Chapter 212

Chapter 212: Incompatibility

Though it was called a human hunt, the name alone was grand. In truth, it was dragging in a bunch of riffraff, luring them into a trap, and killing them.

A hunt was a hunt, but it was not our way of hunting.

It was probably a method used by humans, and among them, weak and cunning humans.

Leaving behind a small dissatisfaction at not knowing what meaning there was in this act of imitating humans, Mona climbed the cliff.

“Honestly, we could just raid an entire village. Why go through all this annoying trouble......?”

The Werewolf following behind him muttered without caution.

Either he had no head to hide his true thoughts, or his patience to hold down his dissatisfaction had run dry. Neither was a welcome matter.

“Watch your mouth. There are many ears listening.”

“I’m not wagging my tongue carelessly. Everyone gathered here is on our side anyway.”

Even at Mona’s low warning, the other did not seem to have any intention of closing his light mouth.

When Mona cast his gaze toward the end of the group, the other burst into laughter as if Mona was worrying about all sorts of things.

“The only human who came along this time is that insolent brat. The other bastard is down below doing menial work with the other humans. If he’d followed us, I would’ve shoved him off the cliff while pretending it was a mistake.”

Perhaps recalling yesterday’s disgrace, the sound of teeth grinding rang out.

Mona thought the sight looked more servile than a dog that had lost a fight.

“......So, when do you think we’ll be able to stop doing this shit?”

The Werewolf, unaware of what Mona thought inside, lowered his voice and asked.

Mona, who had rolled his eyes to look over the loser, opened his mouth obediently.

“Not yet. We need to wait for the right time.”

“What are you hesitating for? Even Archie won’t be able to handle it if we all rush him at once. My instincts are telling me. He isn’t what he used to be anymore. Now is exactly the time to raise a new leader.”

The eyes with which Mona stared at the fool who did not hide his burning fighting spirit, as if the thought alone excited him, were endlessly cold.

“You know nothing about Archie. How strong he is, and how cunning he is.”

“What exactly don’t I know?”

Even at the other’s heated protest, Mona’s still face did not break.

“There are quite a few who welcome Archie trapping and bringing in humans. They say there’s no need to waste strength hunting, and that watching humans whimper isn’t bad either. Besides......”

Mona, who had been continuing, recalled several groups who had occasionally been suspiciously close to humans.

“Besides? Besides what?”

At the puzzled voice, Mona pushed away the thoughts that had surfaced in his mind.

“No, nothing. In any case, it still isn’t the time. To seize the leader’s seat, one must defeat Archie in front of everyone and tear out his throat.”

“So I’m telling you, now is exactly the time. Try trusting me.”

At the impatient urging, a flash of contempt crossed Mona’s eyes.

“What exactly am I supposed to trust about you? If this fails, the ones whose heads fly off under Archie’s hand will be us.”

The Werewolf, who flinched for a moment, seemed to grow heated and raised his voice.

“If we all attack at once, there’s no way even Archie can withstand it.”

“That is why you are being told that you know nothing. I have never once forgotten the day Archie became leader.”

Mona, who had reached the top of the cliff, climbed up and cut off the arrogant voice.

“The leader died on the spot without blocking even one of Archie’s attacks. Before that, had you ever imagined the leader could be dealt with in such a state?”

No answer came back.

Because the one who had led the pack before Archie rose to the leader’s seat had been that strong.

He had been brave but did not act recklessly, and he did not lose wisdom simply because he was strong. He was a leader everyone acknowledged.

The shock of seeing his head return in Archie’s hand might have lost its vividness, but it was never forgotten.

However, this was also the reason some of the pack could not fully accept Archie as leader.

Because not many had seen him kill the leader.

Mona was one of those few Werewolves.

Mona, who had been muttering into the air as if tracing some memory of the past, moved his feet into the darkness with familiarity.

As if darkness like this did not frighten him at all.

The Werewolf, who inwardly felt a faint resistance toward the darkness above the cliff, hesitated for a moment, then followed Mona into the darkness.

Though his body stiffened again when he met the cold eyes waiting for him.

Mona’s eyes swept over him without emotion.

As if he had noticed the shallowness of the bastard walking through the darkness pretending to be fine, despite being frightened by even such a thing.

Only then did the Werewolf who had persistently urged Mona vaguely understand how heavy the danger Mona spoke of truly was.

“If you want to kill Archie, it means you need to be thorough.”

“Then what are we supposed to do? Keep pushing the plan back forever like this? We don’t plan to endure this forever either. No matter how strong Archie is.”

After swallowing dryly, the Werewolf asked Mona.

“There isn’t much time left.”

At the same time Mona answered, the exit where faint light poured in beyond the darkness began to appear.

“Because a shield to stand in our place has just walked in on its own feet.”

There was no ecstasy in the toneless voice, but because of that, there was instead a chill that revealed itself.

That chill soon became his gaze and turned toward the rear of the group.

Toward Adol, who was following them with difficulty at the very end.

***

Adol was confused.

Contrary to his expectation that he would never be able to go outside again, he was now standing at the entrance to the village, waiting for Mona and several Werewolves to return.

And in a free state, with not a single part of his four limbs or body tied.

“Hey, don’t get any stupid ideas. I’m leaving you like this because I was told to return you safely, but the other bastards aren’t kind enough to leave a fleeing human alive. Some of them even enjoy chasing after those who run.”

Except for the one attached beside him as a guard.

Adol, who had brought back his dazed consciousness, hurriedly turned his body.

“What is this? I thought you were going out for another human hunt, so why did you come to the village?”

“Look at this idiot. If humans disappeared that often, wouldn’t it draw suspicion? Besides, we also choose our targets while looking at people to some extent. We try to pick the ones who’ll cause the least trouble even if they die or disappear.”

Among the words filled with contempt, it was the final sentence that pierced Adol’s lungs.

The ones who would cause the least trouble even if they died or disappeared.

In other words, it meant they took those whose families would not search for them even if they disappeared.

‘I was chosen because I had no family. Because Amy died.’

It was beyond ridiculous, enough to be miserable.

Because of whom he had become alone, and because he had become alone like that, he became prey again.

The enemy territory he had thought he walked into on his own feet was not enemy territory at all, but the palm of Archie’s and Mona’s hands.

“There was more thorough selection than I thought. I didn’t know that......”

At Adol’s self-abandoning mutter, the Werewolf gave a nod.

“Right. At first, we captured them without caring about that, but handling it was more troublesome. It was also troublesome when some died while we were catching the ones who made a fuss about going to see their families.”

Troublesome? Did this insane bastard just say troublesome things?

You people grab perfectly normal people and raise them like livestock, and you call it troublesome?

Whether she failed to notice Adol’s mood sinking as far as it could go, or whether she had no intention of noticing, the Werewolf’s chatter continued.

“Originally, the rule is that humans once captured aren’t sent back outside. But very occasionally, ferocious ones like you are given a look around like this.”

“So it’s not even teasing. Why bother showing me the village from this far......?”

Adol, who had been answering irritably, suddenly raised his head at the unpleasant assumption that came to mind and glared at the people moving around the village far away, as well as Mona and his group calmly weaving through them.

“......You did it on purpose, didn’t you? To show me that resisting is useless now.”

It must have been despairing.

To watch Mona wandering around the village while captured by monsters.

“Well, it’s to break your spirit once. So you won’t even dare think of running away. It’d be strange if no one ever came back alive, wouldn’t it? It’s also the last chance for humans who fall into our hands to look outside. It’s our own kind of consideration.”

“How merciful. So does everyone thank you? Thank you for taking such care in raising us?”

Contrary to his expectation that a kick would immediately come back because he had used all his strength to sneer, the female Werewolf simply calmly looked at the village in the distance.

“That isn’t consideration or anything else. It would be better to just take them away and kill them. Something like that, something like that is......”

“I know. It’s deception. If this were truly what you humans call consideration, we would have at least let them calmly see the faces of the family they left behind.”

The answer that cut off his voice, which had been rising because of his anger, somehow sounded bitter.

Adol, puzzled by that, raised his head, but the other’s gaze was still fixed on the villagers.

“You’re human, so you must know well, right? Yes, you form something called family. Like weak beasts gathering together and surviving desperately.”

It was not entirely wrong, but there was no reason to deliberately use that way of putting it.

So this is picking a fight, and that means the fight was started by the other side.

The moment Adol reached that conclusion and burned with fighting spirit again, putting strength into his fist.

“If that disappears, do you really feel like you’ll die? Is dying really better than living?”

At that question, so innocent it was almost cruel, Adol sent his clenched fist flying toward the Werewolf’s face.

Though it was caught so easily it was miserable.

“Why are you suddenly doing this?!”

The angered monster roughly pinned Adol’s arm behind his back and asked, but that could not last long.

Because if she kept holding Adol, who twisted his body as if his arm would break, it would mean breaking her promise with the human not to injure so much as the tip of his fur.

With no other choice, the Werewolf released Adol again and had no choice but to take head-on the charge of Adol lunging with killing intent.

Taking the impact beyond expectation with her whole body, the Werewolf wrapped both arms around the rampaging Adol and sealed his movement.

It was a measure following the black-haired human’s advice that if the kid became too excited, blocking his vision first was better.

The monster, who had been wary only of him lunging at Mona and had never imagined she would become the target of the attack, let out a sigh and put strength into her arms so Adol could not turn his head elsewhere.

“Hey, I told you it’s no use resisting. Even if, by a one-in-ten-thousand chance, you knock me down, there’s no way Mona would lose you. Everyone’s ridiculously good at tracking by scent.”

The monster, who took Adol’s sudden action as simple resistance for escape, chattered on to persuade the struggling Adol.

Until Adol’s thrashing stopped, his panting breathing quieted, and her chest grew hot.

Only then did the monster realize that the small human in her arms was crying.

“What? Are you crying? Why are you suddenly crying? What? Why are you like this?”

“......You shouldn’t ask me that.”

“What? I shouldn’t even ask why you’re crying?”

The Werewolf, unable to understand the wet answer, asked back in confusion.

“You shouldn’t ask someone who lost their family at your hands...... something like that.”

Only then did she realize that this voice full of sorrow was the answer to the earlier question, and she slowly loosened the strength in her arms.

“So that’s how it is? It’s too difficult.”

The ignorant Werewolf still did not understand Adol’s words.

She only vaguely guessed that Adol’s loss might be similar to the death of the human she had left behind in the tent.

But if he dies, I think I’d be angry first.

I’d do my best to keep him from dying, but if he did die, then I’d take revenge.

After finishing revenge, I’d live again.

Just because something important disappeared does not mean I can die too.

The Werewolf stopped her vague and simple imagination.

She already knew that with something like this, she could not understand what the bastard called the sorrow of loss.

Since she could not understand, there was nothing she could do.

“Maybe it’s because you think about it too hard. You people die far too quickly.”

Other than quietly muttering that.

Mona and a few others went out of the village, and fortunately, Archie also shut himself inside his tent and hid from sight.

My expectation that he would immediately drag me away and interrogate me about what I had done last night was wrong, but thanks to that, I could look around without watching anyone’s reaction, so I did not care.

This place, where humans and monsters were mixed while pretending at peace, was quite interesting too.

In the original work, only descriptions after the protagonist’s arrival appeared.

Thanks to that, when it came to the Werewolf village, no description came to mind other than a battlefield swept by bloodshed.

Letting the gazes of the Werewolves glaring at me displeasedly flow past me, I recalled the contents of the original work.

[“You stupid half-formed thing. Did you think Archie died by your hand that easily?” At the convulsions of Mona, upon whom death had arrived, the young leader of the Werewolves blankly looked at him. “What does that mean?” “Archie was dying. You only hastened the life of your father, whose death was not far away. You never had the strength to lead the pack in the first place!” Mona’s struggle did not last long. Blood spurted from his mouth after he spat out his final dagger. Adol blankly looked once at the sword stuck in Mona’s stomach, then once at the owner of the sword. The black-haired intruder was silently looking down at him. “Why, is this your first time seeing a half-formed monster?” Adol bared his teeth and smiled.]

Looking at the original work, it meant the one holding little Adol’s future was Mona.

But after directly entering the bastards’ territory, I could not help but feel doubt.

After finishing a lap around the village, I looked at Archie’s quiet tent.

Why is Archie leaving Mona alone?