Became a tyrant of defense games - Episode 247
◈ 247. [Side Story] Autumn leaves
dozens of years ago.
South-central part of the continent. Change near major forest. in the forest.
puck! Powok-!
Kureha's thunderous fist fell from the tree and struck the armor of the Imperial soldier..
“Wow!”
“Ouch?!”
Soldiers with dented armor fell backwards, screaming..
Kureha landed on the ground, spinning her red lapwing's head around, then stepped on a branch again and ran up the tree..
The imperial soldiers urgently aimed their spear tips at the tree, but Kureha was no longer visible..
“Why are you suffering with your eyes open! I don't keep boundaries straight?!”
“Ha, but it's too fast and there are too many numbers-”
Bah! Wow!
It wasn't just Kureha. Warriors from other beast tribes also made surprise attacks from the trees..
The imperial army was falling one by one after being beaten by the surprise attacks and desertions of the warriors of the newly arrived beastman tribe..
at last,
“retreat! retreat-!”
Unable to hold out, the imperial commander shouted, and the soldiers turned around in a huff and began to run away, as if they had been waiting..
The beastmen warriors who were watching the fleeing imperial soldiers came down from the tree one by one..
The beastman warriors, who were catching their rough breaths, eventually clapped their hands together..
“won!”
“I defeated it this time too……!”
Despite the victory, the warriors' expressions were not very bright..
The imperial army continued to push in tirelessly, despite losing several soldiers, with an overwhelming offensive force..
On the other hand, the number of warriors of the beast people was limited, and even that was being eaten away little by little..
The battle in the forest recorded an overwhelming exchange rate, but the front line was steadily being pushed back..
If we were pushed a little further, we would have to fight between villages..
“Everyone worked hard! I won today too!”
Kureha, the field commander, shouted in a bright voice..
“Pick up the injured and dead! Let's go back to the village.”
When they returned to the village, the beast people all welcomed the warriors. Cheers and applause erupted..
Commander Kureha was especially popular. Residents unanimously chanted Kureha's name..
“Kureha! Kureha!”
“Miraculous Kureha! undefeated warrior!”
“The imperial army is no match for our warriors.!”
Kureha waved her hand moderately and accepted the cheers with a tired face..
Kureha has not suffered defeat in any of the battles she has participated in since she first went into battle at the age of eighteen..
We won, or even if we didn't, we at least achieved a draw. And he returned with his allies alive..
That's why it got this nickname.
Miraculous Kureha.
An undefeated warrior who protects his tribe..
“You're still incredibly popular, Kureha. Well, your battle record is nothing short of legendary..”
Among the residents, my mother welcomed me warmly with a proud face..
Kureha lightly hugged her mother and smiled bitterly..
“Because I'm lucky.”
“This guy is really lucky. This is your skill…….”
“That's not an empty remark, it's because I'm really lucky. I am an incredibly lucky person..”
Kureha looked down at the crude necklace hanging around her neck. It was a necklace with coins from an ancient kingdom that are no longer in use..
“Because my brother Kuilan is protecting me..”
Kuilan was the name of his younger brother who died in an accident when he was young..
This necklace was said to be Kuilan's keepsake and was given to her by her mother..
Mother always used to talk to Kureha. Kuilan is protecting you. He said, don't forget the name of your brother who protects you..
Kureha couldn't even remember her younger brother's face, but she would think about it every time she got strangely lucky on the battlefield..
This is all thanks to the luck my brother lent me..
“…….”
The mother, who was looking at her son with a silent gaze, smiled..
“Anyway, I had a hard time. Let's go home quickly. Your father was looking for you.”
The village chief and martial arts teacher for the village warriors. And the village's representative shaman.
The father was waiting for his son at the village chief's mansion..
“I'm back, father..”
“hmm.”
The father did not even give a smile to his son who came back alive..
However, Kureha was able to read her father's feelings just by looking at her father's hard face, which softened..
I am happy. My son's victory.
“Where was the injury?”
“doesn't exist. I'm fine as always.”
“the other warriors?”
“There are eight injured and five dead..”
“How far have they marched??”
“They set up camp next to an oak tree in the center of the forest..”
Kureha continued speaking urgently..
“I can't last much longer like this, father..”
“…….”
“As I said before, why not offer peace? Now that we have proven that we have sufficient military power, the Empire will be willing to negotiate.…….”
“nonsense!”
my father shouted harshly.
“If you open the way for them, you will end up becoming their slaves. Have you not seen how other tribes fell??”
“But, father… … The warriors are exhausted, and there are no more front lines to push through. At this rate, we'll have to fight through the village fence within a few weeks..”
As well as Kureha, the field commander, I also knew my father, who monitored the situation of the entire village as the village chief, well..
The residents were also getting tired, and the village's supplies were running out..
Defeat was only a matter of time.
“……Still, there is a way.”
But still my father wouldn't give up.
“Kureha. Come under the maple altar tonight.”
“yes?”
“I give you the last legacy of the clan... … I will teach you the five principles of the Maple Fist..”
Surprised by those words, Kureha widened her eyes..
Maple Fist was a martial arts method passed down from generation to generation in the clan..
My father studied it with Kureha, but in the end, he did not teach her the final secret technique, which could be the final decision of the heart. The reason was that it was too dangerous..
He said he would teach it to him tonight..
Kureha was saddened by the situation of the tribe, who had been cornered to the point where they had to pass on that dangerous secret technique, but at the same time, she was happy..
The next level of martial arts that you have built up throughout your life.
Because I was finally able to grasp that thing that seemed so elusive..
***
There was a huge maple tree in the center of the village..
It was a beautiful maple tree that was probably hundreds of years old..
Now that fall is near, the leaves are turning red from the tips..
This tree, so huge that you can feel awe just by looking up at it, was the symbol of the clan..
The name of the clan, Danpungrang (丹楓狼), and the name of the fighting technique used by the clan, Danpungkwon (丹楓拳), are both taken from this tree..
Kureha slowly approached the altar in front of the tree..
The full moon rose brightly in the dark night sky. The moonlight was so bright that the entire area was as bright as day..
Her father was waiting for Kureha in front of the altar. He was accompanied by warriors from other tribes..
The warriors waited by the altar, and her father took Kureha to the front of the tree..
“……Kureha.”
“yes father.”
“Our tribe is a beast... … I also know that he carries on the blood of the wolf tribe.?”
“yes. But unlike other tribes, there is a lot of human blood mixed in... … You said that almost all of the characteristics of a beastman have disappeared..”
Other beasts have hair growing on their bodies, teeth and claws sprouting like those of animals, or ears standing up like those of animals... … There were characteristics such as.
These Danpungrang tribesmen were almost no different from humans..
Except for the fact that they had slightly better physical abilities than ordinary humans and that they all had red hair, they had no characteristics that could be called descendants of beastmen..
Kureha's father stood in front of the huge trunk of a maple tree and sighed softly..
“Actually, no.”
“yes?”
“Our tribe has stronger ancestral blood than any other beastman tribe..”
My father's big fist was clenched tightly like a hammer..
“Wolf's blood. A tribe of warlike people, crazy about fighting and killing.”
“…….”
“In order to reduce the beast nature, our ancestors steadily intermarried with humans to dilute the wolf's blood. But it was no use. No, it actually got worse… … The fighting spirit turned into something close to mania..”
My father slowly looked up at the sky. I saw a full moon sprinkling bright light..
“In your great-grandfather's generation, when the moon was bright like today, the blood boiled... … Everyone went crazy and would kill each other. It was no longer the blood of the ancestors, but a curse..”
Kureha held her breath as she heard this story for the first time. her father continued.
“Your great-grandfather, the greatest shaman in the tribe's history, thought about a way to resolve this situation. And you found a way.”
“what is the method?”
“scapegoat.”
Kureha's shoulders trembled at the sudden words. his father continued.
“Pick an innocent child from among the tribe members and place a curse on the entire tribe on that child... … The blood of our ancestors drove away the beast that was sleeping..”
“……wait a minute.”
“When the beast nature was castrated, only then were we able to live as full human beings. No need to go crazy in the moonlight, no need to kill each other.”
“Just a moment, father.!”
Kureha asked urgently..
“Then what about that child? What happens to that child??”
“……Carrying the beast nature and curse of the entire tribe, they live their whole lives as monsters..”
My father, who spoke in a hard, emotionless tone as usual, stretched out his hand..
“Then, when they die, they pick the next child. One person per generation, a vessel to carry on the curse.…….”
My father's hand traced the trunk of the maple tree a few times, found a groove, and pushed it aside..
Suddenly.
Then a small door leading into the huge tree opened..
Kureha gaped at the sight she had never seen before..
My father took the lead and entered the maple tree..
“And, the child who became a monster... … He stays here until his death. Without the knowledge of any of the tribe members, under the management of the village chief, the highest shaman of the village..”
Inside the empty trunk of the maple tree, there was barely enough space for one person..
And, there.
Suddenly... … . Gradually…….
There was a boy whose neck and limbs were bound in chains..
With wild red hair and a body as dry as a mummy,.
Just bones and skin, really. And hair sprouted all over the body like a wolf... … boy.
The boy, who was lying face down on the floor, was just staring into space with blank eyes, not paying any attention to who came and went..
“This child is the child of the curse.”
The father said to Kureha, who looked down at the boy in shock..
“It's Kuilan..”
“yes? Kuilan……?”
Kureha's hands were shaking..
“This child, my… … He's my younger brother.?”
“okay.”
“But, Kuilan is dead.……!”
“I had to tell other people that.”
My father's voice was as grave as always..
“The ritual of transferring the curse from the vessels of previous generations had to be performed in secret..
I can't use someone else's child, so between my two sons... … I had to choose a vessel to contain the curse of the next generation..”
“……Then why was Kuilan chosen as the vessel??”
Kureha looked down at her younger sister's lips, which were cracked like dry fields from a drought, and asked harshly..
“Why this kid and not me? Was there a reason?”
“Aren't you always talking about yourself?.”
Father pointed to Kureha's chest..
“you are lucky.”
Kureha looked down at him in confusion..
An old coin from an ancient kingdom was hanging on a necklace. Kureha's eyes widened..
“no way…….”
“okay.”
My father nodded slowly..
“A coin was thrown. Tails came out, and your brother was chosen as the bowl… … That's all..”
“……!”
Kureha gritted her teeth..
coin toss.
With just such a gamble, the fates of the brothers were divided..
Kureha was lucky and survived, but unlucky Kuilan died..
One became the clan's hero as the best warrior in the village, while the other was erased from existence and became a monster in the shadows..
“How, how…….”
Kureha knelt down in front of Kuilan's skin and bones, her shoulders shaking..
“How could you do such a cruel thing, father?……!”
“It was so that we could live as humans..”
The father muttered while looking at his two sons at a glance..
“If only one member of the tribe became a monster, everyone else could live as humans..”
Kureha gritted her teeth and looked back..
In the cool moonlight shining through the tree trunk, my father stood as firm as always..
The face of a man who willingly took responsibility for hundreds of years of clan history and the lives of thousands of tribe members throughout his life..
“If only one person suffers, everyone else can be happy.”
There was no guilt..
“That's all..”
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