal with the harmful creatures of the land they had recently acquired.
“Those lower species in the Autonomous District will surely rejoice at having ‘meat’ on their plates.”
One of the aides jested, prompting several others to laugh along.
Indeed, the large magical beasts they had discovered were all driven eastward—towards the Autonomous District.
Though it was not guaranteed that every single one would continue escaping into the district, a considerable number of magical beasts were likely to flood in.
Why go through such roundabout methods? The answer was obvious: to irritate the district’s Governor Zilbagias—and, by extension, the Reiju tribe.
The Izanis tribe had considerable grievances regarding the rewards of the recent Defteros Campaign.
Having captured prominent cities, forts, and castles in the western part of the Defteros Kingdom, it could be said that the Izanis tribe had subdued the western half of the kingdom.
However, the territory granted as a reward was land along the northern and southern borders, with much of the granary area expanding from the western part of the kingdom absorbed into the Evaroti Autonomous District.
The reasons are, of course, there. After breaking through the western defenses, it was challenging to claim they’d “taken territory by war,” as there had been almost no actual battlefield encounters and they merely bypassed the granary area.
Once Zilbagias’s Reiju tribe captured the royal capital, it was promised that the forces of Spinethia, belonging to the same Aiogias faction, would take over the front line immediately after.
…In other words, while the Aiogias faction did not suffer any losses, the Izanis tribe had taken the hit. They should have rightfully gained the vast granary area but were left with merely a mountainous and vertically long piece of land.
Of course, the Izanis tribe was aware of the efforts to improve the food situation in the district, as they also understood that the territory was nominally under the Demon Lord’s control.
However, it was Zilbagias who was appointed as the governor, effectively seizing not just the Evaroti Royal Castle but also the expansive granary area.
Moreover, recent reports indicated that Zilbagias was bragging that “the Autonomous District is my property” in both the Demon Lord Castle and Evaroti.
Having their delicious spoils snatched away like this left the Izanis tribe understandably displeased.
Thus, this large-scale mountain hunt came to be… The Autonomous District may be wide and rich in land, but due to its status as a district, it lacked sufficient military strength, with feeble humans and beastmen as the main defensive force.
That said, neither priests, heroes, sword saints, nor fist saints were properly gathered as ‘main forces’—a ridiculous notion—but that meant the district was fragile.
Now that they were about to start real agriculture, letting loose ferocious magical beasts would undoubtedly cause some damage to the district’s residents.
“Well then, I wonder if that young governor can manage the territory properly?”
Emelgias said cheerfully. If this drove the district’s agricultural policies into chaos, it would be undoubtedly a blunder on the governor’s part.
—Wasn’t it unrealistic to manage a vast land only through autonomy?
Should such issues be raised, there may be opportunities for the Izanis tribe to receive the reward they rightfully deserved—a portion of the granary area from His Majesty.
“No, it’s truly exciting, young one!”
“It’ll be a delightful spectacle to see how the governor handles things!”
The Izanis tribe warriors also chuckled mischievously.
The unity among the Izanis tribe was steadfast.
Especially—in areas like this.
Among the demons who governed the whispers of the wind, the wind itself did not speak.
—
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