Chapter 110

Chapter 110 - Assimilation

Because the Blackhand clan has a small population, everyone is educated as either a soldier or an engineer.

Art is strictly acknowledged as a hobby, and becoming a professional artist is forbidden.

For servants, maids, and slaves to do chores, they use outside races, but due to severe mistrust of humans, they composed them entirely of Beastkin.

"This is the communal dining hall. Usually, everyone eats here except on special occasions. It is said that additional dining halls will be opened if the number of residents increases further."

The werewolf young lady guiding Cassandra and her subordinates politely bowed.

She was someone who became an orphan due to war and was taken in by the tribe. With a family tradition emphasizing trust, they preferred bringing in children with nowhere to rely on and raising them for service.

In particular, they regarded dog Beastkin and wolf Beastkin, who are racially highly loyal and possess excellent physical abilities, as the best.

"Are there assigned seats?"

"There is no such thing. The Lord forbade it, saying it easily devolves into territorial behavior. You may freely sit wherever you wish."

"He is quite a meticulous person, isn't he? To think there is a noble who pays attention to such trivial details."

"He is someone who even understands the hearts of lowly ones like us."

"Hmm."

Cassandra twisted the hair on the side of her head with her finger.

Although she would find out soon enough, the residents had all exchanged words with Eugene at least once in passing, even just to exchange greetings.

With the capacity still small and living cheek by jowl in a limited space, Eugene made an effort to memorize and call out their names.

To him, it was merely an insignificant, minor consideration, but from the other side's perspective, it was simply moving.

The most powerful knight they had seen, and a special monarch chosen by the legendary castle. Such a being was treating them as a person with individual character.

"Wow, the Lord here sure knows his stuff."

The female warriors stroked the tapestries and crafts decorating the dining hall walls.

Various places were adorned with traditional Dark Elf ornaments. Thanks to that, they felt cozy as if they were visiting their hometown, despite it being their first time here.

Twitch, twitch.

The nose of the guiding werewolf young lady moved cutely. Having a sensitive sense of smell, she reacted to the smells wafting from the kitchen.

"The scent is nice."

"Because a special meal the Lord developed to commemorate the centurions' rescue and visit is being served."

"Is that really true, no joke?"

"How dare I lie to you, Lady Cassandra?"

This went far beyond the realm of calling him a meticulous noble. The reason the chieftain, elders, Rex, and other warriors quickly assimilated didn't seem to merely be because of his martial prowess or the castle itself.

"So what is the dish called?"

"It is called a hamburger."

"I've never heard of it."

"The Lord said you can look forward to it."

There were multiple counters, and the food was wrapped in large green leaves. Thus, they could receive their rations quickly.

"Young miss! It is a relief you returned safely."

"Granny, you came here too?"

Seeing familiar faces continuously along with the interior decorations, Cassandra hardly felt out of place in the castle.

The cooks behind the distribution counters were all Dark Elves.

-Food and drink must be made by our hands.

That was the family's iron rule. Because even if someone not belonging to the tribe had served for a long time, there was a risk they could be bribed.

"But why are you bundled up so tightly?"

The elderly person behind the distribution counter was wearing an apron, a bandana, and even a mask.

"It's the Lord's policy. Saying that a single cough from us could negatively affect the fighting strength of dozens of people. I don't know well, but if he says so, it must be right."

"..."

A relationship between a mercenary group and the lord providing a safe zone from the prophecy. It was a trust that surpassed that.

From the warriors to the servants and maids, down to the elders of the tribe. The knight's influence reached impeccably deep into the clan.

"This looks like it would be easy to take and eat when temporarily separated from the main unit for missions like reconnaissance?"

Cassandra remarked while looking at the cleanly wrapped hamburger fitting in one hand.

"The Lord also said he would use it as field rations issued to scouts. Serving it today is also a kind of gathering opinions."

Thus, Cassandra and her subordinates received the hamburgers and sat at a table. With pounding hearts, they unwrapped the leaves.

Whoosh!

Their nostrils flared inadvertently at the smell of freshly baked bread rushing to cover their faces immediately. Everyone grabbed the hamburger with both hands and took a bite.

Crunch!

"...!"

"...!"

The soft buns were the pinnacle of pure nuttiness, and rich meat juice flowed from the meat patties. The strong flavor of melted cheese and the refreshing crispness of vegetables harmoniously competed. Amidst that, firecrackers of sweet and sour ketchup exploded. Adding up to the barbecue sauce made with honey and soy sauce as a base.

"Wow, do the kids here always eat stuff like this?"

"They said it was a special meal. Probably not always."

Meals in this era are monotonous.

Because even Dark Elves, who eat relatively well, just pile up and eat a few basic forms of food like roasted meat, fruits, bread, and dairy products.

When operating outside, even that was limited to hard jerky or dried fruits.

Stews were also prone to becoming soups of chaos prioritizing satiation and convenience over taste.

Bread, meat, vegetables, cheese, sauce. The taste completed by the elaborate collaborative cheering of ingredients from different domains.

That made the female warriors realize a joy of the world they had not known at all.

Everyone stopped talking. With their pink tongues constantly darting out, they merely savored the taste by enveloping the sauce and ingredients with their entire tongues.

* * *

Eugene was observing the new family members while eating with Rex a short distance away.

"I am glad they seem to be blending in better than expected. I was worried since they are the opposition faction."

"Sir Knight. Cassandra is the most politically maneuvering person in our tribe."

"You mean she's the type to easily switch sides?"

"Of course. Cassandra's mind is probably full of thoughts right now on how to expand her influence in this castle."

"She seems to be a lady with tremendous ambition. Although that was the first impression."

"Well..."

Hesitating for a moment, Rex carefully opened his mouth.

"Actually, in our tribe, she was the one intended to be used as a medium to solidify our relationship with you, Sir Knight."

"Even now I trust you guys the most in the world, though?"

"Nothing comes out of it even if you keep saying such pleasing things to hear."

Contradictory to his words, Rex and the tribal warriors were all wearing bright smiles.

"Anyway, the elders always worry a lot. Talk of an arranged marriage came up seriously and often."

"And the candidate was Cassandra?"

"Yes. Since she possesses two noble bloodlines in one body. Her appearance is outstanding, and she herself is an exceptional warrior, so we could expect a strong heir."

"...I had no idea such talk was going back and forth."

Every time this happened, Eugene realized he was a noble before being a knight. The higher his power and fame grew, what naturally increased was talk of marriage proposals.

"Even now, there are quite a few elders who seriously want to push for it. They want a definite insurance policy."

"The nobles who proposed to your family only to be rejected must be incredibly resentful."

If it succeeded, it would be recorded as the first instance of a union between the Blackhand family and a human family.

"Actually, the one who arguably got the angriest was Cassandra."

"Understandably."

The sight of her taking out her anger on human mercenaries, including Jericho, was not simply due to a grudge.

Contempt and disgust towards the human species itself were deeply ingrained in her.

"An arranged marriage with a misanthrope, huh."

"That is why the chieftain also had a headache. Because to combine the families, there was no better bride candidate than Cassandra."

Stroking his chin, Eugene casually threw out a remark.

"If it comes to it, I would be fine even if the chieftain herself steps forward? I heard she does not have a husband."

"Pardon?!"

"Cough!"

At the unexpected remark, Rex, Hind, and the nearby tribal warriors were astonished. Some even choked and coughed violently.

"Don't take it too seriously. It was half a joke."

Eugene smiled brightly at his subordinates' reactions.

"That means half of it is serious, isn't it? She is more than twice your age, Sir Knight!"

"Even if I become a grandfather, won't she still look younger than me?"

"That is true, but..."

In a way, it was a joke aimed at the family's supreme leader, but no one found it unpleasant. Because they had already passed that stage.

It's obvious, but if another human noble had brought up such words, swords would have been drawn immediately.

* * *

Enough time was given for the new family members to rest. It was about time to start the castle tour.

However, Eugene heard a report that Cassandra and the decurions were training in the gymnasium.

"It would be fine to rest a bit more."

Seeing the female warriors gathering in small groups and exercising on the clean floor, Eugene made an exasperated face.

"A warrior naturally becomes dull if they don't move their body for even a single day."

Cassandra, who approached, gave a slight bow.

"I am glad there don't seem to be any majorly injured."

"Because there was little direct combat. The only things accumulated were fatigue and hunger. That much disappears if you eat and sleep well for a day or two."

Eugene felt that the tone and nuance of Cassandra's voice had changed.

When they first met at the temple, she overflowed only with pride and dignity, but now something subtly different was mixed in.

"We are finding the exercise regimens the Lord taught the tribe particularly useful."

The female warriors were doing bodyweight exercises and pumping their muscles everywhere.

"There is a separate training room where you can use weapons, so use it comfortably."

"Yes. We've already heard the location. However, rather than direct combat, we mainly take charge of rough terrain reconnaissance, infiltration, and special guerrilla warfare."

Where Cassandra pointed, there were women loosening up with bizarre postures traditional to the tribe.

"Our usual training focuses on strengthening stamina and cultivating agility and a sense of balance."

'As expected, it feels closer to yoga or Pilates.'

Exercises stretching the range of joint motion and strengthening muscle flexibility. There were many parts similar to what Eugene knew. It was a form of convergent evolution.

"Since we can scale sheer cliffs with just a single dagger."

"I heard the story of how you conquered a castle built on a coastal cliff by climbing it from the rear like that."

"You are talking about the Devier Castle reduction battle. It is the pride of our unit."

Cassandra puffed out her chest with a proud face.

"Do you perhaps know what climbing is?"

"It is my first time hearing it... What is it?"

Looking at Cassandra tilting her head in confusion, Eugene conceived an idea to upgrade the gymnasium.

A training apparatus themed after rock climbing would probably be deeply loved by these ladies.

Watching various stretches like shoulder stands, bowing-like face-down postures, and splits, Eugene suddenly realized something.

'They really are a different species from humans.'

The female warriors' bare soles as they stretched. The long, neat toes.

Their color was exactly the same as the skin color on their limbs and necks. Pale brown, dark brown, blue-gray, silver-gray, pale purple, and rarely, even colors like onyx black.

On the other hand, due to the keratin skin layer where pigment hardly penetrates, even dark-skinned humans have white palms and soles.

They refer to them generally as Beastkin for convenience, but looking at these aspects, they were truly a separate species. With a gap greater than that between dogs and wolves.

* * *

Cassandra took her aides and decurions and followed Eugene around various places in the castle.

"Among the places you guided us to, Lord, I like this place the most."

On the rooftop overlooking the scenery outside, Cassandra smiled in satisfaction. Befitting someone who loved power, she seemed to favor high places.

"It is a place everyone comes up to at least once whenever we move the castle. Because you can look down upon the completely changed scenery."

"There probably isn't a second castle wall this high in the world."

"Once we dropped into the middle of the Demonic Forest, and it was quite a spectacular sight back then."

The female warriors, who had been enjoying the scenery containing the desert and jungle at a glance, pricked up their ears.

Because the Demonic Forest was a place they definitely wanted to try challenging as hunters, warriors, and explorers.

"Dangerous monsters you would normally barely see and must put your life on the line the moment you spot them. Bizarre mutant monsters whose existence is not even known. We could spectate such things from a safe place."

Eugene traced his memory while stroking his chin.

"It is quite a sight to see when they engage in bloody battles over territory or prey. Once, an ogre fought with a massive python capable of swallowing a bull whole."

"An ogre!"

"The tyrant of nature!"

The female warriors let out exclamations.

"The massive python wrapped completely around the ogre's torso and squeezed with the force to crush it. When the resisting ogre went limp, did the python think it won? It tried to swallow it whole just like that, but as if it had been waiting, the guy threw a tantrum inside its mouth."

"Th-then what happened?"

"Even as the agonizing python tried to spit it out, the ogre hugged the tongue with both arms and held on. After a long bout of strength, at a certain moment, crack! That sound rang out. It was loud enough to be heard from atop the castle."

Eugene explained while mimicking the ogre's posture from back then. Seeing his audience staring with sparkling eyes, he also got excited.

"The green legs protruding from the python's mouth flailed, and soon it came out holding the ripped-out tongue. Blood poured like a fountain from the python's gaping mouth. Man, it was a truly amazing fight."

"It truly is a battle of tyrants."

"If the opportunity arises, we would love to spectate as well."

The decurions sighed fully with satisfaction.

Some enthusiastically looked around, but they could not spot a fight of that weight class here.

"Now that we've become one family, the opportunity might come again someday. Since you guys live long."

"But you, my Lord..."

"Hey, what nonsense are you sprouting?"

One decurion who unintentionally brought up human lifespans shrank back at the scoldings pouring from all sides.

"No, what I meant was that we should hunt something good for his body for him. Like an Owlbear's gallbladder."

"Isn't that an aphrodisiac? He doesn't even have a wife yet, and even if it's good for the body, it shouldn't have anything to do with extending life?"

Eugene and Cassandra were flustered by the cheerfully chatting decurions.

The former at the unstoppable banter of the female warriors, and the latter at Eugene's attitude of treating them comfortably as if he were one of them.

* * *

He couldn't only spend fun times with dear family members. Sometimes he also had to spend ugly times with dirty bastards.

After finishing the tour, the place Eugene visited alone was the interrogation room.

"I greet the Lord."

A mercenary wearing plain clothes playing with a dagger saluted upon discovering Eugene.

"What about the adventurer?"

"He is still alive. It seems he spilled practically everything."

Knock knock.

"Vice-captain. The Lord has arrived."

When the mercenary knocked on the door, a rattling sound came from inside.

As Eugene entered, a bloodied man was tied to a chair, and two veteran mercenaries surrounding him stood at attention.

The tied person was the adventurer bought off by the Condor Mercenary Group, the greatest culprit behind this betrayal. He was the only one captured alive and brought back from the abandoned temple battle.

"You've worked hard."

"Not at all."

"Did you find out about the cooperating slave traders?"

"Of course. Just as you expected, they were not guys operating legally."

It wasn't just one or two, but a hundred people. Especially regarding the abduction of the Blackhand tribe.

They absolutely couldn't deal openly. If they did, the tribe would lead their entire army and come to exterminate the slave traders.

That meant the ones operating secretly in the black market were behind it.

-Sir Knight. I am happy you care for us, but there is no need to go this far...

-Rex. I heard you guys never let a person who unjustly tried to harm the clan off the hook?

-That is true.

-There should be no exceptions to retaliation. You must strictly abide by it to spread fear in the world so that the invisible armor becomes sturdier.

-...

-And it's also good because we can take in the gold coins the bastards amassed and the rescued slaves while we are at it.

-Hearing you say it like that makes me feel at ease.

The facilities completing repairs were increasing one by one, and various shops were also about to open inside. The more hands, the better.