Chapter 124: Unit 34 (1/2)
A shadow cast itself over Rageful Mountains, but the people of the village got used to it after a day or two. The world was full of bizarre things, so a giant cloud was the safest abnormality they could encounter.
On an eventful morning, a visitor made his way into the village. His cloaked attire and refusal to reveal his face passed as normalcy among the bestial folk, but it was his request that grabbed the bartender's attention.
”Are you here for our specialty milk?” the lizardman hissed with its yellow eyes scanning the outlander.
”No,” the man beneath the cloak shook his head and spoke the tongue of beasts. ”I want to visit the recruitment camp for the King's Army.”
”Ah,” the lizardman nodded with pride. ”Another brave protector of our kingdom! Cheers!” the bartender raised a glass, and the rest of the bar cheered in unison as they did the same.
Furry people stood on different tables, and most of them were simply wolves standing on both legs: werewolves. They had a human form, but they were beasts.
The outsider simply bowed in response, and the people let their guard down. As for the bartender, he heartily guided the man toward the camp, where all brave followers of the king trained.
As he left the bar under the proud eyes of the beastmen, Nikolai wondered what would happen if they saw his skin. After all, the beastmen referred to humans as furless or 'those of skin' for a reason.
A big part of the beastmen had less obvious bestial traits, but they were all considered one kingdom in the eyes of many. The strength of the Bestial King squashed all resistance, and there was a stronger unity than that of Rosia Kingdom.
Nikolai followed the directions of the bartender toward the camp. If he wanted to reach the border, the fastest way would be to join the army. But, of course, he couldn't join the army of the enemy, as he would be used as a toothpick once found.
The shadow that made the people uneasy was a side effect of hiding the island between the mountains and disguising it as a foggy mountain peak. From there, Nikolai had to descend the mountain range and return to Rohan city, but he didn't exactly have a ship to do so.
Alias was gone after he obtained the legendary skill, and Nikolai felt relieved that Sergio wasn't foolish enough to wait for him. Nikolai himself had no idea how much time he spent on the island because his perception was distorted.
”I have no idea what's going to happen on our next meeting, but I hope Sergio moves on from our friendship,” Nikolai muttered to himself after entering stealth.
Despite the matter being a bit hurtful, Nikolai knew that he wasn't the best person Sergio could have as a friend. After all, in his past life, Nikolai's existence led the alchemist to a curler fate and worse situations.
The chains of existence weighed heavily on his shoulder, a reminder that he couldn't escape them. Even after awakening and obtaining the legendary skill, Nikolai still felt incomparably weak.
If he met Lilith now, she would devour him again. He wasn't blinded by his rage toward the elven princess, as it took a calmer form after the last trial of the skill.
The bestial village wasn't different from a human one, the same as most things except their race. It was of great irony that people loved to be different yet hated those who were different.
As Nikolai reached the camp where the army recruits were, he could feel the heat of their training. Shouts filled his ears as Nikolai snuck into the base without being seen.
There were officers of great power that rivaled D-rank at the very least, but they couldn't sense Nikolai's stealth. Maybe that was why Dark Beings were feared because they could be the invisible and whispering devils of the world.
After looking around the camp, Nikolai finally found the Messengers. A unit specialized in delivering commands and receiving them via various methods. Some used skills, others used letters and a few used pigeons.
Nikolai waited in the dark as he looked at the back of a young beastwoman responsible for receiving requests. The girl had sharp features of cats, but she looked nothing more than a human with cat ears and nose.