Chapter 26

After clearing away the mostly burnt remains and the bodies of the humans, the village of the Fang Clan, which had just moved from their hideout to a new residence, was bustling with activity as Zoan and others worked busily.

For several days, they had been preparing to welcome envoys from other clans, but now that the envoys were about to arrive, several issues had arisen. As a result, the entire clan had been working hard since early this morning to address these problems.

In this way, they managed to put the village in order, and Garam heaved a sigh of relief. Just then, a warrior approached him.

"The envoys from the Eye Clan and the Mane Clan have arrived!"

When Garam went to the village entrance, there were the Eye Clan and the Mane Clan, each leading about fifty of their kin.

First, what caught the eye was the group of women dressed entirely in white.

Wearing white ponchos and white loincloths, with headscarves that covered their mouths, their appearance stood out in the Zoan, who preferred active clothing for hunting.

These were the priestesses of the Eye Clan.

The Eye Clan, which was also a clan of rituals, had stronger influence from the priestesses than from the warriors, and it was the priestesses' role to negotiate with other clans.

Of course, there were also warriors who accompanied the priestesses to protect them, but to Garam, they seemed somewhat weak.

Garam addressed the middle-aged Zoan who stood at the forefront of the priestesses, exuding a calm and dignified presence.

"I never expected that the younger sister of the High Priestess would come in person. Lady Wai Zanuka Shunupa, welcome."

"It's been a long time, Garam."

"Please, Lady Shunupa, don't call me 'boy.'"

"My apologies. You are now the chieftain of the Fang Clan. I offer my condolences for your father's passing, though it is late."

Saying this, Shunupa bowed her head, and Garam accepted her condolences quietly.

At that moment, an old woman with a cane approached.

"Oh, Lady Shunupa, it's been a long time."

"Oh, my sister."

"Shunupa, you are now the younger sister of the High Priestess. I'm happy that you still call me 'sister,' but it might be inappropriate."

"No, my sister. I will never forget the guidance you gave me when I was young. You are still my sister."

The old woman had interacted with the young Shunupa when she was training under the Eye Clan.

While Shunupa and the old woman were renewing their old friendship, Garam greeted the representative of the Mane Clan.

"I assume you are the representative of the Mane Clan. I am Garam Garguz, the chieftain of the Fang Clan, known as 'Fierce Fang.'"

"I am Banuka, the son of the chieftain of the Mane Clan, Menuin Gjatara Bararak. I have come on behalf of my father, who received your invitation. I have heard much about your reputation, Garam."

Banuka, a young Zoan who had just transitioned from a boy to a young man, gave a somewhat stiff and formal greeting. He wore armor with a collar adorned with feathers, a characteristic of the Mane Clan, but it seemed he was not yet accustomed to it.

Behind him, warriors wearing similar armor with collar decorations followed.

Banuka, after a brief greeting, looked around nervously.

"Garam, where... where is the Lady?"

"Hmm? You mean Shemul? My sister is currently busy and will greet you later."

Since it was too early to introduce Cangma, he had been hidden, but Shemul had also gone with him for some reason.

Garam was not unaware that his sister had been sticking close to Cangma recently, but since not all the clan members had yet accepted Cangma and he still needed protection, Garam had allowed it.

"I see..."

Banuka's shoulders drooped in disappointment upon learning that Shemul was not there.

"Come, both of you. Although we have just finished a battle and cannot offer a proper welcome, we will do our best to entertain you and your companions. This way."

Garam led the two clans into the village.

Initially, there was a plan to hold the inter-clan meeting at the hideout in the mountains, but Garam deliberately guided them to the village to show them the traces of the recent battle.

Fortunately, the Zoan tents could be easily disassembled and moved, so moving from the hideout to the village was not too much trouble. However, the village still had an ominous atmosphere, which they had to endure.

However, the effect was excellent.

A single glance was worth a hundred words in conveying the truth.

The members of the Eye Clan and the Mane Clan, including Shunupa and Banuka, looked at the battle scars in the village with astonishment.

The biggest challenge of this inter-clan meeting was to make them accept Cangma.

To achieve this, Garam and his team planned to shock and unsettle them with the same strong impact before revealing Cangma's existence.

Garam felt that their approach was working well from their reactions.

Just then, a warrior rushed over.

"What is it! We have guests!"

"Chieftain! The envoys from the Claw Clan have arrived!"

Before the warrior finished speaking, Zugg appeared, bringing a commotion with him.

"Hey, Garam! It's been a while!"

Without waiting for an invitation, Zugg barged into the village, causing Garam to grimace.

Behind him followed a group of visibly strong warriors. Moreover, their number exceeded a hundred, and their faces were brash, giving off an aura that they were ready to start a fight at any moment.

"Zugg! Are you planning to attack us!"

"Don't be angry, Garam. We are friends, aren't we?"

Saying this, Zugg casually draped his arm over Garam's shoulder. Garam pushed his arm away and said,

"Who do you think you are to say such things!"

"Huh? What's with the anger? Is it about the previous proposal?"

Zugg dramatically sighed.

"I can't help it. I am the chieftain of the Claw Clan. Even if I want to help you, I can't easily send my clan members to war. But if you had given me a word, I would have been ready to send warriors immediately."

Zugg pointed to the warriors he had brought.

"See, that's why I could bring these strong warriors so quickly. And food and drink! Accept them as a celebration of our victory!"

The warriors began to pile up the food and drink they had carried on the ground.

However, this was not out of goodwill.

Unlike the Fang Clan, which was struggling for food, the Claw Clan was showing off their clan's strength by displaying their ample reserves.

"Such pretense..."

Zugg watched Garam's irritation with amusement and then turned to Shunupa.

"Oh! Lady Shunupa, it's been a while since your father passed!"

"Zugg, you're still as mischievous as ever."

"Hahaha! Even this Zugg is nothing in front of Lady Shunupa!"

Then, he turned his gaze to Banuka.

Banuka tensed, bracing himself for what Zugg might say, but Zugg's gaze quickly passed over him.

Zugg then made a hand shade and looked around exaggeratedly.

"What, the Lady isn't here?"

The attitude that Banuka was not even worth his attention and the lack of respect for the Lady he admired so much made the young Banuka's blood boil.

"Zugg! Your rudeness is beyond measure!"

At this, Zugg acted as if he had just noticed Banuka and then smiled.

"Hmm. There's a lively kid here."

"I am not a kid! I am Banuka, the son of the chieftain of the Mane Clan, Menuin Bararak!"

Zugg stepped forward, and the overwhelming presence of his massive body made Banuka flinch and step back.

Zugg placed his hand on Banuka's shoulder. Even though Zugg did not seem to be using much force, Banuka groaned under the weight, feeling as if a boulder had been placed on his shoulder. He had to use all his strength to resist, or he would have fallen to his knees.

Zugg leaned in close, baring his teeth.

"Don't get cocky, kid. I am Zugg, the chieftain of the Claw Clan, known as 'Furious Claw.' Don't think you can speak to me as an equal, just because you're the son of a chieftain!"

A small groan escaped Banuka's clenched teeth, and the Mane Clan warriors immediately drew their machetes. In response, the Claw Clan warriors, as well as the Fang Clan and Eye Clan warriors, also drew their machetes.

The tense situation was interrupted by Shemul's voice.

"I came out because it was noisy. What's going on here?"

Emerging from the tent, she stood tall and glared at the warriors who had drawn their machetes.

"Oh, it's the Lady..."

"It's Lady Shemul."

The sight of the Lady, whom they rarely saw, drew the attention of the other clan members.

"Are you planning to perform a group sword dance as a response to our hospitality?"

Shemul's sharp words made the warriors look away in embarrassment. It was the height of rudeness to fight with another clan in their territory.

Seeing that it was time to back down, Zugg lifted his hand from Banuka's shoulder and gestured for his warriors to sheath their machetes. The other clan warriors followed suit.

"Ah, the Lady. It's an honor to see you."

"I don't need insincere flattery or poor word choice. Zugg, the 'Furious Claw,' are you here to start a fight?"

"Of course not. It's just a minor disagreement."

"Hmm. Just a minor one, huh?"

"Exactly. It seems the Fang Clan also harbors ill feelings towards us, but it's just a minor disagreement."

Zugg, who had been demanding the Lady while the Fang Clan was in a difficult situation, was shameless in his statement, leaving even Shemul and the others speechless.

"Lady! It's been a long time. Do you remember me? I am Banuka, the son of the chieftain of the Mane Clan, Menuin Bararak!"

"...Ah, I remember. When I became the Lady and visited to greet Chieftain Bararak."

"You remember me!"

Just a few words had been exchanged, but the joy of being remembered by Shemul made Banuka's body tingle with happiness.

"The Lady is as beautiful as ever. No, even more beautiful than before!"

If Banuka were human, his face would have been bright red. His voice was tinged with excitement, and his body was tense.

A Claw Clan warrior whispered to Zugg.

"Chieftain, it seems the young heir of the Mane Clan has a crush on the Lady."

"Hmph. Even a fool can see that."

"Well, it's not hard to understand. She is said to make the sun blush and the moon pale."

"I won't deny her beauty, but she's not my type."

Zugg acknowledged Shemul's beauty but, unfortunately, his preference was for women who were as frail as they were sickly. The strong-willed Shemul was the opposite of his taste.

"But, looking at the young heir, it's not just that..."

"What do you mean?"

"Most likely, he has been encouraged by his father. Given Bararak's lack of backbone, he probably sent his son to court the Lady, hoping to make her part of the Mane Clan."

In the Zoan, when a marriage was formed between clans, the wife would join the husband's clan. The most discreet way to make the Lady part of one's own clan was to have a male from one's clan become her spouse.

"I see... What should we do?"

The warrior subtly suggested interfering with Banuka, but Zugg waved his hand.

"No need. That Lady is a female mountain cat. It's impossible for a kitten to approach her. Now is not the time to make a move on her."

What Zugg was more concerned about was the person who had taught the Fang Clan the fire attack strategy. Despite causing a commotion, that person had not shown up.

"I wonder... Is he being dramatic, or is there another reason?"

Although he had heard about it beforehand, seeing the battle scars in the village made him realize that the actual scene was far more intense than he had imagined.

It was almost as if a god or a demon had done it.

However, Zugg was not just afraid.

"If the Fang Clan can do it, the Claw Clan can too. We must, at all costs, make the person who taught this strategy to Garam part of the Claw Clan."

◆◇◆◇◆

"What is that monster?"

"Kaiju, what is that...?"

From the gap in the tent, Cangma, who was secretly observing the outside, muttered to himself. Shahata, who was guarding him, tilted her head in confusion.

"No, that red Zoan, maybe..."

"Yes, that's Zugg, the chieftain of the Claw Clan, known as 'Furious Claw.'"

Cangma felt as if he was about to lose consciousness.

He had to persuade that monster to follow his strategy.

Imagining himself being devoured whole by Zugg if he upset him, Cangma's face drained of color.

"Can I really persuade him...?"

Just then, Cangma's sleeve was tugged.

Looking over, he saw Jeta and Shepoma, who had come to see him because their parents were busy welcoming the envoys and had no time for them.

"Big brother, do your best!"

"Do your best!"

The innocent children's hopeful gazes left Cangma with no choice.

"U... Yeah, I'll do my best."

Cangma forced a strained smile.

Bonus

Upon seeing Shemul:

Garam: "She's beautiful, even though she's my sister."

Zugg: "She's beautiful, though not my type."

Banuka: "All praises of beauty in this world are for her (and so on)."

Upon seeing an ordinary village girl:

Garam: "She seems to have a good character."

Zugg: "She's ordinary."

Banuka: "Compared to the Lady, she's not even worth mentioning (and so on)."

Cangma: "I can't tell the difference... orz"