Chapter 28

"I can't believe that child!"

Zug entered the tent assigned for his break and immediately let out a roar. Baring his fangs, his shoulders heaved with heavy breaths, making him look like a raging beast.

The fellow members of his clan were so frightened that they could only watch from a distance.

From among them, a Zoan with tangerine-colored fur stepped forward. Among the robust men, this Zoan, who was two heads shorter, seemed like a girl from the slight bulge in her armor.

"Uncle! Calm down!"

The girl's voice, raised without fear, brought Zug's frenzy to an abrupt halt.

"Shishur?"

The girl called Shishur, whose full name is Kuraga Bunuka Shishur, is Zug's niece.

She is the child of his much older sister, and is only 8 years younger than Zug. Therefore, he treats her more like a sister than a niece.

"Mother said that since you became the clan leader, you've been thinking too much about your responsibilities, but at heart, you're a simple and straightforward person. You'll slip up soon, and when you do, I should scold you."

Zug, who was still in awe of his older sister, slapped his face.

"Indeed, I can't match my sister."

Zug plopped down on the spot.

One of his fellow clan members immediately poured the tea that had been prepared and handed it to Zug. After drinking it in one gulp, Zug let out a heavy sigh, as if trying to expel the turmoil still raging inside him.

Finally, having calmed down, Zug asked Shishur.

"What did you think of him?"

"Even though it was just for entertainment, he is a warrior who defeated you, Uncle. Even from a distance, I could feel his strength."

"I'm not talking about Garam."

The memory of the unpleasant event made Zug irritable.

"Then, who are you talking about?"

"That human boy, Soma."

"He's not worth mentioning. I can't understand why Lord Garam would favor such a person, let alone make him a 'Lord Below the Navel'! It's sheer madness!"

As expected, Zug smiled at her reaction.

"Everyone thinks like you. As you said, he seems like an ordinary person. But Garam favors him, and the child made him a 'Lord Below the Navel.' This is not a trivial matter."

Zug's eyes seemed to look far away.

"Shishur, do you remember when I overruled the objections of my fellow clan members and covered the village with a wooden wall?"

Shishur nodded.

It was when Zug had just become the clan leader.

Suddenly, Zug said he would cut down trees from the nearby mountain and build a high defensive wall around the village.

The Zoans, originally a people of the plains, strongly opposed being surrounded by a wall, leading to significant resistance. If not for the intervention of his sister, who had married into another family, Zug might have been dragged down from his position as clan leader.

"I was criticized for imitating humans, despite our proud heritage."

Recalling those times, he smiled bitterly.

"I believe that if we continue as we are, the Zoans will be destroyed by humans."

"Uncle...!"

As the clan leader responsible for the fate of the clan, his words were not taken lightly.

"To prevent the Zoans from being destroyed, we must change! We must abandon our old ways of fighting and learn new ones! We must change, even if it means adopting human methods!"

That was the reason he built the defensive wall around the village.

However, Zug did not know that these words were similar to what Garam had said after seeing the burned mountain.

"We cannot rely on other clans that cling to the pride of the Zoans and fear change! My 'Claw Clan' and I will unite all the Zoans, drive out the humans, and build a paradise for the Zoans on our ancestral land!"

Zug clenched his right fist, raising it to his face as if grasping something only he could see.

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"I didn't expect it to cause such a commotion."

Instead of showing remorse, Shemul seemed to be enjoying it, which gave Garam a headache.

"Um... Mr. Garam. I didn't know it would turn out this way. I'm sorry."

Cangma bowed deeply to Garam.

It felt like he was asking his girlfriend's father for permission to marry her. He couldn't help but think that fate is unpredictable, considering he was having such an experience at his age.

However, Garam dismissed it casually.

"No, Soma doesn't need to apologize."

"Right, right. There's no need to apologize!"

Shemul interjected, but Garam bared his fangs and growled at him.

"I know Soma is a 'Foundling' and probably didn't even know what a 'Lord Below the Navel' is. It's clear that the one who started it was this fool."

Before Shemul, who was called a fool, could retort, an old woman stepped in.

"But, Garam, it's not all bad."

"What do you mean, old woman?"

"Shemul may wet the bed, but he is a child of the gods. We should take advantage of this."

Ignoring Shemul's protest, "Bed-wetter is unnecessary!" the old woman continued.

"I have a good idea. I've already taken action, and they should be here soon."

At that moment, a polite cough was heard from behind the tent's entrance.

"Oh, I've been waiting for you. Please, come in."

The old woman's permission allowed Shnupa, the younger sister of the head priestess of the 'Eye Clan,' to enter.

"Shnupa-sama."

Garam straightened and bowed to Shnupa.

"What brings you here? Did we do something wrong?"

"No, the members of the 'Fang Clan' have been very hospitable. I came because I was called by my sister."

The old woman, gathering everyone's attention, smiled.

"First, I would like Shnupa-sama to confirm Shemul's mark."

Shnupa immediately understood the old woman's intention and smiled.

"Of course. -- Child of the gods, I apologize, but may I confirm your mark?"

"Sure, go ahead."

Shemul began to take off his chest armor.

"Hey, men, turn around!"

The old woman growled, and Cangma and Garam quickly turned away.

"Then, Child of the gods, I will proceed."

Shnupa parted the fur on Shemul's left breast and confirmed the mark.

"Indeed, I have confirmed it. There is no doubt that Shemul is a child of the gods."

The old woman nodded in satisfaction and asked Shnupa for another favor.

"Shnupa-sama, I would like you to confirm another mark."

"Another one? Has a new child of the gods been chosen?"

"It's faster to see than to explain. Soma, take off your headband."

After confirming that Shemul had put his armor back on, Cangma hesitated but then removed his headband as instructed.

Instantly, Shnupa's eyes widened.

"Could this be...!"

With trembling hands, she pushed Cangma's bangs aside and touched his forehead, scrutinizing the mark as if to catch even the slightest deception.

"Aura! Magulna=Aura! Magulna=Aura!"

Shnupa cried out.

"Indeed, it was not a mistake."

Hearing the old woman's voice, Shnupa came to her senses and felt ashamed of her behavior.

"I apologize for my rudeness, especially to the child of Aura. I bow in apology."

Shnupa knelt and prostrated herself on the ground. Cangma, in turn, panicked.

"Please stop. I don't think anything of it!"

"I am grateful for the magnanimity of the child of Aura."

Finally, Shnupa raised her head and made a mischievous face as she scolded the old woman.

"Sister, you planned to involve me from the beginning, didn't you?"

"What? What are you talking about?"

The old woman feigned ignorance, and Shnupa chuckled.

"I understand, Sister. Our 'Eye Clan' will support the child of Aura and the 'Fang Clan.'"

"Really?! That's great!"

Shnupa's unexpected offer made Garam exclaim with joy.

The support of the 'Eye Clan,' who oversee the rituals, was a strong backing.

"As a child of the beast god, making the child of Aura a 'Lord Below the Navel' is also fate. As a priestess of the 'Eye Clan' who watches over fate, I would like to witness everything."

"I am grateful."

Cangma bowed deeply to Shnupa, and Shemul watched him with satisfaction. Then he slapped his right fist into his left palm.

"Next, we need to deal with the 'Mane Clan' and the 'Claw Clan.'"

"Regarding Bunka, if the child of the gods speaks to him, it should be enough."

"Is that all it takes?"

Shemul, with a serious face, seemed puzzled, and Shnupa smiled wryly.

Bunka, who had been so openly trying to sell himself, seemed pitiful for not being noticed at all.

"Then, the problem is the 'Claw Clan' and Zug."

Thinking about how to persuade the stubborn and violent man, Garam's brow furrowed.

"Wouldn't it be faster to challenge him to a duel and force him to submit?"

As Shemul suggested, when Zoan warriors have a disagreement, it is common to settle it through a duel.

However, Garam shook his head.

"I don't have the confidence to defeat him, 'Noble Fang.'"

While competing in mountain knife skills might be like a past entertainment, a duel would be a different matter. Zug would use every trick in the book, making victory extremely difficult.

"Damn! Is there no way to persuade that stubborn and violent man?"

At Shemul's words, the Zoans present fell silent.

However, Cangma was thinking about something else.

After much deliberation, he decided to seek the wisdom of the group and hesitantly shared his thoughts.

"Zug seems different from what I heard."

From what Garam and Shemul had said, Zug was supposed to be a rash and violent man who didn't think ahead.

However, to Cangma, Bunka, who immediately stood up and condemned him when introduced, seemed much more straightforward.

In comparison, Zug seemed surprised but also seemed to be observing how the other clans would react, not just Cangma.

Furthermore, Cangma found it suspicious that Zug, who appeared to be raging, would stop just because Garam called him.

If he were truly enraged, wouldn't he ignore Garam and leave?

Even if he did stop, his subsequent appeal to not only Garam but everyone present seemed suspicious upon closer inspection.

"But, does that mean Zug is thinking that much?"

Garam chuckled, and Shnupa tried to reassure him.

"Zug is indeed a rough and violent person who relies on his strength. However, as a clan leader responsible for a clan, he cannot remain that way. Don't you think so, Garam?"

Garam, who had once spoken about the heavy responsibilities of a clan leader when Gajeta strongly advocated for reclaiming the village, had no response.

He knew from experience that the weight of responsibility can change a person.

As a clan leader, he had to constantly think about the clan, broadening his perspective and looking ahead.

Reflecting on this, he felt ashamed of his former self, who had been preoccupied with short-term goals and pressured to drive out humans.

Even as a relatively new clan leader, he felt this way.

He could not underestimate Zug, who had been carrying the responsibilities of a clan leader for much longer.

"Maybe, deep down, Zug wants to cooperate with us?"

If not, Cangma couldn't understand why Zug, who showed resistance, would not leave the meeting but instead appeal to the other clans.

"But, Soma, if that's the case, wouldn't he openly ask for cooperation?"

"That's not likely, 'Noble Fang.'"

Garam dismissed Shemul's idea.

Thinking from Zug's perspective, as a clan leader, Garam considered:

"If I were in his position, I might do the same. After successfully taking down the fort and reclaiming the plains, we would need to redefine the territories of the clans. At that time, Soma's words cannot be ignored. The clan closest to Soma would have the best chance of obtaining the largest territory on the plains. As a clan leader, this cannot be taken lightly."

"The size of a clan's territory on the plains is not just a show of strength. It is the foundation of the clan's life and directly affects its future development. Every clan is eager to gain even a small piece of additional territory."

"I see. So, for Zug, it would be impossible to cooperate with us unless he can separate us from Soma or intervene."

"Mr. Garam, I want to make it clear that I will treat all clans equally."

For Cangma, this was a non-negotiable principle.

Growing up in Japan, a nearly homogeneous society, Cangma could not fully grasp the reality, but he had often seen news of civil wars and conflicts between ethnic groups living in the same region. Therefore, he could easily imagine that favoring a specific clan would lead to significant problems.

Especially now, when the Zoans need to unite against the dominant humans, Cangma, who would lead them, needed to clearly treat all clans equally.

"Indeed, our 'Lord Below the Navel'!"

Shemul praised Cangma immediately.

Garam, slightly exasperated by his infatuated sister, understood Cangma's point.

"However, even if we say that, the other clans won't believe us. In any case, we need to persuade Zug first."

Garam's words made sense.

"What about flattering or provoking him?"

"Child of the gods, I think you should avoid that. Zug has been used to such tactics since his mischievous days. Especially now, he is wary of the 'Fang Clan,' so it might backfire."

"Then, what do you think, Shnupa-sama?"

Shemul asked, and Shnupa thought for a moment before responding.

"Perhaps it would be better to overwhelm him."

Cangma pondered this.

In the upcoming negotiations, the first thing the clans would do is question whether Cangma is trustworthy. Cangma understood that his appearance made the Zoan warriors distrust him rather than respect him.

With the 'Fang Clan,' he could persuade the warriors because he was the child of Aura and had the support of Shemul, a child of the gods.

However, with the opposing clans, it would be difficult to persuade them, even with Shemul's support. At least, Zug did not seem to blindly follow just because the other was a child of the gods.

In that case, it might be better to show results and impress them, as Shnupa suggested. Cangma's thoughts leaned towards this idea.

"Mr. Garam, how many people from the 'Fang Clan' can fight now?"

"About sixty. More will return as the emergency signal is raised."

Cangma looked around, thinking.

"Will that be enough this time...?"

"This time?"

"Yes. I'm thinking of attacking the fort with only the 'Fang Clan.'"

Everyone's eyes widened at