Wolves of Hader

Chapter 149

I climbed the giant tree stairs.

No matter how much I climbed, there was no end.

The thick fog was still the same.

On the way up, I saw a huge snake wrapped around a tree branch, and a spider as big as a house hissed threateningly at us.

But it didn't attack us.

Apparently, it was because of this giant tree.

Even Black Mane didn't know the reason.

"Do we have to go all the way to the top of the tree?"

"Should I be honest?"

"Are you hiding something?"

Black Mane smirked.

"This is my first time here too."

"What?"

Everyone looked at each other in disbelief.

"This is my first time climbing this tree. I've only been to the west side of this island twice. All I know is there's a Sacred Ground village above if you go up."

"Sacred Ground village?"

"It's a sanctuary my mother's ancestors built to serve the Seven Gods and the lords of the tribes."

"The Seven Gods we know?"

"That's right. Divine beasts were created by those Seven Gods. The giant animals living on this island are the descendants of divine beasts. But since they lack divinity, they aren't divine beasts."

The Seven Gods had human forms.

I wondered if it was because they'd been created from a human perspective.

"Are they related to the Seven Tribes?"

"They are the ancestors of the original Seven Tribes."

"Then the lords of the tribes are...?"

"I can't say."

If it was her mother's ancestors...

That would mean her mother wasn't human.

"Is your mother Elin?"

Black Mane remained silent.

Was she Elin, or another race?

Human. Yan. Dran. Tak. Gadisil. Elin.

And Amir.

Gadisil's tribe had been wiped out. Maybe they still survived somewhere in Aindel. Looking at Black Mane's appearance, she seemed Elin. Judging by the scale and structure of this forest, that also made sense.

Could the Guardian also be a divine beast?

They said divine beasts have divinity.

"Are divine beasts still around?"

"I heard there are. I've never seen one, though."

"Where would they be?"

"I don't know."

"Is there a divine beast shaped like a lion?"

"Do you mean that one?"

On the branches of this giant tree, countless wooden bridges were intertwined. I could see places that looked like bird nests, and others connected by bridges that looked like huts.

But the tangled branches were shaped almost like sculptures. It seemed to be depicting various divine beasts fighting monsters. There were seven figures.

"Is this like the Demon War?"

"Yes. Divine beasts fighting devils."

As I climbed the stairs, I looked them over carefully.

It was hard to distinguish the divine beast forms, since they were tree branches.

Still, I could pick some out.

A turtle. An eagle. A deer.

Then a horse and a cow.

The last two were lion-shaped, but one had three horns on its back. The other had wings. The guardian of the lord tribe resembled a lion, but had neither horns nor wings.

"There's not just one divine beast?"

"No. But there is only one king among them."

There was a possibility that Dran's guardian was a divine beast. Maybe one of the several entities had been captured and cursed. Like 'Rungha' in Asgard's palace.

If there was no way to break that curse...

Even if it's a divine beast, it must be captured.

Since it's already become a devil's "demonic beast."

"I see the sky," someone said.

It was true—the sky was visible.

Light shone down through the lush leaves. The sunlight was so dazzling and splendid, it almost looked holy.

We had climbed so high, the ground was out of sight. Can there be a tree in the wild taller than a skyscraper? This tree must be a tree of divinity.

Next, we crossed a long sky-bridge at the end of the stairs.

On the other side were people holding spears.

Their armor was very unusual.

As we crossed the bridge, those who appeared to be guards approached us. Maybe they saw us coming up, or maybe they already knew we were on the way.

"State your identity."

"I'm Luka, daughter of Chief Orga."

"I'm Eilin from Robe."

The guards looked us over.

What should I say for my identity?

"Roger Hader. These are my companions."

The guard looked at our group and Tuji's brothers intently. Then he put his left hand to his mouth and said something. Soon, he received a response we couldn't hear.

"You may ascend. The fortress above is sacred ground, so refrain from careless behavior. If you violate this, you will be expelled."

That was when—

A broad stone suddenly came down from above.

The rock floated in midair.

We all stepped onto that stone.

The rock slowly ascended.

What kind of magic was this?

Everyone kept watching anxiously ahead.

Passing through dense foliage, we finally rose to the very top of the colossal tree. As the space appeared,

everyone's eyes widened.

Is this the heavens?

Or is it another world entirely?

At the very top of this colossal tree,

was a vast and perfectly round plaza. Countless "people" were coming and going, and there was also a huge temple.

Could such a giant structure really exist at the top of a tree? Like the floating stone we had just ridden, it seemed this whole thing was held aloft by magic. Is something like that even possible?

Everyone just stood there.

Armed soldiers were approaching.

They were wearing the same armor as the guards. The tops of their helmets were uniquely pointed. Their spears were extremely long. The one in front wore golden armor.

The man in golden armor stood before me.

His eyes were blue.

"Which one is Eilin?"

"That's me."

"And Roger Hader?"

"That's me."

The man looked me over carefully.

He had an aura unique to strong people, but I couldn't sense any magic power from him at all. Was he on par with me?

He looked at Black Mane.

"Luka, you've grown even more beautiful."

"Do you know me?"

"I'm the man who gave you that scar on your cheek."

"What? You bastard—!"

Black Mane charged at him.

It was so fast, like lightning. But the man easily dodged her punch.

"Hahaha! Temper as fierce as ever."

"So you disappeared for over five years! You were hiding here all along?"

"Did you miss me that much?"

"Stop talking nonsense!"

What is this, some kind of lovers' quarrel?

When Black Mane lunged again, the guards encircled her, pointing their spears.

"She's my friend. Put your spears down."

Black Mane gritted her teeth.

"You, I'll deal with you later."

"Anytime you like. I'll gladly offer my cheek, if only I may receive a kiss from your soft lips."

"You damn bastard!"

This is giving me secondhand embarrassment.

What is their relationship, anyway?

The man addressed us.

"Luka and her companions will stay. The other two, come with me."

"Hey."

"What is it?"

He glanced back at me.

He didn't seem thrilled by my attitude.

"Is there even a restaurant in a place like this?"

"Does your village have a restaurant?"

"There is one."

The man shook his head and chuckled as he turned around.

Black Mane huffed and said,

"You, I won't let you off."

"Are you two well-acquainted?"

"He's a scoundrel who always chased after me. If you're hungry, follow me. I've never eaten the food here myself, though."

Black Mane walked off toward the west.

I gestured to my group, then followed the man with Eilin. My companions went with Black Mane.

Walking, I looked around the plaza.

It was a wide, round floor with no walls. The sky was visible directly above. No fog at all.

The people passing by looked peculiar.

Black hair, red hair, green, blue, white.

Even silver hair and gold hair.

They weren't like Elin. Their skeletons were similar, but Elin had slender lines and a translucent feel. These people were much more solidly built, with bolder, more distinct features.

Their faces were unique, too. They looked somewhat white, somewhat like the Yan tribe. But their hair was so striking, it was clear they weren't human. Not even half-bloods.

We entered the temple.

The first thing I noticed was a symbol of the main god Apeon. It was atop an altar in the distance.

Next to it stood the images of the Seven Gods.

The gods here were depicted as they were for each tribe. Seeing those statues, I realized something.

I figured out which people lived here.

Where their tribe had lived. They hadn't gone extinct, just become inconspicuous.

And the mixed-bloods living in this area.

They were the mixed descendants of this people and humans. The same was true for Black Mane. And for the man leading the way, too.

"This way."

In the middle of the massive hall, we went to the left. Entered a wide corridor and stopped at a door on the opposite side.

The man spoke.

"They have arrived."

"Let them in."

He opened the door for us.

As soon as the door opened, I froze.

Eilin's eyes went wide.

"Dad!"

"Yes. I'm so glad you're well."

A man with graying hair smiled as he came over.

It was Eilin's father. While she and he hugged, I looked at the man beside him.

He was smiling, too.

"You really take after Gaz."

"Are you Viscount Drian?"

"Yes."

There were only two people in this room.

On the large table, there were only colored orbs. All seven colors.

"Thank you for looking after my daughter."

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Roger."

"Can I give you a hug?"

"Yes."

Eilin's father gave me a big hug. Viscount Drian looked like he regretted not hugging as well.

"It's a pleasure, Viscount."

"I saw you when you were little, so this is the second time. You must have had a hard journey getting here. Roger, you too."

Eilin and Viscount Drian also exchanged greetings.

The two men looked at us fondly.

"Please, have a seat first."

"Yes."

They offered us chairs, while the two of them sat across from us at the table, ready to converse.

For a while, they simply looked at me.

"You must have had many questions, right?"

I smiled and shook my head.

"I wasn't that curious."

"I thought as much. The path you walk is itself a path of fate, but I worried you might stray."

"Because of what lies in the future?"

Viscount Drian nodded.

"There will be several major events. But even we haven't seen all the future, nor can we remember it all. We don't know how the future we saw will change."

Eilin's father also spoke.

"Even meeting you and Eilin now makes us cautious. A single word from us could change the future. That could shake the path you intend to walk."

"Then why now?"

The two looked at each other.

Viscount Drian spoke again.

"This too is a part of the future we saw. There are things to pass on, things you need to know. As long as we are careful with our words, not much should change."

From my perspective, that wouldn't change anything.

I just had to keep to my path.

"Then what is it you wish to tell me?"

"Your house."

"Our house?"

Eilin's father answered.

"You need to know about your house so we can give you what we prepared. There are also things you should be told."

The Viscount spoke again.

"From what we observed so far, I was confident that even if you learned the truth, you wouldn't act rashly. The elders here thought so too."

"But there's one crucial thing we can't tell you. Given your personality, you might attack their faction even this year. That could alter the future."

So I could know the secret of my house, but they couldn't tell me something decisive about that other faction.

"Who is that faction?"

The answer came immediately.

"The Grand Duke Syren."

Just as I expected.

The fact they could answer right away must mean I could've guessed already. This wasn't the decisive thing.

"Is he the one who changes the future?"

"To get to the heart of it: you must not move first, nor can they go into hiding. If they hide to build power, things will get out of hand."

So there was a crucial moment.

If we struck while we were stronger, they'd hide, and that could make things even more dangerous.

"What is the Grand Duke trying to do?"

This time, there was no immediate answer.

Maybe this was the agonizing part.

The Viscount finally began.

"The Syren family has been plotting to rule the world over many centuries. We always knew someone would block their ambition, but never knew who."

"That house is ours, then."

Both nodded.

"Until the last generation, no one knew which house it was. It only became apparent with the Grand Duke's generation—when he personally started the family's grand endeavor."

Eilin's father added,

"Even the Grand Duke may not have known which house would oppose him. That's why he destroyed so many houses. He probably only learned the truth recently."

"Because of me?"

"That's right."

Why did the Syren family have that plan?

What connection did it have to our house?

"Does the Grand Duke's house also have something?"

"There's a deeply rooted ill-fate with your bloodline. The Syren family's tradition stems from it."

Our ancestors and Syren's were brothers.

The Emperor was their eldest brother.

So the grudge wasn't some recent tradition.

"What exactly is that ill-fate?"

Both looked at me steadily.

This must have been the hardest thing to say.

The Viscount said, "The Syren family descends from the Holy Knight Hanuk."

"What?"

I was shocked.

Among the Seven Tribes' heroes, the human hero.

He was the Holy Knight Hanuk.

Then what does that make us?

To have such a blood feud...

Viscount Drian continued.

"And you, your house are the descendants of the Yan Tribe's hero. The leader of all the heroes who commanded the Seven Divine Beasts."

Unbelievable!