Savage Forest - Chapter 69
Translator and Editor: Effe and Nabi
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Chapter 69
“Well thought.”
Kahanti said, revealing a yellowed tooth as he smiled. Each of his fingers sparkled with magnificent gold rings reflecting in the light.
“You were almost on the brink of a premature death, and yet you received an offer to join my hunting party, albeit as bait. It’s a risky position to be in, but…”
Seated next to him was the woman he had referred to as Servia. Her nonchalant demeanor as she was being fanned by the maid appeared pretentious. Her gaze was unfamiliar as if she had never seen Tarhan before.
“Was the girl outside the one you said you lived with?”
He looked up, his eyes widening at those words. His head lowered again, crushed by the weight of the spear that loomed above. Being disrespectful in front of the chieftain could cost him his head.
“She seems quite young. It’s understandable to be concerned, especially since she comes from an empty field. Servia, make sure to take good care of her.”
“…Since when did you start caring about such lowly women?”
Servia’s indifferent voice had an oddly sharp edge to it. Nevertheless, Kahanti seemed unfazed by her resistance.
“I asked her to come in. Why is she left outside?”
Tarhan struggled to move his body while his head remained pinned down. Cold sweat trickled down his neck, held tightly by the soldiers.
“Oh no, I don’t want to. What’s the point of bringing a lowly girl from the empty fields into this tent? Would you like her to spread disease or something?”
Servia retorted sharply, eliciting a disapproving click from Kahanti’s tongue.
“You’re too speculative, it’s a problem. I just want to have a look at her face.”
“You’ve already seen her. You’re doing this because you’re interested, aren’t you?”
Servia rolled her eyes impatiently.
Tarhan wished this dreadful time would pass quickly, his body still restrained. He couldn’t help but think of her, shivering and cowering under the gaze of other Aquilea men outside. It made him even more anxious. He wanted to cover her small frame with his own as soon as possible. He wanted to reassure her. He hadn’t brought her here for these savages to ogle at her like this.
Kahanti, with an air of arrogance, gestured as if commanding Tarhan to step back.
Tarhan, taking hesitant steps, disappeared from in front of him before briefly glancing at the platform. The chieftain’s woman, with her raven-black hair, cast an eerie gaze down at him.
Discomfort gnawed at him, but he kept his emotions in check and concealed his expression.
Several more months had passed.
Contrary to the expectations of the hunting party members, who had thought Tarhan would die and be replaced quickly, he had managed to endure for quite some time.
Of course, nothing was easy.
The daily routine was so grueling that he sometimes longed for the days when he had to move the innards of beasts from place to place.
“Sh*t, that d*mn wild dog is not being a bait properly. I’ve got a scratch on my forearm.”
Tarhan filled his empty stomach without acknowledging the guy who was proudly showing off his injured arm and kicking at the crackling firewood.
‘Screw you. If I hadn’t dodged back then, not only me but your neck would’ve had a hole in it, too.’
The pheasant meat he was stuffing into his mouth as quickly as possible was bitter. Apart from the portions reserved for the top-ranking members of the hunting party, who were primarily responsible for the attacks, the rest was nothing but burnt scraps.
Suddenly, he thought of her, waiting alone for him in Aquilea.
A lump formed in his throat.
It had been over a week since he had spent his time in this remote wilderness, constantly harassed by the scum who would trip him up and send him jealous glares whenever they could. He couldn’t contain his anger as he remembered the jerks who had caused him trouble.
Since the day he had joined Kahanti’s hunting party and clashed with a hunter who was Kahanti’s right arm and fought like a wild dog, no one had directly confronted him, but the hostile atmosphere towards him within the group still lingered.
“… Don’t mind it. He knows he came close to death himself. That punk is Haron’s grandson, so he joined Kahanti’s party even though he’s not very capable. We didn’t say anything when he first arrived, but we all thought he’d kick the bucket early.”
A man with a smooth face and tall body, as tall as a bamboo stick, spoke to him from across the campfire.
His name… Tarhan couldn’t recall it. Anyway, he gave him a stern look.
Since entering the lair of the monsters, he hadn’t had a wink of sleep. Even when taking turns with others to keep watch in the fields, he spent the night leaning against a tree with wide-open eyes whenever it was his turn.
Without her by his side, he couldn’t sleep, and the unease that there might be troublemakers while he dozed off kept him from resting even for a moment. It has become a habit Now, even though he knew that no one dared to touch him while Kahanti, who cherished him, was around, it was still the same.
“Call me Rigata.”
The young man responded. It seemed like he was not an ordinary guy. Tarhan could tell that he had already figured out that Tarhan didn’t know his name.
Hunting was a different matter from battling beasts.
There was a completely different sense on the hunting field compared to when he cut out dead meat. At the same time, he couldn’t help but realize the instincts or talents he had ignored or overlooked all this time.
He had confidence that his strength and stamina were on par with others. However, when it came to agility and nimbleness required for hunting, where avoiding tentacles or tails made the difference between life and death, he began to surpass others gradually.
Due to differences in the intensity of strength, there were some who inevitably owed him their lives. This guy seemed to be one of them.
“There are a few young ones eyeing you. I don’t dislike you either, Tarhan. I’ve seen my fair share of troublemakers who do nothing but talk, but you’re different. Since you came, casualties have noticeably decreased.”
The guy’s gaze as he looked at him was unsettling, so Tarhan averted his eyes.
All sorts of crazy people existed, he thought. What kind of other eccentric was this? Was he trying to mess with him in a new way?
Tarhan stared at him.
“When it’s time to strike, strike. When it’s time to dodge, dodge. Is that so difficult?”
As he growled while tearing into the meat again, Rigata shrugged.
Recently, he had subtly sensed that this guy and the other groups were starting to pay more attention to him. He had ignored them until now, wanting to avoid unnecessary conflicts, though it seemed like he had reached a point where he could no longer do so.
“Coming from your origin and considering what you’ve been through, I understand why you dislike Aquilea. But you should also try to be tolerant of those around you.”
Tarhan couldn’t believe the audacity of this guy giving him unsolicited advice. He rolled his eyes, but the guy continued to talk.
“Even if you hadn’t pushed so hard, there are already factions within Aquilea considering you as the next chieftain. The elders have noticed your abilities and are making moves.”
“…What does that have to do with you? It’s my business. I’ll handle it.”
When he didn’t lower his sharp gaze, the guy called Rigata simply turned his head away again.
“I’m just giving you a warning. If there are people who favor you, there are always those who oppose you.”
The guy with a serious demeanor seemed to have a peculiar talent for persuasion.
“It might be a good idea to make allies before it’s too late. Think of it as advice and consider it.”
Then, as if offering help, he looked at Tarhan with a steady gaze as if expecting some sign of acknowledgment.
Despite the odd encounter, Tarhan spat out the rough-edged piece of bone he had been chewing and sent the guy on his way. Nonetheless, as time passed and night fell, the guy’s words lingered in his mind, and his chest felt heavy for a long time.
As Tarhan entered the empty fields, he heard the sound of coughing.
He rushed in the direction of the noise, leaving behind the heavy load of wages on his shoulders, lying roughly on the ground. The noise was coming from a direction where laundry might be getting done, and the sound of water being poured forcefully was loud.
Then, the coughing sound came a few times.
The woman, who seemed to have suffered from every imaginable illness during his absence, was so frustratingly irritating that his chest tightened. She paid no heed to his concerns about firewood and insisted on lighting a fire.
He couldn’t even watch over her while he was outside.
Hearing her cough, it seemed like she had somehow managed to do it during his absence, and that thought bothered him greatly. He crossed the threshold without warning, teeth gritted.
And what he saw left Tarhan completely frozen.
Crash, tak!
The woman, kneeling and drenched in water, having poured a basin of water over her head while taking off her clothes, was startled and dropped the basin from her hand, creating a loud commotion as it rolled and landed at her feet.
A white naked body that he had never seen before appeared before his eyes.
The moisture that had clung to her round chest dripped onto the ground. Below that, her voluptuous waist extended down to a slim, clean lower abdomen, and further down, a wet, pale patch of body was visible.
Just capturing it with his eyes was enough to make his mind swirl and melt away. He couldn’t regain his composure.
“Ah…”
It felt like every vein in his body was expanding.
Unbeknownst to him, a groan escaped from his parched throat.
At the same time, she slightly hunched her body, reaching out to grab nearby clothing. However, even though she held the fabric in her hand, she remained motionless, her body angled diagonally.
“Ta… Tarhan…”
Turning only her head, Enya, still offering her bare body to him, called his name with a bewildered voice tinted with embarrassment.
It seemed like her entire body had turned pink.
Only now did he realize that he had been staring at her blankly, and he twisted his body as if struck by lightning.
“I’m, I’m sorry.”
Even to his own ears, his pitiful voice sounded weak. He turned his back, his heated face burning with embarrassment. He could sense her hurriedly drying her wet body from behind and putting on her clothes.
Tarhan closed his eyes, his chest heaving as he thought.
If this moment wasn’t an illusion, her body was much more mature and curved than the last time he had carried her on his back.
The fact shook him to his core, and his chest trembled as if struck by a battering ram.
Between his legs were already swelling and aching painfully. At the same time, he felt like he had become the worst scoundrel in the world just for having such thoughts. If she hadn’t been by his side, his desires might have burst forth uncontrollably.
“You, you’re back early. I was going to go out to meet you… Are you injured anywhere?”
He felt her hurriedly approaching him from behind.
As her hand touched his back, he was so startled that he raised his arm. When he turned around, she was standing right in front of him, looking at him with a bewildered face. Her damp hair hung down onto her shoulders, soaking the fabric.
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