Leaving behind the restrained Lunared, I headed toward Kuilan and Kureha.
"Ugh...!"
Kuilan, who was blocking with his whole body to protect Kureha, received my bitter smile.
"I know that wolf monster is Kureha."
"...!"
"Don't worry, just step aside. We have things to discuss."
Hesitantly, Kuilan moved away. I cautiously approached the fallen Kureha.
"Kureha."
Looking down at the bloodied wolf monster, I nodded heavily.
"You did an excellent job. You truly did well."
"All I did was fulfill my duty."
He was dying.
A massive fissure marred his battered chest. It wasn't hard to guess that it was an injury inflicted by the Wolf King.
"...I'm sorry."
Kureha responded to my apology with a faint laugh.
"It's not your fault, Your Highness. If you hadn't planned this strategy... I would have died in vain right there."
"...!"
"Thanks to you, I was able to save my younger brother."
His grotesquely twisted fingers grazed his chest.
"My human heart has already stopped. As a human, I am already dead."
Even in his monstrous form, Kureha's eyes remained kind. Those eyes slowly looked up to the sky.
"All that remains here is the wolf monster, kept alive by the magic power of the full moon."
"...!"
"In the end... I die as a monster."
"No."
I spoke with an unwavering voice.
"You are a human."
Both Kureha and Kuilan, who was listening by the side, looked at me with surprise. I nodded.
"I recognize it. By the principles and laws of this place, by my standards, I recognize it."
"...!"
"You are more human than anyone else, Kureha."
Turning from the speechless Kureha, I looked at Kuilan beside him.
"Kuilan, the remaining night is short."
The magic power provided by the full moon's light clung to Kureha's life.
In other words, when the moon sets, Kureha will die.
"Spend time with your brother until dawn."
"...!"
Kuilan looked uncertain, but that's between the two brothers. I hoped they would have a regret-free last moment.
***
Crossroad. In front of the southern wall.
Excluding Lunared, all the captured 'Werewolves' were gathered and restrained here.
I hurriedly came here to decide on their fate. And then...
"Growl!"
...I found a blonde knight who seemed more like a beast than the wolf monsters.
"Lucas?"
Lucas, chained head to toe, was nearly lying on the ground, showing his fangs and exhaling a cold breath.
His bright blue eyes gleamed with a beastly light. Good heavens!
"He's been like this since the battle ended... We managed to subdue him."
Fox and Rabbit from the Mage Battalion spoke apprehensively.
"We didn't know what to do..."
"...!"
I rubbed my throbbing forehead. He must have overused his beast transformation again.
"Hey, Lucas. Do you recognize me?"
When I asked this close up, the previously aggressive expression on Lucas's face immediately softened.
Should I be thankful that this damned hound even recognizes its own owner?
"Bind this blade to his hand. Make sure he can't let go."
As I approached, Lucas, noticeably tamed, remained still even as the soldiers tied the [Karma Eater] to his hand.
I pondered for a moment on what to do next, but the decision came quickly.
"Imprison him. In the sturdiest cell."
In his current state, there's no telling what he might do. It's best to keep him confined until he regains his senses.
Lucas, now as docile as a subdued dog, was dragged off to the prison.
"Sigh..."
As I watched his retreating figure, a sigh escaped my lips.
"But, what about us?"
"Lock us up too!"
Shouts echoed from behind.
"..."
I slowly turned around.
Creatures, once 'werewolves', their bodies still covered in traces of beastly fur, knelt bound. Their crimson eyes shone as they pleaded desperately.
"We are humans!"
"We have the right to be judged by the law! Put us on trial!"
"Where is our lord? Where is Lord Lunared? Negotiate with him..."
"Enough-!"
I sharply cut off their ramblings.
"Let me educate you on the rules of this monster frontier."
Stepping towards them, my voice grew menacing.
"Protect the humans."
One step.
"Kill the monsters."
Two steps.
"And you lot are monsters."
Three steps.
Looking down at them, their eyes wide with fear, I pronounced without mercy,
"I, the rule-maker of this place, have deemed it so. You are, without a doubt, monsters. Therefore, you will certainly be killed."
"We are human! Look at our appearances! We have hearts that beat with blood, just like any other human! Just like you!"
"It isn't your birth, race, or appearance that determines what you are."
Whether reborn from the hell beneath the lake, pure humans mixed with wolf's blood, or whatever heart you have, none of it matters.
"What you are is determined by the thoughts you harbor and the actions you take."
They had invaded my city.
Without any grand cause, without desperation for survival, just for slaughter.
They tried to tear my city apart and annihilate its inhabitants.
They killed my soldiers, my citizens, and my heroes.
"Just because you wear human skin doesn't mean you can pretend to be one. You are monsters."
To those who were once human, I spoke without mercy.
"You don't have the right to die as humans. You don't have the right to a trial."
For death,
"You will die befitting monsters. Like pests."
For death,
"Right here, right now."
For death to death!
Stepping back, I raised my hand high and commanded,
"Archers, aim!"
The archers I had brought with me lifted their loaded crossbows.
However, even at my command, some of them couldn't bring themselves to take aim. The figures before them looked nothing like monsters but complete humans. Yes, it's understandable they hesitated.
With a swift move,
I snatched a crossbow from one such hesitant archer and aimed it myself at those 'who were once werewolves'.
"Those creatures in front of us are monsters. As the commander here, I've decided as much. Therefore, all you have to do is follow my decision."
"...!"
The archer who had his crossbow taken from me gritted his teeth, pulled out a smaller backup bow, notched an arrow, and aimed forward.
Nodding, I shouted, "Aim!"
Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!
No archer hesitated any longer. Dozens of them raised their crossbows in unison.
"Fire!"
Fingers pulled back on the crossbow triggers.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Screaaaam-!
The dozens of arrows released by the archers pierced directly into the creatures that 'used to be werewolves.'
"Arghhhh!"
"Save me, please!"
"Damn humans! I'll curse you till the end...!"
"Lunared, may you accomplish..."
Cries, screams, and curses poured out as a rain of arrows landed on the bodies of those monsters.
The utterly exhausted monsters all fell dead.
Returning the crossbow, I handed it back to the archer.
Watching the scene, Fox and Rabbit cautiously asked, "How should we handle the bodies?"
"Isn't there a monster corpse disposal manual?"
I dryly responded, then turned away, "Harvest anything valuable, and burn the rest."
"...Yes, Your Majesty."
I opened the system window and checked the enemy information.
All the werewolves had been exterminated. Whether White, Gray, or Brown, the remaining count was zero.
Now, only one remained.
"Only Lunared remains."
I turned my gaze north.
I didn't intend to kill Lunared with my own hands.
Because...
***
On a night where dawn approached in the distance, yet the moonlight still lingered,
Kureha and Kuilan shared many stories.
From tales of the past that Kuilan couldn't remember, to discussions about the impending future.
Kuilan learned of his role as a vessel for the curse, that his brother had burned down their village to save him, and even the secrets and true nature of their clan.
And,
"When I die, the curse that's my portion will return to you..."
The Penal Squad, including Kuilan.
The wolf's curse would return to all five of them.
Kureha's speech, now transformed into a monstrous form, became increasingly slurred and difficult to understand, but Kuilan listened attentively, trying to comprehend every word.
"I'm sorry. I wanted to carry it until the end..."
"What's there to be sorry for, brother?"
Kuilan softly smiled, placing his hand on his brother's contorted finger joints, "We're just returning to how we were born."
"..."
Kureha, with his grotesquely deformed face, looked up at the sky, then turned his gaze to the northern forest.
"The leaves are turning..."
Kuilan also looked with his brother at the northern forest, observing the multicolored foliage of autumn.
The night they were reunited had also been a full moon during the onset of autumn.
"I've always been sorry to you."
Kureha's body slowly began to release the wolf's curse.
"I stole your fate. Lived as a human in your place. Locked you in that tree, raised you as a monster, and naively found happiness outside. I've always been sorry."
"..."
"Will you forgive me, Kuilan...?"
"What nonsense are you talking about, brother?"
Kuilan chuckled warmly.
"What's there to forgive? We're brothers, aren't we?"
'...Thank you.'
The now grown-up, but still young in his brother's eyes, took one last look at his little brother.
Kureha's eyes slowly closed.
'Thank you, for being alive.'
That small, bruised younger brother from their past.
The cursed child who regretted being born and agonized over his existence.
Did he truly find happiness growing up with him?
It was impossible to know.
'Every moment you lived and grew, it was a miracle to me.'
Raising his younger brother, Kureha was happy.
Every moment, feeding, teaching, fighting, and sleeping, was brilliant.
Though he eventually became a withered, hardened monster.
He had no regrets.
'Having a younger brother like you... I'm truly... lucky...'
Kureha's breathing ceased.
Was it an illusion? A faint smile lingered on the monstrous wolf's long lips.
"...Meeting you was the miracle of my life."
Kuilan, slowly laying his brother's body on the ground, smiled brightly.
"I'm really, truly a lucky bastard."
Kuilan's fist clenched tightly.
"Thank you, brother."
The curse reverted in the surviving tribespeople.
Red fur began to densely grow on Kuilan's body. He grew taller, muscles bulging, eyes shining like a beast's.
Yet, he hadn't lost his sanity. If anything, his consciousness was sharper than ever.
Slowly rising, Kuilan growled, staring down at his clenched fists.
"Yeah... I think I finally understand."
He turned around, a savage smile on his lips.
"The final punch my brother taught me. I think I know how to use it."
In his sight was the imprisoned Lunared.
Lunared, too, was in the process of his curse reverting. But being tightly bound by silver chains made movement difficult, and the curse's strength meant its reversion was slow.
Lunared, now partially transformed into a werewolf, yelled at the approaching Kuilan.
"Stop! Stop! We are of the same kin! Shouldn't we combine our powers?"
"Stop talking nonsense, monster. I am human."
"NO! I am like your ancestor! Practically your father-!"
"That's good to know."
Thud. Thud.
With his fists ready and stance set, Kuilan glared menacingly.
"I've always wanted to land a punch on my father."
Just as his brother had taught him.
With both legs firmly on the ground, bending down low, left hand in a defensive pose forward, and the right fist clenched at his chest.
Stepping forward, he launched a ferocious attack, aiming directly at-
The enemy's core.
Ultimate move.
Heart-Cleaving Wind Wolf.
The inherited ultimate move, and Kuilan's awakened technique.
Facing the incoming punch, Lunared laughed in disbelief.
The technique of a descendant he had underestimated was flawless.
Giving up on his desperate attempts to counter, Lunared acknowledged the accomplishments of his successor.
"Well done, forty-fourth generation."
Crash!
Kuilan's massive fist buried into Lunared's chest.
The Nightmare Legion Commander's core shattered into pieces.