Healing through divine power is closer to restoration. That’s why external injuries can be treated relatively easily, but internal wounds and diseases rarely heal. Back in Claudia, when I was ambushed and collapsed, Hilde healed , yet I still spent days feeling weak.
If that was the case, what about a regressor whose bones and muscles had been completely shattered?
“...Ah... ugh...!”
The regressor had sustained wounds severe enough that it wouldn’t have been surprising if she had died on the spot. Azzy had healed her, but her disrupted qi flow and massive internal injuries remained.
The only relief was that the regressor had mastered Cold Qi Technique. Those proficient in it could infuse their bodies with qi, allowing them to reconnect shattered bones and torn muscles. Thanks to that, the regressor barely managed to survive. I carried her on my back all the way to the mansion, where she shakily composed herself, still covered in blood and dirt.
“The once-so-healthy Shei has fallen so pitifully... May you rest in peace.”
“I’m... not dead yet...!”
Oh? She still has the strength to respond. Her ntal fortitude really is sothing else. Even after being beaten into the ground by the Mountain Lord, she managed to stay conscious.
“...You drank Tyrkanzyaka’s blood. I thought... you were going to die.”
“Technically speaking, it’s a bit different, but yeah, more or less.”
“I’m... relieved. That you didn’t die.”
Hearing such warm words from a regressor lying helplessly on the bed? She’s much more honest and adorable when she’s injured. I almost feel moved—
‘Hughes is the King of Beasts, so he’ll be able to communicate well with the Mountain Lord. While I rest for a bit, he’ll figure it out.’
—And just like that, she stops one step short of being truly cute. Trying to dump work on again, huh? Yeah, that’s more like you.
“I’m not saying this to brag, but until I nearly died today, I didn’t even know I had been given blood. In other words, I genuinely risked my life. Don’t forget that.”
“I also... risked my life...! Cough, hack!”
“Well, you still seem to have sothing hanging by a thread. Your life, maybe? You’re not actually going to die, right?”
“I’ll be fine... I still have qi left. And this ti, I even learned Blood Path Arts. If I stay conscious and control my qi properly, I won’t die...”
Back in the day, I used to envy people who practiced Qi Techniques. But now that I have an immortal body, would it be arrogant to say I still feel the sa?
“...However, if I lose consciousness, I don’t know what will happen. There’s a limit to how much I can instinctively regulate my qi.”
“If you think you’re about to die, make sure your will states that all your assets go to . Just in case your pocket space seals up, be sure to take everything out of it beforehand.”
“No thanks... If I die, everything ends.”
Hah. As if she’d let her wealth fall into soone else’s hands. Even if she dies, she’d probably take everything with her.
But really, there’s no need to overthink it. She ant it quite literally—when she dies, she regresses. So everything truly does end.
The regressor let out a small laugh and groaned as she spoke.
“So... talk to the Mountain Lord.”
“Shei, you’re barely clinging to life here. And you want to have a friendly chat with the tiger that put you in this state?”
“You’ve never cared for like this before... Asking the Mountain Lord why he ca is the priority. Listening to that will... keep from dozing off.”
Just as the regressor let out a pained breath, the Mountain Lord suddenly threw open the door and entered.
“You have summoned ?”
Like a true tiger, he appeared the mont we spoke of him.
“Yeah. You said you had sothing to discuss, right?”
“More precisely, it is you who must answer to .”
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
“That still ans you have sothing to say. Alright. There’s an injured person here, so let’s talk over on the couch.”
“Grr. Very well.”
Since the regressor seed to want this, I left the room, leaving the door slightly open. By then, the Mountain Lord had already leapt onto the couch. He leaned his head against the armrest, stretching his legs comfortably like a lazy beast. He growled softly, rubbing against the fabric as if he liked the texture of the couch, before looking around.
“The dog?”
“If you an Azzy, she’s healing the injured person right now.”
“Roar. I shall bring her.”
Without hesitation, the Mountain Lord leapt out the window and disappeared. Monts later, he returned, effortlessly leaping over the fence with Azzy clamped in his jaws. He dropped her unceremoniously in the yard. Looking confused, Azzy glanced around before spotting and dashing over.
“Kidnapping! The tiger «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» took !”
“He said he has sothing to say.”
“Just because you use your mouth doesn’t an it’s talking! Woof! Violence!”
“Grrr. Do you truly wish to see my violence?”
Azzy fell silent in an instant. The Mountain Lord, lounging lazily on the couch, gazed down at and Azzy, then spoke.
“Human, dog, and wolf. I have observed your kind for a long ti. Humans tad wolves and called them dogs, while untad wolves remained wolves.”
He flicked his long tail from side to side. Azzy’s gaze imdiately followed it. Each ti his tail swayed, her head bobbed along.
So this is the grand discussion of the Beast King? He seems more like a simple beast than a king. You can’t hide your true nature.
“That is natural. Beasts are generous when they are not hungry. When I am full and warm, I often overlook wild boars and deer that pass by. Those creatures that fear will sotis gather boldly before my eyes when they sense I am in a good mood.”
“Well, yeah. If you’re not hungry, there’s no reason to hunt.”
“You humans graze upon the earth. You rarely starve, so you could afford to ta wolves year-round. Taming wolves and turning them into tools—that is the particular ferocity of humans. That itself is not an issue. However...”
The Mountain Lord bared his fangs slightly and stared straight at .
“How is it that wolves have co to replace my ferocity?”
For a beast, that was quite a vague question. But a beast wouldn't use such complex phrasing. As a conceptual being, the King of Beasts simply treated concepts as tangible objects.
So the Mountain Lord's words were ant as a literal question. All beasts are ferocious, but why were wolves more so than any other?
"Tiger. First, let clarify sothing. I'm a human, but I was devoured by humans and disappeared. Right now, I don't know everything, nor do I possess any power over humanity as a whole. So what I'm saying is more of a guess than the truth."
“Grr. You were devoured by your own people? Useless.”
"Hey! There were circumstances! Calling useless is a bit much!"
...Well, I suppose I am useless. If I were still the proper King of Humans, I wouldn’t need to guess. My words would be the decree of the entire species and the truth itself.
But I was no longer a conceptual being, nor could I speak the absolute truth. I could only offer hypotheses with the highest probability.
"You question a human yet claim you may give the wrong answer? Roar. Unpleasant... but hearing it directly from a human is preferable. Speak."
Wolves, dogs, ferocity, and kindness. I recalled what I had pieced together and answered.
"Humans—or rather, other humans—wanted to divide wolves and dogs into representations of ferocity and kindness. They wanted kings to embody those concepts."
Wolves and dogs both existed. They were the sa species, but over countless years of separation, even the Kings of Beasts had diverged.
The problem was that this change had been shaped by human hands.
"Beasts naturally possess both ferocity and kindness—just like you and . But so humans wanted Fenrir to be the King of Ferocity and Azzy to be the King of Kindness. Wolves ca to represent all ferocity, which is probably why even a tiger like you had to entrust your ferocity to them."
“Hmph...”
"And Azzy beca the King of Kindness, unable to bite or scratch humans. Even when I poked her head like this, she couldn't fight back."
Azzy suddenly lifted her head and clamped down on my hand.
"Woof! I can bite now! I will bite!"
"Hey! I'm talking about the past! Let go! You don't need to prove anything!"
Why did losing her crown bring back her attack instincts? I was happy she had gotten stronger, but now I had to be wary of a dog too?
The Mountain Lord, who had been casually licking his paw, suddenly asked, "Then, what happened to the wolves?"
"Azzy passed on her crown. She made you the king."
"Wolves are just wolves now! Dogs and wolves are one! Bad and good together!"
"Yeah. Just like Azzy said, Fenrir is now simply a regular King of Beasts. No longer tied to the concept of ferocity."
Like Nabi, the King of Cats, Fenrir was now just another beast king—ordinarily ferocious, ordinarily kind. That was natural. A beast that attacked humans unconditionally was the unnatural one.
And the Mountain Lord? His problem was just that he was too strong. But he was still a regular beast king. Even now, he was lying down casually, licking his front paw.
“Roar. Humans fuss over things they cannot even eat.”
"Agreed. Well, do you have any more questions?"
"Not particularly. The rest of my questions belong to humans and dogs. Since wolves no longer carry my ferocity, I shall reclaim it as my own."
That wasn't entirely good news. The Mountain Lord was the King of Tigers—if he got irritated, he could devour dozens of people here. He was already a little riled up after tasting blood, so I had to handle this carefully.
"Should I get you so at?"
"If you offer tribute, I shall gladly accept."
Despite his arrogant words, his tail started swishing a little faster. Guess he was hungry. I needed to contact a restaurant.
Leaving the yawning Mountain Lord behind, I crossed the yard and opened the gate. The mansion, built on the outskirts of Ende, was clean but isolated. Compared to the central district, it was quiet and empty.
...But the people of Ende weren’t fools. They wouldn't just leave this mansion alone, knowing it housed the Mountain Lord, Azzy, the regressor, and . I approached the nearest building and tapped on the wall.
"Hey."
The window creaked open, and an Obelisk soldier appeared inside.
Obelisks were the protectors of Ende and noble guardians of Obeli, but this one had been through so much that exhaustion overshadowed any sense of arrogance. As part of the team monitoring the Mountain Lord, he spoke to .
"What is it?"
"The Mountain Lord is hungry. He needs food."
"The Mountain Lord...! We’ll have it prepared imdiately! Listen up! This is a matter of Ende’s survival! Get twenty servings of food, including raw at with bones!"
...They were making quite the fuss, but honestly, feeding the Mountain Lord was that important. If he starved, he might start eating people.
"Do you need anything else?"
"For now, no. Ah, but could you get so cloth for bandages and a few spare outfits?"
"We’ll contact the Sheep Beastfolk Clan for that... Would you like the mansion cleaned?"
"The Mountain Lord is territorial, so I wouldn’t recomnd it."
"Understood."
The Obelisk gave orders, and beastfolk—pigs and horses—rushed off to carry them out. Watching them scramble, I turned and made my way back to the mansion.
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