"Uh... what is she doing?" Garlan froze as he realized that his right hand was held by Cyria's hand.
The girl's eyes were still tightly closed, and in her next move, she pulled Garlan's body down onto hers, hugging him tightly so he couldn't escape.
"Oi... let me go..." Garlan muttered, feeling annoyed. This was quite embarrassing for someone like him.
On top of a half-opened woman's body, it was definitely not a normal moment. If someone saw them, they would surely assume they were being intimate.
With all his strength, Garlan tried to get up.
"No, you can't, you have to stay here... don't leave me..."
A voice stopped Garlan's action, and he slowly glanced toward the girl's face. Her eyes were still tightly shut, which he could consider as an involuntary action forcing her to do this.
But Garlan didn't want to make it an ex
These eyelids felt sufficient to experience comfort, slowly opening wide to gaze around with a sense of wonder."Ah... it's already morning..." Cyria hastily got up from her bed, and at that moment, she realized that Garlan was not there.It was disappointing for her, trying so hard to get a tough man like Garlan to accompany her in bed, but it had not worked at all."He must not like a girl like me..."She began to step away from the room, having already changed into much finer clothing. However, she chose not to wear the usual mask.She wanted to feel the refreshing air of the morning, the breeze that could relieve her fatigue accumulated over time.From a distance, an unexpected surprise. Her eyes caught a figure standing tall, gazing at the newly risen sun—it was Garlan.Cyria felt hesitant to continue walking, aft
"Wait, so this tribe has had interactions with people from the outside?" Garlan understood very well that things like this often happened; it was likely that this grudge originated from the pain caused by the actions of irresponsible individuals. They only desired something they deemed right, and they would heartlessly commit heinous acts.As a mercenary, he had often launched attacks on small villages solely because of orders and rewards given."Back then, it might have happened before I was even born! This village has experienced many hardships. Nothing can stop it; at any moment, people will be forced to obey the wishes of those who are more powerful! Of course, we wouldn't want to comply with the desires of selfish people, so we waged war! This forest is the last place we can live. My father, a tribal chief, once told me this village used to be in a safe plain, but it changed due to attacks from the kingdom..." 
Reval began to embrace his freedom; he was served some fruits and meat by the women under Cyria's command.No further questions were asked, in accordance with Garlan's instructions.Reval eagerly consumed the food, a far cry from the Garlan he knew. This voracious appetite was often characteristic of Gobil.Garlan and Cyria stood, observing Reval."He's eating so eagerly. Did you not provide him with food during his captivity?" Garlan asked seriously, seemingly on the verge of anger.Cyria sighed in frustration. "What else could we do? We cannot treat prisoners lightly; they must face the consequences of entering this forest."Garlan remained silent in response to this statement. From the previous stories he had heard, it was clear that all of this was fueled by smoldering resentment.He couldn't judge others for having diff
"It's difficult for me to understand what's really happening! But if the Leader doesn't want to prioritize it, I won't take issue with it!"Garlan wasn't pleased to hear this tone of trust; he realized that Reval was deeply saddened by what had occurred.Perhaps it was time for him to say something. "Reval, I plan to no longer be the leader of the Black Dragon!"Reval's pupils widened in shock. He had trusted Garlan all along, and hearing this was unexpected."But why does Leader want to disband the troops?" His eyes thirsted for a clear statement."You understand the significance of the events that have been happening. At times like this, do we still have a chance to fight?"It was a difficult question to answer, even for a leader like Garlan, let alone Reval, who was just a vice warrior.He couldn't say anything, his face
"Homeland, huh!" Garlan fell silent as he beheld the nighttime sky, his heart deeply shaken by today's events.After their conversation, Cyria asked Garlan to explore the village.The smiles, hospitality, and way of life there truly made it clear that nature had merged with these people. Everything seemed no different from what had happened in the past, and Garlan couldn't help but envy it. If only he could return to the past for a true life."Why am I thinking about that now? Right now, I am nobody. Here, I'm just a man who must strive not to fall into sadness..."Garlan's tone seemed tough, but in reality, his heart was profoundly shaken by all these events. Perhaps he would never be able to have that desire.Days passed until five had come and gone. Over the past few days, Garlan had truly adapted to the ways of the people there. In addition to the military training he receive
In the end, Garlan remained incredibly stubborn. Even though he had eaten the food provided, he didn't drink a drop of alcohol."Neh... why do you look so arrogant, is your heart made of stone?" Cyria asked, her tone sounding increasingly like that of a child.As Garlan had suspected, Cyria who had consumed too much alcohol had fallen into a relentless state of drunkenness."You've lost your sanity!" Garlan scolded, even though he understood that Cyria wouldn't comprehend his words, he still said them."Why are you saying that? Aren't you yourself quite drunk? As a man, you should have the courage to drink like this! You're losing your dignity as a man..."Whatever Cyria said, it didn't change Garlan's attitude. In fact, this man's expression hadn't changed for the past hour.The effects of drunkenness continued with incoherent babbling, and Cyria inadvertent
With the occurrence of this attack, it has sent a chilling signal to all the villagers.Until now, they had never experienced such a problem, and it was clear that Garlan was the target of this error."Carrying out an attack like that, they are really trying to find me..."The armor used by the soldiers could be confirmed; they were indeed searching for Garlan."It turns out you're here!"Garlan was suddenly stunned upon hearing the greeting in this tone, slowly turning to face it.Since the attack happened, Garlan didn't want to show his face. He isolated himself on the hill that offered a view of the entire forest.The figure of Bokuri standing there gazed at him with a cold stare. The mysterious intensity of that gaze made Garlan feel like this was not a good sign."The tribal chief wants to meet with you!""It's time!" Garlan hurriedly stood up and said, "Yes..."Then they began to walk away.From behind, Garlan gazed at Bokuri's cold back. For some reason, this sensation suddenly
Handing over the responsibility to someone like Garlan was indeed the right choice. He didn't come from the village, which left others slightly puzzled as to why he would acknowledge all of this."Lord Garlan, in other words, you've already accepted the consequences of these incidents!"Garlan nodded elegantly. "But, as I mentioned before, I want to leave here as soon as possible, yet you asked me to wait for seven days! I appreciate all of that, and I won't complain about this decision!"In truth, Garlan didn't need to say something long-winded; it was clear that Cyria and the villagers had wanted Garlan to be their new tribe leader from the beginning. In other words, this issue could never have been avoided from the start.They understood that Garlan was replacing the position as the tribe's leader, and now they might not have any reason to voice their opinions. Opposing the tribe leader was equiva