“That looks way more dangerous than I thought, huh?”
Rudell, following the Nord warriors up the rampart, spotted the black fog creeping in the distance.
The fog spread, charged with violet thunder and lightning.
In the middle of that fog, a pair of eyes gleamed with purple light.
The Nord warriors watching this scene wore tense expressions as they gazed at the sight.
If the Nord warriors, who considered dying in battle the greatest honor, were reacting like this, it surely meant that the creature was a dangerous presence.
“Kyle. I’ll leave the others to you.”
“Understood.”
It was absolutely necessary to ensure that the territory dwellers didn’t get hurt.
At Rudell’s words, Kyle nodded and headed toward the plaza.
And the moment Kyle vanished from Rudell’s sight, a figure emerged from the fog.
A huge body with a flowing black mane sparkling with violet sparks.
A large horn stood out on its forehead, like that of a narwhal.
A gigantic wolf-like monstrous beast, emitting violet electricity from its eyes.
“That creature is Thunder Fang.”
It was clear at a glance that it was no ordinary monstrous beast.
As Curt spoke, Rudell was staring at the Thunder Fang in the distance.
brrr-AAAOOO!!!
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!!
With the Thunder Fang’s roar, violet flashes began to crackle across the dark night sky.
The next moment.
KA-BOOM!!
CRASH!!!
With an enormous sound, violet lightning poured down from all directions.
The lightning, falling haphazardly on the ground, people, and buildings, simply destroyed everything in its path.
“Whoa…”
Watching the scene, Rudell let out a low gasp.
It was a scale of power that would make any average magician cower.
It was a sight truly worthy of the name “monstrous beast.”
“Wait a minute. This isn’t the time to just stand around.”
But that thought was fleeting.
Shaking his head vigorously, Rudell threw himself down from the rampart.
He couldn’t just let his newly established trading partner be reduced to ashes like this.
“Flame Lance.”
As he walked forward slowly, Rudell uttered a short incantation.
And at that moment, a flaming spear ignited above his head.
Drawn by the sudden appearance of the flames, Thunder Fang turned its head toward Rudell.
“HAH!!”
With a short battle cry, Rudell launched the spear of flames.
The blazing spear cut through the night, leaving a long tail behind…
AAAOOO!!!
Thunder Fang roared, and a surge of violet lightning erupted around it.
The flames of the spear collided with the wave of electricity in midair, exploding, and the resultant blaze illuminated the surroundings.
GRRRR!!
A moment later, as the flames dissipated, Thunder Fang glared at Rudell and growled.
Seemingly on guard against the surprise appearance of a formidable opponent, it began to circle around Rudell.
While Rudell was preparing his next attack, he witnessed the beast’s behavior.
HUUURRR!!
The Thunder Fang, enveloped in sparking fog, charged straight at him.
In an instant, the distance between them vanished, and Rudell waved his hands through the air.
The shadow beneath his feet spread wide, sharp thorns shooting up.
However, Thunder Fang dodged the spikes with quick movements and lunged straight at Rudell, its massive maw opening wide.
CHOMP!
An arc of shadow formed around Rudell, blocking the Thunder Fang’s teeth and producing a sharp metallic sound.
With a clattering sound, sparks flew in all directions, and Rudell stared at Thunder Fang with a look of surprise.
“It’s much quicker than I expected…”
Who would’ve thought it would dash in while dodging all those attacks?
Maybe it was a far more dangerous monstrous beast than he had anticipated, Rudell thought as he pulled up his magic power.
In that moment, as if sensing something, Thunder Fang retreated away from Rudell.
And, just narrowly, from the shadows surrounding Rudell, numerous spikes shot out.
“It seems like it’s pretty perceptive after all.”
If it had been an ordinary monster, it would’ve been skewered by that attack.
The fact that it had retreated just before attack was likely a result of the beast’s instinct or perhaps its sensitivity to the flow of magic.
GRRRR…!!
Growling low, Thunder Fang locked eyes with Rudell.
“Time to finish this…”
If he let it go like this, he had a feeling it would lead to a lot more troubles, and so he murmured and focused on his magic power.
Sensing his intent, Thunder Fang also halted, staring at him.
And the next moment.
“Wait…!?”
Suddenly, Thunder Fang turned around and began to flee, causing a dumbfounded sound to escape Rudell’s lips.
In an instant, Thunder Fang vanished into the distance, and the mist that had been swirling with sparks scattered as if carried away by the blustery winds of the snowy plains.
WOOOAAA-!!
At the same time, the Nord tribe that had been watching burst into cheers…
“What the…?”
With a sense of emptiness, Rudell muttered to himself.
*
Several hours later, at the chief’s house.
“Thank you very much, Rudellheit Weinstein.”
“It was nothing really.”
Sitting on his throne, Kahlan said, and Rudell replied with a light nod.
“If it weren’t for your help, our tribe would have returned to the great winter’s embrace tonight. You truly are a brother of our Winter Great Tribe.”
Brother.
That title was given when the Nord tribe genuinely recognized an outsider.
Essentially meaning they acknowledged him as part of their tribe.
“I’m grateful for such an honor.”
“If you ever need anything, come find us. The Winter Great Tribe will always help you when you need it.”
The unexpected attack of Thunder Fang.
Though various events transpired, thanks to them, Count’s Domain was able to gain tremendous benefits.
Not only had they established a friendship with the Winter Great Tribe, but they had also laid the groundwork to connect further with more of the Nord tribe.
If only he hadn’t let Thunder Fang escape, Rudell would have been celebrating in his heart.
“What do you plan to do about Thunder Fang?”
“It probably won’t come around here for a while. Thanks to you.”
Most predators tend to abandon their prey without hesitation when faced with a chance of injury.
If they suffer an unexpected injury, the chances of survival thereafter become problematic.
Thunder Fang had likely turned its back because of its inherent beast instinct…
“And what about after that?”
“I’ll have to think up other methods… Maybe I should consider bringing in shamans…”
Kahlan seemed to be quite impressed by Rudell’s magical prowess and spoke.
Even someone with a warrior-centric mindset was seriously contemplating the use of magic.
It showed just how massive the presence of a monstrous beast was.
“If it’s alright, during our next trading, we’ll send mages… I mean, shamans along with us.”
“Is that really true?! If you do that, I couldn’t wish for anything more!”
He couldn’t afford to lose a hard-won trading partner.
Upon Rudell’s proposal, Kahlan approached him with a beaming smile.
Then, he took off a bracelet hanging from his arm and handed it to Rudell.
“Take this.”
“This is…”
“It’s a charm made from the teeth of a monstrous beast. It’ll be more useful to you as a shaman than to me as a warrior.”
“Oh my… Such a precious item…”
As he spoke, Rudell’s gaze was entirely on the bracelet.
It emanated an unusual magical power, standing out prominently.
Even if he sold it to the right person, it would fetch a colossal price, but Rudell had no intention of selling it.
More magic power is always better!
No matter how exceptional a magician Rudell was, there were limits to the amount of magic power he could wield.
However, with this charm, it was akin to carrying an extra battery around.
“Thank you for your kindness, Chief Kahlan.”
“Kindness? No, I’m the one who’s more grateful.”
“I should take my leave now.”
As Rudell stepped outside the chief’s house…
“Are you leaving tomorrow?”
“Yeah, what about you?”
At the question from Kurt, who was waiting at the door, Rudell nodded and turned his head.
In truth, the answer had already been decided, but he asked for the final confirmation.
“My answer hasn’t changed. I’ll follow you.”
“Great, then it’s settled.”
With a bright smile, Rudell reached out his hand toward Kurt.
After a moment of looking at that hand, Kurt cautiously extended his hand and took Rudell’s, who gave it a light shake.
“Let’s get along from now on, Kurt.”
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