Chapter 25

At that time, Sōma, who had no idea that he was being overvalued by Zūg, was facing Garam and Shemul, discussing the future.

Indeed, the so-called discussion was, in reality, Sōma, who was unfamiliar with the common sense of this world, being taught by Garam and Shemul.

"In this plain, five of the twelve Zoan clans, including our own <Clan of Fangs>, have been living."

"Twelve clans?"

Garam, pointing to a diagram drawn on animal skin with dye, answered Sōma's question.

"Yes. Zoan is divided into twelve clans, each tracing their lineage back to one of the twelve brothers who were the first to be created by the Beast God. The clans are named after the eye, ear, nose, whisker, fang, claw, horn, hoof, mane, tail, and fur."

As he spoke, Garam pointed to the symbols representing each of the twelve clans depicted on the skin.

Sōma, who had been counting on his fingers, tilted his head.

"Huh? That's only eleven, isn't it?"

Shemul promptly answered Sōma's question.

"Long ago, there was a clan that brought disaster to all the other clans by succumbing to desire. They incurred the wrath of all the other clans, and their name was stripped away, and they were exiled to some unknown place. That is the lost twelfth clan."

Sōma nodded in understanding, and Shemul looked pleased to have been helpful. If she had a long tail, it would have been wagging happily.

Garam, noticing his sister's reaction, continued his explanation.

"Returning to the topic, in this area, besides our <Clan of Fangs>, there are the <Clan of Eyes>, <Clan of Claws>, <Clan of Mane>, and <Clan of Tail>. We have already sent envoys to the other clans except for the <Clan of Tail>, so we should expect some response soon."

Garam then proceeded to explain the clans he had just named.

"First, the <Clan of Eyes>. They are also known as the clan of priests. The clan itself is small, and there are even fewer who can be called warriors. They are not much of a force, but this clan has a high priestess."

"High priestess?"

"The leader of the priestesses who oversee the clan's rituals. In our clan, the priestess is an old lady, but she went to the <Clan of Eyes> for training when she was young. There, she received the high priestess's approval and became a formal priestess."

"Even though the high priestess doesn't interfere with other clans or have any particular power, her approval is important for morale, so we can't ignore it."

Sōma compared it to something similar in his knowledge, like the headquarters of a religion.

In reality, the relationship between Zoan priestesses and the high priestess is not as clear-cut as a religious organization. It is more like a master-disciple relationship.

"The <Clan of Mane> is, well, vain. They have a large number of members, so they have considerable power. However, the current clan leader is indecisive, so we can't rely on them."

Previously, Garam had approached the <Clan of Mane> to see if they would accept warriors who couldn't fight, but the envoy's response only came back the day before yesterday, long after the battle had ended. The response was also indecisive, asking for more time to consider.

"The <Clan of Tail> abandoned the plain and moved somewhere else when human influence became strong early on. We don't know where they are, and we couldn't contact them this time."

Sōma was disappointed.

If they were to fight humans in the future, they needed to secure as many warriors as possible.

From playing simulation games, Sōma had learned that "numbers are power."

While simply increasing the number of soldiers doesn't guarantee victory, gathering more soldiers than the enemy is the basic principle.

To achieve this, he wanted to gain the cooperation of as many clans as possible, but if their location was unknown and they couldn't be contacted, there was nothing he could do.

"The problem is the <Clan of Claws> and their clan leader, Kraga Bigana Zūg."

Garam's tone conveyed his lack of goodwill towards Zūg.

"What kind of person is he?"

"To put it simply, he's a beast."

Given that the Zoan themselves are close to beasts, Sōma was intrigued by a man who was called a beast even among the Zoan.

"Please tell me as much as you can about this Zūg."

"Indeed. — Zūg and I have a bit of a history..."

The red-haired Zoan have always been known for their fierce temper, and Zūg was a man who embodied this.

During a clan exchange in the past, Garam and Zūg, both young warriors with promising futures, competed in a contest during a feast.

The contest was just for entertainment, a friendly competition of skills.

Throughout the contest, Garam, who was weaker in strength but superior in skill, maintained the upper hand. After a fierce exchange, Garam skillfully used his two mountain knives to knock Zūg's knife out of his hand.

The judge declared the contest over, but the moment Garam turned to acknowledge the decision, Zūg leaped at him with his bare hands.

In the heat of the moment, Garam's mountain knife accidentally gouged Zūg's left eye, causing a commotion.

Later, Zūg claimed that he hadn't heard the judge's call due to the intensity of the contest, but few believed him.

While Zūg was at fault for ignoring the calls to stop, Garam, having injured the son of a clan leader from a friendly clan, later visited with gifts to apologize.

However, when Garam tried to apologize, Zūg laughed and said,

"This scar from the famous <Fierce Fang> is the best gift I could have received."

With a smile that didn't seem friendly at all, he added,

"I look forward to seeing your skills on the battlefield someday."

It was as if he was challenging Garam to a real confrontation on the battlefield.

After returning to the village, Garam told Shemul,

"At that moment, if I hadn't been serious, I would have lost my life. I never want to face him as an enemy on the battlefield."

Soon after, the human attacks intensified, and the clans were forced to scatter to distant hills and mountains, making communication difficult. However, Garam occasionally heard rumors about Zūg.

"On the battlefield, he fights like a berserker, feared not only by enemies but also by allies, and is now known as the <Raging Claw>."

"He must be quite strong."

Sōma's straightforward comment was met with a complex response from Garam.

"He is strong, but what's more frightening is his obsession with victory."

"Obsession?"

"Yes. He values victory over pride. If he thinks he can't win, he'll run away even if it means being called a coward. Even if he loses, he won't give up. He'll wait patiently, and when he sees a chance to win, he'll pounce like a predator lurking in the bushes."

Garam concluded with a heavy tone,

"The <Raging Claw> Kraga Bigana Zūg is truly a beast-like man."

◆◇◆◇◆

"Sōma-sama!"

Shahata was waiting for the two as they emerged from the clan leader's tent.

Since the fire attack, Shahata had started calling Sōma "Sōma-sama" and had become more attentive to him, often speaking to him.

"Shahata, is something wrong?"

"The cart you requested is ready."

This was the cart Sōma had asked the Zoan to make through Shemul.

Many of the human soldiers captured in the previous battle were injured or burned and couldn't walk back to their fort on their own. The cart was to send them back.

Shahata had specifically sought out Sōma to inform him of its completion.

"By the way, are you feeling better now?"

Everyone in the <Clan of Fangs> knew that Sōma had been ill since he collapsed. Shahata had come to check on his condition under the pretext of reporting the cart's completion.

"I'm sorry for worrying you."

Shahata waved his hand, as if to say it was nothing.

"You must have overexerted yourself to help us. I'm glad you're feeling better."

As Shahata bowed deeply and left, Shemul commented,

"Hmm, you've become quite close to Shahata."

"Yeah, he's been really kind to me."

Shemul was surprised.

Shahata was known as a stubborn man in the village, always looking gloomy and refusing to interact with anyone. It was unexpected that he would do something for someone else.

Shemul was pleased with the influence of her "lord below the navel."

"Sōma-sama."

A warrior approached Shemul, a rabbit hanging from his waist.

"What's wrong?"

"I caught this rabbit. Please, have it."

Without specifying who it was for, the warrior pushed the rabbit into Shemul's hands and quickly left.

Shemul, who had experienced this before, smiled wryly.

"He should just be honest and not put on such a front."

Sōma's illness with the "warrior's cold" had brought an unexpected change in the Zoan's attitude.

To the Zoan, Sōma was a creepy existence, a child of death and destruction.

When it was said that he would drive away the humans, the Zoan followed Garam and Shemul's decision reluctantly, not truly believing it was possible.

However, Sōma accomplished it using methods far from the Zoan's usual way of waging war.

Many Zoan, like Gruka, felt a strong fear.

Some even seriously considered abandoning their clan and fleeing.

When they heard that Sōma had fallen ill with the "warrior's cold," the Zoan were taken aback.

To the Zoan, the "warrior's cold" was a disease that only inexperienced warriors occasionally suffered from, a kind of embarrassing illness.

It was like hearing that a tough-looking troublemaker actually had bedwetting and secretly dried his bedding every morning.

The more they had feared Sōma, the more ridiculous their fear seemed in light of this unexpected revelation.

They began to think that such a pitiful person had gone to such lengths to drive away the humans for their sake, and this gradually changed their opinion to "weak, but not bad."

This change was largely influenced by Shemul, whom they revered. They interpreted her constant support for Sōma as "the child of the clan must have seen something in him" and accepted it favorably.

Of course, there were still those who harbored ill feelings towards Sōma, but overall, his reputation among the <Clan of Fangs> had risen dramatically.

While they couldn't yet speak to or thank Sōma directly, they began to send food and hunting game through Shemul.

Shemul was pleased that her "lord below the navel" was gaining recognition among the clan members.

"Ah, it's big brother!"

"It's big brother!"

Among the clan, Jeta and Shemul's siblings were as friendly towards Sōma as Shahata.

"Big brother, let's play!"

Shemul, seeing Sōma's slightly troubled expression, gave her permission with a nod.

"Sure, there's nothing for Sōma to do right now. In fact, I think what Sōma should do is deepen his bonds with his fellow clan members."

With Shemul's approval, Sōma took Shemul's hand and started walking. Jeta and Shemul followed, holding hands.

Shemul, who had grown very fond of Sōma, smiled and chatted happily.

"Hey, hey. When you grow up, you can marry me, okay?"

"Really? Thank you."

"But, a good husband has to bring back a lot of game. So, you should practice your hunting skills from now on."

According to Zoan customs, a young man seeking to marry must bring a mountain of game to the girl's parents to prove his strength and ability to provide for her.

"Um, but I find hunting difficult."

"Come on, be serious. You're going to be my husband."

Sōma smiled at Shemul's precocious but earnest words.

"Okay, I'll try my best."

"Good. Try hard!"

As they exchanged these endearing words, Shemul, thinking "even as a child, Shemul has become quite mature," felt a small tug on her arm from Jeta.

"Hey, hey, Shemul-sama."

Shemul looked down at Jeta.

"What is it, Jeta?"

"Shemul-sama, your face looks scary. What's wrong?"

"Really? I didn't notice."

Shemul tapped her cheek in surprise.

2014/6/15 Typo correction