Chapter 237

Chapter 237: Archie’s Story (3)

-Aaaaaah!!

Startled ‍​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‍by the rough force, the woman screamed and swung both arms.

Archie ‍​‌​‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍dragged the struggling woman away from the cliff.

Only ‍​‌​‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍after creating enough distance that the woman could not suddenly jump down the cliff did he let go of her hand.

-Are ‍​‌​‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍you trying to die?

After ‍​‌​‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍setting the woman down as if throwing her onto the ground, Archie could not endure his contempt and asked coldly.

-Wh-what are you?

The woman, who had not yet come to her senses, was horrified by the pressure of Archie suddenly asking about death, and gathered herself to stand.

-Wh-where did you come from? Who are you? And why are you speaking to me so rudely out of nowhere?

The flustered woman asked, but Archie had not revealed himself out of kindness to teach her his identity.

-I asked if you were going to die. Were you not about to jump down there just now?

When Archie pressed her, reason began returning to the woman’s eyes, which had been dying black.

-......I don’t intend to die like this. Even if I die, I should reduce the price of my sins first.

Perhaps she sensed that Archie would not change his rude attitude, because the woman’s words had become short.

-What price of sin? How do you pay that price by trying to jump down?

Archie asked persistently.

-What are you going to do with that? Why are you meddling after suddenly appearing out of nowhere?

-You cannot answer, can you? Because it is true that you were trying to throw away your life by pathetically jumping down there.

-Ah, I said I wasn’t trying to die?!

At Archie’s scolding, the woman could not endure it and raised her voice.

After glaring at Archie while breathing hard for a moment, the woman gradually regained her calm.

-If not, answer me. What price of sin are you trying to pay so badly that you would even die?

But Archie was persistent.

While the woman guarded herself against the persistence of this ruffian who had appeared out of nowhere, she also seemed to conclude that he was someone not in his right mind.

Once they acknowledged each other’s madness, the conversation surprisingly continued rather calmly.

It seemed the woman’s half-giving-up state of mind, that it did not matter what she said to a mad human anyway, played a large part.

-I said I wasn’t trying to die. And by the price of sin, I mean the price of surviving on my own.

The woman answered with a sigh.

For this reason, which was nothing but pathetic, Archie’s brow crumpled mercilessly.

-Even living becomes a sin? Is even that decided?

-How one must live is decided. Everyone learns that. You speak as if you didn’t.

The woman answered as if stating something as obvious as the sky being blue.

As if all humans were naturally meant to be that way.

In truth, Archie had never spoken this long with a human before.

Until now, the only words that had come from the mouths of humans before him were at most pleas to spare them or curses.

Even those were words left behind by humans with quite a bit of courage.

Most were meaningless screams.

Of course, the woman before his eyes too was scheduled to become like that someday, and in the near future.

-Then how must you live?

When Archie, who had been silent, suddenly asked, the woman looked at him with surprised eyes.

-How must I live? That’s......

As if troubled over how to answer such a simple question, the woman chose her words for a moment.

-That’s living without anything weighing on you when you die. When you die, without shame, without regrets. Like that....... Then death probably won’t be frightening either. Because you can go to the paradise where Lord Sierra Abalan is.

-So you live in order to die well?

-It means being faithful to the present in order to be happy after death.

If those words were true, then the humans who had died by his hand until now did not seem to have lived lives they could be sufficiently unashamed of.

When the time came for them to die, none of them seemed able to think of any of that.

They were busy begging to be spared.

In that sense, when they had fallen below the cliff, the woman’s response could be called excellent.

The calculation that she would give up one arm to live, and the way she had prepared for being betrayed, though in a shabby way, were all judgments where attachment to life could be felt.

-It seems like you could die proudly enough even if you died now.

Archie gave his honest impression without thinking deeply.

At the same time, the woman’s face, which had been full of wariness, eased a little, and a new expression rose in its place.

A faint smile appeared on the woman’s face.

He had not exactly said it as praise, yet the human seemed to have accepted it as something pleasant to hear.

-......That’s because you don’t know what kind of person I am.

The woman answered without erasing her smile.

Archie swallowed the words that he knew more than she thought.

At the same time, Archie realized what the emotion he had been feeling for a while now was.

Discomfort.

Archie found this woman extremely uncomfortable.

But strangely, the woman seemed to feel the exact opposite from Archie.

As if she had suddenly become comfortable with Archie, the woman closed the distance between herself and him by one step.

-What’s your name? Where did you come from? I’m Amy.

I know that too.

But he did not want to act as though he knew.

Because he needed to learn a little more about humans.

-From now on, I’m going to live somewhere no one knows me. You’re just a wanderer too, right? Or do you live nearby?

Though as the price, he would have to suffer under the woman’s endless questions for a while.

***

When Archie passed through the dark cave and arrived at the village, quiet had already settled over it.

It seemed no one had noticed that he had disappeared.

Even if they had noticed, nothing would have changed.

Though they would have burned with fighting spirit, saying they should kill more humans tomorrow, and an even fiercer fight might have broken out.

What stopped Archie as he headed toward his nest without any particular feeling was a voice familiar, if familiar was the word.

-You managed to return alive.

Even without turning back, he could tell who owned the voice that gave off needless pressure.

-You look disappointed that I came back alive.

-You seem more intact than I expected.

The leader, who had looked Archie up and down, muttered.

-I will take care of my own life, so you watch your own neck. Most bastards have already noticed that you are growing weaker.

Even at Archie’s words, deliberately grating on his nerves, the leader showed not the slightest disturbance.

-I do not know how you returned alive, but you must have realized something from today’s incident too. From now on, you will need to act a little more wisely.

Instead, he merely returned a provocation disguised as advice.

Archie, who had spent strength maintaining human form while injured and felt as if he would collapse at any moment, held his body upright and raised the corner of his mouth.

-Yes, I realized quite a lot.

That humans were trash he could not even associate with, and that in order not to be hunted, simply killing humans blindly was not enough.

Instead of listing out his humiliating sense of defeat, Archie glared at the leader.

-I realized very well that you do not have the ability to lead the pack. Should you not have figured out long ago that the Imperial Family was using humans as bait to catch monsters? Tell the village bastards to stop losing their minds and lunging whenever they see a human.

Even at Archie’s rebuke, the leader looked at Archie without showing even a small trace of anger.

Archie, who now wanted to return and rest, no longer felt it worth dealing with him and turned around.

-Shall I tell you one secret?

At that moment, the leader lowered his voice and asked.

Archie stopped without realizing it and glared at him.

-I am, rather, waiting for the day you become leader. I am waiting for you to become stronger than me and attack me.

Archie thought he was deliberately provoking him.

Perhaps he was trying to make his exhausted self attack so he could cut off the sprout threatening the leader’s seat.

But soon his thoughts reached the point that the leader could get rid of him right here even without using such a trick.

There were no watching eyes, and Archie’s stamina had hit rock bottom.

Even though he could quietly deal with his enemy now, the leader did not attack Archie.

The standoff continued briefly, but the one who turned his eyes away first was the leader.

-Do not die. I have very great expectations for you.

Leaving behind those cryptic words, the leader passed by him and returned to his nest.

For some reason, the leader’s steps seemed a little slow, but Archie did not have enough stamina left to care about such a trivial thing.

Because the injury in his chest was still throbbing, and the unpleasantness left behind by the existence of the woman he had left alive instead of killing filled Archie’s head.

***

Amy eventually settled in a house a little removed from her hometown village.

Archie occasionally stopped by Amy’s house and helped with small tasks, and Amy’s wariness, which had already crumbled so badly its shape was hard to find, completely turned to powder and scattered away.

In that way, Amy came to believe without the slightest doubt Archie’s words that he was a hunter and wanderer.

Archie looked around the old house he had repaired in order to gain the woman’s trust.

The worn-out cabin was far from even the nearby village and looked perfect for dying.

Well, that must be why the owner abandoned it.

At Amy’s timid excuse that she would return the house whenever the owner came back, Archie answered that the owner was probably dead long ago anyway, so if someone claimed to be the owner, he would not only be a fraud, but a remarkably stupid bastard.

Because even if he stole this house and lived in it, before long, he too would be caught and eaten by animals or monsters.

At the biting criticism, Amy offered him warm water with an ambiguous face that made it hard to tell whether she was laughing or crying.

-It would have been better to settle somewhere a little closer to the village.

Archie, who had been touching the cup of water Amy handed him with his finger, asked while staring straight at her.

-This place is good too. I can tend a small vegetable garden behind the house, and the air is nice. I like this place.

Amy answered with a bright smile.

Archie swallowed back the hollow laugh that was about to burst out.

It was an absurd lie.

This foolish woman was waiting to die at a monster’s hands, as the Imperial Family had ordered.

She talked about paying the price of her sins and all, but she was simply afraid to kill herself, and unable to return to her hometown, so she had settled here.

Waiting for some monster to one day bite off her neck in one go.

It could be called a mad thought, but after observing her for several days, the woman Archie saw was indeed a lunatic whose head was filled with mad thoughts.

Also, this madness was not particularly special.

Because all the humans nearby were likewise lunatics.

It meant the woman’s twisted faith and belief in the Imperial Family had not only been passed down from her father.

All humans simply accepted it as natural.

Like a fawn learning how to walk the moment it was born, it was reason itself that all humans fanatically followed the Imperial Family’s orders from birth.

Enduring that patheticness and disgust, Archie tapped Amy’s old table.

At the movement that revealed the irritation his patience had failed to hide, Amy’s gaze moved from Archie’s fingers to his face.

-But are you going to keep coming here? Like you said, this place has few people around, so it’s pretty dangerous.

Is she telling me not to come because I’m annoying now?

Archie narrowed his eyes.

For the time being, he intended to travel back and forth between this cabin and his village beyond the cave, gathering information.

Though he could not stop them from using humans as bait any further, Archie had no intention of leaving things as they were while the Imperial Family captured and killed monsters.

For now, they seemed to be playing at hunting, but one day, they might use this to attack their village too.

Before he became leader, no, even after becoming leader, Archie had no intention of watching his race end up in such a position.

If that side used humans to catch Werewolves, there was no reason this side could not use the same method.

Though he would have to endure a slight degree of disgust.

-It seems you cannot wait to chase me out, but I am only coming to check on this house that looks like it might collapse at any moment.

When Archie answered sharply, Amy shook her head with startled eyes.

-Cannot wait to chase you out? I don’t care if you come every single day. I actually like it. What I meant was, because it’s dangerous, you should be careful. And your body isn’t well either......

Archie’s face hardened as he let Amy’s excuse pass through one ear.

-What did you say?

-Huh? What?

Amy asked back with a face that said she did not understand.

-That my body is not well. What do you mean by that?

At Archie’s unusual voice, Amy’s eyes rolled as the atmosphere slowly sank heavily.

-No, I just mean your complexion isn’t good, and sometimes when you move, your body looks uncomfortable too. So I thought maybe you were hurt somewhere.

It was just as the woman said.

The injury inflicted by the Imperial Family had still not healed and was festering inside.

The problem was that he had no intention of letting anyone know that fact.

At the instinctive discomfort of having his physical condition discovered, Archie briefly forgot that Amy was human and glared fiercely at her.

But flusteringly, what returned was clear eyes filled with nothing but worry.

Archie felt the discomfort in his heart grow greater for a moment.

Without a word, he rose and left the old cabin.

Amy’s confused voice caught at him from behind, but Archie did not stop walking.

If he stayed as he was, he felt he would tear the woman to death at any moment, regardless of utility or anything else.

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