Martai had coniferous forests to the north, plains and the Border Guard to the west, the eastern kingdom's domain to the east, and a large forest to the south.
The forest was called the "Grateful Forest."
"Why is it called Grateful Forest?"
Torres was trying to familiarize himself with the surrounding terrain of the newly established domain.
A soldier, one of the former Rangers from the forestry unit, was walking with him and answered.
Five Border Guard soldiers followed behind them.
"Because it's grateful."
Torres, just before his face twisted with the thought, 'Is this guy mocking me?' heard the soldier continue.
"Have you been to the coniferous forest up north? It's not a place for people to live. Even Rangers won't go there. Do you know its nickname? It's called the Cliff Forest."
Torres had heard of it. It was a famous place.
The northern part of Martai was coniferous forests, marking the boundary of the continent.
The name "Cliff Forest" was fitting because anyone who ventured there was likely to fall to their death.
"But to the south, there's a rich forest with fruits and beasts. Because of that, people who lived around here for ages have been so grateful, it became known as Grateful Forest."
Grateful Forest—did the name have any distinctiveness or not?
Torres wasn't thinking much about it, as he was just familiarizing himself with the terrain and on patrol.
At that moment...
Hee-hee-hee!
It wasn't the sound of a regular horse; it was a blood-curdling, ear-piercing screech. It was a howl filled with malice and murderous intent, sending chills down their spines. It was the cry of a beast.
"What's that?"
In Torres's line of sight, a single horse appeared on the outskirts of Grateful Forest.
Of course, it wasn't a normal horse. What kind of horse grows its tusks that long?
"It looks like a beast-monster."
"Looks like it?"
Horses were herbivores, and it was rare for herbivores to turn into beast-monsters. But it wasn't entirely impossible.
Torres furrowed his brow, then relaxed it and gestured.
Was it just one? Or were there more behind it?
Had they not spotted them yet?
It was possible.
"Horse beast-monsters, huh? Interesting."
The soldier, a former Ranger, remarked.
"Are there any forestry units in that forest?"
Martai had stationed Ranger units in the surrounding forests. Forestry units were essentially scout squads that operated in forests.
This continent was constantly threatened by beast-monsters and demonic creatures, so regular patrols were a given.
"There are."
The soldier responded again.
He had a habit of speaking in short bursts instead of saying everything at once.
"There have been instances of beast-monsters and demonic creatures in the Grateful Forest, but in this area, the appearance of beast-monsters is quite rare, to the point where it's considered a safe zone."
He seemed to have gotten dry mouth from speaking, so he swallowed before continuing.
"A squad of Rangers enters regularly, rotating shifts."
"Even now?"
"Yes, even now."
Beyond the horse beast-monster, more demonic creatures appeared.
They were humanoid wolves. The torn flesh and red bloodstains could be seen between their fangs.
"Everyone, get into defensive positions."
Torres made the quick and correct judgment.
What happened to the Rangers who entered the forest? Were they wiped out?
He figured that at least they had been ambushed and couldn't carry out their duties, so they withdrew.
Had they been defeated by just that many?
Or had it been a surprise attack?
Whatever the case, something must have happened.
The group of at least ten beast-monsters, including the horse beast-monsters and humanoid wolves, didn't charge immediately.
Torres found it puzzling.
"Do these beast-monsters just get excited when they see humans?"
"Huh?"
He was starting to regret wanting to see the face of Zimmer, the idiot who assigned him this soldier.
Was there anyone who didn't understand a single thing said?
"Oh, no. That's not it. There was nothing unusual during the last patrol. We didn't find any traces of such a group."
That was strange. Rangers who operated in Grateful Forest hadn't found any traces, yet a group of beast-monsters appeared?
And the mix of horse beast-monsters and humanoid wolves—what was that about?
It was odd.
A few demonic creatures that had been watching slowly began to approach.
Torres didn't wait and charged forward.
"Kill them all."
Kraaak!
Several humanoid wolves charged. The horse beast-monsters backed off.
It wasn't a difficult fight.
Torres and his group killed three or four humanoid wolves, and the horse beast-monster, after watching for a while, retreated.
They were still in the forest.
Going further in was too risky, so they stopped there.
Wiping his bloody sword on the fur of a humanoid wolf, Torres spoke.
"I need to report this."
Torres returned to report to the now-lord, the former Border Guard Captain. The lord, suspecting that there were more beast-monsters, issued a mission request to the Border Guard.
The mission request was beneficial in many ways, so they hadn't handled it internally.
The Border Guard had many tasks to handle besides dealing with beast-monsters.
The internal security of the domain wasn't fully established yet.
There were rumors that the Eastern Mercenary King didn't view Martai's full annexation of Nauliria favorably.
In fact, a few soldiers from the East had deserted during the night.
"It's probably best to let them go."
Zimmer had given that advice. After all, they were from the East, and they would likely turn their blades against their own anyway.
They were tough, stubborn, and incredibly persistent.
That was something an explorer had said about Eastern nomads.
After that, Torres focused on other matters. The demonic creatures in the southern Grateful Forest would be dealt with by the Border Guard.
The lord of Martai and the commander of the Border Guard's Battalion, Marcus likely wanted the two domains to naturally engage with each other, so this reallocation of tasks made sense.
Torres, along with Zimmer, spent two days deliberating on the formation of a domain security force.
During this time, he also received reports from a newly assigned Ranger unit that had been observing the Grateful Forest.
"It doesn't seem like a large colony has been established."
That was a relief.
'But why were the Rangers wiped out? Was it desertion again?'
Desertion seemed possible, but...
A few days later, a small contingent from the Border Guard arrived for the mission.
They were no more than ten soldiers.
One of them stood out to Torres.
A beast-man with golden eyes from one of Enkrid's squads, the Black Blade Bandits, was among them.
While Martai's forces could handle the beasts, this was the first step toward cooperation between the two domains.
"Please take care of this."
Torres spoke to them, and those who approached nodded.
The soldier, who had a habit of speaking in short bursts, took the lead again.
The group, led by the beast-man woman, proceeded to carry out the mission.
'Rather than hiring mercenaries, it's better to use the Border Guard soldiers.'
Beasts would be particularly rampant in winter.
As Torres continued to deal with the beasts and demonic creatures, it seemed inevitable that the two domains would soon work as one under a single banner.
By spring, even if the Mercenary King caused trouble, Martai would have enough strength to withstand it.
Torres didn't worry.
Border Guard soldiers were of high quality. They were no match for mere horse beasts or humanoid wolves.
And now that the beast-woman had arrived...
There was no reason for anything to go wrong.
"Look at that. Where did you learn that?"
Rem asked, and Dunbakel answered.
She had learned it by watching others while being a mercenary.
Back in her homeland, no one had taught her anything.
The cursed transformation and her golden eyes were enough to make everyone reject her.
She tied her long white hair back and twitched her cat-like nose. Rem smiled widely and raised his fist.
"Let's begin."
What began? Violence, of course. The beating had begun.
A day that started with a beating ended with a beating. Well, it had
Was this a memory, or was it pain caused by mental trauma?
Dunbakel, walking, suddenly felt a chill and instinctively wrapped her arms around herself.
"Cold?"
"No."
A soldier behind her asked, but the beast-man shook her head.
For beastkin, cold wasn't a sensitive issue. Their body temperature was higher than that of humans, and they were warm-blooded creatures.
Beastkin were more sensitive to heat than cold, so they were strong against cold.
Their fur was thicker and grew better than humans.
The soldier didn't ask any more questions.
Dunbakel was heading toward the place where beasts had been sighted, lost in thought.
She was recalling how Rem had taught her.
Had it been helpful?
She wanted to say no, but she couldn't.
"Is this how you teach?"
"No, have you ever seen a stupid beast-woman like you? What do you think I'm doing right now?"
"Fist-fighting, kicking."
The blunt answer made the ignorant barbarian grin broadly.
"How did you survive until now? How can you be so oblivious?"
She was hit again. After a couple of days of this, Dunbakel felt like she might die.
Desperate to survive, she had crawled under Enkrid's command, and in doing so, she discovered a burning desire to live inside her.
'How do I survive?'
It wasn't her mind, but her body that reacted first.
After being beaten countless times, her body instinctively learned. Dunbakel learned Rem's movements by watching.
"Now we're getting somewhere."
It was the correct answer.
"Learn on your own. If you don't want to die, that's what you'll have to do."
Anyone who saw that barbarian's eyes at that moment would have felt their bladder shake. Dunbakel was no exception.
With a strange expression that seemed both excited and irritated, Rem hit Dunbakel again.
To survive, what should she do?
Learn on your own.
And that's what Dunbakel did. It took a week to forget what she had learned while mercenary-ing, and another week to relearn it and make it part of her body.
"I have a question."
By then, Dunbakel finally spoke up.
Whatever Rem said, Dunbakel was determined to get an answer to her question.
"Why do you seem so kind when teaching the independent squad leader?"
Was that some kind of a seizure switch?
Dunbakel didn't know. In other words, it was a big misunderstanding. She was simply curious. It was all just curiosity.
"Shiiiiiit?"
That was the beginning. Rem, without answering, grabbed an axe. Dunbakel had to draw her scimitar.
Thud!
It was fortunate she didn't die from one blow.
"This bastard!"
While fighting, Rem spoke. How he could talk while moving his body so well, Dunbakel couldn't comprehend.
Dunbakel didn't even have time to catch her breath, yet Rem kept mocking her, speaking without pause while moving.
"No matter how much I explain!"
"Even if I show it, you won't improve!"
"You won't improve."
The last words were spoken so close that their breaths almost touched.
Surprisingly, there was no foul smell coming from Rem's mouth. Despite the fact that beast-men had sensitive olfactory senses, Dunbakel didn't smell anything.
"But you are complaining? You should roll around every day like the captain."
It had been a misunderstanding from the start. She had just asked out of curiosity, not because she had a complaint.
The ignorant barbarian didn't seem to care for any response, and after finding an opportunity, he kept pressing her.
At the end of her thoughts, she heard a soldier's voice.
"We're here. The Grateful Forest. The reason it's called the Grateful Forest is..."
The soldier rambled on, and Dunbakel stepped forward. Without intending to, her left eyebrow twitched. The eyebrow that had been raised trembled.
The instincts of a beast-man triggered a warning.
"Didn't they say there were about ten horse-beasts and humanoid wolves?"
Dunbakel asked.
"So, to show their gratitude, they called it the gratitude forest, huh? Yes."
The guide, whose speech had faltered, tilted his head.
"Everyone, prepare for battle."
Dunbakel spoke, her golden eyes scanning the forest beyond.
Her vision pierced through the darkness. With her battlefield experience and the instinctive intuition of a beast-man, she sensed danger.
She could feel it.
Humans, giants, frogs, beast-men, fairies, and dwarves.
Among them, giants were the strongest in terms of raw strength.
Fairies were the most sensitive.
Frogs had an eye for talent and exceptional abilities.
Beast-men had superior physical constitution.
"You idiot, you're not even using half the power of your own body."
She had learned from watching the swordsmanship of human mercenaries. She thought that was the correct way to move.
The ignorant barbarian's teachings weren't in vain, though.
"Don't limit your fighting ability based on your physical skills."
Instead of following a set stance, trust your body's abilities and fight like you're going wild.
That's what Rem had said.
It wasn't about going wild, but using her body's control to move in the correct way.
Since Rem had pushed her so hard, Dunbakel felt her skills had grown considerably.
Now was the time to test those skills.
Grrrrr.
Did they say there were just a horse-beast and a few humanoid wolves?
That was nonsense.
From the forest, Dunbakel could see the numbers of the approaching creatures.
There were at least twenty horse-beasts, and the humanoid wolves were so many that counting them was pointless.
Dozens of red eyes gleamed in the forest.
"Hey, you go call for reinforcements."
Dunbakel spoke to the guide soldier.
"Eh?"
Did this idiot never understand anything at once?
Bang!
Dunbakel was relentless. She slapped the soldier on the back of his head.
"Ugh!"
The soldier, who had been hit, lowered his head and raised it again, placing a hand on the back of his head. His eyes were filled with bewilderment.
So what?
"If you don't want to die, run."
Dunbakel was speaking like Rem now, but there was no time to dwell on that.
The soldier, with his hand on his head, began to run.
What had started as a request to hunt beasts had turned into a life-or-death battle, and the soldiers began to feel the tension.
"Shit, what the hell is this?"
"How the hell were we supposed to know, doing the request without proper intel?"
Dunbakel twisted her neck left and right.
If this was all the number there was...
There was no danger.
She made that judgment. She could show that much confidence now.
"Do you want to live? Don't want to die? Then resist."
Rem's voice echoed faintly in her mind.
Although she didn't want to think about it, her battles with Rem, the trials with that barbarian, had repeatedly fueled Dunbakel's desire.
A yearning for life that burned brightly, separate from reproduction.
That was what set her eyes ablaze.
Ting.
Dunbakel drew her scimitar.
"Don't come near me or get too close."
With that command, the beast-man darted forward. The ground under her feet erupted with dirt and gravel. Her body blurred as she moved in a flash.
Two horse-beasts reacted simultaneously.
Hiiing!
The shrill cry of the horse-beasts echoed in the air as they charged toward her at a fearsome speed, their bodies built for running.
Soon, Dunbakel and the two horse-beasts met in a straight line, crossing each other in a flash.

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