Chapter 328

As Ha-shal-leur had vaguely anticipated, the second gathering point of the fleeing Suin was located deep within a coniferous forest, roughly halfway between Faelun Castle and the northern wall.

The place the northerners called the “Needle-Leaf Forest.”

Only a small number of Suin, who had moved swiftly, were present there now.

Some purebloods, six great warriors, and their king, Ryurik.

They hadn’t retreated in an orderly formation but had scattered individually, so their arrival speeds varied naturally.

The stronger Suin arrived faster, as expected.

—

“Y-Your Majesty! Are you alright?!”

Nazar, who had arrived at the gathering point with Oleg, couldn’t hide his shock at the sight of Ryurik, who had arrived late.

Though he had never doubted that their king would return safely, Ryurik’s appearance was far from what he had imagined.

“No need to fuss. It’s not a life-threatening injury.”

Ryurik stopped Nazar, who was rushing toward him, and sat down on a tree stump.

His head was spinning from the pain and blood loss, but he wasn’t on the verge of losing consciousness. He couldn’t afford to.

“But…! Your Majesty…!”

Nazar couldn’t bring himself to continue.

His grief and self-loathing were so intense that it felt like blood might seep from his clenched teeth.

“My arm!!”

Ryurik chuckled faintly.

Nazar’s expression looked more pained than his own, even though Ryurik was the one who had lost an arm.

“Losing an arm is better than losing my head. I can always strap on a gauntlet, but I can’t wear a helmet in place of my head.”

It was a joke Nazar couldn’t bring himself to laugh at.

—

“That woman… she was stronger than expected. Even with the Jin Sword, I didn’t think she’d inflict this much damage….”

The polar bear Suin, Vasily, muttered gravely.

While the retreat itself had been anticipated once Valdemar’s knights arrived sooner than expected, he hadn’t foreseen such heavy losses.

It was an undeniable defeat.

Three of the seven great warriors had fallen, and their king had lost a claw.

“Indeed… she’s beyond human. Not an enemy you can defeat one-on-one. If it weren’t for that sword, we might’ve stood a chance… but look at us now.”

Ryurik lifted his severed arm slightly.

The Beastman Devourer. He had underestimated her, but after fighting her, he realized she was a monster among monsters.

‘Who knew her hidden claws could be that sharp?’

The unquenchable fire was manageable as long as it didn’t spread to his head, but the final slash she delivered was deadly enough to kill instantly.

A blade that accelerated too fast to perceive. Losing just an arm was sheer luck.

—

Oleg leaned against a thick tree trunk and stared intently at Ryurik.

‘…I knew we were being pushed back, but I never thought he’d lose an arm.’

His narrowed pupils lingered on the wolf Suin’s empty left arm for a long time.

Only a hand’s length remained below the elbow, and the tightly wrapped bandages were soaked with blood.

The bleeding had been stopped, but regeneration was impossible after being cut by the Jin Sword.

The cursed blue metal severed the abilities of all non-human races.

The wound itself might heal over time if stitched, but the severed wrist wouldn’t grow back.

Even if they cut off the entire left arm and tried to regenerate it.

‘The Beastman Devourer… truly lives up to the name.’

Oleg shifted his gaze from Ryurik’s arm and scanned the other great warriors.

“That archer girl… I’ll definitely kill her…!”

Abigail, carried on Viktor’s back, ground her teeth in rage.

Unlike the others, her anger wasn’t directed at the Beastman Devourer but at the green-haired girl.

The silver arrows embedded all over her body had been removed, but the sheer number of wounds made recovery difficult, even for a great warrior’s regenerative abilities.

‘At least they were arrows. If it had been that greatsword…!’

She might not have even made it back alive.

“Ugh… agh….”

Unlike Abigail, who was slowly regaining her strength, Ludmila still hadn’t woken up.

Of course not. Aside from Ryurik, Ludmila had suffered the most severe injuries among them.

The silver shards that had torn through her entire body.

Only the great warrior’s unique vitality kept her alive. An ordinary warrior would’ve died from such wounds during the healing process.

“Dammit, if only we’d broken the gate faster…!”

Viktor snorted in frustration.

Having to retreat immediately after breaking the gate felt like a defeat before they could even fight.

—

“…Shouldn’t we retreat? It doesn’t seem like the pursuers have caught up yet… but it won’t take long for them to follow. This is their perfect chance to wipe us out and reclaim the northern wall.”

“Hmm….”

At Vasily’s question about their next move, Ryurik, deep in thought, scratched his chin with his remaining hand.

If they retreated now, all their gains would be for nothing. But with their remaining forces, the odds of winning were too slim.

‘Then we’ll just have to bolster our forces.’

After a moment of contemplation, Ryurik finally shook his head.

“…No, we won’t retreat. Going back would be pointless. The only way forward is to fight and win against the warriors of Baryakrus!”

At Ryurik’s firm declaration, Vasily let out a short sigh, nodding as if he had expected it.

“This time, for sure!”

“We must take revenge…!”

Victor and Abigail burned with fighting spirit, while Oleg bared his fangs and grinned. They all seemed to agree on the battle.

“However, Your Majesty!”

Only Nazar raised his voice in opposition, as if he couldn’t accept it.

But breaking Ryurik’s will was never an option for Nazar to begin with.

“The Northern Wall was earned with the blood of warriors. We can’t just hand it over so easily. How could we face the fallen warriors otherwise?”

“Even so, with our current strength, it’s impossible!”

It was an undeniable truth.

If the scattered Suin were to gather, they might have the numerical advantage, but the gap in high-level combat power was severe.

On our side, there were only five great warriors. Even if we were lucky enough to have Lyudmila fully recovered, that would only make six. But if the northern army, joined by Valdemar, were to arrive, there would be about ten masters.

“True. That’s a valid point. But when did I say we’d fight like this? If the enemy’s numbers have increased, we can just call for reinforcements, right?”

“Are you referring to the reserve forces left in the homeland?”

Oleg, who had been listening from a distance, chimed in with interest.

The forces participating in the invasion weren’t the full strength of Varyakrus.

Even Ryurik hadn’t united all the Suin, and there were plenty of Suin tribes hostile to them.

If they had mobilized all their forces to cross the mountains, it wouldn’t be surprising if their homeland was plundered in their absence.

That’s why they had left a reserve force to defend the homeland while they went on this expedition… but now that things had come to this, leaving them behind was a waste of strength.

“Right. Send a messenger to the homeland to summon them. If we wage a delaying battle and control the retreat speed, we can buy time until they reach the Northern Wall. And finally, when all our forces gather at the Northern Wall, we will fight the final battle on the ruins!”

The reserve force was, after all, only a minimal defensive force, so their numbers weren’t great.

However, even with fewer troops, they included as many as eight great warriors.

If they joined the battle, there was a good chance of victory.

Of course, the homeland’s defense would be weakened… but that was already unavoidable.

“A messenger… Sending an ordinary warrior won’t make them believe and follow. In the end, one of the great warriors will have to go.”

“That’s right. It’s a shame to lose more strength here, but…”

Unless it was a great warrior, sending a mere pure-blood warrior wouldn’t be trusted.

Even though they had established a nation, they were still a savage race. Unlike human kingdoms, they didn’t have concepts like royal seals or swords to prove a messenger’s identity.

“Vasily and Victor are too slow, and Abigail and Lyudmila are in no condition… How about sending Nazar? He’s quite fast for a fox.”

Oleg grinned and pointed at Nazar with his finger.

“Me?”

Instead of nodding, Nazar narrowed his eyes and stared at Oleg’s face.

‘Certainly, it’s not an unreasonable suggestion… but something feels off.’

The twisted smirk on Oleg’s face was suspicious.

Even though he had saved Oleg’s life on the wall, the long-standing hostility between them wasn’t something that could be resolved so easily. For both of them.

‘He’s blatantly trying to get rid of me. What does he plan to do while I’m gone?’

Memories of past conflicts stirred up suspicion.

“No. I will stay by His Majesty’s side. To wage a delaying battle, we’ll need a warrior who can calmly coordinate the troops’ movements. That’s too much for a beast who only knows how to charge. So, rather than sending me, wouldn’t it be better for you to go? You’re not exactly slow either.”

“…You want me to play messenger? With so many enemies to fight?”

Oleg openly expressed his dissatisfaction, looking as if he was itching to fight.

‘…Maybe I was overthinking it. Well, that thoughtless guy wouldn’t be capable of scheming. He probably just recommended me because being chosen as a messenger would mean fewer chances to fight.’

Nazar also let go of some of his suspicions at Oleg’s usual attitude.

“If it’s a fight you want, you’ll have plenty of chances to enjoy it on the ruins of the Northern Wall. After all, a delaying battle is a retreat tactic where you strike quickly and then immediately fall back repeatedly. Does that really suit your temperament?”

“Hmm… True. That does sound boring and annoying.”

Persuaded by Nazar, Oleg reluctantly nodded with a sullen expression.

—

And so, Oleg was tasked with being the messenger to return to the homeland.

The snowfield tiger sprinted north at full speed.