Chapter 334

Creak-!

In the deep dawn when everyone was asleep, the firmly locked prison door scraped the ground with a grating sound of steel.

A mysterious visitor arrived at the cage where the snowfield tiger was held. With their back to the torchlight, their appearance was unclear, but the towering figure was unmistakably a Suin, not an ordinary warrior.

It was strange. Oleg’s prison was a place strictly off-limits by the order of the Grand Warrior Arseni. Who would dare to step foot in such a place? Especially in the dead of night when everyone else was asleep. If caught, the punishment would be far from light.

The Suin let out a soft sigh and swung the prison door wide open. The keys to the restraints in their right hand clinked together.

“Still alive, Oleg?”

Oleg, battered and bruised, perked up his ears at the voice.

—

“…You’re late.”

Oleg raised his head. His voice was weak, almost a whisper, due to his exhaustion, but his tone was surprisingly calm.

“I almost fell asleep.”

Instead of a pained expression, a satisfied smile spread across the tiger’s bloodied face. As if the moment he had been waiting for had finally arrived.

The Suin who stepped into the prison silently observed Oleg.

“How about it? Wasn’t I right? I kept telling you they would betray His Majesty at the first chance. Do you believe me now?”

“…Yeah. I believe you now.”

The Suin crouched in front of Oleg and began to undo the restraints binding the snowfield tiger’s neck and torso.

The removed collar gleamed with a silver blade, swaying heavily.

“Just as you said, they spilled their plans and asked for my cooperation while pretending to get along with me. It was shocking. Who would’ve thought they’d been hiding such treachery all this time…”

Freed from the restraints, Oleg twisted his neck left and right. Though he still had no strength, that was a problem that could be solved by eating something.

“I was surprised too. I didn’t know you were such a good actor. You didn’t seem like one.”

Moonlight streaming through the prison window illuminated the face of the collaborator Oleg had been waiting for.

**”-Maxim.”**

The rhino Suin, who had been pretending to be a traitor, chuckled.

—

‘Among the Grand Warriors, there are traitors plotting against His Majesty.’

Four months before crossing the mountains to attack the human Empire, Oleg had met Maxim and left those words. His demeanor was slightly different from his usual reputation as a reckless warrior who knew nothing but combat.

At the time, Maxim thought it was an overreaction. At least, when he first heard it. While there might be some among the Grand Warriors who had knelt to Ryurik’s power and harbored resentment, openly rebelling seemed impossible.

Their king, the Winter Wolf Ryurik, had defeated the Grand Warriors of various tribes with his sheer strength even before gaining his current transcendent power. To oppose him now would only lead to death. The other Grand Warriors surely knew that.

Yet, Oleg’s seriousness was so convincing that Maxim decided to play along and secretly began investigating the Grand Warriors. He subtly hinted at his dissatisfaction with Ryurik’s actions, hoping that if there were indeed traitors, they would approach him.

Surprisingly, Oleg’s words turned out to be true.

Shortly after their king left on an expedition with his seven most loyal Grand Warriors, three of them approached Maxim. They asked if he would join them.

Arseni, Lavrenti, and Yevgeni.

They longed for the glory of their past when they were leaders of their tribes, not mere subordinates. Thus, they aimed to overthrow Ryurik, the absolute ruler of the snowfields, and become co-rulers of Varyakrus, reigning as they once did.

Considering Ryurik’s strength, it seemed absurd… but it wasn’t entirely dismissible nonsense. They mocked the idea that attacking the human Empire would be as easy as it sounded, and Maxim couldn’t deny that.

Their invasions had always failed.

Not just invasions. Since the birth of the Kal Ros Empire, which had subdued all races except humans, the Empire had never lost a war. They might lose battles locally, but in the end, the Empire always emerged victorious. After the Northern Wall was built, even the Empire’s northern territories became untouchable.

No matter how strong the Winter Wolf was, no one could be certain of victory against the Empire.

Their plan was simple.

If Ryurik won against the Empire? Then there would be nothing more to discuss.

A king who had finally brought down the Empire after eight hundred years of struggle. How could anyone surpass that power and authority? If things went that way, they would simply forget they ever considered rebellion.

But if he didn’t win?

That would be the moment they had been waiting for.

Given Ryurik’s nature of always charging into the enemy’s frontlines, it was unlikely he would emerge unscathed from a defeat. If the humans killed him, that would be the best outcome. Even if he survived, he would likely be critically injured beyond recovery.

In that case, they could eliminate the king themselves and seize control of the chaotic Varyakrus.

It wasn’t a particularly meticulous plan…

It was a gamble, but the chances of success weren’t low.

After hearing their explanation, Maxim nodded readily, hiding his true feelings.

He couldn’t refuse in the first place.

If he had dared to voice his refusal on the spot, he would have been the first to be eliminated.

Perhaps it was because he had been subtly acting out his resentment towards Ryurik. Or maybe it was because Maxim, like them, was also a former tribal chief.

The three of them didn’t even suspect Maxim’s joining.

Maxim, amidst the three traitors, played along with their whims and observed the unfolding events.

He couldn’t inform others.

Among the warriors stationed at the frontline base, he couldn’t distinguish who had sided with the three and who hadn’t, and there was no guarantee that the remaining great warriors were free of treachery.

In fact, later on, the lioness beastman Kseniya also joined.

And then,

Not long after, Oleg returned.

With the news that the main force sent on the expedition had failed to cross the walls of Phelun Castle and was defeated.

The news he brought ignited the fuse.

The fact that Ryurik was requesting reinforcements, even at the cost of half the kingdom’s defenses, meant that they were in a situation where they couldn’t hold out otherwise.

What happened after that didn’t deviate an inch from Maxim’s expectations.

The four traitors, far from organizing reinforcements, tried to either persuade or eliminate Oleg to bury Ryurik’s plea for help, and Oleg rebelled against this.

At that point, a fight was inevitable, so Maxim also swung his hammer at Oleg.

He had no choice.

Even if Maxim had sided with Oleg and fought against the traitors on the spot, the odds were four to two. The outcome of the battle was anyone’s guess.

Maxim chose to side with the traitors, suppress Oleg, and secretly rescue him rather than engage in a battle with uncertain odds.

Perhaps Oleg had sensed his thoughts, as unlike the others, his attacks aimed at Maxim were slightly weaker.

He would have to endure serious injuries, but not to the extent of needing immediate recuperation.

After a fierce act, Oleg was finally subdued and restrained. Maxim, who had personally restrained him, grabbed the keys and headed for the underground dungeon as soon as he confirmed the other great warriors were asleep.

To free His Majesty’s loyal servant, Oleg, and discuss the next steps.

‘We were lucky.’

He thought persuading the other four not to kill Oleg would be the biggest hurdle, but for some reason, Kseniya agreed, making it easier than expected.

“—That’s all the restraints undone. I’ve also removed all the silver spikes embedded in your limbs.”

“Thanks for that. My arms have been aching all day, but I couldn’t pull them out myself. As you can see, I don’t have arms, do I?”

Maxim handed a large chunk of meat to Oleg, who was making small talk.

Oleg greedily tore into the meat, as big as his thigh. His whole body was screaming with hunger, as if his stomach had a hole in it.

It didn’t take long for the entire chunk of meat to disappear.

“Haah… I think I’ll live now.”

“I brought something at least… but looking at your condition, that meat alone won’t be enough for recovery. Once we get out of this dungeon, you’ll need to hide until your wounds regenerate.”

Though freed from restraints, Oleg’s condition was still pitiful.

His stamina was at rock bottom, his severed limbs left with silver spikes embedded in them.

The blood that had flowed formed a small river on the dungeon floor.

“Hey, there’s meat over there.”

Oleg jerked his chin towards the entrance of the underground dungeon.

Indeed, there was meat.

A piece several meters long.

“You’re going to eat… that…?”

Maxim couldn’t hide his shock, pointing a trembling hand towards the dungeon entrance.

There, sprawled out, was the corpse of the guard Maxim had assassinated to quietly free Oleg.

“Yeah. It won’t taste good, but that amount should be enough to regenerate my limbs. Right?”

“Eating the corpse of your own kind, what kind of…!”

Maxim was too shocked to speak.

“Traitors aren’t my kind. I don’t know about your tribe, but in mine, we don’t discriminate in our prey. Eating enemies is just normal.”

“Huh…”

Sighing, Maxim brought the guard’s corpse to Oleg’s side as requested.

If you put aside the psychological revulsion, this was undeniably the best course of action.

Soon, the sound of bones breaking and flesh tearing echoed.

As Maxim turned his head away from the nauseating sight, Oleg’s limbs began to slowly regenerate.

Not to Ryurik’s level, but faster than the other great warriors.