The Forest Race Clonne

Chapter 74

A clear voice echoed from above. Looking up, I saw a white horse floating in the air. A familiar boy was sitting astride it.

“Lord Syran!”

Syran, with a cold expression, looked quite pale, likely due to the broken barrier. However, his presence was fiercer than anyone else here.

“That one looks like a Knight too, leader.”

“Th-That can’t be. Of the five Knights, three are supposed to be dead, so there should only be two left. How can there be three…?”

The Demonic Beast leader, muttering in disbelief, bit his lip.

“I see. They didn’t die after all. If I had known, I would’ve brought Lord Eliha…”

Aska seemed disinclined to wait for him to lament. With a casual flick, he cleaned the filth off his sword and strode forward confidently.

“Let’s end this.”

“W-wait! If you kill me, you’ll regret it!”

The Demonic Beast leader, flinching, shouted desperately. Naturally, no one paid attention to his words.

“Just kill him.”

At Kalph’s indifferent remark, Aska nodded and raised his sword

“Argh! It’s true! Do you know who we have? If I don’t return safely, they’ll kill him!”

At those words, Aska’s arm froze mid-motion.

Everyone looked at each other in confusion. They were talking about a hostage.

“It must be a lie.”

After a brief silence, Syran spoke.

“How can we trust the words of a Demonic Beast? They pride themselves on their deceit. It’s one of their vile abilities.”

“Well, that’s true. The hostage isn’t right in front of us, and we can’t trust claims without proof.”

Kalph nodded indifferently. The rest seemed to share the same sentiment. This made the Demonic Beast leader more desperate. He shouted hastily again.

“It’s not a lie! It’s true! We really have a hostage!”

“…Even if that’s true, I can’t let you go just for one life.”

“Are you willing to abandon the hostage’s life?”

“Yes.”

Kalph answered, taking a deep breath. Though his face darkened, his voice was firm. As unfortunate as the hostage’s situation might be, he deemed letting these Demonic Beasts go to be a greater risk. Considering the high possibility that their claim of having a hostage was a lie, it was a reasonable decision. However, the Demonic Beast leader smirked instead.

“Are you sure you can do that? It’s not as simple as you think. Wouldn’t you at least want to hear who we have before making that decision?”

“Stop your pointless schemes…”

“No, seriously, just listen. I’m saying this for your own good. No matter how resolute you are, you wouldn’t easily give up the life of royalty, right? Isn’t that so?”

“…What?”

“What are you talking about…?”

“Tsk, tsk. Still haven’t figured it out? The one we’re holding is none other than your King’s son.”

“…!”

The King’s son.

Everyone’s expressions shifted rapidly. Some were shocked, but most were incredulous.

“…Hah, what nonsense is this? The King’s son?”

“The King doesn’t even have a son. Our King is still unmarried.”

“He hasn’t even held a woman’s hand in hundreds of years. A son, seriously?”

“What a ridiculous story.”

Though sarcastic comments continued, the atmosphere grew increasingly tense. Even as they dismissed the notion, the Demonic Beasts’ confident stance cast a shadow of doubt. More importantly, the three Knights wore frozen expressions. Their evident agitation suggested they knew something others didn’t.

“Lord Kalph?”

“What’s wrong, Lord Syran?”

Anxious eyes turned to the Knights, but none of them could speak. The Demonic Beast leader’s grin widened.

“Judging by your reactions, it seems like you have some idea what I’m talking about. Let me explain in further detail. Around twenty years ago, your King had an heir through a human woman. Unfortunately, the child grew up unaware of his true identity, believing his foster father to be his birth father.”

“N-no way.”

“Of course, it sounds unbelievable. But it’s an undeniable fact. He’s nineteen years old this year. Next year, he’ll come of age.”

Nineteen. The same age as me.

The idea that the king’s heir had grown up as a human, just like me, was astonishing. And that he was my age—it was an incredible coincidence.

Everyone stiffly looked at Kalph. Their gazes were filled with desperate hope that this was a lie. However, the response they received mercilessly shattered those hopes. With a pale face, Kalph glared at the Demonic Beast and sighed deeply.

“…It’s true that there might be an heir to the King. Aska testified to it, and we’ve found some circumstantial evidence as well.

“No… it can’t be…”

“Is that really true?”

“It’s hard for me to believe too. We were already investigating the matter, but there were still many unclear points. I was planning to reveal it once we were certain of everything… though it seems it’s too late now.”

While I held my breath, Syran, biting his lip hard, grabbed Kalph by the collar. His light pink eyes, filled with anxiety, kept flickering towards me.

“It can’t be true, Kalph. The King’s son…”

“…Syran, it seems we might have been wrong.”

“But, but…”

Kalph gently touched Syran, who was shaking his head in desperation, and smiled bitterly. His meaningful gaze quietly shifted to Aska, who seemed to understand without words. Aska sighed heavily and nodded, his deep eyes momentarily resting on me before looking away.

As I watched them, I recalled an ambiguous conversation I once overheard in a half-dream state. How Aska and Kalph had carefully observed me and inquired in detail about my father.

Ah, so that’s what it was. They might have suspected that I was the King’s son. That’s why…

I clenched my fists tightly. My insides were churning, but I couldn’t quite find the right word to describe how I felt—unsettled, frustrated, or perhaps a strange mix of both. It seemed the others hadn’t yet picked up on the subtle tension in the air.

The air was so still that even the sound of breathing was absent. Everyone stared at the Demonic Beast leader, their faces pale with shock. He, in turn, looked back at us.

“I told you from the start, didn’t I?”

His beastly eyes gleamed with joy, brimming with the satisfaction of victory.

“In the end, the outcome will be the same, as I said.”

* * *

“Huff, huff!”

Gasping for breath, I ran desperately, swallowing air that barely made it down to my lungs. Uneven ground kept interrupting my steps, but I couldn’t stop. Stopping meant death.

The sky had already darkened considerably. I had no idea how far I’d come or if I was even going in the right direction. Only Calph’s last words echoed in my mind.

“Sei, listen to me carefully.”

Recognizing the hostage’s importance, the clan ultimately chose to surrender. Everyone dropped their weapons and raised their hands. The Knights were the first to be bound and forced to their knees. My turn came soon after. I couldn’t remember much, only that at some point, I found myself next to Kalph. As I looked down at my bound wrists, I heard Kalph whisper.

“I’m going to create a distraction. Escape during that time.”

At first, I couldn’t understand what he was saying. Or rather, it was more accurate to say I couldn’t accept it. So when I heard his next words, I could only stand frozen in shock.

“You’re still an Aesang, so they’ll have a hard time tracking you. Run as far as you can and hide. The forest will help you. Once you’re safe, go… go find Semeion. Tell him what’s happening here and ask for help.”

Kalph didn’t look at me as he gave these frantic instructions, but his tightly clenched fists and the despair in his eyes revealed his true feelings.

“This is something only you can do. Understand?”

His voice, asking for my agreement, trembled. He must have known just how insane this plan was. Whether I’d even make it to Semeion, or if he could help even if I did—none of it was certain. The road there would likely be more dangerous than anything else.

But even so, he’d decided that my escaping was the better choice. He foresaw the end. If we were captured, he was certain we’d all be killed.

“Please.”

Escaping was easier than expected. Several people engaged the Demonic Beasts in a scuffle, drawing their attention. Kalph quickly cut my bonds in the commotion. The distracted Demonic Beasts didn’t notice me slipping away. However, by now, they surely realized someone was missing. I needed to run as far as possible before they caught up.

“Haa… haa… huff…”

Drenched in sweat, my body felt heavy. The few days of consistent stamina training seemed to be barely helping me hold on. But now, I had reached my limit; my legs could no longer muster any strength.

As soon as I realized this, I lost my balance and fell. By the time I understood I had stepped on a loose rock, I was already tumbling down a steep slope.

“…!”

I finally came to a stop after rolling several times, utterly disoriented. My whole body ached so much that I couldn’t even pinpoint where the pain was coming from. But the real problem lay ahead. As I tried to push myself up, the pain only intensified, rendering my arm immobile. It didn’t seem broken, but a tendon in my leg felt severely strained.

—
(T/N): Hi everyone! I apologize for the inconsistent updates—I’ve been busy with the holiday season, haha! Advance Merry Christmas to you all! Thank you so much for your support from the bottom of my heart. <3

Namamasko po (≧▽≦)