'Winter Wind.'
Something seemed to flicker at the corner of Elric's eyes.
He saw the Black Snowfield.
A plain dyed jet black. Trees densely lined up.
The wind blowing across the desolate land, which was almost devoid of moisture, was extremely sharp and fierce.
Occasionally, it could cut or injure like a real blade, so the beastmen called the wind blowing in the Black Snowfield the 'sharp wind.'
The seal obtained in this arrangement contained that very sharp wind.
Hence, Winter Wind.
The grade was precious. It was the same grade as the Seal of Cruelty given by the Snow Mountain King.
'But I still can't determine the trigger.'
This arrangement seemed to take a lot of time to reveal even a small part, let alone spoon-feed everything at once.
Elric turned his gaze to the God of Camellias, hoping to get some advice.
'She's already gone.'
The God of Camellias, who had been on his left shoulder until just a moment ago, was no longer there.
She probably didn't want to reveal anything.
Elric clicked his tongue lightly.
It seemed that it would take a long time for this arrangement to be completely finished.
***
The next day.
"…Are you telling me to join the royal guard?"
For a moment, Elric wondered if he had heard Tiger King Yul correctly.
'Damn it. This damn hangover….'
The previous night, Elric had been caught in the middle of the beastmen who loved to party, drinking the alcohol they offered until he blacked out.
Kumis? It was some unusual name for a drink.
At first, the smell was so fishy and unpleasant, and since it was his first time trying it, he wanted to avoid it.
But he couldn't resist their insistence that it was a 'brotherhood drink' offered to a new brother, so he ended up sipping one or two glasses.
At some point, it even started to taste good as it went down smoothly.
[What would you have done if something had gone wrong? Tsk!]
The God of Camellias, who had disappeared when asked about the Seal of Winter Wind, had returned to keep him company again.
However, the God of Camellias was clearly displeased with how defenseless Elric had been the previous night.
[…I know I messed up too, so I have no excuse. But you saw, right? When I circulated mana and got caught, I had to drink more as a penalty. I had no choice.]
[Hmph!]
[And the beastmen and the Anthromorph tribe are more vigilant than anyone else. If I show that I'm not wary of them, they'll believe I trust them. Please understand. Okay?]
Elric had to somehow appease the thoroughly sulking God of Camellias.
He wanted to say, 'Isn't this because I didn't entertain you last night?' but he knew that would cross a point of no return, so he held back.
[It seems you're just like your ancestors, always causing me grief. At first, I thought you were different from the other Melvingers, but you're becoming just like them. Sigh!]
It was as if she was saying, 'If I don't take care of this child-like person, who will?'
Seizing the moment, Elric quickly tried to soothe the God of Camellias.
[That's why I trust and follow you, rely on you like a mother, even more.]
[Hmm-hmm!]
[To be honest, ever since I was suddenly dropped into this arrangement, my ancestor has been busy tormenting me. But it's been you, Lady Camellia, who's been guiding me on the right path and sharing my concerns. And the reason I slept so defenselessly last night was because I trusted you. I feel sorry for being so childish.]
[Hmm-hmm! Hmm! You're really putting a lot of gold on my face. What have I even done for you?]
Elric, knowing that the God of Camellias' heart was turning towards him, pretended to be serious and said,
[Please don't say that. It would make me sad.]
[Hohoho! Well, I guess I have no choice. Though it's a bit tough for me, I'll keep looking after you to make sure you don't stray. Who else would do it if not me?]
[Thank you.]
[Alright, alright. Just keep having that commendable attitude like you do now.]
Elric, realizing he had completely won over the God of Camellias, smiled triumphantly.
Luckily, chatting with the God of Camellias helped him gradually clear his mind.
Across from him, Tiger King Yul was nodding and smirking wryly.
"Yes. I want you to assist me by my side. Why? Do you not want to?"
"How could that be? It's just that, as far as I know, the royal guard consists of those with the highest skills and the utmost loyalty to the chieftain, selected through rigorous criteria."
"So?"
"However, just until yesterday, I was an outsider. I'm wondering if I can properly take on such an important role."
Elric inwardly rejoiced at the unexpectedly early opportunity but made sure to feign a slight reluctance.
"You've already proven your skill by defeating Ralph. In fact, just being a successor of the Body Strengthening Art would have more than qualified you."
Tiger King Yul continued with his arms crossed.
"Of course, there will be jealousy and envy if you suddenly join the royal guard. But isn't this the time to face it head-on?"
The corner of Tiger King Yul's mouth curled up.
"Of course, if you don't want to, you can express your refusal now. I don't force proposals that go against one's will."
But Elric knew very well that if the answer that came out of his mouth was not approval, the little bit of goodwill that Tiger King Yul had given him would disappear.
Maybe the doubts that had just subsided would rise again.
'It's better to keep up the confidence I showed yesterday. Tiger King Yul and the beastmen seem to prefer that attitude.'
After all, the closer Elric got to Tiger King Yul, the better it would be for him, so he never intended to refuse.
"Thank you for your consideration."
Only then did Tiger King Yul, seemingly pleased with Elric's attitude, smile with satisfaction.
"Good. As a commemoration of becoming a member of the royal guard, I will give you your first mission."
"…?"
"Find a place for our tribe to settle."
"…!"
***
'This is a chance!'
When Elric first received Tiger King Yul's proposal, his initial thought was that it was a great opportunity.
'If I can settle them in the Deathworm colony as originally planned in history… it will be much more advantageous for growing trees.'
So, Elric recommended the Deathworm colony right where he was given the instructions.
"Oh, that place?"
Fortunately, Tiger King Yul seemed to already know the location.
"Indeed, we had considered it as a candidate site. It's easy to defend from external threats, close to a water source, and above all, the soil is very fertile with minimal demonic energy erosion. However, the problem is…."
"The Deathworm colony, right?"
"Exactly. That's why we postponed it, thinking it wouldn't be easy to develop…."
"Still, it would be hard to find a place as good as that."
"That's true. Hmm, what to do?"
Tiger King Yul pondered for a moment, then his eyes sparkled as if he had thought of a good idea.
"Alright. Let's do it this way."
"…?"
And as a result.
'…I have to figure out a way with these troublesome things.'
Elric sighed as he looked at Ralph and the three members of the Black Wolf Tribe who were to move with him under Tiger King Yul's command.
[It's good to be with the royal guard, but I never thought you'd be put together with those guys right away. It seems like he is testing you… things have gotten quite interesting.]
The God of Camellias seemed curious about how Elric would persuade Ralph and the others who were hostile towards him.
At the same time, she was greatly surprised by Tiger King Yul's audacity.
Putting two people who were bound to have a bad relationship together could cause turmoil within the royal guard, yet he issued such an order without hesitation.
'He must be confident that I can handle any situation that arises. As expected of someone who became a great monarch, his thinking is different. It's just annoying for me.'
Elric was assigned to the 3rd Royal Guard, which was predominantly composed of the Black Wolf Tribe.
Because of this, Elric could easily feel the wariness and rejection towards him, unlike the atmosphere he experienced in the tribe yesterday.
'What should I do with these guys? Should I just overpower them like yesterday?'
In beastman society, establishing a clear hierarchy is the best approach.
'No. Doing that now might only provoke a backlash. They might even stab me in the back while fighting the Deathworms….'
Elric was fine with stabbing others in the back but hated being on the receiving end.
'So I'll have to approach this gradually after all.'
Just thinking about finding a way to defeat the Deathworms was enough to give him a headache, and now he had to worry about relations as well.
"Luring the Deathworms is the biggest headache. It's not an easy task."
The captain of the 3rd Royal Guard, Yor, said, and the members all nodded in agreement.
He was the only person who didn't reject Elric. Not that he showed any particular friendliness either.
Just neutral.
That was it.
"Exactly. If that weirdo hadn't said anything unnecessary, we wouldn't have to deal with this annoying task."
At that moment, Ralph's offhand comment was met with snickers and agreement from the Black Wolf Tribe members and the other guards.
"That's right."
"Using our strength for nothing…."
"Honestly, what's so great about the swamp where the Deathworms live? Someone's just trying to suck up to the chieftain."
'These bastards…'
It was obvious to everyone that these comments were aimed at him, and Elric's eyebrow twitched in response.
Smack!
Suddenly, Yor stopped walking and slapped Ralph hard across the face with an expressionless look.
"Captain…!"
"I thought I made it clear? It's fine to have personal feelings, but don't bring them into the squad and ruin the atmosphere."
"…!"
"If you disrupt the atmosphere with such nonsense again, I'll rip your head off."
As Yor growled, baring his fangs, Ralph and the other guards recoiled, pulling their heads back in fear.
"Did you understand?"
"Y-Yes…!"
"Answer properly. Did you understand?"
"Yes, sir!"
"Yes, sir!"
The guards, now fully disciplined, were sweating nervously.
'So this was the plan. He just threw me in.'
Yor had an intimidating presence that seemed capable of standing toe-to-toe with Tiger King Yul.
With someone of such charisma as the captain, any potential conflicts could be effectively managed.
Elric gave a nod of thanks to Yor, but he didn't seem to care at all.
He acted as if he was simply doing his duty.
This made Elric like him even more. At least he wouldn't be disliked for being fair.
'If there had been a professor like him at the academy, I might have had an easier time.'
Elric smiled wryly at the thought, then asked Yor a question out of curiosity.
"Captain, may I ask you something?"
"Speak."
"I heard that Deathworms rarely come out of their nests. Even if you spill a lot of blood, they stay put. Is there a good method to lure them out?"
Yor stared intently at Elric for a brief moment.
Elric wondered if he had made a mistake, tilting his head in confusion. Suddenly, Yor walked over to Ralph and slapped him on the other cheek.
"I told you to inform all the members, didn't I? Are you disobeying my orders?"
"C-Captain! I was planning to tell him later…!"
"Enough with the excuses. I will personally complain to the leader of the Black Wolf Tribe about this. Additionally, there will be separate disciplinary actions from the royal guard."
"…!"
Ralph's face turned pale instantly. He bit his lower lip and glared at Elric with resentment.
[What an arrogant child. How can he not see his own faults? One would think you made a huge mistake... He wasn't this narrow-minded when he was young, was he?]
[Leave him be. I plan to give him a very thorough lesson later.]
[I wonder if he realizes he's digging his own grave. What do you plan to do?]
[That's a trade secret.]
While the God of Camellias was smiling, Yor spoke in a gruff tone.
"Deathworms are extremely sensitive to the scent emitted by the 'Death Plant'. We can lure them all out with it... What? Why are you making that face?"
[T/L: Changing Anck-Su-Namum's flower to death plant.]
Elric couldn't help but twitch his lips, stifling a laugh.
It was no surprise; he knew that the Death Plant, known as the resurrection plant in Night's Chronicle, was familiar to him.
"No, it's nothing."
Elric quickly shook his head, but his mind was racing.
'Was the resurrection plant an herb that Deathworms liked? Why didn't I think of that before?'
The high-quality demonic energy contained in the resurrection plant would indeed be attractive to Deathworms.
However, the plant's environmental requirements were so stringent that he hadn't considered it before.
"Are there many Death Plants here?"
"They always bloom in dragon vein points where mana flows and accumulates. There aren't many such places in the Black Snowfield, but there are a few. Didn't you know?"
Elric felt a pang of guilt but scratched his cheek with his finger to hide it.
"I avoided those places because many demonic beasts appear where mana accumulates."
"True. That makes sense. If you've been living alone, you wouldn't have needed to take such risks."
Fortunately, his excuse seemed to work.
"Anyway, if you mix the Death Plant with frost vine and Ataraxia grass…."
"Mix them in a ratio of 5:1:3, and for the remaining 1, add Essiositia, Blue mandarin, and Soma, then roast them in a furnace about nine times to make pills with a very strong, spicy scent."
Yor's eyes widened in surprise.
"You know about the 'Fire Breath Pill'?"
The Fire Breath Pill.
It was a result of the alchemy technique Elric had learned from Mephistopheles.
Apparently, even this had been passed down in the Black Snowfield, although its use was entirely different.
"My teacher said it was a trick he learned from a friend from the East."
"Calling alchemy a mere trick…! Your teacher must be quite eccentric. Teaching you Body Strengthening Art without making a name for himself and casually befriending an alchemist."
"He never paid much attention to the opinions of others or the mundane world."
"That's what makes him eccentric."
Yor's eyes sparkled with interest.
"It seems the alchemy techniques you know are more detailed than what our tribe is familiar with. Would you be willing to share this information?"
"I am already a member of the Anthromorph tribe."
"Haha! I didn't mean to test you, but if it sounded that way, I apologize."
Elric noticed the warm smile that had appeared on Yor's usually stern face. It seemed he had struck gold in an unexpected place.
'It's something I should be grateful for.'
The Fire Breath Pill was something Elric needed as well.
Although he had almost completed the Bone Marrow Cleansing, accumulating more mana could only be beneficial.
No, it was actually very advantageous.
The dissolution rate of mana core would increase, and the efficiency of his mana would improve.
"The Death Plant colony isn't far from here."
Elric's eyes lit up as if he had discovered a treasure.
It seemed that the strategy would proceed smoothly.
'And I can gather more demonic energy for myself.'
It was an excellent opportunity to greatly enhance the effectiveness of various seals, including the Seal of Winter Wind.
[T/L: You can read more chapters and support me here: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]