Volume 6 Chapter 65 The Fourth Chosen One
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”There are many wounded, but as far as we know, only fifteen dead.”
At last, their long-cherished wish had been fulfilled.
With a look of profound relief, Cattleya delivered the report, and Suzette could not conceal her shock.
”Only fifteen? I expected the toll to be in the hundreds.”
When tens of thousands clashed, casualties were usually beyond counting.
Especially in an age when sorcery, magic stones, and enchanted devices had so greatly amplified the firepower of war, no battle was bloodless.
They had all braced themselves for a mountain of corpses.
Who could have predicted such an outcome?
”Our bewitchment strategy succeeded. The soldiers who surrendered all looked utterly enthralled.”
Silke chuckled softly, flicking her ears. Beside her stood several other wolfkin, one of whom—an embarrassed male—scratched at his head.
He was far from the only one; male beastkin could be seen scattered everywhere in sight.
The headquarters of the Emperor of the Hundred Beasts. The campaign to take Slomvanilla.
The Liberation Army’s strategy had been almost absurdly simple.
They sent the Hero charging the front to cut down the Empress herself.
From the opposite flank, Cattleya assembled a special unit of selected beastkin females to hold the lines.
Specifically—females in heat.
”They carried a banner,” Silke continued. “It read: ‘The Hero fights for us, and the women of your homeland are here.’ The men had been starved of female company for far too long. They threw down their weapons and opened the gates with surprising speed.”
”Many of them longed to return home,” added Annerose, who had just arrived. “When they saw familiar women standing before them, not a single arrow flew. They hesitated to attack, and when we refrained from striking in turn, it only deepened their confusion. Once the first gate opened and the first defections began, the contagion spread rapidly.”
They spoke with relief tinged with pride. No doubt they had been the ones to propose the scheme.
Ordinarily, such a farcical ploy would have been dismissed out of hand. Yet here, it had yielded extraordinary results.
The Hero, famed as the savior, had truly come.
Their foes had been beastkin as well.
The women’s allure had swayed them, but more than that, the males had simply balked at drawing bows against females of their own kind.
And surely many of them already questioned the Empress’s brutal methods.
All these peculiar circumstances had converged, and Slomvanilla had fallen in what was all but an unbloodied capitulation.
Not least, the Empress herself had issued no command.
She and her companions had abandoned their men before the battle even began.
Perhaps Slomvanilla’s strength would have worked against other races, but against their own kin, it had proven fatally weak.
Truly, the cats had done well to hold their males in check until now. An internal revolt might have broken out at any time.
That aside, Suzette had unearthed a troubling fact amid the chaos.
Her true profession was espionage.
On the battlefield, she could never hope to rival Cianie. Even when she tried to assist, she was little more than a burden.
And so Suzette had dedicated herself to gathering intelligence from friend and foe alike.
In doing so, she had overheard pieces of the truth.
The catkin had been barred from the battle lines. That much was understandable.
But she had also learned that the wolfkin had been intended for the meat grinder, their lives deliberately squandered.
The plan reeked of ulterior motives—an unmistakable intent to use Lady Cianie for their own ends.
It was, no doubt, a maneuver with an eye toward politics after the war.
The glorious fortress of the Beast Continent had been brought low by beastkin themselves.
But this was far from the end. For the beastkin, the true trials would begin only now.
With their king dead, what followed was inevitable.
Many catkin lived in the lands surrounding Slomvanilla. The license to plunder them had been no accident.
It was a clear attempt to crush the race out of vengeance.
The war had begun as a rebellion against the Empire’s policies, yet now the cats themselves were targeted for extermination—and the wolves, incidentally, dragged down as well.
Cattleya and the other clan leaders clearly aimed to seize the next regime.
Trouble was inevitable. And yet, Suzette and her companions had troubles of their own unresolved.
’Sir Klock… Where are you…?‘
Back in Boorinel Town, a demon maid awaited tidings with desperate hope.
Cianie had not returned from her search. Meina, once infiltrated, had sent no word.
And Klock—whose trail had never been found—remained lost in her mind’s eye.
Still, she waited.
”…Why? Why can’t I find you anywhere?”
Within Slomvanilla Castle’s throne room, only ruin remained.
Charred walls sagged and collapsed, the once splendid citadel dissolved into rubble.
Where there had once been grandeur, there was only ash.
At the heart of the desolate hall stood the empty throne—lonely, abandoned, soon to be swallowed by time.
”We are sorry. There is no sign of Klock—no scent, and no trace. He may never have been here at all.”
A young woman hurried in and knelt on one knee before her.
The wolf princess. Her face bore exhaustion, yet still she pledged her loyalty.
From the first charge of the assault to the long night of battle and search, she had never ceased.
By rights, she should have rested already, but none could bring themselves to stop her.
”…Not here. Not here, not here, not here. Stop it. Don’t torment me any further.”
Did she even perceive the princess before her?
Gray hair spilled down, veiling her face as she pressed her hands over her eyes.
Her head drooped weakly, her body swaying as though to collapse—yet her clenched teeth betrayed her stubborn will.
”…There is still a way.”
She lifted her face at last.
Her eyes, blue as gemstones, burned once more with fierce resolve.
Hero Anna—Cianie—blazed with yet another surge of passion.
”…You’re the wolf princess, aren’t you? Tell Suzette this.”
”Yes. What shall I tell her?”
”I’m going to call my comrades. I’ll be leaving this land for a little while—tell her that.”
Straightening her back, she looked forward once again.
With a single exhale, she raised her left hand and began to whirl her magic with ferocious speed.
A long-distance teleportation spell.
Even one without magic, like the wolf princess, could sense it. Space itself warped, a maelstrom of power swirling around the Hero.
”Pardon me. Might you be the Hero Anna?”
The sudden voice from behind startled the wolf princess.
A hooded figure approached at a measured pace.
”An honor. I am Parl, magician of the Beast Country’s court.”
A mage of the Beast Country.
Two pairs of eyes turned upon her as she raised her hood.
Dark green eyes, long pointed ears, skin of deep bronze—and hair so pale it shimmered faintly with blue.
”Your campaign was magnificent. Truly worthy of the Savior Hero.”
”…An elf?”
The Hero’s spell power subsided. She halted her teleportation, facing the strange visitor.
They merely stood opposite one another, yet the air was heavy with intimidation—whether born of the elf’s presence, or of Cianie’s own fraying nerves.
”What business does a mage of Beast Country have with me?”
”Are you not seeking a human man? I know where he went.”
Blunt and direct. Precisely the words she wanted most.
Cianie’s eyes flew wide. The elf’s lips curled faintly.
Her voice was that of an elder, but her face was youthful—yet her expression carried a depth of will, dark and impenetrable as a forest at night.
”You know Klock? Where is he?”
”East of here. In the Forgotten Ruins stands a hidden refuge—what they call the Cat Tower.”
At those words, Cianie almost bolted forth at once. Parl hastily raised a hand to halt her.
”I never said he still lives.”
Time stopped.
As if a leviathan had ceased moving, stilling the sea itself, so too did the Hero’s sudden stillness freeze the very air around her. For that moment, it felt as though the world itself had ceased to turn.
”…What?”
”I opposed their tyranny from the start. The Empress, the catkin, their corruption, their cruelty—all beyond bearing. I warned them again and again, to cease their reckless ways, to think of the people.”
Parl paused, turning to the window that had survived the destruction, her face shadowed with sorrow.
”The twin princesses, Elna and Lona, were no different. With their innocent cruelty, they bared their fangs at all around them. Word reached me that they had captured the human. For reasons unknown, they toyed with one of another race. I sought to put an end to it, and went to the Cat Tower. …But alas, I was too late.”
”…What are you saying?”
The intent was clear enough. Parl turned back, locking eyes with Cianie.
The wolf princess grimaced, looked away, and clicked her tongue, foreseeing the end of the tale.
”Klock Livorno is dead.”
Parl lowered her gaze as if in apology.
No jest, no metaphor—merely the truth of what had transpired.
”W–what are you saying?”
”Princess Elna herself told me. She had him executed, for the crime of disrespect.”
Executed.
The word struck Cianie like a thunderbolt. Her eyes flew open.
Her breath came ragged as she clutched her head.
”N–no… no, that’s a lie. Stop it. Stop it, stop it, stop it!”
”My apologies. I lacked the strength—”
”STOP ITTTTT!”
Cianie collapsed to her knees.
She fell forward, head bowed, her strength gone.
”No! No, no, no! You’re lying, you’re lying! That can’t be true—no, it can’t, because… because I finally made peace with Klock—”
Like a scolded child, Cianie sat slumped upon the floor, her face hidden, her shoulders trembling.
The wolf princess made as if to console her, but gave up and turned away. Pressing a hand to her brow, she only shook her head in silence.
”…I have decided to abandon them. For the sake of the world, I devoted myself, body and soul. But that ends today. The cats no longer have any will to seek peace. I have resolved to return to the forest.”
So Parl declared, her words falling softly into the vast throne hall. In the hollow stillness, no one offered reply.
”…Hmm.”
Tears began to trickle down the girl’s cheeks.
This was the Hero. This was the living Savior.
Looking upon her, Parl’s expression was oddly detached, almost serene. She closed her eyes for a moment, as if in thought, then stepped closer to Cianie.
”…Hero. This is not the time for despair. There remains the possibility that he still lives.”
”…Eh?”
Even weeping, the Hero was beautiful. Slowly she lifted her face. Parl smiled gently, meeting her gaze.
”Princess Elna seemed to harbor hatred for this Klock. But if all they wished was his death, there would have been no need to drag him back alive. My belief is that he still lives.”
Hidden away somewhere, tormented—that was how she put it.
Cianie froze at her words.
”To rid themselves of a meddlesome elder, I suspect they devised a scheme. Otherwise they would have killed him the moment they found him. But I know this much: they imprisoned Klock in the Cat Tower.”
”He’s… alive? He’s still alive?”
Light flared in her eyes once more. Seeing it, the court sorcerer smiled faintly. She looked far too young to be called an old woman, yet at that moment she seemed the very image of a kindly elder easing a youth’s burden.
”He lives. That would be the more logical truth. And if he lives… then he must be enduring terrible suffering.”
”…Torture.”
The wolf princess muttered it under her breath.
She had been tortured herself during her confinement in the Bastili Hundred Pits, a fact the Liberation Army had recorded—and one Cianie had heard. At the word, she lowered her head, then after a heartbeat clenched her hand tight and rose to her feet.
”Good. That is what makes you the Hero. But if you mean to go, you must hurry. Once word spreads of Slomvanilla’s fall, they may grow desperate enough for atrocity.”
”…Understood. This Cat Tower lies in the Forgotten Ruins, yes? I believe I recall seeing the name somewhere…”
”The Cat Tower is concealed within those ruins. To reach it—hm?”
Something darted between Cianie and Parl and came to rest upon her shoulder. A small bird.
”…What? The Cat Tower is empty?”
”…Eh?”
The bird chirruped sharply. Parl frowned.
The Forestkin could converse with animals; the news it carried would be nothing less than what it had seen and heard.
”…It seems the cats fled. They left the tower last night. I am sorry—his whereabouts are lost once more.”
”….”
So they had foreseen Slomvanilla’s attack. Out of fear, they had fled. The location so newly gained had slipped away again, and the trail was back at the start.
”…I see. Even knowing where he was held is enough.”
Cianie’s voice was clear and firm now, though faint tracks of tears still marked her eyes. Were Klock to see her, he might have recalled the girl she had once been.
Yet in her gaze burned a steady flame once more—her resolve to fight again.
”Wolf princess. As I said before—I’ll seek help from my comrades. Tell Suzette I’ll not return to Boorinel but begin the search at once. As for you, do as you wish. Thank you for everything you’ve done to help.”
”…Yes, ma’am.”
It was a word of gratitude from Hero Anna.
She understood how the princess had followed her, striving always to support her. For an instant the wolf princess’s lips threatened to soften into a smile, but she caught herself and bowed her head with solemn composure.
Cianie raised her left hand once more.
Wind swept through, and vast power like the sea began to whirl within her. As she invoked the long-distance teleportation again, Parl spoke up swiftly.
”Hero. Before we part, heed this counsel. Should you find Princess Elna, and she holds Lord Klock at her side, do not hesitate. Strike her down. If she takes him hostage, nothing can be done. End her before that can happen.”
”…Understood.”
With a single nod, Cianie vanished.
Long-distance teleportation—at that instant, the Hero was gone from the Beast Continent.
The wolf princess hurried off as well, racing to fulfill her own duty. Left behind in the great hall was only Parl, alone.
”…So that is one who dares to stand.”
In the hushed stillness, the girl whispered.
Her dark robe rippled in the wind as she gazed out the window.
”So the cat princess has already left the tower. Then there was no need to spur the challenger on. That tower admits none without the cats’ sanction. Had she stepped outside, I need only have slain the cat princess myself and fed the man. Truly, I should have waited a little longer—now matters are more troublesome than before.”
Gone was the aged speech. She muttered to herself in the voice of a young girl.
At the window, sunlight caught her bronzed skin. Forestkin were known for their fair complexions—never brown. None but she herself knew the truth. None would ever suspect.
”…Purifier. Prepare the beast of speed and hunger. The challenger’s strength equals that of the Hunter. In battle, they cannot win. This is a contest where the first strike decides the victor.”
At her words, the little bird took flight.
She scratched her head idly, as though already weary of it all.
”Still… surprising. Without doubt, they are lovers. The Hero crossed the sea to the Beast Continent, abandoning the Demon Lord’s Army, and even when the Human–Demon War began, she did not return. All to chase after a man of unknown origin. Suspicious, from the start. Had I investigated earlier, it would have been simple to take the initiative.”
She smiled faintly.
In that moment she seemed a young maiden, envisioning the future—believing in a radiant tomorrow, pure and unstained.
”…There are five chosen. The Pursuer. The Challenger. The Guide. The Binder. The Hunter. Even if they remain ignorant of their roles, the goddess’s blessing cannot be deceived. There is no such thing as a difference in soul’s strength—only whether one is protected or not.”
Slowly she closed her eyes, then opened them again.
She walked toward the hall’s exit, her next step awaiting.
But with each pace, her smile twisted.
Gone was the maiden—before the world now stood a ruthless queen, noble and terrible, who knew of ruin and would bring ruin.
”Klock Livorno. You are the Binder.”
At that moment, the floor quaked beneath her feet.
The castle groaned and rattled; windows clattered, and beyond them, birds took wing all at once.
Outside, the militia left in the city cried out in alarm at the tremors.
The girl cast a long gaze over the castle town. Then she smiled faintly—and melted into the shadows.
Notes:
• Cattleya – The lord; resides in the town of Boorinel, east of Ryzan, past the Mesa; wants to confirm Klock’s humanity.
• Suzette – The older maid from Viscount Fennec. The head maid at the Viscount Fennec’s villa. She is confident, clear-spoken, and professional.
• Silke – Silke is the acting lord of Belandi, a Beastkin from the bird-beast clan that was relocated to Boorinel. She has chestnut-brown hair and first appears in chapter v6c9 along with Annerose to meet with Cianie.
• Slomvanilla – The white fortress, also known as the empress’s residence; a gigantic bedroom on the scale of a fortress.
• Annerose – Zain’s daughter, a fox-like dog Beastkin who is discriminatory toward cat Beastkin, she is offered as a potential companion to Klock.
• Cianie – A noble girl with a fluffy white and light blue dress, indicating her high status. She has a hesitant and flustered personality but is kind and courteous. Her relationship with Klock begins as an accidental encounter and develops into a romantic interest. She has a fiancé but expresses feelings for Klock, complicating their relationship.
• Boorinel – A town east of Ryzan, where Lord Cattleya’s manor is located; said to be a long journey from Ryzan.
• Meina – She is a golden-haired catgirl employee of the beastman (Larana the cat woman) Inn, appeared performing fellatio, desperate and tear-streaked, with an inexperienced yet earnest approach to her work.
• Anna – The legendary Hero, chosen to defeat the Demon Lord. Her past life is Sylvia Croce. She is described as a heavenly being with overwhelming skill and a merciless attitude.
• Elna – Female. A young apprentice mage. Her appearance is that of a child with white hair reaching her shoulders. She wears a black hooded mantle with strange patterns. Her relationship is as an apprentice to Hermine, the Great Mage. Her power involves advanced magic, including spatial teleportation. Her combat style is magical, and she is described as childish and easily provoked.
• Lona – Female. A young apprentice mage. Her appearance is that of a child with black hair reaching her shoulders. She wears a black hooded mantle with strange patterns. Her relationship is as an apprentice to Hermine, the Great Mage. Her power involves advanced magic, including spatial teleportation. Her combat style is magical, and she is described as childish and easily provoked. Elna’s sister; a black cat Beastkin who’s relatively normally developed physically compared to Elna.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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