Chapter 136: Bruce

Perleti had already more or less guessed the answer the moment she saw Elisa appear.

A knight captain marching toward death—before dawn tore through the wilderness—had already sent all the families of his knights to safety in the rear.

All except his own daughter.

Perhaps he couldn’t bear the thought of Elisa wandering alone out there.

Or perhaps the girl had stubbornly clutched at her father’s clothes, crying and refusing to leave.

That was why she had remained here until now—on this land that was about to be swallowed by war.

But now—

Elisa had no choice but to leave.

“Is… Dad leaving too?”

At her age, it was impossible to hide emotions.

Elisa tried very hard to calm herself. She had always known this day would come.

But when she was truly faced with Fakenna’s farewell, her tears burst like a broken dam, impossible to stop.

“Mm. Dad has something he must do.”

“From now on, let this big sister take care of you. You have to be obedient, okay? Don’t cause her trouble.”

Elisa nodded vigorously.

It felt like her throat was stuffed with soaked cotton. Countless words surged up—but in the end, all she could do was hug him tightly.

She buried her face in her father’s chest, listening to that steady, powerful heartbeat—

And refused to lift her head again.

A completely out-of-place voice shattered the warm, touching moment.

“Yo, boss, you’re back already? I picked some fresh wild fruit—wanna try?”

The moment she heard that rough, inhuman voice, Perleti’s body tensed instantly. Goosebumps rose along her skin as she pulled out Changming from beneath her cloak, staring at the newcomer with full vigilance.

“…A beastman.”

The large beastman carrying a bulging sack stopped in his tracks.

His furry head tilted to the side as he pointed at Perleti, his expression barely readable as confusion.

“Huh? What’s with this girl? Why’s she so scared of me?”
“Seriously, it’s not like I’m some bad dog.”

He scratched his head and walked straight past her.

But the moment he saw Fakenna and Elisa embracing, his ears shot upright.

“Boss… you’re leaving???” His tone carried uncertainty.

“Yeah. Brutus, from now on, you’ll take Xiao Sha and leave with Perleti.”

“With who? Her?” The beastman pointed at Perleti, squeezing his snout slightly as he spoke doubtfully. “She looks kinda timid. Can she even handle it?”

“Hey! Who are you calling timid?!”
Knowing he was one of Fakenna’s people, Perleti put Changming away—but her gaze remained locked firmly on Brutus.

“Who else? You got scared stiff just from seeing me—how’re you supposed to protect Xiao Sha?”

“Alright, alright, you two, stop arguing.”

Seeing the two about to start bickering, Fakenna quickly cut them off.

“Perleti’s identity is a bit special. She interacts with beastmen often, so her reaction is understandable.”

Brutus looked her up and down skeptically.

Aside from the strange weapon in her hand, he couldn’t see anything particularly special.

He smacked his lips, about to say more—when he suddenly seemed to remember something and patted the inner layer of his armor.

“Ah, forget it. More importantly, I brought back some good stuff.”

He tossed the sack to the ground and pulled out two pieces of white bread from inside his armor, handing them to Elisa.

“White bread? Where’d you get that, Big Yellow?” Elisa took one, looking at him curiously.

“Oh, that? When I was coming back, I ran into some of our kind who escaped from Brest. They had a bunch of bread on them—said some human gave it to them.”

“A human helping beastmen escape—heh, that’s rare.”

“When I was leaving, they thought I looked friendly, so they gave me two. Figured Xiao Sha would like it, so I brought it back.”

A human… helping beastmen escape?

Fakenna silently glanced at Perleti.

She seemed to sense it and met his gaze.

“Stop looking. It was me. I just did it because it suited my own needs.”

“Huh?” Brutus scratched his head awkwardly. He seemed to really like fiddling with his fur. “But I remember that little cat said the person had white hair…”

Perleti said nothing.

She simply reached up and slowly removed her hood.

A head of brilliant white hair spilled out, swaying gently in the bleak wind—like she was draped in moonlight.

No words were needed.

Without even lifting a finger, it felt as though she had struck Brutus with a heavy blow.

He stood there with his mouth open for a long while, unable to speak.

The earlier disdain in his eyes had completely vanished, replaced entirely by admiration.

“That’s amazing… getting that many of our people out—how’d you do it?”

“For all these years, not a single beastman managed to escape that hellhole. And you got six out in one go—that’s basically a miracle.”

“Just a small trick,” Perleti replied calmly, pulling her hood back up, as if it had been nothing worth mentioning.

“That’s still way better than me!” Brutus grinned widely, revealing sharp canine teeth. He looked like a friendly big dog now, all previous hostility gone without a trace.

Beastmen were simple like that.

Direct and straightforward.

If they didn’t like something, they said it openly.

If they admired someone, they acknowledged it wholeheartedly.

In their world, survival of the fittest was the unchanging rule.

Admitting someone was stronger than you was never something shameful.

After all, there were always people stronger than you.

Otherwise—what? Pretend to be some untouchable princess?

Wouldn’t that just make life exhausting?

Besides, why bother over such trivial things?

Fakenna looked into the distance.

That towering column of black smoke at the horizon still hadn’t dissipated—like a jagged spike piercing straight into the sky.

This man who feared not even death…

Now had an unfathomable worry in his eyes.

A trace of resolve flashed across them.

Even though reluctance filled his heart, he still took Elisa’s hand—

And solemnly placed it into Perleti’s palm.

“My time is running out.”

He crouched down, looking at his daughter’s reddened eyes, his voice hoarse.

“Elisa… you have to be obedient. Do you understand? You must listen.”

Elisa bit her lip and nodded hard.

Tears fell onto their joined hands, hot and burning.

“…Okay.”

“Boss! I’ll go with you—let’s make it big!”

“Brutus, you’re going with Perleti. Once I’m gone, you have to protect Elisa.”

“But, boss…” Brutus panicked. His ears drooped, and even his tail hung low.

“That’s an order.”

“…Alright.”

Before leaving, Fakenna took the dagger from his waist and handed it to Perleti—his final entrustment.

“I originally planned to give this blade to someone destined for it. But now, it seems you’re the most suitable.”

“It can forcibly halt all magical activity and special states for a short time. Earlier, I used it to remove the effects of the drug on you.”

“Now—you can use your magic without worry.”

After that—

Fakenna mounted his horse in one swift motion.

With a resolute flick of the reins, the horse let out a resounding neigh that echoed across the wilderness.

He never looked back.

Leaving behind only a fading, dark silhouette.

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